Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31 and the days leading up to it are an opportunity to show our support for the trans community. It aims to bring attention to the accomplishments of trans people around the globe while fighting cissexism and transphobia by spreading knowledge of the trans community. Unlike Transgender Day of …
Announcing: Transgender Illinoisans can begin working on the new state forms allowing them to correct the gender marker on birth certificates without requiring expensive and often unnecessary surgery, consistent with modern medical standards. The new law goes into effect Jan. 1, but the Illinois Department of Public Health forms are now online. One form is …
State Gender Marker Correction Forms Now Available Read More »
With 27,715 respondents nationwide, the U.S. Transgender Survey conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality in 2015 included 1,082 in Illinois. As the Trump administration tries to remove protections for transgender people, the just-released findings reveal in Illinois and around the nation the need for such protections, and more. There were disturbing patterns of …
Illinois Transgender Survey Finds Disturbing Patterns and Disparities Read More »
#HireTrans is launching this week to push for more opportunities for transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals, who face high obstacles for consistent employment and advancement opportunities on the job. LEARN MORE ABOUT #HIRETRANS And plan to attend the WERQ! LGBTQ Job Fair this Friday at the Center on Halsted. More than 75 major corporations, …
Equality Illinois is at the Illinois State Fair for the 6th year in a row, this year seeking support for our brave and patriotic troops, including transgender members of the military. Fairgoers who stop by the Equality Illinois booth during the State Fair, which runs now through Aug. 20 in Springfield, will be able to …
Fighting transgender military ban at the Illinois State Fair Read More »
By rejecting the brave military service of transgender Americans, President Trump’s policy by tweets is an outrageous about face of the trend of creating a military where courageous Americans of all identities and backgrounds are encouraged to serve. Our military is strongest when it reflects the full diversity of our American community and when all …
The Illinois House voted Thursday afternoon to modernize the state’s birth certificate law to help transgender Illinoisans, sending the bill to the Illinois Senate. >>>Call to Action: With less than a week until the legislature’s scheduled adjournment, your state senator needs to hear from you TODAY. Click here to send your senator a message of …
House passes birth certificate bill; urge your senator to act Read More »
The bill to modernize the Illinois birth certificate law passed the Illinois House Human Services Committee Wednesday morning by a 7-4 vote. Thank you to Rep. Greg Harris, and Equality Illinois’ coalition partners the ACLU of Illinois, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Howard Brown Health, and Lambda Legal. And a special thank …
Illinois organizations fighting for the civil rights of LGBTQ Illinoisans respond at a news conference to President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind Department of Education and Department of Justice guidance clarifying the civil rights of transgender students. Groups speaking include Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal – Midwest Regional Office, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance and ACLU of …
Equality Illinois, other LGBTQ champions, respond to Trump transgender student policy Read More »
Equality Illinois condemns the decision of the Trump administration to tear up the 2016 federal guidance protecting the civil rights and equal treatment of transgender youth in our public schools. “We are outraged the Trump Administration would choose to target transgender children for discrimination. Rescinding the guidance letter sends a terrible message and invites personal …
Equality Illinois Condemns Trump Administration’s Anti-Transgender Policy Read More »
With the Trump administration reportedly poised to act against transgender students, Equality Illinois is calling on Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Tammy Duckworth and Illinois House members to stand against discrimination in our schools. In a letter sent to the state’s congressional delegation, Equality Illinois CEO Brian C. Johnson says that the proposed rescinding of …
Equality Illinois Urges Congress to Protect Transgender Students Read More »
State Rep. Greg Harris has introduced legislation to modernize the state’s birth certificate law to allow transgender Illinoisans to correct the gender marker on their birth certificate without surgery. Consistent with modern medical standards, the bill recognizes that people who are transgender and intersex should make their own decisions about the most appropriate course of …
New Birth Certificate Law Would Aid Transgender Illinoisans Read More »
A statewide coalition of organizations that work with LGBTQ Illinoisans is calling on the Illinois General Assembly to reject discriminatory legislation that would isolate and stigmatize transgender and gender non-conforming youth by forcing them to use separate restrooms and locker rooms from their peers in schools. House Bill 664 is sponsored by State Rep. Tom …
This Sunday we pause for the Transgender Day of Remembrance. We memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The day is also a statement that we as a community must recommit ourselves to the fight against transphobia. The disheartening list of people who lost their lives in 2016 can be found …
Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan today joined 12 other attorneys general throughout the U.S. in support of the Obama Administration’s policies that advance the equal treatment and protection of transgender Americans in workplaces and schools, a move applauded by Equality Illinois. “Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is standing firm for the equal rights of transgender …
Atty. Gen. Madigan Joins Brief Supporting Transgender Illinoisans Read More »
Equality Illinois and The John Marshall Law School are launching a Gender Marker and Name Change Legal Project to help people work through the maze of county, state and federal government offices, their forms and the fees they must navigate to live their true gender identity. The program will be assisted by the Seyfarth Shaw …
New Law Clinic Will Assist Transgender Illinoisans Read More »
The Chicago City Council stood up for the rights of transgender people Wednesday when it passed the Equal Access Ordinance, a measure supported by Equality Illinois that will ensure equal access consistent with a person’s gender identity in places of public accommodations in Chicago. The ordinance passed the 50-person council on a vote of 45-5, …
Chicago City Council Stands Up for Transgender People Read More »
A Chicago ordinance designed to protect the dignity and health of transgender and gender non-conforming people will be a clear rebuke to the actions in North Carolina and other states that want to turn back the clock. The ordinance was introduced Wednesday by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the City Council’s LGBT caucus at the recommendation …
Chicago Leaders Protect Transgender Access to Facilities Read More »
Advocates from Equality Illinois and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago–including a transgender university student and the mother of a transgender child–met with Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislators in Springfield to advance a pro-LGBT equality agenda during the spring session of the General Assembly. In a meeting in the Governor’s Office arranged by Equality Illinois, the …
Gov. Rauner, Legislators Meet with Transgender Advocates Read More »
HB4474, introduced by Rep. Tom Morrison, would stigmatize transgender and gender non-conforming youth by requiring them to use separate restrooms and locker rooms. This bill is an attack on the well-being and dignity of transgender and gender non-conforming students. It says to them that they are not respected and valued in the very spaces where …
Transgender Students in Illinois Are Under Attack Read More »
The legal situation in Township High School District 211 regarding a transgender student’s equal right to access the school locker room that corresponds to her gender identity offers an opportunity for awareness and education about transgender people and the significant challenges and discrimination they encounter in life. The school district said it would allow the …
Equality Illinois joins in remembering the transgender men and women murdered in the U.S. and around the world simply for being their true selves. On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, there are events in Chicago, the suburbs, and throughout Illinois. Find them here, as well as a link to the list of names of the …
We see transgender equality issues more and more in the spotlight…but what does that mean for you? Join us this Wednesday morning, when we will discuss the current state of protections for transgender individuals under federal and state law, and how this may affect your workplace policies, benefits, and rights. This session is part of …
Today, we pause on the Transgender Day of Remembrance to memorialize those who have been killed as a result of transphobia and bring attention to the continued violence endured by the transgender community. There are memorial events today and through the weekend in Bloomington, Brighton, Chicago, Joliet, Palatine, Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield. Find an event …
Please join Equality Illinois for a day of socializing with friends old and new, dining on delicious light bites, and sipping cocktails at the elegant Mayne Stage Theatre, 1328 W. Morse Avenue, Chicago. When: Sunday, May 4 from 3 to 6 pm The suggested event donation is $10, and there will be a cash bar and …