In the face of a presidential administration that has waged war on the queer community, it’s more important than ever for LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies to be proactive when it comes to protecting their rights.
That was the message that panelists conveyed during a talk held at Andersonville’s Bramble Arts Loft on March 31—the Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). The talk was part of an event hosted by Chicago Therapy Collective (CTC) that was titled “Share Your Voice, Move Your Body,” featuring everything from an exhibit with various organizations (including Life Is Work and Brave Space Alliance) to a dance party.
The panel was composed of a who’s who of Chicago LGBTQ+ leaders, including 48th Ward Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth; activist Alexis Martinez; Illinois state Rep. Kelly Cassidy; Equality Illinois Public Policy Director Mike Ziri; Illinois state Sen. Mike Simmons; Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis; Lambda Legal Staff Attorney Nora Huppert; and new Chicago Park District CEO (and former 35th Ward Ald.) Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, with CTC Advocacy & Community Engagement Manager Silas Leslie serving as moderator. The audience almost filled the venue’s auditorium, with individuals such as Lilly Wachowski, Chicago Ald. Maria Hadden, Illinois state Rep. Hoan Huynh and activist Norma Seledon in attendance. CTC Advocacy & Community Engagement Manager, Trainer, and Data Analyst Silas Leslie served as moderator.
‘Just being trans makes you a revolutionary’
Leslie kicked things off by asking the panelists what they’re doing now to protect transgender and non-binary individuals.
Cassidy responded with something that not everyone necessarily knows: “Nothing has changed in Illinois law regarding access to care for trans folks. Nothing has changed with regard to reproductive healthcare. I’ve started saying this: Executive orders are vibes, not laws. We’re [actually] adjusting to their tactics. We’ve put a lot of protections in places. Our doctors cannot be subjected to out-of-state subpoenas; patients’ records are protected.” Martinez commented how she helps trans people with name changes and gender markers on licenses and passports, adding that, at 75, she’s seen many civil-rights battles. “They’re coming after trans people because we’re seen as the easy targets,” she said. “I see this every day. It’s part of a long history of oppression. But we need to remember that all of us can push back.”
Simmons—the first openly gay member of the state Senate—mentioned two measures he’s been involved with: SB1516, which “would waive fees for trans people who are essentially refugees and who are coming into Illinois right now”; and another bill (which currently has no number) that would strengthen LGBTQ+ protections even more. Regarding the former, he added, “I know that there are trans couples who have relocated to the [Chicago neighborhood of] Lincoln Square and my district. It’s bittersweet because I’m so damn proud that they chose to move to this community from Florida and other states. But I also feel a really deep sense of sadness that trans people can’t just live where they want and can’t just fuckin’ be human.”
Martinez’s answer sparked a question from Leslie regarding the effects that federal gender identity-related directives regarding passports are having on Illinois residents. Martinez and Huppert both responded that fear is playing a pivotal role in what they see. “You can’t change your gender marker on federal documents,” Martinez said. “There’s no ‘X’ marker on documents now. The effect on the community” is one of fear, but it’s a call for unity, she added, stating, “Just being trans makes you a revolutionary.” Huppert said, “It’s so correct to call out the use of fear in how these policies are implemented,” specifically mentioning orders that “threatened to withhold federal funding from hospitals and clinics that had gender-affirming care.”
“I also think this is a moment [when] we can see the power of local politics,” Brady-Davis—the first openly trans MWRD commissioner—said. “The clerk of the circuit court of Cook County, [Mariyana] Spyropoulos, has affirmed her support of name changes. And there was a bill that just passed this year—the Name Change Mobilization Bill—that lets you change your gender markers.”
Asked how Chicago can “remain a haven” for essential medical care, Cassidy mentioned possible pressure on political candidates. She also mentioned the privatization of healthcare, which can often result in “selling to a religion-based healthcare provider, which can result in [LGBTQ+] programs being shut down. This has to be approved by the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, which has to be held accountable for what’s happening.” Simmons echoed Cassidy’s call for accountability: “I think there are a lot of institutions that are just cowards. I’m not interested in working with companies that are playing coy. You either believe that trans lives matter or you don’t.”
