The Thomas More Law Center is the latest group to discourage Illinois lawmakers from supporting marriage equality. In addition to reiterating trite complaints about children having to learn same-sex families exist and religious hospitals having to serve gay patients, the Catholic legal group goes on to claim that any Illinois resident who isn’t free to discriminate against gay people will “suffer”:

The harms noted above do not begin to address the suffering of your constituents who must participate in and support same-sex unions: small bed & breakfast owners who would be forced to rent out their home for same-sex wedding weekends; solo photographers who would be forced to spend hours photographing and designing albums for same-sex wedding ceremonies that they believe to be sinful; family catering company owners being forced to prepare, feed, serve, and support same-sex wedding receptions, even though the family members oppose those receptions with every fiber of their being. In other states, such businesses have been fined and subject to injunctions, some even permanently shutting down to avoid legal penalty.

A “yes” vote will inflict these harms, all for the sake of giving the title “married” to some number of the fewer than 1% of Illinois households headed by same-sex couples.

It’s interesting how conservative groups are growing more blunt about their intent to discriminate. No interpretation is required to discern the present argument: people will suffer if they have to provide basic services to same-sex couples. This is a petulant attempt to preserve a superior status for heterosexuality while forcing same-sex families into the shadows. More importantly, the argument is irrelevant — it’s already illegal under the Illinois Human Rights Act to discriminate against anyone because of their sexual orientation when providing public services. This is just as true now with civil unions legal as it would be when marriage equality passes.

The group’s letter ends with a claim that marriage equality must be rejected “in the name of tolerance.” There is nothing about expressing a desire to deny services to a group of people that speaks to “tolerance.”

WASHINGTON, DC — Republicans have obstructed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) for years, preventing a federal law from prohibiting discrimination against LGBT employees. On Thursday, Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH) told ThinkProgress that he would be in favor of preventing employment discrimination, if there is a way to “not mess up many states’ employment laws” in the process.

STIVERS: I’m somebody that believes in nondiscrimination [...] I’m not familiar with that issue but none of us are for discrimination. The key is how you work it, how you do with it, and what you do to states laws like employment at will. You have to be careful to not mess up many states’ employment laws by doing that. There might be a way to do it. I’m certainly not for discrimination so there might be a way to get there.

Watch it:

The current patchwork of state laws leaves more than half of Americans vulnerable to anti-LGBT discrimination. Employers in 29 states can fire workers for being gay or lesbian, and a person can be fired for being transgender in 34 states. But ENDA has stalled because Stivers’ Republican colleagues insist that firing someone for sexual orientation should be perfectly legal.

WASHINGTON, DC — Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) claimed Thursday that he still supports extending nondiscrimination protections, but it’s unclear who in the LGBT community he’s willing to protect.

ThinkProgress spoke with the former Republican vice presidential candidate on Capitol Hill about the prospects for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill that makes it illegal to discriminate against workers because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The legislation has been mired in Congress for decades because of Republican opposition, though Ryan voted for a weaker version of the bill in 2007 that only protected sexual orientation.

Ryan reiterated his support for ENDA on Thursday, but was at a loss when trying to explain why most of his Republican colleagues don’t support the legislation. “I don’t know the answer to the question,” said the Wisconsin congressman.

KEYES: One of the things that might be coming up is the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

RYAN: Oh, ENDA. I voted for that before.

KEYES: Do you think that the GOP should embrace this?

RYAN: My position is very clear on ENDA.

KEYES: Why do you think the Republican Party is not coalescing around it?

RYAN: I think it’s just, there are Republicans who support ENDA. I was one of them. I don’t know the answer to the question.

Watch it:

Unfortunately, Ryan’s position is not “very clear on ENDA.” When he was tapped as Mitt Romney’s running mate, the Log Cabin Republicans lauded his 2007 vote for the bill, his only pro-LGBT vote ever. However, Ryan personally lobbied its sponsor, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), to strip transgender protections from that version of the bill, a move that divided the LGBT community. Since then, every version of ENDA proposed by Democrats has included both sexual orientation and gender identity. Ryan refused to clarify his position during the campaign — most likely because of Romney’s opposition — and his position on a trans-inclusive bill remains muddled.

It’s true that some Republicans support ENDA, but over 80 percent of Republicans opposed even that trans-exclusive bill in 2007, and the House hasn’t considered any version since. House Speaker John Boehner “hasn’t thought much” about advancing ENDA in the House, where only five Republicans co-sponsored its most recent version. Though Senate Democrats held a hearing on the bill last June, including the chamber’s first ever trans-identified witness, a Republican filibuster would likely keep it from passing. Several GOP congressmen have defended their opposition by explaining that being gay is a “choice” or mistakenly believing ENDA is already law.

Not only is that not true, but there are still 29 states where it’s legal to fire someone for being gay, and 34 where it’s legal to fire someone just for being trans. According to a recent survey, 9 in 10 transgender Americans have experienced workplace harassment.

Though Ryan’s continued support for at least a trans-exclusive ENDA is notable, his overall record on LGBT rights remains underwhelming at best.

On Thursday evening, the Illinois Senate Executive Committee voted 8-5 to support marriage equality, however, it now seems likely that the legislation will not advance during the lame duck session that ends next week. The absence of two key supporters prevented a full Senate vote this week, and the schedule of the chambers does not seem to accommodate passage before Wednesday.

Despite this setback, optimism and momentum remain high for the bill’s passage. Sen. Heather Steans (D) said it’s a matter of “when, not if” the measure advances, and Senate President John Cullerton (D) conceded the bill’s language could be refined to better “protect and strengthen all Illinois families.” Notably, Democrats in both the House and Senate picked up seats during the election, suggesting support for the legislation will be easier to find in the new session. The media is also buzzing with support, including an endorsement from the conservative Chicago Tribune and campaigning from Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Watch it: