[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/marriage-equality-updates-for-illinois-hawaii-and-new-mexico\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/marriage-equality-updates-for-illinois-hawaii-and-new-mexico\/","headline":"Marriage Equality Updates For Illinois, Hawaii and New Mexico","name":"Marriage Equality Updates For Illinois, Hawaii and New Mexico","description":"Illinois is set to become the 15th state to allow same-sex marriage, after both chambers of the state legislature have approved a measure legalizing weddings...","datePublished":"2013-11-06","dateModified":"2021-06-30","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\/14-479-610-407-80.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/14-479-610-407-80.jpg","height":400,"width":600},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/marriage-equality-updates-for-illinois-hawaii-and-new-mexico\/","about":["Marriage Equality News"],"wordCount":717,"keywords":[" marriage equality"," same-sex marriage","Hawaii","Illinois","New Mexico "],"articleBody":"Illinois is set to become the 15th state to allow same-sex marriage, after both chambers of the state legislature have approved a measure legalizing weddings for gays and lesbians.Anna and Hannah, an Illinois couple who flew to Hawaii for their beach wedding. Read their Real Wedding feature.Gov. Pat Quinn (D) said in a statement Tuesday that he would sign the bill into law, although he did not specify a date. The House, which had adjourned in May without passing a Senate bill legalizing same-sex marriage, approved the measure Tuesday by a vote of 61 to 54.\u201cToday the Illinois House put our state on the right side of history,\u201d said Quinn, who campaigned for the measure, which is scheduled to take effect in June.The governor is expected to sign the bill by the end of November.President Obama \u2014 who campaigned for the law this year \u2014 praised the Illinois legislature, where he once served.\u201cAs President, I have always believed that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally under the law,\u201d Obama said in a statement. \u201cOver time, I also came to believe that same-sex couples should be able to get married like anyone else. So tonight, Michelle and I are overjoyed for all the committed couples in Illinois whose love will now be as legal as ours \u2014 and for their friends and family who have long wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and equally under the law.\u201dHawaii is likely to be the next state to legalize same-sex marriage; the state Senate passed SB 1, the “Hawaii Marriage Equality Act of 2013,\u201d on Oct. 30, and the state House is expected to vote on the measure in a matter of days now that it has passed in a joint House committee 18-12 on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Until now, Hawaii, like Illinois, has allowed civil unions for LGBT couples.The committee decision came after nearly 57 hours of public testimony, reports Hawaii News Now.Just prior to the vote, several House Representatives addressed the audience \u2014\u00a0many of whom have been at the Capitol for all five days of the hearing \u2014to explain their choice.“Marriage means help. Marriage holds families together and forms a loving environment for children to be raised, so why deny more loving couples from getting married? Isn’t allowing our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters that opportunity the conservative and Christian thing to do?” asked Kaniela Ing, a member of the Finance committee who voted for amended version of SB 1.“Applying exemptions only to religious organizations prevents businesses, especially our small businesses and individuals, from expressing their religious and conscientious belief. The chilling effect from this would fundamentally change our society and turn Hawaii nei into arguably a totalitarian state,” said Judiciary committee Vice Chair, Representative Sharon Har.The amended version of the bill eliminates a provision regarding parental rights that has been questioned over concerns it would grant undue Native Hawaiian status to some children of same-sex couples.“We looked at the parental issue, we broadened the religious exemption \u2014\u00a0those were all because of some of the testimony that came out and some of the concerns shared by the Representatives,” said Finance committee Chair, Representative Sylvia Luke.While supporters celebrated after the vote, opponents rallied in the Rotunda, shouting “Let the people decide.\u201dThe committees have also proposed pushing the law’s effective date from November 18 back to December 2, 2013. House officials say that will provide the Department of Health the time they explained they would need to prepare for same-sex marriage.If the bill passes its second reading in the House Wednesday there will be a 48 hour hold before House Representatives take a third reading and final vote, which would be Friday at the earliest. Since the bill has been amended, it still needs to cross back over the Senate for approval.The New Mexico Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the question of same-sex marriage on Oct. 23 and is expected to rule on the matter in the coming months. The state\u2019s constitution is silent on the issue, and six same-sex couples have sued for the right to marry.\u00a0\u2014Kirsten Ott PalladinoFind equality-minded wedding vendors in your state.Follow @equallywed on Twitter for breaking news on marriage equality and parenting equality.\u00a0Photo by\u00a0Torie McMillan Photography\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Marriage Equality Updates For Illinois, Hawaii and New Mexico","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/marriage-equality-updates-for-illinois-hawaii-and-new-mexico\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]