Equality & Civil Rights

Full Civil Rights for Gays and Lesbians

During his initial campaign for the County Board, Mike pledged that he would win approval of legislation to provide benefits to domestic partners of County and Forest Preserve employees. He fulfilled that promise within his first year in office and in 2003 he passed an ordinance creating the Cook County Domestic Partnership Registry.

Ending Discrimination

Mike has also worked continuously with a coalition of GLBT advocates throughout his time on the Board to ensure that the County does not do business with groups that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

In addition, Mike supported efforts to make discrimination on the basis of source of income unlawful in Cook County. This ensures that County residents who receive Section 8 housing vouchers from the federal government can find safe, affordable housing near their workplaces, schools, and accessible public transportation.

Supporting Women’s Issues

Mike advocated tirelessly for the construction of a new Domestic Violence Courthouse that would be safe for women and their children. His efforts ensured that Cook County Domestic Violence Courthouse, which opened in September 2005 at 555 West Harrison Street in Chicago, would not experience the overcrowding and gross inadequacy of the previous courthouse at 13th and Michigan in Chicago.

Mike is also a strong supporter of women’s reproductive rights . When the Guttmacher Institute documented a dramatic need for expanded reproductive health care services in Cook County, Mike and pro-choice advocates successfully fought to increase access to abortion services at Stroger Hospital. In addition, Mike secured additional county funding to provide rape victims at Stroger Hospital with specialized, 24-hour emergency room care and follow-up legal assistance. He also worked with Advocate Hospital system to increase the funding they provide to rape victim assistance programs.

After securing a review of the County’s maternity and paternity leave policies, Mike helped craft a new policy that no longer requires employees to exhaust all of their leave time before taking maternity disability leave payments. Commissioner Quigley also wholeheartedly supported the combined effort of the City and County to provide a first-ever day care center for their employees' children.

What others are saying...

"He is bright, diligent and unafraid to fight when he thinks a proposal is wrong for his district or the county."
Chicago Free Press - March 13, 2002

"Few elected officials make good on difficult campaign promises with the alacrity and sense of commitment that was demonstrated recently by Cook County Board Commissioner Mike Quigley."
Windy City Times, April 22, 1999