Illinois

Congratulations to Chicago Public Schools chief Ron Huberman [pictured] and his partner, Darren DeJong, on the birth of their first child, Aiden DeJong Huberman.

Friday's Chicago Sun-Times announced, "The dads are delighted."

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley selected Huberman to head the Chicago Public Schools in early 2009. Huberman, 37, replaced Arne Duncan, who was confirmed as President Barack Obama’s secretary of education.

Gay couples can marry in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Civil unions are granted in Vermont, New Jersey, California and New Hampshire. And Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia issue domestic partnerships.

The AP reports that supporters of gay marriage say 2009 could be the year Illinois seriously considers establishing civil unions, but opponents say the pendulum of public support is swinging the other way.

The AP reports that Michigan courts can oversee a custody dispute between lesbian parents who adopted in Illinois even though Michigan doesn't formally recognize gay relationships.

The court ruled 2-1 that the U.S. Constitution requires Michigan courts to recognize Diane Giancaspro and Lisa Congleton as adoptive parents. It reversed a trial judge who said Michigan's 2004 voter-approved gay marriage ban kept her from enforcing the women's parental rights.

I have donated embryos that a gestational surrogate will be carrying. Can my name, I am not married, be put on the birth certificate if I am the legal guardian, but not a biological parent? We plan to do this in Illinois.

Bill O'Reilly took time during one of his recent shows to discuss the Illinois lesbian couple voted "cutest couple" at their high school.

O'Reilly believes the students at the school voted for the girls because the student body - as a whole - wanted to play a prank on the teachers and administrators of the school.

He said, "the kids voted...this couple the cutest couple to tweak the adults...to cause trouble, to make an issue of the yearbook."

Illinois is one of the most progressive states for gays and lesbians to contract with gestational surrogates. Legislature dictates that when a child is born through gestational surrogacy, the intended parent(s) have sole custody and full parental rights immediately upon the child’s birth. This allows the intended parent(s) to circumvent the entire adoption process, and also prevents the surrogate carrier from asserting a legal claim to the baby.