October 11, 2018
On National Coming Out Day, when we should be celebrating the full diversity of the LGBTQ community in Illinois, Equality Illinois is extremely disappointed in the unbelievable lack of LGBTQ representation among the more than 400 appointments made by Governor Rauner to state boards and commissions during Fiscal Year 2018, the civil rights organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Illinoisans said on Thursday. Of the 431 appointments the governor made between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018, only 1 appointee publicly identifies as a lesbian, gay, or bisexual person.
August 23, 2018On August 16, 2018, the Chicago Sun-Times published a column by Mona Charen, a nationally syndicated columnist, that denigrated the experiences of and belittled the challenges facing transgender people in society. Mike Ziri, Director of Public Policy at Equality Illinois, submitted a letter to the editor in response to the column.
August 22, 2018
There is so much at stake for LGBTQ Illinoisans on Nov. 6 at the general election. That’s why Equality Illinois and our partners are teaming up to demonstrate the electoral power of LGBTQ equality voters.
Through the Commit to Vote initiative, we aim to engage LGBTQ equality voters to vote on Nov. 6.
Commit to vote today. We won’t go back when we vote
August 22, 2018
Two individuals and a South Side institution who work to improve the lives of Illinoisans, particularly LGBTQ people of color, will be honored Friday at the Kick Off Reception for the weekend’s Fahrenheit Chicago celebration.
The three honorees are Lora Branch of Gilead Sciences Inc., Mo Green of the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney, and Jeffery Pub, a South Side cultural institution. They will be recognized at Fahrenheit Chicago’s Kick Off Party, from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, August 24, at the historic Gallery Guichard, 436 E. 47th Street, Chicago.
August 14, 2018
Gov. Bruce Rauner betrayed Illinois’ values of equality and fairness by vetoing a significant bill to strengthen workplace non-discrimination protections in the Illinois Human Rights Act, said Equality Illinois, the state’s civil rights organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people.
August 10, 2018
Seventeen leading civil rights organizations in Illinois are urging Gov. Bruce Rauner, in a letter sent to him on Tuesday, to sign legislation that would ban employment discrimination in all workplaces.
The measure, House Bill 4572, which passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support in May and is currently on the governor’s desk, would make the Illinois Human Rights Act’s workplace non-discrimination protections apply to all businesses in the state.
The organizations wrote to the governor: “At a time when anti-equality forces seek to establish licenses to discriminate and civil rights laws are under attack in state legislatures and courts across the country, signing HB 4572 would send the powerful and unmistakable message that Illinois is best and strongest when state law protects all people from discrimination. Your approval on this bill would be consistent with our state’s bipartisan values of fairness, justice, and the freedom to be who you are without burden or discrimination.”
July 19, 2018
As part of our commitment to an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders across Illinois, Equality Illinois launched the Community Advisory Group in 2016. The group is a diverse cross-section of voices from across Illinois that informs the policy positions and initiatives we adopt and pursue in our work to secure and defend the equal and inclusive rights of LGBTQ Illinoisans.
If you’re interested, go to the application page to review the objectives and responsibilities of the Community Advisory Group, then download, complete, and return the form.
We want to make sure the Community Advisory Group includes the diverse views of LGBTQ Illinoisans from every corner of the state. Together, we will advance justice and equality in Illinois.
MORE INFORMATION and APPLICATION
July 5, 2018On July 5, Equality Illinois, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, ACLU of Illinois, and Courts Matter Illinois called on U.S. senators to reject any of Trump’s dangerous anti-abortion candidates to the Supreme Court who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the historic case that legalized abortion in the United States, and roll back civil rights protections including LGBTQ, immigrant and voting rights.
“Federal courts have played critical roles in helping to advance the civil rights of LGBTQ people, including decriminalizing same-sex relationships, marriage equality, and protecting transgender students in schools. These rulings have recognized our shared American values of equality, dignity, and the freedom to be who we are without burden or discrimination,” said Michael Ziri, Director of Public Policy at Equality Illinois.
Ziri emphasized: “Opponents of equality want to transform the US Supreme Court and lower courts into instruments that would turn back the civil rights clock. With anti-equality forces being just one Supreme Court justice away from having that power, we call on our political leaders – including Senators Durbin and Duckworth and Governor Rauner – to take action and defend Illinois values.”
