JEFFERSON CITY — A story in the Mother Ship yesterday reported about 17 gay couples who made the trek to Iowa to get married this weekend.

One of those couples was state Sen. Jolie Justus, a Democrat from Kansas City, and her wife Shonda Garrison.

From the article:

On the ride, Justus, 38, said she noticed no difference when the bus crossed from Missouri to Iowa. Same rolling pastures and overcast skies. But in Iowa, she said, being able to wed the woman she loves creates a vast difference between the two Midwestern states. Justus hopes now that gay marriage has landed in America’s heartland, it will become more widely accepted.

A 2004 Missouri constitutional amendment bans gay marriage in the state. It also doesn’t allow gay marriages performed in other states to be recognized in Missouri.