The Daily Kos: Marriage Equality Legislation for Illinois

Looks like marriage equality may be coming to Illinois sooner than we think, if Greg Harris gets his way.

My previous diary mentioned that it wouldn’t come earlier than 2013:

Could Illinois be the next state to grant full marriage eqality? That could happen if the Illinois General Assembly and the State Senate get their way, but it will not happen until 2013 at their earliest. The state (which I live in) got civil unions passed in January 2011 could try to go for legalization of same-sex marriage.How will the religious right (groups such as NOM, Illinois State Baptist Association, Catholic Church hierarchy and their more conservative members, Evangelical/Fundie churches, Illinois Family Institute) react if this bill passes, or even gets to committee at all? They would claim that “Illinois’ turning into Iowa East,” “Illinois has been handed over to sodomites, perverts, and radicalized ‘homosexual agenda’ proponents,” “This state will go down the path of immorality if this doesn’t get stopped,” “It’ll lead to people marrying cats, dogs, turtles, computers, goats, cars, and other non-humans,” and other homophobic nonsense by anti-SSM noisemakers.

Chicago Phoenix:

Illinois Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) introduced the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, a bill that would allow same-sex marriage in Ilinois, in the General Assembly Wednesday.“It marks the next step in our journey toward full marriage equality in our state,” Harris told Chicago Phoenix. “It’s not going to happen quickly, it’s not going to happen without a lot of hard work.”

The bill, HB5170, comes on the heels of Tuesday’s 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision declaring the California gay marriage ban, Proposition 8, unconstitutional. It is the latest of many bills Harris has filed as a state representative for marriage equality in Illinois.

Harris, however, said that the bill was introduced today due to deadlines for new legislation, and that he has always worked to achieve marriage equality. Harris, who is openly-gay, has devoted his career to it, he said.
“They call it a struggle for a reason,” Harris said. “We all have to keep calling our legislators, talk to our religious leaders and work hard to make this happen.”

Out lesbian lawmakers Rep. Deborah Mell (40th District) and Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy (14th District) have been added as co-sponsors of the bill.

“We are very lucky to have three very strong openly gay legislators here in Illinois,” said. “The opportunity to work so closely with representatives Harris and Mell is great — it’s a great opportunity to work together this way.”

If passed, the new law would amend the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, allowing the voluntary conversion of a civil union to a marriage.

“This bill is the first of its kind,” said Harris. “In the past, we didn’t have civil unions, so this bill takes that into account and offers a means to transition from civil unions to marriage.”

Language in the bill is far-reaching, promising the equal rights, protections and responsibilities of marriage to couples regardless of whether they are a same-sex couple or different-sex couple.

HuffPost Chicago:

A group of pro-equality Illinois lawmakers on Wednesday filed a bill in the Illinois General Assembly that would legalize same-sex marriage in the Land of Lincoln.The bill, filed by the state’s trio of openly gay Reps. Greg Harris, Deb Mell and Kelly Cassidy, would create the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act and provide that all state laws “applicable to marriage apply equally to marriages of same-sex and different-sex couples and their children” and granting them “the same benefits, protections, and responsibilities under law,” according to the Windy City Times.

The law would also amend the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, passed into law last year, to recognize marriage and authorize the voluntary conversion of a civil union into a marriage.

Last month, the Windy City Times reported that a group of state legislators were meeting to begin talking strategy for a marriage equality bill that would be introduced as early as 2013. The bill’s introduction was perhaps expedited on the heels of the Tuesday ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that California’s gay marriage-banning Proposition 8 was unconstitutional.

Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of LGBT advocacy group Equality Illinois, said that the state’s civiil union law “has already proven to have substantial weaknesses” and applauded the newly filed marriage bill as the logical next step toward LGBT equality in the state.

“Over the past year, we confirmed what we always suspected to be true: that creating a separate institution to provide substantially the same rights did not add up to full equality under the law,” Cherkasov said in a statement. “Separate is not equal. And we at Equality Illinois will not rest until gay and lesbian couples in every corner of the state – who are equal in love – are also equal in marriage.”

While the state’s civil union law was widely seen by LGBT advocates to be an important political victory toward granting many of the same rights and responsibilities to same-sex spouses as heterosexual couples within state boundaries, marriage equality has long remained the end goal.

KFVS 12 (CBS-Cape Giradeau/Carbondable-Marion/Paducah/Harrisburg):

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – One year after civil unions came to Illinois, some lawmakers are beginning a push to authorize gay marriages.The legislation was filed Wednesday by three members of the Illinois House. One is Rep. Greg Harris, who was instrumental in getting civil unions approved last year.

Concerns about elections this year could mean lawmakers will be hesitant to support the legislation. It’s also likely to trigger strong opposition from conservative groups.

I hope and pray this passes.