CANDLELIGHT VIGIL ☆ ENDA FLASHMOB ☆ Join the Impact Chicago Newsletter

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Candlelight Vigil for Homophobia-Driven Suicide Victims is Friday Night

Help us honor the recent victims of homophobia-driven suicide, including Tyler Clementi, Billy Lucas, and the many others who have recently died. JTIC is co-sponsoring a candlelight vigil.

It will be this Friday at 7:30 at the DePaul University Quad, near the corner of Fullerton & Seminary. Bring your own candle and lighter if you have them.

Please invite your friends on Facebook or send the Make It Better event link to those who don't do Facebook.

In September we lost two 13-year-old boys, Asher Brown of Harris County, Texas, and Seth Walsh of Tehachapi, California; 15-year-old Billy Lucas of Greensburg, Indiana; 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman, 14-year-old Caleb Nolt of Fort Wayne, Indiana; 15-year-old Harrison Chase Brown of Rand, Colorado; 17-year-old Cody J. Barker of Shiocton, Wisconsin; and 19-year-old Raymond Chase, a student at Johnson & Wales College in Providence, Rhode Island to suicide caused by homophobia. Fifteen year old Justin Aaberg died by suicide earlier this year, along with two other student in his school who were also struggling with being, or being perceived as, LGBTQ, while their school remains "neutral" so as not to offend anti-gay families. And there are probably many more who never made national news. Homophobia and transphobia kill.

Come to pay respect to these children. Come to show those who are still with us that there is a whole community to support them. Also come to show that we will fight for a better life for all LGBTQ people, so future generations can grow up without the pain of discrimination.

These deaths must not be in vain.

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ENDA Flashmob Success -- Watch and Share our Video!

In conjunction with GetEqual, JTIC staged a flashmob at Representative Lipinski's Chicago office. Lipinski is a Democrat who has voted in favor of certain LGBTQ rights legislation, but against repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell and against the 2007 version of the Employment Non Discrimination Act. We read a letter asking him to cosponsor and push for an inclusive ENDA... then we broke it down outside, Salt-N-Pepa style.

Please watch the video here and pass it along to your friends!

http://jointheimpactchicago.com/LipinskiVideo

Many thanks to Dimitri for putting together the video! It's been getting a great reaction so far. We hope it is a fun way to spread the word that over half of the country is still unprotected from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

We also want to extend thanks to Danelle Wylder for the lyrics and choreography and to featured dancer Noa who were accidentally left off the thanks page at the end of the video.

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Don't Hate Don't Wait Recap

Thanks to those who attended our most recent educational meeting, especially Sean Bennett from Log Cabin Republicans, who presented on the recent LCR court case which got Don't Ask Don't Tell declared unconstitutional, and Marquell Smith of American Veterans for Equal Rights, who gave us his perspective as a soldier who was discharged under Don't Ask Don't Tell. We also discussed ideas on how to proceed with ending DADT after the recent Senate loss, the realistic prospects of victory in the lame duck session, and to whom to direct our calls and letters to be most effective.

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Next JTIC Organizing Meeting
Tuesday October 12
7:00pm at Columbia College Underground Cafe, 600 N. Michigan

Help us organize our upcoming monthly educational meetings, including one on racism within the queer community and one on saving our youth, a new Queer Noise open mic event, ways to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance in November, as well as other actions! Everyone is welcome.