Category Archives: Political
FINALLY! Boystown Gets Rainbow Crosswalks!
Northalsted Business Alliance Announces Chicago Rainbow Pride Crosswalks
Boystown will get a little more colorful just in time for Pride Month this June with the planned addition of Chicago Rainbow Pride Crosswalks throughout the neighborhood. Initiated by the Northalsted Business Alliance, the rainbows will brighten the street at 14 crosswalks on east-west streets parallel to Halsted from Melrose north to Bradley, excluding Addison.
Thirteen of the crosswalks will feature the rainbow design that represents diversity and has become an inclusive symbol of the worldwide LGBTQ+ pride movement since the 1970’s. The 14th crosswalk will be dedicated to the transgender community. The blue, pink and white stripes found on the transgender flag will be located on Melrose south of the Howard Brown Health Center. This crosswalk will complement the mural at this intersection that has been dedicated to the queer and non-binary community.
The colorful crosswalks join the 20 iconic golden rainbow pylons, which are home to the Legacy Walk memorial plaques, the world’s only outdoor LGBTQ+ History Museum and now recognized by the Chicago Landmarks Commission as a Historic Landmark.
Funds for the Chicago Rainbow Pride Crosswalks come from Northalsted Business Alliance donated during the Chicago Pride Fest® and Northalsted Market Days® celebrations. This project has been in development since December 2018 with the Chicago Department of Transportation and the support of Alderman Tom Tunney and Alderman James Cappleman.
Northalsted President Ramesh Ariyanayakam explains the excitement around the additions.
“As an internationally recognized and historic landmark neighborhood, Boystown has been a place of acceptance and diversity for decades. These crosswalks show our commitment to maintaining a thriving LGBTQ+ community.”
About Northalsted
Since 1980, Northalsted Business Alliance (NBA) has worked collectively to enhance the entertainment district known as Boystown. Representing over 100 In & Proud businesses, NBA is recognized by the City of Chicago, national media outlets and residents for its leadership of advancing economic vitality and quality of life for the total community. To this end, NBA provides programs and services that will increase investment, security, opportunity and activity in our district
From Chicago to Mexico…
OFFICIAL FILM TRAILER RELEASED for “EN ALGUN LUGAR”
The official video trailer has been released by Iconoclast for the motion picture “En Algun Lugar” (A Place to Be), which stars Nelson Rodriguez (Pride Films and Plays, Easy Abby) as Abel, and Andrew Saenz (Chicago PD, Sirens) as Diego, and written and directed by award winning filmmaker Tadeo Garcia (On the Downlow, Under Covers).
“En Algun Lugar” follows the relationship between Abel & Diego, from Chicago to Mexico.
When tragedy strikes and Diego’s undocumented immigration status is revealed, their love and sacrifice is put to the test through uncertain times that will affect their relationship. Set against the foundation of a broken U.S. immigration system, “En Algun Lugar” sheds light on the mantra of love overcomes all and love knows no borders.
Alongside Nelson Rodriguez and Andrew Saenz the cast includes Jessie Prez as Braulio, Ian Tranberg as Stephen, Sandra Marquez as Lilly, Charin Alvarez as Rita and Erica Cruz Hernandez as Carolina. Other cast include J.J. Romero, Caitlin Jackson, Blaine Thomas Childers, Enrique Guzman, Juan Martinez, Artemio Gonzalez, Carolyn Hoerdemann, Mickey O’Sullivan, Nick Mikula, Zach Livingston, Will Clinger, Diego Sanchez, Michael J. Sanow, Ayssette Munoz, Chris Acevedo, Matt Nikkila, Carmen Cenko, Daniel Hansen, Cole Reed, Frank Menolascino, Davon Suttles, Jon Jackson, Alex Knoll, Mike Hynek, Richard Cotovsky, Rudy Galvan, Diego Colon, Lane Flores, Cole McMillan and Caitlin Boho.
