Civil Union Law Enactment A Happy Day for Kane, McHenry County Gay Families

http://geneva.patch.com/articles/civil-union-law-enactment-a-happy-day-for-gay-families

Government
Civil Union Law Enactment A Happy Day for Kane, McHenry County Gay Families
As clerk's offices around the state prepare for the new law to take effect June 1, families are excited about a major step for gay rights.

By Gloria Casas | Email the author | May 27, 2011

For John Dalton, June 1 will be a happy day.

It is a day he has been waiting years for, the Elgin man said. At the stroke of midnight, his California marriage to Rich Jacobs will be recognized in Illinois as a civil union.

Illinois’ civil union law takes effect Wednesday, giving gay families the legal same rights as heterosexual families in the state. It becomes one of a dozen states extending significant legal protection to same-sex couples, according a Huffington Post story.

“It’s about time,” said Dalton, of the civil union legislation.

Dalton is Kane County’s first openly gay man to be elected to office. He won a seat on the Elgin Community College board in the spring.

He and Jacobs have been together for over 19 years and had waited many years in hopes it would become legal in Illinois to be married.

“We lost patience about eight or nine years ago,” Dalton said. “We decided to have a religious ceremony to be married in the eyes of our family, friends and the church. We were legally married in California in 2008.”

Under Illinois’ new law, that marriage will be recognized here and enables the two to have many of the rights that come with traditional marriage. Those rights include the power to decide medical treatment for an ailing partner and the right to inherit a partner’s property, according to the Huffington Post story.