During a town hall event on Tuesday, Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) spoke on new measures affecting LGBTQ communities.
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Next question is, I'm very concerned about the LGBTQI and trans community and their safety and health.
00:06What are you doing to support that community?
00:08Applause
00:14The first thing is, everything I possibly can to just let them know that they're not alone.
00:20Because right now, you know, it is, it's a, it's a terrible feeling to see the leader of your government
00:27doing things that are deliberately targeted.
00:29And you see that most directly in everything he's done with the military.
00:34But just everything, you know, the medical care that he's trying to deny people who are not, you know, straight, binary.
00:42It is a, you know, one of the other proudest things I ever did as a member of Congress
00:48is, geez, almost a decade ago now, I had the first ever roundtable on what it's like to be LGBTQ in the suburbs.
00:57Because mostly, you know, historically anyone who is non-binary would have to go to downtown Chicago to be their true selves.
01:05And, but there were people I knew well who were just sitting there suffering in silence out in the suburbs.
01:12And so we had a roundtable on what that was like and we thought maybe we'd get a few people.
01:15And all of the other members of Congress at the time just said, Bill, you're crazy, the suburbs are not ready for this.
01:21And so we had an overflow crowd and they stayed around talking for a long time.
01:25And that's where the idea came about to have the Aurora Pride Parade.
01:30The first ever Pride Parade in the suburbs.
01:33And that was the biggest...
01:34So part of it, part of it is what we can do legally.
01:43And part of it is what we can do, you know, just to show support.
01:48You know, one of the things, you know, I mentioned my company does theater lights.
01:52One of the things I'm most proud of, you remember when the Oprah Winfrey decision came down legalizing gay marriage, right?
01:59They lit up the white, Obama lit up the White House with bright colors.
02:03That was my company's lights.