#ilequality

The Illinois Family Institute (IFI) is the group primarily fighting marriage equality in Illinois, and Thursday it joined other anti-gay groups in championing the “critically important” narrative of Robert Oscar Lopez. Lopez, who blames his lesbian moms for his lack of social skills and leads an ex-gay life, believes that same-sex parenting is “child abuse,” and any attempt by same-sex couples to have a child is a “crime against humanity.”

In a post celebrating Lopez’s anti-adoption “child abuse” rhetoric, IFI’s Laurie Higgins encourages Christians to overcome their fears and engage in “stone-casting” against the “tyrannical, oppressive, poisonous cultural force” that is LGBT equality:

Lopez describes what all conservative activists already know: The homosexual community and its ideological allies have become a tyrannical, oppressive, poisonous cultural force that compels conformity and compounds the suffering of children intentionally denied mothers or fathers. [...]

And still most Christians — and shockingly their leaders — say relatively little. Ever anxious that the non-believing world in its relentless misuse of Scripture will excoriate them for judging (rightly), speck-looking, or stone-casting, Christians opt instead to become complicit in child abuse.

Studies of same-sex parenting have generally found no differences among the children in such families, including any claims of “suffering.” Higgins and the other groups that have shone a spotlight on Lopez magnify stigma against same-sex families, creating the very harm they claim to be protecting the children from.

Even if the marriage equality bill fails when it comes back before the state House this fall, same-sex adoption will still be legal in Illinois. It’s estimated that nearly 4,000 same-sex couples are already raising their own children in the state. IFI offers no solution for these children, but will campaign against their parents as “child abusers” and try to prevent them from enjoying the same legal rights as other families. 

LGBT activists, advocates and community members have begun filtering into the capitol as a the deciding vote on Illinois marriage equality is expected as early as this afternoon.

Sponsors have until Friday to pass the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, which would grant equal marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Chief sponsor Greg Harris has said he will "absolutely" call for a vote on the bill by session's end May 31. He has also stated that the bill will pass.

Multiple sources connected with organizing efforts around the bill have stated that a vote is expected this afternoon, evening or early in the day on Friday. That timeline will partially depend on other business in Springfield as spring session wraps up.

Advocates with Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, The Civil Rights Agenda, Human Rights Campaign, Gay Liberation Network and other groups are already in the capitol. Sources say that the families of some reps. are also headed for Springfield.

Anti-LGBT groups not appear to be present.

The bill has already passed the Senate and Gov. Pat Quinn has vowed to sign it.

The bill has the backing from major political players including President Obama, who expressed support for the measure in Chicago this week.

"Here in Illinois, we've got a vote on same-sex marriage that's going to be coming up in the Legislature," he said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "I just want to say for the record it's something that I deeply support."

Windy City Times will continue to update with details from Springfield.

With a 34-21 vote in the state Senate on Valentine's Day, Illinois seemed on the verge of becoming the 10th state to pass a law allowing same-sex couples to marry. Delaware beat us to it. Next was Rhode Island. Then Minnesota.

State Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, needs 60 votes by week's end to add Illinois to the list. The nose count is still close. Let's get it done.

Public support for same-sex marriage is barreling ahead, and it isn't likely to change direction.

This month, a Gallup poll found 53 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage, up from 44 percent in 2010 and 27 percent in 1996. Separate polls measured support at 55 percent in Arizona, 56 percent in Virginia and 57 percent in Michigan.

Voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington approved such measures in the November election. It's time for Illinois to join them.

Since 2010, Illinois has allowed same-sex couples to enter into civil unions, which grant them the same spousal rights, under state law, as married heterosexuals. Allowing civil unions allowed the state to sidestep religious concerns, at least for a time. Many faiths have moral objections to same-sex partnerships, and the word "marriage" can have deeply religious connotations.

But partners in civil unions are ineligible for hundreds of federal benefits, legal protections and tax advantages enjoyed by married couples. That's unfair. Many gay couples belong to churches that have no problem blessing their union. And many simply want their relationship sanctioned under the law.

If the measure before the House is approved, state laws will apply equally to marriages between "two persons," instead of between "a man and a woman." That remains troubling to many. Out of respect for those beliefs, the bill explicitly states that ministers and churches wouldn't be required to solemnize gay marriages, in the same way that some churches decline to marry mixed-faith couples or divorced people.

It also contains wording to assure that churches won't be penalized for refusing to allow same-sex ceremonies in their halls or sanctuaries, in violation of their faith.

The bill would offer same-sex couples a government validation, not a religious blessing.

