DAVENPORT, Iowa—
Monday morning all 99 counties in Iowa start processing applications for same sex marriages. Iowa normally requires a three day waiting period, but a judge can wave that rule. Last year a survey showed nearly 3,000 same-sex couples in Iowa would get married in the first three years after it became legal.After seven years of being together, and one commitment ceremony...Connie Jarvis and Pat Hooper are ready to make it legal.
"It'll just be another day. It won't change me in the least," says Jarvis.
But there are still those pre-wedding jitters...for Pat, at least.
"The more I talk about it, the more excited I get. Until then...I think it's going to be this is another step in the struggle for equality, but on that day, yeah, I'm going to be a little nervous," says Pat Hooper.
They're one of eight couples that will wed in a mass ceremony at Metropolitan Community Church next Sunday. The pastor, Rich Hendricks, says nearly 30 couples have already signed up to tie the knot at his church.
"There's a lot of people booking banquet halls and ordering cakes and we've already done some of that, as far as ordering cakes and referring people to wedding halls. I hope it'll bring some additional business to the church so people know there's a place where they can come where they're accepted for exactly who they are," says Rev. Rich Hendricks.
As for Connie and Pat, the couple is bordering on 60, but with some nudging, Connie convinced Pat they should be one of the first to get married after the law changes Monday.
"I like to be a path leader and I like to walk the path, so that young people will follow us," says Jarvis.
Pastor Hendricks says his congregation is praying for those who are against gay marriage and he believes supporters will prevail.
"Once people know us, they don't vote against us. We're not evil. We're just your next door neighbor and , in Iowa ,we've got several years to convince people, yes, it's the right and fair thing to do," says Rev. Hendricks.
"They don't know us. They only fear us for some reason and think we're out to damage marriage and the institution of it. All we want is what's ours according to the Constitution of the United States. This is special, but what's going to be even more special is when it's no longer a big deal. When it no longer demands newspaper stories and the media coverage and it's just another couple getting married. That's when it'll be very special," says Hooper.
Pastor Hendricks says more than half of couples getting married at his church are from Iowa and the out-of-state couples are mostly from Illinois. The Unitarian Church in Davenport will also marry gay couples and has about 3 same-sex weddings scheduled now.
It's not clear how many will apply for marriage licenses in Iowa the first week, but some recorder's offices took time this weekend to set up extra tables and chairs and plan to have more staff on hand to help out Monday.
At least one county supervisor in Iowa is trying to block same sex marriages and we're hearing about petitions asking clerks not to issue licenses on Monday. Some gay rights groups plan to send representatives to the courthouses to make sure there aren't any problems.
