COMMENTARY

himself to utter the A word even as he tries to convince you he, like Vallas, believes in your right to get one.

C’mon, Alderperson Tunney—you won’t melt like the Wicked Witch of the West if you say the word abortion.

So, no, neither Vallas nor Tunney were on the front lines—unless it’s a line to kiss Daley’s ring, as they’re both Mayor Daley appointees.

In 2002, Daley appointed Tunney to fill the vacancy created when Bernie Hansen retired as alderman of the 44th ward, conveniently just a few months before the 2003 election.

As such, Tunney was the first openly gay man to serve in the City Council. With that appointment, Daley and Tunney acted as though they’d participated in the Stonewall Uprising themselves.

In reality, Daley picked Tunney to guarantee that a more progressive or independent-minded gay person did not win the seat.

English class at Julian High School.

That novel, by April Sinclair, told the story of a Black teenage girl who was starting to realize she was a lesbian. There was one explicit sex scene that instigated an uproar among clergymen, including Father Pfleger.

Vallas called Julian’s principal and instructed him to order the teacher to take the book o the required reading list. Problem solved. Ron DeSantis would be proud.

Flash forward to June of last year. Vallas showed up at a fundraiser organized by Awake Illinois, a transphobic group that shields its hate as a plea for parents’ rights.

He sat on a panel with Shannon Adcock, the leader of Awake Illinois, and various anti-maskers and critical race theory haters. Adcock called them “the Continental Congress of school choice”, according to Kelly Garcia’s story for the Reader.