Posted By: Adrian Garcia | Feb 23, 2013 at 12:11 am EST

On February 14, 2013, the Illinois State Senate voted to extend the freedom to marry to all committed couples in Illinois. Before casting his “yes” vote, Senator William Delgado delivered an eloquent and impassioned floor speech, and called on his fellow senators to rise up for the equality of the LGBTQ community. The Senator also spoke about his gay son in his speech, who had struggled with the challenges many gay people have to endure.

Watch the video Below

In the speech he says “I just watched [the movie] ‘Lincoln’ and for the love of God, I feel like I’m sitting in 1865, where similar debates were created of why slavery should continue in this country.” He then explained how the LGBTQ community has continued to suffered as second class citizens under the law, saying the “LGBTQ [community] continues to suffer in second class, but not only in benefits, but the body, the mind, and the spirit, of those individuals continues to be second class under our current laws.” “The many whom have quietly and publicly suffered, through this prejudice, name calling, gay-bashing, harassments on the job. these and many other stigmas must stop.” He goes on to say “this isn’t a condition [homosexuality] you can console, your born this way. The many who continue to cry and know that theres peopple like us that have to rise in honor of those silent tears and broken hearts.”

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