What’s the matter with Illinois?

When I finally came out, I didn’t have much confidence. I would stare across the bar at boys, assuming they wouldn’t like me. A good friend finally said, “If you never ask, they’ve already said ‘No.’” Would then someone had given similar advice to Illinois state Rep. Greg Harris.

As you likely know, the marriage equality bill that passed the Illinois state Senate and had the support of Gov. Quinn never passed the Illinois House. It died, pathetically, not because it was defeated, but because sponsoring Rep. Harris never called the vote. I thought putting basic human rights to a vote was the worst option. I was wrong. The real travesty is not even having the vote when it is the only way to protect basic freedoms.

One doesn’t need insider information to realize same-sex couples were shafted on this one. First, what did they have to lose by calling a vote? If the resolution passes, we have Illinois as the 13th state with marriage equality. If it doesn’t, we don’t. Instead, they already said “No.”

By most reports, Rep. Harris didn’t have enough votes on the whip count. So what?

The Minnesota House, allegedly the heavy lift, passed marriage equality by the same percentage as the Senate. Ditto for the allegedly worrisome Rhode Island Senate, who in the end supported marriage equality 26-12. Given that public polls traditionally overestimate support for marriage equality (if you doubt me, check the California Field Polls prior to Proposition 8), the underestimation of legislative predictions presents an interesting dichotomy.

Why the difference? Probably because legislative votes are on the record. The electorate gets to cast secret ballots. If a voter proves to be on the wrong side of history, they can simply deny the facts. Legislators don’t have that luxury, and they know where things are headed. In the abstract, they can have a thousand reasons for not supporting marriage equality. Once the vote is called, few cherish the chance to be on record as the last person standing against LGBT equality.

Harris should have called the vote. My guess is he would have won, despite the whip count. By not having a vote, we not only lost, but we never found out who to target in the next election. Fortunately, we have a pretty good idea anyway.

Let’s start with how not to place the blame. Illinois should not be considered LGBT vs. African Americans. As with Prop. 8, it was LGBT vs. certain religions, including congregations of every color and ethnicity. That is where the new outreach should focus.

Still, we can call some people to task, and I put Rep. Monique Davis at the top of the list, for her thoughts on whether LGBT rights are civil rights: “Have they ever hung from trees? Then I don’t think so.” I hope she will explain to Judy Shepard the difference between being hung from a tree and tied to a fence. We don’t need the exact same experience to fight hate and discrimination together.

Then there is Speaker Mike Madigan, who apparently did little to deliver votes, not wanting to press his caucus on cultural issues. Calling him the George Wallace of LGBT rights in Illinois may be too harsh, but he is at best the most powerful man who stayed on the sidelines.

Madigan did open a chance to pursue same-sex marriage should a special session be called. Let’s hope there is one, and that someone is strong enough to allow Illinois to say “Yes!” to marriage equality.