Black is Black
The Honorable William B. Black
104th District
314 Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
Dear Representative Black:
Thank you for taking the time to meet with us regarding HB 1826. We felt it was a very productive meeting with much thoughtful discussion of the need to better educate many Republicans about issues affecting the gay community, and how rural communities can be difficult places for those who may be different from the norm. Many of us grew up in small towns, but have since moved to Chicago. Our families remain in our local communities and are very much a part of efforts to gain better acceptance and understanding of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender individuals.
We were quite surprised to read about comments attributed to you on the House floor in an AP wire story that ran that afternoon [ about Illinois House members who mocked a bill involving transgender individuals ] . I'm sure you realize that words can hurt but, more importantly, they contribute to a culture of violence against gay and transgender youth.
Just last month, in rural Florida, a 25-year-old gay man was brutally murdered on March 13th. Ryan Keith Skipper's body was found early the next day on the side of a dirt road in Wahneta, Fla. According to police reports, Ryan was stabbed at least 20 times. The sheriff's office is classifying the murder as an anti-gay hate crime. Witnesses say that the two suspects that have been charged in Ryan's murder drove his bloody car around and bragged to their friends about savagely killing him.
We hope that you will reflect on the fact that making light of transgendered folks is inappropriate—especially when they are part of the public record. There are several excellent resources that address many of the horrors faced by transgendered youth. GenderPAC is a national organization that advocates on behalf of the transgender community and can be found at www.gpac.org . You might also get in touch with the GenderYouth organization on the Northern Illinois University campus in DeKalb to find out the issues facing college students. Locally, Illinois Gender Advocates' Web site ( www.genderadvocates.org ) has a tremendous amount of information.
Sincerely,
David J. Valkema
President
Log Cabin Republicans Chicago/Illinois
A more perfect union
State Rep. Gregory S. Harris
Illinois House of Representatives
1967 W. Montrose
Chicago, IL 60613-1022
Dear Rep. Harris:
As members of the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues, we support HB1826, The Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act. This legislation would grant both opposite- and same-sex couples in Illinois most of the rights currently afforded by marriage and we are proud to support it.
The mission of the Advisory Council on LGBT Issues is to address discrimination faced by Chicago's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities and to offer remedies to such discrimination. HB1826 helps address inequities under Illinois law that have a negative impact on same-sex couples in Chicago and throughout the state of Illinois.
Passage of HB1826 would be an important first step towards securing access to full equality for same-sex couples in Illinois. Please add our council to the growing list of organizations, agencies and individuals who have endorsed HB1826.
If we can be of further assistance in efforts to secure passage of HB1826, please do not hesitate to contact our director, Bill Greaves, at 312-744-7911.
Respectfully,
Katherine Ast
Robert Castillo
Gary Chichester
William B. Kelley
Elizabeth A. Kelly
Damon K. Marquis
Deborah Mell
John Pennycuff
Laura Rissover
Lourdes Rodriguez
Cathy Sikora
Adrian Williams
Members, City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Issues
