On her fourth day living in Chicago, Miranda Molnar walked into a Northalsted neighborhood bar and asked for a job application.
But it wasn’t the employment opportunities that lured Molnar to Chicago.
The Tennessee native, who dubbed her hometown governor the “anti-Christ,” moved here to be closer to her brother, to get some space after a breakup — and to get better health insurance coverage for gender-affirming care.
“I know that health care is better, especially for trans people,” said Molnar, who is a transgender woman. “I know that insurance is better up here toward covering that. I opted out of my company’s whole plan because it wouldn’t have covered me in any kind of specific sort of way.”
Molnar, 36, is among a growing number of transgender people who have relocated to Chicago after the passage of anti-transgender laws in their home states.
Beginning July 1, doctors won’t be able to prescribe puberty blockers or hormones or provide other gender-affirming care to anyone under 18 in Tennessee. Another bill that would have limited where drag shows could take place in Tennessee has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
“We have a super-Democratic mayor in Nashville, but then [Tennessee Gov.] Bill Lee was basically the anti-Christ. Well, actually he’s second in line to [Florida Gov.] Ron DeSantis,” Molnar said. “DeSantis has made his name well-known to the entire trans population.”
As Pride Month comes to a close, the Sun-Times spoke to advocates, service providers and members of the community about the key issues affecting Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community — and what more needs to be done to protect them.
Perhaps not surprisingly, they cited issues specific to the LGBTQ+ community as well as concerns similar to or overlapping those experienced by all Chicagoans.
“If I could wave a magic wand and say that things could be better, one [would be] the issues that intersect with other communities. The issue of housing instability for our LGBTQ youth and seniors in particular, those crosslink with other poverty issues,” said Tracy Baim, veteran journalist and gay rights advocate. “I think that’s a really critical issue facing a lot of our parts of our community — affordable housing and homelessness.”
But many in the LGBTQ+ community admit that some of the most concerning issues are those affecting the transgender community. Baim cited discrimination in employment and violence against trans Chicagoans.
Those concerns are what are luring many to Illinois. Over objections of some Republicans, the Democratic-controlled state is swimming against the negative tide sweeping over a number of other states, which are passing legislation targeting transgender residents.
‘One of the haven states’
Illinois serves as a blue haven for those seeking gender-affirming care — and for abortion care services, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the state’s Democratic supermajority Legislature gradually expanding health care and helping to protect the transgender community. Lawmakers in 2019 approved legislation that directs coverage of gender-affirming surgeries for Medicaid members age 21 and older who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
“Gender dysphoria is the feeling of discomfort or distress that might occur in people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
This year alone, legislators approved a measure that protects health care providers who provide gender-affirming care, and their patients, from legal attacks by neighboring states — and another that allows businesses to create multioccupancy gender-neutral bathrooms.
Protection of the transgender community is a focal point for many Chicago advocates as red states continue to place restrictions on transgender people — and their lives continue to be politicized.
Hate is an issue affecting many in the LGBTQ+ community, transgender residents in particular.
“The epidemic of hatred is the biggest issue facing our community here and around the country,” said state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago. “I also think we need to be prepared just as abortion providers, I think that gender-affirming care providers need to be prepared for an influx of inbound patients as a city and as a state. We have to figure out what we need to help facilitate that.”
Planned Parenthood Illinois, the largest provider of gender-affirming care in the Chicago area, says that’s already happening.
“Similar to abortion care, in Illinois, we’re lucky to live in a state where there are not multiple bans or restrictions on who can receive care,” said Mallory Klocke, program director of Planned Parenthood Illinois’ gender-affirming hormone therapy team.“And so it’s generally been one of the haven states even before the Dobbs decision that really caused a spike in anti-trans legislation — because people have more time and energy to focus on trying to legislate trans people out of existence.”
‘Her love is forever’
Those who knew Elise Malary best take time to refresh chalk art on an Andersonville building every week to keep her memory alive.
The transgender activist and co-founder of the nonprofit Chicago Therapy Collective was reported missing last year — and found dead days later in Lake Michigan, with her manner of death ruled undetermined.
Written in light blue chalk are the words, “Her voice was soft. Her tongue was sharp. Her love is forever.”
