In a movement for equality, legal decisions and actions are like building blocks: Each one sets the stage for the next.Two developments this week illustrate this point — and they are big.
Today, a federal court ordered the Cook County Clerk's office to immediately issue marriage licenses to all Illinois same-sex couples who, because of a life-threatening illness, cannot wait until next summer to get married.
Today, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed the marriage equality bill into law at a ceremony in Springfield. Jim Bennett, Regional Director of Lambda Legal's Midwest Regional Office, attended the historic signing.
With a vote of 61-54, today the Illinois House of Representatives passed The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, a historic vote that sends the bill first to the Senate for a concurring vote and then to Governor Pat Quinn who has pledged to sign it.
Lambda Legal has been fighting for the freedom to marry in Illinois for years — and we won't stop until all families are treated equally under the law.
As the state legislature prepares to consider a marriage bill next week, here's a look back at some of the milestones on the road to equality.
Last week, nearly five-thousand supporters of The Illinois Marriage Bill – SB 10 – descended upon Springfield, the Illinois state capitol. The Illinois March for Marriage Equality brought together many families and organizations, both local and national to urge our legislators to call the marriage bill for a vote. Among these organizations and supporters was Lambda Legal.