Oak Park trustees back same-sex civil unions in Illinois
July 17, 2007, 7:02 PM CDT

With a unanimous vote on a resolution Monday, Oak Park became the first municipality to support pending legislation that would establish civil unions for same-sex couples in Illinois.

House Bill 1826, known as the Religious Freedom and Civil Unions Act, would establish civil unions for same-sex couples, allowing them access to pension and insurance benefits, inheritance rights and to have legal standing to make medical decisions for their partner.

Oak Park has a long tradition of supporting gays and lesbians. Since 1994 the village has extended health benefits to the same-sex partners of village employees. The village established a domestic partner registry 10 years ago, said Village Clerk Sandra Sokol.

House Bill 1826 would affect state benefits, not federal.

"This [bill] doesn't go far enough. It's a small first step, but it's an important one," said Oak Park Trustee Ray Johnson, who has been active for many years in the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association.

Introduced by state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) in February, the measure passed the House Human Services Committee with a 5-4 vote this spring. It now awaits a vote by the House, which isn't expected to happen this summer.

Peter LaBarbera, president of Naperville-based Americans for Truth, said the measure does not have enough support to pass. But if it does come up for a vote, conservative organizations are ready to mobilize in opposition, he said.

They are also launching a "protect marriage" drive to amend the state constitution to establish marriage as a union between a man and a woman, LaBarbera said.

If House Bill 1826 does pass, Illinois would be the fifth state to sanction same-sex civil unions. Four other states and Washington, D.C., have passed domestic partnership legislation. Massachusetts is the only state that allows gay marriage.

Hooray!

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