Received this e-mail from Senator Dick Durbin (D. IL) today:
On Valentine's Day, the Illinois Senate passed ,the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, moving us one big step closer to marriage equality for same-sex couples.
Now, this historic bill is pending in the Illinois House, where it needs 60 votes before Governor Quinn can sign it into law.
Unfortunately, there are still a handful of state representatives who are on the fence about how they will vote even though Illinoisans overwhelmingly support marriage equality.
It’s time to stand up, speak out, and urge these state reps to heed the call.
Let's make history. Let's end discrimination against same-sex couples, and make Illinois the 10th state in the nation to embrace marriage equality.
Click here to sign my petition: Show your support for marriage equality in Illinois and across the country.:
http://action.dickdurbin.com/...
We will deliver your signatures to the speaker of the Illinois House next week.
But what's happening here in Illinois is just the beginning.
Next week the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on two monumental marriage equality cases: the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal marriage benefits to lawfully married same-sex couples, and California’s anti-equality Proposition 8.
The decision of the Supreme Court on these two cases could echo from coast-to-coast. I believe DOMA and Prop 8 should be overturned for the same reason I believe marriage equality legislation should pass here in Illinois -- because they’re discriminatory and unconstitutional.
Ending unequal treatment of same-sex couples will continue the advancement of civil rights in our democracy.
Click here to sign my petition, and declare your support for marriage equality:
http://action.dickdurbin.com/...
We need Illinois lawmakers and the justices of the Supreme Court to recognize that loving same-sex couples and their families deserve the same rights as everybody else.
We've made tremendous progress recently in the fight for marriage equality -- but we aren't there yet.
Another former member of the Illinois legislature, Barack Obama, became the first president to discuss LGBT rights in an inaugural address; Bill and Hillary Clinton have championed progress; and just a few days ago, one of my colleagues became the first Republican senator to publicly endorse marriage equality.
I am confident we'll soon see the freedom to marry as a right all Illinoisans will be able to enjoy -- and that those marriages will be recognized by the federal government. But I need your help to get us there.
Please add your name to my marriage equality petition today:
http://action.dickdurbin.com/...
Each generation is given the chance to put an end to some form of discrimination. This is our generation's chance to be on the right side of history.
Thank you,
Dick Durbin
U.S. Senator