Gov. Pat Quinn will make same-sex civil unions official in Illinois during a public signing ceremony in Chicago’s Loop on Jan. 31, according to openly gay state Rep. Greg Harris.
Harris was lead sponsor of the bill legalizing civil unions, which passed the state’s legislature late last year. The new law affords gay and lesbian couples official recognition from the state and many of the rights that accompany marriage, such as the power to decide medical treatment for an ailing partner.
Illinois law will continue to limit marriage to one man and woman, and the federal government won’t recognize the civil unions at all.
