Complaint: Transgender mayor showed 'too much skin'

By DAVID KROUGH / kgw.com


Complaint: Transgender mayor showed 'too much skin' | Local News | Seattle News, Local News, Breaking News, Weather | KING5.com


SILVERTON, Ore. – A Silverton woman filed a complaint against the city’s mayor for revealing what she called “too much skin” at a meeting with a group of local kids.

But Stu Rasmussen, the nation’s first openly transgender mayor says it was “hot and sticky” and a short skirt and swim top were completely appropriate.

Silverton Together Now manager Brenda Sturdevant filed the complaint alleging the city dress code was violated when Rasmussen wore "high heels, a very short skirt and some sort of halter top revealing much of his bosom, shoulders and back" to the meeting of the Apple tree group.

"There was a lot of skin showing," Sturdevant said. "I tried to call him (afterward) and he never called me back."

The group is made up of students from third grade up, who were hearing from city leaders about their work in the community. The group holds fundraisers for school supplies.

The city dress code lists mini skirts and midrift tank tops as “inappropriate” attire for council activities.

Sturdevant said she only wanted the mayor to live up to the same rules as the kids and the rest of the city employees at such events.

“The youth were very respectful, but their faces looked shocked and many of their mouths were dropped,” Sturdevant said in the complaint.

The mayor sent a statement defending his wardrobe choice.

“On the day in question, the temperature topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit with relative humidity over 50%. Hot and sticky. My attire was completely appropriate to the circumstances and I also received a number of compliments on it during the day,” the statement read.

“I believed the Council Dress Code was an intrusive and unnecessary piece of legislation when it was first introduced… it is clearly time to rescind this resolution before it becomes an embarrassing public issue for our community,” he wrote, also citing state anti-discrimination laws.

The city council has yet to decide how to handle the complaint.