Miranda Writes... by Miranda Stevens-Miller We Got Rights

When we started working and organizing for transgender rights, there was just a handful of us stumbling around in the dark. But rather than curse the darkness, we lit that first candle. By the time Chicago and Cook County passed the Gender Identity Amendments a few weeks ago, that small flickering flame had become a beacon of light, the voice of the people, the will of the people, and the obvious right thing to do.

There are so many people who have been involved along the way that it is risky to start thanking individuals for fear of leaving someone out. So I am not going to try to name everyone individually. But I did want to give some special thanks.

Thank you, Stephanie Young and Janice Galeckas for your leadership in the early days of the movement in Chicago. You envisioned this day many years ago when you founded It's Time, Illinois, we were glad to carry it to fruition for you.

Thank you, Larry McKeon, for your courage to bring these issues first to City Hall, and then to Springfield. Before you were a State Representative, you were the Mayor's liaison to the Gay and Lesbian community. You were the first to invite us to City Hall to speak with ACGLI about transgender rights.

Thank you, Robert Castillo and John Pennycuff, for advocating for transgender inclusion even before it became popular. When these issues were first brought to ACGLI, and when everyone else was scratching their heads trying to figure out what to do, you were the ones who stood up and said this is the right thing to do. And you brought that to the attention of Mayor Daley year after year with stickers, signs, button and banners.

Thank you Mary Morten and Bill Greaves, the immediate past and current Directors of ACGLI. You laid all the groundwork in City Hall, you made this issue your own issue, you worked your way through the morass of the city bureaucracy to make sure that this issue saw the light of day. And I know that many times I pushed too hard, but you never gave up, and never lost faith. I love you both!

Thank you, Alderman Billy Ocasio, and Aldermen Bernie Hansen, Gene Schulter, Helen Shiller, Toni Preckwinkle and Mary Ann Smith, for going out on a limb and sponsoring the Chicago Gender Identity Amendment. But Alderman Ocasio, you deserve a special thanks, because you agreed to sponsor this amendment almost five years ago… before anyone else in the City Council even thought about these issues. You made this happen.

And thank you, Commissioner Mike Quigley, and Commissioner John Daley, and Board President John Stroger, for sponsoring the Cook County Amendment. But Commissioner Quigley, you deserve not only a special thanks, but also a great big hug and kiss, for advocating for this issue and trying to get it passed in Cook County even before Chicago. And for lining up all the support to make sure that it would pass quickly and smoothly, even with someone like Commissioner Carl Hansen on the County Board.

There are so many more to thank… the national organizations that helped out including NGLTF, HRC, NCLR. The other transgender activists from around the country who we were in constant contact with, and who acted as a support network, as they passed legislation in jurisdictions all over the United States. The local organizations including Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, ACLU, CABN, Equality Illinois, and Amnesty International

And thank you, members of Illinois Gender Advocates, who supported our efforts over the years with your time and effort and dollars. There is absolutely no way this could have been done without the strong support of the community behind us. And you stayed with us through all the one-step-forward and one-step-back routines.

Yesterday, at a community event, I happened to run into Dawn Clark Netsch, who I am sure all of you know for her years in state government and her support of the LGBT community. I was telling her that the Chicago and Cook County Gender Identity Amendments had passed. At first she thought I was asking about them, but then when she realized that all I was doing was passing on some good news, she smiled broadly and congratulated me.

And when I complained that it had taken seven years of my life to get to this point, she looked strangely at me and said, "Seven years may seem like a long time to you, but it is really very little time in terms of legislative progress. Creating legislative change is like turning an ocean liner around at sea…"

And as I looked at the wisdom and serenity in her beautiful face, I knew that she was right. Real progress always moves too slowly. And I wondered where I would get the patience and stamina for then next legislative battle… and there always will be one more battle… but at least this time, we got rights!