Civil Rights

My plan for civil rights includes:

• Enacting full marriage equality for same-sex couples
• Respecting the separation of church and state
• Preserving and strengthening hate crimes legislation

Illinois is fortunate to have an expansive and progressive Constitution that lays out a variety of rights and protections for ordinary citizens. These protections are far-reaching, and their influence can be found in my positions on education and the environment, among other issues. This document also provides a blueprint for how we will protect individual and civil rights in Illinois.

Marriage Equality

Illinois law currently prohibits marriage between individuals of the same sex. Moreover, the law does not provide any alternate means for same-sex couples to receive benefits bestowed upon married couples, including hospital visitation rights and the power to make medical decisions in the event of disability. For these reasons, and because of my belief in basic fairness and equality, I support full marriage equality for same-sex couples as set forth, for example, in House Bill 178 from the 96th General Assembly.

This is an issue that stirs many passions on all sides, and one on which attitudes are changing over time. I recognize that full marriage equality may still take some time to enact. Consequently, while that debate is under way, I would support the passage of civil unions as set forth, for example, in House Bill 2234 from the 96th General Assembly. These unions would confer upon couples many of the state-level legal protections and responsibilities of marriage, including numerous health, end-of-life, and fiscal rights. Passage of a civil union bill would not stop me from working to enact full marriage equality for same-sex couples, but I believe that a civil-union bill would offer some degree of fairness until we can get a marriage-equality bill passed.

Separation of Church and State

The Illinois and United State Constitutions clearly lay out absolute freedom of religion. The need for this separation is particularly acute in a community like ours, which enjoys an extraordinary level of religious diversity. As a legislator, I will be a reliable supporter of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. For example, I would have vigorously opposed Senate Bill 1463 from the 95th General Assembly, which mandated that public schools in Illinois offer students a moment of silence for prayer or reflection during the school day. This represented a clear attempt to bring religion into the public sphere via our education system, a view subsequently affirmed by a federal judge who ruled the law unconstitutional.

I will also take the lead against any groups wishing to use Illinois schools to teach religion in the form of “Creationism” or “Intelligent Design” when in fact our students need to learn biology and science.

Preserving and Strengthening Hate Crimes Legislation

I grew up in southern Indiana, where my family was part of a fairly small Jewish minority. When I was six years old, our synagogue was the target of an arson attack, and I learned first-hand about the painful consequences of violence directed at an entire community. I have always strongly supported legislation that sets apart hate crimes as a dangerous mix of bigotry and violence. In particular, I support the Illinois Hate Crime Act and believe that it should be further expanded to support gender identity.