May 17 marked both the 10th anniversary of the first same-sex couple to receive a marriage license in the United States and the 10th annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. It thus seemed the perfect occasion for Equality Illinois and its partners—AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, the Howard Brown Health Center, Lambda Legal, the National Immigrant Justice Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention—to look toward the future of LGBTQ rights, opportunities and equitability in the United States and across the world.
"Given the critical juncture we are at, as a movement, we wanted to convene activists, community leaders, allies and partners to think about where are right now, the needs that are still unmet and how we can work together to build a better future," Equality Illinois CEO Bernard Cherkasov told Windy City Times. "We're building a society that welcomes every person, without violence where young people—when they come out—are not thrown out of their homes and where transgender people can serve in the military and go to work without living in fear of losing their jobs."
The Embassy Suites Lakefront hosted a full day of hour-long breakout sessions that included topics such as Transgender and Networking 101s, Youth issues: homelessness and bullying, LGBTQ priorities for immigration reform, Access to healthcare as a civil rights issue and even a session that instructed attendees on how to run for public office. In order for participants to be able to speak freely, the media was asked not to report on the discussions held during those sessions.
A lunchtime panel conversation that Cherkasov moderated concerned LGBTQ issues at the federal level. White House Advisor on LGBT Issues Gautam Raghavan, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Midwest Director for the U.S. Department of Justice ( DoJ ) Meg Gorecki answered questions that attendees had been invited to write down and submit during registration.
"It may not seem lightning speed—the advancements that we've made in LGBT issues," Schakowsky said. "But, in terms of other things in politics, it has been. We're not going to pass more bills, even though we have the Respect for Marriage Act and ENDA [Employment Non-Discrimination Act] on the agenda this session but we're working to build our caucus, communicate with the administration, educate our members and try to get rid of some of the objectors from Congress altogether."
"I think it's so important that we remind our community and the broader public that we have so much work left to do," Raghavan added. "Our human rights don't end at state borders, nor do the end at our nation's borders. We have a lot of important work to do across the world where our LGBT brothers and sisters are really facing some challenging odds."
"If it weren't for the White House and Congress, then the Department of Justice wouldn't be making the strides that they are making," Gorecki said before going on to detail the first-of-its-kind Transgender 101 law enforcement training that the DoJ rolled out on March 27. "The Associate Attorney General Tony West described it as 'a new kind of justice for the 21st century. This is what justice should look like. Justice for all. '"
Gorecki added that she was there to call each of the attendees to action. "We cannot prevent and educate on hate crimes without you," she declared.
Regarding ENDA's fate in the House, Schakowsky noted that Republicans recently agreed to double down on social issues. "Elections really matter and we have to watch the positions that these members take," she said. "I think all the lessons that were learned from marriage equality and how you got that passed is what it's going to take to finally get members of the Illinois delegation, particularly the Republicans. This is a very politically dangerous position for them to take to be against ENDA. If they ever want the Millennials to be with them, they're absolutely going to have to change their position."
Cherkasov reminded the panel of President Obama's campaign promise to issue an executive order prohibiting discrimination by federal contractors on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. He wanted an update on where that was. "I have no news to break," Raghavan replied. "What I would say though is that I think it's important—as you keep the pressure on the president—to also keep the pressure on folks in the House. We can't let up on that. We have to remind the public—80 percent of whom think that it's already illegal in this country to be fired for being LGBT—that no, that is not the case."
In responding to the issue of transgender members of the military who are discharged despite the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ( DADT ), Raghavan reiterated White House support of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's call for a continual review of the policy. "I think what would be informative would be to look at how DADT was repealed and the process that the military took," he said. "I suspect it will be a similar kind of process. One of the things that changed the conversation around DADT was service members talking about what it was like to serve under that burden."
Regarding hate crimes, Gorecki challenged participants to think about what they are doing to secure LGBTQ social-service centers. "Are you being proactive or reactive in educating and preventing hate crimes?" She asked. "Do you know, in your precinct, who your commander is? Does he or she know when you're having a large activity where you might be the target of hate?"
Raghavan acknowledged that he has "an appreciation for complicated issues" such as the repeal of the lifetime ban on homosexual men donating blood. "I know this is an issue that the Department of Health and Human Services has been looking at for a couple of years," he said. "I think it's going to be one of those things that's going to take some time. The medical and scientific impacts of any change in the blood banks require a lot of work and research. I'm hopeful that we're moving in the right direction."
Another issue that does not seem to be moving forward nationally is that of bullying, the panelists said. Cherkasov wondered what is so controversial about the issue that it remains bogged down in Congress. "We have seven Republicans on the legislation," Schakowsky replied. "I am hopeful that—if any bill could pass this session—this would be one of them and we should definitely continue to prioritize it and push it forward."
According to Cherkasov, just as hopeful are the more than 70 court cases in 30 jurisdictions nationwide that are leading the tide of court opinions that have opened the doors to same-sex marriage in states such as Arkansas, Ohio and, most recently, Idaho. "We can barely keep up with where the next decision's coming," Raghavan added. "It seems like every other day there's a new decision. It's really great and a sign of our momentum."
Despite the palpable change in public opinion in the United States, Cherkasov noted the suffering and injustice towards LGBTQ people in Uganda, Nigeria, Russia and now Brunei. He asked Raghavan how the Obama administration was responding. "It's very cynical politics that's happening in a lot of these countries," Raghavan replied. "These are politicians using LGBT equality as a wedge issue. It's incredibly sad and it's also a challenging issue for us to deal with. In Uganda, we are trying to figure out how to move forward. I think you'll see some movement on that in the next couple of weeks or months."
For more information about Equality Illinois, visit www.equalityillinois.us/ .
