Dear Rep. Patricia Bellock:
Thank you very much for sending me an announcement of the celebratory resolution of the Illinois General Assembly. I salute you and the other co-sponsors for this declaration. I join you in celebrating this great milestone. I believe this civil right has served our state and nation well.
I note that the declaration celebrates the leadership and pioneering role of Illinois regarding women's right to vote, accomplishing this right seven years before the 19th Amendment. Illinois was the first state east of the Mississippi River to allow women to vote in presidential elections.
A pioneering opportunity in the present
In the past Illinois General Assembly session, there were not enough votes in the General Assembly to grant marriage equality in the state of Illinois.
Some of the same people whose forbears were discriminated against because of their background are now sitting on the manhole cover regarding LGBT rights.
Based on the new federal law, civil-union status in Illinois does not qualify citizens for federal rights and responsibilities. I ask, where is the Illinois pioneering spirit now? I am especially curious regarding the lack of declaration of support for marriage equality by women state representatives who come from families that were discriminated against for their religious and ethnic backgrounds.
I believe this is the time for the 42 women who serve in the Illinois General Assembly to take on a pioneering role, exercise their "hard-won rights," and work in a bipartisan manner to co-sponsor and vote for marriage-equality legislation.
Rep. Bellock, I would appreciate the courtesy of a reply regarding this issue and this request.
Chuck Scharenberg
Elmhurst