A piece of legislation attempting to reaffirm the ban on same-sex marriages that is moving through the Illinois state legislature has some NIU students talking.

In a move seen by some as gay-bashing, Sen. Edward Petka R-Plainfield sponsored the bill aimed at solidifying the state’s prohibition of marriage between homosexuals. A senate subcommittee approved the measure by a vote of 6-4, but has since stalled and has yet to be voted on by the full Senate Judiciary Committee.

In an article from the Windy City Times, a gay/lesbian newspaper based in Chicago, Sen. Grace Mary Stern (D-Highland Park) went on record to say she had voted against the measure.

“I know the senator (Petka) and the kind of mindset he has on these types of issues,” Stern told the Times.

The gay and lesbian political action committee labeled Petka’s bill as a grandstanding ploy, saying the measure could drain support from a proposed gay and lesbian civil rights bill.

In effect, legislators who may want to approve the civil rights bill perhaps are not ready to support the idea of same-sex marriages near election time.

When asked about the civil rights bill for homosexuals, Petka said he was not familiar with the proposal. However, he said that should the measure come before him, he would oppose it.

“To protect homosexuals with civil rights legislation would be a discredit to organizations that have legitimate claims to aid,” Petka asserted.

“People cannot control race, gender, or the presence of disabilities—these are classifications persons cannot choose.

“But homosexuality is based on behavior, which can be modified. To protect gays with these same civil rights is a degradation. I would think minority leaders would be up in arms to be grouped with homosexuals,” Petka said.

Petka went on to say his own proposal and his stance on the civil rights proposal are concurrent with the beliefs of his constituency.

Brian Turkaly, president of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Coalition of NIU, admonished Petka’s proposal as just another effort to treat gays as “second-class citizens.”

Turkaly said he was not surprised the senator and his constituency were supportive of the bill, noting few communities outside of Chicago have liberal opinions regarding homosexuality. Nonetheless, Turkaly said he felt the proposal was unfair.

“Marriage is an affirmation to spend the rest of one’s life with another,” Turkaly said. “The ban denies homosexuals the right to make such an affirmation.”

Turkaly said he felt the gay and lesbian civil rights proposal was needed to protect the rights of this particular minority.

“I feel strongly that I was born a homosexual,” Turkaly said. “Even if it were a choice, I feel that my position ought to be protected. Religion is a matter of personal choice, and it is protected.”

Turkaly noted the NIU-ROTC situation as exemplary of the need for legislation.

“We want the same rights to live and participate as everyone else receives,” Turkaly said. “Legislation would give us the necessary platform to litigate if we are discriminated against.”