Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, said he’s been involved in meetings over the summer to try to find a compromise between the “Add the Words” proposal to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, and concerns about religious liberty. “I think there’s been some real progress made this summer,” Hill said. “I think we have, quite frankly, some pretty good legislation that might be able to address it. The question is: Is it feasible? Are both sides of this issue willing to give up something in order to get what they want?” He said the issue is an emotional one, and there are people on both sides who “do not want to give anything to the other side.”

“I think it’s a learning process,” Hill said. “I think it’s a real issue, I think we do need to address it. But I think that the religious issues that some people are pooh-poohing, that’s also real. … I don’t know if it will come through this session because it takes a while to process, it takes a while to get buy-in that you need to get the votes to get it through ... and also the support of the public, including the LGBT community and others. I hope that we can get there. Whether we can do it within the next three months or not, I don’t know.”

Senate Minority Leader Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, said she hasn’t seen that proposed legislation. “I have not been privy to the language that they’re talking about,” she said. “We all here in the Legislature, we’re blessed to be able to have our homes and have meaningful work, and not have obstacles to lead the lives that we have been privileged to do, and I just feel like all Idahoans should have that same equality.”

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