While most of the Illinois Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate are scrambling for the gay and lesbian vote, with one frontrunner set to announce his gay backers this week, Republican Jack Ryan told the conservative Illinois Leader Web site that he would not accept an endorsement from the Log Cabin Republicans.
Democrats state Sen. Barak Obama, Blair Hull, Gary Chico, and state Comptroller Dan Hynes are among the candidates doing outreach for the GLBT vote. But Ryan apparently does not want gay votes.
'We believe it is critical to respond to [the] interview,' Log Cabin Republicans Chicago said. 'Ryan announced that he would not be seeking the support of the Log Cabin Republicans for his Senate Campaign. This statement is in direct contradiction with another statement in the same interview where Ryan stated that he is seeking support from 'the entire Republican Party.''
Ryan's comments in the Illinois Leader 'show that he fails to value all Illinois families, and wishes to use gays and lesbians as a wedge to divide Republican voters,' LCR stated. 'Ryan's failure to include all people in his vision for our great nation and state is detrimental to the success of our party in winning the soul of America. When we as Republicans work to divide our party we end up on the losing end of the stick in American politics.'
LCR Chicago will be sending a letter to all of the Republican U.S. Senate candidates requesting to meet with them and members of their campaign staffs. 'As Illinois' only gay and lesbian Republican organization, we are an unique resource for candidates for all levels of office,' the group stated.
'There are two things this campaign believes in strongly—one is that marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman,' Ryan told the Leader. 'The traditional family structure is something that we protect. I see that at Hales Franciscan [school]. I can tell within six weeks if there's a mom and dad involved in a child's life. ... [One] of the biggest problems we have on the South Side of Chicago is parents not involved in their children's lives, not the traditional family structure that we all know is the best, one in which to raise a child. The campaign feels strongly that marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman. There should not be any special rights for particular people based on their sexual orientation.'
On civil unions, Ryan said: 'If there is any legal right attached to whatever you want to call it, I'm not for it, because it tears against the idea that the traditional family is the right way to raise a family ... .'
Asked about the Frist federal marriage amendment, Ryan said, 'conceptually I'm for the definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman, and [whether] it happens on the state side [or] federal side is more a matter of tactics. Even the federal marriage amendment requires the approval of three-quarters of the states. So the battleground is the states, no matter which way you go. So it's a matter tactically of which way to go. ... There are many groups, CWA [Concerned Women for America] for instance, that think that the odds of success are best by approaching it state by state.'
Illinois Leader then asked: 'There was a controversy at one time when you said you were opposed to the marriage amendment, which led people to believe that you were probably soft on the gay rights issues.'
'No, I never said that,' Ryan said. 'I've always said I would consider it, but it was the tactic—which is the best way to get the result. ... Some, even among conservative groups, have different ideas on how to use the best tactic.'
On the issue of gay-rights laws, Ryan said: 'To set up a law based on someone's sexual behavior, I think, is a big mistake.'
The Leader asked: 'So you're not looking for the endorsement of Log Cabin Republicans?' Ryan said: 'No.'
On abortion, Ryan told the Leader 'I'm pro-life. I think America is at its best when it stands up for those who cannot speak for themselves—the weak, the aged, the infirmed. I think life begins at conception and ends at natural death. ... I would want the rape and incest exception in most situations, except for the examples of parental notification or parental consent [laws].'
See www.lcrchicago.com .
