As the parent of a transgender teen, I am disappointed (but unsurprised) by Commissioner Casey Garrett’s complaint to the St. Helens School District.

Let’s be clear: Oregon law prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in public schools. The Oregon School Activities Association follows that law. The Ninth Circuit Court has affirmed in Parents for Privacy v. Barr that allowing trans students to use facilities matching their gender identity does not violate Title IX. The Trump administration’s executive order, currently under legal challenge, does not override binding federal court precedent or Oregon’s very clear statutory protections.

Mr. Garrett is entitled to his opinion as a parent, but let’s not pretend his position as county commissioner didn’t give his complaint undue weight. It is concerning to me that an elected official used his platform to push for policies that violate Oregonians’ civil rights. His daughters’ discomfort is not a legal argument and cannot justify denying another child’s rights. Discomfort is not discrimination, but what he proposes certainly is.

St. Helens School District followed the law. Superintendent Karen Gray and the school board got it right. Commissioner Garrett did not.

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Brandee Dudzic is a St. Helens resident.