City officials and local advocates gathered June 2 for Bridging Community Voices and Legal Advocacy, a Pride month forum examining the current LGBTQ+-rights landscape and effective advocacy strategies supporting meaningful, community-driven change.

The discussion took place at the downtown Chicago headquarters of the Hinshaw and Culbertson LLP law firm. Panelists included Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Commissioner and LGBTQ+ rights activist Precious Brady-Davis; ACLU Illinois Senior Policy Counsel Aisha Davis; City of Chicago LGBTQ+ Affairs Director Antonio King; Lambda Legal Midwest Office Senior Attorney Nathan Maxwell; and Chicago 4th Ward Alderman and LGBTQ Caucus Chair Lamont Robinson.

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Assistant State’s Attorney and Cook County Bar Association LGBTQ Section member Marcell Taylor moderated.

Maxwell said the issue that is at the top of his mind is the attacks on trans kids who are “particularly vulnerable and are unable to advocate for themselves through the legal system.”  He also pointed out the increased rate of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation nationwide as LGBTQ+ rights are used a wedge issue to stoke fear and paranoia.

King spoke about the funding cuts from the federal government, warning that  the LGBTQ+ community could “disintegrate” as their quality of life is negatively impacted. He said these cuts are impacting health care, housing and food assistance access  for every LGBTQ+ person nationwide.

Davis said the attacks are happening “across multiple different lanes.” She spoke about the threats from the federal government against the “operations of entire institutions” that provide services for the LGBTQ+ community and how each of these entities respond, do they fight back or capitulate. Davis added that Illinois has comprehensive LGBTQ+ inclusive laws that should protect the community, however, some of the institutions in the state receive federal funding which results in a conflict over how to enforce these inclusive laws in this political environment. She said the silver lining is that these attacks has produced more allies.

Robinson mentioned how the funding for the Getting to Zero 2030 initiative would be negatively impacted due to the cuts in HIV funding in this year’s state budget, warning there are still high rates of HIV in Black and Brown communities and young people in general. 

Davis said a key goal for advocates should be educating people about current laws and the ways they can protect themselves so they don’t believe lies spread by politicians. King said it is important to meet people where they are because the average LGBTQ+ person doesn’t fully know what their rights are and the “opportunities that are available.” He added that there needs to be more legal clinics.

Brady-Davis pointed to storytelling as an effective way to get messages across to the masses. She added that this moment has seen a backlash directed at the trans community from the Trump administration and others. Brady-Davis said she “reframes the narrative of who trans people are” and this is why she talks about being a mother, wife and from Nebraska and “why I don’t just work on LGBTQ+ issues because [those] issues are involved in everything. I think clean water affects LGBTQ+ people too. That’s a public health issue and so does my right to walk down the street without being harmed.” 

Brady-Davis also spoke about how she and her husband Myles Brady-Davis petitioned the Illinois Department of Public Health to be accurately identified on their child’s birth certificate. and this is how they became the first trans couple to achieve that accurate designation in Illinois. This action changed the policy for everyone in the state.

As for what policies and initiatives that are the most important for the LGBTQ+ community, King said one of the first things Mayor Brandon Johnson told him upon taking this new role was that he wanted an LGBTQ+ policy (the first of its kind in any municipality in the United States) which he has been working on with a cross-section of people. He said this new LGBTQ+ policy will have six priorities and teased mandating LGBTQ+ cultural sensitivity training in every city department.

Brady-Davis pointed out that Chicago doesn’t have adequate resources for unhoused LGBTQ+ youth, such as those provided by the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the Ali Forney Center in New York City. 

Maxwell touched on the role attorneys have outside of the courtroom, and what their allyship looks like. He said allyship takes many forms and needs to be year-round, not just in June for Pride Month. 

Maxwell said, “All the problems we talked about are not the symptoms of some disease, they are the intended outcome of this white supremacist society we live in.” He added that people with lots of privilege, which include attorneys, should be using it to donate money, show up in person and have uncomfortable conversations with people who need to hear the truth.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Bar Association LGBTQ Section Chair and LAGBAC Communications Director and Executive Board Member Hon. Nishá N. Dotson and Cook County Bar Association President Antonio Lee also spoke.

Hinshaw and Culbertson LLP, LAGBAC- Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Bar Association, Cook County Bar Association’s LGBTQ Section, Alliance of Illinois Judges and Chicago Bar Association’s LGBTQIA+ Committee sponsored the forum.

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