January 18, 2010

MEDIA RELEASE

GAY RIGHTS GROUP PUSHES ILLINOIS CIVIL UNION BILL

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Illinois statewide gay rights organization has renewed its effort to pass legislation to recognize and protect same-sex couples in Illinois. During the first week of the new legislative session last week, Equality Illinois had its full lobbying team in place meeting with legislators and advocates at the Illinois Statehouse.

Last year, the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act passed out of a House committee but never came to a full vote in the General Assembly. The Equality Illinois is renewing its push this year confident that the bill can get the necessary votes for passage and is working with a range of community, civil rights, religious and civic organizations to solidify support.

"I continue to lobby my legislative colleagues on civil unions and marriage equality, who have one eye on the financial melt-down of the State budget and their other eye on their upcoming re-election campaigns," said State Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago) the sponsor of the bill in the House. "We have a lot of work to do but we are moving forward in a steady way."

"Real Illinois families need protections now," said Rick Garcia Equality Illinois director of Public Policy. "This bill will give them some of the basic protections they need."

In addition to meeting with legislators at the Statehouse, Equality Illinois has been meeting with supportive groups and churches throughout the state to build support for the bill.

The civil union bill guarantees some of the rights and responsibilities that are currently granted to persons in civil marriages. Among those rights are the ability to participate in healthcare visitation and decision-making for one's partner, survivor benefits and the right to make disposition decisions about deceased partner's remains. The bill also reaffirms religious institution's right not to solemnize civil unions.

"This bill asks for no special rights, only to grant all families access to what most families are given automatically under the law," Harris said.

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Equality Illinois was founded to secure, protect and defend the civil rights of lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender Illinoisans. It is one of the Midwest’s largest gay civil rights organizations.