LGBT students and their allies are excited at the prospect of same-sex marriage being legalized in Illinois following the Senate and House’s passing of a marriage equality bill.

When Gov. Pat Quinn signs the bill, as he has pledged to do, Illinois will be the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage. Molly Holmes, director of the LGBT Resource Center, said she feels good about the passing of marriage equality.

“The move adds a level of visibility for LGBT people that civil unions didn’t,” Holmes said. “With this passage it really allows students to see that visibility and also see history in the making in their state.”

Miles Faciane, senior computer science major, is an openly gay person and is happy about the passing of gay marriage.

“I’m very excited. We’ve been working on this for years and we finally get it,” Faciane said.

Faciane is also pleased about the fact that gay people will get the equal legal benefits of marriage.

“As a gay person, I will now be able to get married, so that’s exciting,” Faciane said. “And the legal benefits will be afforded to me. I’ll be treated like a human.”

If the bill is signed into law soon then marriage licenses can be issued to gay couples as soon as June 1, according to Nancy Loo of Chicagoland Television.

“It’s still not nation-wide, but we’re on the right path,” Faciane said. “Twenty years ago it wouldn’t have even come up in conversation because people were to scared to talk about it. Now, not only are we talking about it, but we are getting gay rights in many states, so it’s very progressive.”

Alex Lefebvre, junior computer science major, compared gay rights to women’s rights in regard to why it took so long for Illinois to pass gay marriage.

“Why’d it take so long to realize that women have the right to vote?” Lefebvre said. “I really don’t have an answer, and I think if anyone did it wouldn’t take so long.”

Holmes believes same-sex marriage and equality will be seen as normal by future generations.

“When there’s legal backing like this, with marriage, then it normalizes individuals. If you have the same rights as everybody else, then it seems like you’re on par with everybody else,” Holmes said. “I think with younger generations it will just be accepted that parents can get married regardless of their genders.”

No time has been set for when Quinn will sign the bill.