July 2024 Volume 2, Issue 3 https://illinoiseagle.com
In this issue…
Statewide news Page 2
Regional news Page 3
Feature Page 5
Resources Page 7
The Illinois Eagle is an independent newspaper covering the LGBTQ community and social justice across the state. News is published daily on our website. To send in news tips or ask about advertising, email editor@illinoiseagle.com.
About 1,000 people showed up for the event in conservative Southeastern Illinois.
By Jay Bull, Illinois Eagle
OLNEY – Saturday, June 15, saw the first ever Pride Richland County held in Olney.
The first Pride in the mostly conservative area was a success with an estimated 1,000 people in attendance.
“100% success! It was probably five times more people than I thought were going to be there originally,” said Ashlie Zwilling, director of Pride Richland County. “I was anticipating around like 200 people, maybe, and I mean we have that in vendors and volunteers alone.”
She said the turnout showed how needed the event was needed.
The event was such a success that Zwilling is already coordinating with the city of Olney to find a date for 2025.
“We’re still working on a tentative date, but I’ve already talked to the city and they are happy to let us host it again which is really awesome,” Zwilling said. “There was a very prominent police presence there to keep us safe. There were Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and First Presbyterian Church in Olney were there and it was so wonderful to see people kind of be transformed by that, by churches being there just because they love people and not because they’re trying to save them.”
Zwilling said her favorite part of the day was standing away from the picnic and just seeing the crowd enjoying themselves and supporting each other.
There was love and praise to spare at Pride as everyone felt the work put into the event really paid off.
“And just on a personal note, I have to say that I’ve never seen anyone in my life walk the walk like Ashlie,” said Mary Morris, a volunteer and organizer of this year’s Pride. “Not only did she get everything rolling and take personal responsibility for so much of the planning, but she was the first person there on Saturday in the morning and the last person there that night.”
The Pride festival is just one of the things that the nonprofit Pride Richland County plans to focus on in the
coming months. A youth group as well as a guide for safe places to buy products or receive goods are the next two projects for Pride Richland County.
“Our next steps are we have a young adult group that meets twice a month – they have named themselves Free 2 Be and we’re going to start meeting,” Zwilling said.
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The rebuilt clinic now has stronger security measures and expanded service areas.
By Tom Wray, Illinois Eagle
PEORIA – Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ (PPIL) reopened the Peoria Health Center on Tuesday, June 18, 16 months after the facility was damaged by an arsonist.
In January 2023, Tyler Massengill of Chillicothe was seen on video breaking the window of the clinic and lighting a rag inserted into a large bottle. The resulting fire gutted the clinic causing more than $1.5 million in damage. Massengill pleaded guilty to malicious use of fire and an explosive to damage, and attempt to damage. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $1.45 million in restitution in August 2023.z “We are back and stronger than ever,” said PPIL President and CEO Jennifer Welch. “We know the vital role the Peoria Health Center plays in the central Illinois community. The arsonist may have destroyed our health center and robbed the community from accessing care, but we were also brought closer together.”
While the center was closed, both patients and staff were forced to travel to other clinics in the state, usually an hour’s drive or more away from Peoria. The clinic serves 6,000 patients a year.
Welch noted that the reopening is on the two-year anniversary of the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Since that ruling, Illinois has seen a huge influx of people seeking reproductive healthcare, including abortions. The Peoria clinic had been an important part of that, providing family planning, STI testing, OB/GYN care, genderaffirming hormone care, and medication abortion. Welch was joined at the ribbon-cutting by U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Moline), State Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria), Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Michael Cabonargi, and PPIL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Amy Whitaker. “The reopening of this Planned Parenthood clinic in Peoria is a critical step forward in ensuring access to essential healthcare for all,” Cabonargi said. “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to supporting organizations that provide comprehensive reproductive health services, and we applaud
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“We’re just going to start making like a resource guide for the LGBTQ community who need whatever they need to know that this resource guide is a safe space.”
Zwilling said that people have already been offering services. Local photography studio Harmonic Imagery took pictures of the picnic. Yoga instructer Sara Switzer held a free yoga class.
“So just saying ‘hey, go to her class.’ You know, just giving the love back is important,” she said. “My Free 2 Be group wants to do a community service project for the city, that’s our goal with the young adult group.”
(From le ) Chief Medical Officer of PPIL Dr. Amy Whitaker, U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Moline), PPIL Board chair Caroline Swinney, HHS Regional Director Michael Cabonargi, and President and CEO of PPIL Jennifer Welch as Swinney cuts the ribbon for the reopened clinic. Photo by Tom Wray
Planned Parenthood’s dedication to serving their community.”
