I just saw this video posted at Joe My God - an excellent gay blog. I have watched this video over and over, and love the message and cadence of it. It's fantastic. I don't know anything about Illinios State Senator Ricky Hendon except this video, but for today, he gets my esteem. This speech was for the civil union bill in the Illinois Senate, which has passed and will go on to the Governor, who has said he will sign it.
Video and transcript below.
http://www.youtube.com/...
"A lot of you have tried to make this about Pat Quinn. That's why I HATE POLITICS so much.
The HYPOCRISY
Governor Quinn came on the floor and some of you didn't even stand up, didn't even clap, wouldn't clap no matter what. And he's a good decent honest man.
It's about politics.
This shouldn't be about politics.
Yeah, I got the call from Congressman Davis, I got the call from Commissioner Horton saying, 'Ricky, vote for this bill.' But I'm not going to vote for it because they asked me to or because of the politics. It's the RIGHT thing to do.
I HATE THE HYPOCRISY!
Aren't you sick of the hypocrisy by now?
When I sit here and I hear adulterers, and womanizers, and folks cheating on their wives, and down-low brothers, saying they're going to vote against this bill, IT TURNS MY STOMACH!
THE HYPOCRISY!
Dripping in this chamber right now.
We KNOW what you do at night.
(clapping)
and you do too.
Why not just call it like it is?
Why make it about pensions, and you know pensions... it's not about pensions.
just say you don't like certain folk.
Toyv(? please correct me if you know) talked about her.. the marriage.. the interracial relationships and somebody invoked the name of Barrack Obama. Guess what? He came from an interracial relationship.
Somebody invoked the name of Dr. Martin Luther King, who wouldn't even given him a glass of water...
had he been thirsty.
So let's not play the games, at least, tell the truth.
You know, I'm a Christian. You might not believe it, but I'm a Baptist.
Saaaaaved and sanctified, dipped in the holy water, when I was 12 years old.
I'm going to go to heaven when I die, but I'm going to VOTE for this bill.
It ain't going to send me to hell and it won't send you there either.
I heard a whole lot of crazy stuff about the fall of Rome and the Grecian Empire, and when they did this...
Guess what? There are other states that have same sex marriage and they're still functioning.
God ain't sent lightening down to destroy those states.
He's not going to do it to destroy Illinois, I don't believe.
I pray every day, every morning, every night.
In the middle of it, so much mess going on.
Don't.. don't be a hypocrite.
Even, I respect those who are not going to say anything, more than I do those who get up and try to make it about something else.
We should pass this bill. We should do it now, and get it, get it over with.
It's not going to destroy America,
It's not going to destroy our great State,
It's just fairness y'all that's all."
I have tried to capture what he said as best I could, but could not capture the cadence of how he says it as well as he does. As I said, I know nothing about him. Perhaps he has not been perfect, but for today he's earned my admiration.