Chicago to Celebrate Civil Unions

Another mass civil union celebration has been scheduled for when the Illinois law establishing such unions goes into effect in June.

Thirty couples will have a chance to unite June 2 at Wrigley Square in Chicago's Millennium Park, in an event hosted by the Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues. Ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m.

Officiants will include Cook County clerk David Orr, Cook County circuit court chief judge Timothy C. Evans, and members of the Alliance of Illinois Judges. Illinois governor Pat Quinn, who signed the civil unions bill into law in January, is scheduled to attend. The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events -- in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, Lambda Legal, Equality Illinois and the Alliance of Illinois Judges -- is sponsoring the event.

"What a terrific way for the city of Chicago to ring in civil unions," said Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois, an LGBT rights group, in a news release. "Having dozens of couples celebrate their love and commitment literally surrounded by the entire city is such a powerful symbol for how far we have come as a society."

Couples can apply for civil union licenses beginning June 1 at county clerks' offices, and there is a one-day waiting period before the ceremony can take place. For information on other celebrations, click here and here.