Who saw this coming?

Gay marriage, seemingly the province of the nation’s two
coasts, is just weeks away from becoming a reality in the heartland and
apparently it will be years before social conservatives have a chance
to stop it.

The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld a lower-court
ruling that rejected a state law restricting marriage to a union
between a man and woman. Now gays and lesbians may exchange vows as
soon as April 24 following the landmark decision.

So will there be a surge in Iowa tourism….or residency?

In the meantime, same-sex marriage opponents may try to
enact residency requirements for marriage so that gays and lesbians
from across the country could not travel to Iowa to wed.

U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, urged the Legislature to do so, saying
he feared without residency requirements Iowa would “become the gay
marriage mecca.”

Their real estate market may lead the country in a turnaround soon.
Apparently, this quiet heartland state has led the nation in other
things, perhaps unnoticed before now.

Iowa has a history of being in the forefront on social
issues. It was among the first states to legalize interracial marriage
and to allow married women to own property. It was also the first state
to admit a woman to the bar to practice law and was a leader in school
desegregation.

With those fine achievements on the record, they wanted a bigger challenge. Like reinterpreting the Constitution. What a state of affairs.