By Matt Simonette

Staff writer

It’s been two years since SB 3186, legislation adding GLBTs to the state’s Human Rights Act, went into effect. Since then, nearly 200 men and women have filed complaints alleging that they have been discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation.

According to Rocco Claps, director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the state will use this year to get out the word about the options open to GLBTs who think they have been discriminated against.

IDHR plans to enable residents to link to information about how to file a discrimination case at the websites of Equality Illinois and Lambda Legal. The department also intends to join those organizations in hosting seminars about the filing process in various locations throughout the state.

“We’re excited by the opportunity to remind people about the Human Rights Act,” Claps said.

Since the protections took effect in January 2006, 194 GLBT-related discrimination cases have been filed in Illinois, according to Claps. Of those filings, IDHR has closed the investigations of and resolved 78 cases.

Seventy-two cases involved females and 122 involved males. Claps did not immediately know the total number of cases involving trans individuals, however, since gender identity cases are grouped with cases pertaining to sexual orientation.

Employment issues have been the basis of 172 of the filings.

“It’s typically loss of employment or someone (getting) passed over for a promotion that brings people to us.” Claps said.

When an individual files the complaint, they meet with an intake investigator to review the complaint. The person the complaint is directed against is then notified. An attempt at mediation follows.

“Sometimes (mediation) can be done through emails and phone conversations,” Claps said. “If that still is not settled, we have a fact-finding conference where we meet with the parties involved. And if none of that works, the case goes before the full Human Rights Commission.”

About a third of the cases are resolved somewhere along the way. “Overall, our agency settles about 35 percent of the cases before they go before the Commission,” Claps said.

That settlement rate is about twice as high as that for discrimination cases from non-GLBT categories, according to Anjali Julka, communications manager for IDHR.

For information about filing a complaint under the Illinois Human Rights Act, call (312) 814-6200 or visit www.state.il.us/dhr.