Politics

President Calls Marriage Equality Basic Right At DCCC Illinois Fundraiser

By Brody Levesque | CHICAGO, IL -- During an appearance at a Democratic fundraiser Wednesday night, President Obama indirectly called on state House lawmakers to pass the pending marriage equality bill. Speaking to a gathering of around 70 at a $10,000 per person minimum ticket price event for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the president said that he felt that passage of the Illinois measure was "the right thing to do."

“Here in Illinois, we’ve got a vote on same-sex marriage that’s going to be coming up in the state legislature,” the president said. “And I just want to say for the record it’s something that I deeply support. 

I wrestled with this for a long time and I am absolutely convinced it is the right thing to do. And we have to make sure that wherever we go, we are reminding people that the essence of America is that everybody is treated equally under the law without exception.”

Prior to the event last night, the president has never directly addressed the marriage equality legislation in his home state although the White House released a statement last December that stated that he supported the measure.

The bill is expected to be voted on either late Thursday or early Friday before the state legislature adjourns. Illinois governor Pat Quinn, (D) has already pressed lawmakers to pass the bill and has said that he will sign the bill into law the minute it hits his desk.