Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has come
out in favor of legalizing gay marriage, the Chicago
Tribune reported.
Quinn, who last year strongly backed
efforts to approve a civil unions bill and signed it into law, in
February told the AP that the wanted to study the issues surrounding
a gay marriage measure introduced by openly gay representatives Greg
Harris, Deb Mell and Kelly Cassidy. Later he said he looked “forward
to working with the advocates on this issue to build a majority.”
On Thursday, a day after President
Barack Obama made his endorsement for the institution, a Quinn
spokeswoman left little doubt of the governor's support.
“Gov. Quinn joins with President
Obama in supporting marriage equality and looks forward to working on
this issue in the future with the General Assembly,” Quinn
spokeswoman Mica Matsoff told the paper.
Lawmakers are unlikely to act on the
marriage bill before heading home on May 31.
Bernard Cherkasov, chief executive
officer of gay rights advocate Equality Illinois, said the effect of
Obama's endorsement was “largely psychological.”
“It levels the playing field for our
community to say we have, at every level of public service, people
who support marriage equality. But even the president himself
recognized that this has to be done state by state.”