It’s again time to celebrate Boise Pride, and I can say that I’m proud of my community!
In my neighborhood, I can’t walk one block without seeing a Pride flag or a colorful yard sign declaring “Everyone is Welcome.” I love living in a city where diversity is embraced and welcomed and where city and state leaders publicly stand up to protect and fight for our personal freedoms and human rights.
In 2012, the City of Boise became one of the first cities in Idaho to unanimously pass a nondiscrimination ordinance, prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Though our state has yet to Add the Words, these city ordinances matter. They are a community’s way of signaling a sense of belonging to folks, of offering hope in a too-often hostile state and world. So are events like Boise Pride, which has consistently been a source of support, joy, compassion, and belonging for 34 years.
But in recent years, we’ve witnessed an escalating number of attacks on our LGBTQ community, particularly targeting celebrations like Pride. From intimidation plots and hate speech to legislation and coordinated campaigns, the LGBTQ community is enduring some of the most targeted persecution I’ve witnessed in Idaho.
As an Idaho legislator, I’ve seen firsthand the devastation that propaganda and fear mongering can cause. I’ve heard from lifelong Idahoans, worried parents, and LGBTQ folks of all ages who are feeling like they no longer have safe harbor in the state they love.
Now, more than ever, as partisan rhetoric and political opportunists take aim at some of our community’s most vulnerable, allyship matters.
I applaud the business sponsors of Pride who have held strong in their support. I applaud the City of Boise for their continued flagship support of Boise Pride. And I applaud our mayor, Lauren McLean, who unequivocally stands in solidarity with the LGBTQ community, even in the face of intensifying scrutiny and attacks. It takes courage and conviction to stand with our neighbors, to vocally support everyone in our community, no matter who they love or how they identify.
And to every member of the LBGTQ community here in Boise and beyond: you are loved. You are welcome here, even as the loudest and most extreme factions say – and legislate – otherwise. And we will continue to stand with you in defense of your most basic, inalienable human rights, this week and every week of the year. Proudly.