Same-sex couples still flocking to Iowa for marriage

IOWA CITY - Even though Washington and Maryland's legislatures recently voted to legalize same-sex marriage, out-of-state couples continue to flock to Iowa to tie the knot.

On Friday, 10 same-sex couples from Missouri took a six-hour ride on the “Love Bus” and got married in Iowa City.

“I'm really excited to see people are coming up here,” said the Rev. Steven Protzman of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City. “We're really proud of this.”

The “Love Bus” has made nearly a dozen trips to Iowa City in the past three years. The bus left St. Louis at 5 a.m. Friday and arrived in Iowa City shortly before 11 a.m.  Couples stopped for a reception at the Riverside Casino on the trip back to St. Louis.

Since same-sex marriage became legal in the state in 2009, hundreds of couples have been married at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City.

“A couple of months ago I had a couple from Minnesota come down that wanted to be married,” Protzman said. “It was fun to welcome them. I've heard from a couple in Kentucky that's coming this summer.”

The marriages have provided a boost to the Iowa City economy. Couples who made the trip Friday said they planned to spend some time in town, and many said they planned to return.

“I know me and my partner will come back,” Carla Howell said.

One couple even said they would consider moving to Iowa City because of the acceptance they'd seen during the trip.

“It seems like a peaceful town, they recognize gays and lesbians,” said Sean Mack, who previously married her wife in Missouri, but was happy to make it official in Iowa City.  “(We) don't have to worry about anybody teasing you.”

Protzman said he expects the “Love Bus” to return to the church within six months.

It's exciting to marry couples “legally,” Protzman said.