>> Chicago celebrates Pride Month this June.

It will also mark the first 6 months on the job for the city's first ever director of LGBTQ+ affairs earlier this year, Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Antonio King to that first ever position.

A longtime advocate and former liaison for the public health Department Kings priorities include supporting LGBTQ+ youth and elders and keeping trans and non-binary Chicagoans safe.

Joining us is Antonio King, director of LGBTQ+ affairs for the city of Chicago.

Congrats on the new ish job training and was still It's it's still found the bathrooms and city hall.

So you've worked in advocacy in this space for over 40 years.

Why do you think the city needs a position going with for years?

The mix also all, but I it as We need this position because >> the community of LGBTQ in Chicago do need someone that they can go to for business safety issues access to medical care.

>> And a lot of quality of life issues and concerns that may not be addressed.

Had this position not existed.

>> How do you think the needs of the community have grown and evolved over your time?

Well, over time the ground because so many people are coming to the remnants of themselves.

And not only that, we've where so many different aspects of life, so many careers and so many things about the city where we're contributing to.

We want to make sure they notice.

We've got boys.

>> That's why you have some of letters behind the lgbtqi when someone comes into the knowledge of themselves, they want their voice heard.

They want to be seen and feel like they're visible.

are some of the issues that are top priority for you right now?

Top rowdy, making sure that we can get training culture, sensitive training and all of our city departments addressing needs that aging.

Lgbtq adults may have such as finance and such facilities and and to address our LGBTQ youth and young adults that homeless and looking for places to go and mental health services.

>> you've been on the job about 5 months, 5, 0, it's not as direct or congrats.

What are some of the policy highlights that you're most proud of?

What have you?

What have you been able to those 3 lovely of.

Mayor Brad Johnson wants to have an LGBTQ policy plan nor the city has that and we've never had one some working on that.

And the 3 things I just named are 3 of the 6, the priorities that we've identified.

And I can't give you all of the because the fight off a lot of.

Okay.

That's what we're working on them.

Ears Lgbtq policy plan for the entire city of Chicago for our community.

So in the press release where the mayor announced your appointment, he said that this is important now more than ever because the community is facing increasing attacks from the Trump administration.

We also know that CPS CEO Macklin King has been subpoenaed by Republicans for the district's black student success plan.

>> Do you have any concerns about federal intervention into and it's intervention against your plans not against our plan because McAleese, Illinois, Chicago, where amazing city and state for the LGBTQ+ community.

>> Not only with safe haven but were supported here and wary cursed her and encouraged to.

But I am concerned about federal funding across the board for many of the programs for agencies in the city that depend on those programs and fundings to help the quality of life for so many of our citizens, their LGBTQ+.

So, yes, I'm very concerned at that.

But what we do here in Chicago, we helped to lead the rest of the country the way see it in the LGBTQ for so 2 things.

The winter with an innovative the mayor Johnson is doing.

I think that those will be replicated.

And I think that the federal government ultimately will have to come across what we need to do and help support.

Have you seen those funding?

That's what some of this funding cuts already have.

An impact on the community here.

Absolutely.

We have many delegate agencies such as South Side Help Center task Force Howard Brown.

experienced funding cuts and they've had to the group programs, which means that their lives being affected.

Homelessness, how we have a baby at home.

The situation Chicago, not just with the LGBTQ+ community, but the city as a whole.

So those funds have been cut.

Snap benefits as you know, as well have been cut and they've been decreased ill also.

So, yes, we've definitely some issues with that.

And we're trying to support that as as best we can at the city level.

But among live the level as best we can, we try to support Their initiatives that we're doing in the mayor's office, too.

Well, I would go to them say this is how you can help with this is what you can do with the funding you have.

We're trying to do some other things with Try to give them a I want a full portfolio.

Funding is what I'm trying to say.

Trying to help them secure other funding by donations and things like that.

sponsors and such.

case will I want to keep it going to cause a lot.

That has a because Chicago.

Public media investigation found that most of the murders of transgender women in Chicago go unsolved.

Last year the city launched a task force to address some of the anti-trans violence across the city.

What are your plans to protect trans and non-binary?

So what Mayor Johnson has last year, he came up with he introduced the transfer aside ordinance which helps to protect and secure a trans women.

Trance people the city of Chicago.

>> I'm trying to make sure that I get corrected because what we're doing is we're making that part of our policy plan weve short of that by going to community.

We've have a mini on trans individuals to come in to give us feedback on what they plan should look like concerning safety concerning workforce development concerning on employment such.

So these are some of the ways we're trying to work with.

Cpd.

They got an amazing training co cultural sensitivity training and where they have been very instrumental allowing the trans community Chicago to feel comfortable when they're in Wingate are with the police because of the training that they've had.

So we're hoping that the murders one could go investigate, investigated.

They haven't investigated.

So they haven't been solved.

Illinois Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller, she has introduced legislation to end federal recognition of Pride Month and to replace it with family Month.

>> Which is, of course, drawn some scrutiny from her Democratic challengers.

What do you make of that move when a pride month?

>> Pride Month is it says is important.

So because there's some young, young adult LGBTQ person who's thinking that it's better to be dead than to be alive and pride gives them an opportunity to representation and gives them the opportunity to feel good about themselves.

So we need pride.

don't even know the family month.

We need to continue pride.

I didn't know about them to kind of got mad about that.

Yeah, I'm sure it frustrating for you.

>> Quickly, a recent Gallup poll shows that the support for marriage has declined last year.

65% of us adults, a marriage as between same couples should be recognized.

>> That is down from 71% 4 years ago.

They're more stats on the screen about 30 seconds when you think change is happening right year, really your homework, you know, such a great reporter credit to team >> My thoughts are we have to do a better job of getting to know each other years ago when are for marriage equality.

So I understood that 50% of the country didn't want it.

But once we should put a face on who these individuals are, put the humanity back into LGBTQ, we're not just some statistics for some monolithic community.

We are your brothers, your sisters, your friends, your hairdresser is, of course, individuals are human put the human face on it.

And I think