HR0341 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0341 LRB104 13605 LAW 26221 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize the Honorable Thomas R. Chiola on his career, his achievements, and his contributions to the State as the first openly gay elected official in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Judge Chiola has been a devoted activist and an inspiration to the LGBT community for decades, and his advocacy and trailblazing example have paved the way for those from marginalized communities to seek public office in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Judge Chiola was born in Springfield in 1952; he earned a Bachelor of Science from Illinois State University in 1974 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1977; and

WHEREAS, Judge Chiola moved from Springfield to Chicago in 1977, where his first position was as a prosecutor for the Illinois Attorney General's Environment Control Division with a concentration on pollution cases; and

WHEREAS, Judge Chiola was elected to the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County in 1994, and he retired in 2009; during his career, he served as chief administrative law judge for the General Council for the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, where he served for six years while deliberating various high-profile medical cases and malpractice lawsuits; and

WHEREAS, Judge Chiola, as an activist, successfully aided in passing the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance in 1993, a measure designed to protect all people who live and work in the county from discrimination and sexual harassment based on a variety of instances, including sexual orientation; and

WHEREAS, Judge Chiola, while volunteering as an attorney for the Legal Clinic for the Disabled, learned HIV/AIDS patients were refused advice; he worked with various organizations to organize a free legal project that allotted legal services for patients who would otherwise have no other option; his humanitarian efforts continued as an active participant in fundraising efforts for the Chicago office of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the NAMES Project, and the HIV/AIDS agency Vital Bridges, previously known as Open Hand; and

WHEREAS, Judge Chiola has received a number of accolades for his work, including being inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame for his unparalleled career and community efforts and receiving the Judicial Leadership Award by the Gay and Lesbian Legal Alliance from John Marshall Law School in 2006; he also served as the president of the Alliance of Illinois Judges, an organizational resource for fellow gay and lesbian judges; and

WHEREAS, Judge Chiola has been a pioneering public servant, an ardent advocate for human rights, and an exemplary example to the legal profession and the LGBT community; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the Honorable Thomas R. Chiola on his extraordinary career and contributions to the State as the first openly gay elected official in Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Judge Chiola as an expression of our esteem and respect.