Illinois Gay Marriage Law Repeal? Republican State Senator Take Aim At Marriage Equality

Republican Hopes To Repeal State's Marriage Equality Law
Illinois Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Vandalia, argues Illinois state budget legislation while on the Senate floor during session at the Illinois State Capitol Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
Illinois Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Vandalia, argues Illinois state budget legislation while on the Senate floor during session at the Illinois State Capitol Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

A Republican state senator is hoping to repeal Illinois' marriage equality law.

BuzzFeed reported Tuesday that Illinois Sen. Kyle McCarter has introduced a bill that would essentially strike from the books the same-sex marriage legislation signed into law last November and set to go into effect in June.

Marriage equality supporters are confident the repeal attempt will be a non-starter. State Sen. Heather Steans, a Chicago Democrat who served as a chief sponsor of the marriage bill, told BuzzFeed she believes McCarter is "just doing this to show his constituents."

The Civil Rights Agenda, a Chicago-based LGBT advocacy organization, had a similar take on McCarter's proposal.

"Well, it looks like it's an election year," the group's executive director said in a statement. "The Senator also knows full well that this bill does not have the support to pass, especially in the Senate. Why would the Senator waste time and resources to rehash a debate where the outcome that has been decided is supported by the majority of our state?"

The proposed marriage equality repeal is not the first time McCarter has taken a stand against same-sex marriage. Last February, after the state Senate advanced the marriage bill in a Valentine's Day vote, McCarter described same-sex marriage as "discriminatory towards those who hold the sincerely held religious belief that [marriage] is a sacred institution between a man & a woman."

Earlier that same day, McCarter had complained that the bill would force flower shops and other "wedding-related" businesses to close.

Meanwhile, all Republican candidates in the state's gubernatorial race previously indicated they have no interest in repealing the law and some Illinois same-sex couples where at least one partner facing a terminal illness have already taken advantage of the law and wed.

Before You Go

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