Illinois Unites to hold community meetings on marriage
Tue. July 9, 2013 3:59 PM
Chicago, IL -
Illinois Unites for Marriage, the statewide coalition working to win the freedom to marry in Illinois, is launching a series of town hall meetings throughout the state, updating communities on the status of the campaign and offering ways for supporters to get involved to help win passage of the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act.
The first meeting of this series will be held in Springfield, Illinois at the Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 745 Woodside Road on Thursday, July 11 at 7 p.m.
"Our goal for these meetings is to create a direct line of communication between the community and the coalition," stated Bernard Cherkasov, Equality Illinois CEO. "We're using the time between now and the fall veto session to update LGBT Illinoisans on what's happening in the legislature, listen to the community's needs, and provide opportunities on how the community can become further engaged in winning the freedom to marry in Illinois."
Since the House failed to pass the marriage bill, Illinois Unites for Marriage has been rebuilding and restructuring, with numerous organizations having expanded their role in the campaign. In addition to its founding members - Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal and ACLU of Illinois—among those now leading the coalition are Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus, Anti-Defamation League, The Civil Rights Agenda, Human Rights Campaign, Freedom to Marry, Chicago Urban League, Association of Latino Men for Action, Service Employees International Union, AFSCME Council 31, Unite Here Local 1, Illinois Nurses Association, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881, Citizen Action/Illinois and Organizing for America.
The refreshed coalition was seen in the Chicago Pride Parade on June 30, when an estimated one million spectators—and millions more online and on television—saw thousands of Illinois Unites signs among the marchers declaring "We Are Committed to Winning the Freedom to Marry." The coalition has also been signing up thousands of new volunteers and supporters.
This next major step is to fully re-engage with the grassroots support, reflecting the majority of Illinoisans who support the freedom to marry. The town hall meetings are being scheduled in areas where lawmakers need to hear from their constituents who favor marriage equality. Since loving same-sex couples still cannot marry in Illinois, they do not have equal access to federal benefits available to married couples since the Supreme Court rulings on DOMA.
Attendees for the Springfield town hall meeting can RSVP here: tinyurl.com/ILUnitesSpringfieldMeeting. Additional meetings will be announced online, in news releases and on social media.
Senate Bill 10—the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act—passed the Illinois Senate on February 14 and is awaiting action in the Illinois House of Representatives. After the House adjourned on May 31 without acting on the bill, its life was extended to August 31, 2013, with further extensions likely into the veto session in late October and early November.
From a news release
The first meeting of this series will be held in Springfield, Illinois at the Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 745 Woodside Road on Thursday, July 11 at 7 p.m.
"Our goal for these meetings is to create a direct line of communication between the community and the coalition," stated Bernard Cherkasov, Equality Illinois CEO. "We're using the time between now and the fall veto session to update LGBT Illinoisans on what's happening in the legislature, listen to the community's needs, and provide opportunities on how the community can become further engaged in winning the freedom to marry in Illinois."
Since the House failed to pass the marriage bill, Illinois Unites for Marriage has been rebuilding and restructuring, with numerous organizations having expanded their role in the campaign. In addition to its founding members - Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal and ACLU of Illinois—among those now leading the coalition are Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus, Anti-Defamation League, The Civil Rights Agenda, Human Rights Campaign, Freedom to Marry, Chicago Urban League, Association of Latino Men for Action, Service Employees International Union, AFSCME Council 31, Unite Here Local 1, Illinois Nurses Association, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881, Citizen Action/Illinois and Organizing for America.
The refreshed coalition was seen in the Chicago Pride Parade on June 30, when an estimated one million spectators—and millions more online and on television—saw thousands of Illinois Unites signs among the marchers declaring "We Are Committed to Winning the Freedom to Marry." The coalition has also been signing up thousands of new volunteers and supporters.
This next major step is to fully re-engage with the grassroots support, reflecting the majority of Illinoisans who support the freedom to marry. The town hall meetings are being scheduled in areas where lawmakers need to hear from their constituents who favor marriage equality. Since loving same-sex couples still cannot marry in Illinois, they do not have equal access to federal benefits available to married couples since the Supreme Court rulings on DOMA.
Attendees for the Springfield town hall meeting can RSVP here: tinyurl.com/ILUnitesSpringfieldMeeting. Additional meetings will be announced online, in news releases and on social media.
Senate Bill 10—the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act—passed the Illinois Senate on February 14 and is awaiting action in the Illinois House of Representatives. After the House adjourned on May 31 without acting on the bill, its life was extended to August 31, 2013, with further extensions likely into the veto session in late October and early November.
From a news release