HR0947 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0947 LRB102 29052 LAW 40959 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Gloria "Mama Gloria" Allen of Chicago, who passed away on June 13, 2022; and

WHEREAS, Gloria Allen was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky on October 6, 1945; she was the child of Alma and grandchild of Mildred; she grew up in the Bronzeville neighborhood amid the legendary drag balls on Chicago's South Side; she attended Englewood High School, where she experienced and overcame traumatic violence; she transitioned with the love and support of her mother and grandmother well before the Stonewall Riots of 1969; and

WHEREAS, Gloria Allen became a licensed practical nurse (LPN), and she worked at the University of Chicago Hospital and in private homes as a nurse's aide; and

WHEREAS, In her later years, Gloria Allen established a charm school for young transgender people at Chicago's Center on Halsted, where she offered lessons on love, makeup, and manners and became affectionately known as "Mama Gloria" or simply "Mama" to her pupils; her work inspired the critically acclaimed play Charm, written by Philip Dawkins, which premiered at Steppenwolf Garage Theater in Chicago in 2015 before traveling to Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and New York; and

WHEREAS, Gloria Allen famously appeared on the cover of Jess T. Dugan and Vanessa Fabbre's book To Survive on This Shore, featuring photographs of and interviews with trans and non-binary elders; she became the subject of the 2020 acclaimed documentary feature Mama Gloria, directed by Luchina Fisher, which was nominated for a 2022 GLAAD Media Award; through the documentary, she rose to national prominence, gaining new audiences and fame; her life and work were featured in the Chicago Tribune, People magazine, the 19th News, the BBC, NowThisNews, the Washington Post, and other publications; and

WHEREAS, Gloria Allen received a number of accolades for her activism, including the Living Legend Award by Janet Mock and Precious Brady-Davis at the 2014 Trans 100 Awards and SAGE's Carmen Vázquez Advocacy Award for Excellence in Leadership on Aging Issues at the National LGBTQ Task Force's annual Creating Change Conference in 2021; and

WHEREAS, Gloria Allen's life and the impact she had on the LGBTQ community were highlighted by President Joe Biden at the signing of an executive order to advance equality for LGBTQI+ individuals at the White House two days after her death on June 15, 2022; and

WHEREAS, Gloria Allen lived her life as an out and proud Black transgender woman; she will be remembered as a trailblazer, an activist, an icon, and a beloved elder of her community; and

WHEREAS, Gloria Allen is survived by her brothers, Herbert, Albert, Michael, and Phillip, and her sister, Sharon Smith; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Gloria "Mama Gloria" Allen and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Gloria Allen as an expression of our deepest sympathy.