Tadeo Garcia’s provocative and intimate tale of love and fear of the unknown comes to life in a never before seen cinematic perspective produced by Aric S. Jackson (www.aricjackson.com) and Michael J. Sanow (Under Covers, Blood Brothers). Featuring the people, culture, dynamic geography and architecture of both Jalpa, Zacatecas; MEX and Chicago, Illinois; USA, the wonder of Tadeo Garcia’s story has captivated those involved both in front and behind the camera. The producers stress this would not be possible without the talents of cinematographer Charlie Garcia, production designer Pablo Ponce, casting director Stephanie Diaz, costume designer Freddy Rocha, makeup artists Lilien Harvey and Ruby Ortiz, and music from Los Pecados and The Pinto Bean.
The producers of the film also announce the release of “behind-the-scenes” photos and video clips via the film’s official website at www.enalgunlugarmovie.com and its social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) showing the cast and crew during the production of “En Algun Lugar.”
En Algun Lugar aims for a mid-2017 release.
The new trailer can be viewed at www.enalgunlugarmovie.com/trailer .
EQIL Gala Feb 4th 2017
THIS SATURDAY – February 4th – The Big Equality Illinois Gala!
A formal evening with a cocktail reception and silent auction at 6:00pm, a sit-down dinner and speaking program at 8:00pm, and dancing and live music beginning at 10:00pm.
If you have never been, it’s a celebratory winterfest of the accomplishments that advanced LGBTQ rights over the last year and a gathering of forces for the challenges that remain in our fight for full equality for all Illinoisans.
For over two decades, Equality Illinois has led the charge to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
“We were founded in 1991 by activists who fought to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the City of Chicago. Today, we continue that fight by convincing lawmakers to vote for legislation that advances full LGBT equality and to reject bills that would discriminate against the LGBT community.”
Tickets for the Gala Evening are $300. If you can not attend, but still want to get involved, Equality Illinois can always use volunteers in the office and in the field, for routine duties and special events.
If you are interested in donating a few hours a week or a month, on an ongoing basis or just when you have some time to spare, please feel out this form first and we will add you to our volunteer database.
If you have any questions, please call us at 773-477-7173 or email info@eqil.org.
Illinois Republican Steps Up!
Rep. Bob Dold (R-IL) today became the first Republican congressman to co-sponsor the Equality Act, federal legislation which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity illegal in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit, and the jury system.
The Human Rights Campaign applauded Dold:
“Bob Dold is showing tremendous leadership today by becoming the first Republican to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Equality Act and we’re thrilled that he’s standing up for our fundamental values of fairness and equality,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Far too many LGBT people – nearly two thirds – have faced unfair and unjust discrimination in their lives, much of it in the workplace. In co-sponsoring the Equality Act, Congressman Dold showed how important it is that LGBT people be able to have a fair chance to earn a living, provide for their families, and live free from fear of discrimination.”
Last July, the Equality Act was introduced in both the House and Senate with a record number of original co-sponsors. Since then, several major companies, including Apple, the Dow Chemical Company, Hyatt, Levi Strauss & Co., Orbitz, and Target, have all endorsed the Equality Act. In addition, the bipartisan legal team David Boies and Ted Olson — who was a Solicitor General of the United States under former President George W. Bush — also announced their support.
President Obama threw his support behind the legislation last November after what the White House said was “several weeks of review” of the bill.
Wisconsin and Indiana Get Marriage Equality
Our nearby states celebrated a win last night, as a judge struck down marriage equality bans in both INDIANA and WISCONSIN!
Only nine days after hearing arguments in the case, a federal appeals court in Chicago declared the bans on same-sex marriage in Indiana and Wisconsin to be unconstitutional on Thursday, adding to the list of marriage cases that could wind up before the Supreme Court in the year ahead.
“The grounds advanced by Indiana and Wisconsin for their discriminatory policies are not only conjectural; they are totally implausible,” said the unanimous opinion by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, as it confirmed lower-court decisions that reversed marriage restrictions in the two states.
In each case so far, the rulings to permit same-sex marriages have been temporarily stayed, pending action by the Supreme Court, and the same appeared likely for Indiana and Wisconsin.
