In late December 2024, Mayor Brandon Johnson declared a Transfemicide Emergency in Chicago and established the Transfemicide Working Group, citing Chicago as the deadliest city in the country for Black trans women. This summer, the working group hosted three public meetings for city officials and residents to gather and share input on how to move towards a solution.
The final meeting took place at Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway, on July 30 and attracted around 50 attendees.
The groups included meetings with the Chicago Department of Public Health, CPD/Commission on Human Relations, and the Chicago Department of Family Support Services/Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, with the former two proving to be the most popular. Each was also facilitated by at least one person involved with the organization.
The meeting also attracted elected officials such as State Rep. Kelly Cassidy and Ald. Rossana Rodriguez (33rd Ward). Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth 48th Ward) was one of multiple community members to give opening remarks as the meeting took place within her ward. Each speaker was also accompanied by a sign language interpreter.
“This conversation is so important not only to my community in Edgewater and Uptown—and then two zip codes that have the most diversity across race and class, but also the [highest] density of LGBTQ+ people,” she said. “Here in 60640 and 60660, trans rights are human rights.”
In the CDPH group, Chief Racial Equity Officer and Deputy Commissioner Brittany Williams moderated a discussion about CDPH’s role in trans care. One of the most prominent topics attendees brought up was how trans health and life spans are not just affected by individual medical care, but also how the system is set up overall.
Multiple attendees also brought up a desire to see the reproductive health care space become more trans affirming, especially when it comes to care for those who are pregnant.
While people began to share their experiences and ask questions about the CDPH’s role, Williams also shared information about the state of the department. With only a small fraction of funding coming from taxpayers and the vast majority coming from the CDC, it has led to an intense thinning of resources since funding is currentlyup in the air.
Another prominent discussion point that Williams focused on was the intersection between trans and POC experiences in health care, which can cause distrust in the system. Williams and attendees brainstormed potential remedies including deputizing community members to help spread important information in their communities.
Participants also called for more trans youth spaces and better communication about events such as the transfemicide working group. Williams echoed the group’s sentiments to continue to improve care and resources across the city.
“If we’re going to be a progressive city, if we’re going to be a blue city, we need to do blue city things,” she said. “And we need to do them loudly.”
During the second breakout group, Director of Inter Group Relations and Outreach at Chicago Commission on Human Relations Daniel Serrano led the CPD/Commission discussion on how they can promote safety for trans women. He was also joined by a number of other officials within CPD holding equity-related positions.
After a brief break for a sudden fire alarm, Serrano asked the participants how they can better define “chosen family,” as referenced in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s declaration of transfemicide emergency.
For some attendees, having the law involved in any aspect of their chosen family felt like an overstep. Others expressed a need for officials to understand chosen family can be more than just a partner or one friend, but a whole system similar to a traditional family.
One of the main topics discussed in the group was on the specific factors making trans women—especially Black trans women—susceptible to violence. Many spoke about housing discrimination they or friends had faced, and a need for less bureaucracy and confusing processes for reporting issues. One participant’s idea to improve this was the creation of easily understandable videos or demos walking people through the process.
People also emphasized the lack of trust that already exists between trans people and police and what work needs to be done to rebuild any trust. An attendee also pointed out how trans women are more likely to experience poverty and neurodivergence, two factors which police need to understand to create better interactions and resources.
Other officials in the breakout group were taking notes on suggestions in order to compile findings to use in future reports and to guide future trainings.
Following the conclusion of the event, Chicago Chief Equity Officer Sara Mathers encouraged attendees to provide feedback via QR code and to be alert for future events of this nature as many participants asked for further opportunities to engage on the issue.