add the words! boise rally

add the words, idaho

once again it’s time to speak up for a crucial amendment to idaho’s human rights act (IHRA). IHRA laws prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, education and public accommodation, and it includes protections for race, creed, religion, sex, age, disability and national origin. there’s nothing in the legislation to protect LGBTQI citizens. here in idaho you can still be fired for being gay. you can be denied housing or refused admission to college if the wrong person even perceives you as being transgender.

we need to add the words “sexual orientation & gender identity” to the IHRA. it blows my mind that anyone would publicly oppose this or vote against it, and yet this amendment has been unsuccessfully attempted every year for about six years. it’s important to keep trying.

the idaho legislature is back in session tomorrow (jan. 9) and volunteers with “add the words” will hang supportive sticky note messages sent in from people all over the state. this site provides information on where to send your sticky notes--if you're lazy you can even text or email a 20-word message and a volunteer will put it on stickies for you. (click here to see a huge compilation of wonderful sticky note photos.) also sign the petition here. there will be statewide public demonstrations held saturday, january 28.

i remember a year or two ago i saw these sticky notes covering a door and windows inside the capitol building. all the notes had moving messages in support of the amendment. the beauty and power of the display made me cry.

even if the legislation doesn’t change, it’s a great time to show our numbers and make idaho residents and lawmakers give some thought to LGBTQI rights. this is how progress happens. eventually.

it gets better: LGBTQIA rally, march and vigil

last tuesday’s event was part of the national “it gets better”/“make it better” movements, a response to the recent increase in anti-LGBTQI bullying that results in suicide.

it started with a rally at the capitol steps. more and more people joined as the evening went on, and ultimately there were around 150 attendees.

KTVB had great coverage of the event on their news at 10. of course, it doesn’t look so good next to the current “News Video” headline directly to the right, “Woman accused of giving fake breast exams is a transgender”. i watched that story on the news too and the way they’re covering it makes me cringe. ugh, idaho.

after the rally we marched down capitol boulevard and along the river to the BSU campus. we even had a police escort who shut down streets while we crossed--it was like being at pride only in cold weather and darkness. bizarro pride.

the organizers handed out candles once we reached the quad.

there was a brief speech and a reading of names of LGBTQI youth who recently killed themselves after being bullied, followed by a moment of silence. then the floor was opened to anyone who wanted to share their experiences.

a few people talked about having been bullied, or having been bullies themselves. others shared messages of hope and love and optimism. it was a very intimate and beautiful vigil.

rev. mark kiyimba, ugandan human rights activist

wednesday night i had the opportunity to attend a lecture by ugandan unitarian minister mark kiyimba at idaho’s black history museum. he’s touring the states to spread the word about the “anti-homosexuality bill” currently stalled in uganda’s legislature. this bill would mean:

* imprisonment for seven years for “attempt to commit homosexuality.”

* imprisonment for three years for anyone who fails to disclose that someone they know his homosexual, if they don’t report the “offense” to authorities within 24 hours.

* life imprisonment for entering into same-sex marriage.

* death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” in cases where the offender is a person living with HIV, the offender is a “serial offender,” cases of rape and incest, etc.

kiyimba estimates that 95% of ugandans are strongly anti-LGBTQIA, and if the bill comes up for a vote in parliament it will almost certainly pass, so it needs to be withdrawn from consideration.

a number of high-profile, evangelical, ultraconservative-christian american assholes have had a hand in creating this out-of-control homophobic climate in uganda. a few names: kenneth starr, pastor rick warren, mark tooley, stephen noll, senator james inhofe; and three lesser-known evangelical sacks of shit who gave a presentation called “exposing the truth behind homosexuality and the homosexual agenda” in kampala in march 2009: scott lively, caleb lee brundidge and don schmierer. here’s a link to local LGBTQIA activist jody may-chang’s article, “exporting homophobia,” which goes into detail about the american role in this atrocity.

matthew shepard memorial observance, 10/9/10