TCRA
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| Founder | Jacob Meister |
|---|---|
| Type | Civil rights advocacy |
| Location |
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Area served
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Illinois |
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Key people
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Jacob Meister, President Anthony Martinez, Executive Director Rick Garcia, Policy Director Nico Lang, Associate Director |
| Website | www |
The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA) is a civil rights advocacy organization founded in June 2010 by Jacob Meister, with a stated mission "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 with the necessary tools that will equip members of those communities with the resources and confidence to establish equality for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."
The Civil Rights Agenda was Founded in June 2010 by attorney Jacob Meister, who serves as the organization's Governing Board President. Meister is a lawyer from Chicago and a former Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. He has practiced law in Chicago for nearly 20 years, litigating cases involving interstate commerce, telecommunications, discrimination and civil rights. Prior to his legal career he worked in both Federal and State Government. Meister ran as the first openly gay candidate for the U.S. Senate, seeking the seat vacated in 2008 by President Barack Obama.
Rick Garcia founder of Equality Illinois (EQIL) joined TCRA as policy advisor in March 2012. Garcia led the gay legislative initiative since the 1980s. He, along with others, founded Equality Illinois in 1991 and served as the organization’s policy director until he was dismissed from the organization in 2010.
In April 2011, TCRA worked to mobilize opponents to Illinois Senate bill SB 1123 which, if passed, would allow religious agencies to circumvent anti-discrimination laws by rejecting openly gay prospective parents while accepting public funding for adoption and foster care services. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Family Equality Council and the Log Cabin Republicans joined in voicing opposition to the bill, which was ultimately defeated.
After the Rockford (Illinois) Diocese announced in June 2011 that they would end its state-funded adoption and foster-care program because of a new law that would require it to place children with gay or unmarried couples, TCRA reacted calling the diocese’s decision “a sad display of bigotry” and said religious freedom “is granted only when the religious agency is not funded by taxpayer dollars.” Diocese officials said they were forced to terminate $7.5 million in state contracts because an amendment exempting religious groups from provisions of the state’s new civil unions law was excluded.
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Wikipedia