Illinois Elects Fourth Openly Gay State Representative, First Outside Chicago

(GayWebSource.com) – November 6, 2012 • Chicago, IL – The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA), Illinois’ leading statewide Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) civil rights advocacy organization, has learned that Illinois has elected it’s fourth openly gay member of the Illinois House of Representatives – and more importantly, its first outside of Chicago. Sam Yingling (D) won the 62^nd district over incumbent Sandy Cole (R).

“We would like to extend our congratulations to Mr. Yingling on his extraordinary win tonight,” said Anthony Martinez, Executive Director for The Civil Rights Agenda. “Mr. Yingling is a remarkable elected official and I have been impressed with his acumen. This is a very important and historic win because Mr. Yingling is the first openly gay State Representative to be elected outside of Chicago. Many people throughout the state believe that LGBT individuals live only on the North side of Chicago, but LGBT individuals live and work in every community throughout Illinois. This shows that constituents in Illinois are no longer concerned with the sexual orientation of their representative, but the capability of the individual. Mr. Yingling is a true representative of his constituents and the 62^nd district will be well served by his leadership and representation.”

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About The Civil Rights Agenda

The Civil Rights Agenda’s mission is to maintain and increase individual rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) citizens in Illinois through inter-generational volunteerism and community-driven project-based education, statewide coalition and network building, and leadership in supporting underserved communities. Please find us online atwww.jointcra.org or email us at info@jointcra.org.

Media Contact

Anthony Martinez, Executive Director

amartinez@jointcra.org

312.863.9632

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