Quigley & Chicago LGBT Community Leaders Stand in Support of Equality Act during Chicago Pride
CHICAGO – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), Vice-Chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, joined Chicago LGBT community leaders following the Proud To Run 5k/10k race to build awareness for the vital necessity of the Equality Act, energizing the LGBT community and its allies to continue advocating for its swift passage.
“Despite last June’s Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, which we will proudly celebrate the one year anniversary of on Sunday, LGBT Americans still lack basic legal protections. In progressive cities like Chicago, we tend to forget that too many Americans can be fired from their jobs or denied an apartment simply because of who they love. In the absence of a federal law, LGBT Americans are continually discriminated against in education, credit, employment, housing, and public accommodations. This is unacceptable,” said Rep. Quigley. “The recent state laws enacted in places like Mississippi and North Carolina drove home the absolute necessity of the Equality Act, which amends The Civil Rights Act of 1964 to extend the exact same protections to LGBT people, no more and no less, than exist for the protected classes of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. I’m thankful for the work of the incredible Chicago LGBT community leaders in advocating for its eventual passage and supporting the bill with me during Chicago’s Pride festivities.”
“Proud to Run is happy to have Congressman Quigley join us and speak about how he is prioritizing the Equality Act HR 3185,” said Justin Koziatek, Co-Director of Proud To Run. “It is time for federal legislation to provide natural rights to LGBTQ individuals in core areas of our lives. We will keep doing our part to bring community together and show everyone that we are human and not to be discriminated against. Forever Proud.”
Rep. Quigley (at podium) kicked off Chicago Pride festivities surrounded by Chicago LGBT community leaders following the Proud To Run 5k/10k race.
Despite the recent Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, LGBT Americans still lack basic legal protections in the areas of credit, education, employment, federal funding, housing, jury service, and public accommodations. While many states have adopted numerous LGBT civil rights laws, there is currently no uniform federal standard that protects all LGBT Americans from discrimination.
The Equality Act, which is authored by Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01) in the House and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in the Senate, would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make it illegal to discriminate against someone based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The legislation would apply to public accommodations, federal funding, education, employment, housing, credit, and jury service.
Rep. Quigley was joined by the following Chicago LGBT community leaders in support of the Equality Act: Emmalee Scott, Development Association, ACLU of Illinois; Benjamin Sprunger, Development Director, About Face Theatre; Tico Valle, Chief Executive Officer, Center on Halsted; Scott Ammarell, Chief Executive Officer, Chicago House; Mike Ziri, Director of Public Policy, Equality Illinois; David Ernesto Munar, President and CEO, Howard Brown Health; Xavier Esters, Member of the Board of Governors, Human Rights Campaign Chicago; Kevin Mork, Director of Development, Legal Council for Health Justice; and, Myles Brady, Advisory Council, Pride Action Tank.
A part of Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Pride Week activities since 1982, Proud To Run (PTR) is an annual 10K run & 5K run/walk along Chicago’s lakefront, focused on celebrating pride in a healthy way and raising funds to support the greater Chicago area LGBTQ community. In 2015, PTR had a record turnout of more than 1,700 registrants.
As Vice-Chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, I’ve been an outspoken advocate in the fight for marriage equality. In January 2014, he became an original cosponsor of the International Human Rights Defense Act. Previously, he called on Illinois state legislators to pass marriage equality and celebrated when that day came. He is a co-sponsor of the original Respect for Marriage Act of 2009, and has lent his support to the national NOH8 Campaign, a global visual art protest against legislation banning gay marriage. Prior to the Supreme Court overturning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 2013, Rep. Quigley was a critical opponent of the law and hosted a DOMA field forum to investigate the negative impacts of the law on individuals and families in Chicago. In the fall of 2009, Rep. Quigley was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame for his work as a Cook County Commissioner to extend benefits to LGBT employees.
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