Illinois Governor to sign equal marriage into law this month
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn says he will sign legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry in the state later this month – with the first weddings due to take place in June.
Mr Quinn, a Democrat, told reporters on Wednesday that he wanted people who worked to pass the legislation to be at the signing of the bill, scheduled to take place this month.
Yesterday evening the Illinois General Assembly passed the state’s equal marriage bill.
The Illinois House voted 61-54 in favour of making same-sex marriage legal.
“As I said in my Inaugural Address last January, our journey as a nation is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. And tonight, I’m so proud that the men and women elected to serve the people of the great state of Illinois have chosen to take us one step further on that journey to perfect our union.”
Illinois will become the 15th state to allow same-sex marriage.
Under the marriage measure ‘SB10’ same-sex couples can get married in Illinois from June 2014.
