Civil-rights protection OK'd for transgender individuals

Transgender individuals will now enjoy the same civil-rights protections as other minorities under legislation passed by the Metropolitan King County Council Monday.

The council added gender identity to laws already prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on sexual orientation, sex, race and religion.

The legislation will protect transsexuals, transvestites and any other individuals with a gender identity that differs from their sex assigned at birth.

"It's going to make employers aware of discrimination," said supporter Smitty Petersen. "People generally don't do things if there are consequences."

The council's action would protect the county's sexual minorities if an initiative proposed by Tim Eyman makes it on the fall ballot and overturns the state's gay-rights measure, which passed in January. Voters would decide this fall if enough signatures are gathered to place it on the ballot.

Five Democrat council members — Larry Phillips, Bob Ferguson, Larry Gossett and Dow Constantine from Seattle and Julia Patterson from SeaTac — voted in favor. Republican council members Kathy Lambert of Redmond, Pete von Reichbauer from Federal Way, and Jane Hague and Reagan Dunn, both from Bellevue, voted against it.

King County Executive Ron Sims first introduced the legislation more than a year ago but could not find enough support on the county council.

Before the vote, Patterson said that arguments against the measure ranged from "this will be hard on business" to "we shouldn't force landlords to rent to certain people."

"The same arguments were made 40 years ago," Patterson said. "It wasn't right to discriminate based on race, and it isn't right to discriminate based on gender identity. It's not right and it's cruel."

Lambert said she rejected the measure because the law was poorly written.

The council voted after listening to testimony from several citizens, most of whom supported the proposed law.

Roxanne Skelly, a software developer and transgender woman, said, "I've found it difficult to get even average-paying work" after her transition. "When I go to the restroom, the decision for which door I go into, is that up for debate?" She said concerns faced by transgender individuals range from discrimination at hospitals to treatment from police officers.

A pastor from Cavalry Church West Seattle, Randall Leskovar, spoke against the measure. "By this definition, a teacher, a male teacher in a kindergarten through high school class, college class could come into their classroom dressed as a woman and, according to this ordinance, there would be no recourse of action for them."

The ordinance standardizes the rules applying to discrimination cases. Complainants may take cases to court without first pursuing a county civil-rights complaint, and the county Office of Civil Rights would have subpoena powers.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com