Continuing their celebration of Pride Month, CBS Evening News ended their Monday newscast by hyping up the small town of Peoria, Illinois which has become a go-to destination for LGBTQ+ people. They’re flocking there in droves following the encouragement of a TikTok influencer who claimed they had to move there for their “survival.” CBS correspondent Lilia Luciano declined to fact-check that claim and proclaimed them victims of housing discrimination where they came from, but never elaborated.
“Finally tonight, the dream of owning your own home seems out of reach for millions of Americans, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. In this pride month, CBS’s Lilia Luciano shows us how the dream is becoming a reality in Peoria, Illinois,” anchor Norah O’Donnell boasted before handing it off to Luciano.
Luciano tried lumping together “LGBTQ and people of color” to say they’re “statistically less to own homes because of discrimination and wealth gaps.” She even talked to a black trans man who uses she/her pronouns. At no point did she give any examples of how any of the LGBTQ+ people who moved to Peoria were victims of housing discrimination, or explain how their identity created a “wealth gap.”
“At first, they came from places like New York and Seattle where home prices are sky high. Now, many are coming from some of the 21 states that have recently passed anti-LGBTQ legislation,” she asserted.
Most of the “anti-LGBTQ legislation” pertained to bans on transitioning minors and keeping men out of women’s sports. None of the laws barred them from owning property nor capped their income.
She went on to tout that one realtor sold 80 homes last year “to out-of-staters chasing the dream that started on TikTok” by influencer Angie Ostaszewski. And in their sit-down interview, Ostaszewski was not asked to explain when she suggested people were moving there for their “survival’:
OSTASZEWSKI: I’m not a realtor but I live in super affordable Peoria, Illinois and I think you should live here too.
LUCIANO: Not a realtor Angie Ostaszewski says she has single-handedly grown Peoria’s population by 360 in three years.
OSTASZEWSKI: When I first started making TikTok’s about Peoria it was about improving your quality of life. But in the last six months, people are relocating here more for survival. And that’s such a different conversation.
LUCIANO: Do you hope to have the contagion effect?
OSTASZEWSKI: I love the idea of shaking up that big cities are the only places the LGBTQ+ people can thrive.
“Thrive on homeownership and building a more inclusive community,” Luciano concluded.
CBS’s Refusal to explain the claims they were making was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Neutrogena and Liberty Mutual. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click “expand” to read:
CBS Evening News
June 26, 2023
6:56:56 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: Finally tonight, the dream of owning your own home seems out of reach for millions of Americans, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. In this pride month, CBS’s Lilia Luciano shows us how the dream is becoming a reality in Peoria, Illinois.
[Cuts to video]
LILIA LUCIANO: At 30 years old, Alex Martin owns a home, something she never thought was possible.
ALEX MARTIN: I get a little bit emotional ‘cause I’m like this is stable.
LUCIANO: Why is it important?
MARTIN: I am black. I am trans. And I’m visibly so. So, having a space that, like, I made that I can come in and recharge and ready to face the world again.
LUCIANO: In Peoria, Illinois. And she’s not alone. Many LGBTQ and people of color, statistically less to own homes because of discrimination and wealth gaps, are moving here. At first, they came from places like New York and Seattle where home prices are sky high. Now, many are coming from some of the 21 states that have recently passed anti-LGBTQ legislation.
MIKE VAN CLEAVE: They can get a $200,000 house here.
LUCIANO: Last year, Mike Van Cleave sold almost 80 homes, nearly a third of them to out-of-staters chasing the dream that started on TikTok.
ANGIE OSTASZEWSKI: I’m not a realtor but I live in super affordable Peoria, Illinois and I think you should live here too.
LUCIANO: Not a realtor Angie Ostaszewski says she has single-handedly grown Peoria’s population by 360 in three years.
OSTASZEWSKI: When I first started making TikTok’s about Peoria it was about improving your quality of life. But in the last six months, people are relocating here more for survival. And that’s such a different conversation.
LUCIANO: Do you hope to have the contagion effect?
OSTASZEWSKI: I love the idea of shaking up that big city are the only places the LGBTQ+ people can thrive.
LUCIANO: Thrive on homeownership and building a more inclusive community. Lilia Luciano, CBS News Peoria, Illinois.