Bill adding sexual orientation to the Illinois Human Rights Act waiting for support in the Senate

A bill adding sexual orientation to the Illinois Human Rights Act may be voted on in the next few weeks.

The bill would make it illegal to discriminate against a person based on sexual orientation in regard to housing, employment, public accommodations or credit. The Human Rights Act already protects citizens from discrimination based on race, gender, religion or ethnic origin.

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The House passed the legislation last spring, but it has been stuck in the Senate since May. The bill will likely be heard only if Senate President James Pate Philip, R-Wood Dale, allows the bill to proceed.

Attorney General Jim Ryan will only support the bill if it excludes value-based organizations like the Boy Scouts. Gov. George Ryan has come out with loud vocal support for the bill since the legislation was introduced and has repeatedly called on the Senate to send it to his desk for approval. But the bill’s sponsor, Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago, needs to get support from the Republicans in order for the bill to pass.

It’s a stereotype they automatically assume that gay men cannot be role models for younger children and there is supposed to be separation between religion and state, Brian Bledsoe, a Saluki Rainbow Network secretary, said.

The Saluki Rainbow Network is a social organization for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered students.

There is already a provision at SIU that protects students against sexually charged discrimination.

It’s not impossible for someone to be discriminated against. It makes sure that the student is helped and supported, said Patrick Dilley, faculty adviser for the network.

Dilley said the provision is not applicable off campus, and the passing of this bill would make legal redress available to everyone.

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Though the Saluki Rainbow Network is not a politically driven organization, it does plan to become more politically oriented next fall and address bigger issues like this bill, according to Bledsoe.

They are at the forefront of campus organizations, Dilley said. They are really doing some innovative work. They make political changes in a social way, not legally at a state or national level.

Last week the Rainbow Network had a day of silence to protest the hate crimes committed against GLBT (gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered) and plans to host other hate crime and discrimination awareness events in the future, Bledsoe said.

Reporter Arin Thompson can be reached at [email protected]