You will findlinks to organizations, information and resources on legal/ staying safe related topics such as; discrimination in employment, housing and education, harassment and bullying issues, hate crimes, bathroom issue, policies of local municipalities and police agencies, staying safe out in public, at home and more.
Legal Organizations
Lambda Legal – Learn what Lambda Legal is, and what they do
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union):We are a non-profit, non-partisan organization, dedicated to protecting freedom, liberty, equality and justice for all within the United States.
National Center for Transgender Equality:The National Center for Transgender Equality is the nation’s leading social justice advocacy organization winning life-saving change for transgender people.
Illinois Organizations
Equality Illinois: Equality Illinois builds a better Illinois by advancing equal treatment and social justice through education, advocacy and protection of the rights of the LGBT community.
Illinois Safe Schools Alliance:The mission of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (the Alliance) is to promote safety, support and healthy development for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, in Illinois schools and communities, through advocacy, education, youth organizing and research.
Illinois Law
Illinois Compiled Statutes:(775 ILCS 5/1-103) (from Ch.68, par. 1-103)General Definitions are in this section, see letter (O) and (O-1)
Illinois Compiled Statutes:(775 ILCS 5/1-102)(from Ch.68, par. 1-102) Freedom From Unlawful Discrimination , see letter (A)
The Illinois Human Rights Act:You will find the Illinois Human Rights Act inside the Filing a Charge of Discrimination pdf booklet – from Illinois.gov
Legal Issues
Know Your Rights
Equality Illinois:Know Your Rights – Transgender Issues: a pamphlet by Equality Illinois that describes transgender rights in Illinois
ACLU FAQ Brochure:This is a brochure with answers to questions that people in the transgender community need to know in order to be better informed about our legal rights and the justice system in our country
Equality Illinois Guide to Name and Gender Marker Changes:This is a comprehensive .pdf guide that has instructions on how to change your name and gender marker at the various government entities along with the forms necessary to begin the process.
IDPH Gender Marker Change (Illinois Birth Certificate):Effective January 1, 2018, new procedures for Gender Reassignment have been established with the implementation of Public Act100-0360. The links to the necessary forms and instructions are located on this page.
Illinois DMV:The instructions for Name Change and Gender Marker Change for an Illinois Drivers License / State ID are located on this page.
LGBT Employment Rights
Equality Illinois:Know Your Rights – Employment Issues: a pamphlet by Equality Illinois that describes employment issues and your rights in Illinois
Transgender Workplace Rights:The challenges and legal rights of transgender people in the workplace. Legal victories underscore the right of transgender people to earn a living in a discrimination-free workplaces. Lambda Legal
Transgender Law Center / Employment:Discrimination is a major contributor to the tremendously high rates of unemployment and underemployment faced by transgender people. Transgender Law Center combats workplace discrimination by providing information about the law, as well as about how to file a discrimination complaint with state, federal, and local agencies.
LGBT Housing Rights
Equality Illinois:Know Your Rights – Housing Issues: a pamphlet by Equality Illinois that describes housing issues such as discrimination in renting because of your LGBT status and your rights in Illinois
Know Your Rights – Housing & Homeless Shelters:This document outlines the housing rights of transgender people and how to file complaints of housing discrimination.National Center for Transgender Equality
Filing Discrimination Charges
Filing a Charge of Discrimination – Illinois.gov:In this PDF booklet you will find “TheIllinois Human Rights Act” and “Filing a Charge of Discrimination” with respect to discrimination in regards to employment, financial credit, public accommodations and real estate transactions because of a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and sexual harassment), national origin, ancestry, age, order of protection status, marital status, disability, sexual orientation (including gender identity), arrest record in employment, familial status in housing (families with children under the age of 18) and more.”
Transgender Public Restroom Rights
Access to Public Restrooms: FAQ: Answers to Some Common Questions about Equal Access to Public Restrooms. Lambda Legal
Public Restrooms:This is an excerpt from their FAQ brochure about the bathroom issue.ACLU
LGBT Healthcare Rights – Illinois
Equality Illinois:Know Your Rights – Healthcare Issues: a pamphlet by Equality Illinois that describes housing issues such as discrimination in healthcare access because of your LGBT status and your rights in Illinois
THE MATTHEW SHEPARD AND JAMES BYRD, JR., HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT OF 2009:The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, 18 U.S.C. § 249, was enacted as Division E of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. Section 249 of Title 18 provides funding and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal jurisdictions to help them to more effectively investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
Equality Illinois – Reporting a Hate Crime:According to The Illinois Department of Human Rights,state law explicitly protects actual or perceived gender identity under the current hate crimes law by including it as a provision of sexual orientation. Also see the Equality Illinois:Know Your Rights – Transgender Issues: a pamphlet by Equality Illinois that describes transgender rights in Illinois, it has a section in it describing how to report a Hate Crime.
Youth – Young Adult Legal Issues
National Center for Transgender Equality:Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students: Your Rights at School The NCTE has put together a very informative presentation on the national laws in regard to education (i.e. Title IX Law) which bans sex discrimination in schools and has been interpreted by the courts to also ban this discrimination towards transgender and gender non conforming students. It also advises where to go if your rights have been violated. Be sure to check out all of the hard work they have put in fighting for the transgender community and help them with a donation to the National Center for Transgender Equality
You Have The Right To Be Yourself:A colorful online LGBT youth magazine that presents topics of interest to youth such as the right to expect and receive equal treatment which is afforded to all students at school, bullying issues and what to do about them and much more. ACLU
ACLU “Our Child is a Girl”: A truly heartwarming story from a Chicago area family and their struggle with the local school district to accept their transgender daughter’s right to use the girls locker room in the school and the families love for their daughter. This is an example of the ACLU’s advocacy to use the court system to end discrimination.
Illinois Safe Schools Alliance: Open collaboration and empirical research are at the heart of The Alliance’s programmatic work. We value substantive collaboration with our diverse stakeholders and we recognize the need to document our programs’ impact.
