Authored by Benjamin Bartee via PJMedia.com,
Because Illinois apparently doesn’t have any more pressing matters of governance to attend to, such as rampant gun crime in the city of Chicago, Governor JB Pritzker recently announced a historic, “first of its kind” “legal hotline that expands access to legal information and support for LGBTQIA+ individuals across Illinois.”
Via Illinois Department of Human Services (emphasis added):
Governor JB Pritzker announced yesterday the launch of IL Pride Connect, a new statewide resource hub and first of its kind legal hotline that expands access to legal information and support for LGBTQIA+ individuals across Illinois. The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), in collaboration with community partners, will lead the initiative. Governor Pritzker made the announcement at an event Thursday evening hosted by the Legal Council for Health Justice.
“In Illinois, we are fighting ignorance with information and cruelty with compassion, said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to our state, philanthropic, and community partners, IL Pride Connect will inform individuals of their rights and connect them to health and social services support – making us the only state in the nation to provide free legal advice and advocacy tools to protect the LGBTQ community.”
The press release — I counted — is 1,056 words long. I read through all of it, looking for mention of any specific right that the transgenders are allegedly being denied.
There is nothing; the whole document is a word salad of subcultural jargon and lofty-sounding rhetoric about “the unique challenges LGBTQIA+ people face in today’s environment.”
Continuing:
LGBTQIA+ communities are facing an unprecedented wave of legal and policy attacks from the current federal administration. These changes are not only harmful – they are cruel and dehumanizing, stripping individuals of their rights, dignity, and access to essential services like healthcare and education. IL Pride Connect was created to meet this moment….
IL Pride Connect includes a digital resource hub with legal FAQs, know-your-rights information, referrals to affirming legal and community services, and advocacy tools. It also includes a first of its kind legal hotline that operates Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and provides real-time information and referrals, including on name and gender marker changes, housing and education rights, and access to healthcare and public benefits*…
“Access to up-to-date, vetted information and resources that address the unique challenges LGBTQIA+ people face in today’s environment is critical and lifesaving work,” said Gillian Knight, Program Manager of Learning & Evaluation, Healthy Communities Foundation.
*All of these rights — equity in housing, public benefits, etc. irrespective of so-called gender identity — are already enshrined in Illinois state law.
Via Illinois Department of Human Rights (emphasis added):
All individuals in Illinois have a right to be free from discrimination on the basis of their gender identity. Contrary to recent federal attempts to roll back civil and human rights, the Illinois Human Rights Act (Act) continues to provide broad civil rights protections for transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people in the areas of employment, real estate transactions (housing), financial credit, and places of public accommodation (including healthcare and schools).
The Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) enforces the Act to protect persons of all gender identities from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Violations of the Act are investigated by IDHR and may be adjudicated by the Illinois Human Rights Commission (IHRC) or by the courts. A person may file a charge (complaint) with IDHR if they believe they have been discriminated against or harassed based on their gender identity. Under the Act, a person is also protected from retaliation for activities such as reporting discrimination or filing a charge.
But let’s not let facts get in the way of virtue-signaling in the culture war as a way to score cheap political points with the blue-hairs.
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Arvida Byström – Coexist (2022)