FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 10, 2008

Contact: David Valkema, chicago@logcabin.org

LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS ILLINOIS REMAINS COMMITTED TO PROMOTING THE MESSAGE OF INCLUSION WITHIN THE STATE GOP

The one thing that has become clear to us in the March 8th stunning upset victory of Democrat Bill Foster over Republican Jim Oberweis is that the American people both Democrat and Republican have become fed up with narrow minded intolerant views from their politicians.

 
Chicago--Bill Foster, a little known Democrat physicist from Geneva, IL easily handed well known dairyman Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove, IL a huge loss in Illinois' 14th Congressional District.  The end tally was Foster's 53% to Oberweis' 47% with barely more than 1 in 5 registered voters voting.  Why is this a huge loss?  Illinois' 14th Congressional District has long been a Republican stronghold in heartland politics.  Retiring GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert has held the seat in this district for 11 terms and was the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history.  It was almost a sure bet that this seat in the March 8th special election would go to another Republican, yes, even to Jim Oberweis, who has lost 4 other bids for public office in Illinois.

The problem is that Oberweis ran his campaign the old fashioned Illinois politics way - negative and with loads of money thrown in, and Foster simply focused on "change" and "ending business as usual".  Oberweis and the Republicans even outspent Foster by almost 2 to 1.  Oberweis has long been known in Illinois for being a voice of intolerant and homophobic views.  He championed putting an anti-same sex marriage amendment for gays and lesbians into the Illinois constitution in 2005 and said that passing a constitutional amendment against a whole group of people is "not bigotry".  The Amendment died due to several gay friendly organizations' including the Illinois Log Cabin Republicans and Equality Illinois, who contested the petitions and their hundreds of false or incorrect signatures.

"The Illinois Republican Party must learn sooner than later that good Illinois citizens will not stand for hateful and intolerant views amongst their citizens", said Illinois Log Cabin Republican President, David Valkema.  Valkema goes on to say that "we are trying to educate Illinoisans and their Republican politicians that we in the LGBT community are not asking for special rights but only equal rights".  We are asking the government for what it can offer--equal rights, not the Church for what it does not what to give--marriage rights.  Many Log Cabin members even consider themselves to be moral, spiritual and religious individuals resenting the homophobic slant on interpreting scripture.  It's sad to have to say to our Republican leaders in Illinois that we desire Liberty, Freedom and Equality in the Land of Lincoln yet again.  This special election proves this once again.  Log Cabin Illinois remains committed to continuing to exclaim to the statewide GOP leaders this message of inclusion.  But we say once again to listen to common sense in government affairs and, "if you can't listen to us, listen to the voters, will ya?"

Evidently in Illinois, sexual orientation equality is an idea whose time has come.

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The Log Cabin Republicans Illinois are a state chapter of the national organization. Its mission is to advance issues of interest for LGBT Americans and make their voices heard within the Republican Party.