Ordinance committee to hold public hearing on renaming Commission on the Status of Women to Gender Equity Commission

The Norwalk City Ordinance Committee voted Jan. 21 to send proposed revisions to Chapter 1-15, which would rename the Commission on the Status of Women to the Gender Equity Commission and update the commission’s language, to a public hearing in February.

Council member Anne Winerstrand, who led the discussion on the revisions, said the changes replace language that referred to gender as “nonconforming” with wording that highlights “gender diverse” identities. Winerstrand thanked the commissioners and staff who worked on the draft.

A member of the public, Diane Loricella of 21 Little Fox Lane, addressed the committee during the meeting’s public comment period in favor of the name change and urged continued attention to longstanding concerns. “I am in favor of name change of the Commission on the Status of Women to the, Gender Equity Commission,” Loricella said, adding that she did not want the commission’s original purpose — helping women access equity and opportunity — forgotten.

Staff recommended a technical edit to remove subsection 1-15-1(a) so the chapter’s purpose would be expressed in the committee’s standard format. Committee member Nora Nijewski Eitner moved to send the revised draft to a public hearing with the two changes; the committee voted in favor.

The committee did not adopt the ordinance tonight; it set a public hearing as the next step so the proposed language can be reviewed with public comment.