Gay U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen bridges divide in rural Illinois

The intensity of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric has been a reminder, he says, of the slow, often painful progress of the movement for LGBTQ+ equality. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, legislatures around the U.S. have considered 530 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in 2024 alone. The manufactured crisis around LGBTQ+ identities — particularly transgender Americans — is one that Sorensen finds deeply harmful. “Why are they forcing everyone to have a panic when 99 percent of the people can’t pick out a trans person in their grocery store, in their church, in a concert, in a classroom?” he asked. The attacks on LGBTQ+ identities have encouraged him to call on allies to stand up and “show solidarity” with LGBTQ+ youth who need to see and feel support from the community now more than ever.

Representing rural America as an out lawmaker

He notes that his Illinois seat’s district is deeply rural, dotted with cornfields and small towns, far removed from the urban and suburban neighborhoods that usually elect out LGBTQ+ lawmakers. He says stepping away from a beloved 20-year career as a local meteorologist wasn’t easy, but his sense of duty to Illinois’s 17th District drove him to take that leap. “One of the hard things was walking away from that job,” he shared, reflecting on his days in Rockford and the Quad Cities, where he was a trusted figure on people’s television screens, particularly during severe weather alerts. “People trusted me literally for their lives when the bad weather was coming.” He was more than a familiar face; for many, he was the only LGBTQ+ person they knew — a role he took to heart when viewers sought him out for advice on LGBTQ+ issues.

Over time, Sorensen says he became accustomed to emails from parents and grandparents in the area who had questions about LGBTQ+ identity. “My son thinks that they’re gay. What do I say?” Sorensen recalled people asking. “I can answer that,” he explained, drawing from his personal experience. But when similar questions started surfacing about transgender family members, Sorensen realized he needed to seek guidance himself. “When I started getting questions of ‘My granddaughter says she’s trans, and I don’t know what to say,’ I reached out to our LGBTQ+ community center in Rock Island,” Sorensen said. There, he connected with Chase Norris, the center’s trans executive director, who became a trusted friend and helped Sorensen understand how best to support trans youth and their families.

Sorensen’s experience as a weatherman in a largely rural area built his reputation for trustworthiness and laid the foundation for his role in Congress. He may have worried at first, he admitted, about how people would react to an out gay weather forecaster on TV in Illinois, but he found his community embraced him. “I doubted myself,” Sorensen reflected, “but my community supported me.”

That support has paid dividends. According to Sorensen’s team, his office resolved over 800 constituent cases in his first year and helped his district secure nearly $811,000 in overdue benefits. He worked with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, cosponsoring 149 bills — over 75 percent of which were bipartisan — while introducing legislation like the Department of Education and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act. “People don’t ask me what my opinion is. They want to know what the facts are,” he explained. “So I don’t have to play politics the way that almost everybody else has to do on Capitol Hill.”

As he’s part of the Agriculture and Science, Space, and Technology Committees, Sorensen’s work has focused on core challenges facing his district, like infrastructure, farming, and job growth. He pushed for amendments that would support Illinois industries, including protections for the Peoria Air National Guard base and funding for river infrastructure that’s critical for the region’s agricultural economy.

Despite the often adversarial nature of Congress, Sorensen says that finding bipartisan common ground is essential for real progress. “I have never been in an argument here,” he admitted, adding that the absence of constant confrontation has surprised him. Instead, Sorensen focuses on reaching those willing to sit down and “look at what’s in front of us.”

Personal and political challenges on Capitol Hill

The hostile environment for LGBTQ+ people in the public sphere has become a routine challenge for Sorensen. He has been targeted by “trackers” and social media trolls aiming to provoke or intimidate him. One instance stands out: Sorensen was walking back to his office when a tracker followed him, chanting slurs to goad him into reacting. He recalled the moment a Republican colleague walking with him apologized for the behavior, but Sorensen reassured him, “I’m used to it. LGBTQ+ people are used to it. We get bullied all the time.”

While Sorensen has grown accustomed to this type of harassment, he worries about the safety of others facing similar treatment. “That is the sort of vitriol that will get someone hurt or killed because of the terrible things that are bred in the stagnant water of the internet today,” he said, referencing the escalating threats that LGBTQ+ people face. Ye, Sorensen remains determined, seeing his role as a buffer for younger LGBTQ+ people who shouldn’t have to take this abuse.

The resilience of his community, he said, is what continues to give him strength: “I think those are the things that we have to hold on to while we champion how we’re going to get more voices in this place.”

Looking toward Election Day: Why civic participation matters

As the 2024 election race draws to an end, Sorensen emphasizes that the stakes have never been higher. He pointed out that, for LGBTQ+ Americans, the next election represents more than a simple political choice — it’s about preserving hard-won rights and ensuring that progress continues. Sorensen recalled meeting several LGBTQ+ supporters from Chicago who didn’t know about his campaign until after his election. He hopes to change the reality by urging LGBTQ+ voters and allies alike to get out and vote.

Reflecting on the urgency of the upcoming election, Sorensen remarked, “If we sit it out for any reason…if we don’t partake in this election, I just worry about what’s at stake.”

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Christopher Wiggins