News & Commentary

On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and our client and her family, I want to express our deep appreciation for all the people who came out and demonstrated support for Student A at the District 211 Board meeting this week. We are so grateful for the overwhelming support, and the many, eloquent voices who spoke up for her, stating clearly that this teenage girl should not be denied access to the locker room simply because she in transgender.

The ACLU represents the family of a female student denied access to the locker room at her high school because she is transgender. Recently the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights found that the school was violating the girl’s federally-protected rights. The family has not spoken about this case, seeking to protect their family’s privacy. The mother of the student, however, shared this statement with the ACLU. We are pleased to share it with you. 

Last week, a suburban Chicago school district – High School District 211 – announced that they would not comply with a ruling by the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) that the District was in violation of Title IX. The violation occurred when the District refused to allow our client, a high school girl, to use the girls’ locker room just because she is transgender. In speaking with the media and in school newsletters and a column in the suburban Daily Herald, Mr. Cates, the District superintendent, presented a remarkably distorted view of the process leading up to OCR’s decision. Worse still, he presented an insensitive and inaccurate depiction of what it means to be transgender and sent a message to our client and other transgender students that they are not viewed as equal to the other students in District 211.

In a critical decision this week, the Illinois Human Rights Commission ruled in favor of our clients, Todd and Mark Wathen, who were denied the opportunity to host their civil union ceremony at a downstate Bed & Breakfast. Not only did the owners of the B&B deny Todd and Mark the services they offer to different-sex couples, they sent an email lecturing the Wathens about the owners’ religious beliefs regarding the “gay lifestyle.” When the Wathens complained to the Human Rights Commission, the owner claimed he was exercising his religious liberty in denying them service.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the City will begin covering gender reassignment services under its insurance policy for all non-union City employees, making Chicago the largest city with this type of provision, the Chicago Tribune reports. The decision to provide health care coverage for transgender City employees comes after the ACLU of Illinois raised the issue with the City, after hearing reports of a City employee who had been denied coverage for gender affirming services under the City’s insurance plan.

The City of Chicago will provide insurance coverage for gender reassignment services for its employees and their dependents, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The decision to implement this change came as a result of the ACLU of Illinois raising the issue with the City, after hearing reports of a City employee who had been denied coverage for gender affirming services under the City’s insurance plan. The Sun-Times spoke with the Director of the ACLU of Illinois' LGBT and HIV Project, John Knight:

With the Supreme Court's ruling that struck down bans on same-sex marriages throughout the country, advocates throughout Illinois celebrated, despite having won the freedom to marry statewide last year. The Chicago Tribune spoke with the ACLU of Illinois' LGBT and HIV Project Director John Knight about what the ruling means for same-sex couples in Illinois:

Harmful legislation signed today by Governor Mike Pence of Indiana will allow business owners to refuse to follow anti-discrimination protections and other laws based on religious objections. In an opinion piece for the Chicago Tribune, Rex Huppke notes that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, now Indiana law, will most likely harm lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, as they are not protected under the state's anti-discrimination laws like they are in Illinois, where discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is prohibited. The ACLU of Indiana and the National ACLU had petitioned Governor Pence to veto the bill, but to no avail. The ACLU remains concerned about similar bills in other states that have been introduced. Huppke spoke with ACLU of Illinois Communications and Public Policy Director Ed Yohnka:

A year ago today was a big day for many couples in Cook County.  They were allowed to legally get married. In a case brought by the ACLU of Illinois and our friends at Lambda Legal, a federal court judge in Chicago lifted Illinois' ban on the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, not waiting for June 1st, when Illinois' new marriage equality law went into effect.   It was a joyous day, with lots of couples streaming to the Daley Center to be married.