BOISE, Idaho — Governor Brad Little signed HB 71, a bill that prohibits puberty blockers, hormones and sex-reassignment surgeries for people under 18, into law on Tuesday evening. In response, advocacy groups like the ACLU are planning to sue the state over the law.
Boise School Board member Shiva Rajbhandari, the youngest member of the board, is upset about it as well. On Tuesday evening he tweeted about the governor signing the bill into law, using some strong words.
Warning: The following tweet has explicit language.
He experienced some backlash for the tweet but, in an interview with KTVB, said that he's incredibly disappointed with our legislators and governor and that his statement stands.
"The hypocrisy of suggesting that a tweet from my personal account could do more harm than a bill which seeks to genocide hundreds maybe thousands of trans students across our state it just baffles me. People need to realize that what's going on in the statehouse is scary and it's an attack on the rights of families and the rights of all of us and we need to stand up and be involved in state politics," Rajbhandari said.
He furthered that sometimes diplomacy is super important and generally using profanity does not promote civil discourse, however, he added that "this legislature has shown that diplomacy is not working."
House Bill 71 prohibits, "puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex reassignment surgeries for children under the age of 18 when administered or performed for the purpose of changing the appearance of a child's sex."
Rajbhandari said that no matter how many people called the governor to stop the signing of the bill, nothing seems to matter, and that, regardless of his position on the Boise School Board, he's an activist first.
"I'm an activist first, a community member first, I'm a sibling, and a friend, and a neighbor first, and my commitment to my trans and non-binary friends' family and community is my first commitment and first priority and I remain unapologetic for standing with this community in times of need," Rajbhandari said.
People responded to the tweet in positive and negative ways, some people said that his language was unprofessional and uncalled for. The Boise School Board also issued a statement disavowing Rajbhandari's language.
"The Board of the Boise School District does not condone, approve of, or endorse the language that Shiva Rajbhandari used in his Twitter account. His words do not exemplify the Dignity and Respect the Boise School District works so hard to earn everyday. His actions have also damaged our Teamwork, which we strive so hard to build both on our board and in the District."
The board also issued an apology to the governor. KTVB reached out to the board president, Dave Wagers, and asked him if the board was just unhappy with Rajbhandari's language or if it was his inclination to be so politically active. Wagers was also asked about the school boards stance on HB71, as it would affect students in their district.
"Today's statement by the board is clear," Wagers wrote in an email. "This is about the use of language that is inconsistent with the values of our District, not the political activity of Board members or in any way about the legislation referenced. I have no additional comments at this time."
Rajbhandari said that, he thinks, that HB 71 presents a serious threat to the well-being of many of Idaho's kids; "And I think it's really unfortunate that our legislators would choose to further such hateful rhetoric and such a hateful piece of legislation,"
Rajbhandari said he doesn't know of any other board members that have spoken out publicly against the bill but that supporting trans and non-binary students is a priority of many school board members across the state. He added that as leaders, it's important to speak out and model behavior that is civil and teaches kids what it means to be a leader.
"I would not condone the language I used in my tweets in a board meeting or in a classroom, but we also have a responsibility to fight for our communities and to stand up for what's right when trans rights are under attack... We stand up and fight back and I'm proud to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community in Idaho and I will never back down in my commitment to standing with my trans and non-binary friends and siblings," he said.
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