Dupage Policy Journal

Heather Brown, a candidate for Illinois State Senate District 25, recently expressed her disapproval of legislators working in the same office and focusing on what she referred to as "sex bills in our schools" in a social media post. In addition to her comments, Brown, who is set to challenge incumbent Democrat Karina Villa in the general election, shared a link to an article from the Breakthrough with Jeanne Ives website.

"The office of Congresstional 3, State Senate District 25, and House Representative 49 all working together in the same office in West Chicago," said Brown, according to Facebook. "All working on 'sex Bills' in our schools rather than what is more important right now for everyone within our community and State."

According to her Facebook post, Brown highlighted an April 4 column by Laurie Higgins published on the Break Through with Jeanne Ives site. The column was titled "Intrusive Illinois Lawmakers Barging into Bedrooms" and primarily discussed House Bill 1605.

Screenshot of Heather Brown for IL April 6 Facebook post | Heather Brown for IL Facebook page

Higgins stated that this bill would "make it a crime if in the midst of consensual sex, a 'sexually protective device' is removed without consent allowing 'contact between a sexual organ' and 'the intimate part of another person' or 'contact between an intimate part of the person and a sexual organ of another person,' and the couple engaged or continued to engage in sexual contact after the defendant knew or became aware that the sexually protective device had been intentionally removed but did not obtain consent from the plaintiff to engage or continue engaging in sexual contact without the use of the sexually protective device."

The article raised questions about how these alleged crimes would be proven in court. It also queried whether Rep. Maura Hirschauer and Rep. Kelly Cassidy believe Illinois should enforce what many perceive as an outdated law prohibiting adultery – a law that hasn't been enforced for nearly three decades.

House Bill 1605 was introduced in January 2023 and has been scheduled for a second reading on April 3. The bill includes definitions of sexually protective devices beyond those that Higgins discussed in her column.

On Brown's campaign website, it is noted that one of her primary areas of focus will be education and parental involvement. Speaking about this cause, Brown stated: "I have been a strong voice in our school board meetings. I spoke many times as a concerned parent for my children as well as our community. I began recording and translating them for our 80% Hispanic community. They refused to record or have enough microphones for the entire staff, so I took it upon myself to help parents know what was going on in the meetings."

Brown also pledged to maintain safety in State Senate District 25, expressing pride in her close relationship with local law enforcement, according to her website.

The district, currently represented by State Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago), encompasses all or parts of Aurora, North Aurora, Batavia, West Chicago, South Elgin, Wayne and Bartlett.