U.S. Senator Richard Durbin toured Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., Nov. 25 and held a press conference to discuss a number of issues pertinent to the LGBT community, among them ENDA, Illinois' marriage equality legislation and immigration reform.
Durbin said that his support of LGBT issues was greatly inspired by Margarethe Cammermeyer, who was discharged from the National Guard after she disclosed that she was a lesbian.
"I thought about that fundamental unfairness and injustice," he added. "Here is a woman who had risked her life as a combat nurse to save the lives of American servicemen and (service) women and had had an exemplary career with consistent promotions, and when she honestly disclosed her status, she was discharged."
Durbin attended the ceremony wherein President Obama signed the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, where the Pledge of Allegiance was recited by Cammermeyer. "I thought, 'This has come full-circle,'" he said. "She was the illustration of the challenge we face, and now she was here to celebrate as we start to come to grips with it."
He added that he has been surprised with how relatively quickly the prospect of marriage equality came about in Illinois.
"It wasn't that long ago that we were fighting for civil unions, and then, in a very brief period of time … thanks to the leadership of Lambda Legal and so many others, (marriage) became a reality," said Durbin, adding thanks to state Rep. Greg Harris and state Sen. Heather Steans.
Durbin made phone calls on behalf of SB10. He said two legislators were willing to tell only him that SB10 would have their support, despite "serious religious concerns. …There was a lot of lobbying going on that you don't know about, and it involved many elected officials. What has happened in this country, thank goodness, is that our generation has been given a chance to break down a wall of discrimination," Durbin added.
Speaking on ENDA, Durbin said that its passage in the Senate was one of the few times "an otherwise lackluster Congress did something worthwhile. I went to the floor of the Senate and told Margrethe Cammermeyer's story again. I really ought to be her agent."
But the legislation made little leeway in the Republican-led House of Representatives. "But elections have consequences," Durbin said. "Hopefully in the next election we'll see some of those consequences."
He called the immigration reform issue "as hard as it gets. … We had a bill that said we were going to stop discrimination against families. I co-sponsored another bill, which extended protections to all families, regardless of sexual orientation. Then came the negotiation of the immigration bill, and the republicans agreed with the basic bill, but not that provision."
The senator called what followed "one of those impossible Faustian choices—(whether) you're going to have a bill without the provision. The bill passed without the protection for same-gender marriages. I'm still committed to it. The whole train's come to a stop in the House of Representatives, but I believe we should have protections for all. …One thing I've learned in this job is that wisdom is important, but patience is essential."
Durbin on Nov. 25 also appeared alongside Vice-President Joseph Biden and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel at an event launching construction of the WINGS (Women In Need Growing Stronger) Metro facility, the first new shelter for victims of domestic violence to be constructed in more than a decade. The popular third-term Democrat is running for re-election in 2014, and appeared at a fundraising lunch for his campaign as well.
