"Equality Illinois is excited to announce our primary election endorsements today as we continue to make our state fairer and more just for LGBTQ+ people," said Brian C. Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois. "In recent years, Illinois has been a beacon of equality and inclusion but we have so much more work to do. These endorsed candidates will continue to advance our progress as we keep fighting for equality and inclusion for all LGBTQ+ Illinoisans."
"Representation matters, especially when LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion are under attack nationally in Florida and Texas and even closer to home in Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Equality Illinois is excited to support these LGBTQ+ candidates," said Mony Ruiz-Velasco, Deputy Director of Equality Illinois. "As an organization that promotes representation in roles of public leadership, we are excited to see so many publicly LGBTQ+ people lending their talents and perspectives to public service. Representation at tables of power matters when it comes to passing inclusive policies and for changing hearts and minds by sharing our stories."
Key endorsements include:
For State House District 13, where LGBTQ+ champion House Majority Leader Greg Harris is retiring, Equality Illinois endorsed out LGBTQ+ candidate Fernando "Sergio" Mojica and super-ally Eileen Dordek.
Mojica is a public school leader who would be the first out LGBTQ+ Latinx member of the Illinois General Assembly. He has spent nearly 25 years as a Chicago public school teacher and administrator, most recently serving as principal at Roberto Clemente Community Academy. He was the first Puerto Rican principal in 45 years at a majority-Latinx CPS school, where he concentrated on developing a healing-centered, culturally responsive, anti-racist approach to teaching and learning. He lives out the values of finding common ground while staying true to yourself.
Dordek is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a long and significant record of allyship on LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive justice, an area with deep intersections for LGBTQ+ communities. She was a founding board member of About Face Theatre, the Chicago-based company that advances queer stories, and has advocated in Springfield for LGBTQ+ affirming measures like inclusive restroom laws and the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act. Dordek was also Board Chair of Personal PAC and serves on the board of the Equality Illinois Institute, a 501(c)(3) organization.
For the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Equality Illinois endorsed two outstanding LGBTQ+ candidates, Precious Brady-Davis and Rick Garcia, and ally Mariyana Spyropoulos.
Brady-Davis will be the first Black Trans woman elected to an office in Cook County and only the fourth Trans person elected to office in Illinois. Currently a communications professional at the Sierra Club, Brady-Davis will focus on environmental and climate change protections, access to clean drinking water for marginalized communities, and inclusive workforce and supplier diversity policies at MWRD. She was previously Youth Outreach Coordinator at the Center on Halsted and is a published author of her memoir, I Have Always Been Me.
Garcia has a long career of leadership and advocacy for LGBTQ+ equality since the 1970s. He co-founded the St. Louis Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Rights and joined New Ways Ministry, which advocates for LGBTQ+ people within the Catholic Church. In the 1980s, he was part of the Lesbian and Gay Town Meeting, which advocated for the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance. He was the founding executive director and political director of the Illinois Federation for Human Rights, which later changed its name to Equality Illinois. He played significant leadership roles in the fights for state and local non-discrimination laws and the marriage equality law. At MWRD, he will work with labor unions and other board members on programs that recruit, train, and support LGBTQ+ workers.
LGBTQ+ candidates endorsed today are State Sen. Mike Simmons (SD 7), State Rep. Lamont J. Robinson (HD 5), State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (HD 14), State Rep. Sam Yingling for the State Senate (SD 31), state representative candidates Fernando "Sergio" Mojica (HD 13) and Karla Bailey-Smith (HD 91); Lake County Clerk candidate Anthony Vega; incumbent Cook County Board Commissioner Kevin B. Morrison and candidates Jaylin D. McClinton, Anthony Joel Quezada, and Maggie Trevor; and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District candidates Precious Brady-Davis and Rick Garcia.
Equality Illinois endorsed 95 candidates total, including Governor Pritzker, Lieutenant Governor Stratton, Attorney General Raoul, Comptroller Mendoza, Treasurer Frerichs, and 65 incumbent legislators seeking re-election.
