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U.S. State of Illinois aims to bolster state protections as trans Midwesterners consider moving before 2nd Trump term

chicago.suntimes.com Officials aim to bolster Illinois protections as trans Midwesterners consider moving before 2nd Trump term

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy said there has been a coalition effort to protect trans and reproductive health care access since the Dobbs decision leaked, and Gov. JB Pritzker has been a part of that. Now legislators are looking at Project 2025 and Trump policy proposals to find holes in existing state…

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In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s reelection, advocates for transgender people in Illinois are scrambling to strengthen the state protections they’ve created, while some trans Midwesterners consider moving to states with shield laws for safe harbor.

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy told the Sun-Times there has been a coalition effort of state lawmakers to protect trans and reproductive health care access since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade leaked in 2022.

Now, they’re looking closely at Project 2025 — a conservative policy playbook created by the Heritage Foundation — and Trump policy proposals and “evaluating what further protections we can enact in the coming months,” a spokesperson for Gov. JB Pritzker said.

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Protections for reproductive rights and gender-affirming care were enshrined in state law in January 2023, putting Illinois on the side of people who risk prosecution by traveling to the state for treatment and also protecting the licenses of Illinois doctors who provide care that’s illegal elsewhere. The Illinois Human Rights Act also protects against discrimination based on gender identity.

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