Chicago Tribune Editorial: Getting hitched in Iowa/Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Gay couples deserve same marriage rights

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Getting hitched in Iowa
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune
6:05 p.m. CDT, April 28, 2010
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-mell-20100428,0,2486998.story


By the time state Rep. Deborah Mell, D-Chicago, announced her engagement on the floor of the Illinois House on Wednesday, it was no longer breaking news. She had popped the question two weeks ago at the John Hancock Center's Signature Room and shared the news Tuesday on WTTW's "Chicago Tonight."

Not breaking news. But it was news. Mell and her fiancee, Christin Baker, are women. They'll exchange vows next fall in Iowa, where same-sex marriage is legally recognized because of a 2009 ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court.

Mell acknowledged that many political leaders do not support legislation that would allow her to marry her fiancee in Illinois. "I'm aware that our governor and many of you on both sides of the aisle do not consider me equal to you and our relationship to be equal to the relationship that you share with your spouse," Mell told her colleagues Wednesday. "I think we are more alike than we are different."

Her colleagues greeted her announcement with warm applause; a few even promised action.

But the Illinois legislature isn't even close to approving gay marriage.

It hasn't yet mustered a majority for what this page supports: recognition of civil unions.

Polls show a majority of Americans favor extending the benefits and obligations of marriage to same-sex couples — as long as it's called something else. A Pew Research Center poll last year found that 39 percent favor gay marriage but 57 percent favor civil unions.

The word "marriage" carries deeply religious connotations for many people. At the same time, most of them understand that it's unfair to deny same-sex couples the tax advantages, legal protections and other privileges that heterosexual couples take for granted.

The laws of individual states are starting to reflect this evolving sensibility. Only five states allow same-sex marriage. Nine others have laws recognizing civil unions or domestic partnerships that convey most or all of the rights of marriage, and six have laws that go part of the way.

With so many people conflicted over the definition of marriage, it makes sense to claim the common ground — and secure the benefits — that come with recognizing civil unions.



Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Gay couples deserve same marriage rights
Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times
April 29, 2010
http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2213526,CST-EDT-edit29a.article


In many ways, Rep. Deborah Mell's announcement of her engagement to her female partner on the House floor Wednesday was striking only in its utter ordinariness.
Joyful ordinariness, that is.

A beaming Mell, flanked by her partner Christin Baker, proudly told her applauding colleagues that she had popped the question after six years of dating. The ring, Mell's mother's, was balanced atop Baker's creme brulee.

Seven legislators offered public congratulations, including Republican Mark Beaubien. Afterward, Mell introduced Baker to nearly all 118 state representatives, each one offering warm wishes.

There were no protests, no nasty comments, just a healthy dose of collegiality and pride.

It's a start. Now it's up to legislators to take the next step.

"I know our governor and many of you on both sides of the aisle do not consider . . . our relationship equal to the relationship you share with your spouse," Mell told her colleagues. "So while this is a happy day and one to celebrate, it is also bittersweet."

Healthy, supportive same-sex relationships abound in Illinois, and they deserve the same civil rights the rest of us enjoy -- the right to visit a loved one in the hospital, to be granted custody of children, to inherit property.

But Mell and Baker, of course, can't marry in Illinois. They plan to marry in Iowa, one of five states plus the District of Columbia that allow for same-sex marriages.

This page has long supported gay marriage as the only fair and just option for Illinois residents, but state legislators are not ready. There is not enough support for its passage.

As a second-best solution, we urge the Legislature to move on a civil union bill, which has already passed a House committee and is ready for a full House vote.

As Mell and Baker embark on their life together -- their joyfully ordinary life -- that's the least her colleagues can do.