Civil Unions in Illinois By Christmas?

by Michael Jones · 2010-11-05 08:45:00 UTC
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The Illinois governor's race was one of the closest elections in the entire country this year, but one that could have an immense amount of impact for LGBT residents in the state. The current governor, Pat Quinn, edged out Republican Bill Brady by just over 19,000 votes. Why is that important? Because Quinn has said he'll sign civil unions legislation if it reaches his desk, and Brady was completely against any effort to legitimize same-sex relationships.

Score one for all those LGBT voters who got out and cast their ballot. Here's an election where the LGBT vote not only made an impact, it may well have been the deciding factor in securing a victory for Quinn.

All eyes are now turning toward a lame duck session of the state legislature this month and next, where the issue of civil unions could come up for a vote. Quinn has already promised to sign the bill, if the State House and State Senate move forward on the legislation.

"The votes are there, I believe. In the Senate for sure, and definitely I think we can do it in the House," Quinn said, adding that he thinks the bill can pass before the close of 2010.

Feel like sending a little love in the direction of the Illinois State Legislature, urging them to pass civil unions legislation before the end of the year?

A bill in the Illinois House introduced by openly gay State Rep. Greg Harris has made its way out of committee, and could come up for a full House vote. Similar efforts could also move forward in the State Senate.

It's not full marriage equality, of course. But it would be a major step in the right direction, which is why so many LGBT folks and LGBT groups threw their collective weight behind getting Quinn elected. That included the folks with Equality Illinois, who mailed out more than 450,000 absentee ballots to folks encouraging them to vote.

“I have no doubt that the effort Equality Illinois and our partners and volunteers undertook made the difference,” said the CEO of Equality Illinois, Bernard Cherkasov.

Pretty awesome to see such LGBT influence in an election. Now let's see how much influence we can get in the state legislature before the end of the year, so that same-sex relationships in Illinois move one step closer to achieving the equality and respect they deserve from the state.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.

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