Idaho’s 2026 Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation Pushed a Denomination to Leave
The Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church voted in June 2026 to move its 2027 annual conference out of Idaho, citing safety concerns for LGBTQ+ and immigrant members. The vote was close, but the outcome was clear: the 2027 gathering will be held in Oregon or virtually.
The conference had been scheduled for Idaho in both 2026 and 2027 under a longstanding equity policy. The Oregon-Idaho Conference merged in 1969, and Idaho hosts the meeting roughly every four years. That plan is now off the table.
Idaho Introduced 11 Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills in 2026 Alone
The legislative pressure was direct. The ACLU of Idaho reported that Idaho lawmakers introduced 11 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in 2026. Six specifically targeted transgender people.
11 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced by Idaho lawmakers in 2026, per the ACLU of Idaho, half targeting trans people specifically
One of those bills, House Bill 752, makes it a crime for transgender people to use restrooms or changing rooms aligned with their gender identity in government buildings and all private businesses open to the public. A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction, so HB 752 is not yet fully in effect.
A Single Incident Brought the Motion to the Floor
The Rev. Heather Riggs of Montavilla United Methodist Church in Portland brought the relocation motion. During public comment, it was reported that a nonbinary clergy member from Oregon experienced a microaggression while accompanying their wife to a Boise hospital. That incident became the catalyst for the floor debate.
Dozens of clergy and laity spoke. Some argued for staying, including Cathedral of the Rockies pastor Rev. Duane Anders, whose church hosted this year’s conference.
“Our response to that was, if anything, we need it here more.”
Rev. Duane Anders, Cathedral of the Rockies, Boise, June 2026
Those who supported moving argued that the safety of vulnerable members could not be subordinated to symbolic presence. The vote sided with that position.
The move signals something beyond church logistics. When a denomination’s conference delegates conclude that a U.S. state is unsafe enough to leave, that is a measure of what Idaho’s legislative agenda has built.
What You Can Do Now
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Contact Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s office at (208) 334-2100. Tell him to veto any future anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and to drop the state’s defense of HB 752 in court. The preliminary injunction is temporary.
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Call your U.S. senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to support the Equality Act, federal legislation that would extend civil rights protections to LGBTQ+ Americans in public accommodations and end the state-by-state patchwork.
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Contact the ACLU of Idaho directly at acluidaho.org to report incidents of discrimination under Idaho’s new laws and to ask how to submit a public comment or testimony in support of the federal injunction against HB 752.
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Share the ACLU of Idaho’s 2026 legislative tracker with your faith community, employer, or professional association considering events in Idaho. Organizations making venue decisions deserve full information about the legal environment.
Sources
Idaho Capital Sun: United Methodist Conference Moves Meeting Out of Idaho Over LGBTQ+ Concerns ACLU of Idaho: 2026 Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation Tracker Idaho Capital Sun: Idaho Transgender Bathroom Ban HB 752 Signed Into Law FāVS News: Oregon-Idaho Methodist Conference Votes to Leave Idaho in 2027