way to go, iowa!

According to the New York Times, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled today that a 1998 state law limiting marriage to a man and a woman was unconstitutional. The unanimous decision means that same-sex marriage is now legal in Iowa, making it the first Midwestern state, and the third in the country, to legalize same-sex marriage.

And even if the state of Iowa isn't as progressive as the ruling might imply, I'm heartened by the justices' opinion, which said:

"We have a constitutional duty to ensure equal protection of the law. ... If gay and lesbian people must submit to different treatment without an exceedingly persuasive justification, they are deprived of the benefits of the principle of equal protection upon which the rule of law is founded."

Truer words were never spoken.