LTD is asked to apologize, investigate violation of Civil Rights Act
3 min read
Presenter: The LTD Board of Directors is asked to apologize for violations of the Civil Rights Act, and to investigate the person or persons responsible for doing so. At public comment Sept. 16, Astrid Jenkins:
Astrid Jenkins: My name is Astrid Jenkins, and my comments today relate to LTD’s decision this summer to close the Springfield transit station restrooms to the public, due to the anti-trans policies of the Trump administration.
Some quick history. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was implemented, it took into account tactics that had previously been used throughout the Jim Crow era.
One of the tactics taken into account was public bodies closing access to a public good, to everyone as a way to deny access to a protected class. LTD framed this recent decision in terms of leadership being given a bad choice between implementing this policy to maintain $40 million in funding, or losing that funding by maintaining access to the restrooms.
LTD’s framing of the topic didn’t include the very clear option of turning those restrooms into a single stall space, which would maintain access and be in compliance with the administration’s heavy-handed attempt to force public bodies like this one to discriminate against trans people.
Whether the Trump administration views us as a protected class is not at issue here. The fact is federal courts have ruled that we are—through the sex portion of the Civil Rights Act.
When LTD chose to limit bathroom access to ensure trans people weren’t sharing the space with folks not of our birth sex, that was discrimination and violates the Civil Rights Act.
The law doesn’t grant reprieve for discriminatory acts just because the implementer was manipulated into doing them through threats of withholding public funds or because they refuse to consider and implement other options.
The anti-trans hysteria we’re facing in this country is real. It is a return of the Lavender Scare, and every major civil rights organization in this country has defined these kinds of anti-trans bathroom policies as part of the new Jim Crow era.
LTD likes to tout that it was in compliance with the ADA before the ADA existed, and that is fantastic. And that’s the kind of LTD that I think we all hope to see.
However, LTD now has a stain of using 2026 to bring new Jim Crow policies right here to Lane County.
I am thankful that LTD has found a solution to this current discriminatory policy that was implemented this summer, and I also asked the board for four things:
- To issue an apology for the actions taken by your employees
- To investigate how the current process allowed such actions
- To determine what consequences will be provided for this discriminatory behavior and
- To create a process to ensure that it cannot happen again.
Presenter: During public comment Sept. 16, LTD is asked to remove the stain from its reputation with an apology and an investigation.
