The Advocacy Council for Human Rights

Equality Illinois will be conducting an Anti-Bullying Pledge Drive in Chicago, Springfield, and Bloomington-Normal at the end of July. We are asking Illinoisans to sign a pledge stating they will intervene when they see anti-LGBTQ harassment at school, at work, and in their neighborhoods. A major part of this drive is to inspire young adults to become more active in LGBTQ rights activism. Read more »

The Central Illinois Safe Schools Alliance is hosting an informational open house at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 6 in room 1407 of the Community Commons Building at Heartland Community College.

The alliance (CISSA) is a local group dedicated to helping junior high and high school youth develop to their fullest potential in safe and nurturing schools that respect and honor differences.  We are growing in big ways, but we need your help! CISSA members are committed to helping lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and their allies. To this end, they offer support to local high school gay-straight alliance groups, and also plan and host a variety of social and educational events throughout the year to foster education, understanding and social opportunities for all youth.

To do the work necessary to achieve these goals, CISSA is looking for more people to get involved in this exciting mission. The open house is for all people interested in learning more about the organization or finding ways in which they can help. We need youth and adults to keep this successful organization active in Bloomington and Normal. This Open House will be interactive and fun! Don’t miss it!

Some exciting upcoming events CISSA members are planning include a social and educational event: “A Gay Affair,” in early June for local high school students, as well as a youth panel discussion and forum this fall. We need help from students and adults alike to organize and host these events.

If you’ve been looking for a way to help support and nurture LGBT youth and their allies, please consider coming to the CISSA Open House on May 6^th to get more information. We look forward to seeing you! Please contact Suzie Hutton (huttons@district87.org) or Alyssa Mandula (amandul@ilstu.edu) for more information.

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CISSA, the Central Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, has a goal this year of providing each area public high school with a School Safety Kit to promote anti-bullying techniques. In light of the recent suicides of teens and young adults who have been bullied because of sexual orientation, CISSA members are more determined than ever to do what they can to ensure that every high school student in Bloomington-Normal feels safe in their school. Read more »

A new youth project aimed at GLBTQ young people between the ages of 14 and 23 is coming to Bloomington/Normal.

The Me, Myself & I Youth Project is dedicated to educating and empowering Bloomington-Normal’s GLBTQ youth and their straight allies in a safe and diverse environment. Read more »