LGBT Rights

In courtrooms, in the legislature and in our schools and communities, we fight for an Illinois free from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Our goal is an Illinois where LGBT persons can live openly, and our families are respected. Our LGBT work falls into 5 issue areas – relationship recognition, parenting, youth and schools, basic rights and liberties, and gender identity/expression. A cornerstone of discrimination against the LGBT community is a legal system that treats families of same-sex couples as legal strangers. Our primary goal in our fight for relationship recognition is to end of Illinois’ exclusion of lesbian and gay couples from access to marriage. We seek to protect the parenting rights of LGBT people with the aim to end discrimination and legal restrictions on our ability to parent because of our sexual orientation or gender identity. In our youth and schools work, we fight for the freedom of LGBTQ youth to express their identity and ideas, or keep their identity private if they choose; and for tolerance, safety, and fair treatment for young people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Our basic rights and liberties efforts seek to ensure the LGBT have the chance to fully participate in society without being subject to discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. The central goal of our gender identity/expression work is for us all, including transgender Illinoisans, to have our gender recognized without facing discrimination.

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