Zorn: How to straighten out the state GOP's gay mess

The Illinois Republican Party should appoint as its next party chair someone who supports legalization of same-sex marriage.

Why? First, because it would mess with our minds.

Outgoing party chair Pat Brady, who resigned Tuesday in a letter to the Illinois Republican State Central Committee, has been the object of several ouster attempts by indignant social conservatives wroth over Brady's declaration in January that "more and more Americans understand that if two people want to make a lifelong commitment to each other, government should not stand in their way," and that legalization of same-sex marriage "honors the best conservative principles" because it "strengthens families and reinforces a key Republican value ? that the law should treat all citizens equally."

This is a growing sentiment in the party, particularly among nonelected leaders, but one that made it awkward for those in the Illinois House attempting, so far with success, to prevent passage of a same-sex marriage bill that has already passed the state Senate and received the endorsement of Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn.

Those who wanted Brady gone ? most vocally Sen. Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove ? tried to finesse the point by insisting that Brady's tenure was unsatisfactory for a number of reasons unrelated to his personal views on same-sex marriage, but no one really believed that.

So now that Brady's exit has been engineered with a bit more grace than a vote to remove him, the Illinois GOP could confound all us cynics and cause us to sputter incoherent apologies by naming as his successor someone who shares his views on this contentious but rapidly evolving issue.

Second, because it would be good politics.

I know the state is closely divided on same-sex marriage. Polls have it close, and the legalization measure is still at least a handful of votes shy of passage in the House.

Significant numbers of the clergy are opposed and wary, fearing that gay marriage will erode traditional marriage, harm the nuclear family and seriously erode religious freedoms in Illinois, even though such dire effects have yet to be seen where same-sex marriage has already been legalized and the bill provides significant protection for religious institutions that don't wish to formalize same-sex unions.

(Shout out to Delaware, which, on Tuesday, became the 11th state to legalize gay marriage.)

But this division, these apprehensions, aren't going to last.

Today's young voters, whatever their views on economic issues, on immigration, on guns and other key topics, have gone to school with openly gay classmates. Their high schools ? unlike mine, certainly ? have had gay-straight alliance groups and assemblies at which tolerance for homosexuality has been drummed into them.

If they don't have gay friends, they have friends who have gay friends. It's simply not that big a deal to them, which explains why so many of them yawned last week at the story about the NBA's Jason Collins becoming the first active member of a major men's professional sport to come out.

Young voters' basic sentiment is that when two people who love each other want to make a legal commitment to spend the rest of their lives together, we should all celebrate and stop obsessing about what goes on in their bedroom. Such couples have proved to be excellent parents and solid members of the communities in which they live.

Which is why polls show young voters are OK with gay marriage. In November, Gallup found that 18- to 29-year-olds support gay marriage nearly 3-to-1.

All across the demographic spectrum, we're seeing and hearing evidence of people "evolving" on same-sex marriage, as President Barack Obama did, overcoming their opposition and announcing their endorsement. And we almost never see or hear of anyone "evolving" the other way, of looking at the evidence and arguments and deciding legalization is a bad idea.

The GOP is going to need young voters, in particular, if it wants to have any hope of gaining traction in Springfield in the next coming years. The legislative map is drawn against them until at least 2020, and they currently hold only two statewide offices, treasurer and comptroller, which are both just one step up in importance from lieutenant governor.

They may satisfy their base, older voters by tying the party's identity to a rigidity and dead-end ideology on gay marriage, but they'll be placing hurdles in front of young voters.

Unless, of course, they decide to look forward instead of back.

Comment on this column at chicagotribune.com/zorn.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-0508-zorn-20130508,0,4065421.column?track=rss

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