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91_HB4407
LRB9111406DHmbA
1 AN ACT in relation to gender violence.
2 WHEREAS, Existing State and federal laws do not
3 adequately prevent and remedy gender-related violence, such
4 as domestic violence, which is disproportionately visited
5 upon women by men; sexual abuse, which harms many women and
6 children without being reported or prosecuted; and violence
7 against men and women for actual or attributed sexual or
8 gender nonconformity; therefore
9 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
10 represented in the General Assembly:
11 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
12 Gender Violence Act.
13 Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
14 "Sex discrimination" means any of the following:
15 (1) One or more acts of violence or physical
16 aggression on the basis of sex, gender, or sexuality.
17 (2) A physical intrusion or physical invasion of a
18 sexual nature under coercive conditions.
19 (3) A threat of an act described in item (1) or
20 (2).
21 "Sex, gender, or sexuality" includes but is not limited
22 to:
23 (1) Actual, perceived, or attributed sexual
24 orientation.
25 (2) Actual, perceived, or attributed gender
26 identity.
27 (3) Actual, perceived, or attributed sex or gender
28 role conformity or nonconformity.
29 Section 10. Cause of action. Any person who has been
30 subjected to sex discrimination may bring a civil action for
-2- LRB9111406DHmbA
1 damages, an injunction, or other appropriate relief against
2 any person responsible for that discrimination, whether that
3 person is an individual, a group, a corporate entity, or an
4 institution.
5 Section 15. Relief. In an action brought under this Act,
6 the court may award actual damages, compensatory damages,
7 punitive damages, or injunctive relief, or any combination of
8 those, or any other relief the court determines is
9 appropriate. The court may also award attorney's fees and
10 costs to a prevailing plaintiff.
11 Section 20. Limitation. An action under this Act must be
12 commenced within 7 years after the right to bring the action
13 first accrued.
14 Section 98. Applicability. This Act applies only to
15 causes of action accruing on or after its effective date.