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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to commend Equality Illinois and its
4mission to build a better Illinois by advancing equal treatment
5and full acceptance of the LGBTQ community; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Equality Illinois was founded as the Illinois
7Federation for Human Rights by Arthur Johnston, Rick Garcia,
8and the late Jon Henri Damski and Lana Hostetler in 1991; its
9mission was to secure, protect, and defend the basic civil
10rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, and questioning
11transgender (LGBTQ) Illinoisans; the organization's name was
12changed to Equality Illinois in 2000; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Equality Illinois envisions a fair and unified
14State where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and
15where all people live freely regardless of sexual orientation
16or gender identity or gender expression; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Equality Illinois achieved a benchmark victory
18with the passage of an amendment adding sexual orientation and
19gender identity to the Illinois Human Rights Act in 2005; that
20same year, the organization was inducted into the Chicago Gay
21and Lesbian Hall of Fame; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Equality Illinois was instrumental in securing
2passage of the civil union law in Illinois in 2010; members of
3the organization traveled across the State to collect over
430,000 postcards from supporters urging their legislators to
5support the marriage bill in all 118 legislative districts; the
6organization made history by passing the Religious Freedom and
7Marriage Fairness Act out of the General Assembly and onto then
8Governor Pat Quinn's desk, making Illinois the 16th state to
9secure freedom to marry; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Equality Illinois engaged hundreds of new voters
11and ensured accurate voter registration during election
12cycles; the organization created the innovative Vote Naked
13campaign and distributed over 550,000 mail-in ballot requests
14and helped voters take advantage of a new law that allows
15voting by mail for any reason; following Vote Naked, Equality
16Illinois created the Get Your V Card campaign to encourage
17voter registration and participation; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Equality Illinois built a successful campaign to
19protect LGBTQ youth by supporting the Youth Mental Health
20Protection Act; the organization led a winning effort to update
21the Illinois Hate Crimes Act, including the first explicit
22inclusion of crimes against transgender people and protections
23for LGBTQ community centers, and worked with Illinois'
24Congressional delegation to fortify support for federal

 

 

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1pro-LGBTQ equality measures, including the Equality Act, the
2first comprehensive LGBTQ civil rights bill introduced in
3Congress; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Equality Illinois worked with local communities
5throughout the State to pass local nondiscrimination
6ordinances and unveiled a comprehensive Know Your Rights
7educational program to educate the LGBTQ community about its
8rights and responsibilities under State and federal laws;
9therefore, be it
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
11HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
12we commend Equality Illinois, the State's oldest, largest, and
13most effective LGBTQ equality organization, on its work to
14reach individuals and organizations, both within the LGBTQ
15community and throughout the general public, across the
16private, public, and nonprofit sectors and to build a better
17Illinois; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to Equality Illinois as an expression of our esteem
20and respect.