Since its inception in 1990, YFFN has been involved to some degree in Idaho politics. Usually it was just organizing letters to the editors, phone calls to legislators, and similar projects. We were, for the most part, timid in our approach due to a lack of educated volunteers and overall apathy and fear within Idaho's GLBT community. Not to mention our own inexperience at this kind of thing.

   In 1993, all of that changed. The winds of destiny blew the seeds of the Oregon Citizen's Alliance across the border into Idaho. The Idaho Citizen's Alliance, led by Kelly Walton, started gathering signatures for an anti-gay initiative that would have sent free speech and civil rights back a century or two. The YFFN board along with many other groups in Idaho scrambled to counter this threat but our own inexperience often had us stumbling over each other resulting in a confusing message being sent to Idaho's public.

   In 1994, when the ICA announced that they had gotten the signatures and their "Proposition One" would be on the ballot, YFFN went through some major changes. Most of the current YFFN board left to go run the No On One campaign. With LOTS of help from national groups like The Human Rights Campaign and The Digital Queers we were able to mount a statewide response that resulted in a very narrow defeat of Proposition One! Note that this coup happened alongside the Republican landslide victory across the US. (remember Newt Gingrich, anyone?)

   YFFN licked its wounds and realized the danger in political apathy. We put new breath into our Speak Out Idaho project, refocusing it more on teaching our citizens how to lobby their legislators. We forged alliances with like-minded groups like United Vision for Idaho, the Idaho Women's Network, and kept a better eye on our politicians.

   In 1996 the ICA tried to get SIX initiatives on the ballot so YFFN was quick to help the remnants of No on One transform into Don't Sign On. The ICA didn't collect even a quarter of the necessary signatures this time. Don't Sign On changed gears and tried to redefine itself as a permanent GLBT lobbying organization called Idaho for Basic Rights. Despite lots of statewide volunteer support, IBR eventually closed its doors due to lack of necessary funding.

   Someday, YFFN hopes to be able to help start a permanent GLBT lobbying organization. Until that time, we continue to use our Speak Out Idaho project to make a true alliance of Idaho citizens that can speak the truth powerfully and effectively to those around them and to our legislators.

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