More than 450 gay couples seek licenses

More same-sex couples sought marriage licenses in Polk County than any other large Iowa population center in the first week after a court ruling went into effect that legalized gay marriage in the state, county numbers show.

Polk County Recorder Julie Haggerty said 116 gay and lesbian couples had applied for licenses by Friday afternoon. More than two-thirds arrived on Monday, when the Supreme Court’s April 3 decision took effect, and dwindled as the week progressed. The proportion of same-sex couples compared with heterosexual couples also dropped later in the week in Polk County. By Friday, Haggerty said, only eight of the 25 couples who applied for licenses were of the same sex.

The Des Moines Register’s survey of county recorders offices indicates more than 450 same-sex couples sought marriage licenses last week. No state agency keeps track of marriage applications on a real-time basis. The Register contacted all 99 county recorders offices on the first day that same-sex couples could seek licenses and received updated tallies from selected offices on Friday.See More than 450 gay couples seek licenses

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