Illinois Senator Heather Steans, the
sponsor of a gay marriage bill in the Senate, believes the prospect
of legalizing such unions in the upcoming session is “great.”
Appearing on The Young Turks,
Steans told Cenk Uygur that public opinion has changed dramatically
in just the two years since Illinois approved civil unions.
“As I'm talking to members, people
have really come along,” Steans said. “You know, we passed civil
unions here two years ago. And the nature of the conversations I'm
having with my colleagues just two years later is very different. I
think there's really been a sea change of public opinion on this.
Every day we see more people supporting what's fair under our laws
and treating everybody the same. So, it's been very encouraging and
heartening.”
Steans stressed that her bill does not
change the definition of religious marriage.
“I think it's important to understand
first [that] this is civil marriage we're talking about. We're not
changing the definition of religious marriage. … This really is
civil marriage. Churches can choose to solemnize or not, or any
faith can. But no one who does not want to has to.” (The video is
embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
The General Assembly's spring session
begins February 5.