No Excuses: Coffee, Donuts and Equality
August 10, 2009
Hundreds of people from Illinois have already expressed interest in scheduling in-district lobby visits with their legislators through No Excuses. Three HRC members from Illinois happened to be in DC last week and were able to attend Illinois Coffee with Senators Durbin and Burris: From HRC Field Assistant Katie Taylor: I never thought I’d be sharing coffee and donuts with my Senators, but this past Wednesday I attended a townhall meeting of sorts and did just that! Since 1985, Senator Durbin has held the “Illinois Coffee” every Thursday morning to make sure that those Illinoisians who visit the Capitol can meet their Senators discuss their concerns. Through the No Excuses campaign at HRC, I signed up to attend this week. During our Illinois Coffee, people attending for a cause were asked to stand and identify themselves. I stood up with my two companions from Illinois and said we were there to voice our support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. We also thanked the Senator for his recent vote in support of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act and for co-sponsoring the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. While I wish I could be back in Illinois during the August recess , I feel great knowing that I helped play my part here in Washington - and hopefully giving Senator Durbin a preview of the many No Excuses participants he’ll see at home!
