As the Illinois civil unions law turned one June 1, the nearly 5,000 couples throughout the state who registered for a license over the past year have encountered many legal and everyday life obstacles that reminds them a civil union is different from marriage – the opposite intent of the legislation.
The findings released Friday by a statewide LGBT advocacy group show couples united by civil unions in Illinois faced unequal treatment when filing for taxes, obtaining health insurance, buying a house and even getting a civil union license in some of the 102 state counties.