Judicial Award Given to Tom Chiola
Judicial Award Given to Tom Chiola
2006-04-19
By Emily Alpert. Copyright by The Windy City Times
When Judge Tom Chiola ran for office in 1994, no openly gay man had been elected to any office in the state of Illinois. That didn’t send Chiola into the closet. Chiola was out for the entirety of his campaign, and his posters featured a pink triangle dotting the ‘i’ in his name.
“We wore the badge of the Nazis as a badge of honor in my campaign,” said Chiola. “Voters could instantly identify that someone from our community was running for office, out and proud and expecting to be successful.”
On April 11, lawyers, students and community members honored Chiola with a Judicial Leadership Award, the first awarded by the Gay and Lesbian Legal Alliance ( GALLA ) at John Marshall Law School.
“To have a place at the table—that’s what Tom made happen for us all,” said professor Mark Wojcik, who founded GALLA while a student at John Marshall in the 1980s. Wojcik said that Chiola is a role model for LGBTQ law students, many of whom worry about being out in the courtroom.
“It’s still very much an old boys’ club,” said Mark Seconsky, co-president of GALLA. “For any minority at all, including women, it’s a challenge.”
“Students ask us, ‘Should I be out on my resume?’” said Dorene Kuffer, president of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago ( LAGBAC ) . “They fear they won’t be seen as the same as everyone else.”
Judge Alexander White, a former Marine, added that a new system of electing judges by subcircuit has helped many openly gay candidates. In areas with out, vocal gay communities, judicial candidates like Mike McHale and Mary Colleen Roberts have won campaigns while out of the closet. “Everywhere else, though, [ being out ] could be a disadvantage,” said White.
During her campaign, Mary Roberts was sometimes advised “to keep quiet about it to certain populations,” she said. “That gave me pause. It suggested that I needed to be something other than what I was.” Roberts refused, and talked about her partner of 15 years throughout her campaign.
“We’ve been able to dispel stereotypes by being affable, by being tough … and just by being competent,” said Chiola. “Hopefully we’ve been a resource for law students, young lawyers, people who are struggling with coming out.”
The event was co-sponsored by LAGBAC; the Chicago Bar Association Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; and the National Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association.
2006-04-19
By Emily Alpert. Copyright by The Windy City Times
When Judge Tom Chiola ran for office in 1994, no openly gay man had been elected to any office in the state of Illinois. That didn’t send Chiola into the closet. Chiola was out for the entirety of his campaign, and his posters featured a pink triangle dotting the ‘i’ in his name.
“We wore the badge of the Nazis as a badge of honor in my campaign,” said Chiola. “Voters could instantly identify that someone from our community was running for office, out and proud and expecting to be successful.”
On April 11, lawyers, students and community members honored Chiola with a Judicial Leadership Award, the first awarded by the Gay and Lesbian Legal Alliance ( GALLA ) at John Marshall Law School.
“To have a place at the table—that’s what Tom made happen for us all,” said professor Mark Wojcik, who founded GALLA while a student at John Marshall in the 1980s. Wojcik said that Chiola is a role model for LGBTQ law students, many of whom worry about being out in the courtroom.
“It’s still very much an old boys’ club,” said Mark Seconsky, co-president of GALLA. “For any minority at all, including women, it’s a challenge.”
“Students ask us, ‘Should I be out on my resume?’” said Dorene Kuffer, president of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago ( LAGBAC ) . “They fear they won’t be seen as the same as everyone else.”
Judge Alexander White, a former Marine, added that a new system of electing judges by subcircuit has helped many openly gay candidates. In areas with out, vocal gay communities, judicial candidates like Mike McHale and Mary Colleen Roberts have won campaigns while out of the closet. “Everywhere else, though, [ being out ] could be a disadvantage,” said White.
During her campaign, Mary Roberts was sometimes advised “to keep quiet about it to certain populations,” she said. “That gave me pause. It suggested that I needed to be something other than what I was.” Roberts refused, and talked about her partner of 15 years throughout her campaign.
“We’ve been able to dispel stereotypes by being affable, by being tough … and just by being competent,” said Chiola. “Hopefully we’ve been a resource for law students, young lawyers, people who are struggling with coming out.”
The event was co-sponsored by LAGBAC; the Chicago Bar Association Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; and the National Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association.
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