Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) waded through more than 100 bills in his in box on Friday. Included in the ones he signed were a bill to ban the gay panic defense in criminal proceedings and a bill making it easier for transgender people to have their birth certificate altered.
Unlike some states we could name, lawmakers in Illinois are actually doing good for their transgender citizens.
The Evanston (IL) Township High School District (District 202) school board voted 6-1 on Monday to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.
The Palatine Township High School District 211 board adopted a policy allowing transgender students to use locker rooms and bathrooms of the gender with which they identify. Angry parents said that the board members who supported that policy would have to pay.
Three anti-transgender candidates were fielded to challenge incumbents. The local election was yesterday.
Kathy Blazer-Williams wrote that a five-year-old trans girl named Stevie, with a host of medical issues, is not only being kept from her parents by a faith-based hospital, but is being forced to live as a male, the sex she was assigned at birth.
When I posted yesterday's diary, DoJ to appeal injunction, I was surprised to encounter a reader/commenter who came down on the side of Texas AG Ken Paxton. Not being a lawyer, I didn't really engage in any argument at the time.
I guess all portents indicated my first essay upon returning from a bout of sickness would concern some death. The Lady Chablis died. Alexis Arquette.
But we're left to believe those were from natural causes. Chablis died after a month in a hospital fighting pneumonia. Alexis was in a coma at Cedars Sinai for four days before passing while listening to David Bowie's Starman.
YMCA of Metro Chicago has issued guidelines for accommodating transgender members and guests. They allow access to restrooms and changing areas matching gender identity.
The protocol was explained in a letter posted Wednesday on the organization's website. The YMCA of Metro Chicago said it also sent the letter to its 140,000 members at its 21 Chicagoland centers. The guidelines will cover all YMCA of Metro Chicago programs and services, from gym and pool facilities to summer camps and various classes. The policies wouldn't apply to some smaller, independent YMCA's in the Chicago area.
We recognize our commitment in support of the rights of all individuals can cause some to feel uncomfortable.. Again, it's our goal for all members to thrive at the Y, and this is why we will do our best to support each of you while maintaining an environment that reflects the inclusive values we share.
--Dick Malone, YMCA of Metro Chicago
The Chicago City Council's Committee on Human Relations advanced an ordinance to the City Council Floor which will close a loophole in the city's human rights code which could make it difficult for transgender people to access public washrooms.
Under examination was the requirement that people be able to show a government-issued identification card that indicates that their gender matches that indicated for the washroom.
Wednesday June 6, 1906
Mother Jones Tours Illinois for Socialist Party of America
Today Hellraisers pauses to catch up with Mother Jones and to document her whereabouts and doings for the month of May 1906. We find Mother, at the end of May, on tour as a National Organizer for the Socialist Party of America. The photograph at right was taken by Bertha Howell, who is now married to William Mailly, former National Secretary of Socialist Party.
