Minnesota gay couples head to Iowa to get married

Ten gay couples from Minnesota boarded a bus headed for Davenport, Iowa Sunday afternoon, so that they could make a legal trip down the aisle.

"If I have to go to Iowa first because that's the first opportunity I have, then I am going to take it," said Johnny Hedgepeth, one of the men getting married.

The couples are all congregants of All God's Children Church in South Minneapolis.

Once Hedgepeth and his partner, Kenn Anderson cross the border back into Minnesota Tuesday, however, their marriage will no longer be recognized.

"I say whereever you are married, you are married and the law will just have to catch up with reality," Hedgepeth said.

Minnesota law may catch up to Iowa in the next few years, according to gay marriage opponent Tom Prichard.

"I think the situation in Iowa points to the urgency of what needs to be done here in Minnesota," said Prichard, who is President of the Minnesota Family Council. "The people need to be aware that marriage is under threat in Minnesota from possibly the courts or the legislature."

Not all gay couples at All God's Children Church are heading south to get married. Some say it'll mean more to get married at home in Minnesota and they are going to wait for that day to come.

But for Fay King and her partner Julianne, there are bigger issues to consider.

"There are a lot of people who suffered a great deal before us to get us to this point," Fay said. "I'm doing this in their honor and I'm also doing it for the future."

By Julianna Olsen, KARE 11 News

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