* Press release…

Equality Illinois applauds the Pritzker Administration’s efforts in FY20 to appoint more LGBTQ, women, and BIPOC leaders to state boards and commissions. On Thursday, the Governor’s Office released the Administration’s FY20 Boards and Commissions Act Report that details the demographic data of gubernatorial appointments to state boards and commissions, including the voluntarily disclosed LGBTQ identities of appointees.

“We thank Gov. Pritzker and his Administration for their work to ensure our state boards and commissions better reflect the diversity of the people and communities they serve,” said Brian C. Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois. “While there is more work to do to ensure representation of LGBTQ, women, and BIPOC leaders in public service, the governor’s new report shows the results of the Administration’s diligence and partnership with community organizations like Equality Illinois. This report reflects the governor’s ongoing commitment to making sure Illinois is a state where all people are inspired to lend their talents to public service.”

According to the FY20 report, Governor Pritzker has nearly quadrupled the appointment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) people to state boards and commissions compared to appointments made in FY19.

Also, unlike in previous years, appointees in FY20 were able to self-report if they are trans; if they are asexual, pansexual, or queer for their sexual orientation; and if they are intersex or non-binary/genderqueer for their gender.

* More…

• Regarding sexual orientation:

• 3.7% of the governor’s appointees in FY 20 identified as LGBQ (up from 1% in FY19).
• 4% of the applicants in FY20 identified as LGBQ (roughly the same as in FY19).
• Also, FY20 appointees who declined to state or did not respond to the inquiry about their sexual orientation dropped significantly compared to FY19 (30% in FY20 but 52% in FY19). This could mean more appointees are comfortable living authentically and publicly.

• Regarding gender identity (which were new questions added in FY20):

• 1.17% of the governor’s appointees in FY 20 identified as genderqueer or non-binary.
• 1.36% of the governor’s appointees in FY 20 identified as trans.
• The result is that 0.5% of those currently serving identified as trans and 0.4% identify as genderqueer or non-binary.

* More…

• The percent of Black, indigenous, and people of color appointees by the governor in FY20 was 37.6% (up from 32.8% in FY19).

• The percent of appointments who identified as women in FY20 was 48.3% (up from 39.4% in FY19).

Thoughts?