Ahead of the March 17, 2026, local primary elections, Windy City Times is interviewing various political candidates.
Longtime public-health and queer-rights advocate José “Che-Che” Wilson is channeling his energies to another field: politics. Wilson, the director of civic engagement for Equality Illinois, is running to represent the 12th District (where he is a lifelong resident) on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. The winding district covers
River North, Wicker Park, Bucktown Lincoln Park, West Lake View,
North Center, Albany Park and Portage Park, among other neighborhoods.
Windy City Times recently talked with Wilson about his background as well as his reasons for running, President Trump and other topics.
Note: This conversation was edited for clarity and length.
Windy City Times: For those who don’t know, talk a little about your background and why you feel you’re qualified for this position.
José “Che-Che” Wilson: I came out as gay at age 14—but I didn’t know where to turn for spaces for young Latino guys like [me]. I started participating with my [gay-straight alliance] at Lincoln Park High School, and that led me to CALOR [which connects underserved communities to HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention services].
CALOR was really far up on the North West Side and it had a group for young, Latino men ages 14-24. At the time, I didn’t know what HIV was, so I went to an empowerment session to learn about HIV, STIs and sexual health for gay men. I kept going back, [in part] because it was a safe space for me.
So, I started volunteering for CALOR, at first packing condoms annd handing them out to people outside the clubs and doing outreach. I later facilitated the empowerment groups (funded by the CDC) and I became a health educator after graduating from high school. After CALOR, I worked at the [Ruth M. Rothstein] CORE Center, which is the largest HIV outpatient clinic in the Midwest. At the CORE Center, I learned how to connect people to vital health care and saw how private entities can work with public ones—and I want more of that.
I later worked for the Center on Halsted, where I continued to provide HIV/AIDS direct client services and connections to care. At the same time, I was going to City Colleges of Chicago.
After I graduated with my bachelor’s from University of San Diego, I came back to Chicago and began working Lambda Legal, where I was a legal analyst/paralegal. I helped Lambda Legal fight the anti-LGBTQ+ lawsuits happening in Florida and other parts of the country; in fact, I was one of the paralegals in the “Don’t Say Gay” case in Florida. I learned a lot about how policies were affecting people in different parts of the country, and how court systems could protect our rights and healthcare.
Now, I’m the Director of Civic Engagement at Equality Illinois. I organize across the state for pro-LGBTQ policies. I also make sure that people know their rights. One of the biggest things I talk about is the Illinois Human Rights Act because many people don’t know about it.
So what makes me qualified for this position? I’m the only candidate with 20-plus years working in direct client services, working in the policy space and working to make sure that there is a well-rounded vision of what we need to do to move forward. Right now, undocumented and LGBTQ people are receiving the brunt of the attacks, and the way to protect people is to start locally. As a gay person who comes from a mixed-undocumented family, I’ve seen [the problems] first-hand; I’ve also worked in every level of the movement, from direct client health care, to policy and education so I know where the gaps are. We need to learn to build coalitions across communities and bring people together; I have proven I can do that.
WCT: You’ve run for office before. What did you learn before that you can apply to this campaign run?
JW: So I ran for committeeman in Chicago’s 1st Ward last time, and that’s a volunteer position within the Democratic Party. So I learned how the electoral process works in Illinois. When it comes to Illinois and Chicago, trainings on how to run for office doesn’t really tell you how to actually navigate the local electoral process. This time around I’m much more prepared.
I also learned how important money and endorsements are. But, at the end of the day, nothing matters if you don’t have enough signatures to stay on the ballot. This time, I’m going to get on the ballot and stay on it.
WCT: Did you also run for state Senate?
JW: No. I appeared in front of [committeepeople] who were selecting a person to fill a vacancy. You submit a resume, appear in front of them and talk with them. I was one out of four people who applied for this position.
WCT: Your district is very diverse. What do you say to those who may not have LGBTQ+ and/or immigrant rights at the top of their lists of concerns?
JW: The thing I’m running on is actually health care, which a lot of folks care about. It’s not just because of the Medicare and Medicaid cuts; a lot of people just have trouble finding providers—and that’s because we’re not working [together] to make medical care more accessible for everyone.
The other thing is the forest preserves. Most are concentrated in the suburbs and the northern parts of Chicago. We live in a densely populated area that goes up the Chicago River; I think we should take some of those tax dollars and work with others to invest in green spaces along the river. A lot of people in my district really care about this issue because they don’t want to take an hour to go out to the suburbs to see the preserves. I’d love to connect the 606 to the river and making sure it goes down to the lake. I think wedeserve that!
But people in this district do care about LGBTQ and immigrant issues, even if they’re not at the forefront. Also, they just want more transparency from their leaders.
I love talking with constituents. Many of them are highly informed, and I’m happy to discuss an array of issues with them.
WCT: Also, so our readers can get to know you, I want to ask you a couple quick questions. For example, who’s a politician—past or present—who you admire, and why?
JW: There’s a list I admire. But to keep it at one, it would be is former state House [Majority Leader] Greg Harris. He has done so much for the LGBTQ community. Gay people have been told to hide their personal lives in politics, but Greg Harris was so authentically himself as a leader and politician. I tell him this all the time.
The other person is Ald. Bennett Lawson, who has been in the community for so long. He’s also authentic and has been actively involved in the community. I’ll also mention [state Sen.] Sara Feigenholtz, who’s been such an ally of the community; [state Rep.] Kelly Cassidy; [Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner] Precious Brady-Davis, who I first met at About Face Theatre; and [Ald.] Lamont Robinson.
WCT: Also, if you could ask the current president one question, what would it be?
JW: [Laughs] Oh my God. This is a trick question, Andrew.
I already know what the goal of this president is. I’m not sure if there’s anything I want to ask, because I already know what the answers are. I’ve read the synopsis of Project 2025 and I see what he’s doing.
I think that if I did have the opportunity, I would just ask, “Are you done with the carnage? But this is why having qualified leaders is important?
José “Che-Che” Wilson’s campaign website is here.