The Chicago Bar Association LGBT committee hosted U.S. Congressman Mike Quigley April 11.
Quigley discussed the current state of LGBT-rights legislation in Congress, and outlined what he is doing to further a progressive agenda in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
He highlighted some recent accomplishments for LGBT rights, including the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ( DADT ) and the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. He also applauded President Obama and the Justice Department's decision to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) in court. Quigley is also working to reassess the policy banning gay men from donating blood.
Quigley pointed out that social issues often get attached to an unrelated bill, sometimes making them hard to get through Congress.
"These wedge issues have made everything difficult. The issues you care about get tied to contraception and public radio," Quigley said.
The margin by which each party controls Congress is razor-thin, Quigley stressed.
"When you're in the minority, you have to compromise to get anything done," Quigley said.
" [ Republicans ] say a lot 'This doesn't have a chance in the Senate, but we're messaging,'" said Quigley, in reference to social-issues bills, such as those that limit access to abortion and contraception.
While DADT has been repealed, gay military families still don't receive the same benefits because of DOMA, which bars the federal government from legally recognizing same-sex couples as married.
However, Quigley remained hopeful for the federal issues that still need to be addressed, like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and DOMA.
"We can make progress through the courts. So much has happened in the U.S. because of the courts," he said, citing the U.S. Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, which struck down bans on interracial marriage.