I realized I posted this on reFocus, the Gazette photo staff blog, but neglected to post it here.. NYT published this photo in their Sunday Week in Review section (neat!)


Erinn Brehio of Iowa City (from left), University of Iowa junior Miranda Welch of Stratford and UI senior Cody Shafer of Wapello wave flags in front of the Old Capitol building before the start of a rally celebrating Friday’s Iowa Supreme Court ruling upholding a lower court decision legalizing same sex marriage on Friday, April 3, 2009.

I covered a rally at the Pentacrest in front of Old Capitol two weeks ago, held in celebration of the Iowa Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. An historic decision celebrated at an historic location — speakers reminded the crowd that in 1839, slavery was abolished in the Iowa Territory, years before it was a state, and in 1851 struck down a law banning mixed race marriage. The LA Times archive has an article detailing Iowa’s progressive politics, and provided a good education to this Iowa transplant.