IL House Rep Joins Marriage Backers
We can add at least one more Illinois House rep to the list of "yes" votes on marriage equality.
It didn't come quickly, the decision to support the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, but on Memorial Day when State Rep. LaShawn Ford said he would vote this week in favor of gay marriage in Illinois, the choice seemed clear to him. "This is a well-thought-out decision," he said in an exclusive interview with Wednesday Journal, a sister newspaper of Austin Weekly News. Ford, a one-time seminarian, said he had prayed over it. He said he has been swamped with strong opinions from constituents on both sides of the controversy. He acknowledged he has felt heavy lobbying from a politically active segment of the black clergy.Ford adds that he was inspired by the comparison of the LGBT movement to the struggle for black civil rights. The vote must come by the end of this week.
Labels: Illinois, LGBT rights, marriage equality