Gay Marriage Laws in Illinois

In Illinois, gay rights are receiving some consideration by the courts. There are currently no laws in Illinois that pertain to civil unions. In fact, civil unions are neither legal or illegal. Several times, there were bills that were meant to legalize civil unions but they were never put to a vote, so no one is sure how the courts feel about gay marriage law in Illinois.

In 2007, the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act was introduced. However, it was never voted on. If it had been approved, it would have legalized gay marriage. Laws up to now, are not inclusive of gay marriage in Illinois. However, gay marriage law does not forbid the legal recognition of same sex relationships either.

In Illinois, gay marriage has been included on several Bills. The Bill that was meant to legalize civil unions, was reintroduced in 2009. However, it remained stagnant. In fact, there was never a vote. Perhaps, Illinois is hesitant to enact gay marriage laws because they fear public outrage. However, it appears that the public generally supports legal recognition of same sex relationships. Because of the courts consideration of civil unions in Illinois, gay rights are slowly moving in the right direction.

Recently, a bill was introduced that would define marriage as a union between two people, rather than a union between a man and a woman.The bill has no yet moved. Although the Equal Marriage Act was introduced in 2009, it remains unapproved. Illinois seems to be slow in passing gay marriage laws. However, the courts are likely to eventually allow gay marriage in Illinois.
Gay rights are likely to advance and move toward equality. In Illinois, gay rights were questioned when the defense of marriage Act passed in 1996. However, in Illinois, gay rights seem to be held with higher importance than the actual legal definition of marriage.