For several months now I've been referring to the Illinois GOP as the HOP (Homophobe Only Party), to satirize their overwhelming opposition to granting Illinois gays full civil rights including marriage equality. That characterization was hyperbole but not far from fact. When the dust settled on the legislative triumph legalizing gay marriage in Illinois, state Republicans were woefully AWOL from the long overdue celebration. In the Senate, the February 14th vote of 32 senators voting for gay marriage consisted of 31 Democrats and just one Republican, Jason Barickman of Champaign. The November 5th House vote was a smidgeon better for GOP decency as three courageous Republicans, Tom Cross of Plainfield, Ed Sullivan of Mundelein and Ron Sandack of Downers Grove voted along with 58 Democrats to give Illinois' half million gays the same civil rights as the other twelve and a half million Il
...linoisans.
Sadly, my state representative Sandy Pihos (R-48th) and state senator Kirk Dillard (R-24th) voted with the anti gay majority of Republicans. Their reasoning was specious. Pihos said she was duty bound to vote with the majority of her district who she claimed opposed gay marriage. She offered no proof of this supposed majority and rebuffed my suggestion she poll the district including the future of the 48th consisting of high school and college students. She knows full well they overwhelmingly support gay marriage, having shed the homophobic prejudices of their parents and grandparents. Regardless of the true feeling in the district, Pihos refused to address the overriding consideration that minority rights are not subject to majority rule. Dillard's excuse was preposterous, saying that something having such a drastic impact on the social fabric could only be decided by voter referendum. Guess what, Senator? The Illinois social fabric is stronger than ever since the November 5 vote. The fact is that Rep. Pihos and Senator Dillard, along with the overwhelming majority of their Republican colleagues, turned their back on history, turned their back on humanity and turned their back on responsible governance with their no vote.
Around the country Republicans are agonizing at their sinking ratings and legislative losses at all levels of government. Young people, women, blacks, Hispanics, gays, the educated, the needy, underpaid hourly workers, the un and under medically insured are not fools. They increasingly see a Republican Party that has utterly rejected its heritage of representing all Americans. And in Illinois, the home of the Great Emancipator and champion of all Americans, Abe Lincoln, that insensitivity and callousness was on full display in the Illinois House last week.
Republicans will never reverse their declining electoral fortunes till they reject the Tea Party fanatics, the greedy, the fearful, the haters, and the ignorant who are dictating their legislative agenda.
