Two lawsuits filed Wednesday are part of efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and Lambda Legal filed the suits on behalf of 25 couples from across the state. The suits challenge the constitutionality of an Illinois law that denies same-sex couples the freedom to marry.

Illinois approved civil unions for gay couples last year. Peoria resident Hector Martinez is a plaintiff in the Lambda suit, and has been with his partner for nearly 20 years. Martinez says civil unions are not the same as marriage.

"People understand marriage. Employers and HR managers understand marriage. To me, civil unions are the equivalent of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It has negative repercussions," says Martinez.

Attorneys with the ACLU and Lambda Legal say gay couples should be able to marry under due process and equality clauses in the Illinois Constitution. Similar lawsuits have been filed in other states. In Iowa, a lawsuit resulted in the state Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage.