Political Playbook Illinois author and politics reporter Shia Kapos hosted a Politico Playbook Live conversation with former Equality Illinois President Brian Johnson July 17 at Hideout Chicago, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave.
Johnson stepped down as Equality Illinois CEO on June 30 after almost 10 years as its leader. In that role, he guided the organization’s three non-profits entities—Equality Illinois, the Equality Illinois Institute and the Equality Illinois Political Action Committee. The July 17 conversation touched on Johnson’s next professional endeavor, his work at Equality Illinois and the future of LGBTQ+ politics.
Johnson announced that on September 15 he will launch the Chicago Federation of Labor’s Workforce and Community Initiative-incubated Reimagining Capitalism Lab, which helps address the highest level of income inequality the United States has seen in over a century.
“In the 1960s, the average CEO was earning 20 to 30 times as much as the lowest paid workers,” said Johnson. “Now, the average CEO is making almost 400 times the lowest worker. In the 1960s and 70s, the bottom 90 percent in America owned twice as much wealth as the top one percent. That is now flipped, so the top one percent owns twice as much as the bottom ninety percent.”
According to Johnson, rising inequality has caused numerous negative outcomes for non-wealthy Americans—people’s trust in institutions and each other wanes, they vote less frequently and participation in democracy overall goes down. Johnson added that over the past few cycles “most Americans have felt that there was a fix in there.” He also spoke at length about his 2021 book Our Fair Share: How One Small Change Can Create a More Equitable American Economy, whichfocuses on economic inequality in America.
Johnson said the Reimagining Capitalism Lab will have four key components: community organizing and deep listening of everyday people’s concerns in homes, churches, classrooms and other locations across Illinois; intensive interviews with business and civic leaders; policy research to find out the biggest and boldest ideas from people in all pockets of the state; and leader education for people in the media, philanthropy and public-office.
“More people should be benefiting from the prosperity in this country,” said Johnson.
Johnson noted that Equality Illinois had about 2,000 people a year they were engaging with to do civic action 10 years ago. In recent years, that number grew to between 20,000-30,000 people annually. He added that over 150 out people sit on state boards and commissions; Illinois now ranks second in terms of out LGBTQ+ elected officials at all levels of government.
Over 30 pro-LGBTQ+ laws or regulations have been passed over the past 10 years, Johnson added. He attributed those wins to the “deep listening” Equality Illinois did to collect stories from many people to see what they needed to help make their lives better.
The current anti-LGBTQ+ political climate has not deterred queer/trans people’s desire to run for political office, Johnson said, pointing out that Johnson pointing out that two gay men (Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison and Illinois state Sen. Mike Simmons) are running for the House of Representatives in separate districts primaries alongside Rep. Eric Sorenson (17th District), who is running for reelection. Johnson added that Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis has received the most votes of any trans person who has run for political office nationwide in American history.
Johnson addressed the backlash that is taking place against the LGBTQ+ community and especially trans people. This includes the growing (from 200 to over 500) anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that has been introduced and in a number of cases passed into law in GOP-controlled states over the past 10 years. On the federal level, Johnson focused on the attacks on the LGBTQ+ community from the Trump administration and the two recent anti-LGBTQ+ rulings by the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court— United States v. Skrmetti and Mahmoud v. Taylor.
Despite the GOP spending $215 million on ads that targeted the trans community during last year’s presidential election, the Democrats had no response to them, which Johnson said was a mistake. He added that the Harris campaign could have told voters they would benefit from their policies “without beating up on trans folks” or ignoring them all together.
“Nobody lost their race in Illinois because of their support for the trans community,” said Johnson.
Johnson said there are two bills he wants passed and made law in Illinois to further help LGBTQ+ people. One would require any hospital that doesn’t provide a medical service for a non-medical reason to be transparent about it, so patients know which ones to avoid. This includes abortion and other reproductive care and gender affirming care. The second is to fully decriminalize sex work to protect people in that profession because statistics have shown that “75% of all sex workers will be violently assaulted in their career. Two-thirds of all trans folks killed globally were sex workers.”
Johnson said that Illinois was the first state to decriminalize homosexuality in 1961, and he hopes the same historic first will be when the state decriminalizes sex work.
He spoke highly of the three Senate Democratic primary candidates—Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi whom he said are great allies to the LGBTQ+ community. Another thing he “gets really excited” about is Sorenson, Morrison and Simmons winning their races.
Johnson said there is no inertia or plateau and that the goal is to keep building power and that is what he will continue to do in his new role at the Reimagining Capitalism Lab.
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