Because thousands of gay and lesbian couples across the state no longer can wait for "basic legal protections" offered by marriage laws, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois today hailed introduction in Springfield of House Bill 1826, the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act. The legislation, sponsored by State Representative Greg Harris of Chicago, extends a comprehensive package of basic legal protections and responsibilities offered through marriage to couples, including same sex couples, who enter into a civil union in Illinois. House Bill 1826 also codifies existing constitutional protections for religious denominations across Illinois, reinforcing the right of any religious organization to determine those marriage ceremonies that denomination will recognize or perform.

"This comprehensive civil union bill has a simple underlying purpose: to ensure that all Illinois families have the opportunity to share the same legal protections and the same legal responsibilities," said John A. Knight, Director of the ACLU of Illinois Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Project. "Our friends, neighbors and colleagues who face the everyday challenges of life without these basic legal protections must be pleased to see this legislation introduced in the Illinois General Assembly."

The ACLU of Illinois strongly supported Representative Harris' previous proposals to extend Illinois' marriage laws to all couples in our state. The organization noted that while Harris determined that a debate over marriage would take discussion and education over a significant amount of time, many gay male and lesbian couples face heart-rending experiences at the most crucial times in the couples' lives together because the law currently treats them as strangers. For this reason, the ACLU of Illinois believes that it is critical to take this first step on the path to fairness in 2007. A woman from Champaign told an ACLU audience that she was denied the right to make arrangements for disposing of her late partner’s remains. The organization said that this kind of injustice is repeated all too often.

"Because families are suffering, we must act today to move toward fairness," added the ACLU's Knight. "The legislation proposed today ensures equal access to basic rights for all persons in our State. The General Assembly should move quickly to adopt the bill."