Last Friday, Missouri state Sen. Jolie Justus' relationship status on Facebook changed to "married." Then came this update: "headed back from Iowa with the 'ole ball-n-chain." This wouldn't have been a big deal except Justus married long-time partner, Shonda Garrison, in Iowa, where the state Supreme Court recently legalized same-sex marriage.
Justus, Garrison and 16 other couples had caught an early morning bus bound for Iowa City to get hitched. I shot Justus a message of congratulations. The next day, she explained how it felt to finally have a wedding day.
"It was an amazing experience," Justus wrote. "I didn't think I would have this opportunity so soon and so close to home.
"It was a wonderful day."
In Iowa City, the couples were greeted at the courthouse
with flowers and marriage licenses, Justus
wrote. Iowa City Mayor Regenia Bailey even showed up to show her support.
Justus and Garrison know their marriage won't be recognized in their
home state of Missouri. In 2004, Missouri voters passed a
constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a
woman.
"I know that Missouri is
a long way from same-sex marriage, but I'm thrilled that other states
are starting to recognize that marriage is a civil right that should be
available to everyone," Justus wrote. "Personally, my partner and I were excited to
join our friends in the ultimate expression of love and commitment.
"We
know that it will probably be a long time before our marriage is
legally recognized by our own state, but it does not diminish the
importance of the event in our lives."
In the video below, Justus and Garrison seal their marriage with a kiss (with 17 seconds left in the video):
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