The Advocacy Council for Human Rights

October newsletter is now available: October Newsletter

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.

The September edition of The Rainbow Connection – now in color! – is available on the Newsletter page.

This month Illinois joins 11 other states that offer either civil union, domestic partner, or marriage equality rights to same-sex couples. As we’ve heard in our two local forums on the new civil unions law, there are many intricacies and a lot of information that couples should digest as they make their plans for a civil union. What follows are some local, state and national resources that might be helpful to couples: Read more »

Members of the Advocacy Council mourn the loss of Jacqui White, who recently passed away after a long and hard-fought battle with various medical problems. Read more »

By Elizabeth Anvick

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.

If you’re a gay or bisexual guy interested in discussion and connection with others like you, the B-N Men’s Group wants YOU to consider joining. The group meets every other Sunday from 3-4:30 p.m. in downtown Bloomington to discuss issues relevant to the Gay/Bi community and also to offer friendship and support. 

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.

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By Momma

The Advocacy Council wanted to update the community on the latest news from the Bistro so we asked Jan to provide us with details. We encourage you to stop by and check out the changes!

The remodeling has been quite a process.  I was all prepared to start the big remodel when I found that I had to tuckpoint the whole back of my building and also do some major roof repair.  There went that idea.  So I started on a few projects like knocking all the plaster off the walls so all the brick would be exposed…major project and unbelievable dust.  Read more »

The newly-enacted civil unions law will protect same-sex couples who obtain a civil unions license including ensuring hospital visitation rights if a partner becomes ill. For those who for one reason or another are not in a position to enter into a civil union, we advise you to check out a wonderful FAQ on hospital visitation rights for LGBT people.

The publication, compiled by the Human Rights Campaign, can be found at http://www.hrc.org/issues/15206.htm.

Members of the downstate LGBT community are invited to participate in an online survey that explores the experiences of LGBT individuals in downstate Illinois.

Ramona Oswald, professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, hopes to document the quality of life for LGBT people in downstate Illinois with regards to their self-identities, families, health, work environments, and local communities. Read more »