The state of LGBT issues in (a few) other states

This past week seems to have been an eventful one for LGBT issues in other states including Iowa, Maine and Kansas:

IOWA

Same-sex marriage - On Thurday, a state law prohibiting same-sex marriage was effectively struck down when a district court judge ruled that it is a violation of the equal protection and due process clauses in the state constitution (wouldn't that be true of the United States Constitution as well?). The following day, two Iowa State University students who met through Facebook were the only couple to marry. By that afternoon, the same judge granted the request for a stay pending a review of the case. (Note: The final paragraph of this story points out legal rights for same-sex couples in other states.)


MAINE

Same-sex adoption - The Maine Supreme Judicial Court recognized that a same-sex couple has the right to adopt children in that state because the statute allows unmarried couples to adopt without regard to the gender of the adoptive parents.

KANSAS

LGBT discrimination and harassment protection - Through an Executive Order, the governor of Kansas set forth a precedent that protects most state employees of Kansas who are gay, lesbian bisexual or transsexual from discrimination and harassment in "on-the-job" situations.