Gay Marriage-Documentary Assignment

Jacki Bubis

Gay Marriage in Illinois-Documentary Assignment

(1:30)

Being told whom you can and can’t love is considered legal in the state of Illinois. Being bound together in matrimony with your gay or lesbian partner is considered illegal. Thirteen states including California, Iowa, and Maryland have lifted the ban on same-sex marriage, while Illinois continues to fight for its inexistence in the state.

Because marriage is being withheld from the gay and lesbian community, the legal benefits are also left astray. The American Civil Liberties Union is fighting to counteract the state and give access to the federal benefits available for same-sex couples.

It is no longer a time where being gay was unanimously considered to be an illness. More and more gay and lesbian individuals are feeling more accepted in society and comfortable in their skin. However, the idea of marriage is looked upon as a ludicrous and unlawful idea still.

I visited Chicago’s North Side, Andersonville, which is highly inhabited by the gay and lesbian population. The atmosphere is safe and the energy of the people bustling through the streets and sitting outside trendy restaurants is exciting. I took a seat outside of a laid-back restaurant called “Hamburger Mary’s,” and spoke to an individual named Denton who has been out since he was a sophomore in high school.

“I thought coming out would be the hardest part, but now that I’m twenty-two, I see that was the easy part. I don’t know if marriage is for me yet, but I would like the respect as a human being to have the option.”

Devon’s thoughts and feelings are widely shared by the gay and lesbian community, as well as those who support the cause. In a world where we are so advanced in many areas, we are very short-sided when it comes to basic human rights. We can only hope that Illinois joins its thirteen brother and sister states in doing what is right—joining people in love in holy matrimony.