The Nevada Sagebrush

CARSON CITY — Supporters of gay and transgender Nevadans pushed for domestic partnership and anti-harrassment laws at a Senate committee meeting Friday.

Public servants and university students were among the crowd of supporters in Carson City and Las Vegas.

If passed, Senate Bill 283 would allow domestic partnerships in Nevada and give partners the same rights and responsibilities as spouses in regards to death, shared residences, children and other benefits, like insurance coverage.

The amended version of Senate Bill 207 would make it unlawful to discriminate against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity in public places and restrooms.

“I think the hearings went very well,”former Queer Student Union member and University of Nevada, Reno alum David White said. “It’s overall for human equality. I just think overall human equality should show no bounds.”

Domestic Partnerships

UNR Diversity Chair Michael Cabrera was one of about a dozen people that testified in favor of SB 283, which would allow domestic partnerships in Nevada and grant partners the same rights as spouses.

“We are excited to be on the cutting edge of history with all of you,”Cabrera testified on behalf of UNR’s diversity commission Friday.

Other people shared stories of how the bill would dramatically help their lives.

Jill Switzer, a mother of four, said everyone in the community recognizes her relationship with her same-sex partner, but the law does not. The couple has raised four sons: One is serving in the Navy, one in the Army and two are in high school, she said.

Switzer, a National Guard veteran, said as she and her partner get older, they worry about not being able to make medical decisions for each other. She said the declining state of the economy also creates worries about health coverage should one of them be laid off.

“We are accepted and recognized in our community as loving parents, a professional couple, dedicated mothers at sporting events, Fernley 4-H Ski and Snowboard,”she said. “The only recognition that we lack for our family and our relationship is a legal one.”

Others said they were faced with hardship when their partner suddenly died because they had no rights to property, as they were not legally bound to each other.

Without domestic partnerships, same-sex couples are not eligible to make medical, financial or other life-decisions on the behalf of their partner. They are also not eligible for health insurance under one another’s plans, unless their employer specifically allows it.

Jim Richardson of the Nevada Faculty Alliance said if the state were to continue to deny domestic partnerships it would deter educated people from its workforce because most other states in the West recognize and grant benefits for partnerships.

“It could affect whether I stay in the state or not,”Teran Winter, a spokesperson for QSU, said after the hearing. “I always thought I’d go out of state, but I would consider staying here if SB 283 passed.”

Richard Ziser from the Nevada Coalition for the Protection of Marriage opposed the bill, saying it was a “direct violation of the Nevada Constitution”because marriage is defined as a bond between a man and woman in Article 1.

In Section 10, the bill states that domestic partnerships are not marriages.

Transgender issues

Supporters of SB 207 testified about “traumatic experiences”where they were harassed for their gender identity, especially in public bathrooms. Many said security guards have demanded them to show IDs when going into bathrooms and were then kicked out because the gender listed on their ID didn’t reflect their identity.

The amended version of the bill would make discrimination and harassment of people based on sexual orientation or gender expression in places of public accommodation unlawful. It also provides the ability for people who feel that they have been discriminated against to file complaints with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission.

“I strongly feel it is my right to express my gender identity,”said Lauren Scott, president of the National Intersex and Transgender Rights Organization of Nevada, during the hearing.

Religious leaders also supported the bill in hopes it would extend civil rights to the entire community.

A few community members expressed concern that the bill would allow people who were biologically male in women’s restrooms.

Lynn Chapman, vice president of Nevada Families, which is a right-wing lobbyist group, said she felt the legislation could make children a bigger target because dressing rooms and locker rooms would be open to anyone.

“I don’t want to worry about some man who says he’s this or that and wants to use the locker room,”she said.  “That’s very uncomfortable.”

Ziser expressed the same concern and said he wasn’t sure any amendment could adequately fix the situations that could arise.

“If that person has a penis, he should not be in that facility,”he said. “I do not want my wife, daughter or granddaughters in that position. I don’t know if there is any way of amending this bill to make it work.  I would pray that you would consider a ‘no’ vote on this bill because there are serious consequences to our culture and our society.”

Testimony about the two bills lasted for about three hours Friday in the Senate committee on commerce and labor. Community members said they were pleased with the overwhelming support for the bills and are optimistic about their approvals.

Jessica Fryman can be reached at jfryman@nevadasagebrush.com.

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