(PrimeChronicle.org) – Idaho’s Republican Governor Brad Little signed a series of bills in recent weeks which opponents claim are designed to “target” transgenders in the state, the Washington Times reported.
Last Tuesday, Governor Little signed House Bill 421, which codifies in Idaho law the biological definition of male and female, making Idaho the fifth state to officially refuse to recognize gender “self-identification.”
The law, which goes into effect on July 1, declares that there are only two genders and all citizens are either male or female. The law also provides biological definitions for such terms as “boy,” “girl,” “mother,” and “father.” It declares that there is no case in which someone’s gender is “determined by stipulation or self-identification.”
Idaho joins Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Oklahoma in codifying biological definitions. Five other states are also considering similar legislation: Iowa, Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, and Arizona.
On April 8, Governor Little signed House Bill 538, which forbids government agencies from forcing employees to use someone’s self-identified pronouns. The law also bars schools from adopting a student’s gender identity without first seeking parental consent.
Earlier in April, the governor signed House Bill 668 which prevents public funds from covering transgender medical treatments. Idaho previously approved a ban on transgender treatments for minors. That law is now being challenged in court.
All three measures were opposed by Democrats in the state legislature and were approved despite furious objections from transgender activists who protested in the State Capitol in Boise by dropping tens of thousands of paper hearts onto the rotunda from a fourth-floor balcony.
The Idaho American Civil Liberties branch accused the Republican-controlled state legislature of caving to the “hateful demands of far-right extremists.” It said in a post on X after the measures passed that the legislature was scapegoating “LGBTQ+ people” to create a “less inclusive, less safe, and less vigorous Idaho.”
The ACLU vowed to continue fighting against the legislation.
In 2020, Idaho became the first state to bar male athletes from participating in women’s sports. The bill was introduced by former NCAA basketball coach, state Rep. Barbara Ehardt.
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