Upcoming legislative session presents great opportunity for Idaho
Four words: sexual orientation, gender identity.
They may seem small, but these words signify a world of difference for LGBTQA people in Idaho. The words represent the difference between equal protection under the law, and living in fear of falling victim to another’s prejudices.
The Add the Words campaign aims to add these four words to Idaho’s Human Rights Act, which passed in 1969 and provides protection from discrimination based on race, sex and religion — among other identifiers — regarding employment, public housing and educational institutions. The words “sexual orientation, gender identity” would be added with the passage of legislation amending the Idaho Human Rights Act.
The bill permitting this change will have its day in a hearing before the Idaho Legislature’s House Ways and Means Committee after nine years of campaigning and a series of public protests last year, resulting in multiple arrests and several heated confrontations in the capital building.
To quote the protestors on the steps of the Capitol Building this past weekend — “the time is now.”
Idaho has long been behind in social justice issues and adding the words is a key opportunity to ensure Idaho citizens receive the rights they have long been denied.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, 18 states passed similar anti-discrimination legislation and an additional three states have prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation.
This is the right thing to do. In a conservative state like Idaho, everyday discrimination can have a significant effect on a person’s life, and as of now, LGBTQA citizens have no protection under the law.
This protection has been denied to LGBTQA citizens for too long, and adding the words is another critical step in ensuring equality for all citizens.
The introduction of the bill on the committee level is a small step in the right direction, but the bill will have a long road ahead of it.
Idahoans can expect the bill to have strong opposition from powerful representatives, and in a State Legislature that only that last year considered legalizing discrimination, the bill is bound to receive a critical response from conservative representatives.
Regardless, the hearing will hopefully propel the Add the Words bill further along in the legislative process and heighten the public’s attention to this critical issue. This is the time to provide equal protection under the law for all citizens. The bill presents further opportunity to lessen the reputation of social injustice, which has become closely associated with Idaho.
–RT