Text of IL HR 794 (2026)

HR0794LRB104 21130 MST 35414 r 1HOUSE RESOLUTION 2 WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is committed to justice, 3inclusion, and honoring the service and sacrifice of all 4veterans, including those from the LGBTQIA+ community; and 5 WHEREAS, Members of the LGBTQIA+ community have served 6their neighbors and our State as legislators and local elected 7officials, leading on countless issues important to the people 8of Illinois; and 9 WHEREAS, Throughout our nation's history, numerous 10LGBTQIA+ individuals have served honorably in the United 11States Armed Forces, despite facing systemic discrimination, 12invisibility, and forced silence; and 13 WHEREAS, Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected 14officials in the United States, previously served in the 15United States Navy as a diving officer; and 16 WHEREAS, From 1994 to 2011, the military's "Don't Ask, 17Don't Tell" (DADT) policy prevented openly LGBTQIA+ service 18members from serving without fear of discharge, often leading 19to the loss of military careers, benefits, and dignity; and 20 WHEREAS, Although DADT was repealed through the Don't Ask, HR0794- 2 -LRB104 21130 MST 35414 r 1Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, thousands of veterans 2discharged under the policy still struggle to access earned 3benefits and receive the recognition they deserve due to 4discharge statuses that remain less than honorable; and 5 WHEREAS, LGBTQIA+ veterans, particularly transgender 6veterans and veterans of color, continue to face barriers to 7care, equity, and acknowledgment within the broader veteran 8support system; and 9 WHEREAS, The success of the movement for equal service for 10the LGBTQIA+ community has suffered a setback by way of 11administrative action that currently restricts the ability of 12transgender people to serve openly; and 13 WHEREAS, Members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the United 14States and around the world still face discrimination, 15violence, and proposed rollbacks in state and federal 16protections, and bias-based crimes based on sexual orientation 17and gender identity are on the rise; and 18 WHEREAS, LGBTQIA+ veterans have demonstrated great courage 19and commitment to defending the principles upon which the 20United States was founded and which the United States 21continues to uphold; and HR0794- 3 -LRB104 21130 MST 35414 r 1 WHEREAS, LGBTQIA+ veterans and service members have earned 2and deserve the same dignity, respect, honor, treatment, 3health care, and benefits that are owed to everyone who has 4served; and 5 WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the service and 6celebrate the contributions of all veterans and to advocate 7for full inclusion and justice for LGBTQIA+ veterans whose 8contributions and sacrifices have too often gone unrecognized; 9therefore, be it 10 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 11HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 12we declare July 2026 as LGBTQIA+ Veterans Month in the State of 13Illinois as we continue to work toward full equality for our 14LGBTQIA+ family, friends, and neighbors; and be it further 15 RESOLVED, That we call upon all residents to honor the 16service of LGBTQIA+ veterans, support their pursuit of 17justice, and celebrate their enduring contributions to our 18nation and our community.