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Steven Deutsch, 1784 Skyline Boulevard, said the code revisions would not affect himself personally but were an important step in making the memorandum of understanding signed by the City of Eugene real. He urged the adoption of the code revisions. Mr. Deutsch said the human rights code was not a values statement document making moral judgements about people and lifestyles. He said it was, in fact, a guideline for public and institutional behavior which would accord safety and fundamental human rights to all. Maureen Gabon, 1055 Charnelton, urged the council to throw out the whole ordinance. She said it would solve a lot of future problems for the individuals on the council. She suggested sending people interested in domestic partnerships to the City of Portland to get their registration. She raised strong concern that the proposed code language was redefining family. She read comments from previous public input that were printed in the newspaper. James Kahn, 1775 West 12th Avenue, related that he had been sexually assaulted by a male. He noted that the domestic partner registry also allowed heterosexual partnerships and called this an assault on marriage. Stephanie Carnahan, 328 West 20th, expressed her support for the proposed code changes. She said that equal protections under the law should not be made a matter of public opinion. She urged passage of the code revisions. Allen Gardner, 725 Country Club Road, spoke as a lawyer regarding legal matters raised by the code revisions. He said the proposed ordinance for domestic registry was beyond the authority of the City to grant. He said the ordinance would result in litigation in the future. Cheryl O'Neal, 24307 High Pass Road, spoke in support of the code revisions. She said she was a married person and wanted everyone to have that right. She said she did not want to be part of a privileged class that received more rights than others. She expressed her sadness that she was participating in a public hearing about why people should not have the right to love one another. She urged the council to make a statement that everyone belonged to the community. Ann Kneeland, 24760 High Pass Road, spoke in support of the proposed code changes. She commented that the testimony against the proposed code changes was proof that the revisions were urgently needed in the community. She stressed the importance of a community that promoted tolerance and diversity and stood against intolerance and bigotry. Ran Unger, 1770 Augusta, spoke in favor of the proposed changes. He said the thing that would strengthen marriage was people putting thought into a relationship before making a commitment and not prohibiting domestic partner registration. Billy Rajas, 377 West 8th Avenue, submitted written material into the record. He plugged the book he had written called "Homosexuality is a Mental Illness". He explained the titles of the written material he had submitted. Eileen Deadwiler expressed her opposition to the proposed code revisions. She raised concern over the use of public restrooms by transgendered people. She said same sex relationships offended her because, in her opinion, a family meant having a male/female relationship. She urged the council not to pass the proposed revisions. She stressed and reiterated that she was morally opposed to the code revisions. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 14, 2002 Page 7 Regular Meeting