As humans, we start off as babies and then we go through adolescence and then we are full grown adults who make decisions about our lives.

And I think Carbondale is kind of like that yeah my name is Claire Killman.

We're at my home in Carbondale, Illinois, and I'm running for city council.

I was born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, down in the Boot Hill, which is very much culturally aligned with say, Arkansas or Kentucky.

My mother is the Chief Financial Officer of the religious denomination that we grew up in and my father was an Automator and do automation companies.

When I was about 14 years old, I wound up coming out as both transgender and bisexual, which did not really go over well, they wound up putting me in conversion therapy.

When I was about 14, it was a pretty grueling experience.

I, at that point, decided that if my community if my parents and the sort of social landscape of where I grew up was not conducive to self actualization, that it would be in my best interest to find my place.

Carbondale was the safest, most convenient and closest place for someone like me to come and be themselves.

Now, this is our that's our small homestead.

We bought this property about three years ago.

The tractor That's right.

We bought this property about three years ago, because we want to do just pasture raised beef and lamb and this had only been Bush Hog for about 30 years, so there's no chemicals on the land.

Right now we're in Carbondale, Illinois, and my name is Harold Visser.

I'm running for mayor.

So the reason I got into politics was because I was complaining a lot and just my own conscience seared me and said, you know, Harold, if you're going to complain, then what you really need to do is go make a difference.

in Carbondale, it seems that the city government is not responsive to the citizens all the time, like they're not hearing them.

Now, my you know, your listener, you can deal with a lot of different people experienced the rental properties.

So once you go and try that Carbondale, the mayor decided not to run again, looks like an open field and looks like a good opportunity to go for it.

Several people had encouraged me to run for mayor way before I've made the decision.

And at the time, I did not feel like I wanted to run for mayor and I actually said, I'm not doing it and told people I was not doing it unless I got inspiration from the Lord and I did.

When I'm elected as mayor, hopefully next week, one of the biggest problems people wouldn't know it if they just came to town.

But Armadale is in the 90th percentile for violence in the country.

What do you think it's just a small town in the middle of nowhere, but we just have a lot of violence and part of that I feel like the the police are underfunded.

They're doing the best with what they have.

But we do need more police resources.

Show me a map of the United States throw a dart at any city and show me for there's no violence there.

I don't think Carbondale is unique to violence.

You know, once again, if there is a place where there is no violence, please let me know and I might be persuaded to leave Carbondale.

But I doubt it.

You know, I think that the difference is every place has the violence, but how do you go about trying to prevent or put a halt to it?

And I think we have made are making steps towards doing that.

I would say Carolin and I have different views on how we could support businesses.

I'm not going to speak for all Carolyn's positions but my positions are more let's deregulate a little bit lift restrictions, and just make it a very favorable place for business to come.

I'd also say I just have a lot of energy.

I mean Carolin's a little bit older me she's a nice lady, but I mean, I just have the energy and I'll push to do these things.

He is totally free to voice his opinion.

Just like um Free to voice my, we don't have to agree on everything.

I'm sure there are people who believe as he believes.

And there are people who believe this, I believe, but they don't all have to be the same.

You know, that's why we call it America I'm running for city council because I think Carbondale is worth all of the time, intention and love that it shown me that it's owed that that I owe it one.

And I don't mind sort of getting my life over to public service, I have already lived a public life, very public life.

It's sort of opened myself up to the world and all its caprice.

But for better and for worse, we need all of our allies, especially those who are straight or cisgender.

Just love transgender people, because all of our findings.

Next I'd like to welcome to the carbonyl, city council candidate, Claire Killman, to the mic can you all hear me?

I'm really really loud.

That is a very tough acts to follow.

Thank you so much for speaking your truth and touching my heart as I know you touched many members here tonight.

Thank you guys for being here tonight.

I appreciate that seeing all of you.

It's nice to see so many other people like me, reflected around me and be surrounded by this sort of energy cutting into April for it.

I appreciate you, thank you.

