The ACLU of Illinois is saddened to learn of the death of Ron Dorfman, a journalist, advocate for civil rights and friend the ACLU of Illinois. We take this moment to extend our heartfelt  condolences to Ron's husband Ken Ilio. Both Ron and Ken had supported and celebrated passage last year of the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Marriage Fairness Act. The reality for Ron and Ken was that they knew that they might not be able to fully enjoy the accomplishment. Ron's terminal heart disease, they knew, could well preclude his living long enough for them to legally marry in June when the law takes effect. Working with the ACLU and Lambda, Dorfman and Ilio were among the four couples who successfully petitioned the courts to expedite their marriage license because of mitigating health reasons, paving the way for other same-sex couples with seriously ill partners to obtain expedited licenses in Cook County. Dorfman and Ilio became the first male, same-sex couple to be legally married in Illinois under the court ruling. Speaking to The Chicago Sun-Times the now widowed Ilio pointed out that though he and Dorfman were just recently wed, “He’s been my partner for 20 years.”   
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The Justice Department, following the lead of the IRS and the Treasury Department, will now treat all married couples equally regardless of gender orientation and without regard to whether or not the state, in which they reside, recognizes same-sex marriage. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the new policy in an address to a dinner sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and pointed out that the Justice Department runs a number of benefit programs, and gives spouses certain legal protections, which will now be extended to same-sex married couples. Speaking to The Chicago Sun-Times about Holder’s announcement, Ed Yohnka, ACLU of Illinois Director of Communications, pointed out that “It’s just a further step on the way to equality.”
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LGBT Illinois citizens have long struggled against a legal system that treats families of same-sex couples as legal strangers. The well documented economic and legal toll of that discrimination galvanized the general public’s support for passage of the Illinois Religious Liberty and Marriage Fairness Act, now set to go into effect on June 1, 2014. After passage of the measure, the ACLU of Illinois, along with our allies at Lambda Legal, asked a federal court to insure that the promise of marriage was real for those facing serious illness -- assuring that couples with a partner facing such a circumstance did not have to wait until June. We told the court that if the ailing partner passed away before June, then the guarantee of marriage would never be realized.

In today's Chicago Tribune, Ron Grossman puts a personal, intimate face on the couples facing this crisis. Grossman accompanied Ron Dorfman, one of the ACLU of Illinois clients who successfully petitioned for the allowance of expedited licenses, as he picked out a wedding cake to celebrate his marriage to Ken Ilio. Noting Dorfman’s pleasure and delight, Grossman considers the personal pain and sense of social isolation others must have felt because they were legally barred from experiencing such simple human joy.
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