Out state representative Greg Harris is carrying the Illinois civil unions bill, which he introduced in 2007 only about a month after he introduced his marriage bill. "It was very clear that marriage was something people in Illinois weren't ready to vote for yet," Harris said. But as he started lobbying folks, even from downstate, he was surprised at how open they were to an alternative. "People understood and they said, 'Is there something short of marriage that will give people their rights?'" he added.
The civil unions bill is on the move, and, as Harris pointed out, the legislation only took one year to get out of committee, whereas it took fully 28 years to move the gay civil rights bill in Illinois. And as I reported earlier, Illinois may actually call for a house vote on the civil unions bill in the next couple weeks and at the very least by January. (If Barack makes a big sweep tonight, supporters want to wait for the new Democrats to take their seat).
Interesting to note: Obama's political position of favoring civil unions over marriage because he doesn't believe the country is ready for marriage very much mirrors the Illinois experience. (Kerry Eleveld)
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