On Valentine’s Day, the Illinois Senate, with Governor Pat Quinn’s support, approved Senate Bill 11–the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act.” However, the bill never passed the Illinois House of Representatives.

Now, Illinois residents and UNITE HERE members are taking action. On October 22, thousands across the state traveled to the state capital to march for marriage equality and demand that lawmakers take action. There were 50 members from Chicago’s UNITE HERE Local 1 who traveled to Springfield to join thousands for the demonstration. Together, we showed our elected leaders that the people of Illinois support the right for all to marry who they love.

For pictures from the day, check out the album on Facebook.

UNITE HERE is committed to full equality for all LGBT people. Our union was the first to ratify a comprehensive statement in support of civil and economic rights for LGBT people, and we contributed significant funds and organizing resources to defeating Proposition 8 in California. In both the United States and Canada, members of our union have worked to build a powerful coalition between the LGBT and labor communities in our quest for fair and equal treatment of all individuals. In the last decade, UNITE HERE launched Sleep With The Right People in partnership with renowned LGBT rights activist Cleve Jones. This collaborative effort between UNITE HERE and the LGBT community works to use our joint power as consumers to ensure that hotels respect their workers.

To learn more, visit www.SleepWithTheRightPeople.org.