"We thank Governor Pritzker, Lieutenant Governor Stratton, Attorney General Raoul, Comptroller Mendoza, Treasurer Frerichs, and our legislative incumbents for advancing LGBTQ+ justice in 2021," said Michael Ziri, Director of Public Policy for Equality Illinois. "Last year, the Illinois General Assembly and Governor Pritzker ended the harsh and discriminatory criminalization of HIV, approved the inclusive Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act, moved inclusive demographic data collection forward, and passed other important initiatives to build a better Illinois. But there is more work to do to ensure Illinois stays a beacon of hope for LGBTQ+ people across the country. We look forward to working with this powerful LGBTQ+ affirming team of statewide constitutional officers and state legislators to keep Illinois moving forward."
Equality Illinois, a 501(c)(4) organization, engages in the advocacy and electoral processes to defend and advance full equality, justice, and fairness for LGBTQ+ individuals and their families in Illinois. Further endorsements may be added on a rolling basis. Please check back to the Equality Illinois website at a later date: Website Link Here .
Illinois Constitutional Officers
Governor JB Pritzker
Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton
Attorney General Kwame Raoul
Comptroller Susana Mendoza
Treasurer Michael Frerichs
Illinois Senate (District Number — Name)
1 — Javier Loera Cervantes
2 — Omar Aquino
6 — Sara Feigenholtz
7 — Mike Simmons
8 — Ram Villivalam
9 — Laura Fine
10 — Robert Martwick
12 — Celina Villanueva
13 — Robert Peters
16 — La'Mont Williams
17 — Elgie Sims
20 — Cristina Pacione-Zayas
21 — Laura Ellman
22 — Cristina Castro
23 — Suzy Glowiak Hilton
25 — Karina Villa
26 — Maria Peterson
27 — Ann Gillespie
28 — Laura Murphy
29 — Julie Morrison
30 — Adriane Johnson
31 — Sam Yingling
34 — Steve Stadelman
36 — Michael Halpin
39 — Don Harmon
40 — Patrick Joyce
42 — Linda Holmes
43 — Rachel Ventura
46 — Dave Koehler
49 — Meg Loughran Cappel
57 — Christopher Belt
Illinois House of Representatives (District Number — Name)
2 — Elizabeth Hernandez
3 — Eva Dina Delgado
4 — Lilian Jiménez
5 — Lamont Robinson
6 — Sonya Harper
7 — Emanuel Chris Welch
9 — Lakesia Collins
11 — Ann Williams
12 — Margaret Croke
13 — Fernando "Sergio" Mojica and Eileen Dordek
14 — Kelly Cassidy
15 — Michael Kelly
16 — Denyse Wang Stoneback
17 — Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz
18 — Robyn Gabel
19 — Lindsey LaPointe
21 — Michael Zalewski
23 — Edgar Gonzalez Jr.
27 - Justin Slaughter
29 — Thaddeus Jones
39 — Will Guzzardi
40 — Jaime Andrade Jr.
41 — Janet Yang Rohr
42 — Terra Costa Howard
43 — Anna Moeller
45 — Jenn Ladisch Douglass
46 — Diane Blair-Sherlock
49 — Maura Hirschauer
50 — Barbara Hernandez
52 — Mary Morgan
54 — Mary Beth Canty
56 — Michelle Mussman
57 — Jonathan Carroll
58 — Bob Morgan
59 — Daniel Didech
60 — Rita Mayfield
61 — Joyce Mason
67 — Maurice West II
72 — Gregg Johnson
77 — Kathleen Willis
79 — Erin Slone
81 — Anne Stava-Murray
84 — Stephanie Kifowit
85 — Dagmara "Dee" Avelar
91 — Karla Bailey-Smith
98 — Natalie Manley
103 — Carol Ammons
113 — Jay Hoffman
Cook County Board President
Toni Preckwinkle
Cook County Assessor
Fritz Kaegi
Cook County Board of Commissioners (District Number — Name)
5 — Jaylin D. McClinton
8 — Anthony Joel Quezada
9 — Maggie Trevor
15 — Kevin B. Morrison
Lake County Clerk
Anthony Vega
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Precious Brady-Davis
Rick Garcia
Mariyana Spyropoulos
About Equality Illinois
At Equality Illinois we envision a fair and unified Illinois where everyone is treated equally with dignity and respect and where all people live freely regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. We work hard to promote legislation to protect the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals; maintain the visibility of LGBTQ issues; oppose legislation which seeks to limit the civil rights of the LGBTQ community; and expand statewide grassroots support.
