Illinois Taking Steps Towards GLBT Rights

The state of Illinois has taken many steps to protect GLBT individuals and their rights, including allowing domestic partnerships in Cook County (Chicago area) and the Illinois non-discrimination bill that was passed and signed into law in January 2005.

According to the Equality Illinois website, same-sex couples living in Cook County have been able to document their partnerships since 2003. Cook County’s Domestic Partnership Registry established a record of same-sex relationships and provided those couples with domestic partnership certificates.

The registry does not create new legal rights but makes obtaining insurance and other benefits easier from companies that offer them to employees with same-sex domestic partners.

Illinois the 14th state to prohibit discrimination based solely on sexual orientation. The law makes discrimination based on sexual preferences illegal in areas of employment, housing, public accommodations and credit transactions.

Rick Garcia, the director of public policy for Equality Illinios, stated; “Should there be gay marriage is no longer the question, it is done all over the world … We will keep fighting and will eventually win.”

Garcia added, “The passing of Proposition 8 was a wake up call for many people because GLBTs’ are not seen as equal.”