Sad News for Gay Illinois Teens – Conversion Therapy Ban Shot Down
Illinois House Shoots Down Ban On Gay Conversion Therapy
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) – An effort to ban the controversial practice of “conversion therapy” to turn gay, lesbian and bisexual youth heterosexual has been defeated in the Illinois House.
The proposed legislation, sponsored by Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) lost on a 44-51 roll call vote Thursday.
Cassidy, a lesbian who helped spearhead the legalization of same-sex marriage in Illinois, told her colleagues people are born heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual, and so-called “conversion therapy” can only harm the youths it purports to treat. SEE MORE AT CBS
Out of State Couples Coming to Illinois for Same Sex Marriages
SAME SEX MARRIAGE is Officially Legal in Illinois and many neighboring states are going to be running here to be married.
Why are they doing this? Even if their state will not recognize a marriage from another state, the Federal Government WILL.
No one is breaking any laws because same-sex marriage is legal here. The couple just need to know how their state will treat them when they get home, each state is different, but on a federal level, they are married.
“Based on number’s of last year same-sex couples doing civil unions, I would say my business has increased 50% from out-of-state same-sex couples. Also, keeping in mind everyone was waiting for Illinois marriage equality, this is year is going to be a huge rise in numbers” said Rev. Pamela who handles a lot of LGBT weddings and services in Arlington Heights at the Charming Pine Manor – or she can come to you.
There are lots of lawsuits all over the country right now involving states that currently do not recognize gay marriage. As of 3-15-2014:
Wisconsin has been challenged;
Tennessee is being ordered, temporarily, to recognize out-of-state gay marriages;
Kentucky is trying to get out of recognizing gay marriages;
Indiana is being challenged;
Michigan has not decided yet;
Ohio is still being challenged – unless you die!
Judges around the country are striking down same sex marriage bans!
What Does Marriage Equality Mean? and How Will You Celebrate?
Plan now to attend the Equality Illiniois 2014 Gala in the Hilton Chicago
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS TODAY
Learn more about the always popular silent auction and the program book
Go to www.eqil.org/Gala2/gala2.html for all the information.
So, how does this thing work? What if we already have a civil union, or
were married elsewhere? Where do we get a license and what do we need
to bring? Equality Illinois is ready to help you find the answers to
those and many other questions. Here’s how:
an Equality Illinois Marriage Forum. Thirteen are scheduled throughout
the state in December and January. Scroll down to the calendar for the
list of cities and to register, or CLICK HERE for information & to register.
Read the Equality Illinois Marriage Guide. This handy pamphlet answers many of your questions about getting married in Illinois. Click here to see the FAQs.
Illinois Exorcism in Springfield by Bishop Thomas Paprocki
As promised,
Springfield, Illinois Bishop Thomas Paprocki delivered a “Homily for
Prayers of Supplication and Exorcism in Reparation for the Sin of
Same-Sex Marriage” simultaneously as Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed the marriage equality bill Wednesday. That homily
provides many insights into the anti-gay beliefs still maintained by
the Catholic Church that inform its ongoing campaigns against allowing
legal recognition for same-sex couples’ civil marriages.
Here are some highlights:
The Devil Is Responsible For Promoting Same-Sex Marriage:
Same-Sex Parenting Harms Children:
The Only Way To Help Gay People Is To Tell Them To Be Chaste:
Haters of Marriage Equality prepare their ATTACK in Illinois
November 20th – Governor Quinn signs the Marriage Equality bill. BUT While Illinoisans across the state are
rightfully celebrating the marriage victory, our opponents are launching
an attack. They are not only ramping up efforts to marginalize gay
and lesbian couples and their children, but are pledging to go as far as
creating obstacles to full implementation of the law and to unseat
lawmakers who helped pass the marriage bill.
As the New York Times reported just a few days ago,
some anti-marriage extremists are preparing to “run and elect people
who vote with us,” signaling their plans to break our 61-vote
pro-marriage majority in the House and 34-vote majority in the Senate.