I do think that with the sort of unique, even precarious situation that the United States has found itself in as far as outlying states outside of Illinois in the Upper South, that running as a trans person is tense.

running as a trans person for the reasons that I'm running, just tense.

If I can make this place safer for people like me, then I can go to sleep at night.

Because often times it's hard if I feel like I haven't done my best to do so.

And so here we are.

A lot of folks from the region have always seen Carbondale as a place where they would be more comfortable being themselves.

Rainbow Cafe started in the year 2000.

As a drop in center for youth who are LGBTQ.

I was one of their early volunteers, Phil was on their first board.

When rainbow cafe was formed.

Parents would drive their children from Kentucky to come for a couple of hours on a Friday night.

It was impressive how far some people came to be part of this.

It was started by the Carbondale Unitarian fellowship, it was started by church of the Good Shepherd, which is the United Church of Christ.

And then in like 2018 is kind of when things started shifting.

And we realized that the need was much greater.

And we realized that instead of just a youth center, it needed to be like an all entrenching Community Center.

I know there's people that have come here on their own freewill that we've probably have no idea about until like their they come to the first thing and say, oh, yeah, well, I just moved here from Mississippi or whatever.

And that's happened at numerous things.

I serve five years, eight, nine months, I was an Arabic linguist.

I spent a lot of time training.

And then what I did for a job was I listened to it on enemy radios.

I was trans I kind of knew I had stuff going on.

But my unit and I did not see eye to eye on the nature of my service.

And so we had a very bad relationship.

They tried to court martial me six times.

Eventually, Jack said if we see the soldiers name for anything short of killing all of you, we're bringing you up on charges.

And so shortly thereafter, my medical discharge went through and I was released from the military with an honorable discharge.

It got to the point personally, where it was either I need to transition or I'm going to die.

And I really, you know, I kind of enjoy life.

So dying wasn't really, you know, on my plans, so I took the much harder step and went through transition.

Here I am.

I started my transition over 20 years ago.

I am very happy where I am, I am happily married.

Got an amazing daughter.

two grandkids with a third on the way.

I mean, my life is glorious.

And I have a publishing contract.

I'm going to be a published author.

I mean, it's it's hard to remember that the dark days aren't forever.

Carbondale is a great town.

There's some really interesting stuff around town.

It's neat to see the variety, because we've been very surprised since we've moved here.

And I would love people at least come visit because, you know, you never know how surprised you'll be at some of the stuff here.

I think some thing that is very special about this area are all of the resources and services available.

No, I've never even heard of Carbondale, everyone's been super welcoming and like overwhelmingly generous with Illinois, being surrounded by other states that are passing legislation to limit access to health care.

That makes what this area provides even more vital, I would say if you're a scared, queer trans person or, or a person of color who is in a hostile area and you're looking for a place Carbondale is a perfect place.

I didn't want to believe it.

But it really is.

I've felt more peaceful and at home here than I have anywhere else that I've lived.

For me, what's important is that people make their own choices as long as they don't harm others.

Now, some people would say, an abortion is harming someone.

Other people would say, and I'm on this page, and abortion is preventing someone before they exist as a person.

Every choice about whether to have a child or not can be tremendously complicated people live complicated lives.

I have to trust that women make the best possible decision.

I don't think the government has any business getting involved in that decision.

I think it has to be between the woman and her doctor or provider and I see my role as religious person is to love that person regardless of what decision she makes, or whether I agree with it.

Always erring on the side of love.

It's gonna help us end up in the right place.

We're out here because we do care about people and we care about about babies.

And Carbondale is a place where choices themselves said that within the last year that they've had about 3800 abortions performed here, it breaks our heart and we would really like to see a world where abortion is abolished where it's it's not a thing anymore.

Marching boldly forward to care for our community is simply who we are it choices.

And that's why I am proud to announce the choices is opening a clinic in Carbondale, Illinois.

We plan to provide abortions in Memphis until the moment that these bands go into effect.

