July 26, 2004

Kirk Skips Vote on Gay Marriage

Once again, Mark Kirk (Republican - 10th District, Illinois) missed a vote in Congress on an important issue of human rights. On Thursday, Kirk failed to vote on a proposal that would strip the federal courts of jurisdiction over gay marriages. The Republican-sponsored bill was intended to keep the courts from upholding gay marriages performed in states where they are legal.

Lee Goodman, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in the 10th District, said he was not surprised by Kirk's vote. "He skipped the vote on late-term abortions, too. When he could make a difference between upholding human rights and letting them be taken away, Kirk disappears. He seems to prefer not to vote on certain controversial issues."

Goodman indicated that if he had been in Congress he would have voted against the bill. "The whole effort the Republicans are making to stigmatize gays and turn them into second-class citizens is narrow-minded, mean-spirited, and wrong. The push for a Constitutional amendment barring gay marriage is despicable. You can't be for human rights for some people and against human rights for other people. I don't know why Kirk has so much trouble with an issue like this."

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