November 30, 2021
Happy Holidays! In this season of celebration and togetherness with family, many of our LGBTQ community remain under attack from anti-LGBTQ equality forces. In fact, just across the border in Ohio, bills are being presented to threaten the rights of trans youth to receive gender affirming healthcare and put at risk for discriminatory treatment in schools.
While we are proud of how far Illinois has come, anti-equality bills wait in the wings unless we fight them.
To do that, we need each and every one of you! During this holiday season, we are asking 200 LGBTQ and allied supporters to make a small gift toward advancing our equality.
With a donation of as little as $10, $25, or $50, you can help ensure that our critical work on the path to equality for all continues.
PS: To share your support and encourage others to join the cause, post on any social media platform using the hashtags #GiveForEquality and #EqualityIllinoisHoliday
November 16, 2021
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Join us for an incredible showcase of talented Trans performers this Trans Day of Remembrance, Resilience and Resistance!
November 12, 2021
We’re excited to return LIVE! to the Hilton for the 2022 Equality Illinois Gala on February 5. Promote your cause or business in this year’s Gala program book ad!
November 10, 2021
Equality Illinois is starting the development of our next five-year Strategic Plan, which will go into effect July 2022.
As part of this process, we are hosting virtual town halls and want to hear from YOU! Equality Illinois values the input of our community partners, stakeholders, and donors in shaping the next 5 years of our vital LGBTQ civil rights work. Please help us advance our mission of building a future rooted in social justice for all Illinoisans.
October 22, 2021
“Immigration is an LGBTQ issue. There are an estimated 1.3 million LGBTQ immigrants in the United States and more than 22% of are undocumented. There are approximately 128,500 same-sex binational couples that include at least one foreign born partner/spouse. In addition, the U.S. is a destination for LGBTQ asylum seekers who come seeking safety and fleeing persecution or death based on their sexual or gender identity.”
Read more from EI’s Deputy Director Mony Ruiz-Velasco on EI’s Blog
October 21, 2021
October 15, 2021
LGBTQ people who are caught up in the criminal legal system face unique challenges, but they should not lose their right to vote and their ability to participate in democratic life. Tell your state legislators to vote YES for the Voting in Prisons Bill. Advanced by Chicago Votes, this bill would restore voting rights to people incarcerated in Illinois prisons.
LGBTQ people are disproportionately impacted by the prison system. According to the Movement Advancement Project, 7.9% of adults in prisons are LGBT, and 20% of youth in juvenile detention facilities are LGBT. Put differently, LGBT adults and youth are twice as likely to be incarcerated as non-LGBT adults and youth. When incarcerated, LGBTQ people – all people in prisons, in fact– are denied the right to vote.
Yet, the almost 30,000 people in Illinois prisons are still impacted by the decisions of elected officials. Without ensuring that people in prison can vote, their lives and the communities they come from lack representation. The Voting in Prisons Bill will uplift the voices of communities that are disproportionately harmed by the criminal legal system and will bring our democracy into the 21st Century.
Tell your state legislators to vote for the Voting in Prisons Bill:
September 15, 2021
It’s Hispanic Heritage Month! From September 15th to October 15th, we will be honoring Latinx LGBTQ+ trailblazers and organizations who are doing amazing things in our community!
Sylvia Rivera was a Venezuelan/Puerto Rican American trans activist. Most known as one of the inciters of the monumental Stonewall Uprising in New York City, along with her friend, Marsha P. Johnson. Sylvia also helped found STAR, a group dedicated to helping homeless trans youth. In addition to being one of the first trans youth shelters STAR was also one of the first political organizations for trans rights in the world. Today the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) is named in her honor. SRLP is a non-profit organization that engages in policy work and provides trainings and free legal services for trans, intersex, and gender non-conforming low-income people of color.
September 14, 2021
We are excited to announce that the Equality Illinois Gala is returning to the Hilton Chicago on February 5, 2022. Refer to the Save the Date above for more details. We can’t wait to see you in celebration and solidarity; it’s time to get back together, better than ever!
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If you are interested in sponsoring the Gala, purchasing a table, or any other information, click button below
July 13, 2021
Apply for our 2021- 2022 Community Advisory Group!
The Equality Illinois Community Advisory 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 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 20, 2021. Together, we will advance justice and equality in Illinois.
June 22, 2021
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.
June 22, 2021
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.
Read the written statement submitted by Myles Brady Davis, Press Secretary and Director of Communications, in support of the ordinance
June 7, 2021
BIG congratulations to our Pride 2021: IL’s Got Talent winning artist,
Mikey Everything!
Also, special THANK YOU to our amazing Sponsors and fierce Host Committee members for their generosity in supporting the mission of Equality Illinois to build a more equitable state for LGBTQ people.
June 3, 2021
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.
June 2, 2021
May 24, 2021
We are excited to announce that Mony Ruiz Velasco will join Equality Illinois as its Deputy Director on July 15th.
May 19, 2021
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:
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- From the Chicago region (TIED!): musical performances Ren Braceros and Kevin Mandla
- From the Collar Counties region (TIED!): musical performances from Mikey Everything and London Anderson
- From the North region: a short story from Joel Shoemaker
- From the Central region: a musical performance from Luke McQuillan
- From the South region: visual art from Kane Crain
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!
May 7, 2021
April 27, 2021
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!
April 6, 2021
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.
March 25, 2021
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!
March 8, 2021
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!
February 11, 2021
| 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 |
February 9, 2021
| 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 |
