Gov.Rauner Officiates Gay Wedding and VP Pence Goes on a Frenzied
Gov. Bruce Rauner officiated a gay wedding last month. And while some LGBTQ advocacy organizations were toasting the Republican leader’s appearance, some of the more conservative in his party raised objections.
“We are elated that Governor Rauner was able to officiate our wedding. He and his wife Diana are great friends of ours and wonderful people,” Mark Cozzi and James Goeke told the Tribune in an emailed statement.
On June 30, the Republican governor officiated the wedding of Cozzi and Goeke at a private club in Chicago. A photo of what appeared to be the governor with the grooms was posted to Cozzi’s Instagram account and later picked up by the conservative website Illinois Review.
“Our core values embody what they seem to advocate,” the couple’s statement continued. “We got married, are starting a family and are actively involved in the community as well as philanthropy. We are bewildered why certain groups take offense at two people who love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together. We look forward to the fast-approaching day that this is not an issue.”
Cozzi has served on the State Universities Retirement System board of trustees since 2017 and was previously appointed by Rauner to the Illinois State Board of Investment.
In an emailed statement, Mike Ziri, director of public policy at Equality Illinois, an LGBTQ rights advocacy group, wrote: “We congratulate Mark and James on their wedding and wish them a lifetime of happiness. As chief executive of our state, it is appropriate for Gov. Rauner to administer government-sanctioned functions, including marriage. There is no license to discriminate in Illinois, as the Illinois Family Institute seems to falsely believe.”
Some socially conservative groups were not cheering Rauner’s role in the wedding.
“This is just reminding people that he does have a social agenda, and it’s not conservative, it’s not Republican, and it’s certainly not pro-life,” said Illinois Family Institute executive director David E. Smith. “This is just another reminder of how much damage he has done to the Republican brand and its policy goals.”
A Rauner spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment.
The governor has largely tried to stay out of the fray of LGBTQ issues, but days before he officiated the wedding, Rauner marched in the Aurora Pride parade.
Rauner has regularly drawn criticism from conservatives for supporting other progressive causes. Last year, he signed a controversial bill into law that expanded taxpayer-subsidized abortions. He won the March primary against conservative state Rep. Jeanne Ives by just 3 points.
It was announced Thursday afternoon that Rauner is scheduled to introduce Vice President Mike Pence — who has drawn criticism from the LGBTQ community for his track record on same-sex marriage and anti-discrimination laws — at a forum promoting federal tax cuts in Rosemont on Friday.
mgreene@chicagotribune.com
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