As a woman and one of only three openly LGBTQ members in the General Assembly, equality is an extremely important and personal issue for me. I spent a large part of my career with the National Organization for Women, fighting against policies that seek to disempower women.

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Since then, I have worked tirelessly to ensure equal treatment for all Illinoisans. In 2011, marriage equality was a centerpiece of my agenda, and in 2014, I spearheaded the effort to ban so-called “conversion therapy.” Passing that bill stands as one of my proudest accomplishments to date. In 2017, I worked with my colleagues to guarantee transgender individuals the ability to correct the gender marker on their birth certificates without a surgery requirement. That same year, we won a major victory in passing HB 40 into law, removing the state’s “trigger law” that would have outlawed abortion when the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v Wade was released and providing access to abortion services for patients on Medicaid and state health insurance plans. In 2018, we ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, helping to enshrine protection for women in the US Constitution. In 2021, we amended the Illinois Human Rights Act by declaring that discrimination based on disability includes unlawful discrimination against an individual because of the individual's association with a person with a disability.

 

Despite our many victories, there is still much work to be done. This past year, we have seen an abominable rise in violence against marginalized communities. In response to this, I have continued my mission of advocating for equality for marginalized and underrepresented groups. Please take a look at the legislation that I have championed and sponsored during this past legislative session below.