Community members gathered at TaskForce Prevention and Community Services on April 15 for a conversation with Antonio King, Chicago’s first director of LGTBQ+ Affairs, to share their experiences and offering insight into how the city can better support their needs.
The event, held at 9 N. Cicero Ave., drew about 10 people, who spoke about how they often struggle to find affirming, welcoming spaces and reliable resources, especially in underserved areas.
Referring to the Trump administration, King said, “This is the most adversarial administration we’ve seen since the outbreak of HIV. This administration has taken us back to the ‘80s and ‘90s. The first thing Trump came out to fight was trans people.”
TaskForce Prevention and Community Services empowers LGBTQ+ youth of color on the city’s West Side, providing HIV/STI prevention, testing, PrEP navigation, mental health counseling and essential services.
King discussed how he had worked at the agency earlier in his career in a management role and what he took from that experience.
“We believe in TaskForce. So where I am now, I started at TaskForce Prevention and Community Services. When I came on board, we were changing the name. [Mayor] Brandon Johnson wants to implement a policy plan in Chicago for LGBTQ, transgender, gender non-conforming and non-binary individuals, as well as all citizens of Chicago. That’s why I’m here,” King said.
King turned the discussion over to the participants and asked them where they were from and what services in their neighborhoods were lacking, focusing on issues such as access, safety and mental health support.
He also pointed out that many programs are shaped by funding requirements rather than actual community needs, emphasizing that their honest experiences were essential for building a policy plan that truly serves them.
Funding cuts came up when a participant mentioned that services at some drop-in centers had been reduced.
According to King, HIV was once referred to as GRID (Gay-Related Immunodeficiency Syndrome), a label that fueled stigma and denial. This, he said, led to a lack of funding for education and research and ultimately prompted many organizations to mobilize and push back against then President Ronald Reagan’s administration during the early AIDS crisis.
The discussion focused on concerns that the current administration is restricting transgender healthcare, including gender-affirming care, which has contributed to funding cuts affecting local agencies. Several organizations have reportedly had to scale back programs, close services, or reduce staff as a result of these financial losses, according to King.
“The mayor and the governor are looking for ways that the state and the city can fill in the gaps where federal funding is lacking,” King said.
King said the issue comes down to identifying where the money will come from, who it would go to and how it would be distributed to agencies.
“It’s going to take the public and when I say public, I mean our community, to keep it at the forefront of politicians’ attention and on their agenda,” King said.
King also asked participants where they access mental health support outside of TaskForce Prevention and Community Services.
“We’ve all been through some traumatic experiences with the pandemic and everything else. Mental health isn’t a phrase, it’s people dealing with depression, anxiety and isolation in real time,” King said.
A participant shared that they had even spoken with ChatGPT for support, which led to a discussion about how people are increasingly turning to digital tools when they need someone to talk to.
“You have to go to those people and ask them what they need. Even at my age, I don’t know what you all need or what the needs are. I don’t have my finger on the pulse of every layer in the community, which is why I need the community to talk back,” King said.