Illinois Advocate Looks Back On Progress Made By LGBT Community
(CBS) -- One of Chicago's leading advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is stepping away from his role in a matter of months and looking back on the work advocates like him have been able to do in recent years, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
Bernard Cherkasov has been the CEO of Equality Illinois for the last seven years, and he says so many good things have happened for members of the LGBT community during that time.
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During his tenure, members of the LGBT community have won court and legislative victories legalizing first civil unions and then same-sex marriage, hate-crime protections have been strengthened and so have anti bullying policies and Illinois has a ban on so-called "conversion therapy" purportedly to turn a gay person straight.
The biggest accomplishment—he says—is that the victories have been bipartisan.
The biggest challenges now involve transgender people. LGBT groups are now fighting legislation they say would put restrictions on transgender students.
Equality Illinois CEO Bernard Cherkasov is the guest on our At Issue program this weekend and you can hear more of his comments at 9:30 p.m. on WBBM Newsradio 780/105.9.
