We alerted you several weeks ago that the LGBTQ agenda is alive in well in Idaho and has been working its mayhem through the Department of Health and Welfare. Their next line of attack is your city council. In fact, the City Council of Meridian is currently considering passing a nondiscrimination ordinance which will carve out special protections for a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity. We must work together to ensure that this ordinance does not get passed in Meridian.
Since 2011, over a dozen cities in Idaho have passed sexual orientation and gender identity non-discrimination ordinances, otherwise known as SOGIs. To some extent, these ordinances sound innocuous – they appear to just add protections for people who identify as LGBTQ to nondiscrimination statutes. However, these ordinances are being used to prosecute individuals like Jack Phillips in Colorado and Barronelle Stutzman in Washington for simply living according to the dictates of their faith.
What is even more detrimental about city ordinances is that they are enforced through the criminal system, rather than through the civil system. Thus, when business owners attempt to live according to their faith, the city could charge them a fine or even imprison them.
Unfortunately, there is a renewed push to pass these laws in Idaho. We have a chance to stop this ordinance in Meridian. The Meridian City Council plans to introduce the proposed ordinance in July and then hold a public hearing.
If you live in Meridian, it is vital that they hear from you. The council members have expressed interest in determining how much interest there is in your community for passing this ordinance. Please let the council know you strongly disagree with these laws by sending an email through our Action Center. It is up to us to use our voices to ensure that our communities continue to reflect our values.
If you do not live in Meridian, please forward this email to any of friends or family who live in the city. It is vital that they be aware of what is going on in their own community and use our cherished democratic process to fight these destructive ordinances. We will continue to update you on the events occurring in Meridian and other cities in Idaho.
Standing Together,
Brittany Jones
Interim Policy Director