Illinois Gay Marriage Protest: Chicagoans Gather In Protest Of State's Non-Vote On Marriage Bill

Story by Kate Sosin, courtesy Windy City Times:

Gathered in the rain at Roscoe and Halsted in Boystown, a somber crowd of approximately 100 people turned out to protest the state's failure to pass equal marriage June 1.

Emotions were raw just a day after the Illinois House adjourned without taking a deciding vote on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, a bill that would have extended marriage rights to same-sex couples.

The lack of vote May 31 stunned LGBT Illinoisans, after the bill's chief sponsor Rep. Greg Harris stated that it would "absolutely" be called and that it would pass. When it became clear Friday night that the bill lacked the 60 votes it needed to pass, activists and onlookers urged Harris to call for a vote and put his colleagues on-record. But Harris, the openly gay sponsor credited with passing civil unions, did not call for a vote, and spring session ended. The next opportunity to pass the bill would be November, although an extension granted on the bill could leave an opportunity for action this summer.

Read the whole story here.