Latest news with #CanyonCountyPride
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Canyon County celebrates 2nd Pride festival by tripling in size
Canyon County Pride's inaugural 2024 celebration proved more successful than its organizers dared hope, with thousands of attendees, long lines at the entrance and a packed event space. Organizers responded by tripling the size of the 2025 event at Lakeview Park in Nampa. The 2,000 feet of temporary fencing around the perimeter was about three times last year's size, the number of booths grew from about 40 to 100 and the event ran for eight hours compared to last year's three, according to organizer Tom Wheeler. 'I'll never forget seeing a line up and around the park with thousands of people who were shoulder to shoulder in a very small space,' Wheeler told the Idaho Statesman as he recalled the 2024 event. 'And that's when I realized…that it's not that this was some crazy idea. I think Nampa and Canyon County were waiting for the door to be open to celebrate Pride and celebrate the diversity of Canyon County.' Volunteers stationed at the entrance of Sunday's event counted more than 4,000 attendees, which was about the same as last year, according to an entrance count done by organizers. The event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., included a stage with musical acts and a variety of speakers, food trucks and booths with vendors and community information. Kristen Thom, co-owner of Canary Books in downtown Nampa, said she set up a booth because she wanted to help others access LGBTQ stories, especially in light of recent book bans at schools and libraries across Idaho. 'Having another outlet to get those books to people in the community can be really important, so we're happy to be here to be a vehicle for that,' Thom said. '…We just want these books circulating in our community, because there are people who need them. They need to read stories and feel seen and know that they're not alone.' Other locals also expressed the need for LGBTQ spaces within Canyon County, a largely Republican county where 72% of voters cast their ballots for President Donald Trump. 'Out in Canyon County, places like Caldwell, they tend to be very traditional and conservative,' Rylyee Cameron, of Caldwell, said. 'I haven't really been able to express my full authentic self up there, for fear of how people will react, and just harmful things that people have said at school that make me feel not safe. So it's really nice to be able to come out here to Canyon County Pride, where everybody's so accepting and loving, and I know that I'm not going to get bullied here.' Nikki Greer, another attendee, noted how much more accessible a Pride celebration in Nampa is for Canyon County residents. 'Not everybody can go to Boise to go to pride festivals,' Greer, 18, of Caldwell, said. 'Having one more in the area is a good thing.' The lead-up to the 2024 event became tense after Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling released a statement saying Canyon County Pride did 'not reflect the personal beliefs and convictions of myself, Nampa City Council, and many living in Nampa.' Wheeler said there was less push back this year. About 20 protesters stood at the entrance wearing shirts and holding signs with Christian messaging. They remained peaceful, handing out cards and offering to talk to attendees about religion. 'Last year, there was a little bit more hype around the fact that we were gonna throw a Pride festival,' Wheeler said. 'I think folks have more or less accepted that Pride is here. So it's actually been so smooth in terms of the response we've had from counterprotesters. We have our usual super fans who are here day in, day out, and we plan and expect for them. But everyone's being respectful, and that's the idea. We couldn't have asked for a better day and experience.'
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
These anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in 2025 Idaho legislative session. Where does each stand?
Tom Wheeler holds a pride flag at Canyon County Pride 2024 in Nampa. (Photo courtesy of Canyon County Pride) Tom Wheeler did not anticipate the inaugural Pride event he planned last June would inspire Idaho lawmakers to change the state's indecent exposure law. The Canyon County Pride president said the event was meant to be family friendly. But after an individual attending the event wore nipple pasties — despite requests from event organizers to put on a shirt — Idaho state lawmakers crafted House Bill 270 this year. The bill updates the law to ban the public exposure of female breasts, male breasts altered to look like female breasts, artificial breasts and products resembling genitals. Gov. Brad Little signed the bill into law, and it's effective immediately. House Bill 270 is among several Idaho bills that received national attention for targeting LGBTQ+ rights, particularly for transgender individuals. Those pieces of legislation were a part of a larger effort by Idaho lawmakers to limit diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs; sex education; government display of pride flags; and medical treatment for transgender individuals — policies that reflect similar efforts by the Trump administration. 'It's unsurprising, but it's really disappointing that that's how these Republican legislators are spending their time,' Wheeler told the Idaho Capital Sun. 'They're very obsessed with gay people.' In his testimony against House Bill 270, Nikson Mathews, a trans man, said the bill would criminalize him for doing something as simple as mowing his lawn while shirtless. The Idaho transgender rights advocate said the 2025 legislative session was the 'worst session' he's experienced. 'Our community — every year, but I think this year especially — is getting smaller because there's just so much uncertainty happening right now,' Mathews told the Sun. 