Illinois Republicans nominate anti-gay state lawmaker as gubernatorial candidate
An anti-gay lawmaker’s nomination as his party’s gubernatorial candidate last week has certainly come as a shock to the state’s LGBT activists.
State Sen. Bill Brady [R-Bloomington] remains a notorious deterrent to progressive legislation. His past efforts have included, but are not limited to, a call for banning marriage for same-sex couples or any legal recognition of gay relationships in the state’s constitution.
Brady’s nomination, however, was dampened slightly as his proposed amendment to the state’s Human Rights Act, Senate Bill 3447, died in committee on Friday, March 5. The bill would have allowed certain religious institutions to opt-out of the law that bars anti-LGBT discrimination.
While he had authored and originally co-sponsored SB 3447, Brady removed his name from the proposed legislation last month in an attempt to distance himself from the controversy that surrounded it, but Equality Illinois took notice of this tactic. And its members successfully lobbied against its passage.
Bernard Cherkasov, executive director of Equality Illinois, applauded the bill’s failure. He described Brady’s stand as an attack on the human rights act, which has been in place, without complaint, since 2005.
"This shows how alert our community has been in regards to attacks on our equality and that our voice does have power when we speak loudly," Cherkasov told EDGE. "And the judiciary committee listened to the voices of their electorate, agreeing that this bill does not make sense."
Though the bill failed, Brady remains a formidable candidate Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. A Rasmussen poll released on Tuesday, March 9, showed Brady holding a 10 point lead over Quinn. And while many pundits recognize his social policies on LGBT and women’s issues are too conservative for many Illinoisans, his economic policies have gained some traction
"We have to remain educated in this campaign and not let our guard down," Cherkasov added. "We must be the strongest advocates for our equality and let our concerns be known to elected officials in Springfield. It is the only way we will attain our equality."
Mike Fourcher, a Chicago political blogger, said Republican party leaders had only just begun in their attempt to gloss over Brady’s "paleolithic" social policies, which include his opposition to abortion, even in cases of incest or rape, and a lower cap being placed on minimum wages in the state. And Quinn has lost some popularity in response to the state’s dire economic state.
"There’s a tremendous anti-incumbency kick happening right now in politics nationwide," Fourcher told EDGE. "But I think Illinois voters should expect that, if Brady becomes governor of Illinois, we should expect many of the rights we have worked hard to achieve to be under attack, if not rolled back."
Fourcher also added Brady’s election would certainly provide an additional hurdle for activists’ efforts in support of civil unions in the state.
Kevin Robinson, a political blogger for Chicagoist, feels Brady’s lead should decrease as voters in more progressive parts of the state became more familiar with his policies. He conceded, however, social issues would likely take a back seat to the state’s economy; and its ever-increasing budget deficit.
"People don’t really know [Brady] yet," Robinson said. "But if various liberal and progressive groups want to portray him as extremist, he’ll need to run from that label and it looks like he’s trying to do that."
