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Gay Rights in Illinois takes a first step in the right direction
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(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A bill squeaked through a legislative committee last Wednesday in the Illinois House that would give same-sex partners the same rights and benefits as "married couples." The House bill, HB2234, known as Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, takes an important first step toward addressing the issue of gay marriage.
The bill is sponsored by the chairman of the committee, State Rep. Greg Harris. Another state legislature, Deb Mell, who is the daughter of Alderman Dick Mell and the sister-in-law of former Governor Rod Blagojevich, is a strong proponent of the bill.
"I find it very strange that I can be elected to the General Assembly and vote on rules and laws, but these don't apply to me and my family," said Mell, D-Chicago. "We're not protected."
State Rep. Greg Harris, the chairperson of the committee and the sponsor of the measure, said in a statement published on the Windy City Media Web site that “this is legislation about fairness and establishing equal rights for everyone in our great state. At the heart of the debate over this bill is a fundamental question: Do the people that this bill applies to deserve the same rights as everyone else? The answer is ‘absolutely.'”
Opponents argue that civil unions amount to gay marriage by another name.
The Mormon Church is opposed to any legislation conferring any rights to same-sex couples. The Mormons have been at the forefront of fighting such measures as California's Proposition 8.
Gay rights advocates fear that Mormons in Nauvoo might try to undermine civil unions up for debate in Springfield today. They point to the church's overwhelming financial support of California's Proposition 8, the successful ballot measure that made it illegal for lesbian and gay couples to marry.
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The California Supreme Court listened to oral argument on Thursday surrounding issues on California's Proposition 8. Some of the issues the court may address is what to do with the 18,000 same sex couples who were married prior to the vote on Proposition 8.
Justices on the high court appear hesitant to overturn Proposition 8, while also reluctant to invalidate same-sex marriages performed before it passed, legal observers agreed Friday.
During Thursday's oral arguments on a trio of lawsuits seeking to overturn the ban, Chin and Chief Justice Ronald George seemed to anticipate the difficulty in reconciling the state constitution's promise of equality with its commitment to giving voters wide discretion to pass laws.
Chin, who was not part of the court majority that ruled last year to legalize same-sex marriage, twice asked whether the court should direct the state "to employ non-marriage terminology" and instead make only civil unions or domestic partnerships available to all.
This is an issue that will not go away. Both sides are well-entrenched in their positions. Stay tuned.
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