February 25, 2020, a committee of the Idaho House heard public testimony about Bill 465, which would put doctors in jail FOR LIFE if they offer medically standard care for transgender youth. It is a truly awful bill that would lead to harm for Idaho’s transgender community. It will also cost the state a lot…
This is what I said this morning in committee. After hearing considerable testimony against this bill, the committee voted along party lines to send it to the House. My name is Marci Glass, and I am the pastor of Southminster Presbyterian Church on the Boise bench. I am here to urge you to vote against…
In a recent op-ed, Senator Brent Hill argued against adding the words “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” to Idaho Human Rights codes, unless people can be exempted from human rights for religious reasons. He said: “the only viable solution is a balanced approach” and we should be “seeking fairness rather than unilateral advantage”. With language…
Today I participated in the Boise Women’s March on Idaho, one of hundreds of marches around the world. Many have asked why we marched. The crowd in Boise was somewhere over 5,000 people (I’ve been to lots of marches here and this was, by far, the largest) and I suspect there were 5,000 different reasons…
Here is a statement I shared this morning at the Idaho Capitol against Senate Bill 1404. It is the “Idaho Unborn Dignity Act”, which would effectively make it illegal for women to get pregnant in order to have an abortion so they could make money by selling their baby parts for medical research. An important,…
You can read the Bill here. Chairman Loertscher and members of the Committee, My name is Marci Glass and I am the pastor of Southminster Presbyterian Church, here to speak against House Bill 516. In his introduction, Rep. Nate spoke about getting a retinal scan at the eye doctor, or an X-ray for a broken…
Republican Sherry Nuxoll has introduced a bill in the Idaho Senate Education Committee that would “expressly permit” public school teachers to use the Bible while studying such topics as literature, history, biology, music, and world geography. The Education Committee unanimously agreed to introduce the bill. Of course, teachers today are free to use the Bible…
Today I had the privilege of offering the Benediction at the Idaho Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony at the Capitol. Here’s how organizers describe the event: On April 18, 1982, Idaho Governor John Evans signed a proclamation establishing Idaho’s first statewide observation of Holocaust Remembrance. Each year, at ceremonies like this across the nation, the Days of…
Twice this week, I had the privilege to hear a young woman testify at the statehouse. The first time was Monday morning, the ill-fated session when Rep Barbieri seemed more than a little unclear about how women’s bodies worked exactly. (Of course, his confusion does not seem to keep him from thinking he’s qualified to…
This morning, I sat in on a hearing about House Bill 154, which would limit a woman’s access to health care. I testified against the bill. It is intrusive. It does not raise the medical standard of care but interferes with access to health care, which is a real problem in a rural state that…
Glass Overflowing 