Cook County issued 831 civil unions licenses in June
Tue. July 19, 2011 4:42 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
james darby and patrick bova at 'unions in the park'
photo credit // frank failing
Chicago, IL -
Cook County Clerk David Orr says his office issued civil unions licenses to 831 couples in June, the first month civil union licenses were available in Illinois.
"It's thrilling to see so many happy couples getting licenses and celebrating their relationships," Orr said. "My office is dedicated to making this milestone special for each and every couple."
Same-sex couples made up the majority of those applying in June. Forty-six opposite-sex couples, or 5.5 percent, applied for a license.
The couples ranged in age from 18, the youngest permissible age, to 93-years-old.
Of the 831 couples who applied for civil union licenses in June, 65 percent live in Chicago, with couples from 68 suburban Cook County municipalities making up the remainder of applicants.
Female couples made up the majority of applications, 428 or 51.5 percent, compared to male couples, 357 or 43 percent.
The couples were also racially diverse. At least one partner was Hispanic in 13 percent of female unions and 15 percent of male unions, while at least one partner was African-American in 22 percent of female unions and 10 percent of male unions.
June 1 was by far the busiest day with 209 licenses issued, according to Orr's office. From June 2-30, an average of 30 licenses was issued daily.
The Clerk's office collected more than $37,000 through July 15 in new revenues from civil union application fees, civil union certificates and duplicate copies of records.
The data was collected through a new system developed for civil union licensing by the Clerk's programming staff. A full copy of the report is available online.
"It's thrilling to see so many happy couples getting licenses and celebrating their relationships," Orr said. "My office is dedicated to making this milestone special for each and every couple."
Same-sex couples made up the majority of those applying in June. Forty-six opposite-sex couples, or 5.5 percent, applied for a license.
The couples ranged in age from 18, the youngest permissible age, to 93-years-old.
Of the 831 couples who applied for civil union licenses in June, 65 percent live in Chicago, with couples from 68 suburban Cook County municipalities making up the remainder of applicants.
Female couples made up the majority of applications, 428 or 51.5 percent, compared to male couples, 357 or 43 percent.
The couples were also racially diverse. At least one partner was Hispanic in 13 percent of female unions and 15 percent of male unions, while at least one partner was African-American in 22 percent of female unions and 10 percent of male unions.
June 1 was by far the busiest day with 209 licenses issued, according to Orr's office. From June 2-30, an average of 30 licenses was issued daily.
The Clerk's office collected more than $37,000 through July 15 in new revenues from civil union application fees, civil union certificates and duplicate copies of records.
The data was collected through a new system developed for civil union licensing by the Clerk's programming staff. A full copy of the report is available online.