Today, GLAAD is calling on Idaho Governor Brad Little to veto House Bill 500 (HB 500), which passed through the Idaho Senate yesterday. House Bill 500 is a discriminatory and harmful bill that would prevent student athletes from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity.
According to the ACLU, HB 500 “would violate basic privacy rights by requiring educators and coaches to identify and separate transgender youth, some of whom may not be ‘out’ as transgender to their peers or teachers.” HB 500 would also “mandate DNA analysis, hormone level monitoring, or even an inspection of the youth’s ‘internal and external reproductive anatomy.’”
ACTION: Tweet @GovernorLittle on Twitter and message @GovernorBradLittle on Instagram to tell Governor Brad Little to Veto HB 500. Use the hashtags #IDLeg and #VetoHB500.
Chase Strangio, staff attorney with the ACLU, spoke out on Twitter encouraging people to tell Governor Little to #VetoHB500:
ALERT: The first anti-trans bill of 2020 has passed in Idaho. It will soon go to the Governor. Tell @GovernorLittle to #VetoHB500. The bill is regressive, it harms all women & girls, and is a direct attack on girls who are trans and intersex. We will sue you if you sign this.
— Chase Strangio (@chasestrangio) March 17, 2020
GLAAD also urged people to tell Governor Little to veto HB 500:
Tell Idaho @GovernorLittle to veto #HB500, which aims to harm transgender student athleteshttps://t.co/RTAHmmLcEz
— GLAAD (@glaad) March 17, 2020
Idaho’s HB 500 is the first anti-trans bill of the 2020 legislative cycle to pass in the United States, which could set a dangerous precedent for similar bills throughout the country. As of March 9, 2020, there are at least 20 anti-trans bills being considered in the U.S. with the goal of excluding transgender youth from athletics, in other states including Alabama, Arizona, Tennessee, and more.