Equal Marriage Illinois

MONDAY UPDATE (T+2)

Here are the updates for August 6th - 12th:

STATE FAIR PARADE: First, the Coalition of Rainbow Alliances will be marching in the State Fair Parade in Springfield on Thursday, August 9th. According to the Prairie Flame, CORAL is planning to expand on last year's prize winning float, which "swept the twilight parades float competition with three awards, including the Governor's Sweepstakes Award, for top float, (commercial and non-commercial entries)," and dynamic flag corps. Can you help out? Find out how by visiting the CORAL website at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/coralspringfield/.The CORAL procession will be joined by numerous other LGBT organizations from around the state. Come along, bring your banner & join the fun.

NORTH HALSTED MARKET DAYS: Equal Marriage Illinois' three sponsoring organizations, Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Illinois will all have tables at 26th annual Northalsted Market Days street fair (held Saturday and Sunday, August 11 and 12 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.). Stop by, pick up some information or sign up to volunteer. For more information, visit http://www.northalsted.com/market_days.php.

SPEAKER'S TRAINING: Coming soon to an area near you: the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is coming to Illinois to conduct a series of media trainings. This is an opportunity to get your training from the best of the best. Mark your calendars for "Messaging Marriage Equality: Speaker Training for Supporters":

• Champaign-Urbana, Monday, Sept 10th, 6-9PM
• Peoria, Tuesday Sept. 11th, 6-9PM
• Naperville, Wednesday, Sept 12th, 6:30 - 9:30PM
• Chicago, Thursday, Sept 13th, 6-9PM

Dinner will be provided. More details as they become available. Check back here for more information soon.

BLOOMINGTON CULTURAL FESTIVAL: EMI Bloomington-Normal will have a booth at the Cultural Festival, August 18th in Miller Park on Saturday, August 18th. Stop by and say hello! For more information, visit: http://www.culturalfest.com/

QUAD DAY 2007 at UIUC: Stop by and say hello at the EMI Champaign County table on Quad Day at UIUC on Tuesday, August 21st, 2007. We'll be handing out information and signing up new members.

FULL EQUALITY: PIT STOPS ON THE ROAD TO MARRIAGE: I'll be speaking about marriage equality and the civil unions legislation for Illinois on Wednesday, September 5th at 7:00pm in the West Lounge of the Wesley Foundation, 1203 W. Green Street in Urbana. We'll talk about the civil unions bill pending in the Illinois House of Representatives and what supporters can do in the short-run to pass this legislation next year, as well as the long-term goal of establishing equal marriage rights for same sex couples. The program is co-sponsored by Champaign County National Organization for Women, Champaign County American Civil Liberties Union, Equal Marriage Illinois Champaign County, and the University of Illinois Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resources.

UPCOMING EMI LOCAL MEETINGS:

• Equal Marriage Peoria: Meets Tuesday, August 28th at 6PM at New Church (1400 NE Monroe). They'll be discussing upcoming fundraisers, outreach to incoming students, developing plans for producing "Tying the Knot" and viewing "The ACLU Freedom Files".
• Equal Marriage Bloomington-Normal: Meets Tuesday, August 7th at 6PM at First United Methodist Church (211 N. School in Normal). They'll be discussing plans for producing "Tying the Knot" in Bloomington, and other outreach opportunities.
• Equal Marriage Champaign County: Meets Monday, August 20th, 5:30pm at in the Church Library of the Unitarian Universalist Church at 309 W. Green in Urbana.