FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 18th, 2023

Equality Illinois Applauds Passage of Chicago’s Bodily Autonomy Non-Discrimination Ordinance

On behalf of the estimated 146,000 LGBTQ+ Chicagoans and the countless LGBTQ+ people who visit this great city every year, Equality Illinois applauds Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Chicago City Council for advancing and passing the Bodily Autonomy Non-Discrimination Ordinance on Wednesday. The Ordinance amends the Municipal Code to prohibit discrimination in employment and housing based on an individual’s or their family member’s decisions regarding reproductive healthcare and gender-affirming healthcare. The Ordinance number is O2022-3993.

Statement by Equality Illinois Director of Public Policy Mike Ziri:

“LGBTQ+ rights are rooted in the right to privacy, bodily autonomy, and the liberty to be ourselves and build our own families without discrimination and criminalization. That is what is fundamentally at stake here. The Bodily Autonomy Non-Discrimination Ordinance is key to ensuring Chicago remains a city that is welcoming and affirming for all residents and all visitors, including individuals who provide or seek reproductive healthcare and gender-affirming healthcare. That’s why the Council passed the Bodily Autonomy Sanctuary City Ordinance in September 2022 and why the Illinois General Assembly and Governor Pritzker on Friday approved the historic legal protections and expansion of access to care for patients and providers seeking and providing reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare. We thank Mayor Lightfoot and the Chicago City Council for taking this important action today with the Bodily Autonomy Non-Discrimination Ordinance.”

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