McHenry UU Congregation, PFLAG to push legislators on marriage equality

With long sought marriage equality legislation due for a key vote in the Illinois Senate on Valentine's Day, members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in McHenry and their long-time allies, Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), will visit two local legislators on Monday, February 11 to lobby in support of marriage equality for same gender couples.

Several members of both organizations and interested persons from the public will visit the constituent office of state Senator Pam Althoff, 5400 West Elm, Suite 103 in McHenry at 2:30 p.m. and Rep. Jack Franks, 1193 S Eastwood Drive in Woodstock, at 3:30 p.m.

The Rev. Sean Parker Dennison of the UU Congregation was one of more than 300 religious leaders who signed a letter in support of the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. The letter was delivered in Springfield on Monday, Feb. 4 by Illinois Unites for Marriage, a coalition of organizations advocating on behalf of the bill.

“As Unitarian Universalists, we have supported full equality for the LGBT community for decades. Love and marriage are not heterosexual privileges, they are human rights,” Dennison explained. The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has long endorsed marriage equality and the local congregation has been a vocal supporter of gay, lesbian, and transgender rights. In 2008 the Congregation voted overwhelmingly to endorse legalizing same gender marriage.

The delegations will be led by the Rev. Dan Larsen, Minister Emeritus of the UU Congregation, local PFLAG leader Toni Weaver, and Patrick Murfin of the congregation's Social Justice Committee. Interested members of the public are invited to join.

For more information contact the congregation office at (815) 322-2464, Rev. Larsen at (815) 338-2234, or Patrick Murfin at (815) 814-5645.