Our Position on the “Defense of Marriage Initiative”


A state constitutional amendment is the legislative solution to the problem of same-sex “marriage.”  We cannot, however, ignore the fact that the barrier to secure this solution is political.   The political problem must be addressed before we expect to realize a binding constitutional marriage amendment.

Click on this link for an explanation for why we are not supporting this effort:  IFA Flowchart on PMI 2011

If you have further questions, please feel free to contact us at (708) 781-9371.

The fact is, we must deal with the political realities of Springfield’s power structure before we can think about realizing legislative solutions. I would like nothing more than to see the “Civil Unions” law repealed and a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man, one woman passed. The fact is, in every legislative session since 2003, such an amendment has been introduced, but has, without exception, failed to even be scheduled for a legislative hearing. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) – formerly Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) – are the gatekeepers. If they do not want a bill to move, it lingers in Rules Committee until the session ends.

If we expect to affect legislative change, we must first work to change the power structure of the Illinois General Assembly.  That means working to unseat House Speaker Madigan and Senate President Cullerton by making Democrats the minority parties in the Illinois House and Senate.  That can be achieved by gaining 6 seats in both chambers — and it could be realized in the next General Election in November 2012.


categories Uncategorized | | datetime July 20, 2011 10:27 AM