The Illinois legislature has finally passed a same-sex marriage bill for the state. It is only a couple of years since the passage of the civil union act. Personally, I never expected them to act this fast–but I am very happy that they have. This is a big step forward for civil rights in our state.
It's a day to celebrate! Photo courtesy of Artisan Events, Inc.
The short version of what this means is that as of June 1, 2014, almost any person may legally marry almost any other person in the state of Illinois. (You still can’t marry your sibling, for instance.) The devil, of course, is in the details.
If you want a comprehensive guide to the new bill, you can download a .pdf from Equality Illinois with all the ins and outs of the new bill.
My favorite part of the new law is a provision that allows couples who currently have an Illinois civil union (and maybe civil unions from other states, as well) to convert their civil union to a legal marriage. The conversion is a matter of mere paperwork, and for the first year after the law takes effect, the state will not charge a fee for the conversion. Also, after the conversion, for legal purposes, a converted marriage will be retroactive to the date of the civil union.
Between this new law and the Supreme Court’s striking down parts of DOMA, it seems that civil rights have taken a big step forward this year.
Recent Comments