A three-fold outrage
Earlier this month, openly homosexual State Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago) introduced a bill to legalize homosexual “marriage” (HB 178). Adding to this outrage is House Speaker Michael Madigan’s (D-Chicago) creation of a new committee — the Youth and Family Committee — which will be chaired by none other than Rep. Harris.
The current co-sponsors of this legislation are: Rep. Deborah Mell (D- Chicago), Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), Rep. Constance A. Howard (D-Chicago), Rep. Harry Osterman (D-Chicago), and John A. Fritchey (D-Chicago).
TAKE ACTION — Step 1: Speak up! Contact your State Representative today and ask him/her to vote ‘NO’ on the same-sex “marriage” bill or any other legislation designed to subsidize and legitimize homosexual relationships. The government has no business sanctioning and institutionalizing relationships like domestic partnerships or civil unions that undermine the public good and traditional Judeo-Christian morality.
Respectfully tell your lawmaker that Illinois’ government should not officially recognize immoral, unhealthy, and volitional homosexual behavior. Know that your calls and emails are very important; legislators take seriously the number of emails, faxes and calls they receive.
TAKE ACTION Step 2: Contact Speaker Madigan’s office:
a.) Let Speaker Madigan know that his appointment of an openly homosexual man to the Youth and Family Committee is a slap in the face of every Illinois citizen who believes that the institutions of marriage and family have been defined by God and are not open to revisions.
b.) Insist that Speaker Madigan be fair and that he call the real marriage amendment — HJRCA 2 — which has been been introduced and reintroduced without even a hearing for 6 years now! This legislation is and has been sponsored by David Reis (R-Olney).
Let me also remind you that 30 states have given voters a choice on whether to protect marriage as one man and one woman — and 30 states have passed amendments upholding natural marriage — even in liberal California. Just whose agenda are these lawmakers promoting?
Background
In appointing Rep. Harris — an outspoken and proud homosexual activist — to the Youth and Family Committee, Speaker Madigan has demonstrated his utter contempt for traditional values.
IFI’s Laurie Higgins has pointed out the problem of having a self-identifying homosexual being appointed to head Chicago public schools. Laurie is absolutely correct to point out that: “We must courageously and publicly state that homosexual behavior is profoundly immoral, perverse, anti-family behavior. No one who publicly affirms homosexuality as an immutable, morally defensible identity is fit to oversee a committee dedicated to youth and family. The belief that homosexuality is morally equivalent to heterosexuality is a subversive, ahistorical, unproven, and destructive claim that is not the right of our government to affirm.”
Religious Freedom?
Finally, to add further insult, the same-sex “marriage” bill is misleadingly titled the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act.” This bill will not protect our individual religious freedom to object to homosexuality as public policy. In fact, Georgetown University lesbian law professor Chai Feldblum states that when same-sex marriage is legalized, conservative people of faith will lose religious rights.
If the General Assembly yields to homosexual activists and enacts this same-sex “marriage” bill, parental rights and fundamental First Amendment speech and religious rights will be eroded.
There have been numerous civil rights violations in Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, Sweden, and Canada ranging from the denial of parents’ rights to remove their children from explicit homosexual instruction to the denial of a pastor’s speech rights to the denial of private business owners’ right to run their business as they see fit.
Due to special gay “rights” legislation like HB 178, we are facing a showdown: Gay Rights vs. Religious Freedom.
We cannot have both — so which will it be?
