By Angela Hatton
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-973799.mp3
Cairo, IL – A new law went into effect this month in Illinois. The state legislature voted in civil unions in December and Governor Pat Quinn signed the bill into law in January. The measure allows both gay and heterosexual couples to receive some of the benefits of marriage, including the right receive a partner's pension benefits, and to make medical decisions. Illinois is the sixth state to approve civil unions, and as Angela Hatton reports, a handful of southern Illinois couples are taking the plunge.
Wednesday morning at nine o'clock, a group of about 20 friends, family, and court employees gathered to watch Lori Smith and Evelyn Rubinas tie the knot in a civil ceremony at the Alexander County courthouse in Cairo, Illinois. The two women have been together for seven years. Smith says theirs is the first civil union performed in the county.
"The gals that work in the office were sort of excited and sort of a little confused, and, y'know, not sure how this all worked, but they had their paperwork all ready, so it was kind of fun. We just sort of made jokes."
The women say they've been following legislation about civil unions since Massachusetts passed same sex marriage in 2004. Rubinas is happy to finally have a definition for her relationship.
"We didn't really have any formal validation of that. So,y'know, Lori can be somewhere between my roommate or my sister or my girlfriend or my partner. Um, there's not a good label to put on someone that you just live with. Civil unions, you know who they are. They're your spouse."
Duane Cole of Carbondale has been with his partner Joe Powers for 30 years. Last week, they formalized their relationship with a civil union ceremony. Cole is 63, and says he's happy he lived to see the law pass.
"Just a monumental step forward for the gay and lesbian community. This has absolutely nothing to do with religion."
"Well, to me, in God's eyes. You are sanctifying that. So if you have civil unions, you're still going against the Christian faith and the bible."
Michael Hardison pastors Community Christian Church, a congregation of around 130 members in Metropolis. Hardison was vocal about his opposition while the bill was making its way through the legislature. He's disappointed in the direction the state and the nation are taking in LGBT issues.
"We in Southern Illinois don't seem to count. It's all Chicago."
Many still share Hardison's sentiments. Brandon Phelps, representative for the state's southernmost district, opposed the legislation. Phelps did not return requests for comment, nor was he among the representatives who openly voiced opposition during House debate. His colleague Ron Stephens of Troy, did. Stephens called the civil unions bill a slippery slope.
"And I believe if this should ever pass, the next bill would be legalizing marriage between like members of the same sex."
Evelyn Rubinas and Lori Smith were worried about how their small town would react to their relationship. The couple has only lived in Cairo a few years. Rubinas was surprised by how well received she and Smith were when they went to get their license.
"And by the time we got home, our across the street neighbor has a bottle of wine and a card. Um, people have been great, they've just been fantastic. They like us, they like our relationship, and they like the fact that we can finally celebrate it."
Duane Cole believes many in southern Illinois are tolerant towards gay and lesbian people.
"The ones who are anti speak very very loudly and consequently you think they speak for the majority. And the reality is for the last several years poll after poll after poll after poll has said the majority of people want what is fair for all."
Civil unions aren't limited to same sex couples. Cole explains the law has advantages for some heterosexual couples too.
"You've been married for 40 years to a gentlemen. He dies. You inherit his pension, but if you remarry, you lose it. So the idea that a man and a woman can fall in love in later years, and not have it make a mess out of their finances to go enter into a civil union, whereas if they enter into a traditional marriage, there could be some pretty dire consequences."
The Massac County Clerk's office reports one of the two licenses they've issued has been to a couple in just such a situation.
For same sex couples, civil unions are a first step. Because of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, civil union spouses in Illinois can't receive a partner's social security, and they can't file federal taxes jointly. Cases challenging DOMA have popped up in courtrooms all over the country. So far, none have come before the U. S. Supreme Court.