sonicbloom

An Illinois Senate committee advanced a same-sex marriage bill 9-5.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, next moves to the full Senate, where backers indicated it could come up for a vote on Valentine’s Day.

Steans sponsored gay marriage legislation in last month’s lame duck session, but could not advance it past the initial committee stage. She said the bill is necessary to provide “equal protection” under laws for same-sex couples when civil union alone fall short.

Bloomington’s Danielle Cook, with her partner Suzie Hutton, testified the legislation is needed to “make our lives more complete.” Cook said she has a civil union but that it is not fully recognized in social ways with the good wishes and congratulations that come with marriage or in employment settings.

Her face getting red, Cook said, “It hurt.” She told senators she sees the couple’s relationship as a marriage but is viewed differently because “marriage is the standard” of society.

The Rev. Suzanne Anderson-Hurdle of Good Shepherd Church in Romeoville said she is straight, married, a mother of three and a pastor who views the legislation as a “matter of legal, civil and human rights.”

She said she has viewed ceremonies for civil unions as marriages, saying, “I believe these people are married in the eyes of God.”

But the Rev. Keith Williams of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Church of Country Club Hills disagreed. He said he was in “vehement opposition” to the legislation because same-sex marriage went against the basic tenets of the Bible.

shortformblog:

• $25,000 donated to anti-incumbents source

» According to the Virginia Republican, he didn’t realize he would be donating to the Campaign for Primary Accountability (CPA) when he made a deal with Illinois Republican  Aaron Schock to aid fellow Illinois freshman Adam Kinzinger’s re-election bid. Kinzinger faces veteran Republican Don Manzullo, now that the two men find themselves representing the same district following recent congressional redistricting. The CPA is an anti-incumbent Super PAC which has targeted a number of Republicans who are up for re-election in November, leaving many inside the GOP wondering just what the House Majority Leader was up to.

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And what about Schock, who also tossed in $25k? Will his star stop rising now, please?

madillac:

gaywrites:

The General Assembly in Illinois just passed a bill that would add to existing anti-bullying measures to strengthen them. The bill will now move on to the state Senate.

According to the Windy City Times, this bill doesn’t add any LGBT specific measures to anti-bullying laws (luckily Illinois laws already cover LGBT students), but instead it provides “model bullying prevention policies” for schools to use and includes steps to make sure schools are enforcing anti-bullying policies.

Perhaps most significantly, it places an emphasis on “restorative” measures rather than “punitive” discipline. Rather than punishing students who bully, the amendment mandates education, emotional support, counseling and other community-based solutions intended to address root causes of bullying.

Punitive enforcement has largely failed, said Schriber. In addition, LGBT students and students of color are often disproportionately punished, two groups the bullying code seeks to protect.

“It doesn’t teach students to behave better and it doesn’t make our schools safer,” Schriber said.

Good, good, good. Stay tuned for updates.

We’ve given you Obama, hot dogs and now this. YOU’RE WELCOME, AMERICA.

I love my home state.

maxistentialist:

Senator Kirk just reversed his position on PIPA:

“Freedom of speech is an inalienable right granted to each and every American, and the Internet has become the primary tool with which we utilize this right. The Internet empowers Americans to learn, create, innovate, and express their views. While we should protect American intellectual property, consumer safety and human rights, we should do so in a manner that specifically targets criminal activity. This extreme measure stifles First Amendment rights and Internet innovation. I stand with those who stand for freedom and oppose PROTECT IP, S.968, in its current form.”

Nice work, internet.

EDIT: Also Reps. Quayle and Terry, and Sens. Brown, DeMint, & Rubio (who was a sponsor of the bill).

In fairness, I’m not sure Kirk ever explicitly supported or opposed PIPA.