Civil Unions are now legal in Illinois and hundreds of gay couples lined up early Wednesday to get their licenses from the Cook County Clerk's office.
Janean Watkins and Lakeesha Harris were the first in line. They showed up around midnight the night before, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The couple has been together for 10 years, and they have six children.
“We’ve been ostracized and relegated to the bottom rung of society,” said Harris, 36, to the Tribune. “I feel like this is some sort of justice for us, for our family. I’m so grateful. I’m thankful.”
Governor Pat Quinn signed the legislation in January, stating that the measure was a matter of civil rights and fairness. The law gives gay and lesbian couples many of the rights that accompany traditional marriage, such as the power to decide medical treatment for a partner, and the right to inherit each other's property.
Illinois is the sixth state to allow same-sex civil unions, or equivalent benefits. Hawaii and Delaware are also in the process of having civil union laws enacted.
"It's historic," Watkins told the Tribune. "We wanted to be first. We wanted to make a statement. For us, for our kids. It really means something."
