File #: 23-3023    Version: 1 Name:
Type: Resolution Status: Approved
File created: 5/16/2023 In control: Human Relations Committee
On agenda: 5/25/2023 Final action: 6/29/2023
Title: 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...
Sponsors: MAGGIE TREVOR, KEVIN B. MORRISON, ANTHONY J. QUEZADA, FRANK J. AGUILAR, ALMA E. ANAYA, SCOTT R. BRITTON, JOHN P. DALEY, BRIDGET DEGNEN, BRIDGET GAINER, MONICA GORDON, BILL LOWRY, DONNA MILLER, STANLEY MOORE, JOSINA MORITA, TARA S. STAMPS
title
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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