One Iowa in the News--Census: More same-sex couples living together

from The Des Moines Register.

Cindy Pollard and Gayla Snook say it was love at first sight when they met 12 years ago. The couple married last year at the Newton Arboretum, one of their favorite places.

Both women say they believe Iowans have become more accepting of their relationship in recent years. So it’s no surprise to them that the U.S. Census Bureau says the number of self-identified same-sex couples in Iowa rose dramatically between 2000 and 2010, up 77 percent to 6,540 couples.

...Troy Price, executive director of One Iowa, the state’s largest gay and lesbian rights organization, thinks the data underscore the impact of the [Varnum v. Brien] ruling.

“It shows that more and more married, loving and committed gay and lesbian couples are willing to stand up and show who they are and identify as a married couple,” Price said.

...Pollard said straight residents in Newton have apologized to her for any discrimination she might have encountered.

“I think things are moving in the right direction,” she said. “It feels so good to be open and honest about who we are.”

...Mike Yowell, 56, and Hersh Rodasky, 60, of Council Bluffs have been a couple since the early 1980s. But it’s only within the past few years that they have been open with everyone about being gay.

...Yowell said the Iowa Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage makes him feel proud he lives in a progressive state.

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