Equality Illinois officer files for state Senate seat


	Equality Illinois officer files for state Senate seat 2023-08-11

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Public health, LGBTQ+-rights advocate and Wicker Park resident Jose “Che-Che” Wilson is joining the list of candidates seeking to fill the vacancy in the Illinois Senate for the 5th District. Democratic committeepeople are meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 15, to vote on the appointment. The current senator, Patricia Van Pelt, is retiring. “We’re home to the queerest city council in the country, and yet we are sorely lacking adequate LGBTQ representation in the Illinois General Assembly,” said Wilson in a press release. “As a lifelong resident of the 5th District and someone who has dedicated my career to public health and LGBTQ rights, I would be honored to continue working to improve the lives of people in the diverse communities across this district and our state.” Wilson is currently the director of civic engagement at Equality Illinois. He joined the organization from Lambda Legal, where he was a paralegal. An openly gay man, Wilson started his career providing healthcare services to LGBTQ+ Chicagoans on the South and West sides. He also served as a spokesman in Haciendolo, the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) first-ever Spanish campaign to expand HIV testing. Currently, Mike Simmons (representing the 7th District, which is also in Chicago) is the first and only member of the LGBTQ+ community in the Illinois Senate. Others in the mix for the 5th District seat include Illinois state Rep. Lakesia Collins and state Rep. Jawaharial “Omar” Williams (the son of Chicago Ald. and Vice Mayor Walter Burnett Jr., who sits on the Democratic committee that will appoint the new senator), according to Politico. —Andrew Davis



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