At the same time, it would affirm the bedrock values of traditional marriage. It would reward committed relationships, promote stable families and safeguard the interests of children with same-sex parents. And it would keep government out of the intimate affairs of its citizens.

We won't pretend this is an easy vote for everyone. But its time has come.

Gov. Pat Quinn, who is eager to sign the bill into law, wants reluctant lawmakers to imagine how a "no" vote will look to future generations. "Years from now, some of your relatives will say, 'Gee, what happened to you back then?'" he said in a recent meeting with the Tribune editorial board. He urged them to "cast a vote for history."

That history is being written every day. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Iowa, New Hampshire, New York, Washington, Maryland, Maine, Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota …

Illinois, your chapter is next.

Which brings us to Illinois. Land of Lincoln and recalcitrant House legislators.

May 8, 2013 (SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) (WLS) -- The bill to allow same-sex couples to marry needs 60 votes to the pass the Illinois House. Its sponsor says his roll call of supporters has reached the high 50s.

"We're now very close and when it comes on the board it will pass," said Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago).

The Illinois Senate has already passed the legislation. All it will take is for a few more House legislators to enter the 21st century. They've now watched as the entire Rhode Island Senate Republican delegation voted in favor of same-sex marriage; they've watched Delaware move swiftly and get it done; and soon they will have watched Minnesota vote in a bipartisan manner to pass their marriage equality legislation. Yet Illinois, which many thought would be the first of possibly four states to legalize same-sex marriage, is still teetering on the brink of failure.

When the entire weight of the political structure in Illinois (the President, his former Chief of Staff and now Mayor of Chicago, the Governor, the state's Attorney General, and both US Senators - one R, one D) are in favor of this legislation we can only stop and wonder: Is something rotten in Denmark (no, they have same-sex marriage) Illinois (beyond the famous dead of Chicago who rise to vote every election day)?

Get with it, Illinois.

May 8, 2013 (SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) (WLS) -- The bill to allow same-sex couples to marry needs 60 votes to the pass the Illinois House. Its sponsor says his roll call of supporters has reached the high 50s.

"We're now very close and when it comes on the board it will pass," said Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago).

The measure to redefine marriage in Illinois to mean between two people as opposed to a man and woman passed the Senate by a comfortable margin on Valentine's Day.

Supporters predicted a similar result in the house where democrats also hold a super-majority.

But after many African-American churches and Chicago's Catholic Archdiocese led by Cardinal Francis George stepped up their anti-gay marriage campaigns, house members representing predominantly black districts have publicly denounced the bill.

Harris remained confident he'll have at least 60 votes by the end of session on May 31.

"This is the land of Abraham Lincoln. We have always supported equality, we've always supported fairness. Now is the time to be on the right side of history," said Harris.

So nearing mid-May, the Marriage Equality bill is still unfinished business. And with only about three weeks left in session, the legislative clock is ticking.

We're getting closer, but not quite yet.

As a recent town hall meeting in his district quickly grew heated, state Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) said for the first time in his political career he wished he had brought something with him — security.

Franks was talking pension reform, but one man opposed to same-sex marriage became particularly agitated.

It was heated. For the first time, I felt, I really should have had security here,” Franks told the Chicago Sun-Times. “He got physically close, I probably asked him eight times to stop and felt he was being rude. We were in a public place. It was a little bizarre.”

Franks isn’t saying which way he’s going to vote on the issue, insisting he hasn’t decided and sees pension reform as his top issue.

In the last several weeks, behind-the-scenes pressure as well as public rancor over a same sex marriage bill still pending in the Illinois House has intensified. Picketers are coming out in force. Legislators have spoken to Cardinal Francis George personally on the phone.

One potential death threat — later deemed unfounded — was under investigation by the Illinois State Police and Mundelein police against Republican Ed Sullivan, a state representative who publicly disclosed his support for the bill.

This year, it’s no surprise there’s a more sophisticated push on both a national and state level, with big donors on both sides intimating they will pull support for a candidate or fund a challenger if the vote doesn’t go their way. House Speaker Michael Madigan has previously said the issue is a dozen votes shy of passage. Behind-the-scenes activists say it’s closer — but therein lies the potential for ramped up volatility.

The National Organization for Marriage has publicly said it would bankroll challengers to any Illinois Republican who votes for the bill. Groups opposed to same sex marriage have funded robo-calls to the districts of undecided lawmakers. The calls ask constituents to simply press a number and they’re directed to their representative’s district office. In some cases, it’s brought an onslaught of callers voicing their opposition.

State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), the sponsor of the House bill, said he’s heard positive feedback from the surprise yes votes — including from Sullivan.

“This is a very important topic, no one should be disrespectful or hateful in their approach,” Harris said.

