“As we saw in the immediate rush to the Cook County Clerk’s marriage bureau after Friday’s ruling, gay and lesbian couples are eager and ready to take the step that not only grants them and their family the legal benefits and rights of marriage but also bestows society’s recognition that their love is equal.” “It is simply time for the other county clerks to follow suit,” Cherkasov added. “Clerk Hulten recognized both the humanity of helping gay and lesbian couples to fulfill their dreams and the legal soundness of following the decision of a federal court that denying marriage licenses was unconstitutional,” said Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois. Hulten made the decision in the wake of the ruling by U.S.District Court last week in Chicago that marriage equality is a fundamental right and denying immediate access to it is unconstitutional.Įquality Illinois, the state’s oldest and largest advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Illinoisans, then immediately called on the other 101 county clerks to accept the federal court’s ruling and also begin issuing licenses. State’s largest LGBT organization urges other counties to follow lead without delayĬHICAGO (February 26, 2014) – Equality Illinois applauded Champaign County Clerk Gordy Hulten today for being the second county in the state to issue marriage licenses to all loving, committed couples and challenged other clerks to do the same. EQUALITY ILLINOIS APPLAUDS CHAMPAIGN COUNTY