Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
In today’s newsletter, we’re sharing the story of Cristina Nichole Iglesias, who as a former prisoner, sued the federal Bureau of Prisons for the right to have gender-affirming care — and won.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on a protest encampment on University of Chicago’s campus, a plan to merge public transportation agencies, a group wedding ceremony for 15 couples and more community news you need to know below. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
After fighting to have gender-affirming care, a former prisoner adjusts to life in Chicago as a woman
Reporting by Stefano Esposito
Iglesias’ fight: Last year, Cristina Nichole Iglesias became just the second person ever to have gender-affirmation surgery while in federal custody. The federal Bureau of Prisons picked up the entire tab at Rush University Medical Center after a three-year legal fight that began when she was housed in downstate Marion. Her attorneys argued, among other things, that she was being denied her constitutional right to necessary medical care.
Key detail: “It’s just feeling like I belong,” said Iglesias, who was released from prison in October after having spent her entire adult life there. She now lives on the West Side. In a recent interview at the downtown offices of her ACLU of Illinois lawyers, Iglesias, 49, said she keeps up with the news and knows that she has regained her freedom at a time when national debate on transgender rights is at a fever pitch.
Finding ‘sanctuary’: After being released from prison, Iglesias spent months at a halfway house. She now has her own apartment — her first ever — in Chicago. “It’s my sanctuary,” she said. Iglesias is enjoying things many people take for granted. “I went to Brookfield Zoo, and it was amazing,” she said. “The everyday freedom to live my life and get my hair and nails done is wonderful.”
Looking toward the future: She got a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ohio State University while in prison. She hopes to attend law school and then use that to assist people with gender dysphoria, who can develop depression that can be a “death sentence,” she said. A law degree would be helpful, she said, in helping people like her to get treatment.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- U. of C. students protest: Hundreds of students set up an encampment on the University of Chicago’s campus Monday, joining groups at more than 100 colleges nationwide staging protests in solidarity with the people of Gaza.
- Statewide transit agency? State legislators are proposing legislation that would create a transit agency to oversee public transit across northeastern Illinois and provide an additional $1.5 billion in annual funding for public transportation.
- Federal broadband program ending: A federal pandemic-era program that
helped millions of households pay less for internet service is expected to expire in the coming weeks, but some service providers are offering their own discounted programs. - Palos Preserves makeover: The Forest Preserves of Cook County is undertaking what officials say is the biggest ecological restoration project in its history, a $10 million plan to improve more than 1,000 acres of land in the southwest suburbs.
- John Mulaney returns to Chicago: On the latest episode of the Netflix series “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman,” John Mulaney joins the longtime comedian for a visit to Mulaney’s old school, St. Ignatius College Prep, and the Den Theatre in Wicker Park.
SUN-TIMES STAFF SUGGESTS 🏛️
Visit the Newberry Library
This week’s suggestion comes from our Business & Economy reporter Amy Yee, who recommends visiting the Newberry Library.
“It’s hard to imagine a more tranquil place than the Newberry Library, which opened more than 130 years ago in downtown Chicago,” Amy tells me. “The serene space has been a haven for me, especially while working on my book.”
A valuable resource: “I don’t take public libraries for granted. When I lived in New Delhi, India, I paid $100+ a year to access a small library at the Italian Cultural Center. There were virtually no other quiet spaces with internet and air conditioning in the scorching summer, so it was worth the price. In contrast, the Newberry is free to the public but requires signing up for membership. The Newberry, one of Chicago’s cultural gems, also hosts wonderful exhibitions and events, such as an American Indian and Indigenous Studies symposium I stumbled across years ago.”
Can’t-miss exhibition: The Newberry’s current exhibition, “A Night at Mister Kelly’s,” spotlights the Rush Street nightclub that opened in 1953. Alongside photos of major icons who performed there, Amy tells me she was surprised to see a photo of Pat Morita, known for his Oscar-nominated role as Mr. Miyagi in the “Karate Kid” movies from the 1980s. “I had no idea Morita started out as a comedian,” Amy says.
Vital history: “The Newberry’s guide mentioned that as a child Morita survived spinal tuberculosis. He spent much of his early childhood hospitalized and was told he would never walk. After he was released from the hospital at age 11, he and his family were shipped to an internment camp in Arizona where Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War Two. Yet he still made a career in comedy and then Hollywood. This was a moving example of insights that cultural institutions like the Newberry can impart even during a pitstop visit on a blustery spring day,” Amy says.
📍Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
After long journey, 15 migrant couples marry in group ceremony in Chicago
Reporting by Adriana Cardona-Maguigad | WBEZ
On Friday, anxious brides put on wedding dresses, fixed each other’s makeup and adjusted their veils and tiaras inside a classroom at Park Community Church’s branch near Goose Island.
Brides and grooms came together for a nontraditional wedding ceremony that evening, as 15 couples — mostly from Venezuela — exchanged their vows and tied the knot during a group ceremony.
The nuptials marked a new stage in the lives of the 30 newly arrived asylum-seekers after a long and tiring journey from South America. Some couples said they had postponed their wedding because getting married in Venezuela is expensive and the paperwork is cumbersome.
The couples who got married Friday said they wanted to solidify their relationship through the church. They prepared for several months, taking classes and getting counseling.
To pull off the event, the couples chipped in about $150 each and ended with a budget of $2,500. One migrant catered the food, which included chicken with rice, pasta, salad and other meat dishes. The table centerpieces were recycled from other events, and the cakes came from the grocery store but were redecorated with roses.
“We want to share that love with our people,” said Ed Kraal, pastor of Park Community Church, who officiated the ceremony.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
Basketball legend Candace Parker announced her retirement from the WNBA on Sunday, so we want to know:
From Naperville to the WNBA and Olympics, have you ever seen Candace Parker play? Tell us when, where — and what you remember about the experience.
Email us (please include your first and last name). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!
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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers
