U.S. gov cool to attempting gay-marriage reversal

Culver said in a lengthy statement that he hadn't changed his mind that marriage is between a man and a woman: "This is a tenet of my personal faith."

However, Culver said the issue before the court in its unanimous ruling Friday involved only civil marriage, and that churches and other religious institutions do not have to perform them.

"The court also concluded that the denial of this right constitutes discrimination," Culver said. "Therefore, after careful consideration and a thorough reading of the court's decision, I am reluctant to support amending the Iowa Constitution to add a provision that our Supreme Court has said is unlawful and discriminatory."

Culver made his statement hours after a Republican candidate for governor, Bob Vander Plaats, criticized the governor for not being more clear about where he stood on the gay marriage ruling.

"There's an old saying that silence is golden, but it doesn't apply when people need to know where their elected officials stand," said Vander Plaats, an Iowa businessman.

The court ruling means same-sex couples can file for licenses in Iowa beginning April 27, and get married as soon as April 30.

Key Democratic legislative leaders have ruled out efforts to start the process of amending the constitution, and Culver's position likely ends that debate for all practical purposes. Social conservatives have been clamoring for the amendment, but even in their best-case scenario Iowa voters could not weigh in on the issue until 2012.

Iowa doesn't have residency requirements for marriage licenses, so same-sex couples from elsewhere could come to Iowa to be married. Vander Plaats said at the least, lawmakers should put residency requirements in place to head off such visits.

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