Senator Mike Simmons

Democratic member representing the 7th district in the Illinois Senate. Notable as the first openly gay member of the Illinois Senate, the first Black person to represent the 7th district, the first openly LGBTQ+ person and Ethiopian-American state senator in Illinois.

Michael Simmons is a lifelong resident of Illinois' 7th State Senate District, which covers parts of Chicago's north side. Raised by a single Black mother who owned Salon Pastiche in Rogers Park and an Ethiopian refugee father, his family integrated Lincoln Square public housing following a 1976 Supreme Court desegregation decision. Appointed to the Illinois Senate on February 6, 2021, succeeding Heather Steans, he won election in 2022. Simmons serves on committees including Appropriations-Health, Behavioral and Mental Health , Healthcare Access and Availability, Redistricting-Chicago North, Tourism and Hospitality, Transportation, Labor, and Public Health . He has passed nearly 50 bills into law, focusing on gun control, housing, transportation, healthcare access, LGBTQ+ rights, human rights, tax relief, public transit, and drinking water protection. Achievements include securing $2.5 million in the 2024 budget for HIV/AIDS reduction and STI screening, plus nearly $10 million for 7th District facilities; in the 103rd General Assembly, he passed 23 bills informed by constituents.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Amherst College .
• Political Experience: Appointed Illinois State Senator for the 7th district in 2021; elected in 2022. Prior experience as an advocate, small business owner, policy-maker, and activist. Trailblazing milestones: first openly gay Black state senator in the nation .