Civil union ceremonies held for Chicago couples

By DEANNA BELLANDI

The Associated Press

CHICAGO — A couple together for nearly half a century, two TV chefs and an official in new Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration were among the 35 gay couples who were joined in civil union ceremonies Thursday in a downtown Chicago park after a new Illinois law recognized their relationships.

Kevin Johnson, left, and Brandon Bowersox, walk with their adopted son, Garrett Bowersox-Johnson, to the county clerk's office at the Brookens Center in Urbana, Ill., on the first day for civil union registrations, Wednesday, June 1, 2011. Illinois' new law gives gay and lesbian couples many of the rights that accompany traditional marriage. (AP Photo/The News-Gazette, Vanda Bidwell)

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"Never thought it was going to happen," said 79-year-old James Darby, who was legally joined to his partner of 47 years in a ceremony presided over by Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans.

Thursday was the first day that couples could have a partnership service officiated after getting their civil union licenses a day earlier. The law went into effect Wednesday but, like traditional marriage licenses, couples are required to wait until the next day to execute them. The public ceremonies were hosted by the City of Chicago's Commission on Human Relations and other groups.

Evans wished Darby and his partner, Patrick Bova, a union filled with love and trust before pronouncing them "partners in civil union. You may kiss your partner."

Gov. Pat Quinn signed the law in January that gives gay and lesbian couples many of the rights and legal protections of marriage, including the power to decide medical treatment for their partners and to inherit their partner's property. Heterosexual couples can also enter into civil unions in Illinois. Both Quinn and Emanuel attended Thursday's ceremonies in the park.

Other couples having ceremonies Thursday included Steve McDonagh and Dan Smith, who hosted the Food Network's "The Hearty Boys," and Mona Noriega, whom Emanuel recently named as Commissioner of the Department of Human Relations, and her partner Evette Cardona.

While couples at the celebration were grateful for the official recognition of their relationships, many said they want the right to marry. Gay marriage isn't legal in Illinois.

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