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Illinois House Fails To Muster Votes To Pass Marriage Equality Bill

illinois-houseThe Illinois House of Representatives failed to vote on a gay marriage bill today, effectively killing in until the next legislative session in the fall. Illinois would have will become the 13th state to approve marriage equality

Lawmakers have been dragging their feet, leaving the gay marriage vote, among other issues, for the very last minute

The marriage equality bill, authored by openly gay state Rep. Greg Harris, failed to come up in legislature on Thursday, leading supporters to worry about the fate of marriage equality in the state.

Gov. Pat Quinn had vowed to sign the bill into law.

“I am disappointed that the House of Representatives in the Land of Lincoln did not pass a historic measure that would have guaranteed equal rights and benefits for all citizens,” the Democratic governor said. “This is not over. The fight goes on. We will keep on fighting until marriage equality is law in Illinois.”

Lambda Legal, ACLU of Illinois and Equality Illinois rallied in front of the State House in Springfield today, the final day of the  legislative session, to urge the Speaker and representatives to vote on marriage equality.

While at a fundraiser  in Chicago on Wednesday, President Obama pushed for a vote, noting that gay marriage is “something that I deeply support.” Previously, former President Bill Clinton threw his support behind the bill as well.

Photo: State Rep. David Reis

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