Kelly Cassidy

Kelly Cassidy is currently serving her seventh term as the State Representative for Illinois’ 14th House district and her second term as the 49th Ward Committee Person. Before her appointment in 2011, Illinois State Representative Kelly Cassidy was a community activist and organizer. As the only openly gay female member of the General Assembly, Kelly has helped pass progressive legislation involving criminal justice reform, women’s rights, and the LGBTQ+ community. She led the effort to ban conversion therapy in the State, which was then used as a model for other states.

Most recently, she was the primary sponsor of the Reproductive Health Act that affirmed an individual’s right to bodily autonomy and fixed Illinois’ outdated abortion law to treat abortion like all healthcare. She also led the charge in passing legislation to ban for-profit detention centers in Illinois. Finally, she was the primary sponsor in the House of the bill that legalized adult-use cannabis in Illinois. The law is groundbreaking in its equity-centered restorative justice focus and aims to address the issues brought upon communities and individuals most directly impacted by the war on drugs.

Kelly has, for two decades, worked tirelessly to make government work for the people it represents. Her unique experience, dedication, and passion for her constituents drive her focus on serving not just the people of the 14th district but also elevating the voices of communities with little power across the state. Kelly lives in Rogers Park with her spouse, Candace Gingrich, 3 sons in college, their cat/dog Puck, an enormous mastiff lapdog named Jack, Simon, a reclusive Siamese, Pisshead, a bossy foster fail kitty, and Wolfie, a completely bananas foster fail kitten who thinks she’s really his mama bc he was a bottle baby.