"I'm very proud," said Illinois state Rep. Luis Arroyo. He watched his colleagues alongside young professionals, activists and leaders in the LGBTQ community stand up to support his son Luis Arroyo, Jr. for Cook County commissioner of Chicago's 8th District on Feb. 28 at the Dolphin Lounge.
"I'm considering retiring in the next year or two years," Arroyo added. "This may be my last term. We want a new generation and he wants to finish what his dad couldn't do. A lot of people talk about nepotism. Well, shame on you if you won't support your own son. There's nothing wrong with that."
[Additional photos at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/photospreadthumbs.php .]
Arroyo Jr. told Windy City Times that he is very confident his father's legacy will continue with a win on March 18. His endorsement from state Reps. Greg Harris and Sam Yingling; U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez; Ald. Roberto Maldonado; and The Civil Rights Agenda's Rick Garcia and Jacob Meister, along with a cheering crowd of supporters, bolstered that feeling. "The LGBT community believes in change and it is something I believe in," Arroyo Jr. stated. "I want them to have a voice in county government."
Arroyo Jr. does not believe that his "straightforward commitment towards total equality regardless of race, gender or sexual preference" is shared by his opponent, incumbent Commissioner Edwin Reyes: "He's been on the fence. In certain communities he says he's for LGBT and in certain instances he's not."
From the stage, Yingling said that he was amazed by Arroyo Jr.'s desire for change and advocacy. "It's great to know that Luis is going to be fighting for the LGBT community here at home as well as fighting for everyone across the state," said Yingling.
"Luis Arroyo Jr. is going to take us a to a time in our county and our city where we don't look upon people based on their nation of origin, based on their gender, based on the sexual orientation," Harris added. "We will look as people as people. All families want the same thing in this world. They wanted to be treated equally in the eyes of the law."
Garcia admitted that, although he ordinarily had a tendency to be "cheap with a compliment or an endorsement" he was excited to stand with Arroyo Jr. "because I know that he is our future. He believes in the things that we all believe in."
Gutierrez recalled his vote for the Gay Rights Act during his first days as an alderman of the 26th Ward in 1986. "There wasn't as much conscience building as there is today. Your dad helped me a lot to make that decision," he told Arroyo, Jr. "There were 17 of us who voted for it and all of us got reelected the next year."
He applauded Arroyo Jr. for showing courage and commitment "to our immigrant community, standing up for women and their rights to control their bodies, making sure that bigotry and hatred against people because of their sexual orientation does not exist anywhere."
Gutierrez called comprehensive immigration reform a huge battle. "I was very sad that, when we passed it onto the senate, we couldn't include the LGBTQ community in our legislation. But I want to say thank you to that community because they didn't protest. They understand what it is to be discriminated against. They didn't turn their back on us."
Meister labeled the incumbent as a part-time commissioner. "For the past four years, I feel like I've been without a county commissioner," he said. "In Luis Arroyo Jr., we're going to have a commissioner who has a progressive attitude across the board and represents and new generation of leadership that the county needs."
Among Arroyo Jr.'s cheering supporters was Denice Davis, a candidate for alderman for the 46th ward. "I really believe in him," Davis said. "You shouldn't discriminate against anyone. It's a sin. Bottom line: Everybody should have their fair share. "