Bernard Cherkasov of Equality Illinois said his group has sponsored phone banking, where constituents are contacted by phone and educated on same sex marriage. But Cherkasov said that the group urges its volunteers keep the conversation tame and respectful.

The rings? Check. The guest list? Check. The marriage license? Well, that remains to be seen when it comes to same-sex couples in Illinois.

While vocal opposition to same-sex marriage remains, more state politicians and organizations are backing legalization. LGBT advocates believe the gay marriage bill is very close to clearing its last real hurdle: the Illinois House. Elected officials from President Obama to U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) have endorsed gay marriage. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is considering the constitutionality of two same-sex marriage cases.

"In the last year, both in Illinois and around the rest of the country, the change in public opinion and political support has been phenomenal," said State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), who is sponsoring the House's gay marriage bill.

Opponents are lobbying state legislators to maintain marriage as it currently is defined under state law: a union between a man and a woman. Some say doing so serves the best interests of children.

"The state should have and does have right now a policy which obviously promotes traditional marriage, and we want to keep it that way," said Paul Caprio, director of Family-Pac, part of the Coalition to Protect Children and Marriage.

Illinois' gay marriage bill, which was passed by the state Senate in February, would define marriage as an act between two people and give same-sex married couples the same benefits and protections as heterosexual couples. It would not require churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and other places of worship to provide their religious facilities for marriage ceremonies if such ceremonies are in violation of their religious beliefs.

The gay marriage bill has yet to be called in the House because supporters haven't secured the 60 votes required to pass it.

If the House passes the bill and Gov. Quinn signs it into law, Illinois would become the 10th state in the country and the second in the Midwest to allow same-sex couples to marry.

The state would join Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Washington and Washington, D.C., in legalizing gay marriage.

If gay marriage supporters fail to get the bill passed by May 31, the end of the spring session, they likely would have to wait until the fall session to address it.

History

Harris first proposed the gay marriage bill in 2007. Instead, civil unions for gay couples advanced, giving same-sex couples state benefits but not the federal benefits married couples get. Most states do not recognize civil unions. The Illinois General Assembly passed the civil unions bill in 2010.

The gay marriage bill has been re-introduced but has stalled until this year.

After the state Senate passed the bill on Valentine's Day, the House bill still awaits passage.

"Just the pace of change on this topic has been unprecedented," Harris said. "I think it will continue to move in this direction. People in every walk of life are believing, let's treat all our families equally."

A New Family Structures Study by a sociologist at the University of Texas at Austin and published last year in the Social Science Research journal found that young adults whose parents have ever had same-sex relationships fared worse in many cases than young adults raised by biological parents in heterosexual marriages.

Among the results: They were more likely to be in therapy for problems linked to anxiety and depression and more likely to have been arrested and be unemployed.

The study was criticized for its methodology and funding from conservative foundations.

The American Academy of Pediatrics published a policy statement in support of marriage equality.

"There is extensive research documenting that there is no causal relationship between parents' sexual orientation and children's emotional, psychosocial, and behavioral development," the statement said. "Many studies attest to the normal development of children of same-gender couples when the child is wanted, the parents have a commitment to shared parenting, and the parents have strong social and economic supports."

Court cases

As the U.S. Supreme Court considers California's ban on gay marriage and the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal benefits to gay couples, two local cases are pending.

Two lawsuits were filed in May 2012 by Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Illinois in Cook County Circuit Court against Cook County Clerk David Orr. The suits note that same-sex couples were denied marriage licenses.

Orr agrees with the plaintiffs that gay couples should be allowed to marry. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office and Illinois Attorney General's Office both support the lawsuits and said the state's gay marriage ban is unconstitutional. Cook County officials are not challenging the lawsuit, but clerks from five other counties, allowed by the court to intervene in the lawsuit, are fighting it.

Political heavyweights

State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) has introduced gay marriage and civil union bills since 2007. He is the chief sponsor of the gay marriage bill pending in the House while state Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) is the main sponsor of the gay marriage bill that the Senate passed. If the House passes the bill and it goes to his desk, Gov. Quinn has said he will sign it into law.

Coalition to Protect Children and Marriage

A grassroots group of opponents to gay marriage including the conservative political action committee Family-Pac, the Illinois Family Institute, Eagle Forum of Illinois, Catholic Citizens of Illinois, the Thomas More Society, Abstinence and Marriage Partnership, Lake County Right to Life and Concerned Christian Americans.

Illinois Unites for Marriage

A project of the ACLU Illinois, Equality Illinois and Lambda Legal in support of gay marriage that has been endorsed by more than 50 organizations.