Ill. GOP Chair Urges Party Members to Support Marriage Equality

As Illinois legislators prepare to consider a marriage equality bill, the chairman of the state's Republican Party is asking party members to support it.

Pat Brady said today that he was making calls to Republican lawmakers, doing so as a citizen, not in his official party role, reports the Daily Herald, a newspaper in Chicago's northwest suburbs. "I think it's time for people to support this," Brady said.

Debate on the bill could take place tonight in the state Senate, and a vote could come as early as tomorrow. Read more here.

UPDATE: The bill will not be discussed by a Senate committee tonight, but will likely come up tomorrow, according to LGBT group the Civil Rights Agenda. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that because some supporters were absent, it was two votes shy of the total needed to bring it to a committee hearing ronight, but backers say that is not a "fatal blow." Also, 12 African-American leaders today released an open letter in support of the measure. Read more at Windy City Times.