Politics & Government
Civil Unions in Lake County
On June 2, several Lake County couples were joined in civil unions.
June 1 marked the first day Illinois county clerks’ offices could issue civil union licenses.
One couple in Lake County lined up at midnight to apply for a license but later decided it was not necessary, according to a Facebook post by Lake County Clerk Willard Helander’s office.
Couples have to wait 24 hours after receiving a license before a ceremony can occur.
Find out what's happening in Libertyvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
June 2 was the first day same-sex couples could be joined in civil unions.
“We were so busy at the first hour that we processed applicants in a personal work cubicle to avoid our customer having to wait,” according to another Facebook post by Helander’s office.
Find out what's happening in Libertyvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In January, Gov. Pat Quinn signed the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, which recognize same-sex unions. Illinois is the sixth state to allow the unions.
Couples in civil unions share many of the same benefits a marriage license would provide. However, civil unions are not recognized in all states and couples cannot receive some shared federal benefits, cannot file joint federal tax returns, and bi-national couples cannot sponsor their partner for citizenship, according to www.WBEZ.org.
For more photos, visit:
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
