Human Rights Commission Hears Testimony

By David Walker
KVAL-TV
June 21, 2005

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Eugene -
A proposal to add protections based on gender identity to the
city of Eugene's anti-discrimination code was given a public
airing Tuesday night.

The Eugene Human Rights Commission heard testimony about code
revisions that would provide protections based on gender
identity in places of employment, housing and public
accommodation.

Opposition to one sub-paragraph of the proposal drew a quick
response from a resident named Toby, against being required to
carry identification.  "What that would mean is that it would be
o.k. for someone to stop you as you're entering a restroom or a
locker room and ask for i.d.  Now of course, this wouldn't
happen to everybody.  They would only take people who are
suspect or look slightly different or not according to their own
expectation of what's right."

The proposed code revisions define gender identity as "a persons
actual or perceived sex, including a persons identity
appearance, expression or behavior, whether or not that
identity, appearance, expression or behavior is different from
that traditionally associated with the persons sex at birth."

The proposed code revisions contain similar language to that
adopted in Portland, Salem and other cities and counties in
Oregon.