'It kind of feels like our futures are being stolen from us because of what is happening nationally and what is happening locally.' He called the first pieces of legislation introduced this session — both of which targeted LGBTQ+ individuals — a 'damning introduction' to the kinds of laws that would make their way through the Statehouse. 'This is our home and our community, and so we will stay as long as we possibly can,' Mathews said about himself and his partner. 'But I'll tell you, every single queer person — especially trans people in this state — we're all planning for what is that line when we have to make a decision to leave.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Idaho Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise said the around two dozen anti-LGBTQ+ bills considered in Idaho this year work together. 'The cumulative effect is with the intention to erase and not recognize human beings based on who they are,' she told the Sun. 'And that is the definition of discrimination. So, this Legislature has embraced formal discrimination.' Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, sponsored several of this year's bills — but she said they aren't connected. And she pushed back on concerns that the Legislature is making it harder for LGBTQ+ people to live in Idaho. 'Nobody's making it harder for them to live in Idaho,' said Ehardt, a basketball coach who years earlier championed an Idaho bill that inspired other states to ban transgender kids from playing sports with students of their same gender. 'They keep choosing to create and make themselves a victim. They're not a victim. Just go to school. Be a normal school kid. Just study normal school academics.' In addition to House Bill 270, the Idaho Capital Sun has compiled a list of legislation crafted during the 2025 legislative session that impacts LGBTQ+ individuals living in Idaho. The following bills passed largely along party lines in both legislative chambers, and were signed into law by Gov. Little: Flags in schools House Bill 41 prohibits public schools from displaying flags that represent political, religious or ideological views within school property. Sponsors: Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle; Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton Status: Effective July 1 Flags on government property House Bill 96 restricts state and local government entities in Idaho to only display official domestic government and military flags. Schools, colleges and universities are exempt. Sponsors: Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard; Sen. Ben Toews, R-Coeur d' Alene Status: In effect Transgender bathroom, dorm ban in state facilities House Bill 264 directs state correctional facilities, colleges and universities and domestic violence shelters to designate multi-occupancy restrooms, changing rooms and dorm rooms 'for the exclusive use by either females or males.' The bill says those facilities must only be used by 'members of that sex.' Ehardt said the bill was inspired by a national workgroup that spawned from her bill years earlier to restrict transgender students' sports participation. The group, she said, included around 20 groups, including influential conservative organizations such as the Heritage Foundation and the Alliance Defending Freedom, and an anti-trans feminist organization, the Women's Liberation Front, also known as WoLF. In women's prisons, Ehardt said the WoLF group became aware that 'men were starting to identify,' a trend she said started in California but has happened elsewhere. CONTACT US Around 60 to 70 patients in Idaho Department of Correction custody have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, court documents released in a lawsuit last year showed. 'If they watch what's happening in the rest of the states, it's only a matter before they start making their claim to be able to come to the women's spaces,' Ehardt told the Sun. 'This legislation has absolutely nothing to do with the L, the G or the B. It only has to do with the T, and very narrowly defined,' she said. Sponsors: Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls; Sen. Cindy Carlson, R-Riggins Status: Effective July 1 Denying medical procedures depending on moral beliefs House Bill 59 allows health care workers to deny participating in medical procedures that violate their religious and moral beliefs. Sponsors: Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa; Sen. Carl Bjerke, R-Coeur d'Alene Status: In effect Requiring parents opt in to human sexuality education House Bill 239 requires parents or guardians to opt in to education on sexuality and gender identity. The bill requires parental consent for teachings about human sexuality, incorporating an existing definition in Idaho law that includes broader sex education concepts. The law's legal definition for abstinence includes sexual activities that can result in pregnancy, risk transmitting sexually transmitted diseases or infections; or present emotional risks. Ehardt said she'd been working on the bill since her first year in the Legislature. She said she pulled the human sexuality definition largely from the World Health Organization. While the definition affects LGBTQ+ sexuality teachings, she said it wasn't targeted at that — just 'all things sexual in nature. 'The sex was rampant. It could have been, you know, heterosexual sex. It could have been homosexual. It didn't matter,' Ehardt told the Sun. 'It's not necessary. The kids don't need to be exposed to any of that.' This year, she said she reached out to the Pacific Justice Institute, a conservative legal defense nonprofit based in California, for help crafting the bill's civil cause of action. The bill allows school boards to cure potential violations before a parent can sue. Sponsors: Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls; Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton Status: Effective July 1 Restricting K-12 discussion on sexual orientation, gender identity House Bill 352 directs school districts to adopt policies that ban education on 'sexual orientation or gender identity' from kindergarten through 12th grade. Sponsors: Rep. Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood; Sen. Cindy Carlson, R-Riggins Status: Effective July 1 Another DEI ban Senate Bill 1198 follows years of legislative efforts to purge DEI in Idaho colleges and universities. It will ban DEI in higher ed: Hiring, employment practices, and 'promoting differential treatment' or benefits to people. And it stops higher ed institutions from requiring DEI classes outside of a degree program students choose, Idaho Education News reported. Sponsors: Sen. Ben Toews, R-Coeur d'Alene; Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale Status: Effective July 1 Praising Boise State volleyball team for boycotting transgender player House Concurrent Resolution 2 'reaffirms Idaho's commitment to protecting female athletes under Title IX,' and it calls on the Mountain West Conference and the NCAA to revoke its policies allowing transgender athletes to participate in sports. Sponsor: Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls; Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa; Sen. Cindy Carlson, R-Riggins Status: Adopted by both legislative chambers, did not require the governor's signature. 'Traditional family values' month House Concurrent Resolution 18 designates the time from Mother's Day through Father's Day as 'Traditional Family Values Month' in Idaho. The legislation's purpose is to 'raise awareness' about the decline in 'traditional families,' which according to the legislation consists of 'a natural mother and father, children, grandparents, and extended family …' The resolution claims 'research demonstrates children who grow up in families with traditional values and gender roles are more likely to have traditional values and gender role expectations themselves,' and says 'there is an unprecedented attack on these beliefs' and their celebration. Sponsors: Rep. Joe Alfieri, R-Coeur d'Alene; Sen. Ben Toews, R-Coeur d'Alene Status: Adopted by both legislative chambers, did not require the governor's signature. Other pieces of legislation that didn't reach the governor's desk or receive the legislative approval needed to move forward include: Preventing youth from attending public drag shows House Bill 230 would have required event hosts and organizers to 'take reasonable steps' to restrict minors' access to public performances that involve 'live persons engaged in sexual conduct,' if such performances are 'patently offensive to an average person applying contemporary community standards in the adult community.' The bill's statement of purpose says the legislation 'uses the same indecency standard utilized by the federal government to determine whether content is appropriate for daytime television.' Sponsors: Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle; Idaho Family Policy Center, an organization that advocates for conservative Christian policies Status: Passed Idaho House 54-11, did not receive Senate hearing. A call to reverse same-sex marriage House Joint Memorial 1 was addressed to the U.S. Supreme Court and pushed to restore the authority of defining marriage to the states. It asked the court to reconsider its 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage across the U.S. Sponsor: Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard Status: Passed the Idaho House, did not receive a hearing in the Senate. Despite the passage of many of these laws, LGBTQ+ advocates are planning Pride events across the Gem State later this year, including pride celebrations in Coeur d'Alene and Nampa in June, and Boise Pride in September. Wheeler said this year's Canyon County Pride will be bigger than last year's — and with more security measures. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 8 at Lakeview Park in Nampa. 'We've tripled the space,' he said. 'We're tripling the six-foot privacy fencing for security purposes. Half of our budget is invested in private security and safety precautions.' There are 70 businesses participating in the upcoming event, Wheeler said. 'This administration and the times we are in have shown us that we really can't rely on the institutions that we pay our tax dollars to to protect and support us,' Wheeler said. 'It's more important now than ever to just be involved in direct action. Canyon County Pride is that direct action. It's a day to recognize how many individuals are in the community that really do exist and have these needs.' Tom Wheeler holds a pride flag at Canyon County Pride 2024 in Nampa. (Courtesy of Canyon County Pride) SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idaho legislative committee moves bill forward to ‘modernize' indecent exposure law
Hundreds of members of Idaho's LGBTQ+ community commemorate the 10th anniversary of Idaho's first and only public hearing on an 'Add the Words' bill at a gathering at the Idaho State Capitol on Jan. 28, 2025. "Add the Words" encourages the addition of the words "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to Idaho's Human Rights Act. (Mia Maldonado/Idaho Capital Sun) Idaho legislators are advancing a bill to update the state's indecent exposure law. The House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee in a 12-3 vote along party lines on Tuesday advanced in a House Bill 270, which bill sponsor Rep. Jeff Cornilles, R-Nampa, said was inspired by a Canyon County Pride event in June. The legislation aims to modernize Idaho's indecent exposure law, Cornilles said, which currently is defined as the exposure of someone's genitals in any public place. It's a misdemeanor on the first offense, and a felony on the second offense within five years. The legislation would add to that law, also making it a misdemeanor to show the following in public spaces: Developed female breasts, not including those of someone breastfeeding a child Adult male breasts that have been medically or hormonally altered to appear like developing or developed female breasts Artificial breasts Toys or products intended to resemble male or female genitals Nampa City Councilmember Sebastian Griffin helped craft the bill, and told the committee why this bill was brought forward. Griffin attended an event at Lakeview Park in Nampa, where Canyon County Pride was held in June. At the event, he noticed a 'woman who was topless exposing herself,' he said. 