A deciding vote on equal marriage may not be expected in Illinois for months, but LGBT activists are mobilizing now to put the heat on lawmakers.
Activists are planning two large demonstrations demanding equal marriage, after the Illinois House failed to vote on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act before spring session ended May 31.
A loose group of activists calling themselves "This is Not Over" began meeting earlier this month to plan a responses to the non-vote. That group is operating independent of the Illinois Unites for Marriage Coalition, which is comprised of more than 30 organizations working to pass the bill.
This is Not Over has scheduled a downtown march for July 13. The permitted march will begin at the northeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Congress Parkway.
The march is set to coincide with the Taste of Chicago, when large crowds are expected to increase visibility of the protest.
The group also voted to back planning efforts by a group of activists to hold a massive rally outside the Illinois State Capitol on Oct. 22. Plans for that rally are still in the works.
This is Not Over will meet again on Weds., June 26 at the Center for Inner City Studies, 700 E. Oakwood Ave. The group is open to the public.