• Let the Alderman know that you live in his/her district
• "I strongly support the gender identity amendment to the Chicago Human Rights and Fair Housing Ordinances. I urge you to support their passage and to help ensure that Chicago is a discrimination-free city. It is important that transgender people share the same fundamental rights as other Chicagoans -- to live, work and conduct business without discrimination."

• Let the Alderman know that you live in his/her district.
• Currently an employer can legally fire or refuse to hire qualified individuals on the basis of gender identity. Moreover, a restaurant can refuse to serve a person and a real estate agent can refuse to sell to a person based on their gender identity.
• This amendment does not convey special rights or privileges, but rather ensures equal rights to all of Chicago's citizens.
• Forty-five jurisdictions in the United States prohibit "gender identity" discrimination, including Minnesota, Rhode Island and four cities within Illinois-Evanston, DeKalb, Urbana, Champaign.
• Many successful corporations recognize that eliminating discrimination makes good business sense and have policies that protect transgender people, including American Airlines, Eastman Kodak, J.P. Morgan, Lucent Technologies, Walgreen's and Xerox.

Dear Alderman/Mayor___________________:

I am writing to urge you to support the Gender Identity Amendment to the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance (CHRO) and Chicago Fair Housing Ordinance (CFHO) being sponsored by Aldermen Hansen, Ocasio, and Schulter.

I have lived in Chicago for __ years and have always been proud of our tradition of non-discrimination. It is time to expand these protections to transgender people.

I am a [lesbian/gay man/bisexual male or female/transgender person] living in your district, and I am concerned that only parts of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community have explicit protection from discrimination under the CHRO and CFHO.

Transgender people are among the most vulnerable and discriminated-against groups in Chicago, and they have very little legal recourse when subjected to discrimination. [I have a transgender friend/I am a 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 Gender Identity Amendment is so important.

I work in the ________ field and I can tell you with certainty l that a person's gender identity is wholly irrelevant to his or her qualifications to perform on the job. In fact, 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.

These amendments are not about special rights and privileges, but rather they are about ensuring all Chicagoans 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 gender identity. Moreover, a 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 gender identity. I urge you to support these amendments.