Tippecanoe County commissioners OK gender ID amendment

The amendment still must pass a second reading.

"If (commissioners) took a vote from the people, the answer would be no," Mark Dutton, who spoke against the amendment, said after the vote.

Mary Finnegan of Citizens for Civil Rights argued against the assertion that the amendment would cause problems in public restrooms.

"This is a human relations ordinance, not a bathroom bill," Finnegan said. "These fears — and I don't know what they're fueled by — are exaggerated."

The amendment also included a section that defined "veteran status," which had been included in the county ordinance but was not defined.