FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
EQUALITY ILLINOIS ENDORSES PRO-EQUALITY CANDIDATES FOR STATEWIDE OFFICE
Equality Illinois, the state’s civil rights organization for LGBTQ+ people, announced endorsements Tuesday of pro-equality champions for the state’s six constitutional offices, including Governor JB Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton for re-election and Alexi Giannoulias for Illinois Secretary of State.
Pro-equality champions endorsed are:
- Governor JB Pritzker
- Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton
- Attorney General Kwame Raoul
- Secretary of State candidate Alexi Giannoulias
- State Comptroller Susana Mendoza
- State Treasurer Mike Frerichs
“We thank Governor Pritzker, Lieutenant Governor Stratton, Attorney General Raoul, Comptroller Mendoza, and Treasurer Frerichs for advancing LGBTQ+ justice during their tenures. They must be re-elected so Illinois can keep moving forward,” said Brian C. Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois. “We also urge Illinois voters to support Alexi Giannoulias for Secretary of State. This is an important office for LGBTQ+ people, especially trans Illinoisans, and Giannoulias would lead the Secretary of State’s Office consistent with the state’s values of equality and inclusion.”
“Governor Pritzker is the most pro-LGBTQ+ Governor to date in Illinois,” said Michael Ziri, Equality Illinois Director of Public Policy. “Working with legislators and advocates, he approved the LGBTQ+ Inclusive Curriculum Law in 2019, expanded Medicaid to cover the healthcare services needed by trans Illinoisans, and protected access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion. His Administration has also been a leader in growing the number of qualified LGBTQ+ people he has appointed to state boards and commissions. Thanks to Governor Pritzker’s leadership, Illinois is moving forward. We must not allow the clock to be turned back by anti-family extremist Darren Bailey. Illinois must re-elect Governor JB Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton.”
The state’s next Secretary of State will have a major impact on the lives of trans and gender-expansive Illinoisans. In 2019, the Illinois General Assembly and Gov. Pritzker approved Public Act 101-0513 to establish a gender-neutral option on driver’s licenses and state identification cards. The law has taken too long to go into effect due to an existing contract. Meanwhile, 20 other states and the District of Columbia are already providing a gender-neutral option on driver’s licenses. It is imperative that the next Secretary of State implement the Illinois law with expeditiousness and fidelity. We know Alexi Giannoulias is committed to doing so and to building a more equitable, inclusive, and fair Illinois.
“Having an accurate ID that reflects a person’s authentic self can be life and death for trans people,” said Myles Brady Davis, Equality Illinois Director of Communications and Press Secretary. “At a time of increasing hostility and violence against trans people, Illinois needs a Secretary of State who will live up to the values of equality and inclusion in the Land of Lincoln. That’s Alexi Giannoulias.”
“There is more work to do to ensure Illinois stays a beacon of hope for LGBTQ+ people across the country,” Johnson said. “We look forward to working with Gov. Pritzker and this powerful pro-equality team of statewide leaders to keep Illinois moving forward.”
Equality Illinois, a 501(c)(4) organization, engages in the advocacy and electoral processes to defend and advance full equality, justice, and fairness for LGBTQ+ individuals and their families in Illinois.
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