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INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE: Equal rights advocates lobbying to "Add the Words"

Posted at 5:16 PM, Jan 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-21 17:40:21-05

BOISE — Advocates for equal rights and the LGBTQIA+ community are expected to spend the day Monday lobbying inside the Idaho Statehouse.

The groups plan to encourage Idaho lawmakers to add the words "gender identity" and "sexual orientation" to the Idaho Human Rights Act.

Democratic Senator Maryann Jordan of Boise reintroduced the legislation Friday. The legislation would protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from employment and housing discrimination in Idaho.

Previous efforts to "Add the Words" have been blocked for more than a decade because Idaho's republican-controlled legislature is concerned the change could infringe on religious freedoms.