On May 14, 2013, I was invited to take part in a “tele-town hall” when I received a phone call from my Illinois state representative, Jil Tracy (R). The town hall involved Rep. Tracy and a republican representative from Eastern Illinois. The representatives prefaced the conversation by saying the focus of the town hall would be about well-fare reform, a concealed carry bill, and expanding gambling in the state of Illinois. They repeated many times that listeners could ask questions about any thing by pushing *3 on their phones.

My interest was piqued, and while I was not initially interested in any of these topics, I was curious to hear what my legislators were doing in Springfield. I had not considered actually calling in with a question until I was reminded by another caller of an issue that was very important to me. An older woman called in to ask “Why have they voted to allow gay marriage without allowing citizens to vote on it?” Rep. Tracy clarified that only the IL Senate had approved it, and the that House of Representatives was still waiting to vote on it. Rep. Tracy then went on to state that her district did not have the constituents to support the bill and reminded the caller that LGBT citizens have the option of civil unions in Illinois (which she voted against for the record¹). The caller asked “Why do the gays have to have marriage? Shouldn’t civil unions be enough?” Tracy replied, “Yes, I agree. I think that civil unions are enough.”

Now I felt obligated to call in to them and ask a question. I felt an urgent need to express another view on the subject, but unfortunately they did not have time for my call that evening. I was encouraged to contact Rep. Tracy through other venues, so I opted to email her, despite a lack of response to my emails in the past. The following is my email to Rep. Tracy:

Hi Representative Tracy, I’m writing in response to listening to your “town hall” via telephone tonight. Let me start by stating that I genuinely appreciate the opportunity to engage my representatives in this way. While there was not time for my question and I have not received a response to previous emails that I have sent, I’m hoping that you will take some time to listen to my story and consider revising your stance on gay marriage in the state of Illinois. One thing that you mentioned tonight, in another topic of discussion, was that you wanted Illinois to be a place where people worked and raised their families. This struck me as interesting when you later stated that because there was a lack of support from our district for the gay marriage bill. Marriage is a key component of something that I want my family to have. If I have the option of getting married in a state such as Iowa or Minnesota which are so close to our state, why would I choose to stay in Illinois?As a 24 year-old, gay male living in Carthage, IL, I have faced much adversity growing up in such a rural community. I understand why you believe there is not enough support in our district, and you might even be right. However, there are often times where members of a majority have to step back and consider those in the minority who don’t have the ability to speak adequately for their rights simply because they are out numbered. Two months ago my father went into the hospital after experiencing a heart attack, and I realized I had never discussed my sexuality with him or other members of my family. When things got bad for my father, I realized how badly I wanted him to make it through the situation so that one day he could meet my future husband and be a grandfather to my children in the way he is to my three wonderful nephews. Thanks to the doctors and nurses that are caring for my father, he is slowly recovering. After coming out to my family during this time, I have been supported with open arms. I cannot wait for the day that my dad gets to see me marry my husband, but without your help, I’ll have to do it outside of Illinois.Thank you for taking the time to read through this, and I hope it gives you some insight on why gay marriage is an important issue, even if your constituents might not agree. Zach Sanderson

Thanks Zach for your respect and thoughtful letter. I am glad your father is recovering. I believe God created all of us and has a purpose for each of us. It may not be an easy road we are called to but he has a plan. That being said, I have taken calls and logged them in on the same sex marriage issue. As you say, you might expect, there is not major support for this issue. I am in the minority party so Im in appreciation of the minority perspective. However, how can I vote to change the majority’s view of the definition of marriage? I would not tolerate any discrimination for your orientation. However, I cannot support the bill. Jil Sent from my iPad I was surprised today when I came home from a break at work to find a response from Rep. Tracy. Unfortunately, her response was less than helpful. For those of you who struggled to read through my long email, try not to be alarmed by her short paragraph response.

I have read the paragraph many times, and I am still not sure how to feel about it. I think I am mostly bothered by the disregard for the majority of what I said in my email to her. She did not comment on how gay marriage could keep families in Illinois. She did not comment on her ability to stand for the minority’s rights. She simply tried to be politically correct, and she did it in an incredibly sloppy way.As a representative of my needs as her constituent, I have to say that I expect her to be able to express herself more clearly. She makes the claim that she is “in the minority party” and “in appreciation of the minority perspective.” In one instance, she could be saying that she actually does support gay marriage but is in the minority when it comes to what her constituents want. This, however, is contradictory to her voting record and the claims that she made in the town hall last night.Thus, the only other thing that I can assume that she means is that as a Republican in the Illinois House of Representatives, she is a minority to the Democrats. This has given her the ability to appreciate my life as a gay male. I wish there were a way I could communicate to her that choosing to be a Republican is far different than what I have gone through being born into the LGBT community. Through this one statement, I feel like she has trivialized the bullying I experienced, the strength it took to come out to my friends and family, and the discrimination I face by being denied the right to marry due to my sexual orientation.

While I never expected Rep. Tracy to change her stance on the issue, I certainly did not expect to her to respond in the manner that she did. Her response is a reminder of all the work that remains to be done in LGBT rights and equality. Even when we do legalize gay marriage in the state of Illinois, there will still be Rep. Tracy’s out there that just do not get it.

District Office

3701 East Lake Centre Dr.

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Fax : 217-223-1565

Phone: 217-223-0833

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Springfield, Illinois 62706

Phone: 217-782-8096

Fax: 217-558-3055 Here are some ways you can contact Representative Jil Tracy:

¹ SB 1716 Authorizing Civil Unions http://votesmart.org/bill/votes/36717#.UZPmqrVQHzw