Peoria Proud travels to Illinois State Capitol to protect LGBTQ+ rights 

PEORIA, Ill.—On Thursday, May 8, members of Peoria Proud, a Peoria-based LGBTQIA+ advocacy group, attended the annual LGBTQ+ Advocacy Day at the Illinois State Capitol. Each year, Equality Illinois organizes Advocacy Day, which is an opportunity for LGBTQ+ community leaders, members, and nonprofits from all over the state to congregate in Springfield at the Capitol, meet with state lawmakers, and lobby for bills that will protect and advance LGBTQ+ rights.

The day is traditionally focused on raising both public and lawmakers’ awareness of issues that concern the queer and trans communities, with 101 Advocacy Training being provided to attendees on how to talk to legislators about local issues.

Equality Illinois is one of the state’s largest and most effective advocacy organizations. They fight for and educate the public on equal treatment and full acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community by advancing civil rights and mobilizing queer leaders and allies on a state-wide scale.

Peoria Proud is a nonprofit LGBTQ+ advocacy group for the Greater Peoria area and is a member of Equality Illinois through their Statewide Network partnership. Their work focuses on supporting diversity and equity in the local community through public education, social outreach, and events such as Peoria’s annual River City Pride Festival.

Tony Smith, a Peoria Proud board member and the lead of the Statewide Network partnership with Equality IL, said that “We had a group of 10-15 [people from Peoria Proud]. A good representation from our board goes to Advocacy Day, as well as amazing members of the community, so it’s really amazing to go there with local support.”

“It’s important to feel like I’m doing something tangible, otherwise I would feel hopeless…with everything going on, I feel like there is something new each day. Advocacy Day is an opportunity for the state to come together, to feed off that energy and feel even more inspired to give back to the community,” he said.

This year, the three specific bills that were focused on were:

• Keeping Safe Workers Safe Act, which would fully decriminalize sex work between consenting adults and improve sex workers’ access to safe working conditions, healthcare benefits, and housing.
• Equality for Every Family Act, which ensures that all families have improved access to legal parentage regardless of childbirth circumstances.
• Health Care Transparency Act, which would require the Department of Public Health and hospitals to inform patients on the LGBTQ+ care services, reproductive care, and end-of-life services that may be denied to a patient for non-medical reasons.

“What I really appreciate [about Advocacy Day] is that free-flowing communication of ideas, of updates at the state and federal level, that we receive at these meetings, and the ability to connect with statewide leaders…So it’s really that collaborative effort to show up and show out, not only for our local community, which might have different needs, but at the greater level too, where we have common ground,” Smith stated.

One could argue that advocacy for state bills like these is unbelievably crucial work right now, at a time when queer and trans people’s rights are seemingly under attack by president Donald Trump’s White House administration.

Smith spoke to the need for a community effort to fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Other areas of the country don’t have as much support as the Illinois LGBTQ+ community does. So it’s really helping lay that framework. How do we best be a beacon of hope to the country?… When my husband and I got married, there was that amazing feeling of like ‘wow, that’s possible, we’re doing it.’ But now, it’s like, are there entities that want to take that [gay marriage] away? So I think that this, on a small but important level, to show up for that cause, to make sure that I am taking an active stance and not only defending my marriage, but making that a better space for everyone else in the community.