Bill Brady's Anti-Gay Bill Dies In Illinois

Illinois state Sen. Bill Brady's anti-gay bill just got shot down.

Equality Illinois just announced that Senate bill 3447, which aimed to allow certain tax-exempt organizations to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and religion, is dead. The bill never made it out of a Senate Judiciary committee. In an email to supporters, Equality Illinois CEO Bernard Cherkasov said that thousands of Illinoisans called or emailed their state legislators in opposition to the bill and these efforts helped stop it dead in its tracks.

The bill would have exempted religious groups and non-profits from the state Human Rights Act, granting them the right to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Brady is running for Illinois governor on a "family values" platform and yanked his name from the bill only when it became clear that it wouldn't get out of committee.