This week marks a major milestone for the Land of Lincoln: the first time marriage equality has been available to everyone across the entire state.

It's been more than six months since Governor Pat Quinn signed the marriage bill into law. The half-year waiting period before it went into effect was not entirely unusual -- for example, when New Hampshire Governor John Lynch signed a marriage bill in June of 2009, it didn't go into effect until January of 2010.


Nevertheless, some counties began issuing licenses well in advance. Cook, Champaign and Grundy counties both opened their doors to gay and lesbian couples in February, and by March, 16 of the state's 102 counties were issuing licenses as well. 

Some of those early licenses were thanks to some litigation by couples facing terminal illness. Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman ruled in December that if a doctor confirms that one partner is terminally ill, they could skip the sixth-month waiting period before the law took effect. "There is no reason to delay further when no opposition has been presented to this Court and committed gay and lesbian couples have already suffered from the denial of their fundamental right to marry," she wrote.

That lawsuit was filed in Cook county, and following the ruling Clerk David Orr announced that his office would simply begin issuing licenses to all couples.

Illinois has enjoyed a particularly swift move from civil unions to marriage. It was in late 2010 that the legislature approved a civil unions bill, which means that the state moved from civil unions to marriage in about three years.

In contrast, Vermont took from 2000 to 2009 to make that climb.

Among the benefits now offered to gay and lesbian couples: inclusion in the state's insurance marketplace. Get Covered Illinois has created a special enrollment window for couples who can now legally marry for the first time.

Couples who currently have a civil union in Illinois have one year to convert their civil union to marriage with no fee. After June 1, 2015, they'll have to pay a small fee. Officials are preparing for a rush of couples who want to convert their civil unions. 

It's hard to gauge how many couples married during the "early-wedding" window between passage and June 1. Equality Illinois puts the estimate at around 1,300 couples, but estimates range from 1,100 to 1,600 licenses issued in and around Chicago.

Couples married in other states that offer marriage equality such as Connecticut, Iowa and Minnesota will be automatically recognized.

The move hasn't come without some controversy. The Catholic Conference of Illinois, the Archbishop of Chicago, and Bishop Larry B. Trotter all led opposition to the bill. Support for marriage equality came from some unexpected leaders: state Republican Chairman Pat Brady and Methodist Bishop Sally Dyck championed the equality bill.

Brady drew criticism from anti-gay colleagues in the Republican party, and eventually resigned, saying "I need to focus on my family, and obviously I had lost the support of the state Central Committee because of my position on gay marriage."

And there could still be some political fallout from the marriage equality bill: Republican Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner is facing criticism after saying the he would have punted the issue to voters, or simply vetoed the bill. Quinn supporters have jumped on that statement as evidence that Rauner is out of touch with the majority of Illinois residents.

But in general, public opinion in Illinois tends to support the freedom to marry. A recent poll from the Public Religions Research Institute shows 52% of residents support marriage equality, with just 39% opposed.

After the House passed the bill in November, President Obama issued a statement reading, "Michelle and I are overjoyed for all the committed couples in Illinois whose love will now be as legal as ours – and for their friends and family who have long wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and equally under the law."