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  Good news today from the Mayor’s office:
Today, Mayor Sam Adams, with the co-sponsorship of every member of Portland City Council, brought forward and unanimously passed transgender-inclusive healthcare for City of Portland employees.
The City of Portland values diversity, and strives to be an equitable and diverse employer. Adding transgender inclusive benefits truly recognizes the importance of all employees covered under the City’s health plan. The Mayor believes this action is about keeping and attracting the best and the brightest, in addition to being about basic fairness.
“To the trans community of Portland, who each and every day makes this city a better place, it is my honor and privilege to serve on a city council that can bring an ounce of fairness in return,” Mayor Adams said. All Commissioners offered passionate commentary. Commissioner Amanda Fritz said: “I appreciate living in a city and serving on a City Council where we look at what is the right thing to do…even though it may not be politically popular.”
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 Twitter was all abuzz yesterday with with the news that Mayor Sam Adams has issued a press release proposing trans-inclusive health care coverage for city employees (well, that and the the Stumptown Coffee sellout). Some called him an “idiot” while others backed him up  saying that if supporting fairness made you an idiot they’d gladly be one.
You can read the entire statement below:
This week, Mayor Sam Adams is filing an ordinance for City Council on June 8 that would add trans-inclusive health care benefits, including sexual reassignment surgery, to one of the plans offered to City of Portland employees. The American Medical Association (AMA) has identified transgender health care as being medically necessary. In 2008, the AMA passed a resolution supporting public and private health insurance coverage for treatment of gender identity disorder and opposing the “exclusions of coverage for treatment of gender identity disorder when prescribed by a physician.”
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  This is a re-posting of a Facebook message from trans advocate Tash Shatz.
When I was sixteen I woke up one night in a cold sweat in the worst pain I had ever experienced. I felt like I was being repeatedly stabbed in my abdomen. My only guess was that I was experiencing super heinous period cramps. I was nauseous and the pain washed over me in violent waves. My mom and I were soon on our way to the emergency room, and we found out I was passing the first of what would be many kidney stones.
That night at the ER my experience was typical of what would happen as I visited the hospital several times over the next few years. Staff members stumbled over pronouns, sporadically use my preferred name, and asked me what medications I was on. When I answered “testosterone,” the hospital staff launched into a line of questioning about my gender identity – what surgeries had I had? What did I plan to have? What did transgender mean? On more than one of my visits I heard nurses whispering behind the patterned curtain across the space which held my bed. They were talking about my gender.
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  Trans folks need healthcare too! Basic Rights Oregon has launched a survey of trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming Oregonians who have experienced health care discrimination.
According to BRO, “All too frequently, trans Oregonians are denied insurance coverage of health care solely because of their gender identity. Working together, we can bring an end to discrimination and dramatically improve the experience of trans Oregonians accessing care. ”
More info and link to the survey under the cut.
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