On April 29, busloads of individuals went to Springfield, Ill., to participate on Lobby Day, where people directly communicate with politicians about issues of importance. Windy City Times talked with State Rep. Greg Harris about Civil Union Lobby Day, which revolves around the passage of HB 2234, the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act.
Windy City Times: For those who don't know, what is Lobby Day?
Greg Harris: Lobby Day is a chance for people all around the state to make a concerted effort to come to the capitol and talk with legislators about their issues. [ In the process ] they raise the level of awareness about civil unions, breast cancer, immigration or whatever your issue is.
WCT: And how do you think Civil Union Lobby Day went?
GH: I think it went very, very well. This year, we had much more diverse representation of the state. It's very easy, on a subject like gay rights, for everyone to be from my district, or Harry Osterman's or Sara Feigenholtz's district. But it was really great to see people from the Peoria area, the Edwardsville area, Bolingbrook and Naperville—a cross-section of Illinois.
WCT: How confident are you that [ HB 2234 ] is going to pass?
GH: I'm very hopeful. Until all the votes are signed and sealed, I can't say for sure that it'll pass. But there are also these last couple of votes where people are swinging between "yes" and "no"—those are the hardest votes to get. Clearly, they are getting pounded from both sides—the pro and the con—and they're trying to figure out the right thing to do for their district.
WCT: Do you have any sense of how things are shaping up in the Senate?
GH: Oh, yeah. I think the Senate is in good shape. The Senate didn't have nearly as much turnover as the House did [ because of last November's election ] . The House had 16 new members, so they have to learn how to be a rep but they have to deal with new issues; for a lot of people, marriage equality is not at the forefront of their personal experience. They need to learn all the facts and arguments, and then have to figure out where their districts stand on [ the issue ] .
WCT: And speaking of marriage equality, that is your ultimate goal, correct?
GH: I believe that all in our community believe that's where we should get to. I think that's just the ongoing part of the struggle. I believe that we should be treated fairly.
WCT: Let's say the bill passes through the General Assembly and becomes law. How would that change tax forms, for example? Would there be a new category to check off?
GH: That would all be developed by the department; the bill is silent on what forms each department has. But, keep in mind that, for most people, their tax status comes from their federal returns, which is unchanged from anything any state does.
WCT: So if a couple got married in Iowa and moved to Illinois, how would they be recognized?
GH: What the law says that any marriage, civil union, domestic partnership or a similar legal arrangement would be recognized as a civil union here—and because there isn't a lot of uniformity between what's going on [ geographically ] , we use "substantially similar arrangement." Until we get full marriage equality, we're trying to recognize all statuses.
WCT: And do you think what's happening in the other states, such as Iowa, Maine and New Hampshire, will have a snowball effect here?
GH: I think it really helps set the table for the discussion, but if I'm a rep from a southern Illinois district, I'm going to care about what my neighbors and voters say than what happens in another state. But I think it shows the direction the country is moving.
WCT: What can the general public do to help [ HB 2234 ] pass?
GH: I think the important thing is to reach out to everyone you know—family, friends, co-workers, fellow parishioners—who does not live along the Chicago lakefront and say, "It's time to call your representative and your senator, and [ tell them ] to support House Bill 2234."
