ACLU celebrates civil unions and end of death penalty

The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) of Illinois held its annual Bill of Rights Celebration at the Westin River North Hotel Sept. 24. The celebration highlighted two major legislative victories from the past year: civil unions and the end of the death penalty.

About 600 people attended the event to celebrate and hear keynote remarks from former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold. The evening started off with cocktails, a silent auction and a Paris getaway raffle drawing.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., outlined the accomplishments of the last year in the LGBT community as well as other progressive causes while also reminding the audience that much work still needs to be done. Durbin then introduced Feingold by touting his progressive track record in the Senate and remarking that one of the biggest tragedies of the 2010 election cycle was the loss of Feingold on the Senate floor.

Feingold took the stage and thanked the ACLU for his award, adding, “Our country faces many challenges to the rights and freedoms in the constitution. … Unlike 15 years ago the Defense of Marriage Act would not get passed today … because many more gays and lesbians have come out over time. … Bigots can only be successful when they are successful in intimidating their victims, once that ends the bigotry eventually fades away.” Feingold ended his remarks by calling on all attendees to continue fighting governmental abuses on all fronts.

Following a video showcasing the work of the ACLU of Illinois over the last year, awards were given to the state legislators who sponsored the passage of the civil-unions bill (state Rep. Greg Harris and state Sen. Dave Koehler) and the repeal of the death penalty (state Rep. Karen Yarbrough and state Sen. Kwame Raoul).

“We are so pleased to honor the legislators from both sides of the political aisle who acted so courageously to extend basic protections and dignity through civil unions and end the death penalty system that had embarrassed our state,” said Colleen Connell, executive director for the ACLU of Illinois, adding, “It has been a remarkable year in Illinois with these two advancements.”

For more information visit www.aclu-il.org.