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News :: Civil & Human Rights |
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Illinois Governor Signs Non Discrimination Bill Into Law; Gay Rights Activists in Champaign-Urbana Worked For Bill’s Passage |
Current rating: 0 |
by kakranich
Email: kakranich (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified!) |
21 Jan 2005
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After three decades of work, activists today were finally able to celebrate as Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed into law a bill amending the Illinois Human Rights Act to add protections against discrimination for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (lgbt) residents. The Senate passed the bill January 10 by a vote of 30-27 and the House passed the bill 65-51 on January 11. The new law goes into effect June 1, 2005. |
Urbana-based Democratic Representative Naomi Jakobsson, 103rd District, and Pontiac-based Republican Senator Dan Rutherford, 53rd District, voted in support of the bill. Urbana-based Republican Senator Rick Winkle, 52nd District, and Charleston-based Republican Representative Chapin Rose, 110th District, voted against the bill.
It was 1973 that the first bill to protect lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals from discrimination was introduced to the state legislature. Illinois now becomes the 14 state, along with the District of Columbia, to outlaw discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual people in employment, housing, credit and public accommodations.
Illinois is only the fifth state to outlaw such discrimination against transgendered residents.
A bill similar to the one that passed last week passed the Illinois House for the first time in 1993. Urbana resident Laurel Prussing, who was 103rd state representative from1993-1993, was one of the bill's sponsors. Before her, Helen Satterthwaite, also of Urbana and a state representative in the 103rd district for 18 years, sponsored similar legislation. The bill passed the House again in 1999 and but was not voted on in the Senate until last week.
According to longtime activist, Robert Michael Doyle of Champaign, Urbana was the first city in Illinois to pass a human rights ordinance in 1975 protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people from discrimination. Champaign followed with a similar ordinance in 1977.
Last Saturday, 75 local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered residents of Champaign and Urbana and their allies celebrated the victory with a party at the Jolly Roger restaurant. The event was hosted by the 85% Coalition, The Office of LGBT Concerns at UIUC and the Office of Women's Programs at UIUC.
The following is a speech I gave that night:
Kimberlie Kranich, Co-Founder of the 85% Coalition.
I would like to take a moment to remember all of the people who've lost their jobs because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. People right here in the twin cities have been fired even though the cities of Champaign and Urbana have had ordinances against such a practice since the late 1970s. Let us remember the queer folks who have taken their own lives in despair. And to those of us who struggle with our sexual identities, internalized homophobia, and shame, we give our compassion.
We're here to celebrate a victory that was more than 30 years in the making. There are folks with us tonight, including Robert Michael Doyle and Esther Patt, who worked in the mid 1970s for passage of a similar bill. Brave legislators including Helen Satterthwaite and Laurel Prussing were co-sponsors of a similar bill in the early years of our struggle. We thank them tonight.
We thank the ACLU of Illinois for lobbying on behalf of the nondiscrimination bill.
Equality Illinois for lobbying for lgbt rights in Illinois and in this most recent veto session asking us to flood the offices of our senators and representatives with demands to vote for the bill and legislative leaders to pressure their colleagues to vote for it. Many of you responded.
I want to thank the School for Designing a Society and all of its members. It has been a longstanding and consistent source of energy and creativity for the 85% Coalition. Our membership and tactics changed when we were infused by members from SDAS.
Thanks to the IMC. The IMC helped us get our message out to activists to join us for direct actions and allowed us to control our image and to be pro-active with our message. Members of the IMC video group videotaped our arrest in May 2001 for peaceful civil disobedience in the state capitol. We were protesting the failure of the Senate to pass our bill out of Committee and on to the floor. After nearly 30 years of struggle, we couldn't let the bill die without letting folks know we were angry! That video was used in our trial and was one reason why we were acquitted of criminal trespassing charges.
And I thank my dear co-conspirator, Mary Lee Sargent, who persuaded me that what our movement needed was direct action. An historian by love and by trade, Mary Lee knew that any change required the building of a mass movement and that one of the strategies of that movement was to demand, not ask for, but demand our civil rights. As Frederick Douglass has said, "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will."
