'You can't legislate who you love:' State Rep. Deborah Mell

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http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/2207618,carol-marin-mell-same-sex-marriage-042810.article

April 28, 2010

BY CAROL MARIN Sun-Times Columnist

In Springfield today on the floor of the House, state Rep. Deborah Mell (D-Chicago) will make a bit of history.

She’ll ask Speaker Michael Madigan for permission to address her colleagues on a matter not listed on the day’s calendar. And then Mell, 41, will share something personal. That she is engaged to be married.

What will make this moment historic in the annals of Illinois politics is that Mell’s fiancee, Christin Baker, is a woman.

Unlike only five states, Illinois has never come close to approving civil unions, much less same-sex marriage.