Apply for our 2021- 2022 Community Advisory Group!
The Equality Illinois Community Advisory Gr
If you’re interested in serving on the group, go to the application page to review the objectives and responsibilities of the Community Advisory Group, then download, complete, and return the form. Applications are due no later than August 6, 2021. Together, we will advance justice and equality in Illinois.
Radicalism is part of our history. The LGBTQ community has achieved the levels of equality we enjoy today in part because members of our community refused to play nice. The Stonewall uprising afterall was a riot. And anger – anger at powerful institutions, governments, and people – is an appropriate and understandable response to the injustices we continue to face. When one out of every five young people caught up in the criminal justice system identify as LGBTQ and when 22% of LGBTQ people live in poverty (including 30% of trans folx); rage at the systems which over criminalize us and marginalize us economically is absolutely legitimate.
And just as radicalism is a central part of queer liberation, so is inclusion. We are also a community that has opened our arms wide to bring in as many LGBTQ people and our allies as possible. Over the past decades, our rage and our love have worked together to build a movement that has achieved unprecedented wins.
As we move toward the end of Pride month, we will see (and indeed have seen) the full range of queer expression manifest. We encourage our community and our allies to hold space for the diversity of response to LGBTQ injustices. We also call on our community and our allies to avoid any calls – explicit or implicit – to violence against groups or individuals as part of our march toward full queer liberation. Anger has a role in our movement; violence does not. As a community, we are our best when we pair our rage with our love.
Today, the Cook County Board’s Human Relations Committee will meet to consider Commissioner Kevin B. Morrison’s ordinance to make county forms and documents gender-inclusive.
The 2021 spring session of the Illinois General Assembly has largely wrapped up. EI’s Policy Director Mike Ziri wants to share an update with you on the progress of several key bills that EI was leading or co-leading. Mike spent the last 3 weeks at the state capitol in Springfield, working with legislators and partners to pass key legislation, such as the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act (SB 818) and election legislation to allow trans folks to run for office without having to disclose their deadnames on the ballot and on nominating petitions.
We are excited to announce that Mony Ruiz Velasco will join Equality Illinois as its Deputy Director on July 15th.
We are thrilled to announce the Pride 2021: Illinois’ Got Talent Finalists:
Turns out, the LGBTQ community in Illinois has too much talent to fit only five finalists. Ties in two regions mean that all ticket purchasers for the event will get to vote for one of the following SEVEN finalists:
Support these artists and the work of Equality Illinois by buying your ticket TODAY!
(Remember, every ticket purchased = 1 vote for the winner of the $500 cash prize.)
If you are interested in joining our Host Committee, click HERE or contact me at eboyce@eqil.org. If you are interested in becoming a corporate sponsor or supporter, click HERE or contact me at eboyce@eqil.org.
More exciting announcements to come soon!
We have great news!
We have extended the entry deadline for Equality Illinois’ Pride 2021 Got Talent by another week – you now have until MAY 3rd at 5pm to get those talents in!
Today is your last day to vote in local elections for important offices like school boards, city councils, and townships!
You can vote until 7 p.m. If you are in line to vote at 7 p.m., stay in line. Find your voting location: https://ova.elections.il.gov/PollingPlaceLookup.aspx.
Are you an Illinois LGBTQ artist of any kind? Do you want to share your pride and your talent to win $500?
Equality Illinois announces Pride 2021: Illinois’ Got Talent. We’re going to scour the state for the best LGBTQ talent Illinois has to offer. Five regional finalists will compete for a $500 cash grand prize. You’re all talented. You’re all proud. Who will win? Illinois will decide!
Please note, if you are below 18 years of age, you will need permission of a parent or guardian to enter!
Good luck!
With the Illinois legislative session in full swing, we want to invite you to SHOW UP! and SPEAK UP! for LGBTQ equality and inclusion during the 2021 Virtual LGBTQ Advocacy Day on May 12, 2021.
While LGBTQ Advocacy Day will look different this year, we must still SHOW UP! and SPEAK UP! to make sure that our state continues to demonstrate its values of being fully equal and inclusive. This is a great opportunity to virtually engage with fellow supporters of LGBTQ equality and let your voice be heard on issues that affect us all, such as the REACH Act (HB 1736) and HIV Decriminalization Bill (SB 655).
Individuals who register will participate in a virtual lunch program and virtual early evening reception and be asked to take 5-6 civic actions throughout the day (30 seconds each).
Register for the 2021 Virtual LGBTQ Advocacy Day TODAY!
| Our 30th Anniversary Gala last Saturday was an incredible success. Our deepest appreciation goes out to our sponsors, host committee members, and all our guests who joined us for the celebration! Because of their generosity of spirit, we raised the funds Equality Illinois needs year round to fight for the civil rights of LGBTQ Illinoisans!
