Just three months after teetering on the issue, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has come out in favor of marriage equality.
"Governor Quinn joins with President Obama in supporting marriage equality and looks forward to working on this issue in the future with the General Assembly," said Brooke Anderson, a spokesperson for the governor, in an email to Windy City Times.
The Chicago Tribune first reported Quinn's announcement, which comes on the heels of President Obama's proclamation to ABC News that he supports marriage equality.
Quinn had been ambiguous about his support for same-sex marriage as recently as February when the Associated Press reported that Quinn was unsure of his stance on marriage equality. Pressed further by WBEZ, Quinn did not clarify his position.
Quinn signed Illinois civil unions into law last year, but his spokesperson told Windy City Times that the governor was "looking forward to a full legislative debate" on marriage. He had said previously, however, that he would sign same-sex marriage into law.
Quinn has had strong backing from LGBT groups and has regularly discussed his support for civil unions. On May 11, the governor put to rest confusion on his stance on marriage equality.
"Civil unions were a huge victory for civil rights and major progress for Illinois," wrote Anderson. "It took a lot of teamwork and partnership with the General Assembly to win passage of this landmark law, and marriage equality will as well."
