The Peoria chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union will present a forum on the new Civil Unions act which goes into effect on June 1st.

The event takes place from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 26 at the new Peoria Public Library’s North Branch, 3001 W. Grand Parkway, off Allen Road (behind Menards).

An attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, Karen Sheley, will speak on what can be expected from the new law, and Peoria County Clerk Steve Sonnemaker will talk about procedures in his office.

The ACLU of Illinois was a key organization in the passage and implementation of the law. ACLU Lawyers worked to research and draft the legislation, and researched its impact on the state. In addition the Illinois ACLU organized meetings and spoke with legislators to get the law passed by the Illinois General Assembly.

Sheley has been an attorney at the Illinois ACLU since 2008, and represents the ACLU and its clients in First Amendment and national security cases. She frequently speaks on LGBT rights, including the Illinois Civil Union act and the intersection of LGBT rights and First Amendment rights.

A 2004 graduate of Columbia Law School, she was co-chair of LGBT student association, organized protests against military recruitment on campus because it violated the school’s anti-discrimination policy and drafted an anti-discrimination policy on gender identity and expression, which the school later adopted.

The event is free and open to the public.