Gregory S. Harris (born June 5, 1955) is an American politician serving as a
Democratic member of the
Illinois House of Representatives, having represented the state's 13th district since 2007. Harris announced that he would not seek reelection in November 2021.
Early life and career
Harris is an alumnus of the
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...
. He then worked for social service agencies.
[ He served in senior positions with the National Home Furnishings Association. He then became Chief of Staff to ]Mary Ann Smith
Mary Ann Smith is a former alderman of the 48th ward of the City of Chicago; she was appointed in 1989 by Mayor Richard M. Daley to replace Kathy Osterman. She won re-election in 1991, and was re-elected four more times before retiring in 2011.< ...
a position in which he served for fourteen years.
Legislative tenure
Larry McKeon, who had held the seat for five terms, announced his intention to retire from the legislature in July 2006. He had, though, already been re-elected in the March primary election to be the Democratic candidate on the November general-election ballot, and it fell to the local Democratic committeemen to select his successor to appear on the ballot. Harris, like McKeon, is both openly gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
and HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
-positive.[ He was elected in November 2006.]Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
filed for the District 13 seat.[Chicago Board of Elections]
/ref> He also ran unopposed for re-election in 2008.civil union
A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
s in Illinois.
In 2013, Harris was the lead sponsor in the IL House of the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, signed into law by Governor Quinn, an act which legalized same-sex marriage in Illinois
Same-sex marriage in Illinois has been legally recognized since a law signed by Governor Pat Quinn on November 20, 2013 took effect on June 1, 2014. Same-sex marriage legislation was introduced in successive sessions of the Illinois General Asse ...
that went into effect in June 2014.
On January 10, 2019, Harris became the House Majority Leader.
On November 29, 2021, Harris announced that he would not seek reelection.
As of July 3, 2022, Representative Harris is a member of the following Illinois House committees:
Electoral history
References
External links
Representative Greg Harris (D) 13th District
at the Illinois General Assembly
100th99th98th97th96th95th94thState Representative Greg Harris
constituency site
*
at Illinois House Democrats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Greg
1955 births
21st-century American politicians
Gay politicians
LGBT people from Colorado
LGBT state legislators in Illinois
Living people
Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives
People with HIV/AIDS
Politicians from Chicago
University of Colorado alumni
Inductees of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame