Idaho’s legislature endorses prejudice over progress

Public policy is a lot like lawn care.

It takes discipline, attentiveness and effort to balance the needs of not only the grass, but the biodiversity surrounding it to curate a stunning landscape. Right now, Idaho’s front yard is full of weeds and crabgrass with a homeowner who insists on stomping down the blooming flowers instead of addressing the poor conditions.

The 2026 Idaho legislative session ended in early April and with it came flower-stomping bills supporting prejudice towards the queer community in Boise and beyond. 

These bills include petty flag restrictions, HB 561, banning Boise’s city hall from flying the pride flag on government property, as well as the infamous bathroom bill, HB 752, criminalizing “knowingly and willingly” entering a restroom that does not correlate with an individual’s sex assigned at birth. Proposed legislation passed by the house (HB 557) aimed to eliminate discrimination protections for the queer community in Boise by standardizing them for the whole state. 

It’s a bit of a headscratcher watching legislation that restricts bathroom usage generate more support than additional funding for public K-12 and university education. That’s like buying a plastic flamingo for a barren front lawn because grass seeds were not as glamorous. 

Idaho has several problems in desperate need of attention — the LGBTQ+ community is not one of them. To return to the roots of policy, the legislature must depart from identity politics that only fan the flames of fear and support legislation that addresses the concerns of all Idahoans.

Noah Neumeister, owner of Mullet Proof Hair Co, is a Boise native who witnessed this disconnect grow more prevalent in recent years.

“It was definitely not a surprising thing, unfortunately, but it is a very disappointing thing to see,” said Neumeister in reference to the recent string of anti-LGBTQ+ bills. “Especially with the bathroom bill, knowing that we’ve been arguing about this for years and years, and it’s still something we’re having to fight.”

After being signed into law on Trans Visibility Day, the intent of this bill became even clearer —to generate fear rather than protection.

“I voted against what is yet another bathroom bill based on fear instead of fact,” said Representative Steve Berch in a statement to The Arbiter. “It was opposed by the major state law enforcement organizations as being impractical, if not impossible to reasonably enforce.”

Preposterous as it may be to pass legislation requiring law enforcement personnel to guard every stall like the TSA, supporters of this bill, like Senator Ben Toews of Coeur d’Alene, argue it ensures the safety of women and children in public and private bathrooms.

“The Legislature has a fundamental duty to protect the bodily privacy and safety of Idaho citizens,” said Sen. Toews, as previously reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.

It seems who deserves this protection is up for interpretation. 

If Sen. Toews truly believes in this “fundamental duty,” he should consider that members of the LGBTQ+ community who may experience verbal or physical harassment as a result of this bill are also Idahoans. 

The Community Center, a non-profit in Boise, provides a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. However, some members expressed concern for the effects this bill will have on  the transgender community if law enforcement is standing guard.

“It’s just a way of making transgender people afraid they’ll either be harassed or worse, if they go into [the bathroom] the legislature says they should use, or else they face prosecution,” said Nicole Leahy, a board member at The Community Center. “[The legislature’s] entire thinking seems to be, ‘we’re going to paint this small population as predators to create a problem that doesn’t exist.’”

The argument transgender individuals are an inherent risk to the community is baseless and backwards, especially when the opposite is true. A study conducted by the Williams Institute revealed there is no evidence that privacy and public safety are changed by allowing transgender individuals access to restrooms in accordance with their gender identity.

Furthermore, if this bill were truly for the public’s protection, it would be accompanied by good-faith efforts to address the very real threats Idahoans face. Ongoing challenges that demand sustained policy attention such as public school funding, expanded mental health services and law enforcement resources fell to the wayside in this session.

Instead, legislative energy is disproportionately directed toward regulating a small, vulnerable population, creating the appearance of action while leaving more consequential problems on the table.

“I voted no on all three of those bills [HB 752, HB 557, HB 561] because they burden businesses, overreach the role of state government and unfairly target LGBTQ+ citizens,” said Rep. Megan Egbert in a statement to The Arbiter. “Additionally, none of those bills actually fix a legitimate problem that I’ve heard about from a single constituent.”

This pattern suggests the legislature’s focus is less about comprehensive public safety and more about symbolic policymaking. That same dynamic is evident in other recent efforts, where broadly written bills appear neutral on the surface but functionally target specific communities. Rep. Berch points out how the narrow scope of the recently passed flag bill accomplishes this:

“You know a bill [HB 561] is bad when it tries to ban everything, but its real purpose is to ban only one thing,” said Rep. Berch in a statement to The Arbiter. “That’s the case with this bill, an attempt to ban a city from flying a rainbow flag by prohibiting the flying of any flag except just a few the legislature approves of.”

Berch also noted the “mean-spiritedness” of HB 561, due to the exorbitant $2,000 per day fine that accompanies it. The pettiness this bill originates from perpetuates this kind of rhetoric in Idaho and will result in a state that approves prejudice towards your neighbor because the government made it legal to do so.

“People don’t want to live in a place where it’s spewing hatred and feel embarrassed to be living here,” said Neumeister. “It’s just going to really damage Boise, and if it keeps going like this, Idaho as a whole.”

There’s already an exodus taking root, with one Boise family leaving the state altogether in response to the bathroom bill, but exodus is not a solution — organizing is. Not everyone has the ability or means to leave, so when legislation drifts away from policy to discrimination, it is the duty of the constituents to stand up against it.

Neumeister realized the power of organization firsthand after gathering community members and other small businesses against HB 557. The bill intent on erasing anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ+ community died due to community pushback.

“Seeing that things like that can happen with such a small group is really inspiring, and it makes me more confident in the future of Boise,” said Neumesiter. “It’s a place that I do cherish, and I do cherish the people around here, so I choose to stay and fight for that.”

Our legislature insists on stomping down a blossoming community, therefore it’s our role to be the wildlife that defends it. All Idahoans deserve a legislature that addresses the crabgrass and plants grass seeds so we can curate a yard that we are proud to be a part of.