In February 2009 and March 2009 the Fort Worth Human Relations Commission (FWHRC) received information and input from individuals impacted by discriminatory practices within the City of Fort Worth on the basis of transgender, gender identity and gender expression. On July 28, 2009, the FWHRC, in fulfillment of its duty to ensure that all people who live and work and utilize places of public accommodation are treated equally, adopted a Resolution recommending the amendment of the City's anti-discrimination ordinances to include transgender, gender identity and gender expression. On August 27, 2009, the City Manager's Diversity Task Force voted unanimously to endorse and support the FWHRC Resolution. The FWHRC will present the aforementioned Resolution to the City Council on November 10, 2009. On October 27, 2009, the FWHRC voted to recommend that the City's anti-discrimination ordinances define the terms transgender, gender identity and gender expression as follows: - Transgender shall mean a person who experiences and/or expresses their gender differently from conventional or cultural expectations including but not limited to those who express a gender that does not match the sex listed on their original birth certificate.
- Gender expression shall mean a person's external characteristics and behaviors including, but not limited to, dress, grooming, mannerisms, speech patterns and social interactions that are socially identified with a particular gender.
- Gender Identity shall mean a person's innate, deeply felt sense of gender, which may or may not correspond to person's body or sex listed on their original birth certificate.
It is recommended that the ordinance be amended and revised to prohibit discrimination in places of public accommodation, employment and housing on the bases of transgender, gender identity and gender expression. It is further recommended that the terms be defined as recommended by the FWHRC. |
