The March 28 Lobby Day rally in Springfield had all of the exuberance of a campaign victory party&emdash;lawmakers, activists and lobbyists celebrated the House passage of the state gay-rights bill and vowed to translate that win to the Senate.
"If we keep on the course we've started on, we will be able to pass this bill in the Senate," said state Sen. Carol Ronen, who activists applauded for her last-minute lobbying on the House floor March 27. "Keep hope alive, and soon this will be the law of the land."
House Bill 101, a measure adding sexual orientation to the state's human-rights law, garnered 60 House votes&emdash;the minimum needed for passage; there were 55 votes against the bill during the March 27 vote.
Lobbyists and lawmakers have been working behind the scenes for weeks drumming up support for the bill, and the victory came after a meeting with an on-the-fence downstate legislator drew him into becoming a "yes" vote, said Rick Garcia, political director of Equality Illinois.
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"Squeezing the last vote was quite a lot of effort," he said. "It has been an intense month."
Garcia and others also held a meeting last week with House Republican Leader Lee Daniels ( R-Elmhurst ) , a consistent "no" vote who softened his opposition to the bill this time around.
"We had a cordial conversation with Lee about the situation," Garcia said. "He's trying to show a less intolerant face to the Republican party."
The Republican Party reportedly did not tell its representatives they could not vote for the bill. Lead sponsor, openly gay state Rep. Larry McKeon ( D-Chicago ) , said, "The bill could not have been passed without bipartisan support."
Garcia and McKeon stressed that the bill's success was brought about by a broad coalition of supporters.
"No single legislator or organization can claim full credit for its passage," McKeon said. "It was clearly a team effort."
In the midst of last week's celebrations, activists acknowledged that success in the Senate, which has proved elusive in the past, will be an uphill battle.
When the gay-rights bill passed the House in 1993, it died after stalling in a Senate committee, underscoring the power held by Senate President Pate Philip ( R-Wood Dale ) , a vocal opponent of gay rights.
Garcia, however, said he had indications that Philip will allow the bill out of the Senate Rules Committee and before the full chamber for a vote.
While advocates are pushing for a Senate vote as soon as possible, McKeon stressed that the bill is still technically viable until January 2003.
Garcia, McKeon and others will begin meetings with senators this week to map out their strategy in the Senate.
They were energized for that effort, they said, by the largest and most diverse Lobby Day ever done by Equality Illinois/ACLU.
"To look out in our Capitol rotunda and to see the women from Affinity and the signs from Amigas Latinas&emdash;it did this Spanish boy's heart real proud," Garcia said, adding, "I was so pleased with this one because the number of suburban folks outnumbered the city folks."
Equality Illinois sponsored a series of buses leaving from the Chicago area, including the North and South sides. Garcia estimated that 300 to 325 people total traveled in for Lobby Day from around the state.
Affinity Community Services, a South Side organization predominantly serving African American women, attended Lobby Day for the first time this year, bringing about 15 women.
Deborah Benford, social justice chair of Affinity, said its members intended to visit their state representative, Connie Howard ( D-Chicago ) , to remind her that "we're still watching, and we're in her district."
PFLAG also had a significant presence at this year's event, drawing members from the Chicago suburbs and as far away as Rockford, Garcia said.
The rally was marked by brief statements from a smattering of elected officials and representatives of a variety of organizations. Each of the state's constitutional officers&emdash;governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, secretary of state and comptroller&emdash;either attended the rally or sent a representative. All have pledged their support for the gay rights bill.
An emotional Sara Feigenholtz ( D-12th ) , a sponsor of the House bill, thanked the crowd for making the trip to Springfield.
"Every time I see the faces of the people of the gay and lesbian community come down to Springfield, I realize how blessed I am to represent this great community in the state of Illinois," said Feigenholtz, whose legislative district includes Boystown.
Other organizations represented at the rally included the ACLU, the Lesbian Community Cancer Project, the United Methodist Church, Chicago Black Lesbians and Gays, Chicago Anti-Bashing Network, Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
McKeon and Garcia credited the following organizations and individuals for helping with the recent lobbying efforts: State Reps. Julie Hamos ( D-Evanston ) , Feigenholtz, Harry Osterman ( D-Chicago ) , John Fritchey ( D-Chicago ) , State Sens. Ronen and Debbie Halverson ( D-Homewood/ Flossmoor ) , ACLU, Citizen Action Illinois, People for the American Way, Protestants for the Common Good, 85% Coalition and various members of organized labor, including the AFL-CIO.
