Members of Lambda Legal’s Leadership Council met May 12 with community members to discuss what directions they thought advocacy organizations should take now that a great deal of marriage litigation has passed in Illinois.
About 25 people attended, dividing into working groups. Among the topics they cited as being important were transgender rights, immigration issues and HIV-related legal issues, among others.
“We don’t think equality is something that’s just for married people,” said Jim Bennett, Midwest regional director at Lambda Legal. “There are single people, of course, and people who live where there are no [legal] protections at all. Imagine, being able to get legally married in Texas then being able to be legally fired because she puts a picture of her wife on her desk, since there are no legal protections. There’s so much work to get accomplished.”
—Matt Simonette