Dear Editor,
The LGBT community of Illinois is on the verge of gaining the right to marry for same-sex couples. Many in our community and allies worked tirelessly to get us to this point. Without the fine political leadership we have representing us in Springfield, we would not be at this point.
I also wish to recognize the long and committed history of Equality Illinois, one of the oldest political organization in the state that has kept our community focused on the goal of equality. While I recognize the contributions of many other organizations like Equality Illinois I am limited in space.
This has been a bruising journey for many of us; for me, it was losing my lover to cancer before we could get this legislation passed. So I, like many others in our community, am personally invested in the passage of this legislation not so much for me and my lover anymore, but for our community's future, both young and old.
Cardinal Francis George of Chicago has been the architect of homophobia when it came to same-sex marriage. His KKK remarks in the early part of 2012 only highlighted his personal bias and unreasonableness. He claimed first when the debate started to speak for not only the Church, but also for both natural law and God. Finding that position untenable for the majority of reasonable people, he attempted to change his horse midstream to religious freedom.
Now he is considering the possibility of denying Holy Communion to those Catholic politicians who support marriage equality, including Gov. Pat Quinn, through the Illinois Catholic Conference.
Extending marriage to LGBT people tests society to seek new ways to live out our differences within a state of equality, and an evolution of secular marriage law is always possible. It is time for Illinois to pass marriage equality.
Sincerely,
Joe Murray
Executive Director
Rainbow Sash Movement