The Advocacy Council for Human Rights

Heartland Metropolitan Community Church, a Central Illinois MCC, is beginning a small faith community in Bloomington.

These are gatherings of prayer, learning, socializing and growing together spiritually in an open and affirming environment. The first study will be from “The Children are Free,” a study of the clobber passages in scripture.

For more information, please call 217-473-2045 or 217-726-8411 or e-mail MCCBloomington@yahoo.com.

Members of the ACHR were among more than 1,200 people who attended the first-ever Springfield Pride Fest on Sunday, May 22 in downtown Springfield. The Advocacy Council sponsored a booth where we handed out newsletters and information on our June 18 Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus Concert and this fall’s “Your Normal LGBT Film Festival.”

How many gay men does it take to put up a tent? ACHR members and our friends from Heartland MCC grapple with the complexities of tent erection.

ACHR members Elizabeth, Donna, Dave and Gary ride out the storm that hit the festival later in the afternoon

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 John Poling

The Gay and Lesbian Association of Decatur (GLAD) will celebrate Civil Unions and Gay Pride Month at its June 11th social by hosting a Gay Pride Picnic in the Main Pavilion of Decatur’s Nelson Park. The social will begin at 6 p.m. (rather than the usual 6:30 start.) Read more »

The Advocacy Council will again sponsor its annual “Family Reunion” Picnic beginning at noon on Sunday, July 24 at Underwood Park in Normal.

The council will provide grilled items and paper products. Attendees are asked to bring a food item to share.

Games, a raffle and lots of fun are in store…be sure to mark your calendars!

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.

Many people have legal questions regarding the civil union bill that was signed into law by Governor Quinn on January 31, 2011, and becomes effective June 1.

To help answer those questions, Bloomington Divorce Attorney Jon D. McLaughlin will discuss the new civil unions law and its legal implications at a information forum at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 14^th in the community room at the Bloomington Public Library.

The law requires that civil unions will be dissolved under the provisions of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. The obligations for dissolving a civil union are exactly the same as in dissolving a marriage. You would see a potential for alimony, division of property, everything. However, there are some unique issues that will affect civil union dissolutions in ways that are different than dissolution of marriages.

Additionally, parties to a civil union should properly protect themselves before entering a civil union, through such methods as pre-nuptial agreements. The issue of marital property may be a foreign concept to many who enter civil unions, but it is a concept that parties must be aware of. Jon will stay as long as people are willing to listen and will take questions from the audience.

The Advocacy Council for Human Rights has booked the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus for a concert in Bloomington/Normal on Saturday, June 18.

The chorus will perform at 7 p.m. that day in the auditorium at Normal Community High School in northwest Normal.

The men, directed by Patrick Sinozich, will bring their DIVAS! concert to town. The show is described on the chorus web site as

“The women we love! The icons we adore! Barbra, Aretha, Madonna, Liza. The songs that make us weep, the hits that make us move. I Will Survive, Fever, Lady Marmalade, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. DIVAS! is a fabulous ode to over forty female superstars and the music they made famous, from Edith Piaf to Ethel Merman, Dolly Parton to Donna Summer, Judy, Ella, Tina, Bette and more!”

Watch for more news on the concert in the June newsletter!

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.

Our state capital will hold its first-ever pride festival from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 22 on Capital Avenue between 5^th and 6^th streets in downtown Springfield.

The event, sponsored by the Phoenix Center, is held on the birthday of gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk, who would have been 81 years old this year.

The afternoon will feature vendors, live entertainment, food, beer and beverages, local artists, and information on local organizations.

A pre-festival party will be at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 at Scandals, 126 E. Jefferson St. A post-festival party will wrap up the festival at 6 p.m. at the Station House, 306 E. Washington St.

For more information check out the festival web site at www.springfieldpride.org.

 A community information forum on the new civil unions law will be at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 12 at the Unitarian Church of Bloomington, 1613 E. Emerson St.

McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael will explain the procedures for couples who visit her office to apply for a license. Jim Bennett, Midwest regional director of Lambda Legal Defense, and Caroline Staerk, director of field programs for Equality Illinois, will discuss what the bill entails, what happens next and address any specific questions that audience members might have. Read more »