A provision in Illinois’ marriage law is resulting in disappointment for many same-sex couples in neighboring states hoping to cross the border to obtain a marriage license.
Enacted years before same-sex marriage became legal in Illinois, the law states that a marriage license is void if that couple is barred from marrying in the state where they live.
The measure was designed to prevent people who are close family or underage from crossing state borders to wed, but is now putting county clerks in a tough spot with same-sex couples traveling from out-of-state to get married in Illinois.
Lawmakers who sponsored the bill that legalized same-sex marriage in Illinois would like to see the problem fixed, but say that will have to wait until the legislature’s session next year.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Same-sex marriage became legal statewide in Illinois on June 1.