On Monday, March 28, 2011, Governor Pat Quinn made the appointment of Terry Cosgrove to the Illinois Human Rights Commission.
Cosgrove, an openly gay man and President & CEO of Personal PAC, one of the foremost pro-choice political organizations in Illinois and the U.S., has been active in human rights and efforts to end discrimination most of his life. As a high school student, he was part of the Chicago area committee to support the United Farmworkers. "When I was 15 years old I heard Ceasar Chavez speak about life threatening pesticides being sprayed on pregnant women and children in the lettuce and grape fields of California. It broke my heart and changed my life forever as it was in that moment that I knew I could never stay silent about injustice."
Esther Patt, Director of the Champaign-Urbana Tenant Union, where Cosgrove worked before moving back to Chicago, said, "Throughout his adult life, Terry Cosgrove has demonstrated his deep commitment to equal opportunity for all people. Long before the Illinois General Assembly passed the IL Human Rights Act, the cities of Champaign and Urbana passed comprehensive Human Rights Ordinances outlawing discrimination across many categories, including sexual orientation. These were among the first two ordinances anywhere in the U.S. to ban discrimination due to sexual orientation, familial status and source of income. Patt continued, "Terry knew the passage of the ordinances would be more than a symbolic victory. These laws opened doors to children and their families who had previously been denied housing for purely discriminatory reasons. Because of Cosgrove's critical leadership role in passing these ordinances, he was appointed Chair of the Urbana Human Relations Commission for three years.
Cosgrove's passion for women's rights goes back decades. When he was a student at the University of Illinois, the U of I was not following Title IX regulations, requiring female athletes to have higher grade point averages than male athletes to participate in sports. Male athletes were were eligible for five years of scholarships and aid beyond tuition and fees while female athletes were not. Cosgrove supported his female Rugby player friends by helping them raise the money needed to bring a lawsuit against the U of I. They did file the lawsuit and won the case.
Cosgrove's commitment to reproductive rights has been the hallmark of his professional career for over two decades in his role as President & CEO of Personal PAC. He summarized his view on the issue with, "Denying poor women and teenagers complete access to abortion while wealthier women and teenagers of means can always get a safe abortion is one of the greatest injustices of my lifetime."
Cosgrove made LGBT history when in 1980 he and his partner at the time, Patrick Forbes, filed what is believed to be the first successful lawsuit in the U.S. challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation in public accommodations. The two men were represented by an attorney from Lambda Legal Defense Fund.
Cosgrove's appointment to the Illinois Human Rights Commission requires confirmation by the Illinois State Senate.
