10 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
of the Add the Words (gender
identity and sexual orientation)
regarding protection and equal
by Jessy Forsmo-Shadid rights to those to those in the
Moscow, Idaho LGBTQA community. Boise has a
done many protests that have
The LGBTQA community
not only made the papers in the
here in Idaho has been through
state, but around the country.
so much in the past couple of
Northern Idaho unfortunately
months. The community has
does not have the upper hand
fought relentlessly for marriage
in numbers but want to fight just
equality for too many years to
as much and just as hard as the
count. And though governor
people in Boise.
Clement “Butch” Otter, did not
agree with the decision, same sex
Though with a smaller popumarriage was granted in the state
lation here in northern Idaho,
of Idaho.
there are people in the LGBTQA
community who have protested
The month of October held
a number of celebrations of love relentlessly for the Add the Words
campaign. Stories of discriminaand marriage between sametion because of one’s gender
sex couples. At that moment,
the fight that many people in the identity or sexual orientation have
LGBTQA community were thinking been bravely told. When the
news about the campaign came
was racing to their town courts.
There they would rest for moment, to light, the community quickly
went back to protest.
and give themselves the peace
that they have earned for howJanuary 31, University of
ever long they’ve been together.
Idaho’s Gay Straight Alliance
(GSA) decided to join hands with
But it wasn’t long until our
state heard about the news
as many people as possible and
The early stages of protest
OutBoise.com | Issue 5.2 | March 2015
head towards Post Falls, Idaho
and Lewiston, Idaho to catch the
attention of the Republican gathering and city council meeting.
This was just a one time of protest, UI’s GSA president, Samantha Hansen, says that there is a
plan for more collaboration when
it comes to different colleges
here in northern Idaho.
“On March 11, we will be
holding protests for the Add the
Words campaign starting from 1
p.m. on the University of Idaho
campus,” said Hansen. “In the
evening we will proceed to
protest in downtown Moscow,
Idaho.”
These may be small steps
for northern Idaho, but they will
amount to change and education to the population. Joining
hands with other schools can give
the Add the Words campaign
what it could never lack; a unity
filled with understanding and the
will to fight for safety and equality.