Student-led effort lobbies online for civil-unions bill

SPRINGFIELD - When Phil Miatkowski created an online group to support civil-union legislation in Illinois, it was meant to be just an easy way to keep friends informed. A year later, the group on the social networking site Facebook has swelled to nearly 9,000 members. The legislation's sponsor sought their help to lobby for the measure, which would be the first of its kind in the state. And they've generated thousands of faxes and e-mails to state lawmakers, organized rallies and circulated petitions. “Every time I log on, it's getting larger, so it's exciting to see,” said Miatkowski, a Lake Forest College sophomore. He started the group, Students for the Illinois Marriage Equality Bill, last May after Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat,