Demi Palecek is one of three openly queer candidates running for Illinois House in the 13th District, joining Sunjay Kumar and Ridge Knapp in one of the most LGBTQ+-represented legislative races in the state.
Palecek, who identifies as queer, grew up in southern Illinois in a low-income, working-class household shaped by immigration, mental health challenges and labor instability. Her mother immigrated from Mexico and struggled with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, while her father, a Vietnam War veteran, dealt with PTSD, alcoholism and cancer after losing his job—and union protections—as a supervisor.
“I’ve always been low income, working class,” Palecek said. “That really put it off the edge.”
Palecek began working at age 14 and later joined the military at 19 as a pathway out of poverty—a decision that would profoundly shape her political outlook.
“I was actually assaulted my first enlistment when I was active duty, and I became a whistleblower,” Palecek said. “They kicked me out and let him become a cop on the civilian side.”
She later re-enlisted in the Army National Guard, where she worked on sexual harassment investigations, equal opportunity cases and, until recently, protections for trans service members.
“We’ve lost all of those things in the past eight months with this administration,” she said.
Palecek was activated on January 6, 2021, and said witnessing events in Washington—and the political climate that followed—pushed her toward elected office.
After returning to Chicago, Palecek became deeply involved in ward politics, policy advocacy and mutual aid. She now organizes monthly “Sandwiches for Solidarity” events, coordinates rapid-response aid delivery amid increased ICE activity, and helps plan weekly protests outside the Broadview detention center.
“I just like being creative and fun and making it better for people,” she said. “I don’t know why we want it to be so hard.”
LGBTQ+ issues and protecting trans youth
Palecek said LGBTQ+ rights—particularly marriage equality, healthcare access and safety—are under renewed threat.
“I’m really worried that my friends who are married are going to lose their status of marriage,” she said. “We fought for that for how long?”
She said the rollback of protections for LGBTQ+ people in the military has already had devastating effects.
“My trans soldiers are getting kicked out,” Palecek said. “They have no retirement.”
Palecek also expressed concern about access to PrEP, adoption barriers for same-sex couples and broader healthcare access.
“I’m worried about losing all of our health care access,” she said. “That’s detrimental to our lives.”
Palecek also said Illinois should take a more active role as hospitals scale back gender-affirming care for trans youth under federal pressure.
“Those children need to be taken care of,” she said. “There’s a lot we could have done earlier just by getting ahead of the messaging.”
Broader platform: immigration, ICE, healthcare and mental health
Immigration is one of Palecek’s central campaign priorities. Her partner is undocumented, and she said the lack of viable pathways to citizenship has become untenable.
“There’s no path,” she said. “Even with all my privileges, we can’t get anywhere.”
She said she supports creating new pathways to citizenship and holding ICE accountable for illegal actions.
“I would immediately say no to turning against my neighbors,” Palecek said of federal immigration enforcement.
Palecek said she has continued speaking out despite facing investigations related to her stance.
“What the government is doing is insanity,” Palecek said. “It’s embarrassing. It’s disgusting to come after our neighbors.”
She also highlighted mental health access as a core issue, shaped by her family’s experiences and her own struggles with depression and anxiety.
“We’ve lost so many people we didn’t need to lose,” Palecek said. “We didn’t have the right mental health capacity.”
When asked what sets her apart in a crowded progressive field, Palecek emphasized her working-class background and deep community ties.
“I am working class. That’s how I view it,” she said. “The community is my family, and I’ve never left.”
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