My name is Wes Fowler. I was a candidate this fall for the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Regarding the passage of the civil-unions bill, I am very happy about this historic landmark victory for our community, but I have a small problem with the way the measure is written.
The bill allows civil unions for unmarried heterosexual couples as well as same-sex couples. I find this insulting. Many state and European civil-union laws are written like this, but not all of them. There is no reason for the Illinois law to be written for both gay and straight couples. The law effectively grants a new benefit to unmarried heterosexual couples. They get the benefits of marriage without the legal consequences or responsibilities.
This effectively creates what one European couple called their "pre-marriage." This is just a stepping stone until they get to their "real" marriage. That is sad as well as very insulting, because this is as close as we, the gay community, will get to "real" marriage.
I spoke with someone who helped write the law a couple of years ago. He said the law was written this way because elderly unmarried heterosexual couples in nursing homes need a law to protect their financial interests without having to get married. Why can't this issue be resolved under a different venue?
Regardless of the ends, the law, as written, should be tweaked a bit.
Marriage, gay or straight, is based on love, not future estate planning. So many people forget this too often.
Wes Fowler
Chicago