ALMA MISSION

Hi everyone, I am thrilled to share that just moments ago, the Illinois House of Representatives passed the historic freedom to marry bill! That was the biggest hurdle we faced to secure marriage equality in Illinois. The Illinois Senate, which passed the bill last Valentine’s Day, must now agree with the House version of the bill, and that should happen within hours. Then the bill heads to the desk of Governor Pat Quinn, who has promised to sign it. The bill passed with a bipartisan vote, with Chicago, suburban, and downstate, African-American and Latino lawmakers all joining forces to do the right thing by Illinois families. Illinois now joins the inevitable march to marriage equality for all gay and lesbian couples throughout the U.S. Thank you all for your support, hard work and faith in our efforts to make Illinois the blue it is!!! Board of ALMA For more information on the pasing of the historic bill Marriage Bill in Illinois go to www.IllinoisUnites.org.

Equality Illinois Marriage Resources

Equality Illinois, the state’s oldest, largest and most effective advocacy organization for LGBT Illinoisans, stands ready to assist you, your family and the state in understanding and implementing the new Illinois Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. Here are important resources: Marriage Guide – How do you convert your civil union into a marriage? What rights come with marrying a same-sex partner? The answers to those and all of the frequently asked questions on the workings of the Iaw can be found in Equality Illinois’ authoritative legal guide, Marriage Rights in Illinois. Marriage Help Desk – At 773-477-7173 and info@eqil.org, the Equality Illinois Marriage Help Desk stands ready to answer your questions or direct you to the correct sources to find the answer. We are open for your phone call 11 am-2 pm Monday-Friday at 773-477-7173. Or you can email the Equality Illinois Marriage Help Desk 24/7 at info@eqil.org. Marriage Forums – Equality Illinois Marriage Forums are being scheduled throughout Downstate, the suburbs and in Chicago to walk you through the law and answer your questions. We will announce the times, dates and locations on Facebook, Twitter, in emails and our website www.eqil.org as they get confirmed. Look for the events in: Aurora Belleville Bloomington-Normal Carbondale Champaign-Urbana Chicago-Hyde Park Chicago-Lakeview Oak Park Palatine Peoria Quad Cities Rockford Springfield Waukegan HELP EQUALITY ILLINOIS DEFEND THE NEW MARRIAGE LAW

OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY DREAM IN ILLINOIS

Celso Cardenas & Alejandro Lopez | Chicago, IL

For Chicago natives Celso Cardenas and Alejandro Lopez, their life together didn’t begin with love at first sight. They met in the summer of 2003, when Celso had just moved back to the city after studying in Michigan, during a chance encounter with mutual friends. Alex saw Celso from across the way with a friend of his, thought Celso was cute, and quickly decided to introduce himself. Read more here.

