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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF NON-CONFORMING GENDER EXPRESSION
WHEREAS, non-conforming gender expression and dress have been around since the beginning of human history; and
WHEREAS, gender norms are ever-changing and based on media trends, economics, society, and culture; and
WHEREAS, policing or prescribing non-conforming gender expression discriminates against people who do not fit in these norms and violates their freedom of expression; and
WHEREAS, legal enforcement of gender norms in the mid-20th Century led to raids on Gay and Lesbian bars and gathering spaces, leading to physical violence, sexual harassment and assault; and
WHEREAS, the municipalities of Bridgeview, Burbank, Justice, Lynwood, and Melrose Park still have laws on the books criminalizing non-conforming gender expression; and
WHEREAS, the state of Tennessee enacted SB 3 which criminalizes non-conforming gender expression, bans it from many private and all public areas, and categorizes it as solely "adult entertainment"; and
WHEREAS, since 2020 legislative bodies in states including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia have either proposed or enacted legislation that criminalizes or effectively bans gender non-conforming performance and expression; and
WHEREAS, the hateful and misinformed rhetoric that these laws stand for have resulted in violence, vandalism, and hate towards the LGBTQ community in Illinois and Cook County including local libraries and small businesses that create a welcoming space for drag events and expression; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Cook County Board of Commissioners affirms the right of all individuals to dress in a manner that may not adhere to societal gender norms; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Cook County Board of Commissioners strongly condemns the legislation passed in Tennessee a...
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