And so the 85% Coalition, which includes many people in this room, demanded our equal rights. We got arrested for peaceful civil disobedience, we protested with signs and with songs. We hung our banner from the Senate gallery in Springfield, and we picketed gay-hating legislators such as Rick Winkle and Tim Johnson in Danville, Paris, Bloomington and Champaign-Urbana.
All the while we were engaged in direct action we kept on writing our legislators and telling our stories of discrimination. We were told over and over that legislators faced no negative consequences for voting against our bill. We put pressure on them with our protests and the resulting media coverage. The media coverage kept our issue before the legislators and voters. Our actions inspired others to do what they could. That's the purpose of direct action - to create a tension between those in power and those demanding their equal rights and to draw in others to the cause.
It takes sacrifice and persistence and is not without controversy. But unless we push the envelope and we make personal sacrifices, we will never see change.
Do not be bullied by the rhetoric of our opponents, such as Rep. Chapin Rose, who say they believe in equal rights but voted against our nondiscrimination bill because it is a "backdoor to 'gay marriage." Mr. Rose is being disingenuous with us. He would have found other reasons not to vote for our bill.
Of course we want marriage equality. And no one should dare ask us to barter our rights. We didn't demand protection from discrimination so we could shut up about marriage equality. We deserve civil marriage and so we will demand nothing less. It may not be a popular stance but it is the stance we must take and it will take sacrifices. There are many people who would like us to settle for less than marriage such as civil unions or domestic partner benefits. But why should we start from a compromised position. Many people along the way will ask us to compromise ourselves out of their own fear. Stand tall when this happens and know that you deserve full and equal treatment and the next time some asks you to compromise, think of Eleanore Roosevelt who said if you must compromise, compromise up.
There are many people will to help us attain marriage equality. But this won't happen without sacrifice. Please sign our list if you want to help out. And please, look around at the some of the artifacts and tools of our movement that adorn this room.
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The 85% Coalition was co-founded in 1999 by Mary Lee Sargent and Kimberlie Kranich.
Our first campaign was to engage in civil disobedience and peaceful protests at the state capitol in Springfield and in several cities demanding that our lawmakers amend the Illinois Human Rights Act to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of groups for whom it is unlawful to discriminate against.
We have two additional campaigns: Equality at Carle which has put its support behind lesbian pediatric nurse and nurse manager Lynn Sprout who filed a discrimination claim against Carle Foundation Hospital after she was fired after coming out to her dying same-sex partner of 18 years. Lynn was a 15 year employee at Carle. She has won her case locally. Our other campaign is CU at the Altar whose purpose is to secure full and equal civil marriage rights for same-sex couples in Illinois. |
This work is in the public domain. |
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Re: Illinois Governor Signs Non Discrimination Bill Into Law; Gay Rights Activists in Champaign-Urbana Worked For Bill’s Passage |
by adult for free press
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
23 Jan 2005
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To the cowards/kindergarten mentality of the individual or individuals "BobbyLee" "Adam"and/or
"confused" whomever you are why don't you all just GROW UP. Your constant irritating and yes off topic blather is really annoying.
I am sure the purpose is just that - to be annoying as you never have anything intelligent or meaningful to say.
Off topic you always cry - not so but here is a perfect example - what do your ludicrous postings "loyal opposition of IMC-OJC, Inc have to do with the article that was written here? This article was in celebration of a human rights bill and non-discrimination for all people - your posting was indeed off topic .
I seriously doubt that you have met or spoken with any of the individials you slander in this post - especially Mr. Baldwin who is no ones puppet and an excellent human being.
Why don't you folks start up your own media and web-site for all those who agree with your and your ultra right-wing agenda?
That would not be much fun though would it?
Don't bother to reply to this posting as I am not going to get into the game of back and forth that you are so fond of.
Just try to grow up and get a little knowledge before you go on and on and sound like morons. |
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CONGRATULATIONS!!! |
by pm
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
23 Jan 2005
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Direct action works again! Great job, 85% Coalition! Hopefully, this will help you kick Carle's homophobic ass. |
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Re: Illinois Governor Signs Non Discrimination Bill Into Law; Gay Rights Activists in Champaign-Urbana Worked For Bill’s Passage |
by Joe Futrelle
futrelle (nospam) shout.net (verified) |
Current rating: 0
23 Jan 2005
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This is great big step forward. Now I'm looking forward to being part of the movement for marriage equality. |
