Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself

Rights of Gays & Lesbians

Boise City Protects Its Employees – Last year the City of Boise expanded its employee protections to include protection from discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity.  Working in coalition with other local groups, the ACLU was instrumental in this expansion of the city’s employment protections. 

HJR 2 – The Anti-Gay Civil Union & Marriage Amendment – In 2006 we were one of the leading groups fighting HJR 2, a state constitutional amendment that is intended to prohibit recognition of same sex unions or marriage substitutes. We hired a full-time organizer to help stop the discriminatory constitutional amendment, the only full-time person dedicated 100% to the Idaho Votes No (anti-HJR 2) campaign. We worked in coalition with other organizations (Idaho Women’s Network; Your Family Friends & Neighbors; Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; and The Interfaith Alliance) to educate and encourage citizen involvement in opposing the amendment. 

The Idaho Human Rights Act – In the 2007 Legislative Session, we worked with various other organizations, including the Idaho Women’s Network, Interfaith Alliance, Idaho Human Rights Education Center, and the Idaho Human Rights Commission, in an effort to amend the Idaho Human Rights Act. Our proposed amendment would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of employment, housing, education, and public accommodation.  We thought that we had enough votes in the Senate State Affairs committee to get our bill printed, however we came up one vote short.  Although the bill will not be introduced this session, we will continue our education work throughout the year and attempt to introduce this amendment in the 2008 Legislative Session. 

Hospital Visitation – Also in the 2007 Legislative Session, we worked with a Senator on the issue of hospital visitation. The Senator agreed to introduce legislation that would require hospitals to honor the requests, written or otherwise, of patients who would like non-family members to visit them in the hospital. Although this bill would apply to all Idahoans, we began focusing on this legislation as a response to the passage of HJR 2 (Anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment) that was approved by voters in the November election.  Because the constitutional amendment only allows a man and a woman to marry one another, gay and lesbian relationships are not legally recognized in the state of Idaho.  When one partner is ill or injured and in the hospital, because they are not legally recognized as family, they may be barred from having their partner visit them in the hospital.  While we did not introduce this legislation in the 2007 session, we are working to expand our coalition of supporting organizations and will likely introduce legislation in the 2008 Legislative Session.   

Earlier Versions of the Anti-Gay Civil Union & Marriage Amendment – In 2005 and 2006 we helped stop earlier versions of the same constitutional amendment. (see also “Gay Marriage” under Educational Outreach, below)