In a letter to the media, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich lauded the GLBT community for its achievements. In particular, he mentioned the passage of the amended Human Rights Act (which now provides sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination protection in several areas, including employment) and the groundbreaking of the new Center on Halsted.
Regarding the legislative measure, Blagojevich stated that he ‘was honored to sign the amended Human Rights Act, which now includes protection under law from discrimination based on sexual orientation. Now all people in Illinois can have confidence that our law protects them from prejudice, and guarantees their right to fairness and equality.’ He also noted the contributions of many, ‘especially the bill’s sponsors Sen, Carol Ronen [D-Chicago] and Rep, Larry McKeon [D-Chicago].’ Lastly, the governor commented that, on Pride Sunday, he ‘signed two more bills into law that further strengthen protection of Illinoisans from hate crimes and discrimination in housing.’