How many Civil Unions will we have in Illinois ?

Tomorrow is June 1, 2011–the day the Illinois civil union law takes effect. Since this legislation was signed in January by Governor Quinn, I’ve been asked how many civil unions are likely to take place and whether same sex or opposite sex couples will primarily take advantage of this new law.

 Everyone knows the old saying about making predictions. Unless we’re dealing with death or taxes, making predictions is tough business. Since couples can’t even apply for civil unions until tomorrow, at this stage asking how many civil unions might take place isn’t far from guessing how many angels dance on the head of a pin. In fact, it’s probably even tougher to predict how many Illinois civil unions will occur, since this state permits both same sex and opposite sex couples to have a civil union.

It’s generally expected that more same sex couples will apply for civil unions, since there is no marriage option for same sex couples. But life often surprises us. Many people are still surprised that civil unions are now the law of the land in Illinois , and for all couples.