The Illinois House Executive Committee has scheduled debate on the state’s proposed marriage equality bill for February 26th, on the heels of Senate passage of the bill on Valentine’s Day, Gay Star News reports:
The next step in the path to Illinois becoming the 10th state in the US to make gay marriage legal will come next Tuesday (26 February) when it is to be considered by the House Executive Committee. The committee is comprised of seven Democrats and four Republicans. At least six of the members must vote in favor of sending the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act to the full House for a vote.
Meanwhile, conservatives gathered in Springfield to protest the bill:
“We want to send a very clear and strong message to our state lawmakers that this is not acceptable,” said David Smith, director of the Illinois Family Institute, which sponsored Wednesday’s rally. “Redefining marriage is not acceptable. The state does not have the moral authority to change the definition that God created.” An estimated 3,000 people, sporting bright yellow buttons that read “One Man, One Woman,” participated in the rally.
Just 3,000 people? Puerto Rico could really show these guys how an anti-gay protest is done, where they had 200,000 people show up.