On April 23, the Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action (ALMA) held a virtual town hall, in collaboration with Equality Illinois, that featured Illinois state Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-12th District).
ALMA Executive Director Manuel Hernandez-Nunez opened the session by stating, "We're having conversations on Latinx LGBT issues in the state with our legislators and elected officials." True to form, Villanueva, a staunch ally, was on hand to discuss various topics important to the demographic intersections of LGBTQ+ and Latinx identities, including migrants.
Villanueva first discussed the issue of migrants, including those at the southern border of the United States as well as those who have been transported to various welcoming/sanctuary spots, such as Chicago, New York City and Colorado.
"I'm very proudly the daughter of Mexican parents," Villanueva said. "Both of my parents arrived in Chicago [as teenagers] and I communicate in both languages very proudly. I bring that up because that experience of growing up and having a family that was legalized, for the most part, after 1986—and with me being a critical race theorist and a 'paid protester'—has [lent perspective]."
She continued, "First of all, we have to admit something: What's happening at the U.S.-Mexico border is heavily racialized. It's not just people from Mexico—it's all shades of brown. There are people from India, China, Russia and all across the world. For me, this issue is wholly politically manufactured; Democratic cities that have had sanctuary-city ordinances are being targeted as a way to chastise and to encourage white supremacist rhetoric."
Villanueva suspects Chicago has been targeted by right-wing politicians and commentators because "the DNC [Democratic National Convention] is here [this year] and because Illinois is a blue state that's in the middle of a sea of red. I wish we had all [this]l eadership back then, when our people came. It's not everything that I wish it could be [now], but we have representation in different levels of government that let us fight back. But there's also a true misunderstanding of what 'sanctuary city' means. It's not just migrants. In this city, we appreciate, understand and accept the contributions of immigrant communities."
Villanueva also discussed work authorizations for asylum-seekers and other immigrants—but she started with a statement that might have surprised some.
"I'm going to be honest with you—that's not something that's under the jurisdiction of the state of Illinois," Villanueva said. "What we can do is provide the financial resources to help people in the area of case management."
She added, "Immigration-related matters are under federal jurisdiction, which doesn't leave us much movement."
After highlighting her work as an organizer, Villanueva admitted, "I wish I could give work permits to everybody and that I could legalize everybody, but that's solely up to the president of the United States and Congress." She stressed that, in Illinois, it's the work of "advocates and organizers" that gets things done, such as the lack of detention centers (public or private) in the state.
Villanueva also discussed homelessness, another key issue (According to Hernandez-Nunez, about 68,000 people currently experience homelessness and housing insecurity. It has been established that people living in the intersection of identities, such as LGBTQ+ or BIPOC, are disproportionately affected.) "It's not just about getting people into houses," she said. "It's about the support services and the whole spectrum of what's needed," adding that "addressing different needs takes different tactics."
She spoke about a legislative attempt to create a funding source for affordable housing that stalled because "it's not very popular, and that's because a lot of people don't understand it. And that's because of the scarcity mindset—if someone else gets something, then I get less. And that couldn't be further from the truth."
Villanueva also conceded that other state legislators have different priorities. "Not everyone has a district that looks like mine," she said. "Their priorities involve the farming communities or the affluent communities that are concerned they're going to have to pay for everything. It's a chess game that you have to play to bring in resources and to press larger issues."
The third segment of the town hall covered reproductive and gender-affirming care. "As much credit as Gov. Pritzker gets for signing the bills, he's not the one who passes them; that would be myself, [Equality Illinois Director of Public Policy] Mike Ziri and several other folks who are part of the town hall tonight who were literally debating about the usage of the term 'gender-affirming care' in legislature."
Villanueva then told a story about a legislative push that happened several years ago: "In May 2019, [now-state Sen.] Karina Villa was renting an AirBnB in Springfield and threw a party. The female representatives were invited. The Illinois Senate, which was viewed as more progressive at the time, had already confirmed reproductive rights, but the state House [where Villanueva and Villa served at the time] had the bill. People were a little toasty and asked, 'Why are we not calling this bill?,' and we decided to do a roll call. That night, everybody divvied up the lists and we talked with people the next day. We had our votes and we pushed this vote. That's why, in 2019, we codified into law the access to abortion."
The politician also talked specifically about LGBTQ+ issues. "[Our family] was open to things, and my parents made sure that we understood that [people are people], regardless of someone's race or sexual orientation. When I was growing up, my mother had gay friends and co-workers—and [sexual orientation] was so normalized to us. My brother and I are the ones who've swayed a lot of our family." She then joked, "Our family is culturally Catholic but very few of us go to church all the time. I only go for baptisms and weddings. I'm not even a four-times-a-year Catholic. I'd much rather have 'Sunday Funday.' If I get up, I'd rather have a mimosa, not a wafer."
Villanueva told the personal anecdote because "in this larger conversation of gender-affirming care and reproductive rights, it gets lost that the reason that there's such a [conservative] push—mostly from old, rich white men—is that there's a percentage that is afraid of the browning of America. That's why there's also this push for a wall at the border. And people should have bodily autonomy, but there are people who don't want you to have that."
One of the questions in the Q&A follow-up (from Windy City Times) asked Villanueva to respond to critics who complain about money being taken away from established Black, Brown and white communities in Chicago to pay for migrants.
"I try not to have these conversations in a larger [arena] with critics, because sometimes you have to get really personal with people," Villanueva responded. "Look: The money that funds our offices is taxpayer money. One of the things that state legislators have been able to do is use district allotments to pay for school supplies, and I hold four or five back-to-school events every year. So I'll go ask someone, 'Do you think I shouldn't use those funds for school supplies?' And then I can ask, 'So why is it different for folks who are coming in from the border?'"
Others on hand for the presentation included both Equality Illinois Deputy Director Mony Ruiz-Velasco, who said it was "important to highlight that LGBTQ communities are part of every community across the state … and that the fastest-growing segment of the LGBTQ [demographic] is the Latine community," and ALMA Programs Manager Alfredo Flores.
