CARBONDALE, Ill. (WSIL) -- When Clare Killman was 17 she left her home in Poplar Bluff, Missouri for a new place where her identity could be embraced.
Killman found Carbondale and began living there out of the back of her pickup truck.
Ten-years later Killman continues to call Carbondale home and will now serve as one of its city councilmembers. According to the LGBTQ+ rights group Equality Illinois, Killman is the first transgender person to serve as a city councilmember in Illinois.
"It's not about me. It's not about the title. It's not about being the first. It's about what it says about Carbondale," Killman said.
Killman wants Carbondale to become a safe haven for women seeking abortions and for other trans people seeking what Killman says is 'human dignity'. She says the new council reflects the city's diversity.
"There are a diverse array of individuals who not just now but in the future are going to be seeking out spaces like Illinois and Carbondale as the most open and affirming city this far south," Killman said.
Carolin Harvey, a current city councilmember, will soon become the city's first Black mayor and second female mayor next month. Harvey is honing in on stopping gun violence by creating affordable housing.
"We just formed a housing trust that we will be able to provide houses for or homes for low to medium income families and I look forward to getting that kicked off," Harvey said. "We are all in this together."
Harvey, who has called Carbondale home since the early 1970s, says she knows what the town needs to improve but she also wants to hear from the community.
"Reality for everyday citizens may not be the same [reality as mine]," Harvey said. "That's why I want to hear from everybody to see what we're doing right, what we're doing wrong and what we can do to make improvements."
Carbondale will have four women sit on the city council for the first time in its history. Killman hopes this can lead to a more progressive future where others like her can have a chance to grow themselves and the community.
"My main goal is to solve our popoulation deflation issue by making Carbondale a zone to which people in exodus can come to and know that there is a path for them toward building a life worth living here," Killman said.
