Pictured #1 Standing, from left: Sen. Emil Jones, Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, Rep. Larry McKeon, Rick Garcia , Michael Leppen, Sen. Carol Ronen, Sen. Don Harmon, Rep. Karen Yarbrough, and Art Johnston. Seated is Gov. Rod Blagojevich. #2 Deb Mell, Rep. McKeon and Gov. Blagojevich. Photos by Suzanne Kraus. #3 Activists and pols gathered for the historic signing by Gov. Blagojevich (right). Photo by Andrew Davis. #4 The crowd at the signing ceremony. Photo by Suzanne Kraus # 5 Sen. Carol Ronen and Equality Illinois activists Art Johnston and Rick Garcia at the victory celebration Jan. 21 at Sidetrack. Photo by Mel Ferrand. #5 Senators Ronen and Jones with the governor. Photo by Andrew Davis.
With a few strokes of a pen, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich made history in the battle for civil rights for the state's GLBT community.
On Jan. 21, before a packed room in the old State of Illinois building at 160 N. LaSalle, Blagojevich signed the gay-rights measure, now known as Public Act 093-1078, into law.
The law, which immediately went into effect, adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the current state statute that protects against discrimination based on race, gender, or religion.
Illinois is now the 15th state to outlaw bias against gays and lesbians in areas ranging from housing and employment. It is also only the fifth state to extend those protections to the transgender community.
The signing was preceded by the introductions of key players in the passage of the bill. Just a few of the people who were named and applauded were Sen. Carol Ronen, D-Chicago, ( the act's key sponsor in the state Senate ) ; openly gay state House Rep. Larry McKeon, D-Chicago ( the main sponsor in the other chamber ) ; Rick Garcia, political director of Equality Illinois; Sen. Emil Jones, D-Chicago, the Senate president who was instrumental in securing votes for the bill; and Deb Mell, daughter of Ald. Richard Mell and sister-in-law of the governor.
Ronen said this bill has been coming for three decades and 'the Land of Lincoln is finally the land of equal opportunity.' She noted that one of the key developments that occurred was the ousting of Sen. Pate Philip; she also cited Jones, Philip's replacement, as 'the true champion and one of my heroes.' Jones said that he was glad that 'this day has come' and thought that Ronen 'did an excellent job' throughout the entire battle.
Blagojevich, who graciously said that he did not deserve a standing ovation as much as the leaders who stood on stage behind him, stated that the bill reminded him of 'the promise of the American dream.'
He referred to history when talking about the bill: 'This is about what our republic has struggled to be since back in 1776, when Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and stated that all men are created equal.' He also referred to the Bible when he said that what transpired 'is as old as the Scripture: Love thy neighbor.' The governor went on to add that ' [ w ] e are doing something bigger than signing a piece of legislation; we're doing something that's part of the progress that our country will ultimately [ achieve ] .'
The crowd cheered when he recognized the efforts of Deb Mell: 'I'm proud to acknowledge the hard work of my sister-in-law, who's become a leader and activist in the gay community. She's someone, like Gandhi and Martin Luther King before her, who is willing to go to jail for a cause that she believes in.'
Rep. McKeon thanked his fellow legislators. In particular, he thanked 'one of my colleagues, who shall remain nameless. His questions, in opposition to the bill, were about animals, pedophiles, and registered sex offenders. He offended two of his Republican colleagues so much that they switched from 'No' to 'Yes'. So I want to thank the representative for all of his assistance.'
State Sen. Mattie Hunter, D-Chicago, thanked Ronen and activist groups such as Equality Illinois for their 'perseverance and dedication and the decision to never give up on [ their ] dreams. This teaches us that if you believe in something, go for it and never give up.'
State Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago, mentioned three people in particular: Blagojevich, Jones, and Ronen. Cullerton generated laughs when he said that he wished that he were around when Jones got two 'Yes' votes from hesitant fellow senators. 'Something tells me that [ the discussion ] wasn't about the nuances of the legislation.' He also issued this comedic understatement: 'This may shock some of you, but the community is not that easy to work with.' However, several audience members nodded their heads in agreement when Cullerton said that he hopes that 'this bill is never even utilized.'
State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, gave the most poignant speech as she not only saluted the living supporters of the bill but the deceased ones as well. She saluted people in attendance such as activists Mike Bauer and Lori Cannon, but also talked about those 'who are no longer here with us but who are looking down on us and fought in the trenches with us—people like [ political cartoonist ] Danny Sotomayor and [ writer ] Jon-Henri Damski. They were part and always will be part of the fabric of this community. I hope that they're in this room today, watching this very momentous occasion.'
Mike McHale, president of the board of Equality Illinois, said that 'today is the culmination of over 30 years of hard work.' He added that 'it is great day, not only for the people of Illinois, but for all Americans who believe in fairness and equality.' McHale also paid tribute to past supporters by referring to state representatives Susan Catania, Elroy Sandquist, Robert Mann, and Jesse White. He also mentioned the Illinois Gay Rights Task Force, 'which began this effort in the early 1970s.'
With that being said, Ronen asked Blagojevich to put his John Hancock on the bill— which he eagerly did, striking blows for LGBT rights and for progress.
Public Act 093-1078—
What It Does
Public Act 093-1078 ( formerly known as Senate Bill 3186 ) alters the Illinois Human Rights Act. It is now the state's public policy to protect individuals from discrimination on the bases of 'race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental handicap, military status, sexual orientation, or unfavorable military discharge from service in connection with employment, real estate transactions, access to financial credit, and the availability of public accommodations.'
According to this act, 'sexual orientation' refers to 'actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or gender related identity, whether or not traditionally associated with the person's designated sex at birth. 'Sexual orientation' does not include a physical or sexual attraction to a minor by an adult.'
