Dear {Senator or Representative ___________________]:

I am writing to urge you to support the Illinois Human Rights Bill (SB101 or HB101) being sponsored by [Senators Ronen, Jones, Cullerton and Harmon, or Representatives McKeon, Beaubien, Howard, Mulligan, and Mathias].

I am a [lesbian/gay man/bisexual male or female/transgender person] living in your district, and I am concerned that the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community are not protected from discrimination under the Illinois Human Rights Act. I have lived in Illinois for __ years and have always been proud of our tradition of non-discrimination. It is time to expand these protections to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender people are among the most vulnerable and discriminated-against groups in Illinois, and outside of a few jurisdictions they have very little legal recourse when subjected to discrimination. [I have a gay/lesbian/transgender friend/I am a gay/lesbian/transgender person] and I want to tell you about an example of discrimination (he or she/I) have suffered…[tell story]. That is why passing the Human Rights Bill is so important.

I work in the ________ field and I can tell you with certainty l that a person's sexual orientation or gender identity is wholly irrelevant to his or her qualifications to perform on the job. In fact, almost 150 Illinois corporations include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policies. Several major corporations have recognized that gender identity is an irrelevant factor in employment decisions and that it makes good business sense to prohibit discrimination against transgender people. These corporations include American Airlines, Eastman Kodak, J.P. Morgan, Lucent Technologies, Walgreen's and Xerox.

The Human Rights Bill is not about special rights and privileges, but rather about ensuring all people in Illinois are treated with equal respect and dignity. It should no longer be legal for an employer to fire or refuse to hire or promote a qualified person on the basis of sexual orientation of gender identity. Moreover, a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person should not be denied basic and necessary services, such as housing or access to public accommodations facilities, such as health care facilities, because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. I urge you to support these amendments.

Sincerely yours,