ACHR is the host of the First Fridays at the Bistro on 2/3, hope to see a lot of you there.

Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!!

Join Amasong for a high-spirited concert of songs and dances from around
the world. Sung in ten different languages, this program of music and
movement will inspire your heart – and your feet – to dance. Enjoy vocal
music from four continents: traditional dancing songs of Serbia, Ghana,
Afghanistan, and the Huron Native Americans, Renaissance devotional music
from Spain, contemporary composition by Meredith Monk and many more
celebratory pieces. Featuring Subhalakshmi Kumar, Bharatanatyam (South
Indian Classical) dancer, Josh Houchin, bass, and others.

For one week this past July, I went to summer camp. Some may wonder why a 22-year-old college student would want to go to summer camp, but the camp I attended didn’t involve sing-alongs and s’mores. I went to Camp Pride, a summer leadership camp held at Vanderbilt University for LGBT and ally college students who want to make their campuses more welcoming for LGBT students, staff, and faculty.

During my time at Camp Pride, I had the opportunity to learn leadership skills and tactics from people who I have known and looked up to for years: peo- ple who are nationally-recognized lead- ers of the LGBT civil rights movement, including bisexual activist Robyn Ochs, Mara Keisling, the Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality; transgender slam poet Kit Yan, and Shane Windmeyer, the Executive Director of Campus Pride.

Our goal at camp was to create a “Queer It Up!” action plan to somehow improve the lives and experiences of LGBT students, staff and/or faculty, and implement that plan on our individual campuses. Some of the plans created at the camp ranged from establishing an LGBT student organization to creating a student ally program.
My “Queer It Up!” action plan con- sists of getting gender-neutral restrooms implemented on the campus of Northern Illinois University. This plan is in its early stages, but I am determined and I know that I can make it a reality for me and my fellow NIU Huskies.

Camp Pride gave me the tools, the knowledge, and the confidence that I needed to work to- wards this goal.
From the amaz- ing faculty and staff to my fellow campers who lead their cam- puses with pride, Camp Pride was truly the greatest week of my life. I have never felt so inspired, so unconditionally ac- cepted, and so moti- vated. Do not doubt the commitment of
today’s young adults to LGBT equality. With organizations like Campus Pride and experiences like Camp Pride to help us along the way, there is absolutely noth- ing that can stop us.
If you or a student you know would like to attend Camp Pride, you can find more information about the camp at: www.campuspride.org/camppride.

Your Normal LGBT Film Festival has a new Website:

Your Normal LGBT Film Fest

Check it out for complete descriptions of all the films in the film festival.

www.lambdalegal.org.  Lambda Legal has created a Civil Union Tracker program on its web site and has just posted a recording of a recent teleconference that discusses the nuances of the Illinois law.

www.equalityillinois.org.  Equality Illinois has created a “Faith and Freedom” initiative that includes a database of clergy in the state who are available to officiate at ceremonies; the database can be found at http://eqil.org/faithandfreedom.html.

www.aclu-il.org. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois was instrumental in the passage of the civil unions bill. A FAQ on the organization’s web site gives valuable information about the civil unions law (look for the hyperlink under “LGBT Rights.”

www.mcleancountyil.gov/CountyClerk/marriage_License.htm.  The McLean County Clerk’s office has been extremely helpful in answering questions about the new law and attended our recent community forum. This web site answers commonly-asked questions about the process of applying for a license in McLean County.

If you need further information or run into problems obtaining a civil union license please let us know! Contact us at info@achr-il.com.

Jacqui was on the board of the Advocacy Council in the early 2000s and worked hard to increase the visibility of the LGBT community in Bloomington/Normal. She spearheaded our adopt-a-street cleanup program and played a major role in organizing several of our “family pride” picnics and a concert featuring singer/songwriter Cheryl Wheeler.

Jacqui was passionate about many things:  equal rights, union representation to ensure fair working conditions, and her family. She tackled challenges with gusto and fearlessness, and that is how she will be remembered by many of us.

More than 85 people attended the Civil Union forum that ACHR sponsored in conjunction with Equality Illinois and Lambda Legal on April 12.  Guest speakers included McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael; Deputy Clerk Robin Wilt; Caroline Staerk from Equality Illinois; Cheryl Angelaccio from Lambda Legal; and Jon D. McLaughlin Bloomington Attorney. 

Caroline and Cheryl discussed the ins and outs of Illinois’ Civil Unions Law which passed in December and was signed into law by Governor Quinn in January.  Many of the discussion points they covered are located in a FAQ published by Equality Illinois: http://equalityillinois.org/cmsdocuments/Civil_Unions_FAQs.pdf

Kathy and Robin discussed what people should expect when they come to the County Clerk’s Office to apply for a Civil Unions license.  Kathy made it very clear that everyone will be treated with respect when they enter the County Clerk’s Office.  Kathy highly recommended that if you are planning a civil union you should call ahead to make the appointment to apply for your license. Couples cannot apply for licenses until June 1, 2011; however you can call now to schedule your appointment.  Both persons entering into the civil union need to be present at the appointment and both must have a state-issued ID with them.  There is a form that needs to be filled out by both parties and a cash-only fee of $29 is collected. 

At this point the license will be issued and is then good for the next 60 days at which time the union must be made.  You must apply for the license at least 24 hours before the ceremony is to be performed and in the county in which the ceremony is to be performed.  The County Clerk’s office can supply a list of judges who can perform ceremonies; in addition, Equality Illinois has published a list of clergy members who have notified them of their willingness to perform civil union ceremonies. That list can be found at http://www.equalityillinois.org/faithandfreedom.html

After the presentation, questions were taken from the audience.  The evening was finished off by everyone enjoying civil union cake that was donated by Janet’s Cakes and Catering.

Kathy and Robin also made a YouTube video describing the process of obtaining a license; it can be viewed at http://youtu.be/7M4QjVem6j0.

No long term commitment is required to check out a meeting to see if the group is a good fit for you. The group offers support, not therapy. So far group members have reported looking forward to each meeting, developing friendships, and enjoying the relaxing, positive atmosphere. Currently, we have 4-5 guys who attend between the ages of 25-45 but anyone 18 or older is welcome to join. Contact Trey at (773) 819-5428 or tjp.616@gmail.com for questions or further info.