To the editor:
Kate Sosin's otherwise thoughtful analysis (In the details; The marriage bill's past and future) of the failure of Senate Bill 10 — extending the freedom to marry to gay and lesbian couples — to get a vote in the Illinois House during the Spring legislative session incorrectly identifies Representative Rita Mayfield and members of the Black Caucus as villains in the bill's lack of movement. This assertion is like the inaccurate assessment of the failure of Proposition 8 ballot initiative in California, where African American voters were faulted. Let's be clear — the Black Caucus members are not responsible for the failure of the House to pass the marriage bill.
It is true that some Black Caucus members supported the bill; others opposed the measure; and, still others remain publicly undeclared in terms of their support. That makes the Black Caucus members just like members of all the other Caucuses in the Illinois House. The House GOP Caucus, to choose just one such group, had only two (2) supportive members, a number publicly opposed and others who are undecided. (This stands in stark contrast to other states such as New York where significant number of GOP members voted for a marriage bill.)
The attack on Representative Mayfield is particularly egregious. Citing unnamed sources, the article claims that she was actively working to pull votes off the bill, and that she is anti-gay; there simply is no evidence that this is true, as others in the story attest. Rep. Mayfield and the Black Caucus are not monolithic in their views on marriage equality, as pointed out above. We can win more support among them but only by respecting their diversity of views. Blaming them for the stalled effort or personally maligning their character might have the opposite effect. But the damage is done — enemies of freedom and equality can point to these unsourced claims as evidence of division between African American leaders and those in the LGBT community.
To be clear, no such division exists. In this session alone, African American legislators sponsored legislation or provided crucial votes and public leadership on many issues critical to the LBGT community — including the expansion of Medicaid coverage, comprehensive sexual health education, the restoration of funds to fight and treat HIV, and the repeal of the antiquated HIV-positive student notification law.
All of us are disappointed that the marriage bill did not pass the House We hoped, like thousands across the State, to mark part of this year celebrating the marriages of our friends, our family members, our colleagues and, for some of us, ourselves. Our opponents hope that we spend the next several months blaming particular groups and individuals for the bill's failure — groups including the Black Caucus.
Rather than engage in this fallacious debate, we recognize, as the bard tells us, that the fault is in ourselves. So let's get to work, drawing together with supporters from all across the State, to secure passage of the marriage bill. When it passes, and it will, it will enjoy significant support from members from all ethnic backgrounds. That, we can be sure, is the future of the of the marriage bill. Let us also remember long after the fight for marriage equality is won and over we will still need the support of these members to advance other LGBT friendly legislation in the future.
Sincerely,
Adrienne Alexander, Policy & Legislative Specialist, AFSCME Council 31
Khadine Bennett, Staff Attorney & Legislative Counsel, ACLU of Illinois
Mary Dixon, Legislative Director, ACLU of Illinois
Ramon Gardehire, Director of Government Relations, AIDS Foundation of Chicago
Roderick K. Hawkins, Vice President of External Affairs, Chicago Urban League
