NAMPA, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Despite residents of Nampa contacting the city requesting the cancellation of the inaugural Canyon County Pride Festival, the city said that the event will go on as scheduled.
But the tone and tenor of a city news release raised some eyebrows in the community.
According to the release, Lakeview Park had been reserved by the Pride festival for June 9 from 1-4 p.m.n The news release added that, “The use of the park by this group is not an endorsement of their message or views by the City of Nampa.”
The release cited constitutional freedoms as the reason that Nampa “must recognize the protected first amendment rights of those scheduling and involved in this event.”
Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling said that the city received complaints alleging that the Nampa City Council and mayor’s office were the ones that approved the event. Instead, Kling clarified that park rentals fall under the Nampa Parks and Recreation Department.
“While this event does not reflect the personal beliefs and convictions of myself, the Nampa City Council, and many living in Nampa who have already reached out to us requesting it be canceled, the advice of our legal counsel was that the City of Nampa must recognize the protected first amendment rights of those scheduling and involved in this event,” Kling was quoted as saying in the release.
The release sparked controversy, with more than 200 comments flooding the City of Nampa Facebook page, many of which were critical of the city’s comments, in some cases labeling them as homophobic and bigoted.
One Facebook user took Kling’s remark to mean that “The mayor and city council would happily trample on the First Amendment rights of groups they disagree with if there were no legal consequences.”
Other commenters criticized the mayor and city council for publicly picking a side.
Kling addressed the criticism in an interview with the Idaho Press.
“My personal belief is that marriage is between a man and a woman, and it’s a God-given principle that marriage was to be between a man and a woman,” Kling said. “That said, we also are supposed to love one another, so I’m not going to walk in judgment of someone else.”
Kling clarified that, while she did not necessarily support the Pride event’s cause, she ultimately supported freedom of speech and would not try to take away a group’s constitutional rights.
“If we were to squelch freedom of speech in one area, it would be squelched in all areas,” Kling said. “... While I am not going to step back from my personal beliefs, I also will respect the right of the freedom of speech that our Constitution has provided.”
Event organizer Tom Wheeler continues to focus on “an outpouring of support” despite the event’s negative reception by some community members.
As an LGBTQ+ activist, Wheeler said he wasn’t surprised by the backlash and is instead working to ensure that the event goes on smoothly.
“To be honest, we didn’t expect anything drastically different,” Wheeler said. “We just asked for peace and an opportunity for a couple of hours on June 9.”
The event will include live music, food vendors and non-profits tabling at the park.
The pride festival organizers have been working closely with the Nampa Police Department to ensure safety at the event.
While Wheeler understood the city’s news release addressing First Amendment rights, he felt that the added comment by Kling was unnecessary.
“Those comments don’t necessarily assist us in keeping peace,” Wheeler said.
He said that the comment could be taken as validating community members’ disdain, both for the event and LGBTQ+ people.
“It’s comments like what Mayor Kling said, that our reason for us having this event is needed,” Wheeler said. “The community needs a win after the legislation we’ve seen across the country year over year.”
Kling said, in her own experience and encounters, many gay community members wouldn’t want to participate in events like the festival.
“They don’t promote ‘that they are gay.’ They just live,” Kling said. “I know a number of gay individuals that get up and go to work, just like I do every day. They’re not there to push an agenda.”
In a similar vein, Wheeler wants people to understand that LGBTQ+ people aren’t different.
“I just want folks to see us as the humans we are,” Wheeler said. “Dropping our kids off at school like everyone else does, getting dinner with family like everyone else does. We’re just folks like anybody else in any other county looking to have a day to be in community.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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