Morning Sweep

The big news today comes out of Des Moines, Iowa, where a trial judge last night ruled that the state's DOMA is unconstitutional and that same-sex couples are entitled to marry. Gay City News has a fantastic breakdown of the arguments presented before the court and the key points upon which Judge Robert Hanson based his decision. The case will no doubt be appealed to a higher state court, but the decision is still monumental.

You can read Judge Hanson's full decision here.

The New York Times gives its opinion on the Larry Craig issue, which pointedly calls out the Republicans' blatant homophobia: "Underlying the hurry to disown the senator, of course, is the party’s brutal agenda of trumpeting the gay-marriage issue. To the extent Senator Craig, a stalwart in the family values caucus, might morph into a blatant hypocrite before the voters’ eyes, he reflects on the party’s record in demonizing homosexuality. The rush to cast him out betrays the party’s intolerance, which is on display for the public in all of its ugliness. But it also betrays their political uneasiness as the next election approaches."

The Middletown Times Herald-Record points out the double standard in the Republican rush to get rid of Larry Craig. What ever happened to Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, who also had some not-so-nice skeletons break free from his closet? One must assume that because his interest is in prostitutes of the opposite sex, the Grand Ol' Party is more willing to forgive.

Gay City News' Doug Ireland provides a racy analysis of Larry Craig's bathroom adventures, but also brings up the fact that gay men are disproportionately affected by police entrapment in public lewdness cases.

A lesbian couple in Denver became Colorado's first same-sex couple to legally adopt, thanks to legislation signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter earlier in the summer.