Chicago—Dec. 23, 2024] – LGBTQ+ Cook County Commissioners Anthony Quezada, Kevin Morrison and Maggie Trevor are introducing a resolution before the Cook County Board in January calling on county stakeholders to partner with the City of Chicago on a working group to address transfemicide and protect trans and gender-diverse people.
Earlier this month, 35th Ward Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (also part of the LGBTQ+ community) introduced an ordinance to the City of Chicago’s Committee on Health and Human Relations to create a working group that will be focused on transfemicide and protections for the transgender and gender-diverse community. This working group will be tasked with reporting their findings within six months, including any necessary amendments to existing policies and the Municipal Code of Chicago to combat transfemicide and violence against the BIPOC community, gender-diverse, and non-binary individuals.
Mayor Brandon Johnson complimented this work by issuing an executive order creating the working group.
Quezada, Morrison and Trevor’s resolution will call on the Cook County Commission on Human Relations, the Cook County Office of the Medical Examiner, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and the County State’s Attorney’s Office to collaborate with the City of Chicago’s working group to ensure that the persistent threat of violence against the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities is addressed at both the city and the county level. Chicago is the deadliest city in the nation for Black trans women, with at least five lives lost to transfemicide in Chicago in 2024 alone. Nationwide, Black transgender women account for over 60% of trans-related homicides, despite representing a smaller segment of the trans community. Quezada, Morrison and Trevor hope that the collaboration of county officials can ensure that more is done to protect the lives of trans, gender diverse, and non-binary residents of Cook County.