The good news is that according to the latest PPP Poll,, voters in Illinois support same-sex marriage in the state by a margin of 47% to 42%. But that's only because of the overwhelming support same-sex marriage gets from Black and Latino voters. (The majority of white voters oppose marriage equality by a margin of 51% to 40%.)
By 60% to 16%, Black voters approve the legalization of same-sex marriage in Illinois. By a whopping 70% to 23% Latino voters in Illinois support same-sex marriage. Note that both groups support marriage equality by more than 3 to 1 margins. Compare and contrast that to white voters 40% support vs. 51% opposition to marriage equality.
These findings explode conservative right-wing myths about minority voters.
With 70% approval of same-sex marriage in Illinois, Latino voters are at the forefront in support for LGBT rights. (And these findings are born out nationwide, with 2012 election exit polls showing 59% of Latino voters in favor of legalization of same-sex marriage (compared to 48% of all voters supporting legalization)
So much for the conservative republican meme that Latinos are cultural conservatives who are ill at ease with liberal Democratic stands on social issues and therefore easy pickings for republicans if they would only talk nice to them and ease up a bit on immigration reform. (And this same poll shows that Latino voters in Illinois give Obama an 84% job approval rating--remember back in 2008 when republicans maintained that Latinos would never support a Black president?)
And with Black support of marriage equality at 60% in Illinois (And at 52% nationwide according to 2012 election exit polls), it shows that republican attempts to play Black and LGBT voters against each other in an attempt to weaken the Democratic coalition have failed.
The Democrats have put together a winning coalition that is cohesive, mutually supportive, and culturally liberal, with much of that cultural liberalism coming from minority voters.
Republicans just don't get that, and all their attempts to appeal to what they fantasize to be a pervasive cultural conservatism among minorities (that doesn't in reality exist--kinda like having a conversation with an empty chair) are doomed to failure.