On June 30, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker marked Pride Month with a statement of celebration.
"Thanks to the tireless help of advocates and allies throughout the state, Illinois is becoming a beacon of equality and hope for the national LGBTQ community," said Pritzker. "While we have so much to celebrate, we must recognize that we have much more to accomplish. We must end the attacks of hate against non-cisgender people, particularly trans women of color.
"[In addition,] we must end the discrimination that permeates our workplaces and bullying in our schools. We must end the HIV epidemic that rages on in our Black, Latinx and transgender communities. I and my entire administration stand with the LGBTQ community in both the celebration of hard-fought victories and also in the continuing fight for justice and equity."
In a proclamation recognizing June 2020 as Pride Month in Illinois, Gov. Pritzker paid homage to the LGBTQ rights movements founding by transgender women of color like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.
The statement also listed ways the Pritzker administration has taken even step to protect and codify the rights of LGBTQ residents in Illinois, including:
Signed HB 246 which brought inclusive curriculum into Illinois schools to ensure that all students learn about the contributions of the LGBTQ community and to give LGBTQ students role models reflected in our history books ( and which took effect July 1 );
Signed Executive Order 2019-11 requiring the Illinois State Board of Education to develop gender-inclusive policies to strengthen Illinois' commitment to affirming and inclusive schools;
Signed SB 556, which requires all single-occupancy restrooms be designated as gender-neutral; and
Signed HB 3534, which allows those getting licenses or state IDs to register their sex as "non-binary."
A video noting the progress in Illinois is at www.facebook.com/watch/ .