At the Kane County Public Service Committee meeting on Sept. 18, dozens of residents used the public-comment period to condemn recent statements by Board member David Young and to call for his removal or resignation. Speakers said Young’s remarks about transgender people were hateful, factually misleading and dangerous to public safety.

Residents and some elected officials said the comments have made transgender people in Kane County feel unsafe. "You stated, and I quote, 'a culture of death exists within the LGBTQ community,'" said Sue Sokolinski, a resident, quoting remarks she attributed to David Young. "Those statements are shockingly abhorrent and unworthy of an elected official."

Why it matters: multiple speakers said elected officials should protect all residents and that public vilification of a protected group can increase risk to that group and undermine trust in government. Jackson Diamond, who identified themself as a transgender parent and clinical psychologist, told the committee the remarks contribute to higher suicide risk and urged immediate removal of Young, citing state statutes and the county ethics ordinance.

What speakers said: Jordan Mann opened public comment by urging restraint in tone but then criticized Young for what Mann called "misinformation" and "divisive speech." Tricia Miller and Paula Merrington cited data they said showed a small share of mass shooters are transgender and noted that transgender people are disproportionately victims of violence; Merrington asked Young to apologize or resign. Michael Linder, a Kane County board member who spoke as a private citizen, said using a murder to "magnify hatred" is wrong and urged focus on the board's business.

Legal and ethical claims: Jackson Diamond referenced criminal and civil statutes while urging removal, saying Young’s remarks constituted official misconduct and violated the Illinois Human Rights Act and the county ethics code. They cited the transcript’s wording: "official misconduct under 7 20 ILCS 5 slash 33 dash 3" and "Illinois Human Rights Act 7 7 5 ILCS 5" (as stated in public comment). The transcript records no formal complaint filed or formal board action taken during the meeting on those claims.

David Young responded from the podium, defending his right to speak as a county citizen and reiterating concerns he said he has about voter registration and signature verification. He also said he would ask the clerk’s office further questions about the voter-roll process.

Discussion vs. decision: The meeting record shows extended public comment and a response from Young but no motion, vote or board directive to investigate or discipline Young was introduced at the Sept. 18 session. Several callers explicitly called for removal or resignation; no formal removal action was proposed or taken during the meeting.

Context and next steps: Commenters said the board’s tolerance for Young’s remarks, evidenced by a lack of interruption or formal rebuke during prior meetings, is part of the problem. Residents said they may pursue formal complaints under state or county codes, but the transcript does not record any such filings at the meeting.

Ending: The committee continued with its agenda after public comment; the transcript does not show further board follow-up on the calls for resignation during that meeting.

Speakers
- Jordan Mann — resident
- Tricia Miller — resident
- Kayna (Kayna) Clark — resident, Batavia volunteer
- Paula Merrington — resident
- Jackson Diamond — resident (they/them), transgender community member and clinical psychologist
- Sue Sokolinski — resident
- Michael Linder — Kane County board member (spoke as a private citizen)
- Mavis Bates — resident
- David Young — Kane County board member

Authorities
- {"type":"statute","name":"7 20 ILCS 5 / 33-3 (as cited in public comment)","referenced_by":["Jackson Diamond"]}
- {"type":"statute","name":"Illinois Human Rights Act (transcript citation: 7 7 5 ILCS 5)","referenced_by":["Jackson Diamond"]}
- {"type":"other","name":"Kane County ethics ordinance","referenced_by":["Jackson Diamond"]}

Actions
- {"motion":null,"mover":null,"second":null,"vote_record":[],"outcome":"no_action","notes":"Speakers called for removal or resignation of Board member David Young; no formal motion or vote recorded in this meeting."}

discussion_decision":{"discussion_points":["Multiple residents described recent remarks by Board member David Young as transphobic, factually misleading and harmful to transgender residents","Speakers cited statistics about perpetrators and victims of gun violence and described impacts on community safety and mental health","Jackson Diamond and others cited state statutes and the county ethics code as grounds for removal or discipline"],"directions":[],"decisions":[]},

clarifying_details":[{"category":"statistical claims","detail":"Speakers cited data points during public comment: examples included counts of anti-LGBTQ incidents, numbers of mass shootings involving transgender individuals, and studies about victimization rates; transcript captures quotations but not original data sources for all figures.","value":"various","units":"n/a","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Tricia Miller, Paula Merrington, Jackson Diamond"},{"category":"requested action","detail":"Multiple speakers requested removal or resignation of Board member David Young; no formal removal motion was filed at the meeting.","source_speaker":"Jackson Diamond, Paula Merrington"}],

proper_names":[{"name":"Kane County Public Service Committee","type":"agency"},{"name":"Kane County","type":"location"},{"name":"Jackson Diamond","type":"person"},{"name":"Chris Lawson","type":"person"}],

community_relevance":{"geographies":["Kane County","Batavia"],"funding_sources":[],"impact_groups":["transgender residents","LGBTQ+ community","Kane County residents"]},

meeting_context":{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":12,"duration_minutes":60,"items_count":null},"implementation_risk":"low","history":[{"date":"2025-09-17","note":"Speakers and board member David Young addressed similar topics at prior public comment (referenced by callers)."}]},

searchable_tags":["transphobia","public_comment","board_member_removal","Kane County","LGBTQ+"],

provenance":{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"456.43002","local_start":0,"local_end":171,"evidence_excerpt":"Hello. Good morning, Ward. You ready? Okay. David Young, you got up here on Friday because you had strong emotions caused by a school shooting that resulted in the murder of someone you personally admire. Your emotions of grief, anger, and fear are a 100% valid...Please stop wasting the board's time and the taxpayers' taxpayers' money with your transphobic and homophobic agenda.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"2413.81","local_start":0,"local_end":126,"evidence_excerpt":"I cannot accuse David Young of lying about the 4 or 5 examples he has dug up about transgender people committing mass shootings, but it appears he does not understand the definition of statistics...He said to me yesterday, what? What's wrong? Isn't this true? And it's true. I found these 5 cases. I don't think he understands 5 cases out of 5,000 does not create a death cult.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

},{