Illinois Civil Unions Bill Could Pass Today, Opponents Step Up Rhetoric

For weeks, supporters of Illinois' civil unions bill have been vocal and confident--and today the Illinois House of Representatives could finally vote on the measure.

Unfortunately for the bill's supporters, anti-gay rights activists have also been drumming up support in recent weeks.

A member of the Illinois Family Institute--which was recently deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center--compared homosexual partners to polygamous and incestuous partners in an interview with the Associated Press Tuesday:

"They have a full-court press on, and we have a full-court press, too," said David E. Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute.

. . .

"It's not legitimate for the government to recognize the relationship of homosexual partners or polygamous partners or incestuous partners," Smith said.

Previously, the group has compared homosexuality to Nazism and has reportedly "made hundreds of thousands of automated calls to voters" in recent months urging voters to speak out against civil unions.

Civil unions would provide legal recognition of gay couples and give them some of the same benefits automatically available to married couples, including the right to visit a sick partner in the hospital and make decisions about their medical care.

Rep. Greg Harris, who sponsored the bill, called himself an "eternal optimist" and said the bill could get a floor debate on Tuesday or Wednesday, and according to the Post-Dispatch.

Supporters told the Associated Press they're close to having the 60 votes needed to pass the measure in the House. If it passes there, backers think the Senate quickly would follow suit and Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn would sign it into law.

"I do think this is the time for Illinois to do this," Quinn told the AP Monday. "This is a good way to show employers -- big businesses all across the country -- that Illinois treats everyone with tolerance."

While polls have shown the majority of Illinois voters support civil unions, anti-gay organizations--and the Catholic Church--have had out-of-state financial help in trying to stop the bill's passage.

ChicagoPride.com reports that the Washington D.C.-based National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has "lobbied hard against the bill" and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has made their case against it as well.

Though opponents are painting SB1716 as an attack on religion and marriage, the bill is actually titled the "Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act." It would not require churches to recognize civil unions or perform any kind of ceremony.

"We think it's just the fair and decent thing to do," Rick Garcia, director of public policy for Equality Illinois, told the AP. "It isn't scary. It's happening all over."

Gay rights activists are urging supporters of SB1716 to contact their legislators by calling the Illinois Capitol switchboard at [phone]. Equality Illinois will also assist supporters in identifying their legislators on their hotline at [phone].

Comments

[carnitine]

11:11 AM on 12/01/2010

We need a straight flag.

[Bill J4321]

12:20 PM on 12/01/2010

And what would that be?

A large piece of fabric stained with the blood of all of the gay people heterosexuals have brutalized?

[Hokis329]

12:25 PM on 12/01/2010

fanned and faved

[Hokis329]

12:25 PM on 12/01/2010

And a white power flag wile you're at it?

[RainbowTeacher]

07:30 PM on 11/30/2010

Bill 1716 just passed the Illinois House - now on to the Senate where it is expected to pass easily!!

[Ioan Lightoller]

06:00 PM on 11/30/2010

Does anyone know if civil unions in Illinois passed or not?

[RainbowTeacher]

06:08 PM on 11/30/2010

Could happen any minute now: http://progressillinois.com/posts/content/2010/11/30/showdown-over-civil-unions

[Coloradem]

06:56 PM on 11/30/2010

Great link....thanks!

[Coloradem]

06:08 PM on 11/30/2010

Most recent update I can find:

http://chicago.gopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/14720625/civil-unions-measure-in-illinois-senate-moves-forward-house-vote-expected-soon

[Ioan Lightoller]

12:58 PM on 11/30/2010

I'm not surprised that opponents are stepping up their rhetoric. Whatever. They will show the American people the lie that "civil unions are fine, We just don't wanting them (GLBTs) using the word 'marriage'".

[xenas mom]

02:10 PM on 11/30/2010

Yes, but civil unions obviously are not "fine" with those groups that oppose LGBT rights. They just like to say it is about the word "marriage" but it's a smokescreen. If they were "fine" with that concept, they would not have gone to war in Washington State or in Hawaii against civil unions. As to using the word "marriage"...there are tens of thousands of legally married same sex couples in this country, and they manage to avoid mentioning that inconvenient fact as often as possible. We are among the California 18,000 legally married same sex couples. Our license and certificate of marriage was issued by the county in which we live and recorded by the state. Instead of acknowledging that fact, those who oppose our marriages are now reduced to hurling slurs such as "your so-called marriage" or "false marriage," which I guess is the best they can come up with at the moment. They seem to think that such derogatory comments are enough to make us turn back in our quest for equal rights.

[Ioan Lightoller]

02:27 PM on 11/30/2010

Preach it, xenas mom! I cannot tell you how angry it gets me that haters get to spew their crap about our marriages being "false" or "so-called". Of course they are lying through their teeth and any fair-minded person would see that. I married legally in Canada in 2007 but while straight Canadian marriages ARE accepted, my marriage is not accepted either on the state or federal level. And your marriage was/is legal as well.

Hate to harsh the haters buzz, but they will not turn back our fight for the same rights all Americans should have, be they GLBT or straight.