Dupage Policy Journal

Shannon Adcock, founder of Awake Illinois, has addressed allegations made by the left, which she claims falsely accuse critics of drag shows of making threats. She asserts that the core issue is a demand for acceptance of what she terms "grooming activities."

"Woke wants you to see drag shows directed at minors and look the other way," said Adcock. "Say something & they accuse you of making “threats”. In reality, they're just mad you don't go along with the grooming. See how this works?"

According to Adcock, a post from Awake Illinois highlighted an incident where Representative Sean Casten labeled them as bigots following their opposition to drag story times for minors in 2022. The post included a screenshot of a press release from Casten’s office regarding the Downers Grove Public Library's cancellation of a drag event. Casten reportedly said that the event celebrated self-identity and self-expression and accused Keith Pekau and Awake Illinois of creating an unsafe community environment. The Awake Illinois post on X claimed that Casten has not apologized for allegedly accusing them wrongly of threats and called on supporters to become more aware.

Screenshot of Adcock's June 24 post on X | X

Awake Illinois’ blog post dated October 1, 2022, discussed Senate Bill 818 and new sexual education requirements in Illinois schools implemented in 2021. The organization urged parents to opt their children out of this programming, which includes teaching second-grade students to identify body parts using medically accurate names and covering multiple parts of both female and male genitalia.

Adcock is the founder and president of Awake Illinois, a nonprofit organization established in May 2021 with a focus on advocating for parental rights, educational transparency, and civic engagement. A lifelong resident of Illinois, Adcock graduated from the University of Illinois in 2002 and resides in Naperville with her husband and three children. Her activism began with efforts to reopen public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. She ran for the Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education in 2020 but withdrew to concentrate on broader statewide advocacy.