Many same-sex couples in Illinois are fighting to obtain some of the same rights and benefits of civil marriage as their heterosexual counterparts, thanks in part to gay rights organizations like Equality Illinois.
A civil union bill that narrowly passed the Illinois House Human Services Committee last month is set to go before the full House this spring. Equality Illinois is leading the efforts to bolster legislative support before legislators act.
The organization is chartering buses to bring supporters of the bill to Springfield on April 18 as part of Civil Union Lobby Day at the Capitol.
"It's a chance for Illinoisans who support civil unions to talk to their state legislators and urge support for equality for gays and lesbians," said Rick Garcia, director of public policy for Equality Illinois.
While the bill will not make same-sex marriage legal in Illinois, it will extend certain rights -- such as survivor benefits and hospital visitation rights -- to gay and lesbian partners.
Opponents of the bill, like David E. Smith, executive director for Illinois Family Institute, said it will degrade heterosexual marriage.
"Make no mistake: government-sanctioned civil unions or domestic partnerships would undermine our culture, faith values and traditions just as quickly as legalizing homosexual marriage," Smith and the president of Americans for Truth Peter LaBarbera wrote in an article on the Illinois Family Institute's Web site.
Garcia said past Lobby Day participants have not been limited to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. They come from across the political spectrum and include parents and a broad representation of clergy from central Illinois and the Chicago area.
Upon arrival in Springfield, this year's participants will receive material on the bill in addition to a list of representatives, and will then have the opportunity to speak with their elected officials.
"This is a wonderful intelligence-gathering day for us," Garcia said. "Sometimes legislators tell their constituents things they don't tell our lobbyists."
