The United Methodist Church’s Oregon-Idaho Conference has voted to move its 2027 annual conference out of Idaho, saying recent state laws have made some transgender and nonbinary members feel unsafe.
The conference had already planned to return to Boise next year. Instead, delegates approved a motion directing church leaders to find a new location “that is safer for all.”
Rev. Jenny Hirst, an outreach pastor in Boise, urged delegates to remain in Idaho, saying the state needs “the witness and solidarity of the wider church now more than ever.” She acknowledged the fear many transgender Idahoans are experiencing but argued that leaving could unintentionally isolate the very communities the church hopes to support.
Rev. Duane Anders, senior pastor at Boise’s Cathedral of the Rockies, shared that his own transgender child left Idaho because they no longer felt safe living there. Even so, he encouraged delegates to keep the conference in Boise, saying the gathering could have become a public demonstration of support for LGBTQ Idahoans while creating opportunities to engage lawmakers and local communities.
Supporters of the move pointed to Idaho’s recent laws affecting transgender people, including the state’s bathroom law. Although enforcement has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge while the law is challenged in court, many transgender Idahoans say the legislation has created an increasingly hostile environment.
Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth described the conversation as deeply personal after delegates heard testimony from transgender members, immigrants, and people of color about their experiences in Idaho. At the same time, he reminded the conference that faithful United Methodists continue serving communities throughout the state.
“All harm is harm,” the bishop reiterated.
The decision means the conference will meet outside Idaho in 2027, although a new location has not yet been announced. It also means Idaho will lose hundreds of visitors who typically support local hotels, restaurants, and businesses during the annual gathering.
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