Welch said that PPIL took advantage of the rebuild to improve security and services. The most visible changes are the security measures. The window at the front of the clinic that was broken has been replaced with a much smaller window with bulletproof glass. The clinic has also been rebuilt with ballistic drywall.
“I will say, before I came to Planned Parenthood of Illinois for work, I didn’t even know a thing like ballistic drywall existed” Welch said.
The measures, among others that Welch couldn’t discuss, are needed because of the current political climate. According to the National Abortion Federation (NAF), arsons, invasions, and other threats increased after Roe was overturned in 2022. Just in the year it was overturned, death threats increased 20% while stalking and burglary incidents both increased about 230%.
The NAF also said in a report last year that protective states, those that have the strongest protections
Plans for National Coming Out Day in October are also underway for Pride Richland County.
“October 11th is National Coming Out Day and it’s also a Friday so we’re going to be throwing a debutante ball that is for the adult 18 and up crowd,” Zwilling said. “Just like a big giant gay ball that’ll be so much fun. What they call a debutant ball is like a coming out party, so National Coming Out Day.”
The Coming Out Ball was dreamed up after someone mentioned never really coming out.
“Somebody said, ‘I never got to have a coming out party’ and I was like oh I didn’t even think about like just being able to celebrate coming out, you know? So yeah, I think that’ll be really empowering and
for abortion access, saw a disproportionate increase in incidents. The biggest increases were in picket lines, obstructions, stalking, burglary, and bomb threats.
The measures are being put in with new clinics, such as the recently opened Carbondale Health Center in Southern Illinois. PPIL’s existing clinics across the state are also being retrofitted with security measures.
“And again, that’s because that’s what this time is dictating happens,” Welch said. “That hyper conservative extremists who are putting this healthcare in danger require us to have bulletproof glass and ballistic drywall.”
With services, PPIL brought in new equipment and added an education room. The facility also now has three exam rooms, three ultrasound rooms and administrative spaces.
The Peoria Health Center offers gender-affirming care, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, HIV testing, birth control, and medication abortion care.
uplifting.”
Pride Richland County saw the turnout for their Pride event and the sheer size of it said volumes about needing spaces for the LGBTQ+ community in the area.
“I’m just so excited that it was received just so well. It was just neat to see so many families there that were gay and had children and it was a safe space to let their kids just run around and be kids –‘I have two moms,’ ‘I have two dads,’ you know and that’s just a normal thing for the kids, too,” Zwilling said.
Pride Richland County and Free 2 Be both have Facebook groups for those interested in donating to the organizations or simply learning more.
Thousands were court martialed or discharged over decades.
By Tom Wray, Illinois Eagle
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden (D) on Wednesday pardoned service members who were charged and tried for being LGBTQ+.
“This is about dignity, decency, and ensuring the culture of our Armed Forces reflect the values that make us an exceptional nation,” Biden said in a statement. “We have a sacred obligation to all of our service members – including our brave LGBTQI+ service members: to properly prepare and equip them when they are sent into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families when they return home.”
The pardon means that veterans who were convicted for being LGBTQ+ will now be eligible for benefits from the Veterans Administration. Those who are convicted or dishonorably discharged from the military are not eligible for benefits.
“We applaud President Biden for taking action today, and the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to address this historic injustice that impacted thousands of LGBTQ+ people in the military for decades, with the effects still felt by many to this day,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign.
Robinson said the move will restore reputations to those who where convicted because of their orientation.
Before the pardon, LGBTQ+ could be denied military pensions, home loans, and college tuition benefits.
By Caleb Sneeden, Illinois Eagle
LINCOLN- On June 8, Logan County Pride (LCP) held its fourth annual Pride Festival, with more than 50 vendors present and several hundred attendees. In addition to local businesses and a number of queer organizations, the event also featured live music, a bouncy house, a facial hair competition, and food provided by two food trucks. According to LCP staff member Kelsi Edwards, vendor and attendee count has doubled every year of the Pridefest, including this year.
Scott Simon, a board member of Acorn Equality Fund, said that events like the Pridefest helps queer people feel more visible. “We’re everywhere we are a community, and while sometimes silent, we’re here.” He continued, saying that Pride events are even more important in rural areas as “…because there aren’t the resources and organizations present for them to be involved in.”
