Illinois recently became the 15th state to pass legislation banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

The law will make it illegal to discriminate in restaurant and hotel service, money lending and employment, among other guidelines.

“I definitely agree with it. We live in a country that tries to promote acceptance of diverse individuals, said heterosexual Darcy Hajduck, a junior elementary education major. “This is just another stepping stone toward equality.”

“The premises of the argument are the same as the Civil Rights Movement,” said heterosexual Colin Clausen, a graduate student in accounting.

According to a study by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 47 percent of the nation’s population now lives in a jurisdiction that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation. A decade ago, that figure was 34 percent.

The study also found that an additional 11 states that do not have formal sexual orientation discrimination laws in place do have equivalent rules protecting homosexual employees of the public sector.

DeKalb already has a similar ordinance in place.

“It’s long overdue. I supported it as a city law, and it should be valid as a state law,” said pastor Joe Gastiger of the First Congressional United Church of Christ in DeKalb.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who signed the law on Jan. 21, said, “The new law I am signing today is a critical step forward in the struggle for equality.”

Given the fervor generated by the past election season, those interviewed are deciding how this law will further the push for same-sex marriage legalization.

“[The new law] is a pretty big step in the right direction, but the [Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender] community still has a long way to go with getting equal rights,” said Lucy Andich, co-president of PRISM and a pre-sociology major.

Gastiger said he does not think it will lead to legalization of same-sex marriage, but it may end up raising the question.

Clausen said it will definitely lead toward same-sex marriage.

“Once the public demands it, the law will be shaped around it,” Clausen said.

Beyond personal reasons, a primary reason homosexuals seek marriage is for the legal benefits.

Andich said an important right she seeks is hospital visitation rights when a spouse is sick.

Opponents of same-sex marriage have said homosexuals will use marriage just for the legal benefits, thereby hurting the sanctity of marriage. Clausen said this point does not make sense. He cited the 50 percent divorce rate as a sign that opposite-sex marriages may already be doing that.