In Illinois' newly created Department of Insurance, an LGBT presence has been established at the top of the ladder, as Gov. Pat Quinn appointed openly gay Mike McRaith as the director of the department.
With McRaith's appointment, Quinn also asked Brent Adams, an out gay man as well, to serve as the acting secretary of financial and professional regulation, which puts two gay men in a position of great power in Illinois' insurance system. ( Note: Recently, the Illinois Senate voted 58-0 to confirm Adams as Quinn's Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation. )
Before being appointed to this position, McRaith served four and a half years at one of the world's largest law firms representing financial institutions and heavily regulated companies. The goal that McRaith had then and now was to combine the private business side of operations with the regulation and management of financial institutions.
"Gov. Quinn is a passionate consumer advocate, and I'm grateful to him for recognizing that I've worked hard for the state and on behalf of families and consumers in Illinois," said McRaith.
When asked about how his LGBT background will affect the decisions he makes in office, McRaith commented on how lucky he was to have various pioneers in the LGBT movement who made it possible for him to be an openly gay man in a public office, but he iterates that the job does not specifically put him at the forefront of LGBT issues.
"I think my department represents families of all shapes, sizes and demographics from within the four corners of this state," McRaith said. "On a personal level, I am, of course, constantly reminded that there is great diversity in our state and I've experienced and lived as a member of strong and active communities. It's having an awareness of diversity and an understanding that often people who are not heard from so loudly are the people who should be listened to the most closely that I approach the responsibilities of this job."
One issue he is definitely passionate about is the issue of marriage and civil unions. "It's an issue we need to talk about, because couples that are unable to marry are in many places denied the opportunity to access healthcare through their partner's employer. There are all kinds of families throughout this state, and access to health insurance is a fundamental need for all of these families. It's important that the discussion of family quality be informed by people who have seen individuals negatively impacted by the status quo," said McRaith.
Brent Adams, on the other hand, is in charge of overseeing most of the state's financial institutions and professionals.
"We oversee everything from banks to barbers," Adams said. "We license about 10 percent of the population, we regulate pharmacies, try to ensure that women have access to emergency contraception and we have regulations in place that aim to ensure it. But these regulations are being challenged in court and the governor wants to put regulations into actual law because regulations can be changed more easily. Laws would help to strengthen the access and expand regulations because women can obtain contraception over the counter and we want to expand women's rights to access drugs."
Adams is not only an openly gay individual, but also the first openly HIV-positive cabinet member in history. He has served on the board of Illinois Political Action Committee ( PACT ) for 10 years. PACT is a pro-choice movement and it represents one of Adams' most deeply held beliefs.
"I want people to have autonomy over their own lives and bodies, and we have to struggle to protect those rights against people who would deny us those rights. These issues ( LGBT and women's rights ) resonate with one another," said Adams.
The one crucial thing Adams is attempting to do at this point is combat the recession, which has deeply affected many of Illinois' businesses and financial institutions.
"We're trying to protect people who have deposited their money in state financial institutions. We want people to keep financial stability and we are trying to save consumers from fraud. Illinois is ranked number two in the nation for mortgage fraud according to the FBI, and we hope to change that," said Adams.
Like McRaith, Adams does not work specifically on LGBT issues, but they are always in the back of his mind.
"I'm happy to be able to continue being a voice for the LGBT and HIV-positive communities in this state," Adams said. "I'm happy to be someone who's out and can speak from the perspective of someone who's open about it. I think I'm demonstrating that it's possible to accomplish things as a gay person in jobs outside of LGBT- and HIV-related jobs. It's conceivable that eventually I may have a direct role in studying HIV policies, but at this point, being a leader is my most important role. I certainly haven't gotten any complaints from the LGBT community at this point."
McRaith best sums up the position that both he and Adams are in at this pointing time in Illinois.
"We're dealing with issues on both local and statewide bases, as well as on a national scale. Nationally, the topic of financial regulatory reform is something I'm very involved with. But on the state level, we continue to advocate for important health insurance reforms so that health insurance doesn't just serve the purpose of the shareholders of an insurance company," McRaith said.
