The passing of the Idaho House of Representatives bill follows months of backlash in Sandpoint after a controversy at a local YMCA involving locker room access. Police previously said no state law prohibited the situation, leaving the matter to policymakers and the YMCA’s policymakers.
House Bill 557 stops local governments from creating anti-discrimination policies that provide protections beyond those at the state level. Cities and counties would be unable to keep existing non-discrimination ordinances or change state anti-discrimination laws through local government. The bill passed the Idaho House of Representatives on Feb. 5 and awaits a vote from the Idaho Senate to become law.
At the state level, the Idaho Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age or mental or physical disability, however, protections for sexual orientation and gender identity are not included in state statute.
Many Idaho cities have adopted local ordinances as protection for LGBTQ+ residents.
“If these end up being removed, it sends a very hostile message to the LGBTQ community,” Rep. Ilana Rubel said in a Moscow-Pullman Daily News article.
Rep. Bruce Skaug said the bill was introduced “in large part” because of testimony from outraged Sandpoint residents following an incident at YMCA.
The controversy began Oct. 15, when YMCA lifeguard Jennifer Hook posted publicly about an encounter during a locker room check.
“I encountered a biological male using the women’s locker room facilities. I immediately reported this to management, expecting that safety and privacy protocols would be followed. Instead, I was informed that this situation was permitted under YMCA policy, citing gender identity protections under Idaho and city of Sandpoint codes,” Hook wrote in a letter to the Sandpoint community and YMCA.
Following the incident, Sandpoint City Council replaced its non-discrimination ordinance. The revised ordinance now references state civil rights law and removed locally defined protected classes, including gender identity, according to previous reporting by the Sandpoint Reader.
Rep. Cornel Rasor said that Sandpoint’s community stands “wholeheartedly” with the bill and said that several local school principals contacted him asking what would be done about “the YMCA issue.”
Supporters of House Bill 557 argue that statewide consistency reduces legal confusion for businesses operating in several cities and ensures that anti-discrimination standards are determined at a consistent state level.
Opponents, however, believe that removing local authority limits cities’ ability to respond to the needs of their communities, especially the needs of LGBTQ+ citizens. The bill’s fate now rests with the Idaho Senate.
Sam Walch can be reached at [email protected].