Twenty-five Illinois gay and lesbian couples sued the state for the right to marry on Wednesday, a year after same-sex couples in Illinois were granted the right to enter into civil unions.

Six states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex couples to marry. The couples suing in Illinois say the civil union status sends the message that the state regards their relationships as inferior.

One case filed by lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union is led by Tanya Lazaro and Elizabeth Matos, who have two children and rejected registering as a civil union.

“We love each other; we are committed to one another,” said Lazaro, a Chicago police detective, in a statement. “Anything short of marriage does not recognize that love and commitment.”