The Washington Post reported that the Democratic National Party will support the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples in their 2012 platform. The ACLU of Illinois is a strong supporter of the freedom to marry for all individuals and is currently litigating a lawsuit to give citizens of Illinois that right.

“This is a historic move by the Democratic Party that places it squarely on the right side of history, alongside President Obama,” said Rick Jacobs, founder of the Courage Campaign. “For the first time, a major U.S. political party has embraced gay and lesbian people as full Americans.”

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Instinct Magazine reported on the recent court agreement between the ACLU of Illinois and the Illinois Department of Public Health that allows transgender individuals who have not undergone genital reconstruction surgery to change the gender on their birth certificate. John Knight, Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, said this is a big step forward for the transgender community.

"Accurate identity documents are critical for life in modern times," added Knight. "These new birth certificates will accurately reflect who our three clients — and countless others — are, and avoid any potential embarrassment, hostility or harm from being outed to strangers as transgender.

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