Category Archives: Mark Kirk

Murkowski backs same-sex marriage

Lisa Murkowski, Republican Party, United States Senate, Alaska, gay news, Washington Blade

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has becomes the 3rd sitting U.S. Senate Republican to endorse marriage equality. (Photo public domain)

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Wednesday became the third U.S. Senate Republican to endorse same-sex marriage.

The Human Rights Campaign said Murkowski, who voted for the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal bill in 2010, made the endorsement during an interview with KTUU, an Anchorage television station. The NBC affiliate said it will post the interview on its website later today and air it on their evening newscast.

Murkowski confirmed her position in an op-ed posted to her Senate website.

“Countless Alaskans and Americans want to give themselves to one another and create a home together,” she wrote, noting former President Ronald Reagan’s daughter said she feels her father would have supported nuptials for gays and lesbians. “I support marriage equality and support the government getting out of the way to let that happen.”

Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director Gregory T. Angelo applauded Murkowski in a statement to the Washington Blade.

“Senator Murkowski could have waited for the pending Supreme Court rulings on the landmark cases being decided this month, but instead chose to stand up for what’s right without wasting another day,” he said. “I know this wasn’t an easy decision for the Senator, but that’s why it’s called courage. And the Senator’s statements show the power everyday gay Americans have when they live their lives with honesty and pride.”

HRC President Chad Griffin described Murkowski’s endorsement as a “courageous and principled announcement.”

“We hope other fair-minded conservatives like Senator Murkowski stand up and join her,” he said. “Alaska may be nicknamed ‘the Last Frontier,’ but we’ve got to make sure that LGBT Alaskans don’t have to wait to find justice.”

“Senator Murkowski joins the majority of U.S. senators taking a stand for equal treatment under the law on one of the most important bonds in our society: marriage,” Mark Solomon, national campaign director for Freedom to Marry, added. “As the third GOP senator to announce support for marriage this year, she shows that the conservative tenets of freedom and family are perfectly in line with the freedom to marry.”

Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk in April publicly endorsed same-sex marriage after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) backed the issue during an March interview with CNN’s Dana Bash.

Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, former Illinois Republican Party Chair Pat Brady and former GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, Jr., are among those who also support nuptials for gays and lesbians.

Kirk becomes 50th U.S. senator to back gay marriage

Mark Kirk, gay news, gay politics dc, enda

Sen. Mark Kirk became the 50th sitting member of the U.S. Senate to back nuptials for same-sex couples on Tuesday. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk on Tuesday became the 50th sitting U.S. senator — and the second Republican in the chamber after Ohio Sen. Rob Portman — to back same-sex marriage.

The announcement came on the heels of one from U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), who became the 48th Democrat in the Senate to back gay nuptials. Lawmakers in Delaware and Illinois are mulling legislation that would extend marriage rights to same-sex couples this year, and both announcements could reignite momentum for marriage equality in those states.

“When I climbed the Capitol steps in January,” Kirk wrote on his blog, “I promised myself that I would return to the Senate with an open mind and greater respect for others.”

“Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage,” the statement continues. “Our time on this Earth is limited, I know that better than most. Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back — government has no place in the middle.”

Kirk was absent from the Senate for nearly one year after suffering a stroke in January 2012, which he alluded to in Tuesday’s marriage pronouncement.

Kirk has been a long-time supporter of some LGBT legislation, backing employment protection legislation since he arrived in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2001.

He initially opposed U.S. House efforts to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during his 2010 Senate run. However, after the election, Kirk — who replaced pro-gay appointee Roland Burris — became a yes vote in that chamber, helping push the repeal to passage.

“With the Republican logjam on marriage equality now officially broken, we encourage Senator Kirk’s fellow Republicans in the Senate and his colleagues in the House to join him, Senator Portman, Congressman Hanna, and Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen on the right side of history,” Log Cabin Republicans executive director, Gregory T. Angelo, said in a statement.

“With Senator Kirk’s support, the U.S. Senate is now ready to move to the right side of history in support of same-sex couples’ freedom to marry,” wrote Freedom to Marry President Evan Wolfson in response to the announcement. “Just as we have seen a majority of Americans embrace the freedom to marry, so the Senate is now on the verge of a majority for marriage.”

Durbin calls on Ill. lawmakers to approve marriage equality

Dick Durbin, Richard Durbin, United States Senate, Democratic Party, gay news, Washington Blade, Illinois

Sen. Dick Durbin is calling on Ill. lawmakers to pass marriage equality (D-Ill.) (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The No. 2 Democrat in the U.S. Senate is calling on legislators in his state to pass legislation that would make Illinois the 10th state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage.

In a letter dated Jan. 3 to state lawmakers, Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) talks about his own evolution on the issue of marriage rights for gay couples, saying he’s concluded that “ending this discrimination” against them is “consistent with the evolution of civil rights in our democracy.”

“Every generation is given a chance to put an end to some form of discrimination in America,” Durbin writes. “As you consider this historic vote, I hope you will reflect on those you will meet after it is cast. An affirmative vote will give you a chance to look into the eyes of those who have faced discrimination throughout their lives and tell them that you voted to affirm their rights under the law.”

Durbin has previously expressed support for marriage equality and among the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who voted to report out to the Senate legislation that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act last year. As a U.S. House member in 1996, Durbin voted in favor of DOMA.

Supporters of same-sex marriage in Illinois were pushing to pass same-sex marriage legislation by the time the General Assembly adjourns on Jan. 8. According to the Windy City Times, the legislation won’t come to a vote this week and “repeated foibles” bring into question whether the bill will pass before the next session begins.

Durbin’s letter follows a statement issued by a White House spokesperson last week indicating President Obama also supports the Illinois marriage equality legislation and would vote in favor of it if he were a legislator in the state, which he was from 1997 to 2004.

The office of Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), the junior senator from Illinois, didn’t respond to the Washington Blade’s request to comment on the marriage equality legislation. Kirk had only Thursday returned to the Senate after recovering from a stroke.

Had Kirk come out in support of the legislation, he would be the first Republican member of the U.S. Senate to endorse marriage equality. Illinois State GOP Chair Pat Brady has called on Republicans in the state to support the bill, but said he was doing so in a personal capacity.

Carper endorses same-sex marriage

Tom Carper, Delaware, United States Senate, Democratic Party, gay news, Washington Blade, gay news

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) (Photo public domain)

Delaware Sen. Tom Carper on Tuesday became the latest Senate Democrat to publicly endorse marriage rights for same-sex couples.

“As our society has changed and evolved, so too has the public’s opinion on gay marriage – and so has mine,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “I pray every day for God to grant me the wisdom to do what is right. Through my prayers and conversations with my family and countless friends and Delawareans, I’ve been reminded of the power of one of my core values: the Golden Rule. It calls on us to treat others as we want to be treated. That means, to me, that all Americans ultimately should be free to marry the people they love and intend to share their lives with, regardless of their sexual orientation, and that’s why today, after a great deal of soul searching, I’m endorsing marriage equality.”

Carper’s statement comes a day after Delaware Congressman John Carney and Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey announced their support of nuptials for gays and lesbians. It also coincides with the expected introduction of a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in the First State.

“We thank Senator Carper for standing with the majority of Delawareans who support marriage equality,” Equality Delaware said in a statement. “We’re honored to have such strong support from our statewide elected officials in Delaware.”

U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.,) Mary Landrieu (D-La.,) Mark Pryor (D-Ark.,) Bill Nelson (D-Fla.,) Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.,) Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) are the only Senate Democrats who have yet to publicly back nuptials for gays and lesbians.

Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk on Tuesday also announced his support of marriage rights for same-sex couples.