Equality Federation Response to Signage of Two Anti-Transgender Laws in Idaho

March 31, 2020

Last night, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed two bills that limit the rights of transgender people. HB500 effectively bans transgender women from playing sports and HB509 bans transgender people from amending their birth certificates. While similar bills have been introduced across the country, Idaho is the first to sign a transgender athlete bill into law.

“It’s shameful that Gov Little chose to sign hateful anti-transgender bills the night before Transgender Day of Visibility. Idahoans from across the state reached out to share their stories and demand a veto after the bill’s passage,” said David Topping, director of advocacy for Equality Federation. “In the midst of this national crisis Idaho’s legislature sent an anti-trans youth sports bill to the governor. Our nation is in the middle of a pandemic. Our economy is in chaos and people are dying. We should be finding ways to pull together–passing laws designed to harm transgender people is hurtful, offensive, and the last thing anyone should be doing.”

More You might like

Black & LGBTQ+ Organizations Mobilize in High-Stakes Supreme Court Battle

We joined The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), PrEP in Black America (PIBA), Afiya Center (Dallas), Women with a Vision (New Orleans), SisterLove (Atlanta), and BlaqOut (Kansas City, Missouri) in filing an amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief in the Braidwood v Kennedy case on appeal in the Supreme Court in order to take a stand defending access to preventative health care nationally and to protect the Black and brown lives that will be lost should this access be overturned.

March 19, 2025
Leading Doesn’t Have to Be Lonely

Last month, we hosted our New Executive Director Intensive, one of our longest-running leadership programs. For over a decade, this program has brought together Executive Directors who are new in their role to foster healthy, sustainable organizations and leadership practices. Here are inspiring takeaways we got out of this year’s intensive!

March 19, 2025
Spotlight Interview featuring Ronnie, Advocacy, Policy, & Partnerships Director at FreeState Justice

In recognition of HIV is Not a Crime Day and Maryland's recent groundbreaking progress toward HIV law reform, we sat down for a conversation with Ronnie at FreeState Justice, one of our state partners. We discuss Maryland’s historic progress, its significance in the current landscape of HIV criminalization across the United States, and the importance of Black LGBTQ+ leadership in shaping HIV justice.

March 19, 2025
A young man looking up, smilingA young man smiling straight at the camera
Confident young woman standing with crossed arms.

Want To Make A Difference? Support Our Work

With your support, we'll be able to continue our work to build the leaders of today and tomorrow, strengthen state-based LGBTQ+ organizations, and make critical progress on the issues that matter most—like protecting transgender people, ending HIV criminalization and ensuring access to care, and banning conversion therapy across the country.