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On Tuesday afternoon, the Illinois state House began debating a bill to legalize gay marriage, and it has a good chance of passing. Illinois is racing Hawaii to become the 15th state to allow same-sex marriage, after New Jersey became the 14th state to do so in October. 2013 has been "the gayest year in gay history," Fred Sainz at the Human Rights Campaign tells the Associated Press. And it has certainly been historic — the Supreme Court overturned DOMA, for one. The court also dismissed an appeal on Prop 8, allowing gay marriages to resume in California. West Point hosted a gay wedding over the weekend. And the Employee Non-Discrimination Act got 61 votes in the Senate on Monday, which moves it the final passage stage. Seven of those votes came from Republicans.
But House Speaker John Boehner opposes ENDA and says he won't bring it up for a vote in the House, even though ENDA has majority support in each state. While public opinion has shifted in favor of gay rights, still 43 percent of Americans would vote to make gay marriage illegal across the country. It's been a great year in gay history, but there is still a long, complicated fight for full equality ahead.