Iowa today became the third state in the U.S. to recognize same-sex marriage. The move came as the state's Supreme Court rejected a state law banning same-sex marriage. Iowa joins Massachusetts and Connecticut in permitting same-sex unions.

The decision will become law in 21 days, CNN reports, when county recorders will be required to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Nonresidents will also be eligible to obtain such licenses, according to an attorney with the Lambda Legal, which advocates for gay rights.

Bills to OK same-sex marriage are moving though state legislatures in Vermont and New Hampshire, although their fate is unclear.

The California Supreme Court last year OK'd same-sex marriage, but the ruling was overturned when Proposition 8, which limited marriage to opposite-sex couples, was passed by voters in November.

Photo by iStockphoto.com/ © Sandra O'Claire

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