Sean Fritz (left) sits with his husband Tim McQuillan, and dog Lola in Ames, Iowa. Fritz and McQuillan, the only same-sex couple legally married in Iowa, recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary. (Photo by AP)
Gay Iowa couple celebrates first wedding anniversary
DES
MOINES
(AP)
—
Looking
back
on
their
first
year
of
marriage,
Sean
Fritz
and
Tim
McQuillan
speak
of
their
new
puppy,
visits
with
friends
and
divisions
of
labor.
Fritz
does
the
dishes
and
McQuillan
handled
the
laundry.
They
also
speak
a
bit
more
reluctantly
about
their
status
as
Iowa’s
only
legally
married
same-sex
couple.
Since
their
marriage
on
Aug.
31,
2007,
during
the
single
day
when
gay
marriage
was
legal
in
Iowa’s
most
populous
county,
the
two
have
become
spokespeople
for
the
issue
in
the
Midwest.
“We’re
doing
this
because
we
have
a
responsibility.
There’s
people
we
know
who
would
like
to
get
married
and
I
feel
like
it’s
more
of
our
civic
duty,”
McQuillan
said.
Although
they’ve
passed
their
first
anniversary,
the
legal
standing
of
the
men’s
marriage
isn’t
secure.
Their
marriage
was
prompted
by
Polk
County
District
Court
Judge
Robert
Hanson’s
ruling
that
a
state
law
allowing
marriage
only
between
a
man
and
a
woman
violates
the
constitutional
rights
of
due
process
and
equal
protection.
McQuillan
and
Fritz
were
the
only
couple
to
get
married
before
Hanson
stayed
his
decision.
Now
the
case
is
in
front
of
the
Iowa
Supreme
Court.
The
Supreme
Court
is
expected
to
hold
oral
arguments
in
the
fall
and
could
issue
a
decision
next
year.
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