Editorial: A historic vote

After several hours of deeply emotional and personal testimony, the Illinois House on Tuesday took a historic vote for personal freedom. The House approved same-sex marriage.

The “yes” votes came from Chicago and the suburbs, from the Quad Cities and Peoria, from as far south as Collinsville. Many Democrats — and three Republicans — secured the majority.

With Senate concurrence in an amendment later in the day — that was largely a given because the Senate approved same-sex marriage in February — the bill is on its way to Gov. Pat Quinn, who has said he will sign it.

In June — sorry, the protocol requires this wait — the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act will be the law of the state.

And so Illinois will join a profound movement in this nation to recognize the dignity and equality of same-sex couples.

The law will give them the same rights, benefits and protections accorded to heterosexual couples. It will respect religious freedom. It will not require religious institutions to solemnize or celebrate gay marriages or require them to provide their facilities for marriage ceremonies.

Many people deserve credit for building support in the House and Senate, including the leaders, Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan. One lawmaker stands out: state Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat who withstood harsh criticism, even from some of his allies, as he patiently built support in the House.

This change in marriage law might have happened in Illinois by virtue of a lawsuit in Cook County that challenges the Illinois prohibition on same-sex marriage. That suit and challenges in other states gained traction with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that declared parts of the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and allowed federal benefits to all married couples. Such a challenge led to legal recognition of same-sex marriage in New Jersey just a few weeks ago.

Far better, though, that this historic step be accomplished by a vote of the legislature, the people’s representatives. The vote in the House was 61-54.

Illinois’ soon-to-be same-sex marriage law is in the best interests of the state and its residents. It protects the interests of the thousands of children who have same-sex parents. It is consistent with a swift change in public opinion here and across much of the country.

To the sponsors, to the three House Republicans who took a political risk to support this — Tom Cross of Oswego, Ed Sullivan of Mundelein and Ron Sandack of Downers Grove — and to the loving couples who will no longer have to leave Illinois to be wed, congratulations.

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