Jeff, an attendee “who creates the illusion of summer breeze ,” used to live in Lincoln for several years. Jeff commented on the changes in LGBTQ events over a relatively short period of time. “When I was coming up, we didn’t have pride events. We, like, AIDS walks if I had something like this that inspired me and let me see there are other people out there like me, life might have been a lot easier.” However, Jeff also said “I’m here. I’m good.”
Andrea, local owner of GiGi Craft Shoppe, has attended as a vendor for three years. “Pride events tend to have a lot of love in rural areas such as Lincoln a lot of the LGBT community needs to see that.” She continued, “It’s very important to be able to see that love and acceptance and feel accepted.” Cheyanne, another attendee, also spoke to the importance of pride events in more conservative areas. “Lincoln is surrounded by tiny towns to see people come out and get to dress up is awesome.” She also stated that the number of free events at the Pridefest allowed everyone in the community a chance to participate.
A 2019 study found connectedness with queer community, of which pride events are one of the most visible parts, greatly increases the mental health of queer people. Pew Research also suggests that over three-quarters of LGBTQ people in America believe pride events promote acceptance of the queer community, and strengthen community connections.
Eric Struck, the secretary of Logan County Pride, sees hope for rural communities in the continued success of the Pridefest. “The fact that we have support all around, on multiple levels, just shows that there’s potential for those that feel like these towns are in need of it most.”
Next year will be the fifth anniversary for Logan County Pride’s Pridefest, which Edwards says they plan to celebrate big for.
By Tom Wray, Illinois Eagle
PEORIA – The annual River City Pride Festival will be back at Riverfront Park for the third time on Saturday, July 20.
Last year’s event brought more than 5,000 people to Peoria’s riverfront for food, vendors, and plenty of entertainment.
This year’s event is expected to be bigger with two entertainment stages, four drag shows, more than 100 vendors, a Kids’ Zone, and community resources.
The entertainment stages will feature performances both by Peoria-area drag artists but also national stars. The Showstoppers Drag Show will take place at 7 p.m. and feature Kornbread from the 14th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Landon Cider from Dragula’s third season, and Dida Ritz from the 4th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The festival will also showcase local artists, start-
ing with a Queer Poetry Hour and rounding out the day with local queer girl group emily, the band at 4 p.m.
River City Pride Festival will also host a Family Fun Zone sponsored by Positive Health Solutions and PFLAG, Peoria. The kid-friendly zone will feature inflatables, arts and crafts, a magician, a caricature artist, and more.
Admission is free for those under the age of 18 and $5 at the door for attendees 18 and older. Attendees can receive $1 off per non-perishable food item donated to the Neighborhood House between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Advanced ticket sales and more information are available at peoriaproud.org/river-city-pridefest or at facebook.com/RCPridePeoria.
To ensure that everyone can attend, regardless of financial situation, Love Tickets are available by request.
The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
There is a long history of tense relations between LGBTQ people and police, going back to before Stonewall.
By Sharita Forrest, Illinois News Bureau
June is Pride Month, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Inn uprisings in Manhattan that brought the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people to the fore. Stefan Vogler, a professor of sociology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is a co-author of a new American Civil Liberties Union research report, “Policing Progress: Findings from a National Survey of LGBTQ+ People’s Experience with Law Enforcement.” He spoke with research editor Sharita Forrest about the findings.
What was the impetus for this report?
We wanted to do this report and the whole Policing the Rainbow Project a landmark study of LGBTQ+ -police relations because we felt that LGBTQ+ people, gender, and sexuality more broadly were missing from the national conversation on policing. That was important because there’s a long history of a contentious relationship between LGBTQ+ people and the police. If we go back to the early or the mid20th century, there were routinely raids on gay bars and places where gay people congregated; laws against cross-dressing or wearing clothes of the, quote-unquote, opposite sex; as well and as prohibitions on gay people gathering in public places together, touching or dancing together. The 1969 Stonewall uprisings were in direct response to police violence against the LGBTQ+ community.
Police departments recognized this and tried to improve relationships with the LGBTQ+ community through various avenues creating sensitivity trainings, and LGBTQ+ liaison officer positions and doing more outreach with the LGBTQ+ communities.
But based on the existing research on LGBTQ+police relations, it seems as though they still are very much at odds with each other.
When we think about policing, race has been central, as it should be, but there are many ways that gender, sexuality and LGBTQ+ identities come into play in policing. We wanted to see what was really going on from a holistic social science perspective.
In what ways do the experiences of LGBTQ+ people with the police differ from those of heterosexual individuals?
