Getting a civil union license on June 1 at the clerk's office in Maywood, Illinois, was a breeze for same-sex couple Steve Coy, 51, and his partner, 41-year-old Felix Diaz (pictured here), who didn't even arrive until after 1:30 p.m. because they had to work in the morning. Steve said, "We waited in line for about 3 minutes and then spent about 15 minutes in total getting the license.  They did it all on the computer, asking us questions relating to us and our parents.  I think the parents questions are to make sure the couples aren't related.  We paid our $35 and were done.  [It] was actually much faster than I expected."

Dozens of same-sex couples were lined up at the Daley Center in downtown Chicago by 7:30 that morning.  "I saw the lines for downtown today," said Steve late Wednesday.  "We had really no line at all.  I didn't see any others getting civil union [licenses] where we were." According to George P. Tserotas, a supervisor at the Bureau of Vital Records in Maywood, about 12 couples came within the first hour they were available.

Steve and Felix were not affected either by the big group of newlyweds in Millenium Park Thursday morning because their ceremony was just past midnight, making them one of the first same-sex couples to be joined in a legal same-sex union recognized in Illinois. Having their relationship recognized, and gaining legal benefits, was very important to the couple. Steve proposed and the couple was engaged last Thanksgiving. Steve shared some of his thoughts: “Felix had situations when he moved to Illinois two years ago that would have been easier to deal with had we been married.  Also, I had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery while on vacation out of town last July.  Luckily, it was in Palm Springs and the hospital was totally accommodating since they deal with gay couples every day, but we have heard horror stories of other hospitals that were not as nice.  We both know that having the rights of being in a union like this is important for us.”

By Delena Wilkerson, Publisher

Delena is the publisher and editor of 10,000 Couples magazine. Over the past 25 years Delena has published many articles, edited a national newsletter, and been both author and editor of several how-to books on financial management for nonprofits.  Some of these experiences might even help with this latest venture.  For certain, her experiences at the helm of a local nonprofit organization taught her how to get the job done with minimal resources.  She is a graduate of Livingstone College in North Carolina and the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration.  Delena currently lives in Oak Park, IL with her spouse and son, cat and koi.

Comments(1):

1. Under a New Moon civil unions

   Thank you so much for your article! It was wonderful to be a part of this moment! Each of these couples were such a joy - it was an honor to share their day with them.

   Saturday, June 04, 2011 Anita