CHICAGO (AP) — Jim Darby and Patrick Bova have taken their marriage vows after being a couple for 50 years.
Among those attending the wedding Monday at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art was Gov. Pat Quinn. The ceremony was among the first same-sex weddings as a new law takes effect statewide. The museum hosted weddings for 14 same-sex couples Monday.
Darby and Bova entered into a civil union in 2011 when Illinois began offering them. Both have been gay rights activists in Illinois for years.
The pair walked down the aisle holding hands to a canopy surrounded by candles.
Illinois’ same-sex marriage law took effect Sunday. Only a few county clerks’ offices opened to issue paperwork because the day fell on a weekend. That left Monday as the law’s widespread rollout date.
