Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz was confronted by several city residents at a "coffee with the mayor" event July 11 for remarks he made about gay marriage and single mothers that he made the previous week, Chicago Tribune reported.
Those residents took Lentz to task for statements he made at Mundelein's Fort Hill Heritage Museum on July 4, wherein he praised democracy's capacity to rectify major problems, amongst which he included gay marriage and unwed parents.
Lentz did not address the topics directly at the July 11 forum, only referring to them in a prepared statement that addressed single parents, not same-sex marriage.
But that didn't stop LGBT Mundelein residents and their supporters from addressing his remarks. "I've never been in trouble with the law, which is more than I can say for some past and present trustees. I'm a gay woman and I married my partner last June, which is legal in Illinois," said Gwen Varney. "If you think what I've done with my life is leading to the downfall of America, then I'll take it any day."
A number of residents defended Lentz's speech, however. "I support Mayor Lentz. I think he's done a great job as mayor, regardless of his speech," said Mike Allred. "There are a lot of issues going on in our country, and we all have different perspectives and beliefs. For the most part, I think this was blown out of proportion by the media."
In the July 4 speech, which was widely circulated online, Lentz said that he had been left "reeling" from the United States Supreme Court's ruling on marriage equality, and characterized it as part of a "one event in a decades-long adventure of a moral crisis we've been in."
Lentz had refused to discuss the speech further after controversy erupted. In his prepared remarks July 11, he said that he wanted to remain "laser-focused" on governing Mundelein.
Chicago Tribune's article is at trib.in/1guCyY9. Lentz's speech is at bit.ly/1Cz1fN6 .