A Missouri man is trying to get a routine state benefit after his partner died in the line of duty, even though the state does not recognize gay marriage.

Iowa Sen. Sandy Greiner, R-Keota, is among the co-sponsors of a statehouse bill that would outlaw same-sex marriage in the Iowa Constitution.

A group opposed to equal marriage in the US state of Minnesota has pledged half a million dollars to defeat any Republican legislator voting to legalise marriage equality in the state.

When I met Charles, I’d recently moved back to Des Moines from New York City, a stop-off, I’d intended, on my way out west. I sat in a coffee shop getting some work done when my mind began to wander. I logged on to a smart-phone social networking application designed for gay men, and received a message from Charles, a college freshman.

We exchanged pictures, made small talk, and before long he got to the point: He was eager to meet right away. He didn’t mince words about what he wanted.