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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING 2025 TRANSGENDER AWARENESS WEEK
WHEREAS, Transgender Awareness Week is recognized every year from November 13th to November 19th as an opportunity to celebrate, uplift, and honor our trans community and the ongoing issues they continue to face; and
WHEREAS, November 20th also highlights international Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), first held to honor Rita Hester whose murder on November 28, 1998, launched the “Remembering Our Dead”, and now serves as an opportunity to remember those who have been murdered because of hate; and
WHEREAS, the first Sunday of November is TransParent Day which celebrates life and the love between transgender parents and their children and transgender children and their parents; and
WHEREAS, these celebrations, acknowledgements, and remembrances are vital affirmations of the lives of transgender people in our communities as they continue to face extreme institutional discrimination and violence on the basis of their gender identities; and
WHEREAS, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, in 2025 alone there have been over 1,000 bills introduced nationally that target and discriminate against transgender people, in particular transgender youth - up from 664 in 2024, making it the sixth consecutive record-breaking year for total number of anti-trans bills considered in the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, an unprecedented 104 of those bills are being considered at the federal level as the targeting of trans people increasingly moves to the national stage, up from 81 in 2024; and
WHEREAS, in 2025, 124 anti-trans bills have passed so far nation-wide, up from only 45 such bills passed in 2024; and
WHEREAS, these bills are introduced and passed with the express purpose of targeting and preventing access to healthcare, participation in sports, and the simple right to freely exist; and
WHEREAS, there are ongoing practices, including conversion therapy, that have been harmful to the whole LGBTQ+ community including transgender, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming individuals; and
WHEREAS, conversion therapy leads to critical health risks including anxiety, depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, homelessness, and suicide; and
WHEREAS, the Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) 2025 Remembrance Report memorialized at least 27 known trans people who have died to violence since November 2024; and
WHEREAS, according to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), since 2013 at least 399 cases of fatal violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people are known, though these numbers are largely suspected to be much higher due to lack of reporting; and
WHEREAS, Transgender Awareness Week aims to raise awareness about critical issues facing the community and to celebrate the richness and diversity that exists within the transgender community; and
WHEREAS, we celebrate the great work of trans-led organizations and individuals who have advanced visibility and the well-being of the transgender community; and
WHEREAS, now more than ever, Cook County recommits to listening to our transgender, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming neighbors as we continue to work toward enacting equitable policies to uplift marginalized citizens and eliminating violence towards them; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Commissioners of Cook County that the Board does hereby celebrate Transgender Awareness Week 2025.
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