'Protected from unnecessary political and cultural conflict': Sandpoint repeals local nondiscrimination ordinance

The City of Sandpoint repealed a decades-old ordinance last night that gave local protections against discrimination.

Now, municipal code will only reflect the rights protected by the state and nation.

The decision reverses a unanimous City Council vote from over a decade ago. That vote created local definitions of discrimination and a Sandpoint human relations council.

Mayor Jeremy Grimm brought an amendment forward after public outcry over the YMCA’s locker room policy.

A female lifeguard allegedly saw someone she assumed was a transgender woman in the women’s locker room. She called 9-1-1 after the Y said their locker room policies were in line with city code.

Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm says city code shouldn’t define what discrimination is. He says the city should refer to state