Equality Illinois celebrates signing

Equality Illinois held their annual gala Saturday at the Hilton, setting records with more than 1,400 guests.

PicturedEI Political Director Rick Garcia (center)toasts the recent state gay bill victory with lead sponsors (and EI awardees)Rep. Larry McKeon and Sen. Carol Ronen. #2 Longtime activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin (from California)were also honored at the event. # 3 Dawn Clark Netsch. #4 Michael Leppen and Vernita Gray. #5 State Sen. Emil Jones and Rep. Sara Feigenholtz. #6 Art Johnston of EI. #7 MC for the evening was NBC TV’s Domestic Diva, Wayne Johnson. #8 David Munar and Jim Pickett of AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Photos by Tracy Baim and Suzanne Kraus.

Toasting Victory

More than 1,400 people attended the annual Equality Illinois gala Saturday at the Hilton, many of them toasting the Jan. 21 signing of the state gay-rights bill into law—more than 30 years after such rights were first debated in the state.

Michael Leppen and Harris Bank were the event’s top sponsors, and Leppen was also co-chair with Amy Maggio, State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz and Ald. Manny Flores. MC for the evening was NBC TV’s Domestic Diva, Wayne Johnson.

While Gov. Rod Blagojevich couldn’t make the event, Senate President Emil Jones did stop by for his applause, and the bill’s chief backers in the House and Senate—Rep. Larry McKeon and Sen. Carol Ronen—were honored by EI that night. About a dozen other pols were also at the gala.

Other awards were given to Motorola and the Honorable Dawn Clark Netsch, one of the longest-term supporters of gay rights in the state. California-based national lesbian icons Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon were flown in to receive Freedom Awards as well, and they spoke just as passionately as ever for gay rights—including for marriage, and for Howard Dean to lead the Democratic National Committee. Together as a couple for more than 50 years, Martin and Lyon were the first couple married when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom opened those floodgates last year.