The day is coming

I'll tell you one thing: He ain't his father.

Mayor Richard Daley said he would have "no problem" with Cook County issuing marriage licenses to gay couples in Chicago, the nation's third largest city.

Entering a national debate over gay marriage, Daley urged sympathy for same-sex couples because "they love each other just as much as anyone else."

Daley also dismissed a suggestion Wednesday that marriage between gay couples would undermine the institution.

"Marriage has been undermined by divorce, so don't tell me about marriage," he said. "Don't blame the gay and lesbian, transgender and transsexual community."

The same article quoted County Clerk David Orr as saying "I'm fed up with people being discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. ... (But) whatever you do when it comes to challenging laws, you want it to be effective and not knee-jerk."

When the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued its decision that the state could not ban same-sex marriages, there was concern expressed that it would generate a backlash. Instead, it seems to have emboldened people to speak more openly of their support.

There have been some, fearful of its use as a wedge issue in the presidential campaign, who have said they support the rights of same-sex couples "but why did it have to come up now? It's not the right time." My reply, after noting my opinion as to why it won't be an effective wedge issue, is to ask "When would be the right time?"

Footnote: Some years ago, my then-wife and I talked about trying to start a group called something like "Straights for Gay Rights." It never got beyond talk - but happily there were others not so lazy and there are a number of such groups around now. PFLAG: Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays is one such. Give them a look.