All of the major candidates for Governor of Illinois oppose same sex marriage. Illinois voters are being given little choice between unprogressive, spineless candidates and those who are out-and-out hateful. As a result, LGBT voters are completely disenfranchised in the upcoming election.
Politicians who use the phrase "an amendment banning gay marriage is not necessary" are no friends of the gay community. So much for Rob Blagojevich's and Judy Baar Topinka's cowardice. Nevertheless, when a candidate makes appeals to hate the centerpiece for gaining his core support, even going so far as to give big money to the right wing fringe "Illinois Family Institute," then their presence in the mainstream political arena must be exposed.
Jim Oberweis' hatred of LGBT people is central to his campaign for governor. Not only does he support an amendment to the Illinois and U.S. constitutions banning gay marriage, but he demands that ALL civil rights victories won by gays and lesbians be reversed.
Bigotry is not new to Oberweis campaigns. Two years ago in his race for the US Senate, Oberweis tried to sell anti-immigrant hate, blaming so-called "illegals" for unemployment in Illinois. Seeing that his out right appeals to bigotry kept him from getting the Republican nod for Senate in 2004, this time he has adopted a more "stealthy" approach, promoting his bigotry to core right wing supporters while projecting a "mainstream" image to general audiences.
Got Milk? Check the brand!
While we haven't launched a formal boycott of Oberweis products, only a fool would buy products tainted with such bigotry. Dairyman Oberweis uses his family fortune to help fund the Illinois Family Institute's petition drive against same-sex marriage. The petition drive is aimed at getting an advisory referendum against same-sex couple's rights on the November ballot.
If the language on the petition were enacted, it would not only ban same sex marriage, but also ban ALL same sex couples' rights, including domestic partners and civil unions. Oberweis further attacks gay and lesbian families by demanding that their adopted children be forcibly removed from the home. In short, gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis' political rhetoric is an affront to all Illinois families. By promoting legal discrimination against LGBT people, his campaign is inviting physical reprisals on gays, not unlike how racist legislators a generation ago invited physical attacks on African Americans by promoting Jim Crow legislation.
Please help put Oberweis political aspirations back in the gutter where they belong -- attend the picket:
