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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNITION OF INTERNATIONAL TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY 2025
WHEREAS, the International Transgender Day of Visibility is recognized every year on March 31st to celebrate the joy and resilience of trans and non-binary people everywhere by elevating voices and experiences from these communities; 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, 2024 was the fifth consecutive record-breaking year for total bills considered following the unprecedented surge in 2023, which more than tripled the record set the year before; and
WHEREAS, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, since 2021 there have been over 2,416 bills introduced nationwide that target and discriminate against transgender people, in particular transgender youth; and
WHEREAS, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, in just 2025 to date, there have been 821 bills, with 42 enacted, being considered nationwide that would negatively impact trans and gender non-conforming people, with that number expected to grow; and
WHEREAS, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, in the span of just two years the federal government has seen an increase from zero anti-trans national bills, to an unprecedented 88 in just 2024; and
WHEREAS, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, there have been 21 anti-trans state bills introduced in Illinois for 2025, nearly a three-fold increase from 2024; and
WHEREAS, in just 2025 alone, there have been 12 Executive Orders signed by President Donald Trump with the express purpose of targeting the Transgender Community’s access to gender-affirming healthcare, ability to play sports, ability to serve in the military, and simple ability to live authentically without fear of retribution and/or violence; and
WHEREAS, of the 821 anti-trans bills introduced so far in 2025, 244 have targeted educational settings as they aim to deny students name and pronoun autonomy, forcibly out trans students to their parents, and ban basic gender identity education, among other goals; and
WHEREAS, of the 821 anti-trans bills introduced so far in 2025, 160 have targeted health care as they seek to prohibit gender-affirming care, which is medical care supported by every major medical association, with many seeking to outlaw care for minors and adults while others would impact insurance coverage or access to services; and
WHEREAS, of the 821 anti-trans bills introduced so far in 2025, 105 have targeted K-12 and higher education athletics as they seek to codify sweeping definitions of gender and sex, despite over one third of states having already passed laws banning transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity; and
WHEREAS, of the 821 anti-trans bills introduced so far in 2025, 47 target access to bathrooms, though nearly a decade after North Carolina's infamous HB2, these bills seek to restrict access to public facilities aligning with one’s gender identity; and.
WHEREAS, many of these bills and orders have been introduced with the express intention of creating a nationwide culture of fear and hatred towards the Transgender Community, such as Maryland HB 1399 that calls for life imprisonment for gender-affirming care, stating “A health care practitioner licensed under this article may not prescribe, dispense, or administer cross-sex hormones...[and] a person that violates this section is guilty of a felony and on conviction is subject to imprisonment not exceeding life”; and
WHEREAS, some bills, such as West Virgina HR6, seeks to disavow themselves from First Amendment freedom of religion principles and modern scientific understanding of biology as it calls for “Recognizing Transgenderism as a mental disorder and affirming the biological reality of two genders.” and that “There are only two biological sexes, male and female, and these have been the case since the beginning of human history as described in the Bible.”; and
WHEREAS, it should be noted that as these pieces of legislation in the US targets transgender youth they also harm our intersex youth, as lawmakers attach explicit exceptions to these bills allowing for surgeons to operate on intersex children before even the patients themselves can consent, making clear that these bills are about erasing bodily diversity, not protecting anyone; and
WHEREAS, now more than ever our transgender and nonbinary siblings are experiencing significant political attacks by extremists legislating hate in the states, in Congress, and in the White House; and
WHEREAS, despite facing these new and increasingly hostile proposed pieces of legislation, the Transgender community continues to battle what the American Medical Association declared in 2019 as an Epidemic of Violence Against the Transgender Community, especially noting the amplified physical dangers faced by transgender people of color; and
WHEREAS, International Transgender Day of Visibility 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, there are an estimated 3.3 million transgender adults across the United States, with Trans, non-binary, and gender-expansive youth and adults found as members of nearly every community; and
WHEREAS, our Trans and non-binary community are parents and family members, our coworkers, our neighbors, and our friends; and
WHEREAS, despite this onslaught of hatred on our Transgender Community, it remains vital that we celebrate and uplift the transgender, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people who have continued to serve their communities despite the continuous attacks they face, including: Admiral Rachel L. Levine - the first trans presidential appointment as HHS Assistant Secretary, Virginia State Senator Danica Roem - the first openly transgender person to be elected and serve in a state legislature in U.S. history, Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride - the first openly transgender Congresswoman in U.S. history, Minneapolis City Council President Andrea Jenkins - the first Black openly transgender woman elected to public office in the United States, Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis - the first black trans woman to be elected to the MWRD, and Cook County Judge Jill Rose Quinn - the first openly transgender circuit court judge in the State of Illinois and the first openly transgender elected official in the State of Illinois; 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, Cook County continues its commitment to the work of uplifting and protecting transgender, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people as we continue to work toward enacting equitable policies to uplift marginalized citizens and eliminating violence toward them; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby reaffirm its commitment to the transgender and non-binary community and recognizes March 31, 2025, as International Transgender Day of Visibility; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,that Cook County continues itsdedication to our historic protections enshrining rights to bodily autonomy across Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies be given to local organizations serving the transgender community.
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