Local lawmakers make appearance at LGBTQ+ Town Hall

Posted on March 28, 2023

*State Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) and State Rep. Sharon Chung (D-Bloomington) spoke Monday night during the town hall at First United Methodist Church in Normal. (Facebook/Prairie Pride Coalition)*

NORMAL – Equality Illinois and the Prairie Pride Coalition teamed up to host a LGBTQ+ Town Hall on Monday. It was held at First United Methodist Church in Normal.

The town hall gave residents the chance to connect with State Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) and State Rep. Sharon Chung (D-Bloomington) about legislation that interests their community. School board and council candidates were also in attendance.

Focal points included bills centered around healthcare cultural competency training, multi-occupancy gender-neutral bathrooms, and funding for schools teaching inclusive sex-ed.

Bloomington resident Morgan Lair attended with his husband. Lair and others expressed concern about the retribution people will face for seeking or providing gender-affirming care.

Lair said town halls help bridge the gap between the constituents and elected officials.

“Being able to be here and talk to a state senator and our state representative, the people we helped elect, is a huge difference. It makes the both of us a lot more confident about the choices that we made at the ballot box,” he said.

Prairie Pride Coalition will host a Transgender Resource Fair in Bloomington on Friday. The fair will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington/Normal at 1613 E. Emerson Street in Bloomington.

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