PEORIA (25News Now) – A town hall meeting Monday night featuring some high-profile community leaders addressed issues including violence prevention and issues impacting the LGBTQ community.

Speak Out Illinois organized the event at the North Branch of the Peoria Public Library.

The panel included Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria), Peoria County State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos and Peoria City Councilmembers Mike Vespa and Bernice Gordon-Young.

On issues concerning the LGBTQ community, equal marriage rights have been recognized in Illinois for more than a decade and was one of the first six states in the nation to allow same-sex couples to enter into a civil union, leading us to where we are today.

“I think Illinois is a beacon of hope for a lot of people that are looking for these kinds of freedoms,” Koehler said.

The Senator was one of the original sponsors of the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, signed into law in 2011. He says the Human Rights Commission at the state level works hard to protect everyone’s rights.

“We need to be an open and tolerant society, and so we try to do that in Springfield by passing laws and make sure that we are affirming of people and their lifestyle choices,” said Koehler.

In Peoria, several organizations are providing services to promote equality.

Central Illinois Friends received a $75,000 grant last month to open a new health clinic and community center to expand its services. Plus, Peoria Proud uses education and social outreach programs aimed at unifying the city.

“These are all things that, as a community, there’s no one solution. It’s not law enforcement, it’s not the police, it’s not the courts, it’s the community that’s going to help solve these problems,” said Hoos, who is Peoria County’s chief prosecutor.

Hoos says her office pledges to legally protect LGBTQ members from discrimination, too.

“If somebody has a crime that’s been committed against them and they’re in a particular class, then we can elevate that. We can make it a higher sentence, make it a higher felony to give them better protections than just your average run-of-the-mill case,” said Hoos.

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