In a telling local example of an exponentially growing national and worldwide concern over the policies of the Trump administration, attendance for a Feb. 27 public forum centered upon Protecting our Civil Liberties was standing room only in the Unitarian Church of Evanston's spacious auditorium.
Hosted by Equality Illinois, U.S. Sen. Daniel Biss as well Illinois state Reps. Laura Fine and Robyn Gabel, the event featured Planned Parenthood Director of Public Policy Brigid Leahy, American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) of Illinois Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs Director Khadine Bennett, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights ( ICIRR ) Policy Director Fred Tsao and Equality Illinois Director of Public Policy Michael Ziri. They each delivered his or her own take on the battle being waged against Trump's policies while fielding questions from the audience.
"These are times when we need to be vigilant, to pay attention and to be present," Gabel said.
Bennett called most of Trump's actions since Jan. 20, including the immigration ban, directives to the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) advocating mass deportations, the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, the decision to rescind Title IX protections for transgender students and attacks on the free press, "appalling."
Yet, Bennett also pointed out the positivity of the moment represented by the overwhelming community turnout for the event.
"There are people across Illinois and across the community who are showing up," she said. "We are responding to what seems like a daily attack. National organizations are constantly coordinating legal and legislative strategies to protect the folks who have been targeted by this administration."
Similarly, Tsao noted that there is a silver lining to Trump immigration policies which have "seen border patrol and immigration enforcement agents emboldened to carry out any manner of harassment, parents afraid to send their children to school, workers afraid to go to work and families afraid to go shopping."
For Tsao, that silver lining has been "so many people coming forward to show their support and solidarity with refugees, Muslims and others who were targeted by [Trump's] policy," as demonstrated by the protests at airports across the country following the administration's ill-conceived and sudden announcement of a Muslim and refugee travel ban.
The nation's women are also in the crosshairs of both Trump and the Republican Congressional majority through their healthcare choices.
Leahy called Trump's installation "the most threatening time for women's health and Planned Parenthood in our 100-year history."
She called upon the community to unify behind her organization in the protection of "the over 2 million patients that are seen at Planned Parenthood health centers across the country, 60,000 of whom are here in Illinois."
While Ziri spoke out against Trump's revocation of Title IX guidelines protecting transgender students, he noted that "the fight is not just at a federal level."
Ziri cited two anti-LGBTQ bills in Illinois.
"We are taking the fight to these bills and we couldn't do it without our legislative allies who say 'these things are wrong'," he said. "We shouldn't have a license to discriminate against same-sex couples under the 'guise of religious freedom. We shouldn't force transgender students into spaces that are not congruent with their gender identity or force them into separate facilities."
