'You don't have Pate Philip to hide behind any more,' state Rep. Julie Hamos said to state senators during Equality Illinois' Lobby Days April 2.
Hamos was referring to the retirement of Senate President Pate Philip, a rabidly anti-gay Republican who held up a vote on the state GLBT bill for years.
With Philip gone, and Democratic Sen. Emil Jones in charge, Hamos and other Representatives who have long fought for gay rights are now focusing their attention on the state Senate for the first time in a decade.
While many believed the statewide bill would easily sail through both the Senate and House, and be quickly signed by pro-gay Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the reality has been somewhat murkier.
Rick Garcia, political director of Equality Illinois, said that a lot of groundwork needs to be done in the Senate—which was precisely the goal of Lobby Days 2003.
Not only do the state's top Constitutional officers support the bill, but so do many major corporations and labor unions such as the AFL-CIO and SEIU. But some senators may be waiting to take a position, Garcia said, to see what the community can do for them.
Almost 300 people attended the Lobby Day, which was down from last year. Garcia attributed some of the loss to the belief that the bill is now an inevitability. He did say that turnout was actually increased from downstate groups, because they have piggybacked on activism in their own communities, such as Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign, and DeKalb. There were also two packed buses headed south from Chicago.
About 15 people met with Sen. Rev. James Meeks from the South Side and 18 met with Martin Sandoval from the near-west suburban Cicero area. Both men are seen as more conservative Democrats. As heir-apparent to the throne of Operation PUSH, which traditionally has been led by pro-gay people such as Rev. Willie Barrow and Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., Meeks has also received significant support from pro-gay U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
Can Meeks be swayed by these more 'liberal Christians,' as he called them? It is unclear if they can help push the reverend away from his conservative religious views, but lobbyists are continuing to pressure him.
Sen. Sandoval appeared to anger some of his constituents by implying that he wanted something for his vote. He asked why EI had not done anything for him—but EI responds that Sandoval, who is a freshman, has also not reached out to the community. Sandoval also indicated he was upset that the gay group BUNGALO said he was against the gay bill—instead, he said he is undecided, according to Garcia.
State representatives, Secretary of State Jesse White, Chicago Mayor's liaison Bill Greaves and others spoke during a rally for GLBT rights. State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka had everyone in her office for lunch—she is also head of the Illinois Republican Party.
While some freshman senators are not making a commitment yet on the bill, others have stepped forward, Garcia said, including Iris Martinez, Jackie Collins and Mattie Hunter.
Last Friday was the deadline for a floor vote on Senate matters. However, EI asked for, and received, an extension. They have until the end of the session May 31 to bring it for a full vote, now that the bill is out of committee. If this occurs, action in the House would not happen until the fall veto session.
The AFL-CIO has 'pumped this issue up to being significant for them, including in their endorsement sessions,' Garcia said. 'Margaret Blackshire and her executive council wrote a very strong letter to all the senators urging their support.'
And lobbyists from the Service Employees International Union ( SEIU ) have also been working with EI on the bill, including offering a low-cost 'predictive dialing service' which is calling registered voters in six targeted Senate districts. If an answering machine picks up, it tells them how to call in support of state gay rights. If a person picks up, it gives them the option to be connected immediately for no cost to the senator's office.
Garcia said that because most polls show nearly 90% of Illinoisans back gay rights, this is not a risky endeavor. 'This is exciting, the right wing has used this for years, and this is the first time we are doing this,' Garcia said.
After the event, the activists gathered at Springfield's Station House gay bar, where owner John Shipley provided free food.
