Over 400,000 people lined the streets, parade organizers said.
Photos courtesy of John Birch
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Posted on 06/29/2004 3:18:52 PM PDT by Mini-14
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| IL GOP State Party chair Judy Baar-Topinka was in Sunday's Gay Pride Parade. Over 400,000 people lined the streets, parade organizers said. Photos courtesy of John Birch |
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| Obama blue signs were prominent at the Gay Pride parade. |
In a pre-parade interview with the Chicago Tribune, Topinka took time away from looking for a U.S. Senate candidate for ousted Republican candidate Jack Ryan's replacement to show her support for gay rights in Illinois.
"One thing about Republicans: They come in all shapes, sizes, religions, genders, stripes. And that's the glory of being Republican," Topinka told the Tribune reporter while at a political reception at a gay bar on Halsted Street.
"That's what it's like to be a Republican," she said. "We don't march in lockstep."
Pro-family leader Pete LaBarbera said Topinka’s celebration of homosexuality sends the wrong message to a Republican party in crisis.
"The last thing the Illinois GOP needs now is to embrace immorality so that our states’ voters have no contrasting choices over issues like homosexual ‘marriage’ and the promotion of homosexuality in our schools,” LaBarbera said in a press release sent from Glen Ellyn-based Illinois Family Institute Saturday night before the parade.
Topinka, who is also State Treasurer, was the only Republican in the Gay Pride parade this year. Three Democrats -- Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Congressman Rahm Emanuel -- were at the parade in person. A large faction of U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama supporters marched in the parade, but Obama himself did not appear.
Topinka’s return to the Gay Pride parade raised the hackles of conservative Republicans who say they are disenfranchised from the party’s leadership, and fear the direction the party leadership is headed away from the national party's platform.
Topinka, who reportedly is contemplating a run for governor in 2006, continues to refrain from making a public statement as to whether or not she supports President Bush's constitutional amendment to support one-man/one-woman marriages.
But she is not the only Chicago Republican who does not want to go on record against President Bush's stand against gay marriage.
Chicago Republican Party's newly-elected chairman Clark Pellett also does not want to publicly state his position on the proposed marriage amendment. Pellett was recently "outted" by IFI's LaBarbera in a press release challenging Pellett and his partner's financial support of the soon-to-be-erected gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender Center on Halsted, as listed on the Center's website.
The Center, its financial backing and its connections to the Republican Party drew attention when State Treasurer Topinka helped to grab a state-insured loan up to $10 million for the recreational center's construction last year.
Family values proponents, the rank-and-file of the Republican Party statewide, say that state party leadership reaching out to the gay community while shunning the input of those who reflect traditional family values indicates who badly divided the party is.
As to whether the party leadership will move toward the Democrats in their support of gay marriage and away from conservative, evangelical Christians in the Republican party could be crucial in the upcoming election cycles, family activists told IllinoisLeader.com.
The controversy over gay rights isn't an issue of civil rights, LaBarbera said, but “the rejection of natural order."
“Homosexuality is not a ‘civil right,’ but a human wrong -- one that rejects the natural order for sexuality created by a loving God. Men were never intended to have sex with other men, nor women with women," LaBarbera said. "This learned behavior is nothing to be proud of but, thankfully, it can be overcome, as proven by the testimonials of former homosexuals.”
Topinka made her position on the gay rights very clear to the Tribune.
"I'm a firm believer that all citizens in the state of Illinois deserve the same rights. No more, no less," she said. "People are people: You pinch them, they cry; you tickle them, they giggle."
"I'm a firm believer that all citizens in the state of Illinois deserve the same rights. No more, no less," Topinka said. "People are people: You pinch them, they cry; you tickle them, they giggle."
Umm.. I hate to ask her this, but.. Just WHO has deprived them of any rights?
Topinka is a full-blown RINO. Does she really think Illinois Republicans will fall for the RINO trap again and give her the gubernatorial nomination? Look what it got them with Governor Ryan.
Is Topinka a lesbian?
Dunno, but I wouldn't doubt it considering she was in the parade.
I am so glad she seems to have her priorities in line. She has time for gay parade, but she doesn't have time to go to conservative events. She will never get my vote again. I will vote libertarian before I vote for her.
Another large nosed camel with it's snout under the 'big tent'
Sound like an ill GOP chairman.
YIKES!
Looks MUCH like Toad from Toad Hall.
The Republican Party is going downhill fast when you see things like this happen. There has to be more than just her involved in this since someone had to put her in for Party Chairman. Certainly would make me hightail it out of her meetings.
nah that's a man baby!
*SKReeeeeEEEEeeeeEE!*
A man posing as a woman who poses as a man!
Unfortunately Judy is the remaining GOP statewide officerholder in IL. I doubt she'll run for Governor in 2006. She'll most likely run for a 4th term as IL Treasurer.
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