The momentum for marriage equality continues in the Land of Lincoln. The Illinois State House of Representatives passed a historic bill that would recognize the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples by a 61- 54 vote.

The legislation will return to the State Senate for a confirmation vote, where it was previously approved with bipartisan support. Governor Pat Quinn, a champion of the marriage equality, plans to sign the bill into law. Couples will be able to get married starting June 1, 2014

Illinois is fifteenth state in the nation to recognize marriage equality, the second in two months.

Update, 3:05 p.m.: The Illinois State Senate just voted 32-21, with 6 non-votes, to approve the legislation. The bill now heads to the Governor.

Take a Chance on Me

The story of how Mark Towns and Stephen Pearlman of Chicago first met six years ago is straight out of a romance novel. Mark owned a small business selling jewelry online and every week he would drop by his safe deposit box at a local bank. Stephen worked as a bank teller at that very branch and strategically timed the line so Mark would end up at his window. After two months of visits, Mark took a chance and gave Stephen his business card.

When Stephen got home, he visited the URL listed on the back of the card and discovered that Mark made synthpop remixes as a hobby. He came across a section devoted to the band Erasure. “It is my all-time favorite band, and I thought what are the chances of this?” He continues, “So after I found out that we had that in common, I gave him a call and said lets meet up for a drink after work one day.”

Stephen also creates electronic music in his spare time.  After getting to know each other personally, they agreed it was time to get to know each other’s music. Mark says, “We sat down next to one another and put our headphones on each other and pressed play at the same time. As soon as it started, I got giddy. It was unreal the music that he was making and I could tell the feelings were mutual. It was in that moment that we both knew we were meant to be together.”

The two began collaborating and have been making music together ever since.

Oh L’Amour

Before they moved in together, the couple would often conclude their dates by taking a stroll through their neighborhood park and, without missing a beat, sit on the same bench before parting ways.  “So that became our little park, and our little bench and we just loved it. It’s where we had our first kiss,” says Mark.

Some years later, the park was razed and the couple was concerned over what would replace it. Mark laughed, “We thought our special place was going to turn into a Walgreens or McDonalds.  Instead, they built a hotel. So now on every anniversary, we have a little stay-cation. The staff all knows how much the spot means to us so they treat us like royalty.”

Be With You

The couple is quick to note that they are the ying to each other’s yang.

Stephen loves Mark’s sense of adventure and his ability to pull him out of his shell. He says, “He gets me to do things I never thought I could do, and together I think we’ve been able to do some really neat things and I love that about him and our relationship.”

Mark adores how calm and patient Stephen is. “I’m inclined to road rage and Stephen is the exact opposite,” Mark jokes. “He’s very Zen like. He’s one of the gentlest people I’ve met. He’s extremely patient with me,” Mark says.

Had marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples been legal all along, Mark and Stephen would have been married three years ago, so the couple plans to wed the same day Illinois recognizes the freedom to marry. “There is almost no reason for us to wait, and there are so many benefits,” says Mark.

Unfortunately, because the Illinois House failed to pass marriage equality legislation last week, their wait will continue.

Big news coming this week from Rhode Island, where we may see the year’s first hearing on marriage equality. New lawmakers in Illinois and Colorado express eagerness to pass marriage and civil unions bills. Two lawsuits join forces in Hawaii and Nevada, plus one unlikely country that saw support for marriage double over the last decade.

Identical marriage equality bills will be introduced today in the Illinois State Senate and House of Representatives.  Similar legislation passes a Senate Committee last week, shortly before the end of last year’s  session.

According to Equality Illinois:

“On the first day of the new legislative session, sponsors Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago) say they will work to pass the legislation, known as the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, shortly after members of the 98th General Assembly are sworn in.”

What You Can Do

If you live in Illinois, Equality Illinois has put together ways you can contact your legislator.

This is It

Momentum is quickly gaining for the state to pass the legislation. President Barack Obama urged lawmakers in his home state to pass the legislation. In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times White House spokesman Shin Inouye said:

“While the president does not weigh in on every measure being considered by state legislatures, he believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect… As he has said, his personal view is that it’s wrong to prevent couples who are in loving, committed relationships, and want to marry, from doing so. Were the President still in the Illinois State Legislature, he would support this measure that would treat all Illinois couples equally,” Inouye said

The president’s comments echo his landmark statement of support for marriage equality last spring.

Additionally, Illinois GOP Chair Pat Brady of St. Charles made calls to lawmakers, as a citizen, urging them to support marriage equality legislation, reports the Daily Herald. In a statement, Brady said:

“More and more Americans understand that if two people want to make a lifelong commitment to each other, government should not stand in their way. Giving gay and lesbian couples the freedom to get married honors the best conservative principles. It strengthens families and reinforces a key Republican value –that the law should treat all citizens equally.”

Last Thursday, actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his fiancé Justin Mikita, AFER’s development manager, were in Springfield to for “Bow Tie Lobby Day” and to tell their personal stories:

“I’m looking forward to raising a family with Justin and having our kids grow up in an equal America. I had a hard time coming out and certainly had struggles with my parents. … If the 12-year-old me had been able to turn on the TV and see a sitting president say he supports marriage equality, it would have made all the difference for me and certainly given me a lot of hope,” said Ferguson.

Last year the pair started Tie the Knot, where the proceeds of limited-edition bow ties benefit marriage equality efforts.

History

Illinois’ civil unions law took effect on June 1, 2011and recognizes the unions of not only gay and couples, but also straight couples, and all unions from out of state. Several marriage equality measures have been introduced in the House since 2007 but failed.

In 1996, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act was amended to state that

“A marriage between 2 individuals of the same sex is contrary to the public policy of this state.”

Attempts to add language outright banning same-sex marriage to the state constitution have not been successful.

A Legal Challenge

In May 2012, Lambda Legal and the ACLU filed two lawsuits in state court on behalf of 25 couples, arguing that the state’s ban on marriages for gay and lesbian couples is unconstitutional. Both the Illinois Attorney General and the Cook County Clerk filed papers in agreement.  The law instead will be defended in court by two Cook County clerks, whose motion to intervene was granted by the court.

The lawsuits argue that by excluding gay and lesbian couples from marriage and relegating them to civil unions, the government has marked the couples as different and less worthy than other Illinois families—and that is exactly how others treat them. Such a restriction is a violation of the Illinois Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection and due process.

• Learn more about Lambda Legal’s case >
• Learn more about the ACLU’s case >