Illinois residents look foward to being legally wed Flickr/Creative Commons

Illinois is on the fast-track to becoming the 15th state to legalize same sex marriage, but today's vote was a close call. The SB10 bill received 61 votes in house—after two-and-a-half hours of deliberation—just one more than necessary for it to be sent back to the Senate. Once it arrives, Governor Pat Quinn (D-IL) has said he would sign the bill into law.

Points made during the dabte varied between concerns about how the institution of marriage and religious beliefs of those who say marriage should be between a man and a woman and the urgency to to treat all citizens equally in the eyes of the law. It was the words of Rep. Mary Flowers, however, that would pierce the ears of all in favor same sex marriage being legalized in Illinois. 

This debate is a joke," she said. Referring to a passage in the Bible about Flowers stated that same-sex couples will "not be turly married in God's eyes." 

Others, like Speaker Michael Madigan, disagreed with Flowers. "Who am I to judge that they should be illegal?" he asked. The majority of the public voiced similar opinions, flooding social media with their excitement about the close vote.

Reach Executive Producer Cortney Riles here. Follow her here.