Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Hynes, 41, is currently serving his third term as state comptroller.Hynes talked with Windy City Times about marriage equality and the one of the few things he applauds incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn for doing.
Windy City Times: I spoke with Pat Quinn, and he said that he supports civil unions for same-sex couples. He wouldn't directly address the issue of marriage but talking about the civil-unions bill sponsored by Greg Harris, he said, "That's the bill that can pass today and that's the one we should focus on." What do you think of this?
Dan Hynes: I think that when you're talking about human rights and something that's as fundamental as recognizing two committed loving adults being able to have their relationship recognized by law for what it is, I don't think we should think in terms of what is achievable and likely to pass. You have to say what you believe. You either believe that two committed adults should be able to marry respective of their sexual orientation or you don't. I don't like the idea of people basing their position based on what's achievable in the legislature. It's a fundamental human rights issue. I am looking forward to being an emotional and powerful voice for marriage equality. I won't rest until we are able to achieve that.
WCT: On your Web site, it says that you believe "that if two committed adults want to express their love and their commitment to each other through marriage, they should be allowed to do so under civil law." Why do you think marriage is significant as opposed to civil unions? What led you to this belief?
DH: I think it's almost as fundamental as how we learned separate but equal wasn't truly equal. We're recognizing that the relationship between two committed adults, that their love for each other, deserves not just all the benefits of the law but especially the basic recognition under law. It's a form of discrimination to say we'll give you certain rights but we won't really recognize your marital rights under law. That can't be tolerated.
WCT: You said you've "grown to understand the [ marriage ] issue better as a result of working with advocacy groups and the GLBT community." What understanding grew inside you?
I think part of it was early on in my political career as I talked to advocates and individuals who advised me on LGBT issues, it was more of a strategic approach, the way my opponent [ Pat Quinn ] approaches it. I accepted that. I thought: "What steps can we take incrementally?" while meanwhile I was learning the full dimension of these issues. I gained maturity and realized that to accept anything less than marriage equality was a form of discrimination. I don't think it's healthy to our democracy or right for gay couples to be discriminated against. It was the maturity of what we we're saying by accepting civil unions. We were basically saying, It's okay to discriminate as long as it's minimal. But discrimination is wrong. Period.
WCT: Also on your site it says that you extended healthcare benefits to domestic partners of your employees. Why was that important to you?
DH: I think that sometimes it is difficult to convince every legislator or every elected official that health benefits or other benefits should be afforded to gays and lesbians. When you can take administrative or executive action you can begin to afford those rights to those individuals. It's symbolically important that you're willing to take those steps and that governmentif you're going to make these changes, an important place to start is in government. If there's anywhere we shouldn't discriminate it's in government. There was the benefit of including more people under these healthcare benefits and the symbolic impact of taking executive action.
WCT: Gov. Quinn has made funding the state's HIV/AIDS programs a priority this year. What do you make of his decision to fund these programs when there are so many other things vying for attention and money?
DH: You know there aren't a lot of areas where I would applaud him but here I would give him credit. I think it's important that we maintain our commitment to funding HIV and AIDS programs in terms of prevention, education, awareness, treatment and across the board. I think that going forward we have to have a plan to address the budget crisis that we're in so that were not just holding steady but so that were increasing funding for these areas. My budget plan is the most comprehensive plan for dealing with these issues and which could eventually increase funding for HIV and AIDS education.
WCT: As a Catholic how has your faith impacted your beliefs with regard to LGBT rights?
DH: I've been at odds with the Catholic Church on this issue and other issues for a long time. My Catholic faith and upbringing has instilled important values in me and a belief in social justice, in equality and making sure that we are always striving to help others. I think that those values are consistent with my views related to the LGBT community. To me social justice means ending discrimination in any form.
WCT: On your Twitter feed, you said "My mother was a Chicago Public Schools teacher and I've tried to emulate her model of service every day of my time in office." How did your mother's example impact you?
My mom left teaching when she had kids. That was the policy in the Chicago Public Schools in the 1960s. When a woman became pregnant she was asked to take a leave of absence but not after she'd had the baby but when she started showing signs of pregnancy. It's unbelievable to me now that that was the policy. As I've gotten older I've thought about that. You can have practices that at the time are accepted. She didn't even question the policy. Forty years later we look back and say, "How could that possibly have been an acceptable policy?" I can't help but think that we'll look back at this day and age and say, "I can't believe that we would allow other forms of discrimination, like a policy that prohibits marriage equality." Twenty to 30 years from now we'll look back and wonder that. That's just one example. My mom was never really outspoken about her professional career because she left teaching to raise us so it wasn't until I was an adult that I talked to her about her own hopes and dreams. She went on to be a small business owner when her kids were in high school. It was a shop called Hynes Irish Cottage. For 20 years she ran this business. I have always respected her sacrifice. She was always career-driven but she loved being a mom. She put her career on hold for a long time for us. It defines her love for me. I can't help but think what a talented, selfless person she is.
WCT: Whoever wins the race will have a lot of work to do and will have to juggle a lot of different priorities. What can gays and lesbians reasonably expect if you're elected?
DH: They're going to have a vocal advocate but an everyday advocate in the governor's office not just when a major piece of legislation moves through the General Assembly but every day on every policy issue. When it's education, to make sure that we have programs that are designed to end bullying and to get our schools and healthcare and insurance regulations in order. Every issue, every decision there's that consciousness and that advocacy.
See www.danhynes.com .