ABC News reported a more direct threat: “A vote for same-sex marriage
from any of our legislators … means that you have seen your last days
in office.”
Here’s a sampling of what Equality Illinois is doing to defend our historic marriage victory:
EDUCATION & EMPOWERMENT. On Thursday,
we announced our statewide education and empowerment campaign, aimed
at increasing support for marriage equality, dispelling myths, and
empowering same-sex couples and their families to understand and use all
their state and federal marriage rights. We’re coming to you: from
Rockford to Carbondale to Chicago, and every place in between. We will
announce the where and when of the forums in the days ahead in emails,
Facebook and Twitter.
In the meantime, you can also read and download our Marriage Rights Guide here.
IMPLEMENTATION. Just as we had successfully done with
civil unions, we have already begun working with public and private
actors to help them fully implement the freedom to marry. And our
corporate best practices manual will help corporations and businesses
smoothly and efficiently roll out equal benefits for employees with
same-sex spouses.
ELECTIONS. With an over 80% success rate in 2012, Equality
Illinois PAC is the most successful and best recognized political
action muscle for the LGBT equality movement in Illinois. We have
already allocated over $70,000 to defend early supporters of marriage
equality, and plan to spend an additional $180,000 by the end of the
2014 general election.
We achieved marriage equality in Illinois because you got
engaged. And we can only defend the newly-won freedom with your
support.
Witness Governor Quinn Sign the Marriage Equality Bill November 20th in Chicago
at the University of Illinois at Chicago Forum as Governor Pat Quinn
signs Senate Bill 10: the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act
into law.
While this event is free and open to the public, you must
apply for tickets. Apply for tickets to Governor Quinn’s
historic signing by clicking here.
Gay Couple Sues Cab Company Over Kiss
Lambda Legal is working with a gay couple who filed a human rights complaint on Monday against a
Chicago-area taxi company because a driver told them to leave his cab
after they kissed in the back seat.
The couple, Matthew McCrea, 30, of Chicago, and Steven White, 29, of
West Hollywood, California, say they had exchanged a brief kiss in the
back of a Sun Taxi cab when the driver pulled over on a busy expressway
on a rainy night and told them to get out.
Though the driver has been fined by the city over the May incident
and fired by his company, McCrea and White say they took their complaint
to the Illinois Department of Human Rights to help others who might
find themselves in a similar situation. The complaint asks for
unspecified compensation.
“We’re doing this because what happened to us isn’t right, and we want to make sure other people, if they find themselves in this situation, they know it’s not OK,” said McCrea in a phone interview. More at Tribune.
LiveStream of Marriage Equality Rally/Concert in Springfield
of the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality will provide a live
stream of the concert and rally in Springfield, Illinois, on Tuesday, October 22, 2013.
will be available in high definition. The service is provided by the
same vendor that streams live coverage from the Illinois House and
Senate chambers. Programming will go live at 11:45 am on Tuesday, October 22, 2013. The event is outdoor at the corner of 2nd Street and Capitol, next to the State Capitol Building, in Springfield, Illinois.
- 11:55 am —————– National Anthem
- 12:00 to 1 pm ———– Rock the March Concert
- 1 pm ———————- Welcome by Governor Patrick Quinn and Senator Dick Durbin
- 1 pm to 2:30 pm ——– Rally with speakers from LGBT, labor, immigration, women’s health, business, sports and faith communities.
- 2:30 pm —————— March begins, led by drummers and marching band.
- 2:30 to 3:30 pm ——– March around the Capitol
the scheduled first day of the fall veto session of the Illinois state
legislature. The “March on Springfield” is part of a broad grassroots
strategy to secure final passage of Senate Bill 10, the “Religious
Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act,” already approved by the Illinois
Senate. Once adopted, Illinois will become the 14th state plus the
District of Columbia, to treat all of its citizens equally under state
marriage laws, and all married people in Illinois will be treated
equally under federal law. For more information, visit http://www.MarchOnSpringfield.
