The Idaho Way: Best argument against anti-transgender bill came from Republican
By Scott McIntosh, opinion editor
The Idaho Way is a weekly roundup of opinions, commentary and letters to the editor to encourage conversation on topics important to Idahoans. If you like this newsletter, forward to a friend, and they can sign up here.
Idaho Republican Rep. Lori McCann, of Lewiston, gave the most compelling, heartfelt, empathetic and reasonable testimony on the House floor Tuesday against House Bill 71, which criminalizes gender-affirming care for transgender children.
McCann actually took the time to meet with parents of transgender children and a transgender 16-year-old girl.
“I’ve lost a lot of sleep over this bill,” she said. “I’ve wrestled with it. I’ve talked with professionals. I’ve talked with medical folks, parents. I’ve talked with actual transgender people, and I want them to know that I care, I feel for them, and it is real. It is something that is real that we all need to try to understand.”
House Bill 71 bans surgeries for transgender children under 18 and criminalizes gender-affirming care, such as hormone therapy and puberty blockers, punishable as a felony with up to 10 years in prison.
“My heart is with these people, these lovely individuals that I’ve met, and they touched me deeply,” McCann said.
So she voted against the bill, right?
Wrong.
Boise bootblack’s incredible life story
If Jim Walker had been just a master bootblack, shining the shoes of Idaho governors, legislators, mayors, lawyers and power players, he would have led a fascinating life.
If the most interesting thing about him was that he shined Elvis Presley’s boots, chatted with Frank Sinatra over a $100 polish and shined the shoes of Raquel Welch and Ann-Margret, it would have been more interesting than most.
“He was really good at what he did,” former state Sen. Bart Davis, a regular customer, told me in a phone interview. “He was the kind of guy who would put a shine on your shoes, but he’d put a smile on your face, as well.”
But Walker, who died Jan. 24 at the age of 82, had a life story that was more extraordinary than that. It involves a policeman who was shot to death, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
You can read my full column here and learn about Walker’s incredible life story that not many people knew about.
Boise pharmacist should find another line of work
The pharmacist at a Boise Rite Aid who refused to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to a customer clearly can’t do her job and should look for another line of work.
As Idaho Statesman reporter Angela Palermo reported, Boise resident Dan Berger had scheduled an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster before heading out of the country on a trip.
Berger, who is immunocompromised, had made an appointment, which the pharmacist, Amy, canceled. He scheduled another appointment, went into the Rite Aid on Vista, and Amy informed him that she wouldn’t administer the shot because of her conscience.
If Amy doesn’t want to get the vaccine, that’s her business. But Berger made the choice with his doctor to get vaccinated, and for Amy to unilaterally deny him voluntary medical treatment is a breach of ethics — not to mention a breach of her ability to do her job.
Partisan school boards?
Rep. Joe Alfieri, R-Coeur d’Alene, introduced a bill that represents an attack on one of the only parts of Idaho government that functions well: public school boards. The bill would turn school board races from nonpartisan contests, for which voters have to focus on things like qualifications, policy positions and experience, into partisan races — where all that seems to matter is the R or D behind a person’s name.
Here’s why that’s a horrible idea.
Doctor leaving Idaho
Dr. Kylie Cooper, a maternal-fetal doctor in Boise, is leaving Idaho because of the state’s restrictive abortion ban, which impedes her ability to provide proper medical care to her patients.
“My life as a physician has been turned upside down,” she writes in a guest opinion this week. “How do I keep my patients safe? How do I stay safe?
“The total abortion ban does not have exceptions, only affirmative defenses. An affirmative defense means that the burden of proof lies with the physician to prove their innocence. In court, the physician must prove that the procedure was necessary to avert death or was due to rape or incest. There is no defense to protect the health of the mother, which is the most common scenario we face.
“I need to be able to protect my patients’ lives, their health and future fertility without fear of becoming a felon. This fear is why I’m leaving Idaho.”
You can read Cooper’s full guest opinion piece here.
Voter suppression? Bring it on
“From egregious statements about our teachers to attacks on LGBTQ+ youth to silencing student voices in House committees, many Republican legislators are working hard to alienate young voters this session,” Shiva Rajbhandari writes in a guest opinion piece this week. “But if you think these politicians are worried that Gen Z will hold them accountable for their actions, you’d be mistaken. The far-right does in fact have a long-term contingency plan: voter suppression.
“So while all Idahoans should stand up and defend our right to vote, my message to anti-democratic legislators is simple: Bring. It. On.”
You can read Shiva’s full guest opinion piece here.
Another book-ban bill
As Idaho Statesman opinion writer Bryan Clark writes, efforts at censorship have not ended in Idaho, as the House State Affairs Committee demonstrated Monday. The committee agreed with no debate to introduce House Bill 139, which would put every school and library in Idaho immediately in the crosshairs for a raft of civil lawsuits.
Idaho’s new library bill would target books with gay characters for censorship.
Read Bryan’s full column here.
Capitol Letters
Now that the Idaho Legislature is back in session, Idaho Statesman reporter Ryan Suppe and politics editor Hayat Norimine have you covered, keeping you updated on each day’s happenings and what to expect for the upcoming day.
Plus, I throw in our astute politics observations and opinions on a daily basis.
To sign up to receive Capitol Letters, click here.
I’m listening
Send me your story ideas, news tips, questions, comments, or anything else on your mind. You can reach me via email at smcintosh@idahostatesman.com.
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What you’re saying
This week, we received letters to the editor on legislative antics, student IDs, conspiracy theories, disenfranchisement, the wealth tax and maternal mortality. You can read these and more letters by clicking here.
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