Illinois GOP Chair Urges Party Members to Support Marriage Equality

In a move that must be making the heads of hate group leaders and Christofascists explode,  Illinois Republican Party chair, Pat Brady(pictured above) is calling on Republican members of the Illinois legislature to vote for passage of the marriage equality bill coming before the legislature.  One can only imagine the shrieks and flying spittle that must be engulfing the offices of NOM, the Illinois Family Institute and Family Research Council.  Unlike too many in the GOP, especially the Christofascist element, Brady apparently sees the GOP's opposition to be a self-inflicted gun shot to the head in terms of the future.  Here are excerpts from The Advocate on Brady's common sense and fair minded move:

As Illinois legislators prepare to consider a marriage equality bill, the chairman of the state’s Republican Party is asking party members to support it.

Pat Brady said today that he was making calls to Republican lawmakers, doing so as a citizen, not in his official party role, reports the Daily Herald, a newspaper in Chicago’s northwest suburbs. “I think it’s time for people to support this,” Brady said.

Equally, encouraging for equality advocates is the fact that a number of African American leaders have also come out in support of passage of the bill.  Here are highlights from the  Windy City Times:

As a crucial vote in Springfield nears, twelve prominent African American leaders came together to announce their support for the passage of marriage equality legislation in Illinois. 

The leaders affirmed their support in an open letter urging lawmakers to give Illinois gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry, declaring the bill's passage would lead the state and country in the right direction. Notable supporters who signed the letter include Chicago Urban League CEO Andrea Zopp, former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, and Rev. Dr. Richard Tolliver.

The backing from African American leaders comes at a time of increased support for marriage equality in the United States. In Illinois, a December 2012 poll commissioned by Public Policy Polling shows that 60% of African Americans surveyed supported same-sex marriage. The open letter touches on how marriage has evolved throughout history to reflect the progress of society.

"We remember that not long ago, some states defined marriage as limited to people of the same race," the letter states. "Today in Illinois, the rights of gay and lesbian couples to be treated as equal citizens are being violated. Treating any group of people as second-class citizens hurts us all, because discrimination is wrong no matter whom the target is."

Obviously, the National Organization for Marriage's desire to drive wedge between blacks and the LGBT community has blown up in NOM's face.  One doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the white Christofascists hate gays and blacks will nearly equal vigor.