Illinois Falls Behind in Gay Rights

Iowa and Wisconsin make legislative progress

By MATT BARTOSIK

Updated 1:19 PM CST, Tue, Jul 28, 2009

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Illinois is historically known as a "blue" state and is often consequently perceived as liberal. However, it is Illinois' Midwestern neighbors that are making forward strides in gay and lesbian civil rights.

To some people's surprise, same-sex marriage became legal in Iowa in April 2009. But perhaps big-city bigwigs shouldn't have been so shocked. After all, Iowa was home to the first university to give women access to higher education, permitted interracial marriage more than 100 years before the U.S. Supreme Court did, and ruled that segregated schools were not equal 86 years before Brown v Board of Education.

And yesterday, Wisconsin also pulled ahead of Illinois in granting GLBT citizens equal protections.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle signed the biennial state budget, which included domestic partnership protections for same-sex couples. This is a significant move for the state, considering it has an existing constitutional amendment banning civil unions and same-sex marriage equality.

The bill allows couples in a same-sex committed relationship to visit each other in a hospital if they are ill and to be involved in end-of-life decisions. Domestic partners can also qualify for Family Medical Leave to care for a sick partner or a non-biological child.

"This is an important step toward ensuring that someone in a caring, committed relationship is able to care for his or her partner," said Glenn Carlson, retiring Executive Director of Fair Wisconsin, a statewide organization dedicated to advancing the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

"Fair Wisconsin applauds our Governor and state legislators who realize that no one should ever have to worry about being blocked at their partner's hospital room door, or have to make the heartbreaking decision to quit their job in order to care for a seriously ill partner. This isn't about being gay or straight—it's about being decent," Carlson continued.

In addition, the newly signed budget also extends group health insurance benefits and retirement survivor benefits to domestic partners of all state employees and University of Wisconsin faculty and staff.

Currently, the Cook County's Domestic Partnership Registry is simply a formal recording of a couple's relationship. Couples who obtain a Domestic Partnership Certificate do not automatically qualify for employer-sponsored benefits, survivorship rights, or ownership rights.

Will Illinois be the next state to move legislatively forward?

Matt Bartosik is the editor of Off the Rocks' next issue and a "between blogs" blogger.