On the Chicago Sun-Times, Rummana Hussain reports that Illinois State Attorney Anita Alvarez believes barring committed same-sex couples from civil marriage is discriminatory and unconstitutional. Writes Hussain:
Cook County Clerk David Orr discriminates against gay couples by refusing to grant them marriage licenses, two recent lawsuits contend. But instead of defending himself, Orr - and his attorney Anita Alvarez - on Thursday said the gay couples that took him to court are right. “As the defendant I totally agree with the plaintiffs,” said Orr. “We are clearly admitting that people are being discriminated against.” As Cook County State’s Attorney, Alvarez represents Orr in court. She admitted in legal filings Thursday that Orr, by enforcing a state law prohibiting gay marriage, is violating the equal-protection clause in the state constitution... The twin lawsuits, filed by the ACLU and Lambda Legal on behalf of gay couples late last month, argue that the state constitution, more than the constitution of any other state, guarantees a right for people of the same gender to get married, despite laws the Illinois Legislature passed in 1996 prohibiting same-sex marriage. State law does, however, allow for civil unions. Alvarez said that if the courts agree, the ban would be thrown out - and gay marriage would be legal without additional legislation.
Our battle for marriage rights is hardly finished, especially with the enemies of equality eager to malign an entire subset of American citizens - enemies like the oleaginous Bryan Fischer with the hate group American Family Association. Writing for the New Yorker, Jane Mayer offers an in-depth look at Bryan Fischer, who receives an amazing amount of exposure in the mainstream media. Curiously, when he appears on national television promoting his ugly "values" agenda, the activist often comes across as reasonable, practically benign. It's unfortunate that reporters and interviewers never ask Fischer about his more inflammatory position statements. (The evangelical fanatic insists Hitler surrounded himself with gay storm troopers because "he could not get straight soldiers to be savage and brutal and vicious enough to carry out his orders." He also calls adoption by committed same-sex partners "sexual abuse" and commonly compares gays to pedophiles and cannibals. He is a truly twisted individual.) From Mayer's exhaustive exposé:
When I visited his office, I asked him if he could name anyone who had more conservative social beliefs. “Well, Thomas Jefferson,” he said. “He wanted to castrate homosexuals... ” (This is actually true. In 1770, when pastors used the Bible to justify the buying and selling of human beings and slavery was an integral part of the economy, Jefferson proposed a law that would mandate castration for gay men and face mutilation for lesbians. In his day, Jefferson was considered a liberal.) Fischer does, however, want to change homosexuals. "We’re not animals in heat that have a biological compulsion to yield to every sexual impulse." Fischer said... Patrick Mahoney, the director of the conservative Christian Defense Coalition, in Washington, D.C., told me, “Bryan is definitely ascending. His influence is growing because he says publicly, in an unfiltered way, what many evangelical leaders think privately. (In point of fact, there are countless fundamentalist Christian leaders spitting venom from the pulpit. More and more right-wing pastors are calling for the extermination of gays.)

Fischer expresses delight in (and takes credit for) the departure of Romney's openly-gay foreign policy spokesman Richard Grenell. The fear-mongerer had previously fretted: "What if he’s travelling for Mitt Romney on government business? He’s overseas somewhere and he’s got top-secret information in his hotel room, and he just can’t help himself? He’s gotta have an anonymous tryst with some homosexual?" (In a sane world, this sort of craziness would totally discredit Fischer, but Fox News and CNN still give him a platform for his shameless propaganda.)
Like a possum drawn to a steaming pile of shit, Fischer returns to his favorite talking point - that being gay is “always, always, always a matter of choice.” He drags that dead horse around for awhile: He told his listeners that a scientific study had shown the concordance of homosexuality between identical twins to be only six per cent. “If one of them is gay and it’s genetically caused, the other one ought to be gay one hundred per cent of the time!” he said. Fischer cites such evidence with ease; he has impressive recall for everything from Bible quotations to academic articles. (If I had a quarter for each time a fundie Christian gasbag misrepresented a scientific study or relied on flawed research by non-academics with an anti-gay agenda, I would be as wealthy as Mitt Romney.)
While Republicans continue to curry favor with the GOP's intolerant base, fair-minded lawmakers in the Democratic Party are making a difference in people's lives. On The Stranger, Washington Senator Patty Murray discusses civil rights for gay and lesbian Americans: As Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I am particularly proud of the progress we’ve made on behalf of the LGBT men and women in our Armed Forces and our nation’s veterans with the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” But while repeal is an important victory in the fight for equality, there are still many challenges ahead as we work to ensure each of our veterans receives the same quality care and services once they leave the military... I have been so proud to work with the LGBT community on issues affecting veterans and on many other issues important to the cause of equality. But while we have seen some important victories these past few years, we know Pride Month isn’t just a time to celebrate these accomplishments. It is also a time to recommit and recharge for the fight that’s ahead. When Governor Gregoire signed the same-sex marriage bill into law this February, it was a day of joy for all of the loving, committed gay and lesbian couples of Washington—and for all who love, respect and support them. This law takes us one important step closer towards true equality for gay and lesbian families across Washington state. Unfortunately, there are those who are now trying to turn back the clock. This is wrong and we’re going to fight to prevent this from happening.
Blowhards like Bryan Fischer may find sympathy with ultraconservative voters in today's political climate, but you can rest assured that future generations will view him and his ilk as depraved, loathsome, and desperate villains in the culture war.
Change is in the wind, and the sanctimonious bigots are suffocating from their own lack of compassion.