[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/civil-unions-begin-in-illinois\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/civil-unions-begin-in-illinois\/","headline":"Civil Unions Begin in Illinois","name":"Civil Unions Begin in Illinois","description":"By Kirsten Palladino Yesterday was the first day for Illinois to allow civil unions, making it the sixth state to do so. The legally binding...","datePublished":"2011-06-02","dateModified":"2021-06-21","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/","identifier":787,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/gay-marriage-civil-union-mark-neal.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/gay-marriage-civil-union-mark-neal.jpg","height":366,"width":580},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/civil-unions-begin-in-illinois\/","about":["Marriage Equality News"],"wordCount":282,"articleBody":" By Kirsten PalladinoYesterday was the first day for Illinois to allow civil unions, making it the sixth state to do so. The legally binding unions, which were signed into law in January, provide same-sex or opposite-sex couples the same state-level rights as married couples. Those include the power to decide medical treatment for an ailing partner and the right to inherit a partner\u2019s property. The Associated Press is reporting that Wednesday\u2019s turnout for couples registering for licenses, \u201cwhile unpredictable, was spotty. In Cook County, the clerk\u2019s office said 203 licenses were issued by the end of the day, at least two to heterosexual couples. In Jackson County, home to Southern Illinois University\u2019s flagship campus in Carbondale, two couples had gotten licensed by midday. In central Illinois\u2019 Champaign County, the clerk\u2019s office had issued at least 14 of the permits before lunch.\u201d Because there\u2019s a one-day waiting period before ceremonies can be held (as with traditional marriage), today many same-sex couples are saying \u201cI do\u201d in Illinois. The Chicago Tribune reported that \u201cmore than 30 same-sex couples, in suits and flowing wedding gowns, gathered this morning in Millennium Park to be among the first in the state to enter into civil unions.\u201d  Are you tying the knot in Illinois? We\u2019ve got a plethora of gay-friendly wedding vendors ready to help you make your wedding dreams come true. Get started in our Local Resources Marketplace. Photo: Evanston Ald. Mark Tendam (left) and partner Neal Moglin clasp hands as they talk about the commitment their rings represent in a civil union ceremony at their home on Thursday. They have been together for 15 years. (Shauna Bittle\/for the Chicago Tribune \/ June 2, 2011) "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Civil Unions Begin in Illinois","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/civil-unions-begin-in-illinois\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]