On Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo telling the Justice Department that civil rights law banning discrimination based on sex in the workplace should not be extended to cover transgender people.

In 2014, then-Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. told the Justice Department that the definition of "sex" in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 should include gender identity. In his memo, Sessions reversed that, saying sex only means "biologically male or female," and so "discrimination based on gender identity per se, including transgender status" is not banned.

However, at the state level in Oregon, transgender people are protected against discrimination by the Oregon Equality Act of 2007. That law explicitly bans unlawful discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Oregonians.

"Our agency is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Oregonians," said Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian in a statement Thursday, "including transgender Oregonians -- so that people are not denied employment, housing or access to public places based on who they are or who they love."

"Any transgender Oregonian may file a civil rights complaint with our agency," Avakian continued. "A complainant doesn't need an attorney to file nor does it cost money to submit a complaint."

Avakian affirmed that his agency would continue to enforce state and federal statutes "so that all Oregonians are treated fairly under law."

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker