ILLINOIS Governor, Pat Quinn Announces His Support for Same-Sex Marriage!

[Prof.]

CHICAGO -- A day after President Barack Obama endorsed equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn made it clear that he stands with the president on the politically divisive issue of marriage equality.

The governor signed a bill legalizing civil unions in Illinois last year but has long been vague about whether he supports same-sex marriage. On Thursday, a Quinn spokeswoman left no room for equivocation, expressing the governor's strongest stance on the issue since he ascended to the state's top office in 2009.

"Gov. Quinn joins with President Obama in supporting marriage equality and looks forward to working on this issue in the future with the General Assembly," Quinn spokeswoman Mica Matsoff said.

These words of political support resonate deeply in the gay and lesbian community -- many shed joyous tears when the president made his statement Wednesday -- but activists acknowledge that this historic moment will likely have little short-term effect on legislative attempts to legalize gay marriage in Illinois.

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[rdowns]

I think you will see announcements like these for weeks from prominent Democrats. It will part of their party platform.

[Prof.]

Originally Posted by rdowns

I think you will see announcements like these for weeks from prominent Democrats. It will part of their party platform.

That's what I'm thinking. Once again, the Democrats are on the right side of history!

[citizenzen]

Originally Posted by Prof.

That's what I'm thinking. Once again, the Democrats are on the right side of history!

Every progressive American [including liberal-minded conservatives] deserves a pat on the back for helping to bring equal rights to another segment of society.

Societal advancement comes slowly and painfully. But it does come.

Patience and perseverance has its rewards.

[leekohler]

Let's hope this continues.

[MadeTheSwitch]

It already is continuing. The colorado governor is forcing the Republicans back to the floor to debate the civil unions bill rather then avoid it like they tried to do earlier in the week:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8GAMRG20120510

[Thomas Veil]

Oh please oh please let this be the floodgates opening.

[rdowns]

The floodgates are indeed opening.

Top GOP Pollster to GOP: Reverse On Gay Issues

Below is a remarkable document. It's a memo circulated by Jan van Lohuizen, a highly respected Republican pollster, (he polled for George W. Bush in 2004), to various leading Republican operatives, candidates and insiders. It's on the fast-shifting poll data on marriage equality and gay rights in general, and how that should affect Republican policy and language. And the pollster's conclusion is clear: if the GOP keeps up its current rhetoric and positions on gays and lesbians, it is in danger of marginalizing itself to irrelevance or worse.

Read the bluntness of this. This is the GOP establishment talking to itself. And the Republican pollster who arguably knows more about the politics of the gay issue than anyone else (how else to explain the Ohio campaign of 2004?) is advising them in no uncertain terms that they need to evolve and fast, if they're not going to damage their brand for an entire generation:

In view of this week’s news on the same sex marriage issue, here is a summary of recent survey findings on same sex marriage:

1. Support for same sex marriage has been growing and in the last few years support has grown at an accelerated rate with no sign of slowing down. A review of public polling shows that up to 2009 support for gay marriage increased at a rate of 1% a year. Starting in 2010 the change in the level of support accelerated to 5% a year. The most recent public polling shows supporters of gay marriage outnumber opponents by a margin of roughly 10% (for instance: NBC / WSJ poll in February / March: support 49%, oppose 40%).

2. The increase in support is taking place among all partisan groups. While more Democrats support gay marriage than Republicans, support levels among Republicans are increasing over time. The same is true of age: younger people support same sex marriage more often than older people, but the trends show that all age groups are rethinking their position.

3. Polling conducted among Republicans show that majorities of Republicans and Republican leaning voters support extending basic legal protections to gays and lesbians. These include majority Republican support for:

a. Protecting gays and lesbians against being fired for reasons of sexual orientation
b. Protections against bullying and harassment
c. Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
d. Right to visit partners in hospitals
e. Protecting partners against loss of home in case of severe medical emergencies or death
f. Legal protection in some form for gay couples whether it be same sex marriage or domestic partnership (only 29% of Republicans oppose legal recognition in any form).

Recommendation: A statement reflecting recent developments on this issue along the following lines:

“People who believe in equality under the law as a fundamental principle, as I do, will agree that this principle extends to gay and lesbian couples; gay and lesbian couples should not face discrimination and their relationship should be protected under the law. People who disagree on the fundamental nature of marriage can agree, at the same time, that gays and lesbians should receive essential rights and protections such as hospital visitation, adoption rights, and health and death benefits."

Other thoughts / Q&A: Follow up to questions about affirmative action:

“This is not about giving anyone extra protections or privileges, this is about making sure that everyone – regardless of sexual orientation – is provided the same protections against discrimination that you and I enjoy.”

Why public attitudes might be changing:

“As more people have become aware of friends and family members who are gay, attitudes have begun to shift at an accelerated pace. This is not about a generational shift in attitudes, this is about people changing their thinking as they recognize their friends and family members who are gay or lesbian.”

Conservative fundamentals:

“As people who promote personal responsibility, family values, commitment and stability, and emphasize freedom and limited government we have to recognize that freedom means freedom for everyone. This includes the freedom to decide how you live and to enter into relationships of your choosing, the freedom to live without excessive interference of the regulatory force of government.

[malman89]

Originally Posted by citizenzen

Every progressive American [including liberal-minded conservatives] deserves a pat on the back for helping to bring equal rights to another segment of society.

Yep, no need to limit it to terms of the blind partisan sheeple.

It's now more hip than ever to support gay marriage - even if the politicians don't really believe in it. Next few days and months will bring plenty of these. They're practically a non-story anymore.

[Thomas Veil]

Interesting poll.

Well, let's think this out. If the GOP chooses to do an about-face and embrace conservative gay voters (figuratively speaking, of course ), they probably won't gain that many votes. From what I've seen, gay conservatives tend to vote Republican anyway, in spite of the inherent contradiction.

So, little gained, but they will mightily piss off the religious right. Because, you know, god says it's wrong, and that's that.

Nope. They're probably not gonna change.