Ceremony forges Illinois' first civil unions

In a park named for the future, a new era arrived in Illinois on Thursday when 36 same-sex couples celebrated their newfound legal rights in a ceremony made possible by the state's civil union law.

“This is indeed a historic day,” proclaimed Gov. Pat Quinn as he welcomed hundreds of guests and advocates to scenic Wrigley Square at Millennium Park. “There are all kinds of different families in Illinois, but we are the family of Illinois.”

Family, and the new civil rights their families receive under this law, was the overriding concern for suburban couples who took part in the ceremony.

“Kids are our priority,” said Brenda Tkacz, 36, as she and her partner Heidi Swanson, who also was celebrating her 36th birthday, talked about cutting their celebration short to make it back home to Schaumburg to pick up their 4-year-old son and his 14-month-old twin brothers from day care.

An eight-months pregnant Kimberly Broach, 27, and her partner, Hadasaw Price, 30, who grew up in Bartlett, said Thursday's ceremony kicks off an emotional summer. Broach, who was impregnated through a sperm donation, is due on July 13 with twin daughters Keigan and Teigan. They also plan to move out of their two-bedroom apartment in Elgin and into a house by fall.

“We were ready to start a family and the civil union came just in time,” Broach said.

The civil union law, which grants same-sex couples and unmarried heterosexual couples many of the rights already given married couples, went into effect Wednesday, but a 24-hour waiting period pushed the first ceremonies to Thursday.

As the last couple in the lineup, Tkacz and Swanson both unexpectedly found themselves dabbing tears from their eyes as Cook County Judge Mary Colleen Roberts said, “I pronounce you spouses in civil union.”

“Woo-hoo,” Tkacz said after the couple shared a kiss and more than a dozen cameras captured the moment on what turned into a literal picture-perfect, sunny, 70-degree morning.

“It's a big day,” Swanson agreed.

The event was sponsored by the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, Lambda Legal, Equality Illinois, the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, the office of Cook County Clerk David Orr and a host of corporate sponsors. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel officiated the ceremony for one of his staffers and talked about marriage in his remarks to the crowd. Many people, some in wedding gowns, equated Thursday's union with a marriage, writing their own vows and presenting each other with rings.

“Our relationship has gone through so many things, it's natural for us to married,” said a beaming Price before she caught herself, “or go through a civil union — one step at a time.”

Never confusing civil unions with marriage was a small group of protesters holding signs promoting the Illinois Defense of Marriage Initiative. While gay couples often posed in front of the signs for keepsake photos and some told the four people holding their signs to “stop the hate” or “mind your own business,” the gathering was peaceful. As president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, Peter LaBarbera gave many interviews to the media and circulated petitions seeking the repeal of the civil unions law.

“Gay rights and religious freedom — there's a fundamental conflict between them,” said LaBarbera, who predicted the matter would end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

But the civil union law also had the support of many religious leaders, such as Rev. Rex Piercy, 61, of the Congregational United Church of Christ in Arlington Heights.

“What do you believe the primary message of the Gospel is?” said Piercy, who was not at the ceremony.

People can find Bible verses to condemn divorce, support polygamy, accept marriage only as a last resort, render women subservient, avoid polyester or justify having sex with slaves, Piercy notes. He says civil unions “seem in line with the teaching of Jesus.”

Thursday's ceremonies in a gorgeous Millennium Park were all about the celebration of couples pledging love to their partners.

“I was afraid it was going to be a circus, and I'm not an elephant,” Price said, drawing a laugh from her mother, Saadaw McCallum of Hanover Park. “This was amazing.”

“It means a lot to me to know my daughter has met someone as nice as Kim and she's happy,” McCallum said. She said she used to think her lesbian daughter would never give her grandchildren, “but luckily that's changed.”

Armed with a certificate granting them civil union rights, Swanson and Tkacz had a few hours downtown before their return to the suburbs.

“We're pretty boring,” Swanson said.

“We're just living our lives and raising our family,” Tkacz said. “This is enough for now.”