News Date: November 19, 2002

Cook County Board OKs Gender Identity Amendment

Chicago, IL-Today Cook County amended the County's Human Rights Ordinance to include the classification of Gender Identity. The vote came less than two weeks after the Chicago City Council passed a similar amendment by a 40 to 9 vote majority.

With a population of 5.4 million people, Cook County is the largest county in Illinois and one of the largest counties in the United States. The new law affects the nearly 2.5 million people who live within Cook County outside of the City of Chicago. The law provides protection to the transgender and gender variant population by making it illegal to discriminate against a person on the basis of gender identity.

The new law amends Cook County's Human Rights Ordinance with the addition of Gender Identity, which is defined as "the actual or perceived appearance, expression, identity, or behavior, of a person as being male or female, whether or not that appearance, expression, identity or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with the person's designated sex at birth." The law provides protection from discrimination in employment, in public accommodations, in housing and in credit transactions.

Beth Plotner, Chair of Illinois Gender Advocates, said, "I am thrilled that Cook County so quickly joined with Chicago to provide the same rights and protections to our community. And as a suburban Cook County resident, I am overjoyed that I can finally stand up and say 'I have rights'." Courtesy of TGCrossroads.org