SPRINGFIELD - Senate Democrats joined together with advocates and community leaders at the Capitol Wednesday to support equality throughout Illinois.

"We cannot let down our youth. We need to stand with them and hear them - especially when they are speaking so loudly," said State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago).

In order to bolster support for continued efforts to achieve inclusivity and accessibility, State Senator Ram Villivalam is leading legislation that would address funding for health, safety and sexual health education in all public elementary and high schools.

In 2021, Villivalam led a law to bring forth new learning standards for age-appropriate, medically- accurate, and inclusive personal health, safety, and sexual education in public schools that opt in, whereas this legislation was championed by Senator Villivalam.

This year he is leading Senate Bill 3384 to appropriate $20 million for grants to local school district and community organizations to implement this education.

"Updating the standards is step one, and step two is ensuring that our schools have funding to implement these standards to make sure that no youth, whether they are in Carbondale or Chicago, is left behind," said Villivalam.

In order to address the non-profit sector, State Senator Adriane Johnson is sponsoring a measure that would require charitable organizations that annually report $1 million or more in grants to other charitable organizations to disclose on their public-facing websites, the demographic data of their boards of directors and officer.

Senate Bill 2930 would require this information to be on the website, if one is to exist, for three years after posting. Demographic data includes things such as race, ethnicity, gender, veteran's status, disability status, sexual orientation, and gender identity. This measure would also require the organization to provide an opportunity for individual board members to decline to disclose any or all personal demographic information.

"Hate is on the rise across our nation and in Illinois, and the LGBTQ community is under unprecedented attack," said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). "With this legislative measure, we are taking vital steps to support and elevate diversity, equity and inclusion in the non-profit sector."

Senators Villivalam and Johnson will continue to support legislation that provides equality to those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.