A bittersweet backdrop – the recent deaths of two Black transgender Chicago women – accompanied State Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) as he commemorated Transgender Day of Visibility at the Capitol Thursday.
“In my role as Illinois’ first openly gay senator,” Simmons told a statehouse news conference, “I want to make certain that these matters are visible and ensure that the safety of LGBTQ+ community members are visible and seen as a priority.”
Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) has learned quickly about the transgender community, as she is the mother of a transgender daughter.
“People fear and hate what they don’t understand,” said Lightford, “and my great-grandmother would always say, ‘When you know better, you do better.’”
The thirteenth annual Transgender Day of Visibility follows the deaths of Elise Malary and Tatiana “Tee Tee” Whetstone