BOISE – The ACLU of Idaho condemns the Senate State Affairs committee’s decision to pass House Bill 668 to the Senate floor, despite overwhelming testimony in opposition. HB 668 is a bill that would remove all public funding for gender-affirming health care for adults and minors.
The ACLU of Idaho issued the following statement in response to the committee’s decision:
“We are currently engaged in a lawsuit against the state of Idaho for last year’s passing of HB 71, which bans gender-affirming care for minors — a lawsuit that has been deemed credible on our merits by several courts. As that is being litigated, the state legislature actively tries to take the discrimination a step further by banning the use of all public funds for medical care for transgender Idahoans — the furthest-reaching ban in the country. It is clear with today’s passage of HB 668 that lawmakers callously support discriminatory policies, and rely on frivolous wastes of taxpayer funding to have those discriminatory policies challenged in court. Their actions are an affront to all Idahoans, but especially to Idaho’s transgender and nonbinary community.
“We at the ACLU of Idaho are disgusted at the lack of respect for the LGBTQ+ community in our state, but we know our communities are resilient, strong, and vibrant. Despite their best efforts, the state legislature cannot legislate away the existence of entire communities of people. We will continue to fight these harmful pieces of legislation, and urge the senate to stop this harmful legislation.”