(The Center Square) – The Illinois Freedom Caucus is advocating for the Women’s Bill of Rights to define biological sex and respect women’s rights.
House Bill 5830 from state Rep. David Friess, R-Red Bud, aims to define terms such as “woman” and “man” and stop judges and state agencies from altering the definition of “woman” to include anyone who merely “identifies” as a woman. Considering Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s recent tweet stating, “I will fight like hell to protect women’s fundamental rights,” the Freedom Caucus hopes he will ultimately sign the bill into law.
“Everyone here knows what a woman is,” said Friess. “This is not a hard issue.”
Several Democratic state representatives, including Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Cicero, and Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, were asked for their perspectives on the bill. They all chose not to comment.
The bill was inspired by the Independent Women’s Bill of Rights and Abbigail Wheeler of Springfield, who said she was banned from her local YMCA swim team for speaking out against a biological male in the women’s locker room.
“I shared my experience where I encountered men changing in the women’s locker room at the local YMCA. I expressed my discomfort and fear to both my teammates and the YMCA. I was dismissed and shunned for my concerns,” Wheeler said Friday during a news conference outside the Illinois State Capitol. “I was laughed at by my coach and made to feel my discomfort was wrong and that I should just be quiet. Why should we surrender our right to privacy in our own locker rooms? It became clear to me that what was happening was fundamentally unjust. By allowing this, it creates an environment where any man can freely enter a woman’s locker room, changing spaces, and engage in whatever perverted action he pleases.”
Illinois state Rep. David Friess, R-Red Bud, Abbigail Wheeler of Springfield, state Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, and Independent Women’s Voice ambassador Coach Kim Russell spoke during a news conference in Springfield on Friday. BlueRoomStream
Illinois laws use the terms “woman,” “man,” “male,” and “female” at least 997 times.
Legislators are also urging the state not to support teen drag shows.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is a “Harvey Milk” sponsor of Springfield’s Pridefest. Republican legislators are calling on them to withdraw their sponsorship.
Harvey Milk sponsors pledge $2,000 for the event that features a “teen drag” show where 10-17 year-olds will be provided with a bag of supplies containing “everything they need to create an impromptu drag costume.” Drag involves wearing clothing typically worn by the opposite sex as a form of entertainment. Teens will participate in a costume change and perform on a stage.
State Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, has called on state agencies to end their sponsorships.
“We’re sitting with an $800 million budget deficit and we’ve got state agencies funding activities where 10-year-olds are being sexually groomed,” said Niemerg. “These kids need to be protected and we’re calling on every one of those sponsors to pull their support immediately.”
Supporters argue that it’s the parents’ right to sign their children up for drag shows.
“Parents do all kinds of things that are inappropriate, but our biggest issue with this event is that the government is sponsoring it,” said Friess.
The Illinois Department of Human Rights also pledged $2,000 to be a sponsor. In a social media post, the department stated it is a proud vendor and sponsor of the 2024 Springfield PrideFest.
Independent Women’s Voice ambassador Coach Kim Russell addressed the media at Friday’s news conference with a question.
“Maybe you’re a Democrat or liberal … I ask you, do you want your children to be groomed by sexual predators, and if our governmental agencies are paying for that … I ask you why?” said Russell.
Proponents of PrideFest describe it as a family-friendly street festival celebrating the LGBT community and equality. The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 18.
