With the midterm elections on the horizon and LGBT issues still hot-button news stories, Windy City Times caught up with four openly gay and lesbian suburban elected officials to discuss the work they do and what that means for their lives. These individuals are Marge Paul, an alderman of the 3rd Ward in Berwyn; Colette Lueck and Ray Johnson, village trustees in Oak Park; and Mark Tendam, an alderman of the 6th Ward in Evanston. Johnson has been a trustee since 2003 but Lueck, Paul and Tendam have all been elected within the last two years.
Each of these city officials has had a long history of advocacy work but these are their first forays into elected office. They all noted that being gay or lesbian was a non-issue during their campaigns, except for Johnson; in his first race in 2003, editorial boards asked him if he would be an independent voter or if he would vote the way that Joanne Trapani ( who was then the Oak Park Village President and the first open lesbian elected to any office in Illinois ) told him to vote. ( Johnson told the board he would make up his own mind. ) The voters in all three communities were more interested in the economy, property taxes, budgets, capital improvements and schools. Paul, Lueck, Johnson and Tendam made it clear to their constituents that these issues would be their top priority, along with their commitment to LGBT equality.
How are they working towards LGBT equality and awareness in their communities? Paul said that LGBT issues have not cropped up during her time in office but Berwyn is becoming a place with a growing LGBT community. As for Lueck and Johnson, they have had two issues come up in the past couple of years.
One was when a group called the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance came into an elementary school in Oak Park to train teachers and staff about different kinds of families in an effort to combat bullying. Some parents had an issue with their kids learning about what they call "the gay lifestyle" in the classroom; however, this training was used to inform the adults in the building so they could prevent bullying based on a student's family makeup.
Another news-making issue occurred in Oak Park when a coffee shop, The Buzz Café, wanted to host Cornelius Williams, a former Oak Park resident who had written a book called Transition: From Homosexual to Preacher, which talks about praying the gay away. An outcry from the LGBT community and their allies led to the event being cancelled.
Tendam worked to pass an ordinance that would allow city employees the ability to receive benefits for their same-sex domestic partners, which was passed by consent decree. The issue that all four individuals said was critical right now is bullying among teenagers, in light of the individuals who have committed suicide since this school year started. They all plan to work with their local high schools to combat bullying so that young LGBT people do not feel the need to commit suicide in their communities.
Regarding Chicago's mayoral election, Paul said the race will be lots of fun to watch, a sentiment echoed by Lueck and Tendam. Johnson said that the next mayor needs to have a regional perspective that takes into account the needs of the suburban communities surrounding Chicago, especially the suburbs that share a border with Chicago, which Oak Park does. Tendam also mentioned that he is curious to see what Rahm Emanuel would do as mayor if he got elected.
Why did they run for public office in the first place? The officials said they wanted to help the people in their communities, and that the key to being a successful elected official is staying in touch with the people they represent. Lueck said "being an elected official is a ton of fun and gratifying work and people need to step up and be active in public life." Paul echoed what Lueck said when she stated, "I encourage everyone to be civically active, come out, vote and run for office because it will be worthwhile." Johnson remarked that "too few LGBT people are trying to do too much" so he wants more LGBT people to get involved since there is a place for everyone to get involved. Tendam said that getting involved is so important because you can learn new things about yourself and the world around you.
And what does the future hold for LGBT elected officials? They are all optimistic that more will be elected as time goes on and Johnson remarked that it is essential for the broader LGBT community to interact more on a professional and social basis to foster more civic involvement. Johnson also said that when LGBT people get elected they need to engage with the entire community and not just the LGBT community. Paul noted that there will only be a backlash if LGBT people get elected who are still closeted and later come out.