Congressman Mike Quigley ( D-IL ) was in town for a Feb. 9 breakfast at the downtown Chicago offices of Jenner & Block during which he engaged leaders of the Chicago LGBTQ community in a candid discussion about the issues that not only he and his fellow House Democrats now confront in what has been termed the Trump era but that are faced by the entire LGBT community and progressives even in a tempestuous first three weeks since Trump took office.
Quigley, who serves as vice-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and is a founding member of the Transgender Equality Task Force stated in a Feb. 7 press release that he and his fellow members on Capitol Hill "have a moral obligation to promote equality, justice and opportunity for all, while ensuring that adherence to these key American values does not waver based on sexual orientation or gender identity."
"Together, we must hold President Trump and those in Congress accountable and ensure that no American is denied the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness," he added.
Quigley spoke with Windy City Times about the challenges ahead in meeting each of those goals.
Windy City Times: What's your reaction to the Feb. 10 Ninth Circuit Court ruling against Trump's travel ban from seven Muslim majority countries?
Mike Quigley: I don't think it matters if the justices who reviewed it are viewed as liberal or conservative. It was just a slam-dunk unconstitutional ban that I couldn't imagine would not be overturned. I thought it was the right decision obviously, but it doesn't surprise me that justices would refuse to uphold the travel ban. Even at the Supreme Court level, it would be hard for me to imagine that a majority of the eight justices will agree with the president.
WCT: Since the Women's March, there's been a lot of discussion as to whether a movement has been formed to rival The Tea Party in 2009. Even with gerrymandering in House districts, is there a possibility that Democrats can retake seats in 2018 as people take to heart President Obama's advice during his farewell address to grab a clipboard and run for office?
MQ: Here's the situation: More people voted for a Democrat for Congress than a Republican yet they have a majority. So there were bad maps across the country. That's not going to change for '18. It won't change until the census in 2022. If we don't win it in '18 because of an anti-Trump backlash, we won't have the majority until 2022.
It's the things you do setting yourself up to run for office that can be as important or more important. I had a whole career before I successfully ran and won. I was a community activist, I worked for an alderman, a state senator, I practiced law and I was trying to help people across the community.
While the energy, exuberance and anger are there and should be marshalled, not everybody can run for office every time. I would encourage us to learn how to run a campaign, to do field work, fundraising, phone banking and recruitment because [in 2018] Tammy [Baldwin] will need help in Wisconsin, [Joe] Donnelly will need help in Indiana. We have a governor's race here in Illinois. Do more than write a check. Learn how to be a leader in a campaign. I know President Obama well enough to know that he wants people involved with the process which will help immediately.
WCT: Trump's executive order that would have rolled back LGBT civil rights supposedly didn't happen because of the intervention of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. But Trump is unpredictable. If, for example, the American Family Association ( AFA's ) Tony Perkins was to convince him to back-peddle and release some version of it what, if anything could be done? Have you heard anything further about the introduction of the First Amendment Defense Act ( FADA )?
MQ: I haven't heard any rumors about [FADA] being brought up. I think they're still formulating their agenda and the timing. I think we need to coordinate both within the community and without. To every group I have spoken to, I've said, 'You have to be there when your sister group is attacked.'
We are going to have to coordinate across the United States. The ACA [Affordable Care Act] is an example. They were going to repeal ACA in the first week. Now the President is saying in the first year. Some of that is due to a coordinated push back across a lot of different lines with a lot of different groups, entities and governors and that effort will continue to maintain healthcare for everyone in the United States.
So the plan must be on all fronts to have a systematic, organized and focused campaign to protect equality, justice, fairness and, really, the American way.
On the executive orders, each one presents different issues. Some of it is coordinating funding and being involved in legal challenges. Frankly, it will be difficult to counter them on a legislative side. We will try but we are in the minority.
WCT: Have the sheer numbers of people calling Republican Congressmen on these issues been an effective tool?
MQ: Absolutely, and double down on that. Find key people to focus on: Republicans in leadership, Republicans in key posts not committee posts. It has to be focused, well thought out, continual and from within the district that those [members] live. Members react to their own constituents a lot more than they do from a national effort. If I get a call from somebody in Ohio and one from Sauganash, I'm going to listen to the Sauganash person first.
WCT: Instead of the LGBT order, Trump has vowed to destroy the 1954 Johnson Amendment forbidding churches and religious organizations from entering the political arena. Some progressive pundits have said that it could also work to our advantage. Where do you stand?
MQ: It's a bad idea on both sides. You're heading down a slippery slope that is very dangerous. We think of religious freedom and part of that is the ability to keep politics from exerting itself in an unpleasant way in our churches. There's a reason they have nonprofit status and that keeps them from making political institutions synonymous with religious ones. It's not where this country wants to go.
