Gov. Pritzker Signs LGBTQ+ Affirming Bills in Honor of Pride Month

Chicago—Governor JB Pritzker today signed SB2930 and HB5507 in advance of the 2024 Chicago Pride Parade. SB2930 requires nonprofits to publicly report the aggregated demographic information about their boards of directors to encourage nonprofits to reflect the diversity of the communities they support. HB5507 removes barriers to the process of changing legal gender on a birth certificate for Illinois residents born in other states.

“Here in Illinois, we reject hate, bigotry, and discrimination and embrace the ethos of Pride through not only our laws but through our actions and shared values,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These bills expand on my administration’s work to better serve the LGBTQ+ community of Illinois, and I’m honored to sign them during this historic month of celebration and remembrance

Unlike Illinois, many other states require a court order to change one’s legal gender marker on a birth certificate, creating a significant barrier to access for transgender individuals seeking to affirm their gender identity. HB5507 clarifies that Illinois judges have the authority to issue documentation to support those gender marker corrections, allowing Illinois residents to access this change without the expense of returning to their state of origin.

In Illinois, certain private companies and boards and commissions are already required to report aggregated demographic data about their boards of directors. SB2930 expands that requirement to include the leadership boards of nonprofits that report $1 million or more in annual grants. These statistics, available for at least three years on an organization’s website, are intended to assess each nonprofit’s leadership strengths and opportunities for growth and to implement strategies to recruit qualified individuals from diverse communities for board service. 

Governor Pritzker’s administration has prioritized LGBTQ+ rights since day one of his first term. Governor Pritzker mandated that gender-affirming care be covered by Illinois insurers, while also signing a shield law protecting individuals in Illinois from foreign subpoenas, summons, or extraditions related to lawful reproductive or gender affirming care in Illinois. Governor Pritzker also signed an executive order in 2019 to ensure schools have tools to affirm and include transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming students and signed a law mandating that the contributions of LGBTQ+ Americans be taught in the classroom.

The Governor has also been a leader in Illinois’ fight against HIV/AIDS, including:

“It is crucial for diversity and inclusion to be embraced within the non-profit sector, as many of these organizations serve diverse communities,” said Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “Inclusive leadership positions of nonprofits will enhance the organization’s overall mission.”

"Illinoisans of all gender identities and backgrounds deserve a safe, accessible pathway to maintaining updated documentation. By allowing residents to petition for updates to their birth certificates from another jurisdiction, this inclusive legislation ensures that all Illinoisans have accurate and recognized documentation, which is essential for many legal and identity purposes," said Rep. Kevin Olickal (D-Skokie). "House Bill 5507 is a critical step forward in ensuring Illinois remains a haven for all LGBTQ+ individuals, especially as neighboring states continue to pass daily regressive policy that intentionally harms the LGBTQ+ community." ​
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​"This measure is a step forward for equity for Illinois' nonprofit organizations," said Rep. Edgar Gonzalez (D-Chicago). "The diverse range of communities nonprofits serve should be handled by a diverse range of people, and promoting that will only improve the quality of assistance offered."

“Making Illinois a safe space for our LGBTQ+ community continues to be a top priority,” said Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago). “This law will make it easier for those seeking changes on important documents, such as birth certificates, to reflect who they are.”

“In a year when more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been proposed by anti-equality, anti-family politicians in state capitols across the country, Illinois once again demonstrates, with Gov. Pritzker’s approval of SB 2930 and HB 5507, that she is a national leader in welcoming and affirming LGBTQ+ people,” said Brian C. Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois. “Thank you to Gov. Pritzker, Sen. Johnson, Rep. Gonzalez, Sen. Villivalam, and Rep. Olickal for their leadership. We are especially grateful to our many LGBTQ+ and allied community partners from across the state who advocated for these bills and who work daily to hold the State of Illinois true to her values of equality, fairness, justice, and human dignity. With all of us working together and with more work to do, we will continue to keep Illinois moving forward for LGBTQ+ justice.”

"At TJLP we assist over 500 Illinois residents every year with name and gender marker changes and have been met with a repeated barrier to assisting our clients if they were born in states that have hostile laws for amending birth certificates,” said Avi Rudnick, Director of Legal Services at the Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois (TJLP). “HB5507 will help our clients seek a gender marker change order from Illinois judges to satisfy states that have enacted harsh and demeaning laws. While we believe that gender markers should not exist on government documentation, we believe that under current laws everyone should be able to self-determine their gender identity. HB5507 moves us in that direction and increases the privacy and safety of transgender people by removing barriers to acquiring matching identity documents."

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