Legislators must act for equal rights

Sunday marked the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which was the beginning of an unsung civil rights movement in American history: the gay rights movement.

The police raid at a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village called the Stonewall Inn in the early hours of June 28, 1969, put the rights of gay Americans into the limelight.

But forty years later, even after significant changes in cultural attitudes, equal rights for gay people is not a prominent issue on the state or national political agenda.

In fact, a civil unions bill was proposed in Illinois during the spring legislative session but was not voted on.

We urge leaders in Illinois and around the country to make equal rights for all people regardless of sexual orientation a priority.

Polls show support for civil unions in Illinois to be around 60 percent.

The Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act was re-referred to the House Rules Committee at the end of the last legislative session as budgetary matters took center stage, even though infighting between legislative leaders and the governor took the place of substantive deliberations.

While lack of a well-planned budget will debilitate the state governmet, lack of equal rights for the people of Illinois hurts the citizens and disables their trust and faith in govenment.

The lawmakers in Illinois cannot continue to put issues of fundamental civil rights on the back burner.

We urge the sponsors of this bill to reintroduce it in the fall and hope lawmakers will finally address this baseless source of inequality.

The Illinois Legislature and Congress lag sorely behind society in recognition of gay rights issues.

Seventy five percent of Americans support repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and 63 percent support civil unions.

During his campaign, President Barack Obama promised to end "don't ask, don't tell," and to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and woman. So far, the president has yet to act on either of these goals.

Some observers speculate that President Obama's reluctance stems from a desire to not see his own health care proposal "sabotaged" by the controversy over the same-sex marriage debate.

But basic civil rights for gay Americans have taken a backseat to supposedly more pressing issues for far too long.

The president should fulfill his campaign promises and his commitment to equality by putting gay rights on the national agenda.

While Illinois residents, gay rights supporters and even Gov. Quinn took part in the festivities of the Gay Pride Parade in Chicago on Sunday, the reality of the situation is not as festive.

It's time for Springfield and Washington to understand the importance of these reforms for gay citizens and take action to undo one of the last great barriers in civil rights.

Forty years is too long to wait.