Illinois marriage lawsuit families will be Out at Wrigley

Lambda Legal float at Pride. Photo: Gerald Farinas.

Lambda Legal Chicago Leadership Council is hosting “Out at Wrigley Field for All Families,” a Wrigley Field fundraiser Sunday, July 15, featuring Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts and her partner, Heidi Grathouse.

The $55 per head campaign on the new Budweiser Patio will give an opportunity for the public to meet plaintiffs suing for the right to marry in Illinois.

Lambda Legal Midwest Regional Director Jim Bennett looks forward to the Chicago Cubs beating the Arizona Diamondbacks on game day.

“And it will be a perfect opportunity to get to meet the gay and lesbian couples and their children who are seeking the freedom to marry here in Illinois,” he said.

Ray Koenig, Attorney and Lambda Legal co-chair, said he likes the symbolism of baseball, adding that LGBT couples raising families is just as American as such time-honored gatherings at the nation’s ballparks.

“Baseball is a great American pastime for so many families — LGBT families included,” he said. “A day at Wrigley is a great way to celebrate the progress we’ve made towards equality but also learn what more there is to do.”

Last month, Cook County Clerk David Orr and State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez filed a motion in support of the lawsuits against them and agreed that the state’s definition of marriage is unconstitutional. A judge later combined Lazarro v. Orr and Darby v. Orr, the lawsuits filed by ACLU of Illinois and Lambda Legal on behalf of 25 gay and lesbian couples.

With Orr and Alvarez stepping aside, the conservative Thomas More Society, acting on behalf of Effingham County Clerk Kerry Hirtzel and Tazewell County Clerk Christie Webb, will act as defense counsel in support of the state’s marriage law.

Lambda Legal is offering tickets to “Out at Wrigley Field for All Families” at their website.