Issue Position: The LGBTQ Community

Issue Position

The Human Rights Campaign has given Illinois high marks for its efforts in working toward innovative equality. Illinois law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in employment, housing, public accommodations, and education. Illinois is progressive in other matters such as same-sex couples petitioning for adoption; facilitating gender marker changes on driver's licenses and birth certificates; bans on insurance exclusion for transgender healthcare; and protections against hate or bias crimes. Ann's first priority will be to work to maintain Illinois' current support for the LGTBQ community and ensure progress is not eroded through administrative actions.

The LGBTQ population, however, is more vulnerable today due to changing policies at the federal level. We need to offset those changes with state-level protections to ensure the LGBTQ community is treated fairly and with respect and dignity. Ann supports social service initiatives that will prevent and treat the many challenges facing the vulnerable LGBTQ community, such as affordable access to comprehensive health care (including HIV prevention and care, substance abuse and mental illness treatment), access to jobs and affordable housing, homeless assistance programs.

LGBTQ persons who are incarcerated are doubly impacted by the unsafe conditions found in many Illinois jails and prisons. So long as the purpose of incarceration is punishment, this problem will continue. Therefore, Ann will also work to pass laws which change the purpose to rehabilitation, provide save environments for LGBTQ prisoners, and create an effective transition program from imprisonment back into society and the workforce.

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