Brian Brown, president of the National
Organization for Marriage (NOM), on Wednesday criticized Illinois
lawmakers for approving a gay marriage bill.
The House approved the marriage bill on
Tuesday with one vote to spare, following in the footsteps of the
Senate, which approved the bill on Valentine's Day. A change to the
law's start date – from January to June – meant a return trip to
the Senate. Senate members made quick work of the measure and it was
on its way to Governor Pat Quinn's desk within hours after the House
voted.
(Related: Illinois
Gov. Pat Quinn to sign gay marriage bill this month.)
“It's disappointing but not
surprising that the House has voted to redefine marriage,” Brown
wrote in a blog post. “The losers will be the people of
Illinois who will see that redefining marriage will unleash a torrent
of harassment toward those who believe that marriage is the union of
one man and one woman.”
“Once the law goes into effect in
June next year, we will see individuals, businesses and religious
groups sued, fined, brought up on charges of discrimination and
punished simply for holding true to the traditional view of
marriage,” he said without elaborating.
Brown, who heads the nation's most
vociferous group opposed to same-sex marriage, also described the
bill's religious exemptions as “not meaningful.”
In an interview with USA Today
in March, Brown predicted the bill would fail. He said that the
bill's slow progress – it took nearly a year and several attempts
to clear both chambers – “shows you that this myth that somehow
same-sex marriage is inevitable is just a myth.”