As Illinois Awaits House Vote on Marriage Equality, Obama's 'Organizing for Action' Gets Involved

Gay Illinoisans are still waiting for House lawmakers to vote on the Religious Freedom and Fairness Act which would make the state the 10th to legalize same-sex marriage, but there is still no word on when the vote might take place or what the numbers are, Chicago Pride reports:

The bill's sponsors continue to remain tight-lipped as to when the legislation will come up for a vote. Some advocates hope it can happen this week; others think it won't be until after the House returns from its spring recess on April 8.

Jim Bennett, regional dir. of Lambda Legal, which has been lobbying of the bill's behalf, told ChicagoPride.com that the House was most likely just moving legislation out of committees this week.

"If it is this week I would be surprised," Bennett said. "But it still could happen—I certainly hope it does."

He said he remains positive about the legislation's chances for passage.

"Last week we met with some Republican legislators who had asked to meet with some of the families speaking on the bill's behalf," said Bennett. "It was surprising to have someone reach out like that when we were not really counting on their support."

Bennett added, "If most of the Republicans were voting their own personal beliefs, this would pass overwhelmingly."

President Obama's Organizing for Action, the outgrowth of his re-election campaign, is getting involved, the Sun Times reports, sending an email today to Illinois supporters asking them to lobby lawmakers.

From the email:

If you care about marriage equality, here's something really important you can do right now.

As early as this week, the Illinois State House could vote on a bill -- already passed by the state Senate -- that will give all couples the legal right to marry. If it passes, Governor Quinn says he'll sign it into law. That's huge for all of us in the OFA family who care about this issue.

Right now, reports say the bill is short of the votes it needs to pass, so these calls matter. Take two minutes and look up your state representative right now -- then give them a call to let them know that you want them to vote YES on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act.

It's really easy: Just use that website to look up your address, click "confirm your address," then scroll down to find your state representative's information.

Like President Obama said last year, he believes that marriage equality is a question of fairness -- of treating others the way you want to be treated. Right now, his home state is just one step away from becoming the 10th state in the nation to approve same-sex marriage -- and making sure that gay and lesbian families in Illinois are treated equally in the eyes of the law. We've heard from OFA supporters here in Illinois that this issue matters to you, and that's why we're teaming up with Illinois Unites for Marriage -- a joint project of ACLU Illinois, Equality Illinois, and Lambda Legal -- to add our voices to this fight.

This House vote is the final hurdle to making sure this historic legislation becomes the law of the land. Right now, a number of state representatives are still undecided, and we know this vote's going to be close.

Take a few minutes to look up your state representative today and urge them to vote YES in allowing all loving couples to share in the freedom to marry:

http://my.barackobama.com/Illinois-Marriage-Equality

Illinois Lawmaker Says Gays are 'Disordered' and 'Trying to 'Weasel Way Into Acceptability' - AUDIO

Illinois Rep. Jeanne Ives (R) spoke with the Catholic Conference of Illinois in a radio interview and laid out the reasons why she's not going to vote for marriage equality.

Because gays have "disordered relationships" and "they’re trying to weasel their way into acceptability" so they can influence children in schools.

Said Ives:

"They're trying to redefine marriage. It's a completely disordered relationship and when you have a disordered relationship, you don’t ever get order out of that. So I’m more than happy to take a 'no' vote on the issue of homosexual marriage."

She added:

"I'm more than happy to stand up and take a courageous vote here on this issue because it's the right thing to do. Essentially what they’re trying to do is not just redefine marriage, they’re trying to redefine society. They’re trying to weasel their way into acceptability so that they can then start to push their agenda down into the schools, because this gives them some sort of legitimacy. And we can’t allow that to happen. The rights to marriage, it's really a natural right.  It’s the natural right of the child to be with both parents, either in an adoptive nature or in a biological nature. To not have a mother and a father is really a disordered state for a child to grow up in and it really makes that child an object of desire rather than the result of a matrimony."

Meanwhile, Capitol Fax is reporting that marriage equality is still 12 votes shy of having the votes to pass. And a vote could come any day now.

While we're not sure you're going to convince a wingnut like Ives you can still call your lawmakers, Illinoisans. And find out how to do so HERE.

Marriage Equality Vote in Illinois House 'Any Day Now'

The Illinois House could vote on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act as early as this week, the Windy City Times reports:

Next week is also possible, although LGBT leaders said they want to see a vote as soon as possible. The constituents of undecided lawmakers have been inundated with calls in recent days, and prominent supporters for the bill have been turning up pressure. If the bill passes in the House, it is expected to become law. Gov. Pat Quinn strongly supports the measure and has vowed to sign it into law. He drove home that message in a statement released to supporters March 11.

The bill's sponsor Greg Harris describes the atmosphere as "very heated":

Harris urged supporters not to assume their lawmakers will support the bill, and to call them and ask them to vote yes, even if they feel confident in where their lawmaker stands.

