In a unanimous decision, the Iowa Supreme Court held today that an Iowa statute restricting marriage to a male and a female violated the equal protection clause in the state's constitution.  The court ordered the restriction removed from the statute, and directed the state to interpret and apply the remaining provisions in a way that will afford "gay and lesbian people full access to the institution of civil marriage." 

This decision marks the first time that a court in a Midwestern state has allowed same-sex marriage, and that is sure to affect the broader debate that has been occurring on the coasts for some time.  Legislatures in New England have taken up statutes authorizing gay marriage recently, and the California Supreme Court heard arguments a short while ago in a challenge to Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that passed in November and changed the California constitution to ban gay marriage.