LGBTQ+ people have more contact with the police, whether that’s requesting aid, reporting something or having involuntary, police-initiated contact. They are more likely to be stopped by the police, to be searched, arrested or held in custody. All these forms of police contact are more common among LGBTQ+ people than non-LGBTQ+ people. This is especially true for transgender people. Nearly a third had police-initiated contact in the past 12 months compared with only 14.6% of non-LGBTQ+ people. The content of these experiences and interactions differs as well. LGBTQ+ people are more likely to have physical force and insulting language used
Professor Stefan Vogler reports that he co-authored with colleagues from the ACLU looks at data on LGBTQ+ cizens' interac ons with the police, discussing how those groups' lower rates of repor ng crime along with the treatment they receive from law enforcement officers. Photo by Fred Zwicky via Illinois News Bureau
against them by the police, although this varies by sexual and gender identity. Whereas 12.3% of lesbian and gay respondents reported police using insulting language, more than 25.4% of bisexual people and 26.8% of queer+ respondents reported it. Rates were even higher among transgender (44.9%) and nonbinary+ (33.1%) individuals.
These differences are even starker when we consider race and socioeconomic status. LGBTQ+ people of color and of low socioeconomic status have even higher rates of contact with and mistreatment by the police in almost all the measures that we looked at.
Unsurprisingly, LGBTQ+ people are less likely to find their interactions with the police to be fair and just. They perceive the police as a less effective institution than non-LGBTQ+ people do. And as a result, they’re ultimately less willing to contact the police in the future than non-LGBTQ+ people.
Your report indicated that 300 bills had been introduced in the past year across the U.S. that involve criminalization of LGBTQ+ people, such as banning drag shows or gender-affirming medical care. How is this frenzy of legislation affecting LGBTQ+ individuals’ interactions with law enforcement?
We did in-depth interviews with a subset of survey respondents, and one of our trans interviewees put it starkly. They said if the police are charged with upholding a law that goes against who I am as a person, then of course I’m not going to trust the police.
When the police are charged with upholding laws that fundamentally go against LGBTQ+ people and
communities, it’s really no surprise that they are distrustful of the police. That really crystallizes what we’re doing in this report.
LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately affected by homelessness, which means that they are going to be even more exposed to policing. New bills are being passed that criminalize sleeping in public spaces in some cities or erecting tents.
We need to look at other laws that criminalize HIV status and consensual sex work, which often disproportionately affect other already marginalized groups.
What would you most like people to draw from this research?
At the broadest level, I would like people to understand that gender and sexuality are important social factors in policing and in determining how people are treated by the police and the broader criminallegal system. LGBTQ+ and gender identity are important things to consider when we think about policing in America.
The LGBTQ+ community is a remarkably diverse community, and we’re affected by policing differently along these various axes of social differentiation, whether that’s gender or sexual identity, race, socioeconomic status, immigration status or other characteristics.
The report “Policing Progress: Findings from a National Survey of LGBTQ+ People’s Experiences with Law Enforcement” is available online.
By Lauren Gray, Illinois Eagle
Happy Pride month, everyone! After a bit of a hiatus, I have another LGBTQ+ book to recommend.
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is a middlegrade science fantasy book, nonbinary author and YouTuber Xiran Jay Zhao. I was interested in their work since I’m a fan of their YouTube video essays on Chinese history and culture.
Zachary Ying is a Muslim Chinese-American kid, who in a moment of desperation while fighting a demon possessed classmate, ends up agreeing to be possessed by the spirit of the first Emperor of China. It turns out he must go on mission in China the seal a portal to the Underworld before the upcoming Chinese Ghost Month blows the portal open, wreaking havoc on the world. But First Emperor fails his attempt to possess Zachary and binds to Zachary’s AR headset instead. In a battle with demons, Zachary ’ s mom’s soul is taken. So with an infamous dictator communicating with him via his headset, Zach must travel across China to steal magical artifacts, fight historical and mythical figures, and learn how to use the First Emperor’s water dragon powers, so he can seal the portal, and get his mother’s soul back.
Zachary was a sympathetic protagonist. He’s only twelve-years-old, and dealing with racism and Islamophobia from people in his community. Not to mention that he’s gay. He was also raised by a single mom who’s struggles to put food on the table. They immigrated to the U.S. because his father was executed for
speaking out against the Chinese government’s treatment of the Uyghur ethnic minority. He does act a little bratty sometimes, but I think it’s understandable since he’s twelve, and going through so much. I think Zhao really captured the insecurities that twelve-year olds often experience, and the struggle to start to make your own decisions at that age. I also felt for him about his crush on his friend, and quest partner, Simon, which he worries is unrequited.