If you weren’t able to join us the night of the Gala (or just want to enjoy it all again!), you can watch the event on YouTube HERE #EIGala |
| Today we are able to do more for LGBTQ+ Illinoisans because our generous sponsors have stepped up to champion our community. We thank all of these organizations and companies for their continued support prioritizing LGBTQ+ communities all across Illinois.
#EIGala |
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Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) A master strategist and tireless activist, Bayard Rustin is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. It took 8 weeks to organize the march and Rustin did it without cell phones, email, or social media. He brought Gandhi’s protest techniques to the American civil rights movement, and helped mold Martin Luther King, Jr. into an international symbol of peace and nonviolence. Despite these achievements, Rustin was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay man in a fiercely homophobic era. In 2013 Rustin was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. |
| Equality Illinois is proud to honor Black History Month by celebrating the contributions of the Black community to the LGBTQ liberation movement. Throughout February we will be recognizing Black heroes who have made contributions to the LGBTQ movement. |
| This past year challenged the LGBTQ community in ways we could never have imagined, but we are proud to have worked with you to help place Illinois at the cutting edge of LGBTQ full equality.
While there is much to celebrate, I hope you will take note that we: This past year we:
There has been a beacon of change in the fight for LGBTQ people in Illinois this past year. We need to stay the course until every LGBTQ person has equal rights! We hope you will continue to partner with us going forward to help transform our state into the fully equal and accepting place we believe it can be.
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| The countdown to the big day is on! Enjoy the Gala on February 6 while supporting LGBTQ-owned restaurants with a special custom meal from your choice of Illinois restaurants. You can pre-order your Gala feast for delivery or pickup directly from Lady Gregory’s, The Birdcage or Wilde Chicago. We are proud to promote these LGBTQ businesses who need our support now more than ever!
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Please note that all transactions will take place directly between you and your restaurant of choice – ordering through Equality Illinois is not an option.
Get your 30th Anniversary Gala ticket TODAY!
| As the Illinois General Assembly navigates the remaining 24 hours of the 101st General Assembly in Springfield, Equality Illinois applauds the bold leadership of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus in their work to eliminate systemic racism and advance long overdue and long delayed equity and justice for Black Illinoisans, including Black LGBTQ Illinoisans.
We know the legislative process is fast moving and will involve thoughtful debates and substantive amendments. We want to take the time to thank the Black Caucus for the reforms on the table, reforms that will make the lives of Black Illinoisans, including Black LGBTQ Illinoisans, better. There is much to call out about these remarkable pieces of legislation. We admire the robust criminal justice reforms, including limiting the use of force by police officers, safeguarding civilian’s rights through heightened accountability for police officers, and strengthening the Illinois Attorney General’s authority to take action against harmful police departments. We honor the enhanced efforts to ensure educational equity, including the greater emphasis on restorative justice and the teaching of Black history in schools. We appreciate the proposals to bring about greater economic equity, including a comprehensive approach to equitable economic development and an insistence on meeting equity goals in the state’s historic cannabis legalization law. And we honor the insistence that healthcare equity is only fully realized when healthcare providers are culturally competent and healthcare institutions are collecting the right information. The Black Caucus agenda is a real opportunity to end systemic racism and build an Illinois that lives up to her values of equality, equity, fairness, justice, and opportunity. As these bills move through the legislative process and onto the Governor’s desk, we call on all members to keep the spirit of equity and the courage to be bold at the center of the work. |
| A villa in Tuscany! A trip to the Grammys! A private Sing-A-Long with a Broadway Star!
Equality Illinois 30th Anniversary Gala Silent Auction is open! Register now for our silent auction and browse all of the exciting packages. The silent auction will remain open until the end of the Gala on February 6, 2021, 8PM Central time. If you are the winning bidder, your credit card will be automatically charged and you will be contacted by Monday, February 8, 2021 with information on how to obtain your silent auction package. |
Click the button below to register for the silent auction!
Bid often and generously! Your silent auction donation supports the ongoing LBGTQ civil rights work of Equality Illinois Institute.
Good luck!
| On February 6th, Equality Illinois is hosting our 30th Anniversary Virtual Gala, presented by Molson Coors Beverage Company.
Called the “who’s who of Illinois politics” by ABC News, the Equality Illinois Annual Gala is one of the preeminent LGBTQ equality events in the country. This year’s historic virtual gala promises an evening of entertainment, fun, and nostalgia. |
To Sponsor, join the Host Committee, or purchase a ticket, click button below
| A villa in Tuscany! A trip to the Grammys! A private Sing-A-Long with a Broadway Star!
Equality Illinois 30th Anniversary Gala Silent Auction is open! The silent auction will remain open until the end of the Gala on February 6, 2021, 8PM Central time. If you are the winning bidder, your credit card will be automatically charged and you will be contacted by Monday, February 8, 2021 with information on how to obtain your silent auction package. |
Click button to register for the silent auction!
Bid often and generously! Your silent auction donation supports the ongoing LBGTQ civil rights work of Equality Illinois Institute.
Good luck!
