A bill providing housing and job protections to members of the LGBT community in the socially conservative state of Idaho was rejected by Republican lawmakers on January 29 after three days of heated debate that attracted over 1,000 residents to the Capitol. The Republican-led House of Representatives council voted 13-4 along its party’s ideology to suspend a legislation that would add “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” to Idaho’s non-discrimination law from being voted on in the broader chamber.

While voicing their objection against the bill, which is unlikely to be taken up again this year, some Republican legislators cited references from the Bible and others said the measure would cement the divide between homosexuals and heterosexuals in the state.

“If we pass the bill today as it is worded, it would create a barrier between you folks in favor of adding the words and the so-called straight community and it will be a giant step backwards, not forwards,” said Republican Representative Ken Andrus.

For nine long years, gay rights activists have sought to persuade the Republican-controlled legislature to take up the proposal, which has been dubbed as Add the Words Campaign and culminated last year in the arrest of demonstrators who were blocking access to the Capitol’s legislative chambers, located in Boise.

The Idaho Human Rights Act already prohibits discrimination in housing, employment and public spaces that are open to everyone like retail stores on grounds of sex, race, colour and religion.

Democratic representative John McCrostie urged lawmakers on Thursday to cast their vote in favour of the bill, saying as a gay man, he was likely to be ill-treated in certain restaurants in Idaho.

Emotional testimonies were delivered by members of Idaho’s LGBT community during the hearing that lasted over 20 hours, during which a transgender teen said she was often referred to as “it” by her teachers and taunted by her classmates to the point that she contemplated suicide. However, Republican legislators said they were concerned that the measure would lead to lawsuits against those who did not wish to offer their services to the LGBT community based on their religious beliefs. Ten cities in Idaho have already adopted non-discrimination clauses similar to the one that was halted on Thursday. In October of last year, a federal appeals court struck down a ban on same-sex marriage in Idaho as well.

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