Full Text of HR0947 102nd General Assembly
HR0947 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Gloria | 4 | | "Mama Gloria" Allen of Chicago, who passed away on June 13, | 5 | | 2022; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Gloria Allen was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky | 7 | | on October 6, 1945; she was the child of Alma and grandchild of | 8 | | Mildred; she grew up in the Bronzeville neighborhood amid the | 9 | | legendary drag balls on Chicago's South Side; she attended | 10 | | Englewood High School, where she experienced and overcame | 11 | | traumatic violence; she transitioned with the love and support | 12 | | of her mother and grandmother well before the Stonewall Riots | 13 | | of 1969; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Gloria Allen became a licensed practical nurse | 15 | | (LPN), and she worked at the University of Chicago Hospital | 16 | | and in private homes as a nurse's aide; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, In her later years, Gloria Allen established a | 18 | | charm school for young transgender people at Chicago's Center | 19 | | on Halsted, where she offered lessons on love, makeup, and | 20 | | manners and became affectionately known as "Mama Gloria" or | 21 | | simply "Mama" to her pupils; her work inspired the critically | 22 | | acclaimed play Charm, written by Philip Dawkins, which |
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| 1 | | premiered at Steppenwolf Garage Theater in Chicago in 2015 | 2 | | before traveling to Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Los | 3 | | Angeles, and New York; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Gloria Allen famously appeared on the cover of | 5 | | Jess T. Dugan and Vanessa Fabbre's book To Survive on This | 6 | | Shore, featuring photographs of and interviews with trans and | 7 | | non-binary elders; she became the subject of the 2020 | 8 | | acclaimed documentary feature Mama Gloria, directed by Luchina | 9 | | Fisher, which was nominated for a 2022 GLAAD Media Award; | 10 | | through the documentary, she rose to national prominence, | 11 | | gaining new audiences and fame; her life and work were | 12 | | featured in the Chicago Tribune, People magazine, the 19th | 13 | | News, the BBC, NowThisNews, the Washington Post, and other | 14 | | publications; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Gloria Allen received a number of accolades for | 16 | | her activism, including the Living Legend Award by Janet Mock | 17 | | and Precious Brady-Davis at the 2014 Trans 100 Awards and | 18 | | SAGE's Carmen Vázquez Advocacy Award for Excellence in | 19 | | Leadership on Aging Issues at the National LGBTQ Task Force's | 20 | | annual Creating Change Conference in 2021; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Gloria Allen's life and the impact she had on the | 22 | | LGBTQ community were highlighted by President Joe Biden at the | 23 | | signing of an executive order to advance equality for LGBTQI+ |
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| 1 | | individuals at the White House two days after her death on June | 2 | | 15, 2022; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Gloria Allen lived her life as an out and proud | 4 | | Black transgender woman; she will be remembered as a | 5 | | trailblazer, an activist, an icon, and a beloved elder of her | 6 | | community; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Gloria Allen is survived by her brothers, | 8 | | Herbert, Albert, Michael, and Phillip, and her sister, Sharon | 9 | | Smith; therefore, be it
| 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 11 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 12 | | we mourn the passing of Gloria "Mama Gloria" Allen and extend | 13 | | our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who | 14 | | knew and loved her; and be it further
| 15 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 16 | | presented to the family of Gloria Allen as an expression of our | 17 | | deepest sympathy.
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