Chicago City Council May 24, 2023
Referred to the Committee on Health and Human Relations
RESOLUTION AFFIRMING CHICAGO'S COMMITMENT TO THE PROTECTION OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY AND MUNICIPALLY FUNDED TRAVEL BAN
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago (City) asserts that prejudice, intolerance, bigotry and discrimination threaten the rights and privileges of Chicagoans, and endanger the constitutional protections that guarantee that all persons be treated fairly, including those belonging to historically marginalized groups; and
WHEREAS, The City is home to approximately 150,000 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals, and approximately, 4,000,000 LGBTQ+ visitors find acceptance in Chicago's welcoming communities each year; and
WHEREAS, Historically, the LGBTQ+ population-especially, transgender individuals-have faced systemic barriers to quality health care access and insurance coverage; and
WHEREAS, Additionally,' the LGBTQ+ population has faced higher rates of mental illness when compared to the overall national population, as a result of a myriad of social and individual obstacles; and
WHEREAS, A 2021 national survey by the Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention among LGBTQ+ youth, found that of approximately 35,000 LGBTQ youth between the ages of 13 and 24, 42% seriously considered attempting suicide in the prior year and 94% reported recent politics negatively impacted their mental health; and
WHEREAS, Since the start of 2022, nearly 240 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced across the country; although, many have failed to pass, Texas and Florida have enacted discriminatory legislation that effectively criminalizes and targets an already marginalized community; and
WHEREAS, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed state agencies to investigate cases of gender-affirming care for transgender children as "child abuse"; and
WHEREAS, Policies like those in Texas, inherently dismiss a child's freedom in their individual s...
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