Sara Feigenholtz is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate who has represented the 6th District since 2020. The District includes the lakefront neighborhoods of Lake View,Lincoln Park,Buena Park and the Near North Side in the city of Chicago.
Mary E. Flowers is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives. Representative Flowers is the longest serving African-American legislator in Illinois history. She represented the 31st district from January 9,1985 to January 13,1993,represented the 21st district from January 13,1993 to January 8,2003,and represents the 31st district again since January 8,2003.
Mary Margaret "Maggie" Crotty was an American politician who served as the Bremen Township Supervisor from 2005 to 2020 and as a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate,representing the 19th district from 2003 to 2013. She was Chairperson of the Elections Committee,Vice-Chairperson of the Local Government Committee,and was a member of the Higher Education,Labor,and Revenue Committees. She announced she would not be seeking reelection after her term expired in 2013.
Gregory S. Harris is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives in the 13th district from 2007 to 2023. He sponsored the Acts which legalized civil unions and same sex marriage in Illinois and rose to become House Majority Leader in 2019. Harris retired as Leader,not seeking reelection to the House in 2022.
Keith P. Sommer was a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1999 to 2022. Sommer represented the 88th district which included the cities of Morton,Washington,and Bloomington.
Michael Noland is a former Democratic member of the Illinois Senate,representing the 22nd District from 2007 to 2017. In November 2018,he was elected Kane County Circuit Court Judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit of Illinois.
Heather Adeline Steans is a former Democratic member of the Illinois Senate,representing the 7th district. She was appointed after winning a special primary election that followed the mid-term resignation of her predecessor,Senator Carol Ronen. She resigned from office on January 19,2021 after 12 years in office.
Illinois is seen as one of the most progressive states in the U.S. in regard to lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) rights and often viewed as one of the most liberal states in the Midwestern United States. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1962,after Illinois became the first U.S. state to repeal its sodomy laws. Same-sex marriage was banned by statute in 1996,but has since been legalized after a law allowing such marriages was signed by Governor Pat Quinn on November 20,2013 and went into effect on June 1,2014. Civil unions have been recognized since 2011,and same-sex couples are also allowed to adopt. Additionally,discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is banned in employment,housing,credit and public accommodations,and conversion therapy on minors has been outlawed since 2016.
Christian Mitchell is the incoming Vice President for Civic Engagement at the University of Chicago. He currently serves as Deputy Governor for Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration. Prior to assuming that role,Mitchell represented the 26th District of Illinois as state representative from 2013 to 2019. He also served as the executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois during the 2018 election cycle,becoming the first African-American to hold the position.
Michael E. Hastings is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate from the 19th Legislative District. The district includes all or parts of Lockport,New Lenox,Mokena,Orland Park,Tinley Park,Frankfort,Frankfort Square,Homer Glen,Joliet,Richton Park,Matteson,Olympia Fields,Country Club Hills,Hazel Crest,and Oak Forest.
Deborah "Deb" O'Keefe Conroy is an American politician currently serving as chair of the county board of DuPage County,Illinois. She previously served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives,representing the 46th district from 2012 through 2022. She is also a former member of the school board of Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205.
Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 17th district. The 17th district includes all or parts of Evanston,Glenview,Golf,Morton Grove,Northbrook,Skokie and Wilmette.
Terra Costa Howard is the Illinois State Representative for the 48th district. She was first elected to the position in 2018. The 48th district includes all or parts of Glen Ellyn,Lisle,Lombard,Wheaton,and Villa Park.
Karina Villa is a Democratic Illinois state senator for the 25th district. The 25th district,located in the Chicago metropolitan area,includes all or parts of Aurora,North Aurora,Batavia,West Chicago,South Elgin,Wayne,and Bartlett. Villa is the Chair of the Senate Public Health Committee and was previously a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.
On November 4,2014,Illinois voters approved the Illinois Right to Vote Amendment,a legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the Constitution of Illinois. The amendment was designed to provide that no person shall be denied the right to register to vote or cast a ballot in an election based on race,color,ethnicity,language,national origin,religion,sex,sexual orientation or income.
Seth Lewis is a Republican member of the Illinois Senate from the 24th district. He previously served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 45th district from 2021 to 2023.
Maura Hirschauer is an educator,politician,and a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 49th District. She was first elected to the position in 2020. The 49th District includes parts of Batavia,West Chicago,South Elgin,Wayne,Bartlett,and tiny portions of Aurora and Geneva.
Dagmara "Dee" Avelar is the Illinois State Representative for the 85th district. She has held the position since January 13,2021. The 85th district,located in the Chicago area,covers all or parts of Bolingbrook,Crest Hill,Fairmont,Lemont,Lockport,Naperville,Romeoville,and Woodridge.
Scott's Law, 625 ILCS 5/11-907(c),is a mandatory move over law in the state of Illinois. The law requires that all motorists move over when encountering stopped or disabled emergency vehicles displaying warning lights. The law is used to prosecute a failure to give ample care to stopped vehicles,including not reducing speed,changing lanes,or using caution,and can be a compounding offense on roadway incidents with such a vehicle.
The Youth Mental Health Protection Act,H.B. 217,is an Illinois bill that prohibits mental health professionals from implementing conversion therapy,reparative therapy,or sexual orientation change efforts on patients under the age of eighteen. Additionally,the bill outlaws any promotional materials from deceiving consumers and falsely representing homosexuality as a mental health defect in any manner. The goal of the legislation is to protect minors from undue stress and further stigmatization as a result of their sexuality.