Alderman James Cappleman to Get Legally Married in Washington State
Now that DOMA has been struck down and the Federal Government is recognizing LGBT marriage – why wait for Illinois to decide WTF they are going to do with marriage equality??
more than two decades! (Congratulations guys!) But after waiting anxiously for Illinois to
legalize marriage equality, and in light of the disappointing
stop-and-start progress of an equal marriage bill over the last year,
the couple is heading to Washington state to tie the knot.
Chicago Tribune has the story:
“We are going to go elsewhere,” said Ald. James Cappleman, 46th.
“It’s kind of sad that a Chicago alderman, an elected official, has to
leave his own state. But we’ll keep fighting. There’s a lot of people
who want to get married.”Cappleman and Richard Thale, who met in church, have been together
for 22 years. The plan to get married Nov. 22, surrounded by relatives
who live out West. The couple already have a civil union in Illinois.Cappleman said he first spilled the beans Tuesday night on CLTV’s
“Politics Tonight” show when asked what it was like to be an alderman
and gay. He later posted his plans on Facebook.
March on Springfield for Marriage Equality October 22nd, 2013
Marriage is an important institution. It is through marriage that
adults throughout our country and throughout the world express their
commitment and devotion to each other. In turn, governments use the
institution of marriage to recognize and protect family units.
However, the definition of marriage has not been static throughout
history. The definition of marriage has changed considerably from
biblical historical days, when the marital unit might have included more
than 2 adults and when every participant’s consent may not have been
readily apparent. In past traditions, marriage was sometimes used to
consolidate wealth, produce children, and create kinship between
powerful families. The legal and social benefits of marriage continued
to evolve to accommodate changing needs of societies.
Marriage continues to serve as an important civil institution in
America today. Its protections continue on many levels: financial,
legal, social, and emotional. Even while the institution of marriage
evolves, it is still the avenue through which our society provides
benefits, rights, protections, and responsibilities to partners.
Marriage bestows a host of benefits -and responsibilities – to
couples who choose to marry. The following is a short, illustrative
list of some of the more than 1,000 benefits and responsibilities that
married couples enjoy automatically, yet are denied to same-sex couples
that cannot wed.
- Automatic inheritance, even without a will
- Responsibility for each partner’s debt
- Ability to put partner and partner’s children on medical or life insurance
- Hospital visitation rights
- Ability to make partner a U.S. citizen and prevent deportation
- Right to take leave to care for a sick partner
- Ability to make medical decisions in an emergency
- Privilege from testifying against partner in court
- Ability to file joint tax returns and use tax benefits for married couples
- Exemption from gift and estate transfer taxes
- Right to joint parenting, adoption, foster care, and visitation of children
- Right to recognition in all states
- Right to file wrongful death claims for a partner’s death
- Right to a divorce, court division of property, and visitation of children in times of breakup
GRAB A BUS RIDE THERE AND JOIN US!
Rock the March: One Hour Concert Will Launch the October 22 March on Springfield for Marriage Equality
with a free one-hour concert live near the steps of the Illinois State
Capitol. The diverse entertainment bill includes reality TV stars from
“The Voice,” “American Idol,” and “America’s Got Talent;” a national
poetry slam winner; a world champion & MVP quarterback who is also a
pre-Grammy nominee; and a 2013 Trans 100 honoree fighting violence
against transgender people.
and faith,” said Tracy Baim, March Co-chair, “and Shakespeare wrote ‘If
music be the food of love, play on!’ We are marching to Springfield to
tell the people’s representatives that ‘love is love,’ and that our
families deserve the same marriage benefits granted to other loving
couples in Illinois. What better way to begin the March than by raising
our voices in song and poetry?”
performances by members of LGBT Choral groups including: Chicago Gay
Men’s Chorus, Windy City Performing Arts, Artemis Singers and Amasong.
Jammin for Justice EarthBeat Drummers will kick off the March.
