The Register-Guard CITY BEAT/EUGENE May 29, 2005 Eugene City Beat: Transgender law proposal to get airing By Edward Russo The Register-Guard The outcome of a proposal in Eugene to extend civil rights protections to transgender people might not be known until fall, but a key public forum on the topic is scheduled for next month. The proposed law would make it illegal to discriminate against transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodation. "Transgender" describes a range of people with conflicts or questions about their gender. They include people who are born male but think of themselves as female, or vice versa, or people who are preparing for a sex change operation, or those who have had a sex change. An estimated 100 transgender people live in Eugene. The protections are needed because many of them are harassed and discriminated against, said Sara Rich, chairwoman of the city's Human Rights Commission. "Many transgender people can't get employment and housing," she said. "And when it comes to transgender youth, a majority of them talk about being homeless in Eugene." If the law is approved by the City Council, it would give transgender people legal recourse if they encounter discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. For example, it would be illegal for a landlord to turn away a renter for being transgender, or for an employer to refuse to hire someone for the same reason. The proposed law also woudl make it illegal for an employer to deny access to a restroom that a worker "deems most appropriate for the employee's gender identity." It also would be unlawful for a health club owner to deny someone the use of showers and locker rooms if the person believes that the facilities fit his or her gender identity. People can share their opinions about the proposed law with the Human Rights Commission at 7 p.m. on June 21 in City Hall, 777 Pearl St. The City Council was supposed to have its own public hearing this month on the proposed law. But a committee of the Human Rights Commission that wants the law passed took longer than expected to hammer out proposed wording to add "gender identity" to the city's anti-discrimination code. The 30-member gender identity work group had about 15 transgender people who were not content with minimum protections, said Rich, the Human Rights Commission chairwoman. "The younger members of the transgender community wanted us to be more up-to-date and current with other municipalities that have incorporated gender identity into their protection codes," she said. It now looks as though the council will get the proposal sometime after its summer break in August. An earlier attempt to add similar language to the city code was shelved three years ago. Some worried that the law change would allow men who believe that they are female to use women's restrooms. Two recent public forums by the gender identity work group were well attended. About 60 people were at the meeting earlier this month, and about 35 were at a March meeting, said Karen Hyatt, a city employee and liaison to the work group. Most of the people who spoke at the forums supported adding the anti- discrimination language, though about five people opposed the proposal at each meeting, she said. Hyatt said that some opponents also sent the mayor and city councilors e-mail messages with their concerns. People can read the proposed ordinance on the city's Web site: www.ci.eugene.or.us/hrc-erac/hrcsite/code/codedraft1 .htm. Hyatt said transgender ordinance proponents want to help business owners understand how the law might apply to them. For example, accommodating transgender people might be achieved by converting a restroom reserved for either women or men into one that can be used by both sexes, she said. In other cases, "privacy signs" could be used by a transgender person who wants to inform co-workers that he or she is in the restroom, or by someone who doesn't want to share the restroom with a transgender person. Curtains could be used to help accommodate a transgender person in a locker room, Hyatt said. "There are common-sense ways" to comply with the proposed law that would not cost "significant amounts of money," she said. "We are not expecting anyone to construct new facilities." Some people who are uneasy about the proposal have given religious reasons for their objections, Rich said. The proposed law would allow a church to give hiring preferences to its own members over job applicants who are transgender. Law proponents are willing to speak to church and other groups, Rich said. "We are trying to connect the faith community with the gender identity work group so we can dispel the hate and fear," she said. People can share comments about the proposed law before the June 21 meeting at the Human Rights Commission. The commission's office can be reached at 682-5177 or by sending e-mail to hrc@ci.eugene .or.us. Edward Russo can be reached at 338-2359 or erusso@guard net.com. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/05/29/c1.cr.citybeat.0529.html