I still remember the first time I marched in the Chicago Pride Parade. It was 1991 - some 90,000 people lined the streets. I've marched nearly every year since and have seen the crowds increase steadily, almost ten-fold.
As the crowds have grown, so has our progress towards achieving equality and justice for everyone in Illinois.
When the Supreme Court justices issued the landmark decision to provide same-sex couples equal access to more than 1,100 federal rights and benefits, they gave the Illinois House of Representatives 1,100 more reasons to make marriage equality the law of the land in Illinois.
By overturning this legislation, the Supreme Court has sent a clear message to the nation and the people of Illinois.
It is time we send a message back.
Now is the time for all to put differences aside, band together and redouble our efforts to make it happen.
Just four years ago, nobody thought civil unions would be possible here. But, we pushed and pushed and together, we got it done.
At the 2011 Pride Parade, we celebrated the historic passage of civil unions, which I was honored to fight for and sign into law.
Since then, more than 5,200 couples across 94 counties in Illinois have joined together in a civil union. Those individuals have the right, under state law, to love and live freely with many of the same benefits as their friends and loved ones in heterosexual marriages.
But not all.
This monumental ruling by the Supreme Court opens the door for Illinois to provide all couples- regardless of whom they love- with every single one of those 1,100 rights and benefits.
Illinois is ready to take the next step. Since I signed civil unions into law, seven more states, including our nation's capitol, have embraced full marriage equality.
On Valentine's Day, the Illinois Senate voted to make it happen. But the Illinois House of Representatives never took that vote to put our state on the right side of history.
That's why now, more than ever, we must redouble our efforts to make marriage equality the law in Illinois.
We are a nation of justice for all. Illinois is home to mothers, fathers, children and families who deserve to be treated the same as their neighbors. Nobody should have to wait for equal rights.
But democracy cannot succeed without you. We need you to urge members of the Illinois House to confirm Illinois as a welcoming state, and ensure full equality for generations to come.
We need you to keep fighting to put this legislation on my desk.
It is time we stand up to the status quo and send a very clear message to the nation: nobody is left out in the Land of Lincoln.
Contact your state representative. Let them know the 1,100 new reasons why they should take this vote - as soon as possible.
As Dr. King once said, 'The time is always right to do what is right.'