Dupage Policy Journal

U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) and several Democratic House colleagues on Tuesday announced the creation of the Transgender Equality Task Force, which aims to identify roadblocks to equality for transgender citizens, and will shepherd legislation and other initiatives to tear down such roadblocks.

“This past year has been an amazing one for progress, but we can’t stop now,” Quigley, vice chair of the Equality Caucus, said. “Despite the recent gains in legal and social recognition at the federal and state levels, transgender Americans remain extremely vulnerable to harassment and violence. I’m hopeful that with this new voice in Washington, the Transgender Equality Task Force can start to move the needle on this issue because the status quo of violence and poverty in the transgender community is unacceptable.”

Quigley also participated in a congressional forum on the subject of transgender violence, with representatives from Transgender People of Color Coalition, National Center for Transgender Equality, Human Rights Campaign, National Black Justice Coalition and the Center for American Progress. The panel included representatives from numerous organizations dedicated to the elimination of violence against transgender citizens.

 

“(The) forum on violence against transgender people was truly eye opening,” Quigley said. “It is crucially important that lawmakers are equipped with data and statistics that help quantify the challenges that transgender Americans deal with – violence, homelessness, housing, unemployment – as a first step to developing real-world, practical policy solutions.”