Nov, 14, LGBTQ leaders and allies joined Kina Collins at the "LGBTQ+ All in for Kina!" party held at Cantina Laredo in downtown Chicago. The event was a part of Collins' campaign for the 7th District Congressional in the primary election to be held early next year where she will face off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis.
During the event Collins highlighted Transgender Awareness Week while tying in her work on adequate access to health care.
Referring to the first piece of legislation she ever wrote, HB 5544 ( The IL Council on Women & Girls Act ), Collins spoke of the trouble she had in getting—and keeping—language protecting transgender women into the final legislation. Both Republican and Democratic legislators attempted to remove transgender language from the bill at various points in the process.
"We do not subscribe to a politics of leaving people behind," Collins said.
Speaking with Windy City Times, Collins offered a road map of what she'd do if elected. Part of her platform is "making sure doctors are culturally competent to the needs of the trans community and that they're not discriminating against patients," she said, adding, "It's also about giving them access to the healthcare they need."
The "LGBTQ+ All in for Kina!" event also featured entertainment by drag queen America Powers as well as endorsements from 3rd District Congressional candidate Marie Newman ( who is challenging Dan Lipinski in the 2020 primary ) and nationally recognized transgender advocate Channyn Lynne Parker.
"From the moment I met her, Kina has not made exclusivity a catchphrase," Parker said.
"There are certain individuals among us who act as defenders of the arc of justice that Dr. King once spoke of," Parker added. "Kina Collins is a defender of that arc."
To learn more about the Collins campaign, visit KinaForCongress.com .
