Big day in Illinois. Same-sex couples can now obtain legal protections from the state through the new civil unions law. Still not full equality, but a step in the right direction:
Illinois has issued its first civil union license, launching a historic day for same-sex couples across the state.Congrats to all those (same-sex and straight) couples who are getting civil unions.
Janean Watkins and Lakeesha Harris camped overnight outside the Daley Center to be the first in line as the state's new civil unions law kicked in.
"It's historic," said Watkins, who has been with Harris for 10 years. "We wanted to be first. We wanted to make a statement. For us, for our kids. It really means something."
The couple has six children who will all be in attendance at a formal civil union ceremony tomorrow.
Watkins and Harris were followed by more than 100 other couples who arrived early to get licenses.
And, there's an excellent explanation of what the new civil unions law does -- and doesn't do -- for same-sex couples at 10,000 Couples. It's written by Jill Metz, who is President of the Board of the ACLU of Illinois. Here's how it concludes:
Civil unions are not a magic wand that will remove all prejudice and discrimination. Nor do the laws that apply to civil unioned couples provide the most comprehensive legal protections. They only provide some safety net. Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, pre-nuptial agreements, post-nuptial agreements, and second parent adoptions provide the most comprehensive legal protections, even for people in a civil union.
That said, civil unions are a huge and important step in protections and toward ending prejudice and discrimination.
