First state to approve gay marriage

Jessica Cummins and C. Lucke decided to get married in But Cummins was living in Alabama and Lucke was in California, and neither state had legalized same sex marriage. And so to even be in a congregation that was open and accepting was kind of mind boggling," they said.

There was a guy who played guitar that was a friend of theirs. Can you help us? So we just started really just like hatching this idea," Vagts said. Ellis Arnold is a minister and co-chair for Decorah Pride. I think for Decorah it continues to shape us," they said. And because we have a broad generation of queer folks, there's sort of a shared legacy of, oh, this has been a part of who we are and how we are.

They also did their fair share of weddings when they moved to the town in That year, right in the middle of the wedding madness years—they did 15 weddings in three months. Just after midnight on May 17, , couples began filling out license applications at Cambridge City.

She became an officiant and was listed on the Welcome in Decorah website. Support IPR. Show Search Search Query. Department of Public Health six months earlier. And so I Google online and I get Iowa," she said. We don't know anyone. In April , Iowa became the third state legalize same-sex marriage , and the first outside of the northeast to do so.

Twenty years ago today, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. On June 26, , in the landmark case of Obergefell vs. Welcome in Decorah founder Amalia Vagts said exchanges like this were common between and Vagts and her sister brainstormed the idea when they were celebrating the Iowa Supreme Court decision.

I thought for sure, like California, Hawaii, that these would be the states. She says she married around 80 couples who came to Decorah over the years. The website took off. But that time made a lasting impact on the wide range of people who were involved. Search Query Show Search.

Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage following a ruling by the state’s highest court in On November 6, , Maine, Maryland, and Washington became the first states to legalize gay marriage through a popular vote. This timeline highlights the changes in state policies leading up to that ruling, starting in – when Utah became the first state to enact a Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Lots of couples, like Lucke and Cummins, were calling and emailing her asking for advice on where to get married, what places could cater receptions, and even if Vagts could find locals to be their witnesses. They say this whole part of LGBTQ history in Decorah only happened because of the welcoming community that was already here.

She did weddings all over town: at a waterfall, parks, the Luther College chapel and even her own property, where couples could rent a cabin and stay in the tranquil forest. Hodges, the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for states to ban same-sex marriages.

They got to talking about how Decorah might be a perfect destination for couples. On May 17, , Massachusetts became the first U.S. state and the sixth jurisdiction in the world to legalize same-sex marriage following the Supreme Judicial Court 's decision in Goodridge v.

She and her husband were our witnesses. Vagts said they also wanted to know if it was safe for them to come to Decorah. It was just a moment to be fully in," she said. Amalia Vagts, the Welcome in Decorah website founder, said once same-sex marriage was legal throughout the country, fewer couples came to Decorah to marry.