The Sun-Times' Laura Washington has a column up today on the growing controversy over Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus, whom former Ald. Billy Ocasio (26th Ward) is recommending as his replacement on the Chicago City Council.  Last month, we highlighted Ocasio's decision to join Gov. Quinn's administration, noting that reporter Jessica Pupovac had brought up concerns about his views on homosexuality.  On her blog, she pointed out that De Jesus told Christianity Today last October that “opposing abortion and homosexuality have been the paramount moral issues for him."  Pupovac also cited this De Jesus quote from an article she wrote on his opposition to a proposed GLBT-friendly public school:

“What about that girl who is a virgin, who is being harassed by lesbians and guys to have sex, and yet you’re going to build a gay school? It’s not fair.”

More from Washington:

As the city's only openly gay alderman, [Tom] Tunney said, it is his "responsibility to make sure that the mayor knows about the concerns," which he has shared with Daley's staff.

"I think some of his rhetoric is pretty hateful," Tunney said, adding, "Our community feels pretty strongly about it." [...]

On Friday Rick Garcia, Equality Illinois' director of public policy, wrote that "we have serious concerns" about De Jesus. In an interview, Garcia told me, "We are very inclined to oppose his appointment because of his public statements about gay people, our civil rights and our relationships."

De Jesus denies that he is a homophobe and says his personal and religious beliefs won't impact his public service. 

Appearing on WFLD's Good Day Chicago this morning, Washington shared this nugget as well:

"Another interesting little tidbit about him is that he was quoted in Christianity Today a few months ago -- or last year -- saying that Barack Obama was the first Democrat he had ever supported.  So we're talking about a City Council that has only one Republican.  So he may be the next non-Democrat in the City Council."

Here's the passage from the Christianity Today article in question:

Wilfredo De Jesús, 44-year-old senior pastor of New Life Covenant, an Assemblies of God church in Chicago with an attendance of 4,000, says Obama is the first Democratic candidate he has ever supported. Until now, De Jesús says, opposing abortion and homosexuality have been the paramount moral issues for him. But De Jesús says Obama's comments about the mistreatment of illegal immigrants have led him to put more emphasis on immigration in terms of advocacy and ministry.

Mayor Daley rarely rejects an outgoing alderman's preferred replacement, so this is something to keep a close eye on.