Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has signed a
petition urging lawmakers to make Illinois the 10th state
to legalize gay marriage.
On Wednesday, Lambda Legal announced
Emanuel had joined their effort.
“Mayor Emanuel has been on the
forefront in advocating for the freedom to marry for same-sex couples
in Illinois, we're very pleased that he's taken the step of signing
the pledge to show his support for our efforts to bring marriage to
Illinois,” Jim Bennett, regional director for the Midwest Regional
Office of Lambda Legal, said
in a statement.
Sponsors of the bill in the House and
Senate said they wouldn't press for a vote until they had a majority.
A push earlier this month during the Senate's quick lame-duck
session was suddenly called off. The bill's champion in the chamber,
Senator Heather Steans, said she called off the vote because three
supporters were not present.
Supporters are now looking for passage
in the spring session of the General Assembly, which officially
begins on February 5.
Emanuel promised in November to become
“very involved” in the issue.
“I will continue to advocate, as I
have since a congressman, that we also pass marriage equality and end
the discrimination on the books,” Emanuel told reporters.
(Related: Illinois
Governor Pat Quinn on gay marriage bill: We must succeed.)