'Shocked by this, I went over and saw a local Nampa police officer and said, 'why hasn't this individual been asked to either number one, cover up or number two, leave?'' Griffin told the committee. 'And to my surprise, the officer said what that person's doing isn't illegal.' That's because it is not illegal for a man with breast enhancements to walk around topless, the officer said, according to Griffin. 'Committee will likely hear testimony today that says this bill is targeting and even discriminating against a certain group of Idaho citizens or population,' Griffin said. 'I would argue it does not. This targets bad actors in our community that have found a loophole within Idaho code to take advantage and disrupt society. That's it. It's addressing out of date code for a modern time. We need to modernize our code to address issues of today's day and age.' Canyon County Pride President Tom Wheeler previously told the Idaho Capital Sun that multiple people had attended the event 'nipple pasties,' which inspired a rule to require shirts this year. Fifteen people testified to the committee, most of whom opposed the bill. This includes Nixon Mathews, an LGBTQ+ advocate, who said the bill is too broad and imposes extreme penalties on transgender Idahoans. 'I'm a trans man, and I have opted to have chest surgery, so my chest looks like a cis man's chest,' Mathews said. 'If I'm shirtless in my own yard and my neighbor sees me and they find me offensive, could they call the cops and arrest me at my own home? According to this bill, an existing Idaho statute, yes, they could.' William Mitchell, an attorney with Legal Voice, opposed the bill, arguing it would affect men experiencing gynecomastia, a hormonal condition that causes enlarged breasts in males. 'What I'm trying to tell you is that gynecomastia can happen naturally throughout the life of a male,' Mitchell said. 'It can also be caused by poorly managed hormonal therapies related to low testosterone in younger men, or from abuse of non-prescription or non therapeutic use of testosterone or anabolic steroids. With that background, I hope you can see that this bill would cast among the widest of nets in our criminal code.' Proponents of the bill, such as Idaho Freedom Foundation Director of Legislative Affairs Fred Birnbaum, said the bill would protect children. 'What this bill is about, is restoring decency and community standards of behavior,' Birnbaum said to the committee. Nampa City Councilwoman Natalie Jangula also spoke in support of the bill. While she thanked the Canyon County Pride event organizers for complying with the city's requests, she said organizers cannot control the actions of everyone who attends. 'That is why we need laws, city codes, security and law enforcement,' Jangula said. '…Our police did not have adequate legislation in place to take appropriate action.' The bill is now headed to the House floor in the coming days or weeks. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idaho legislator wants to amend indecent exposure law after pride celebration in Nampa
A performer walks past the audience during the inaugural Canyon County Pride event at Lakeview Park in Nampa in June 2024. (Courtesy of Canyon County Pride) A Nampa legislator wants to amend Idaho's indecent exposure law after receiving complaints about Canyon County Pride. Idaho law currently defines indecent exposure as the exposure of someone's genitals in any public place. It's a misdemeanor on the first offense, and a felony on the second offense within five years. Rep. Jeff Cornilles, R-Nampa introduced a bill to the House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday to add to that law, also making it a misdemeanor to show the following in public spaces: Developed female breasts, not including those of someone breastfeeding a child Adult male breasts that have been medically or hormonally altered to appear like developing or developed female breasts Artificial breasts Toys or products intended to resemble male or female genitals The committee voted on party lines to introduce the bill for a hearing at a later date, with both of its Democrats voting against moving the bill forward. Rep. Todd Achilles, D-Boise, explained his vote, saying it targets four different groups of people. 'This explicitly targets trans Idahoans in terms of the language,' he said. 'Two, anyone with breast surgery is going to be targeted on this. Three, plastic surgeons are also targeted because they counsel people that get surgery. And fourth, anyone with a set of truck nuts hanging off of their rig is also going to be caught up in this thing for indecent exposure.' In June 2024, LGBTQ+ event organizers hosted an inaugural Canyon County Pride at Lakeview Park in Nampa, which included musicians and drag performers. 'There were a few individuals who attended last year who wore nipple pasties (which is legal within the Nampa City Code),' Canyon County Pride President Tom Wheeler told the Sun. 'This year, we will require everyone to wear a shirt.' The event was quick to become controversial within the Canyon County community, attracting protesters the day of the event. Nampa Mayor Mayor Debbie Kling even issued a press release saying the event went against her and the Nampa City Council's beliefs, but the city's lawyer said they had to respect the organizers' First Amendment rights, the Washington Post reported. Cornilles said Nampa City Councilmember Sebastian Griffin would testify in support of the bill. Wheeler said this year's festival has already been approved, and his team is hoping to have an even more successful year, tripling security measures, attendance and fundraising efforts. Canyon County Pride received official nonprofit status this year, and the event will showcase over 50 local art and resource booths, Wheeler said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
