Bend staff present draft resolution expanding 'welcoming city' commitment to 2SLGBTQIA+ community; commissioners raise wording questions

City staff presented a draft city council resolution that would expand Bend's 2017 welcoming-city commitment to explicitly name and support 2SLGBTQIA+ people, including transgender and non-binary residents.

Andres Portela, equity and inclusion director, read the proposed resolution aloud and said the measure affirms the city's "commitment to fostering a community where individuals of all sexual orientation, gender identities, and gender expression are treated with dignity, equity, and respect." He said the draft would "expand its welcoming city commitment to 2SLGBTQIA+ people" and would "actively oppose legislation or other actions at the state or federal level that threaten the rights, safety and dignity of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals."

Commissioners and staff emphasized the document is…