2012 to 2018, Idaho’s Protections: Discrimination Against Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Since 2012, Idaho has 14 cities and 2 counties that have enacted ordinances prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

2017, Hate Crime in Nampa

U.S. v. Kelly Schneider (2017). A Nampa, Idaho man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to violently assaulting Steven Nelson because he was gay, resulting in Mr. Nelson’s death. He was convicted of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Schneider also pleaded guilty in..Read More

August 2011, Return of the Boise Valley People

Tribes met in Boise, Idaho, their traditional territories to share and practice their traditions. Now an annual event, it has grown into two locations. With the goal of fundraising to create a cultural center to share the importance of remembering Indigenous ancestors. For the People of the Boise Valley it..Read More

July 20, 2011, Service Animal Deposits

Intermountain Fair Housing Council v. CVE Falls Park, L.L.C, 2:10-CV-00346-BLW (D. Idaho July 20, 2011); Court held that a housing provider that imposes a deposit on a service animal is in violation of the FHA.

2011, Community House

Community House, Inc. v. City of Boise, (2011) the City of Boise was ordered to pay $1 million to Community House, a shelter/housing provider when the City violated the State constitution and the Fair Housing Act. The City gave a deal to a religious organization to lease and then own..Read More

2010, Add The Words

The Civil Rights Group Add The Words begins advocating to add the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the Idaho’s human rights act. As of 2021, the Idaho State Legislature has failed to do so.

2009, Fair Housing Prevails in Idaho

Alamar Ranch v. Boise County. Alamar Ranch sued Boise County alleging three separate violations of the Fair Housing Act: (1) failure to grant a reasonable accommodation for the construction of housing for persons with disabilities, (2) adverse treatment of persons with disabilities and (3) intentional interference with the construction of..Read More

2009, Defunding of the Idaho Women’s Commission

The Idaho legislature defunded the Idaho Women’s Commission.

September, 2003, Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho Opens

The Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho (HCCI), incorporated in May of 1977 functioned as a center without walls until September of 2003 when they opened a 33,000 square foot cultural center in Nampa.

September 2000, Judgement Against the Aryan Nation

The Southern Poverty Law Center won a $6.3 million judgement against the Aryan Nations from an Idaho jury who awarded punitive and compensatory damages to a woman and her son who were attacked by Aryan Nations guards. The lawsuit stemmed from the July 1998 attack when security guards at the..Read More

June 18, 2001, Management of Lake Coeur d’Alene

Supreme Court decision of Idaho v. United States (533 U.S. 262), which resulted in the transfer of the management of the lower third of Lake Coeur d’Alene from the state of Idaho to the Coeur d’Alene Tribe illustrates the strength of the Coeur d’Alene Tribal sovereignty.

1996, Turning Point, Inc v. Caldwell

Shelter providers for persons who are homeless argued that Caldwell set the occupancy limitation so low that it failed to make reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities.

March 4, 1994, Occupancy Standards and Family Size

Calderon v. Ed Madigan, Secretary of Agriculture, Earl Tilley, Administrator of Farm Home Administration, and the Wilder Housing Authority.

1994 to Present, Intermountain Fair Housing Council

Since 1994 IFHC has filed more than 168 design and construction complaints, likely the main factor in motivating the Idaho legislature to incorporate the International Building Code requirements into the statewide building code to ensure that new covered multi-family housing complies with the FHA’s design and construction requirements

1987, Fair Housing Act Protects Against Racist Threats

United States v. Keith Gilbert (Gilbert 1, 1987; Gilbert II, 1989). In 1980, Keith Gilbert, an avowed white supremacist, sent racially derogatory and “threatening” correspondence to Susan Smith, a White woman who operated an adoption agency that was trying to place minority children. After remand, Gilbert was convicted at trial…Read More

The Treaties of 1863 and 1868

These treaties involving the Boise Valley People and the United States were unratified. The Fort Bridger treaty remains the basis for the government-to-government relationship between the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the United States.

May, 1977, Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho

The Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho (HCCI) was incorporated in May of 1977 and received its 501(c) (3) non-profit status in 1998.

1975, Indochinese Refugee Assistance Program

Idaho entered the refugee resettlement arena in 1975 when Governor John Evans established the Indochinese Refugee Assistance Program in response to the need for all states to participate in the resettlement of refugees fleeing the overthrow of U.S. supported governments in Southeast Asia.

1972, Equal Rights Amendment

In 1972 Idaho became the first state in the nation to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. An amendment to the United States Constitution first proposed in 1972 to give equal rights to women and men. The Equal Rights Amendment is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to..Read More

April 7, 1969, Idaho Human Rights Act

Republican Gov. Don Samuelson’s advisers drafted a bill that granted the proposed commission only investigative and advisory powers in areas of employment opportunities, housing, education and public accommodations. In essence, this served to create a commission to oversee the provisions outlined in the earlier 1961 Anti-discrimination Act. And, like that..Read More

March 15, 1969, Idaho’s Commission on Human Rights

Idaho Commission on Human Rights was created in response to Anti-Mexican sentiment in Canyon County and elsewhere in the state.

Idaho Fair Employment Practices Act

In response to Anti-Mexican treatment, Idaho passed its first anti-discrimination law in 1961, the Idaho Fair Employment Practices Act.

February, 1942, Japanese Internment

President Franklin Roosevelt signed an Executive Order placing all people of Japanese ancestry into relocation centers.

1896, Women’s Right to Vote

Idaho became the fourth state in the nation to give women the right to vote. The territorial legislature had come close to giving women the right to vote as early as 1869. In 1867, the territorial legislature passed a statute making Idaho a community property state, property owned jointly by..Read More