We know And study after study has shown that abortion bans lead to worsening outcomes for individuals, families and communities, including increases in maternal and infant mortality rates.

As you can see from the map, after a row falls, Illinois will be one of the few states in which abortion is accessible to our region.

I'll be honest, its location and geography were the original reason that drew us to Carbondale but the incredible heart of the Carbondale Community is what led us to know we had found a second home for choices.

First of all, I'm a Christian and I know that the Bible says that this is murder.

Secondly, because and probably just as equally as important is because it's killing mostly black people.

We're not replacing ourselves as a people right now I'm, I'm here as a sidewalk counselor, to offer.

Again, information and financial support.

We have housing support available, medical support, whatever the need is our intention is to to help meet that need.

Choices has a policy if you know don't interact with them.

You don't you know, don't poke the bear basically.

I guess they are okay.

As I'm sure they have my license plate because I've stopped many times and say you are being very deceptive, in what you're doing, I'm perfectly happy that they're there.

So if I'm I know, you know, I talk to on a regular basis, one accusation is that they might make people feel uncomfortable, but, you know, I can't, I can't help if I make you feel uncomfortable, maybe you don't like blue shirts or something.

And I wear a blue shirt that's making everyone comfortable.

It's not what good society is about good society is about maintaining law and order and making sure people can go about their business in a normal way and fully supportive of choices.

They most people focus on abortion, but they do so much other stuff that you need to know that these are services that are needed so if if I don't know if you did, if you could pick that up on the, on the camera, but we are getting yelled at from across the street now.

And they're saying things like, you know, we're all men.

Unfortunately for you, they don't know that you're not with me.

So you're in on it now too, but I do appreciate you.

You video and I think it's really important in healthcare, to be able to listen to our patients and be able to put ourselves in their shoes and approach their problems and their health from a perspective, that's all encompassing of everything in their history, everything in their background, to be able to take care of them in the most important way through their health care.

That's an important mission for SIU is we want to train physicians from our area to come back to our area and serve our patients, our community, our neighbors, our family and friends.

And we want them to be able to do that in a holistic manner and to treat people as people.

As the world grows ever darker Carbondale is uniquely situated to continue that sort of legacy that drew me here and have drawn many of you to this place.

Very excited to be putting my hat into the ring and running for city council on this sort of a platform.

I owe Carbondale a great debt.

It has done so much for me I would even go so far as to say that it saved my life.

Please elect Carolyn Harvey to be carbon deals first black woman Mayor beyond the identity boxes that I just ticked.

Carolin Harvey is a master parliamentarian She has been an amazing Mayor Pro Tem I could not offer a more firm endorsement of anyone that I am running on the slate with then Carolyn it would be again my honor to serve on council with Carolyn I think that she's done a fantastic job as our Mayor Pro Tem she's going to make a wonderful Mayor Thank you there my hair no matter what happens I'm good.

I had a wonderful life before I decided to run for office.

I'm gonna have a wonderful life after no matter what.

There are only three precincts left over at the county right.

At least according to my contact there.

And it looks like Nancy, me and Adam are in the lead.

Think it's safe to say that player one I don't know any world where Claire would not sit on council right now so that's pretty good.

Yeah, I think I might have I think I might have I don't know but I think I'm ready here really happy it's very It's overwhelming running for office is overwhelming people don't understand how much of your just like every interview is rushed into the turbulent chaotic forces of being perceived and perception you have like the public creating friction all over you at all times.

When you live a public life it's not easy and I might make it look easy on the internet now I'm trying not to cry so thank you all so much.

I just I couldn't have done it actually without you.

So thank you all so each one of you please just clap for yourself thank you I just really really appreciate each and every one of you and you know together we can make Carbondale a better place so I wanted my rigs how's it feel?

Pretty cool top three finishers is going to college proud of all you guys I reject the term guys it is congratulations gals and ads my dreams for Carbondale would be that we continue to grow and be progressive as we are so that even 20 years or 100 years from now.

People will feel like I can go to Carbondale and be accepted for who I am