CHICAGO (MCT) — A day after President Barack Obama endorsed equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn made it clear that he stands with the president on the politically divisive issue of marriage equality.

The governor signed a bill legalizing civil unions in Illinois last year but has long been vague about whether he supports same-sex marriage. On Thursday, a Quinn spokeswoman left no room for equivocation, expressing the governor’s strongest stance on the issue since he ascended to the state’s top office in 2009.