Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has never shied away from standing up to Donald Trump, and he has also made it clear he supports the LGBTQ+ community.

At a recent Human Rights Campaign dinner in Los Angeles, Pritzker reaffirmed his commitment to supporting queer folks and resisting Trump.

Related

Jasmine Crockett slams GOP for fake outrage over her controversial statement about disabled governor
The governor of Texas uses a wheelchair and Crockett called him “Governor Hot Wheels.” But she says her comment was misinterpreted.

“The Trump administration and his Republican lackeys in Congress are looking to reverse every single victory this community has won over the last 50 years,” Pritzker said. “And right now it’s drag queens reading books and transgender people serving in the military. Tomorrow, it’s your marriage license and your job they want to take.”

Insights for the LGBTQ+ community

Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

“Bending to the whims of a bully will not end his cruelty. It will only embolden him. The response to authoritarianism isn’t acquiescence. Bullies respond to one thing, and one thing only, a punch in the face.”

He also spoke directly to transgender youth to tell them they are not alone.

“And in the midst of this existential fight, this battle that seems to consume everything, well, let’s not take the soul-sucking path of sacrificing the most persecuted for that which we deem to be most popular.”

“I know that there are transgender children right now looking out at this world and wondering if anyone is going to stand up for them and for their simple right to exist. Well, I am. We are. We will.”

He also spoke about his mother’s activism for LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive rights and declared, “I have to laugh when I hear the right-wing carry on about the dangers of exposing kids to trans people or same-sex couples, because I’m living proof that introducing your kids to the gay agenda might result in them growing up to be governor.”

Pritzker has long advocated for LGBTQ+ people as governor. In 2023, he signed a landmark bill making Illinois the first state to make it illegal for libraries to ban books.

Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.