US | Pat Brady Illinois' GOP Chair Backs Same-Sex Marriage Says it 'honors the best conservative principles' By Kevin Spak Posted Jan 3, 2013 9:54 AM CST Copied In this August 2009 file photo, newly-elected Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady acknowledges applause while at the Illinois State Fair during a Republican Day rally in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File) Are Republicans changing their tune on gay marriage? Illinois Party Chairman Pat Brady is. He issued a statement yesterday saying that he's throwing his "full support" behind the state's pending marriage equality legislation, saying that it "honors the best conservative principles," the Chicago Sun-Times reports. "More and more Americans understand that if two people want to make a lifelong commitment to each other, government should not stand in their way," Brady said. "It strengthens families and reinforces a key Republican value—that the law should treat all citizens equally." He also noted that the law preserved religious liberty by specifying that no church could be "required to perform a union with which it disagrees." Read These Next Mark Zuckerberg's 'list' has Silicon Valley buzzing. Tillis, who opposes Trump bill, won't seek reelection. IAEA chief downplays damage to Iran nuclear sites. The screwworm is truly the stuff of horror films. Report an error