State Representatives Greg Harris, Deb Mell and Kelly Cassidy filed marriage equality legislation in Springfield today. House Bill 5170, aka the "Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act," would allow same-sex marriage in Illinois. more ›

Have rumors of Rahm's temper been greatly exaggerated? more ›

Gov. Quinn signed the Civil Unions bill into law yesterday before a raucous and packed house at the Chicago Cultural Center, saying "We believe in civil rights, and we believe in civil unions. We believe in liberty and justice for all." The law, which goes into effect June 1, gives gay and lesbian couples (as well as straight, unmarried couples) many of the same rights as a married couple. These wide ranging rights include making health care decisions for partners; disposing of a loved one's remains; gaining accident and health insurance benefits tied to partners; and granting same-sex couples new standing in probate law and laws relating to estate succession, purchase and distribution of property. more ›

In a conversation with the Daily Herald earlier this week, Governor Pat Quinn affirmed his optimism that civil union legislation will pass in Illinois by the year's end - a crucial deadline of sorts for LGBT activists as they look toward a gubernatorial race whose polls have continually favored Bill Brady, who staunchly opposes such legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples. more ›

While the list of potential successors to Mayor Daley continues to grow daily, one name on that list - State Sen. James Meeks - has already put the city's LGBT community on alert with a record that has consistently demonized and fought against legal protections for gay men and lesbians. more ›

The PR hits just keep coming for Target. The Minn.-based, growing retail empire is already under fire for donating $150,000 to a PAC backing Tom Emmer, an anti-gay Republican gubernatorial candidate in the land of 10,000 lakes who reportedly has ties to a Christian rock group advocating the murder of LGBT people. And, as reported by The Awl yesterday, the company's CEO Gregg Steinhafel and his wife are also on the record for donating $10,000, the maximum allowable contribution, to Rep. Michele Bachmann. more ›

The news that two main staffers at the Howard Brown Health Center were being placed on paid administrative leave came as a shock to Chicago's LGBT community last week. And in the days that have passed since the brief press release unveiled the news, it seems those involved with the Midwest's premier gay and lesbian health center remain tight-lipped on details. more ›

Recent months have seen a number of setbacks for gay marriage advocates, including notable losses in Maine, New York and - most recently - New Jersey, but Illinois activists have hit the ground running in their quest for same-sex civil union protections in the new year. more ›

Some 250 Chicagoans braved both the cold weather and Marathon madness to converge on Daley Plaza in a solidarity rally for the National Equality March Sunday, which also just happened to be National Coming Out Day. more ›

State Sen. Heather Steans made headlines when she filed the Equal Marriage Act (SB 2468), a bill introducing the topic of gay marriage to the Illinois state senate for the first time, yesterday. more ›

House Bill 2234, known as The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, made it out of committee this week, and will now go before the full General Assembly for debate. The bill, which guarantees some of the rights and responsibilities to persons in civil unions that are currently granted to persons in civil marriages, including hospital visitation, the right to make decisions about a partners medical care, and survivors benefits. The bill gives religious institutions the right not to solemnize civil unions. HB 2234 does not legalize gay marriage. more ›

The arrest of Governor Rod Blagojevich yesterday may have been the final nail in the coffin for a proposal to allow civil unions between same-sex couples in Illinois. The bill, the Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Unions Act, was first introduced in February of 2007 and has been stalled in the state legislature ever since. Now time is running out for the bill, as the current General Assembly will expire at the end of the year. With only two remaining legislative days left, some political watchers say it is unlikely that the proposal will gain traction as the state tackles a growing budget crisis that so far includes a $2 billion deficit. more ›