Illinois Pols React To Supreme Court's DOMA Ruling
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 26, 2013 5:45PM
The big news nationally Wednesday is the Supreme Court’s 5-4 vote ruling the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. President Barack Obama called the ruling a “historic step forward for marriage equality.”
Here in Illinois, where legislation legalizing same sex marriage failed to come to a vote in the House last month, the news has been received positively by politicians and marriage equality advocates. Gov. Pat Quinn said the ruling was a “historic step” and said he would continue his efforts to bring marriage to everyone in Illinois “as soon as possible.”
"Members of the Illinois House now have more than 1,100 new reasons to make marriage equality the law in Illinois. “This is a monumental day for freedom in the history of our nation. The opportunity to guarantee equal rights and benefits to all citizens - under both state and federal law - is one we must seize here in the Land of Lincoln without delay. "Now is the time for all to put differences aside, band together and redouble our efforts to make it happen. “
Mayor Emanuel released a statement after the ruling. “The Supreme Court’s decision today is a major step forward in the ongoing fight to ensure that government won’t discriminate and will treat all love equally. This decision should strengthen our commitment in the State of Illinois toward ensuring that the life-long commitments of all Americans are honored and respected by the law. The state should not be standing in the way of two people loving each other. America has faced obstacles on our journey to equality before and we have always overcome them. The struggle for marriage equality will be no different.”
Fifth Congressional District Rep. Mike Quigley, a tireless advocate for marriage equality, said the ruling “is a tremendous victory for our LGBT community and for everyone who believes in America’s founding principles of liberty and justice for all. By ruling the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, legally married gay and lesbian couples and their families will finally have equal access to the rights and benefits guaranteed to them by federal law.”
“We must not forget that the fight for equality is far from over,” Quigley added. “We must strengthen our resolve and continue our fight for justice, until the day when all loving and committed couples have the fundamental right to marry the person they hold closest in their hearts.”
Fellow Congressman Bill Foster said his father’s work as a civil rights lawyer helped him appreciate the ruling even more because he was “ raised with a strong belief that all people deserve equal rights and protection under the law.”
While this is truly a historic day for members of the LGBT community across the country, we must continue to do everything possible to ensure equal rights for all of our citizens. I will continue to stand with the LGBT community in their struggle for equality, because everyone — no matter who they are, where they came from, or who they love - deserve equal rights under the law.”
Rick Garcia, Policy Director and President of The Civil Rights Agenda, the largest LGBT advocacy organization in Illinois, said the ruling “is one of the most important days in the history of our movement for LGBT civil rights.”
“Although we are thrilled with the ruling, we are painfully cognizant that in Illinois same-gender couples still cannot be married and we must change that immediately. The Illinois House of Representatives must act as soon as possible,” Garcia said.
Ed Yohnka, spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, told the Journal Star, “Frankly, the House ought to convene and pass the marriage bill.”