STATE OF DENIAL
Illinois State Representative, Deb Mell, (Dem, Chicago), may have rung the right bell to wake up Illinois voters and legislators into supporting gay marriage in Illinois.
Rep. Mell, daughter of Illinois political powerhouse Richard Mell and impeached Governor Rod's sister-in-law, announced on a local news program her engagement to her same sex partner. Mell intends to marry her sweetie but can't in Illinois due to its refusal to legalize gay civil unions much less full blown gay marriage.
Mell says they will probably tie the knot in Iowa, one of five states allowing such activity and the only one close to Illinois.
Let's see, if just one thousand gay Illinois couples chose to marry in Iowa at $10,000 a betrothal, that's ten million dollars lost to Illinois businesses catering to weddings.
One of the reasons racial discrimination crumbled in the fifties and sixties was that even hard line racist business owners decided that the spending power of blacks nullified even their ferocious racist attitudes. Maybe the smell of money can undermine the homophobia that sadly still turns otherwise sensible legislators in to spineless apologists for such atrocious public policy.
And if Rep. Mell ever leaves the legislature, maybe she can get employment promoting Illinois businesses. She's sure trying hard to generate sorely needed revenue for the Illinois wedding industry.
Rep. Mell, daughter of Illinois political powerhouse Richard Mell and impeached Governor Rod's sister-in-law, announced on a local news program her engagement to her same sex partner. Mell intends to marry her sweetie but can't in Illinois due to its refusal to legalize gay civil unions much less full blown gay marriage.
Mell says they will probably tie the knot in Iowa, one of five states allowing such activity and the only one close to Illinois.
Let's see, if just one thousand gay Illinois couples chose to marry in Iowa at $10,000 a betrothal, that's ten million dollars lost to Illinois businesses catering to weddings.
One of the reasons racial discrimination crumbled in the fifties and sixties was that even hard line racist business owners decided that the spending power of blacks nullified even their ferocious racist attitudes. Maybe the smell of money can undermine the homophobia that sadly still turns otherwise sensible legislators in to spineless apologists for such atrocious public policy.
And if Rep. Mell ever leaves the legislature, maybe she can get employment promoting Illinois businesses. She's sure trying hard to generate sorely needed revenue for the Illinois wedding industry.
posted by Walt Zlotow at 3:43 PM
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