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Residents, faith leaders and LGBTQ advocates urge Lane County to affirm sanctuary protections and add gender-identity coverage
Summary
Dozens of public commenters at the Feb. 25 Lane County commissioners meeting urged the board to publicly reaffirm the county's sanctuary commitments for immigrants and to explicitly include gender identity in local protections, citing fear after recent federal policy shifts.
Dozens of residents, faith leaders and LGBTQ advocates told the Lane County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 25 that the county should publicly reaffirm its sanctuary protections for immigrants and add explicit protections for gender identity.
Speakers said the county’s written, public commitments matter now because of recent federal action and a shift in national rhetoric that, they said, has increased fear among immigrants and transgender residents. The comments came during a lengthy public-comment period that commissioners described as one of the largest turnouts they had seen.
The comments were wide-ranging but consistent in their main requests: a public statement from county leadership pledging to follow Oregon sanctuary guidance; explicit inclusion of gender identity in any local sanctuary language; outreach to community organizations serving immigrants and transgender residents; and practical supports such as stockpiling gender-affirming medications.
Elliot Harwell, identified in the meeting as a trans woman who lives in Springfield, described personal reasons for asking the…
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