It was also really interesting to learn more about Chinese history and mythology, since as Zhao pointed out, American schools don’t teach a lot about those things. They tend to focus only The Great Wall and The Terracotta Army (both of these things were also featured in the novel). Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor reminded me a lot of the Percy Jackson series since mythology was a big part of that and there was a similar humorous tone, plus the it featured male protagonist’s around the same age. It was also a bit like the Aru Shah series which was published by Riordan Reads (owned by the author of Percy Jackson). I really enjoyed that about Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor.
The ending of the book made it clear that there is intended to be a sequel and I look forward to it! The novel was funny, and educational, and had a protagonist that I was able to root for. I give it four out of five rainbows!
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor. Xiran Jay Zhao. Simon & Schuster Margaret K. McElderry Books. May 3, 2022.
Columnists
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ISU Pride
https://www.facebook.com/isupride/ prideilstu@gmail.com (309) 438-8968
Mid Central Community Action https://www.mccainc.org/ mcca@mccainc.org (309) 829-0691
PFLAG Bloomington/Normal https://www.facebook.com/PFLAGBN pflagbn@gmail.com (309) 828-5554
Prairie Pride Coalition http://www.ppc-il.org/ info@ppc-il.org (309) 827-4005
Queer Coalition at Illinois State University https://www.facebook.com/ ISUQueerCoalition lgbtq@ilstu.edu
Stand Up for Social Justice - BloNo, IL https://www.facebook.com/ StandUpforJusticeBloNo socialjusticebn@gmail.com
Pride in Action, Southern Illinois https://prideinactionsi.org/
Rainbow Café LGBTQ Center https://www.gcapnow.com/ info@gcapnow.com
SIU LGBTQ Resource Center https://smrc.siu.edu/lgbtq/ lgbtq@siu.edu (618) 453-5627
Amasong http://amasong.org/ office@amasong.org
Greater Community AIDS Project https://www.gcapnow.com/ info@gcapnow.com
U of I LGBT Resource Center https://oiir.illinois.edu/GSRC
Uniting Pride of Champaign County https://www.unitingpride.org/ info@unitingpride.org
Decatur Pride
https://www.facebook.com/DecaturPrideIL decaturpride.media@gmail.com
PFLAG Decatur IL
https://www.facebook.com/ groups/652120161630148/
The SAGE Project coldalphabetsoup@hotmail.com
Logan County Pride logancountypride@gmail.com
Clock, Inc LGBT+ Community Center https://www.clockinc.org/ info@clockinc.org (309) 558-0956
The Project of the Quad Cities https://www.tpqc.org/ tyler@tpqc.org (309) 762-5433
Acorn Equality Fund https://www.acornequalityfund.org/ acorn1999@gmail.com
Central Illinois Friends
https://www.friendsofcentralillinois.org/ outreach@centralillinoisfriends.org (309) 671-2144
Peoria Mutual Aid Network peoriamutualaid.com peoriamutualaid@gmail.com (815) 627-0716
Peoria Proud https://www.peoriaproud.org/ admin@peoriaproud.org (414) 416-7658
Peoria, IL - National Organization For Women peorianow.org/contact-us nowpeoria@gmail.com
Rockton Pride rocktonpride@gmail.com
ACLU of Illinois Springfield Chapter springfieldchapteraclu@gmail.com
Coalition of Rainbow Alliances https://www.springfieldcoral.org/ coral.springfield@gmail.com
Fifth Street Renaissance/Sara Center http://www.fsr-sara.org/ info@fsr-sara.org
Phoenix Center http:// www.phoenixcenterspringfield.org/ ruthannbertram.phoenix@comcast.net (217) 528-5253
PRIDE At Heartland Community College http://www.heartland.edu/
UIS Gender and Sexuality Student Services https://www.uis.edu/gsss gss@uis.edu (217) 206-8316
ACLU of Illinois https://www.aclu-il.org/ (312) 201-9740
Equality Illinois http://www.equalityillinois.us/ info@eqil.org (773) 477-7173
Illinois HIV CareConnect https://hivcareconnect.com
Illinois Safe Schools Alliance https://www.ilsafeschools.org/ (312) 629-2988
Planned Parenthood of Illinois https://www.plannedparenthood.org/ planned-parenthood-illinois (312) 592-6800
Speak Out Illinois
https://www.speakoutillinoisllc.com/ support@speakoutillinoisllc.com (309) 981-7233
PFLAG Peoria
https://www.pflagpeoria.org/
