- Homosexuality
- ⚢✔ Legal
- Gay Marriage
- ⚭✔ Legal
- Censorship
- ✖ State-enforced
- Changing Gender
- ✖ Illegal
- Gender-Affirming Care
- ✖ Restricted
- Non-Binary Gender Recognition
- ✖ Not legally recognized
- Hate Crime Protections
- ✖ Protected in some contexts
- Discrimination
- Varies by Region
- Employment Discrimination
- ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Housing Discrimination
- Varies by Region
- Adoption
- ✔ Legal
- Intersex Infant Surgery
- ✖ Not banned
- Military
- ✖ Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned
- Donating Blood
- ✔ Legal
- Conversion Therapy
- ✖ Not banned
- Age of Consent
- ✔ Equal
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Public Opinion
Recent surveys in Idaho have revealed a mixed response towards LGBTQ+ rights and issues.
OPPOSE
SUPPORT
Perception of LGBTQ+ People
Survey results from 10 LGBTQ+ Equaldex users who lived in or visited Idaho.
Overall
Perceived Safety**Survey results represent personal perceptions of safety and may not be indicative of current actual conditions.
Equal Treatment
Visibility & Representation
Culture
Services
History
Censorship of LGBT issues in Idaho is state-enforced.
Current status
Since Jul 1, 2025
State-enforced
HB 352 forbids LGBTQ+ instructions in grades K-12.
Varies by Region
Nampa County's school board, in June of 2023, enacted a similar policy to Florida's infamous "Don't say gay" bill, prohibiting the discussion of LGBT topics and issues in schools.
No major censorship exists statewide, however, Idaho school districts are required to remove any mandates for teachers to use transgender students' preferred pronouns. Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 538, sponsored by Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle, which protects public employees, including teachers, who refuse to use preferred names and pronouns. The bill prohibits teachers from using a name or pronoun that doesn't match a student's birth sex without parental consent, and it grants teachers the option to sue their district if they face discipline for refusing to comply. The bill became effective on July 1st, 2024.
No major censorship exists statewide, however, Idaho school districts are required to remove any mandates for teachers to use transgender students' preferred pronouns. Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 538, sponsored by Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle, which protects public employees, including teachers, who refuse to use preferred names and pronouns. The bill prohibits teachers from using a name or pronoun that doesn't match a student's birth sex without parental consent, and it grants teachers the option to sue their district if they face discipline for refusing to comply. The bill became effective on July 1st, 2024.
Right to change legal gender in Idaho is illegal.
Current status
Since Jul 1, 2024
Illegal
Transgender people are no longer able to change their gender on official documents in Idaho after the passage of House Bill 421. The bill came into effect on July 1st, 2024.
Legal, no restrictions
In August 2020, House Bill 509, which banned legal gender recognition, was overturned, returning to legal recognition being provided without the need for surgery or medical diagnosis.
Legal, no restrictions
In March 2018, the US District Court in Idaho ruled that the state must allow trans people to change their legal gender effective April 6th. The recognition did not require surgery or medical diagnosis.
Gender-affirming care in Idaho is restricted.
Current status
Since Jul 1, 2024
Restricted
In Idaho, gender-affirming care cannot be provided by anyone who works for local, county, or state agencies or on publicly owned property. Many of which are the dominant healthcare providers throughout the state. It also bans Idaho Medicaid from covering any costs of gender-affirming care. Lastly, the bill bans all gender affirming care for minors.
Legal, but banned for minors
Idaho law bans any changes with gender affirming care for minors, calling it gender mutilation in HB-71. Minors under the age of 18 cannot access gender affirming care even with parental consent. Doctors who do preform gender affirming care will be removed of their license and possibly face jail time. There will be a law into effect July 1st, 2024 that bans gender affirming care for all.
Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Idaho is not legally recognized.
Current status
Since Jul 1, 2024
Not legally recognized
While legal recognition is federally recognition Idaho will not recognize any government IDs with gender X marker. This includes out of state ids, and passports.
Hate crime protections in Idaho is protected in some contexts.
Current status
Since Oct 28, 2009
Protected in some contexts
Idaho law does not provide hate crime protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
However, if a case is transferred to the federal courts, federal law applies which provides hate crime protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
However, if a case is transferred to the federal courts, federal law applies which provides hate crime protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
LGBT discrimination in Idaho is varies by region.
Current status
Varies by Region
There are no statewide legal protections however, select local municipalities have non-discrimination ordinances under varied context.
