Legislation to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth under 18 years old was introduced Thursday in the House Health and Welfare Committee. House Bill 483, sponsored by Rep. John McCrostie, received almost unanimous support for a full hearing. It mirrors recent legislation approved in Utah in 2020. Currently, 20 states have outlawed conversion therapy for minors. McCrostie said conversion therapy …
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Dear Mr. Yenor, Words matter… Your recent divisive words mattered, but in a way you may not have expected — they actually united the very group of “medicated, meddlesome, and quarrelsome” women you hoped to segregate and diminish. People across Idaho are raising their voices on social media to celebrate women for the very achievements you condemn, from being a …
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Opposition to “social justice” by the Idaho Legislature, while troubling, is not surprising. If you are in a majority, who has experienced power and advantage, it’s uncomfortable to admit you’ve been part of an unfair system. This may be why Republican politicians are defunding education programs that teach a more complete story of American history. Republican legislators have leveled an …
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Rep. John McCrostie, D-Garden City, introduced House Bill 52 Wednsday to protect LGBTQ young people from the harmful practice of conversion therapy. Several major health organizations have discredited conversion therapy. According to the Trevor Project’s 2020 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, individuals under 18 who had undergone conversion therapy attempted suicide at more than twice the rate as …
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Idaho – A federal court has granted a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of House Bill 500, the transgender athlete ban passed by a Republican supermajority during the 2020 session and signed into law by Governor Little. In doing so, the court found that the plaintiffs challenging the law “are likely to succeed in establishing the Act is unconstitutional.” The law …
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On Friday, the U.S. District Court of Idaho ruled against legislation passed by the Idaho Legislature barring Idahoans from changing their gender marker on their birth certificate. House Bill 509 was in violation of 2018 federal court ruling that decided Idaho’s previous ban on changing gender markers defied the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Senator Maryanne Jordan/(D-Boise) expressed …
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In the closing weeks of the 2020 legislative session, it was apparent we were heading into a crisis of unprecedented proportions that would impact not only Idahoans’ health but also our economy, jobs, education system and every other facet of our lives. Businesses had been ordered to close, group gatherings were banned and schools were forming plans not to return …
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Idaho – On Monday, California announced that it is prohibiting taxpayer-funded travel to Idaho on account of Idaho’s recently passed anti-transgender laws. House Minority Leader Representative Ilana Rubel/(D-Boise) expressed her extreme disappointment in the Idaho legislature. “It was extremely foreseeable that Idaho’s new anti-transgender laws would create a cascading financial disaster for our state.” Rep. Rubel said. “The legislature was …
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Idaho – On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal to discriminate against employees based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The landmark decision means that LGBTQ individuals across the nation are now protected from being fired in the workplace based on their identity. Senator Grant Burgoyne/(D-Boise) …
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Idaho State Capitol – On Wednesday, Senator David Nelson/(D-Moscow) announced he would be attending the Palouse Demands Justice Vigil on June 3, 2020. The vigil is being held in Friendship Square in Moscow, Idaho. Sen. Nelson expressed his appreciation for the vigil and its organizers. “George Floyd’s death is unacceptable and we cannot tolerate the excessive use of force by …
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