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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION HONORING TRANSGENDER AWARENESS WEEK
WHEREAS, Transgender Awareness Week is recognized every year from November 13th to November 19th; and
WHEREAS, Transgender Awareness Week is intended to help raise the visibility of transgender people and address issues facing members of the community; and
WHEREAS, along with Transgender Awareness Week, November 20th is recognized internationally as Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR); and
WHEREAS, TDOR honors the memory of the transgender people who lost their lives in acts of anti-transgender violence; 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 and acknowledgements are important affirmations of the lives of transgender people in our communities; and
WHEREAS, transgender, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people face extreme institutional discrimination and violence; and
WHEREAS, 2021 has brought extreme legislative proposals across the country with the express aim of discriminating against transgender people and in particular transgender youth; and
WHEREAS, these proposals target access to healthcare and participation in sports for young transgender children who already face immense barriers; 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, conversion therapy and other restrictions of gender-affirming healthcare have been rejected by every major medical and mental health organization, including the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Counseling Association, American Psychoanalytic Association, American School Counselor Association, American School Health Association, National Association of Social Workers, and the Pan American Health Organization; 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 including the Senate confirmation of Dr. Rachel Levine as the assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, making her the highest-ranking openly transgender U.S. official in history; and
WHEREAS, we commit to listening to 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, by the Board of Commissioners of Cook County that the Board does hereby celebrate Transgender Awareness Week 2021; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies be given to local organizations serving the transgender community.
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