Rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric
A sign-carrying anti-gay protester is surrounded by a sea of Pride umbrellas during the Pride parade in Winston-Salem, N.C., June 18, 2022. Hateful references to gays, lesbians and other LGBTQ Americans on social media surged following Florida's adoption of a law restricting how teachers can talk about sexual orientation with younger students. AP Photo/Skip Foreman, File)
During the summer of 2022, organizations and events representing the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer communities in Illinois have been the targets of hatred. There is often heated rhetoric behind the harassment. A common, and, it must be said, the false narrative is that LGBTQ people are “groomers.” In other words, a person who builds emotional connections with children to exploit and abuse them. In the Chicago suburbs, UpRising Cafe and Bakery in Lake of The Hills became a target earlier this summer.
Join us for a conversation covering the history of rights for those marginalized within the U.S., the harassment of LGBTQ+ communities, and much more!
Guests:
Tom Wray
Founder & Editor, Illinois Eagle
Mony Ruiz-Velasco
Deputy Director, Equality Illinois
Suzanne Rothenberg
Associate Regional Director of Strategy and Growth, ADL Midwest