A Rockford lawmaker may be in hot water with some constituents after he likened same-sex marriage to bestiality.
John Cabello, a recent appointee to the state's 68th Dist., told voters at a Rockford Tea Party forum Oct. 6 he was "dead-set opposed to civil unions" because they could open the door "to other things."
"Now, and please bear with me," Cabello said. "Does this now say that somebody can get married to their dog?"
Cabello, who is up for re-election, did not respond to a request to clarify those comments.
A video from the forum was posted to event's Facebook page, but the settings on the YouTube clip appeared to have been changed to private following the media inquiry.
Cabello's Democratic opponent, Carl Wasco, condemned the remarks in a statement to Windy City Times.
"I was shocked to hear John say such a thing," said Wasco, in the statement. "To infer that being gay is similar to bestiality is simply nonsensical and offensive to the entire gay community and those who support their right to love one another."
Wasco supports marriage equality, according to his campaign. His campaign initially sent the video clip to Windy City Times.