Illinois gay marriage debate continues

An attempt to solidify the ban on same-sex marriage in Illinois failed to materialize in the November election, but advocates of the amendment said they're not about to quit.

A group entitled Protect Marriage Illinois attempted to obtain the necessary 270,000 signatures to get an advisory measure on Illinois' fall ballot, but failed to collect enough marks. If successful, the General Assembly would have voted on whether to place the amendment on the ballot.

Same-sex marriage is already forbidden by Illinois law, but the amendment would change the state's constitution to say "the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose."

The group had previously failed to accumulate signatures in 2006.

"We're in a situation where judges are doing things in relation to the state constitution that is not meant to be allowed," said Ralph Rivera, a lobbyist for the Illinois Family Institute. "Sometimes what you have to do, which is what other states are doing, is clarify what the constitution is saying."

Currently, 27 states have placed bans on gay-marriage, most recently Florida, Arizona and California.

On Nov. 13, around 80 protestors gathered near the intersection of Green and Wright streets to protest California's passage of Proposition 8, which eliminated the right for same-sex couples to marry.

Lyndon Stewart, visiting assistant director of the LGBT resource center, said that while there are a plethora of Illinois citizens against gay-marriage, University students can help friends recognize the dangers of banning such a marriage.

"Students can lead the way in realizing that this situation needs to be looked at on a human level," Stewart said. "It's important to try to get people to care about the lives of gay and lesbian people and get their love recognized too."

The Illinois Republican Party, Constitution Party of Illinois and Virtue Pac are among hundreds of endorsers of the Marriage Protection Referendum.

Stewart said it is difficult to change national sentiment toward gay marriage.

"A lot of anti-gay marriage feelings rely entirely on faith," Stewart said. "It's difficult to try and educate people who already have engrained beliefs and strong faith."

Rivera said he is concerned that activists and judges are not reading the constitution the way it was written by the framers in 1970. Instead, they are taking an approach that solidifies their personal stances.

"By not putting down your signature, it's a great expression of support," Stewart said.