Northwestern University professor Charles Mills married his wife Elle in 1993 to help her secure U.S. citizenship. The two are splitting ways, and Mills is on the hook for support payments — even though their “shell marriage” was never consummated. more ›

Paul Gutierrez's search for a life mate took him to a corner in Elgin wearing a monkey mask yesterday. more ›

When we first heard about Paul Gutierrez's website dedicated to finding a wife, we wondered if he was serious. Turns out, behind his self-deprecating sense of humor, Gutierrez is dead serious about finding a wife. more ›

In Springfield, House Speaker Michael Madigan is the divining rod when it comes to the status of a pending bill. If he says that SB 1716, which will accord gay couples in civil unions the same rights as straight couples, has a good chance of passing in the state legislature's current veto session, it likely means the votes are there and Gov. Quinn would sign it into law if it passed. more ›

According to a new book, the Obamas' marriage has had ups and downs: disagreements, career struggles, financial difficulty, and a man who was hesitant to get married. In other news, the sky is blue. The book, from Christopher Andersen, who brought us Michael Jackson Unauthorized and a slew of books about the Kennedys, wrote the book (surprise) without the Obama's cooperation. We can't wait to see this in the discount bin next month next to Blago's book. more ›

Gay and straight, black and white, young and old came together yesterday in Federal Plaza to protest the passing of California’s Proposition 8, which amends California’s constitution banning any marriage that is not between a man and a woman. Reportedly, over 2,000 people gathered, banners and rainbow flags in hand before marching on City Hall and eventually to Michigan Avenue. more ›

Protect Marriage Illinois has been circulating petitions to put an advisory referendum on the ballot in Illinois this fall. If they succeed, voters would be asked if the General Assembly should propose an amendment to the state constitution that reads "To secure and preserve the benefits of marriage for our society and for future generations of children, the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as marriage or similar union for any purpose." PMI needs 270,000 signatures to get on the ballot, but Joetta Deutsch, a Taylorville resident and board member for Protect Marriage Illinois declined tell the Springfield Journal-Register how many signatures they have. She did say that they are shooting for 300,000, in case some signatures are invalidated. “If we don’t get it on the November ballot, we’ll start over again, probably in November,” she said. more ›