Roughly 150 people—of all ages and from all over Illinois—rallied for civil union legislation at the state's capitol April 9.
'It was a hugely diverse group of people from all around the state,' said Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago ( pictured ) , who authored The Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Union Act ( HB1826 ) .
As the time to bring the civil union bill onto the House floor for a full vote draws nearer, proponents of the legislation all over the state are contacting their legislators and encouraging friends, family and coworkers to do the same. The April 9 Lobby Day, attended by about 150 people, was a chance for activists to speak with what Harris called 'target legislators'—those who are on the fence and have yet to make up their minds on the issue.
'We covered a lot of territory,' Harris said. 'Now they [ the target legislators ] understand there are people who live in their area that took a day off work because this was so important to them,' he added.
HB1826 is historic legislation that would create civil unions in Illinois. Civil Unions would allow opposite-sex, same-sex and senior couples in Illinois all the same rights as marriage. The measure passed a House committee last year, and awaits a floor vote. In February, a Senate version of the measure was introduced.
Many younger folks have been taking part in the action by lobbying online. Younger people have also joined the Facebook group Students for the Illinois Marriage Equality Bill, which now boasts nearly 8,200 members. Harris noted that many of these young activists were present for Lobby Day.
Although Lobby Day is over, that doesn't mean the fight for civil unions in Illinois is. As the challenge of getting HB1826 onto the House floor for a full vote approaches, proponents from all over—in particular downstate, central Illinois and the collar counties—say that people need to write their representatives and make sure allies do the same.
Visit www.civilunionsillinois.org to learn more.