Idaho minister convicted of trespassing during anti-trans law protest

A jury found the Rev. Sara LaWall guilty on August 27 of a misdemeanor charge of trespassing as a result of her involvement in a protest concerning Idaho’s anti-transgender law, a case that could lead the Unitarian Universalist minister to imprisonment for as long as six months.

LaWall chose to go to trial instead of taking a plea bargain, since the case was part of her continued advocacy work. She and eight other people were arrested in April at the Idaho State Capitol when they asked for a meeting with Idaho Gov. Brad Little to talk about legislation that affected transgender residents.

The law they protested was HB 752, which mandates that people use facilities that are segregated by sex corresponding to the gender they were assigned at birth. This bill is currently partly blocked because of a preliminary injunction that was handed down in June. Additionally, the protesters opposed HB 822, which requires schools, childcare providers, and medical professionals to inform parents when a child seems to be questioning their gender identity.

LaWall pointed out the difference between the sentence that she might receive and the maximum penalty provided for under HB 752, which includes up to a year’s jail time.

LaWall, who is the mother of a transgender child, said that she had been found guilty of willfully and knowingly trespassing and that the fact that those sentences are so disproportionate seems really hurtful and scary. Her sentencing is set for Sept. 17.

LaWall and about 25 other people went through all the floors of the Idaho State Capitol Building in April, singing and praying, and then assembled in the governor’s office to ask for a meeting. According to LaWall, they were told the governor was unavailable, and the group waited to be heard by the staff directly affected by the legislation. However, no meeting took place.

At 5 p.m., when the Capitol closed, most protesters left on their own. Nine people, among them a pastor and a Sunday school teacher, stayed behind and were arrested by the Idaho State Police on charges of trespassing. Three of the individuals who were arrested were transgender, LaWall said.

Of the nine, six accepted plea agreements that reduced the charge to a civil infraction. Dustin Miller, who is a transgender man and the father of a 10-year-old transgender daughter, also refused a plea deal and is contesting the charge; his status hearing is set for September 9. The third defendant, Andrea Rane, is scheduled to go on trial on September 8.

The Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, the Idaho State Police and the governor’s office either refused to comment or did not reply to requests for comment.

LaWall said the demonstration was intended as a response to what organizers call the growing influence of Christian nationalism in Idaho politics and as a way to maintain a noticeable religious presence at the Capitol. Carolyn Blackhurst, a Sunday school teacher at the Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise who was also arrested, said Little should be ashamed of himself.

LaWall said the courtroom restrictions limited her ability to explain the political background to her arrest. Nevertheless, she and the other people arrested that day plan to keep speaking out, saying many Idahoans still don’t know such laws exist.

“No one’s heard,” Miller said.