In response to recent statements from Rep. Paul Shepherd, R-Riggins, about gays, two young activists delivered a letter to him today – signed by 200 people from across the state – calling on him to meet with them in a “town-hall style forum” to discuss his concerns with members of Idaho’s LGBT community – and Shepherd said he’s willing. “I want to have the forum and I believe in that and I agree with that,” Shepherd told Eye on Boise. He said he wants to make sure it’s in a public place, as he’s received some threatening communications since his comments.

Yesterday, Shepherd told Idaho Public Television that he views gay people the same way he views slave owners.  “They (slave owners) weren’t terrible rotten horrible people,” he said, just people who made terrible decisions. “And that’s how I see gay people.”

In a news release today, Shepherd said, “I am a man with strong religious beliefs, primarily holding to the basic principle that the Bible is the inherent and inspired word of God. I will not stray from those views even though there are those who wish to bully and threaten me.” He noted that his expired campaign website was taken over by LGBT activists, who turned it into a resource site for LGBT youth.

“I understand there are some who do not agree with my beliefs regarding the LGBT community and the interference of the federal government in regard to issues that I consider to be matters of the state,” Shepherd said in his release. “I respect their right to their opinion, unfortunately, they do not agree with my right to mine.”

Chelsea Gaona Lincoln, who joined Jordan Brady of “Better Idaho” for a brief press statement on the Statehouse steps before delivering the letter to Shepherd, said she didn’t know who’d taken over the website, but after “Better Idaho,” a progressive network, posted the letter/petition on its website in response to Shepherd’s statements in the House last week about a non-binding memorial to Congress he sponsored calling for the impeachment of federal judges who rule in favor of gay marriage, someone else posted it on Reddit. There, “Somebody identifying himself as a ‘gay nerd’” wrote that he’d checked on Shepherd’s website domain registration, Lincoln said, found it expired, and decided to take it over.

Lincoln said Shepherd’s comments in the House “really resonated with me in a way that was very unsettling.” She pledged to meet with him in a respectful exchange, and said she hopes “he extends to me the same Christian respect I can extend to him.” She added, “I just would like him to know someone personally that’s from the community.”