[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23911]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HAPPY COUPLES

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 1, 2003

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the first day 
in which residents of Cook County, Illinois will have the opportunity 
to register their domestic partnerships with the Bureau of Vital 
Records. This is an important first step towards full equality for gay, 
lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and I am proud to stand in 
solidarity with them on this historic day.
  This day does not just represent a political victory for the LGBT 
community or a day in which, finally, same sex partners will be able to 
obtain proof of their relationships in an effort to get health and 
other benefits. It is also a day when friends and family will come 
together to celebrate two people's love and commitment to each other. 
It is a day on which a couple who committed themselves to one another 
years ago can finally make it official.
  I would like to recognize and congratulate a few of my friends and 
constituents who will be registering: Gary Cozette and Joe Lada, 
Brandon Neese and David Wick, Mary Morten and Willa Taylor, Jackie 
Kaplan and Ann Perkins, Kelly Cassidy and Alex Silets, Gail Morse and 
Lauren Verdich, Phil Burgess and Jim Nutter, Mark Ishaug and Micah 
Krohn, and Michael Bauer and Roger Simon.
  It is my hope, however, that our progress will not stop here. It is 
my hope that one day all couples in all states and counties will have 
the opportunity to register their partnerships and receive all the 
legal benefits currently enjoyed by heterosexual married couples. No 
one should ever have to spend time convincing a doctor to be allowed to 
see her partner in her hospital bed. No one should ever again have to 
go without health insurance if his partner's employer provides it. No 
one should be separated from a life partner because immigration laws 
don't recognize the relationship.
  So, congratulations to all the couples celebrating today. This is a 
major victory in the fight for equality and justice.

                          ____________________