Good news from Iowa

As anti-gay marriage forces keep working to overturn the state Supreme Court decision to allow same-sex couples to marry, it's nice to see that a majority of Iowans now favor marriage equality.  This seems to be a pattern: once gay marriage is allowed in a state and people see that their world hasn't turned upside down, there is a shift toward acceptance.

Here's an abridged version of the  story from KCCI-TV:

In the past 14 months, the Iowa Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages and the Iowa Board of Pharmacy recommended that the state legalize medical marijuana. Now, a new NewsChannel 8 poll shows that a majority of Iowans support both ideas.

The survey found that 53 percent of those polled said they favor marriage rights for same-sex couples and that 41 percent are opposed.

Opponents of same-sex marriage put candidates on notice this week, delivering a petition to the statehouse that they said makes clear that the issue will be on the minds of voters.

"When folks go to the polls next week and then in November, they will in fact support candidates who understand their Constitution and who will defend marriage," said Bryan English of the Iowa Family Police Center.

He said he feels that the NewsChannel 8 poll results don't accurately reflect the feelings of most Iowans.

Justin Uebelhor of the group One Iowa said he thinks a majority of Iowans have bigger concerns.

"Iowans want their elected officials to focus on issues like jobs and education and really, those pocketbook issues, rather than focusing on divisive issues that are going to pit neighbor against neighbor," Uebelhor said.