ChristiansUnite Forums

Homosexual activists attack
supporters of Illinois referendum


Homosexual activists are likening Illinois Republican gubernatorial hopeful Jim Oberweis to Adolph Hitler because the conservative candidate supports the state's Marriage Protection Referendum, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

According to Peter LaBarbera, director of Protect Marriage Illinois, which is leading the charge for the statewide petition drive, there's an escalation of "extremist rhetoric among homosexual activists seeking to demonize Jim Oberweis and others who support the Marriage Protection Referendum."

On Wednesday, Chicago activists with the Gay Liberation Network rallied against Oberweis, comparing him with Hitler because he supports both the PMI referendum and the repeal of recent homosexual and transgender language added to Illinois' Human Rights Act.

LaBarbara, citing an e-mail sent to his Illinois Family Institute which threatened to "burn every one of your f---ing churches down," decried the "pattern of ugly attacks against people of faith merely for disagreeing with the homosexual movement."

The Protect Marriage Illinois referendum states: "To secure and preserve the benefits of marriage for our society and for future generations of children, a marriage between a man and a woman is the only legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state."

Petition backers need to gather 283,111 valid signatures of registered voters by May 8 to qualify for November's ballot. Last month, PMI announced it had 7,000 volunteers canvassing for signatures across Illinois.

Oberweis, who owns a dairy farm, has also seen his business targeted by local homosexual activists, who last month pushed for a boycott of Oberweis Dairy products. been targeted

"If he's going to give money to groups that oppose same-sex marriages, why should we give money to him?" asked a spokesman for the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association, according to the "Advocate," a homosexual website.

And Rick Garcia, spokesman for another homosexual group called Equality Illinois, also encouraged the boycott, saying: "Why isn't he milking a different cow, because Illinois doesn't take well to hate-mongering and discrimination."

"Homosexual activist groups like GLN and Rick Garcia's Equality Illinois call Jim Oberweis a 'bigot' merely for supporting the Protect Marriage Illinois," said LaBarbera. "What is hateful about giving Illinois voters a chance to cast a vote for marriage as one- man, one-woman this November?"

Nationwide, every statewide pro-marriage ballot initiative has passed by substantial majorities.