|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|
|
EI thanks politicians who backed marriage equality
by Melissa Wasserman 2014-06-08
|
|
This article shared 2844 times since Sun Jun 8, 2014
|
|
Equality Illinois ( EI ) toasted the arrival of Illinois' marriage equality along with political, community and corporate leaders who had a hand in making the change with its Tribute Reception on June 8.
"First of all, it is wonderfully overwhelming that we are here in Pride Month celebrating that marriage equality is here in Illinois," said Equality Illinois founder Art Johnston. "It is a remarkable thing when so few years ago we could not even convince legislatures to protect us from being fired from our jobs."
Held in the downtown JW Marriott's ballroom, more than 200 guests celebrated with a champagne brunch. Among the guests, approximately 20 elected/appointed officials were in attendance. The event served to acknowledge the leaders responsible for the advances within the LGBT community, especially the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act.
"Today was a great opportunity to thank many of those people and as I always want to do, remind all of us is that this didn't happen in a day or two and there are deep roots," said Johnston. "This has been going on for a long time and our combined communities have suffered horribly and pulled ourselves out of it to get to where we are today and it is kind of remarkable that we're actually here. It was a lovely event, lovely that we got a chance to talk about those things, lovely to look around this room of supporters and to see how far we have come in public acceptance."
Johnston led the program on stage introducing each speaker, including Equality Illinois Education Project Board Chair Dalila Fridi, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Gov. Pat Quinn, Sen. Heather Steans and Rep. Greg Harris. Fridi, John Parro, Cathy Sikora and Michael Jefvert, EI members finishing their service on the organization's board, were also honored with a plaque.
"What I loved today was the diversity," said Fridi, who said her work is not done, even though she delivered her "goodbye" on stage. "We had people from all kinds of organizations, different communities, a lot of elected officials, which was great. I'm very proud of the work we've done and the success of gay marriage is not one organizationit was the coalition. We have a governor's race this fall that we have to be very careful. We have to elect the person who supported us, not the person who said he will veto the bill if it ever came to him. I hope our community and allies go out and vote." |
|
|
|
This article shared 2844 times since Sun Jun 8, 2014
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | Center on Halsted looks ahead to New Horizons at annual Human First Gala 2024-04-22 - New Horizons was the theme of this year's sold-out Center on Halsted (The Center) annual Human First Gala April 20 at The Geraghty in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. Ahead of the awards ceremony, the Center's Board of ...
|
| | Howard Brown reaches tentative agreement with union after 1.5 years of contentious negotiations 2024-04-18 - Howard Brown Health has reached a tentative agreement with its union, after a year and a half of negotiations that included two workers strikes. The Illinois Nurses Association, which represents about 360 employees at Howard Brown ...
|
| | 'United, Not Uniform': Lesbian Visibility Week starts April 22 nationwide 2024-04-17 --From a press release - San Francisco — Lesbian Visibility Week (#LVW24) kicks off on Monday, April 22 with a private event at the London Stock Exchange USA headquarters in New York City. This exclusive gathering marks the beginning of a ...
|
| | News is Out, Word In Black, Comcast NBCUniversal welcomes 16 Journalism Fellows to cover Black, LGBTQ+ communities 2024-04-16 - Philadelphia (April 15, 2024) — Today, News is Out and Word In Black, together announced the 16 fellows selected for The Digital Equity Local Voices Lab, a new initiative powered by Comcast NBCUniversal to place journalists ...
|
| | A prom of their own: Chicago orgs host LGBTQ+ youth celebration 2024-04-15 - On April 13, Center on Halsted hosted its queer prom, MasQUEERade, for folks enrolled in its youth services. Prom goers created their own masquerade masks thanks to craft stations at the door. The evening included a ...
|
| | David E. Munar reflects on Howard Brown leadership and new Columbus, Ohio post 2024-04-11 - On April 1, David E. Munar started his tenure as CEO of the Columbus, Ohio-based non-profit health system Equitas. The date marked the latest chapter for Munar, who previously helmed AIDS Foundation Chicago and, most recently, ...
|
| | Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame seeks nominations for 2024 induction 2024-04-09 --From a press release - The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame has announced a call for nominations for the 2024 class of inductees into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. Those wishing to may nominate individuals, organizations, businesses, or "Friends of ...
|
| | Tiny Home Summit 2.0 convenes experts to explore affordable, small-scale housing June 13 2024-04-09 --From a press release - CHICAGOA gathering of more than 250 elected officials, developers, advocates, philanthropists, community members, and people with lived experience will take place June 13, 2024 to discuss and strategize around the ...
|
| | HRC president responds to NAIA vote to ban transgender women from playing sports 2024-04-08 --From a press release - WASHINGTON Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, responded to the National Association of ...
|
| | Lambda Legal: NAIA proposed transgender sports ban disappointing, harmful reversal 2024-04-08 - Lambda Legal: NAIA Proposed Transgender Sports Ban a Disappointing and Harmful Reversal "The NAIA announcement sends a dangerous message, is inconsistent with the law and science, and undercuts the organization's ...
|
| | Lighthouse Foundation releases first Black Queer Equity Index report card 2024-04-02 - After three years of working with a small group of Chicago LGBTQ+ organizations, Lighthouse Foundation released its inaugural Black Queer Equity Index (BQEI) report this past week, ranking how each organization supports five areas of support ...
|
| | Munar starts as head of Columbus LGBTQ+ health organization 2024-04-02 - Former Howard Brown Health CEO and President David Munar will now head the Columbus, Ohio-based LGBTQ+ health provider Equitas. Munar began his new position as Equitas CEO on April 1, Columbus Dispatch reported. "I am honored ...
|
| | Lambda Legal Launches "Speak OUT" awareness campaign uplifting trans, nonbinary voices 2024-03-28 --From a press release. VIDEO BELOW - (NEW YORK, NY — March 28, 2024) In advance of Transgender Day of Visibility, Lambda Legal, the nation's oldest and largest legal nonprofit working to achieve full equal rights for LGBTQ people and everyone living with ...
|
| | Brown Elephant returns to Northalsted 2024-03-26 - Brown Elephant's Lake View location is moving to Northalsted and already accepting donations. Howard Brown Health, the largest LGBTQ+ health center in the midwest, operates three Brown Elephant resale shops in the Chicagoland area to help ...
|
| | Be here, be queer, play polo: Gay Polo League creates safe athletic space for LGBTQ community 2024-03-26 - LGBTQ+ athletic clubs aren't too hard to come by, offering a variety of sports such as softball, soccer and more in cities across the country. But LGBTQ+ athletes would be harder pressed to find someplace to ...
| |
|
|
|
|