A recent change in the housing policy at Illinois State University (ISU) is being hailed as advancing equality for lesbian and gay students in committed, personal relationships. The ISU policy, which becomes effective for the Fall 2006 Semester, allows gay and lesbian students who have committed life partners to reside together in university family housing. Because same-gender couples may not marry under Illinois law, they previously were not admitted to family housing reserved for "married" couples. The change in ISU housing policy, authorized by University President C. Al Bowman, builds on the University's decision to expand health insurance coverage for domestic partners of ISU employees and sends a positive message of inclusion to all lesbian and gay members of the ISU community.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois today hailed the decision for its positive impact for the University and gay and lesbian students.

"President Bowman and the administration at ISU have advanced equality on campus and all across our State," said John Knight, Director of the ACLU of Illinois Lesbian and Gay Rights Project. "Gay and lesbian students who are in loving, committed relationships should not be denied access to family housing options on campus simply because current state law bars them from marrying. The trend in the state university system, however, seems to be in favor of greater fairness and away from discrimination. We applaud ISU for contributing to this momentum."

The ACLU of Illinois wrote to President Bowman in February 2006, pointing out the inequity in the ISU married housing policy. The letter noted, among other things, that ISU had authority to alter its housing policy in the same fashion that the University used to alter its insurance benefits program. In addition, the letter noted that both the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Western Illinois University previously altered their student housing policies to allow same sex couples access to the residences. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville also have recently made this change.

"It is clear that the public University system in Illinois recognizes that access to student benefits should turn on sexual orientation," added Knight. "Opening up family housing to gay and lesbian couples will make it easier for students to pursue an education with little disruption to their lives."

• Download a copy of the ACLU of Illinois' letter to President Bowman at http://www.aclu-il.org/news/archives/bowman.pdf