LGBT employment discrimination in Idaho is sexual orientation and gender identity.
Current status
Since Jun 15, 2020
Sexual orientation only
President Trump's Department of Justice and the EEOC revoked protections for gender identity in employment discrimination. No statewide protections.
Sexual orientation and gender identity
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ruled that “[A]llegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex”, and are barred by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This ruling applies at both the state and federal levels. No statewide protections exist.
Gender identity only
In a landmark decision, Democratic President Obama's EEOC ruled that gender identity was included under Title VII protections from the Civil Rights Act (originally written to protect people based on sex discrimination). No statewide protections exist.
Until Apr 19, 2012
No protections
Before the EEOC granted discrimination protections for gender diverse and transgender Americans, no protections existed in the state of Idaho. The Idaho Senate committee on State Affairs rejected a bill which would've granted some discrimination protections, but not in employment.
LGBT housing discrimination in Idaho is varies by region.
Current status
Varies by Region
There are no statewide legal protections however, select local municipalities have non-discrimination ordinances which protect individuals from housing discrimination.
Same-sex adoption in Idaho is legal.
Current status
Legal
Pursuant Idaho §16-1501, any adult may may petition for adoption. Though it's not expressly permitted by any case law or statute, same-sex, second-parent adoption is theoretically legal as no laws prohibit it.
Intersex infant surgery in Idaho is not banned.
Current status
Not banned
The restrictions on gender-affirming care in Idaho allow exceptions for intersex infant surgery.
Serving openly in military in Idaho is lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned.
Current status
Since May 6, 2025
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned under federal United States law
Midday on May 6th, 2025, the Supreme Court issued an order allowing the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender service members while the court reviews their case.
Legal under federal United States law
On the evening of March 18th, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes blocked the implementation of Trump's executive order banning transgender people from the military. The judge said that not only was the order unconstitutional but “a solution in search of a problem.”.
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned under federal United States law
On January 27th, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that bans transgender people from serving in the military.
On February 10th, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth filed in court a memo relating to President Trump’s executive order from the previous month.
From then until March 18th, 2025, The U.S. military prohibited transgender individuals from enlisting and ceased providing or supporting gender transition procedures for service members.
On February 10th, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth filed in court a memo relating to President Trump’s executive order from the previous month.
From then until March 18th, 2025, The U.S. military prohibited transgender individuals from enlisting and ceased providing or supporting gender transition procedures for service members.
Legal under federal United States law
In 2021, former President Joe Biden removed then-former President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military.
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned under federal United States law
The Trump administration enacted a new policy barring individuals with a "condition" known as "gender dysphoria." from serving in the military.
Legal under federal United States law
In 2011, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed by the Obama Administration. Former President Obama allowed members who were dishonorably discharged under DADT, to receive an honorable discharge.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell under federal United States law
Don't Ask, Don't Tell was the historic compromise signed by President Bill Clinton authorizing people who are LGBT to serve in the military provided they didn't disclose sexuality. The law also removed the ability for others in the military from asking for a service member's orientation.
Blood donations by MSMs in Idaho is legal.
Current status
Since May 11, 2023
Legal under federal United States law
The new FDA policy on blood donation eliminates deferrals and screening questions specific to men who have sex with men (MSM). Prospective donors will be asked the same set of questions regardless of their sex or sexual orientation.
Banned (less than 6-month deferral) under federal United States law
The FDA announced changes to the blood donor eligibility policy in April 2020, reducing the MSM deferral period from 12 months to 3 months. The change came amid the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, where blood was needed urgently.
Banned (1-year deferral) under federal United States law
After a series of recommendations, the FDA has moved to a 12 months deferral.
Banned (indefinite deferral) under federal United States law
Starting in 1983, the United States implemented a full ban on blood donations from gay men. The primary justification for the ban was the perceived high risk of HIV transmission, with health regulators identifying men who have sex with men (MSM) as a significant risk to the safety of the blood supply.
Conversion therapy in Idaho is not banned.
Current status
Not banned
Conversion therapy is not banned in Idaho. House Bill 52, a bill which aimed to ban conversion therapy in certain instances, was introduced on January 27th, 2021. However, the bill did not pass.
Equal age of consent in Idaho is equal.
Current status
Since Jun 26, 2003
Equal
Though it does not explicitly say if LGBTQ parties are in the law, it remains equal for LGBTQ people.
Current status
Equal under federal United States law
Equal age of consent nationwide; however, the age of consent does vary in each state.
United States Equality Rank
#256
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