Asked if sponsors were close to securing the 60 "yes" votes needed to pass the bill, Harris simply said, "very."

Illinois residents can find out how to call lawmakers HERE.

Illinois Republican Party Hedges on Plans to Oust Chair Pat Brady for His Support of Marriage Equality

As Steve mentioned last month, Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady has been under fire from some members of his party angry that he had urged lawmakers to support marriage equality.

Said Brady in January: "Giving gay and lesbian couples the freedom to get married honors the best conservative principles. It strengthens families and reinforces a key Republican value - that the law should treat all citizens equally."

Today, Republican leaders had planned a meeting in which they were going to discuss firing Brady for his remarks, but the meeting was canceled, the AP reports:

It was unclear if the committee had enough votes to fire Brady. State Sen. Jim Oberweis, one of the GOP committeemen leading the charge to oust Brady, said it was "certainly a possibility" that the issue could come up again at the party's meeting in April. Oberweis, of North Aurora, said Saturday that members wanted more time and also wanted to be sure Brady, who is out of town, could attend.

"Some of the members thought it would be better to take a little more time and make sure Pat could be back," Oberweis told The Associated Press. "... I think we're all interested in figuring out how to help revive the Republican Party in Illinois."

Though there's clearly dissonance within the party:

Rep. Tom Cross, the top Republican in the Illinois House, has said the push to fire Brady was "a big mistake."

"We're a party that prides itself and often talks about having a big tent approach. And if we're going to be a party that grows ... we need to acknowledge that ... we're not always going to agree with each other 100 percent," Cross said. "To me, you can be for (gay marriage), or you can be against it. But we ought to say to 'You have a place in this party.'"

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, the state's ranking Republican lawmaker, also said it would be a mistake to remove Brady, spokesman Lance Trover said Friday. Kirk voted to end the policy on gays serving in the military, known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and opposes a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

Chicago Sports Legends Ernie Banks and Richard Dent Sign Letter Urging Illinois House to Pass Marriage Equality

As the marriage equality bill awaits consideration by the Illinois House, it's getting support from a couple of Chicago sports legends — Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and Bears Hall of Famer Richard Dent (below), as well as Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer and former Bears and current Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo.

Reads the letter:

“As professional athletes, we always played for the love of the game. The competition on the field - whether it was the football field or the baseball diamond - strengthened us and continues to do so. But for that competition to take place, there have to be rules and a code of behavior. Above all, players have to treat each other with fairness and with respect. Doing so doesn’t detract from the competition. It makes it better.

“We come from a variety of backgrounds, and we have played different sports for different teams. But one thing that binds us together is our belief in the importance of fairness and respect - in all aspects of life.

“In Illinois today, gay and lesbian couples who are in lifetime committed relationships do not have the freedom to marry. This violates our sense of fairness and respect. It also goes against the Golden Rule of treating others as you would like to be treated yourself.

“In sports, any time a player is not treated with fairness and respect, the game is diminished. Similarly, treating any group of people as second-class citizens hurts us all, because discrimination is wrong no matter whom the target is.

“For this reason, we believe that the Illinois General Assembly should act now and give same-sex couples the freedom to marry. It’s the right thing for Illinois; it’s the right thing to do, period.”

Sincerely,
Ernie Banks, Shortstop, Chicago Cubs (retired)
Richard Dent, Defensive End, Chicago Bears (retired)
Hunter Hillenmeyer, Linebacker, Chicago Bears (retired)
Brendon Ayanbadejo, Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens (formerly with the Chicago Bears)"

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Tells Supporters to Pressure Illinois Lawmakers on Marriage Equality

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is pressing his supporters to turn up the heat on lawmakers in Springfield ahead of an anticipated vote on marriage equality by the Illinois House, the Sun-Times reports:

In an email to the vast network of supporters he created during the mayoral campaign, Emanuel created a vehicle for gay marriage proponents to pressure their state representatives with the click of a mouse.

“The clock is ticking. The House is poised to vote…in the coming days. And I know from talking with several of my friends in Springfield that some members of the House still haven’t decided which way they’ll vote,” Emanuel wrote in a personalized email to supporters Monday.

“If we’re going to pass this bill, it’s crucial that members of the House hear from marriage supporters every single day until the freedom to marry becomes law in Illinois.” ...

... “It’s time for the laws of our state to reflect the values of our people. It’s time for Illinois to take the lead,” the mayor wrote.

“Real change happens when citizens stand strong, tell their stories and urge their lawmakers to do what’s right….What happens in the next week is up to you. Let’s do what it takes to bring home a victory for the thousands of Illinois families who are counting on us right now.”

Emanuel's email comes amid reports that supporters are still looking for the votes needed to pass the bill in the House. On Friday, Chicago magazine published an article indicating where the votes stand.

Find out how to contact Illinois legislators HERE.

(inset: a social media image created by Emanuel's office shortly after the Senate passed the marriage equality bill on Valentine's Day)