Headlining performers will be:
* C.C. Carter – author, activist, teacher and performance poet
* De’Borah – singer, song-writer and star of “The Voice”
* Steve Grand – “All American Boy” singer, song-writer and YouTube sensation
* Sami Grisafe – all-star MVP quarterback and award-winning singer-songwriter
Marcus Terell & the Serenades – singer, performer and star
of “American Idol”, “America’s Got Talent”
& “Making The Band”
at the March on Springfield stage in front of the Illinois State
Capitol on 2nd Street. The marriage equality rally will immediately
follow the concert, with a march around the State Capitol starting at 2:30 pm.
We Are Family March for Equality October 22nd! in Springfield!
Bus Tickets
for the
March on Springfield
for Marriage Equality
are now available!
The October 22nd
March on Springfield, at the start of the veto session of the
legislature, is the pivotal event this fall whereby we can finally get
Illinois to recognize the equal rights of LGBT people by recognizing
same-sex marriages.
MORE DETAILS HERE!
Groupon employees to participate in October 22 Marriage Equality March on Springfield
Illinois. Today they released a video, produced by Groupon employees, to
showcase that support.
participating in the March on Springfield, busing interested employees
to the rally that day in support of marriage equality on October 22.
the scheduled first day of the fall veto session of the Illinois state
legislature. The “March on Springfield” is part of a broad grassroots
strategy to secure final passage of Senate Bill 10, the “Religious
Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act,” already approved by the Illinois
Senate. Once adopted, Illinois will become the 14th state plus the
District of Columbia, to treat all of its citizens equally under state
marriage laws. For more information, visit http://www.marchonspringfield.
Chicago and Los Angeles are Urged to Dump Their Sister Cities in Russia
It’s getting hotter…..The Lansing Michigan City Council appeared ready to adopt a resolution to formally begin the process of ending its sister city relationship with St. Petersburg, Russia due to discrimination against the LGBT community.
Meanwhile, Equality Illinois has called on Chicago to end its relationship with Moscow.
From the statement:
“As the state’s oldest and largest
advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
Illinoisans, we believe that it cannot be business as usual in Illinois’
relations with Russia until that country’s oppressive laws are reversed
and gays are not targeted for oppression,” said Bernard Cherkasov, CEO
of Equality Illinois.
“From many small but meaningful steps, a
national and then an international consensus will grow and ultimately,
we believe, force Russia to change its behavior toward its gay citizens
and visitors,” Cherkasov said.
Los Angeles has been also been wanting to sever ties to St. Petersburg for
quite some time. Back in February, Los Angeles City Council introduced a
resolution that would have severed the city’s symbolic relationship
with Russia, Frontiers LA reports:
“The passing of this resolution sends a
strong message that the city will not tolerate discrimination against
our LGBT brothers and sisters in a sister city relationship,’ openly gay
City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl said in introducing his resolution on
Feb. 12. ‘We must stand together and continue to fight for our basic
civil and human rights for all human beings on this earth.”
Left unsaid in City Hall that day was the
possibility – albeit perhaps a remote possibility – that the severing
or even suspension of ties to St. Petersburg by the City of Los Angeles
would send a resounding message of support for LGBT human rights from
the ninth most economically powerful city in the world that other cities
could use as cover to also sever ties.
MEANWHILE at a recent meeting in St. Petersburg, co-author of Russia’s bill banning
homosexuality Vitaly Valentinovich Milonov urged President Putin to not suspend the law
during the Sochi Olympics, claiming that doing so would be “selective
enforcement.” This runs directly counter to the International Olympic
Committee’s assertions that athletes and spectators would be exempt from
the gay ban law.
March for Marriage Equality July 13th
March on Chicago
for Marriage Equality
1 PM, Saturday, July 13
Corner of Michigan Avenue and Congress Parkway
Nothing
is inevitable in the fight for civil rights. While some on our side
were assuring us marriage equality would pass by the end of May, the
other side was mobilizing and rallying to scare representatives out of
doing the right thing.
We need to show everyone that love is louder than hate. We need to show
that the voices for equality outnumber the voices for fear and
small-mindedness. We need to hit the streets!
We can still get it done this year if we all join in. This is not over!
Let’s show our representatives that we’re not giving up on marriage
equality without a fight!
