What does it mean to be a man or a woman?
That was the subject of Thursday night’s “Trans Rights: National, Local and Personal Perspectives” forum.
The forum was moderated by Lori Buckwalter, executive director of It’s Time, Oregon!, a Portland-based state organization that works to accomplish gender identity rights for all Oregonians.
The panel included transgender activists Sheila Coats, Octavian Starr, Reid Vanderburgh and Salli B. Goode.
“I never found out who I really was until I was 45 years old,” Coats said.
Coats has been transitioning from biological male to biological female for the past two years, which she said has been a tough period.
Goode, who has not had any physical medical procedures, said it is not fair to be classified into any one category.
“Some of us do not fit into any rigid role,” she said. “We are really comfortable being both things.”
Members of the panel discussed the risks faced by transgender people, including hate crimes and discrimination in all aspects of the society.
“It’s unacceptable to me — it should be unacceptable to you,” Coats said.
All of the panelists said they have been harassed and treated unfairly.
Starr, who grew up in Colorado and is transitioning from a biological female to a biological male, said he felt like an outsider in his home state.
“I thought I was an alien until I moved to Portland,” he said.
Members of the panel agreed that transgender people face the same problems as the rest of society — problems with health care, employment and public safety — only more of them.
“We’re just people like you,” Coats said.
Vanderburgh, who transitioned from biological female to biological male, said he is concerned for transgender people who are having problems receiving health care because physicians refuse to see them.
About 70 people attended the forum, including Ward 3 City Councilor David Kelly, who represents the University area.
Kelly said the council dismissed a possible resolution protecting gender identity because Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey told them he would veto it.
“We need to use the (Eugene) Human Rights Commission as a means to break the myths, misconceptions and fears … (and to) convince the mayor to change his mind,” Kelly said.
Buckwalter said a few other U.S. cities, such as New York, have gender identity resolutions.
“It’s not like Eugene is on the verge (of the movement),” she said.