Winning Legal Protections
After both cities removed their "cross dressing ordinances," Champaign-Urbana's LGBTQ community continued to organize and lobby, now pushing for legal protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Urbana set precedent by being the first city in Illinois to provide legal protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, with Champaign following shortly after.
Legal Protections in Urbana
It was in 1975 that the Urbana City Council passed a Human Rights Ordinance outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation as one of multiple categories of protection. However, the Ordinance was vetoed by Mayor Hiram Paley with the help of Democratic city council members. After some adjustments in wording were made, the Ordinance became law in 1976 and outlawed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment, public accommodations, and credit. Protections against discrimination in housing were removed from the 1976 Ordinance at the last minute, though a stronger law including housing and more rigorous enforcement was passed in 1979.
Legal Protections in Champaign
After numerous rejections over the 4-year campaign, the City of Champaign, by a vote of 5-4 in favor, adopted a comprehensive Human Rights Ordinance in 1977. The deciding vote on the matter was cast by council member and Mayor Bill Bland, whose mind was changed by the lobbying and organizing efforts of lesbians, gay men, the broader community, and their supporters.
Once the City of Champaign passed their Human Rights Ordinance in 1977, the cities of Champaign and Urbana successfully held two of the earliest Human Rights Ordinances in Illinois, and some of the earliest, strongest, and most comprehensive in the United States.
To read more about the Human Relations Commission in the City of Urbana, view their website here.