The Center on Halsted held a town hall billed as the "State of the ( Civil ) Union Address" Jan. 27. More than 40 individuals attended.
The panelists were Equality Illinois CEO Bernard Cherkasov, DePaul University professor Elizabeth Kelly, state Rep. Greg Harris and attorney Ray Koenig. In December the Illinois Senate approved a bill that makes civil unions legal for same-sex couples throughout the state.
The event was organized to answer questions from members of the community about what the law does and does not do. Once Gov. Pat Quinn signs the bill the law goes into effect June 1. State Rep. Greg Harris, who authored and was a sponsor of the bill, talked about the history of getting political support for the legislation. He explained that when they changed the language from gay marriage to civil unions, poll numbers increased in their favor.
Attorney Ray Koenig clarified certain specifics, saying that a civil union would provide gay couples the same state rights as those with a marriage license. Gay couples with marriage licenses from any of the six other states and districts ( Vermont, Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C. ) where gay marriage is legal would now be recognized as a civil union in Illinois and vice versa. However, an Illinois civil union is not recognized outside of any of those states.
Both Harris and Koenig cautioned that it would take a while before agencies, such as hospitals, became more informed about the law, and that those who seek to marry should get a power of attorney. Rights related to health are one of the 648 state rights, benefits and protections that will go into effect, but there are still more than a thousand federal marriage rights that will not. The Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) is one of the big legal obstacles for gay couples today.