Illinois House Executive Committee to Consider Marriage Equality Bill on February 26

The Illinois House Executive Committee has set February 26 (at 3 pm) as the date it will consider SB 10, or the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, passed by the Senate last week.

The Chicago Phoenix reports:

The committee vote is the next hurdle the bill must overcome on its path to becoming law and needs at least six votes there before it is cleared to hit the full House floor.

Advocates are expecting success in the committee, which comprises seven Democrats and four Republicans, but anticipate a tougher road to the 60 “yes” votes required to pass the measure in the full House.

The Illinois Senate passed the bill on Valentine's Day in a 34-21 vote.

Crain's: Half of Illinoisans Back Marriage Equality

As Illinoisans wait for the House to take up the marriage equality bill recently passed by the Senate, a new poll is out from Crain's/Ipsos:

The survey of 600 adults found that 50 percent support the gay-marriage bill that cleared the state Senate last week and now awaits action in the House. That's considerably more than the 29 percent who oppose it, with 20 percent saying they don't know or have mixed feelings on the matter.

As expected, support is strongest in Chicago, with 56 percent backing passage. A majority of 52 percent of suburban residents supports approval, but support drops to a plurality of 48 percent downstate.

The on-line survey had an accuracy rate of plus or minus 4.7 percent statewide, with wider ranges for numbers specific to Chicago or its suburbs.

'Chicago Tribune' Urges Illinois House to Pass Marriage Equality

An editorial from the Chicago Tribune urged the Illinois House to do as their Senate counterparts did last week and pass marriage equality.

Reads the editorial, in part:

Allowing same-sex couples to wed under the law would not devalue traditional marriage. It would affirm the bedrock values that underlie and sustain such unions.

Marriage promotes stable families, safeguards the interests of children and rewards committed relationships.

Recognizing same-sex marriages demonstrates respect for personal freedoms and keeps government out of the intimate affairs of citizens. More people in same-sex relationships are adopting or giving birth to children; this provides the security of a legal commitment for those children. It's the fair thing to do.

It's also smart politics. Support for gay marriage has been building steadily: A 1996 Gallup poll found 27 percent of Americans in favor of allowing same-sex couples to wed; now it's at 50 percent with a bullet, since the strongest support comes from younger voters.

Public opinion is shifting with remarkable speed. In November, voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington approved referendums allowing gay marriage, and in Minnesota, voters rejected a constitutional amendment to ban it.

That support has been building in Springfield, too, as evidenced by the Senate vote. Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady announced his support for same-sex marriage, prompting an attempt by some conservatives to oust him from the party post. That attempt failed. Undeterred by the risk of repercussions, Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, also a Republican, recently urged lawmakers to "go for it."

Ladies and gentlemen of the House, it's your turn to step up.

News: Obama and Tiger, Shockwave, Djesus, Berlin

Only 11% of Americans think that Congress reflects the nation's values, according to right-wing polling site Rasmussen.

President Obama and Tiger Woods played golf together in Florida today.

Kendra Wilkinson versus Greg Louganis.

150,000 people went out to see the Pope deliver his final public mass.

New Mexico church has been fighting for marriage equality since 1984.

Rev. Bayani Rico and his gay son work side-by-side at an Episcopal school in California.

"Djesus Uncrossed"

Gay films were front and center at Berlin Film Festival: "The Alfred Bauer Prize for innovation, named for the founder of the Berlinale, went to perhaps the most eccentric film in the competition, the French Canadian director Denis Côté's 'Vic and Flo Saw a Bear,' a darkly comic and melodramatic lesbian love story. The Australian director Kim Mordaunt won the best first feature award for 'The Rocket.' And the Teddy Award for best gay-themed film went to the Polish director Malgoska Szumowska's 'In the Name of …,' about a Catholic priest struggling with his homosexuality."

RIP Mark Kamins: "Pioneering DJ and producer Mark Kamins, who was instrumental in facilitating the signing of Madonna to Sire Records in 1982, has died. He was 57."

Was Oscar Pistorius trying to revive slain girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp when police arrived at his home?

he Die Hard franchise is still box office gold. The fifth installment topped the weekend box office with an estimated $30 million in ticket sales.

An Illinois Catholic school will not give students extra credit for attending an anti-gay marriage rally. "A Notre Dame instructor in an ecclesiology class offered students 20 points extra credit if they attend the lobby day. The offer also included information on a bus trip, sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, to the event. After much debate and attention, Principal Charlie Roy posted an update on the school's website Friday, stating the extra credit will not be offered to those students."

Baltimore firefighter accused of being a pimp on the side.

A Cameroonian lawyer vilified for defending gay and lesbians activists has fled to the United States and is seeking asylum: "The threats against Togue that began in Cameroon have not stopped on US soil, where he continues to be subjected to menacing phone calls and text messages. 'They say they are going to kidnap my children, that they'll turn them into queers. I feel very vulnerable,' he said. His family has been in the United States since November, and he joined them in January."

This is what progress looks like: "Colin Clark, who was suspended last season for directing a gay slur at a Seattle Sounders ball boy – and vehemently apologized afterward – on Saturday made clear his support of [gay player] Robbie Rogers."

The meteor that struck Russia Friday sent subsonic shockwaves around the world.

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #1308

ILLINOIS MARRIAGE EQUALITY: Highlights from yesterday's Senate debate.

BLOSSOM: She grew up to be a neuroscientist.

The xx: Covering Beyoncé's "I miss you".

SRIRACHA: I'm a fan.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Valentine Celebrating the Illinois Senate's Passage of Marriage Equality: PHOTO

Created by the Mayor's office.