Discrimination. Bigotry. Will it ever end? If you live in Idaho, it is easy to believe that it will not. Today, fellow church members and I sat through a print hearing for a bill to add the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the Idaho Human Rights Act. So many people were there to support this bill that they had to move the hearing to another room. Didn’t make a difference. The senator who presented the bill was emotional but stated his case well. Didn’t make a difference. No questions. No discussion. The motion to print the bill was voted down on a strict party-line vote—two Democrats voted for it and seven Republicans voted against it. They said absolutely nothing to the approximately 250 people who sat there in support. Gutless. There were gasps of disbelief. Tears. This is an issue that deeply affects the lives of many people in this state. These senators did not care. They did not want to listen. “Idaho is too great for hate.” Maybe someday that will become the truth in this state. In the meantime, discrimination is alive and well in Idaho.
1 comment:
Certainly citizens have a right to an explanation. Why did they vote as they did? Maybe that should be the next "demonstration". "Why? just tell us why in simple language that we can understand." Easy for me to say in Prop 8 overturned (for now) California. Hang in there Idaho.
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