Dillard a “No” on Same Sex Marriage

The Illinois Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday on a bill (Senate Bill 10) legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. State Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) says he will not be voting for it.

Dillard said his district, which includes Wheaton College, doesn’t support same-sex marriage.

Dillard said he supports civil unions as a way to provide legal protections for same-sex couples, but is wary of going any further. Dillard is exploring a possible run for governor, and says he’d be unlikely to sign a same-sex marriage bill if it came to his desk.

“Unless someone can prove to me that civil unions wouldn’t be enough, I would not sign a gay marriage bill," Dillard said. "I believe you work on the civil union side of it to try to get equal rights that way, without infringing upon the beliefs of those who are religiously inclined.”

Dillard said Illinois’ civil union law resulted in faith-based adoption agencies being required to either grant adoptions to same-sex couples, or sever their ties with the state. The senator said Illinois’ civil union law and any gay marriage bill should be altered to give those agencies protection under the First Amendment.

Dillard commented Thursday during a visit to the University of Illinois’ Urbana campus, where he spoke to business students and faculty.

Besides eying a possible run for governor in 2013, Senator Dillard ran for the Republican nomination for Illinois governor in 2010, finishing a close second to State Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington). Brady then lost narrowly to Gov. Pat Quinn in the general election.