Progress: Illinois One Step Close To Legalizing Gay Marriage

State Senate approves bill along party lines, advances to the House

It was a happy Valentine’s Day for the LGBT community in Illinois. The state Senate on Thursday approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The move was spearheaded by Democrats and passed largely along party lines. Although the fate of the bill now rests on the state House of Representatives, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn has promised to sign any bill that legalizes gay marriage. It’s unclear when the House will take up the measure. There was also some concern that black Democratic legislators from Chicago could oppose the measure because of pressure from highly influential African American pastors. But if it does happen, Illinois would become the 10th state in the U.S. to adopt marriage equality.  Gay marriage is also legal in the District of Columbia. President Barack Obama, a former member of the Illinois Senate, has encouraged the state to pass the measure. A couple of weeks ago, Obama authorized a White House statement, saying he would vote for the bill, were he still in the state’s legislature. LGBT groups have called the week of Valentine’s Day in 2013 the “Freedom to Marry Week.”  (Reuters)

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