‘An invisible diaspora’
Leslie then asked about preparing for trans refugees from other states. Cassidy said that she has, for the past couple years, proposed a bill that would provide a tax credit for such individuals—but “it has not gotten traction. But not a week goes by where we don’t hear from someone who’s showing up in the district. When I moved here from Florida—and I guess I was ahead of my time—we planned for six months; these people come in one day. This is an invisible diaspora, right? We don’t know how many people are going to end up here.”
Ziri emphasized that people are moving to cities throughout Illinois, not just Chicago—adding that the organizations involved are helping “on shoestring budgets.” He also drew attention to a couple of policy changes, including one that has truncated the amount of time needed to be a resident to file a name change from six months to three—from the time the judge grants the order. Also, it’s no longer necessary to publish a name change—an item that generated much applause from the audience. Ziri also revealed that there is an ongoing effort (with Hadden) to update Chicago’s human-rights ordinance regarding family members or caretakers who are connected with trans people, for example.
Ramirez-Rosa talked about the anti-trans violence in Chicago, and how it disproportionately affects trans women of color. “If we’re going to live up to our status as a safe place, then we have to take action,” he said, adding that Mayor Brandon Johnson authorized a working group to address transfemicide. Huppert provided a couple anecdotes, including a personal odyssey regarding name-change policies that elicited gasps from the audience when she revealed that a New York judge wanted her to send a parental notification of her name change in addition to the standard publication requirement. (Huppert said she was able to convince the judge otherwise.)
How everyone can help
An inquiry about other steps people can do to help on the city, county and state levels elicited responses from several panelists.
After expressing how impressed she was with the other panelists, Manaa-Hoppenworth—the first queer Filipino on the Chicago City Council—said, “I’d like to think that, 20 or 30 years from now, we don’t have to be here because we’re in spaces where folks are just living their lives. I”m a small-business owner but not every small business is welcoming to trans people. I know we’ve been talking about things on the state level, but looking hyper-locally is where it’s at. What are we doing here? What are we doing now? I wish the young people who are listening to NPR were here listening to your stories so that they know that they’re not alone. We have a duty to not be reactive all the time; we have a duty to say when there are good things that are happening. And it matters to express our support.” She also mentioned how she’s working to help make affordable housing more accessible—and help the queer community feel safer.
Brady-Davis went a different route: urging the Democratic Party to quickly find a pro-trans message and asking audience members to help keep her in political office as she helps to protect Chicago’s water.
“In the past two conventions, there has been a trans speaker; last year, there was not a trans speaker on the DNC stage,” she said. “Meanwhile, the Trump campaign spent $215 million on anti-trans ads—and the Democratic Party didn’t say a word. It was disgusting. At the end of the day, it’s about humanity. They say we’re a small population? There are 3 million transgender Americans.” Mentioning her campaign website, Brady-Davis stated that a lot of people don’t know how much money it takes to run a campaign; her last MWRD run cost $200,000.
Cassidy issued a warning: “Just because an elected official has been your friend for a minute, don’t sleep on them doing stupid shit,” calling out politicians such as Rahm Emanuel and “our senior senator,” who was one of three Democrats who voted to confirm Marty Makary to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. (Among other things, Makary criticized federal COVID-19 mitigation policies.)
Simmons, in part, mentioned a topic that was in the mix approximately a decade ago—schools for queer students—as he thought about young people. “For the next generation, I wonder what it would look like if he had queer affordable housing because we have queer people who are being displaced to Illinois,” Simmons said. [Note: Town Hall Apartments has provided a start with LGBTQ+-friendly housing.] Regarding education, what would it look like to have LGBTQ schools. I think it’s time for us to [revisit] that discussion.”
From left, Silas Leslie and Mirza Shams of Chicago Therapy Collective with unidentified. Image by Vern Hester
