Get Involved
Attend Equal Marriage organizing meetings.
We meet the first and third Mondays of the month in the Church Library of the Unitarian Universalist Church at 309 W. Green in Urbana. Parking is provided in the back. Please enter through the back door. If the door is locked, just ring the bell. Everyone is welcome!
Meetings will be held at the following times:
- Monday, April 7th, 5:30 pm
- Monday, April 21st, 5:30 pm
Attend Civil Union Lobby Day.
Please join us and others from around the state on Wednesday, April 9th as we go to Springfield to lobby legislators for civil unions. The Lobby Day event will be held from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm, with an optional reception and dinner afterwards. If you can attend, please contact William at william (at) equalmarriagecc (dot) org. William will also be coordinating rides to Springfield.
Help pass the Equal Marriage Bill (HB1615).
The Religious Freedom and Civil Union Act (HB1826) is being considered by the Illinois House. This bill will grant same-sex couples the same legal rights as marriage. We are getting closer to having enough votes to pass the bill.
We are asking for your help in contacting your representative and getting the word out to others about the bill.
There are a few things you can do that would be extremely helpful:
1. Write a letter to your representative. This is extremely important if you live outside Naomi Jakobsson's district since she is already a cosponsor of the bill. Many of you who live in Savoy, the west part of Champaign, east of Urbana, and elsewhere in the area are represented by people who are undecided on this bill.
Please let them hear from you with a short letter or note! To find your representative's name and address, please click here. For more information on writing a letter to a representative, see our simple instruction sheet.
Alternatively, you can send a free fax through the Illinois ACLU website: http://tinyurl.com/yufqjy. All you have to do is fill in your address and their system will send the fax for you. Please personalize the message.
2. Call or meet with your state representative. This is the most effective way to communicate with your representative.
We have compiled a simple instruction sheet explaining how to schedule a meeting. Please contact Jerry (jerryc (at) equalmarriagecc (dot) org) with any questions about scheduling a meeting.
If you call your state representative's office, simply explain that you support this bill and want them to vote for it. To find your representative's name, go to this link: http://tinyurl.com/7ug4a
3. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in order to keep this issue in the public conversation.
4. Forward our action flier to family members, friends, and colleagues who may support the bill. Ask anyone who may be supportive, not just people you know are supportive.
5. If you're attending a gathering where there may be supportive people, please ask individuals to write a short letter or sign a form letter in support of the bill. Paper or electronic copies are available by emailing Rod Githens (githens (at) gmail (dot) com). Return the letters to Rod and we can fill in the legislator's name and pay the postage on the letter.
6. Learn more about the bill at http://www.aclu-il.org/civilunion
Join a committee.
Speaker’s Bureau
The speaker’s bureau will include both GLBT persons and allies who are willing to speak publicly about our stance on equal civil marriage. All who are interested in participating should contact William at william (at) equalmarriagecc (dot) org.
Website Committee
Responsible for the design and implementation of this website. We are always willing to publish messages of support on this site, and welcome any suggestions or comments. Please contact Rod at githens (at) gmail (dot) com.
Be Profiled on the Website
We are looking for GLBT couples in the Champaign County area that would like to tell their story. These stories will provide first-hand accounts about how marriage inequality affects the lives of couples in Champaign County. To submit a profile, contact Rod at githens (at) gmail (dot) com.
Help Us Publicize
We are constantly looking for ways of getting our message out. There are a number of things you can do to help us reach new people.
- Include a link to this site in your email signature
- Link to this site from your personal or business website
- Link to our MySpace profile from your MySpace
- Join our Facebook group.