Obama backs gay marriage proposal
2012-12-31 20:15
President Obama is endorsing a proposal by the Illinois
legislature to legalise gay marriage, a White House spokespearson said
on Sunday.
It's an unusual move by a president - most of whom rarely
weigh in on state legislative matters. Obama served in the Illinois state
senate.
Obama, who said earlier this year that he supports
same-sex marriage, believes "it's wrong to prevent couples who are in
loving, committed relationships and want to marry, from doing so", said
White House spokesperson Shin Inouye.
"Were the president still in the Illinois State
Legislature, he would support this measure that would treat all Illinois
couples equally," Inouye said.
Chicago state Senator Heather Steans will introduce a gay
marriage proposal this week, said Rikeesha Phelon, spokesperson for Illinois
Senate President John Cullerton.
She added that Democratic leaders are confident they have
the votes to win approval - possibly even before the legislature's newly
elected Democratic super-majority takes office on 10 January.
If it passes, that would make Illinois the tenth state to
approve same-sex nuptials.
Passage in President Barack Obama's home state would be a
symbolic victory for gay rights activists, particularly after the president
endorsed same-sex marriage in May.
One issue to be resolved is whether Illinois should allow
religious groups the option of declining to perform same-sex marriages.
New York granted such an exception in 2011 in order to
secure the legislative votes to legalise gay marriage there.
No Midwest state has approved gay marriage by a vote of
its legislature. Iowa's Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that same-sex marriage was
legal, a decision some opponents have been trying to overturn ever since.
In June, 2011, Illinois legalised civil unions, which
grant some of the rights of marriage to same sex partners.
But gay rights activists said that did not go far enough.
All prominent Democrats in Illinois have endorsed gay
marriage, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Pat Quinn, as well
as 260 Illinois faith leaders who published a letter supporting same-sex
marriage last week.
The Catholic Conference of Illinois, which represents
Catholic bishops in the state, said on its website that marriage should be
reserved for a man and a woman.
Nine of the 50 US states plus the District of Columbia,
have already legalised gay marriage.
Another 31 states have passed constitutional amendments
banning it.