A more permanent mural is planned for later this year.
Malary, who also worked at the Illinois attorney general’s office, was private about her gender identity — but lived her life trying to help the transgender community find jobs.
“She believed that if trans people don’t have access to affirming jobs, that it’s impossible to have health and wellness,” said her friend and former colleague Iggy Ladden, also a co-founder of the nonprofit.
Malary, Ladden and another co-founder, Alexis Martinez, helped to recruit 50 businesses to recruit trans job candidates. That effort has now spread exponentially to recruiting 200 businesses, with the support of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and now Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Ladden, who is nonbinary and uses the pronouns “they” and “them,” is also a certified therapist.
They said they were forced to delve into the world of missing and murdered transgender people after Malary’s disappearance — learning key problems when it comes to the reporting of hate crimes. In some cases, the underreporting comes from family members who either don’t know or are hiding the missing person’s gender identity.
“Similar to hate crimes against trans folks, what we know here in this city is they’re underreported because we’re not tracking folks’ identities properly, or enough, so we actually don’t know the real numbers,” Ladden said.
“So, before I think we can even really talk about what are their numbers and what do we need to change them, we need to start tracking numbers accurately and asking police to make sure they have a gender-inclusive data-tracking system.”
‘Live your life freely’
When it comes to protecting the transgender community from harassment and violence as a whole, Ladden is urging allies of the community to step up to support them with employment and health care rights.
“Rather than giving tips for trans people, what I want to say to trans people is live your life,” Ladden said. “Live your life freely. But what I want to say to their loved ones, their employers, their political representatives is make sure they have access to affirming health care.
“Make sure that there are employers that you can connect your trans friend or loved one to that’s going to be affirming. There are people in really important positions of influence and power where their allyship will keep us safe, more so than any other intervention.”
Health care for the LGBTQ+ community remains an issue in Chicago, according to Planned Parenthood Illinois, which is among many providers trying to get members of the community to a doctor for basic health care.
According to a 2022 Equality Illinois report, 40% of LGBTQ Americans reported a debilitating health condition, with that number going up to 53% for transgender Americans.
According to the study, 33% of trans Illinoisans who saw a medical provider last year reported at least one negative experience related to being transgender. Another 24% did not see a doctor in the previous year when they needed one because they feared being mistreated as a trans person.
“There are health disparities for trans people in a number of different areas of health. And one of the main factors is that trans people are historically, internally not centered or welcome or even just given basic respect in the health care setting very often,” Klocke said. “And so, as far as Planned Parenthood of Illinois is doing, I mean, we’re making all of our outreach inclusive of all genders.”
‘Visible, vibrant LGBTQ+ community’
Chicagoans know they have a proud and thriving community.
Days before the bar would be swarmed for Chicago Pride Parade activities, Sidetrack Chicago hosted more than 400 people — part of the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association’s flag football league. The association is the largest nonprofit LGBTQ+ sports organization in the Midwest, offering leagues for everything from ultimate Frisbee to pickleball.
Christina Lopez, who described herself as a queer Latina, was part of one of six Chicago teams hosting out-of-towners for a tournament. Lopez said she’s aware she’s living in a protective bubble in Chicago. But she’s concerned about suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth elsewhere.
“I don’t know exactly the laws that are in place right now for gender-affirming care for under 18-year-olds, but I feel like we’re in a less scary place than Florida. And generally I am surrounded by a lot of queer people and live in Boystown. I do feel a little bit more safe and secure with how Chicago is for the queer community at the moment,” said Lopez. “But that doesn’t mean the state of Illinois, the laws that are in effect are fully protecting us. … Overall I think the city itself is an OK space, but I think once you go to smaller towns, that’s when it gets scarier.”
Bubble or not, protecting the community is a chief concern for Bradley Balof, general manager of Sidetrack.
“We also have a lot of other things that we’re just dealing with as a city, whether it’s crime or things like that, that affect everyone, not just the LGBTQ+ community. But I think that safety at large events is really important, at least to me, and I think to our community because we have such a visible, vibrant LGBTQ+ community,” Balof said. “Sometimes that can make you vulnerable, and so that’s something that’s very important to me.”
