Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay senator in U.S. history, gives an hour-long speech on Nov. 9, at the UIC Forum in Chicago ( 725 W. Roosevelt ), reflecting on her first year in the U.S. Senate, her political career, and the state of women in government.
The speech at the Chicago Humanities Festival honors the late Joanne H. Alter's pioneering work on behalf of women in social action and public service.
"I'm really, really excited," for this appearance, Baldwin said by phone in a wide-ranging, multi-subject interview in late October. "I looked at who has been involved in this lecture series in the past, include [Missouri Senator] Claire McCaskill last year, it's been an amazing lineup.
"Plus, I have a number of good friends who live and work in Chicago, including a number of Wisconsinites now in the Chicago area. It will be good to see some old friends and make some new ones while in Chicago.
"I am so thrilled, because of [Alter's] legacy, to be asked."
Hours before Baldwin talks, tennis great Martina Navratilova also will be speaking at the Chicago Humanities Festival. Baldwin tagged Navratilova as, "a hero of mine."
Baldwin, 51, is the junior Senator from Wisconsin, and previously served as the U.S. Representative from Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district, along with three terms in the Wisconsin Assembly. She defeated former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson in the 2012 U.S. Senate election, becoming the first woman elected to represent Wisconsin in the Senate.
Being the first openly gay U.S. Senator in history "means so much," she said, "I think about what it means to crash through glass ceilings.
"On the most frustrating days of work, when you feel like you're not able to push something forward or make progress, you understand that, nevertheless, you have the potential to be a role model, to be an influence on the lives of others—and that's an amazing feeling. I've always talked about my time in public service in terms of making substantive impact, and also a symbolic impact—and each has its value and importance."
— Same-sex marriage in Illinois: "I've been following it and I really have great hopes that [same-sex marriage] will pass in Illinois. I really want Wisconsin to be a marriage-equality state some day, but, in the meantime, the next best thing is to be surrounded by states that offer [same-sex marriage].
— Government shutdown: "It was very frustrating, enormously frustrating, and it caused real pain to people," she said. "One of the most basic things that we are elected to do is, fund the government, keep it running, [and] pay our bills. What we really want to be focused on in Congress and Senate is, fighting for working people across this country, fighting to strengthen the middle-class, fighting to get people back to work who have been displaced in the recession. That's what we want to spend our time on."
She added: "I came here to do things, to fight for my constituents, fight for progress—and we were denied that opportunity during the shutdown."
— ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act: "By the time I get to Chicago, I hope that we will have some really encouraging news from the Senate. We are scheduled to begin our debate on ENDA on Monday, Nov. 4, [followed by] a series of votes, so yes, it's show time."
— Affordable Care Act: "I supported the Affordable Care Act when I was in the House, and sat on a committee that helped craft it, and it was something that I was very proud to do because, working for universal healthcare coverage has been one of my central missions as a person in public office. And I saw this as a big step forward in that direction. I am proud of a number of the things that are currently in affect, which have given new options for millions of Americans.
"I am so frustrated with the website and online registration problems that they are having with healthcare.gov . I know the President is furious and that people are working around the clock to fix the problems. But those problems are not fixed yet, and the website is not yet performing at peak performance level."
Baldwin suggested other options, such as calling the 800 phone number.
"We hope that people will not be deterred by the frustrating problems that they are having with the website," she said.
— Gay Games 9, to be held next August in Cleveland: "I do not think that I will end up being an athlete in the Games in 2014," said Baldwin, a former Gay Games participant. "I have not played competitive volleyball since I was elected to the House of Representatives because of my travel [schedule], making it difficult for rigorous practice [schedules, attending] tournaments and weekly games. So, I think it's unlikely [that I will participate], but I will be cheering on the Wisconsin participants.
"I think the Gay Games is a wonderful sports festival."