Join our LGBTQ Community at the Mega March on Facebook HERE

March on Springfield for Marriage Equality Launches IndieGoGo Fundraising Campaign & New Website ILLINOIS Organizers of the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality have launched a new website and an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for March promotion and logistics. The March on Springfield for Marriage Equality is scheduled for Tuesday, October 22, 2013, the first scheduled day of the fall veto session for the Illinois General Assembly. Website At http://www.MarchOnSpringfield.org, people can read about low-cost travel options to Springfield, how to sign up for the MarchOnSpringfield e-newsletter, and why Marriage Equality is good for all of Illinois. Details about the March organizers, donors and supporters plus regular updates via Facebook and Twitter are also available on the new website. March Captains “March Captains may be the most important category of supporters,” said Kevin Boyer, March Co-Chair. “We need 100 people to organize 20 or more people to come to the March in Springfield from all over Illinois.” Information about becoming a March Captain is under “Supporters” on the website. Donations To fund promotional activity and logistics for the March and rally, an Indiegogo Campaign has been launched. A contribution made via http://igg.me/at/MarchSpringfield/x/3707333 will also help provide transportation to Springfield for LGBT youth and others who might not otherwise be able to afford the trip. “A $25 contribution sends a queer youth to Springfield for the March,” said Tracy Baim, March Co-Chair, “and $1,500 subsidizes an entire bus of more than 50 people. Any amount of contribution is welcome, and fully tax deductible as a charitable contribution.” Fiscal agent for the March on Springfield is the Equality Illinois Education Project, a 501c3 nonprofit. About the March The March on Springfield for Marriage Equality will take place on Oct. 22, 2013, the scheduled first day of the fall veto session of the Illinois state legislature. The March on Springfield is part of a broad grassroots strategy to secure final passage of Senate Bill 10, the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, already approved by the Illinois Senate. Once adopted, Illinois will become the 14th state plus the District of Columbia, to treat all of its citizens equally under state marriage laws. Contributions may be made via Indiegogo. For more information, visit http://www.MarchOnSpringfield.org, or find the March at Facebook.com/MarchOnSpringfield or on Twitter @IllinoisMarches. To buy March merchandise, visit http://www.cafepress.com/marchonspringfield. Marcha en Springfield para la Igualdad Matrimonal lanza Campaa IndieGoGo Para Recaudacin de Fondos y Nuevo Sitio Web ILLINOIS – Los organizadores de la Marcha en Springfield por la igualdad matrimonial en Springfield han puesto en marcha una nueva pgina web y una campaa de Indiegogo para recaudar fondos para la promocin y logstica de la marcha. La Marcha en Springfield por la igualdad matrimonial est prevista para el Martes, 22 de octubre 2013, el primer da previsto para la sesin de veto de la Asamblea General de Illinois. Sitio web En http://www.MarchOnSpringfield.org, la gente puede leer acerca de opciones de viaje de bajo costo para Springfield, cmo inscribirse en el boletn electronico de la Marcha en Springfield, y porque la Igualdad Matrimonial es bueno para todos en Illinois. Detalles sobre los organizadores de la marcha, donantes y partidarios – ms actualizaciones a travs de Facebook y Twitter – tambin estn disponibles en la nueva pgina web. Capitanes de la Marcha “Capitanes de la Marcha puede ser la categora ms importante de los partidarios”, dijo Kevin Boyer, Copresidente de la marcha. “Necesitamos 100 personas para organizar 20 o ms personas a venir a la Marcha en Springfield de todo Illinois.” Informacin acerca de como convertirse en un March Captain se encuentra bajo “Supporters” de la pgina web. Donaciones Para financiar las actividades de promocin y logstica para la marcha y mitin, una campaa de Indiegogo se ha puesto en marcha. Una contribucin hecha a travs http://igg.me/at/MarchSpringfield/x/3707333 tambin ayudar a proporcionar el transporte a Springfield para jvenes LGBT y otras personas que tal vez no puedan pagar el viaje de otra manera. “Una contribucin de $ 25 enva un joven gay a la Marcha en Springfield”, dijo Tracy Baim, Copresidente de la marcha, “y $ 1,500 subsidira todo un bus de ms de 50 personas. Cualquier cantidad de contribucin es bienvenida, y el impuesto es deducible en su totalidad como una contribucin de caridad “. Agente fiscal para la Marcha sobre Springfield es el Proyecto de Equality Illinois Education Project, una organizacin no lucrativa 501c3. Sobre la Marcha La Marcha en Sprinfield para la Igualdad Matrimonial se llevar a cabo el 22 de octubre de 2013, el primer da previsto para la sesin de veto de la legislatura del estado de Illinois. La “March on Springfield” es parte de una amplia estrategia de base para asegurar la aprobacin definitiva del Proyecto de Ley Senatorial 10, el “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act”, ya aprobado por el Senado de Illinois. Una vez aprobada, Illinois se convertir en el 14 estado, adems el Distrito de Columbia, a tratar a todos los ciudadanos por igual por las leyes de matrimonio estatales. Las contribuciones se pueden hacer a travs de Indiegogo. Para obtener ms informacin, visite http://www.MarchOnSpringfield.org, o encontrar la Marcha en Facebook.com / MarchOnSpringfield o en Twitter @IllinoisMarches. Para comprar mercanca de la marcha, visite http://www.cafepress.com/marchonspringfield.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013, will go down as a historic date in our country. TheAssociation of Latino Men for Action (ALMA) is very proud of the Supreme Court’s rulings, deeming the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and dismissing California’s Proposition 8 case. These are steps taken in the right direction towards equality. We are very encouraged by these decisions; however, we can’t fail to recognize the work that still has to be done. Here in Illinois, same-sex marriage is not yet a reality. Same-sex couples are not granted the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts. While this ruling will change the landscape of our movement we have to continue to push forward and fight for equality! To find out what you can do, visit our friends at Equality Illinois: http://www.eqil.org  El miércoles, 26 de junio del 2013, será recordado como una fecha histórica en nuestro país. La Asociación de Hombres Latinos en Acción (ALMA) está muy orgullosa de las decisiones de la Corte Suprema de Justicia, que consideró que la Ley de Defensa del Matrimonio es inconstitucional y despidió al caso de la Proposición 8 de California. Estos son pasos dados en la dirección correcta hacia la igualdad. Estamos muy motivados por estas decisiones, sin embargo, no podemos dejar de reconocer el trabajo que aún se tiene que hacer. Aquí en Illinois, el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo aún no es una realidad. A las parejas del mismo sexo no se les conceden los mismos derechos que a las parejas heterosexuales. ¡Esta decisión va a cambiar el panorama de nuestro movimiento, pero tenemos que seguir impulsando y luchar por la igualdad! Para saber lo que puede hacer, visite a nuestros amigos en Equality Illinois: http://www.eqil.org