[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6221473,"mediaKeyId","3613333-1289bce38db1422b0b494a9b61b5d37f","parentId",3613333,"title","Local groups press economic justice, warn of punitive welfare reform and push back on efforts to ban affirmative action","audioSeconds",351,"startMs",2387000,"endMs",2738000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3613333-1289bce38db1422b0b494a9b61b5d37f&start=2387&end=2738","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3613333-1289bce38db1422b0b494a9b61b5d37f/thumbnail_2387000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6221473/Missoula/Missoula-County/Montana/Local-groups-press-economic-justice-warn-of-punitive-welfare-reform-and-push-back-on-efforts-to-ban-affirmative-action","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221473-eea0ebb8db9f458d9b7724591226c74d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770415220&Signature=avlWP2YG14kt-GMhj5A8VmVy-2v~Y26FVwpQoZ0zNDeJ0NFMpVnljox4ELKL78Y3XiS7dhgW9WTc0MHZNUPwSW7LGF7e6dqgL~oqIhCo99Eqe9fQgU6KzvjAgoKpW4ZgeNAv2NbYC~i0sdsyYott-zQ1-6Pnn~bCbxoYmzeEdnGf0LJonsaWv6WQPgp-GVscq~Axej8YPLTPNLpIf5uWqBxZOiZoVT~9WlZEQ7yMZeulcIYgyIkNj3Dm1a1J9ekjLPVJ74eQ-cxC72di-ZmwEqOi4avVQ7LgHSj-FLizoKX2zqoi1xPLjVYEc6vNIlDDAkjl-yX5o3TsK1tuCb3Szg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Missoula, MT","date","2025-05-30T18:08:21Z","article","A representative of the Montana Women's Lobby and Courtney Bush of the Montana Association for Civil Rights addressed a Missoula forum on economic justice, welfare reform and the future of affirmative action in Montana.

\"There is a fallacy brewing in Helena ... that you can shortchange welfare programs, and shrink welfare roles, and somehow or other this is not going to be punitive,\" said the Montana Women's Lobby speaker, urging attendees to discuss and organize locally on women's economic issues.

Courtney Bush, speaking for the Montana Association for Civil Rights, circulated a petition and reviewed the scope of federal anti‑discrimination law. Bush listed federally protected attributes as she described them — \"race, color, national origin, marital status, age, disability, religion, creed, political organization or political belief, status as a Vietnam veteran, and status as a veteran with disability\" — and warned attendees to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment she said would ban affirmative‑action measures in Montana.

Why it matters: the speakers tied economic insecurity, welfare policy and civil‑rights protections together, arguing that punitive changes to assistance programs would harm people in a state with limited employment opportunities. They asked attendees to join small‑group discussions following the presentations and to consider testimony and petitions for the Legislature.

What was not recorded: the forum recorded advocacy and education; it did not record specific bill numbers for welfare proposals or the formal text of the constitutional amendment Bush referenced. The transcript does not show any formal action by a government body taken at the meeting.

Ending: organizers invited participants to smaller breakout discussions to plan local organizing and to offer help submitting testimony or signatures for petitions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Under The Copper Dome Community Coservation","oneSentenceSummary","Speakers from the Montana Women's Lobby and the Montana Association for Civil Rights urged community organizing against punitive welfare reforms and circulated a petition opposing a proposed constitutional amendment to ban affirmative action.","taxTitle","Missoula, Missoula County, Montana","taxId",4050,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6221479,"PRIDE director recounts legal challenge to Montana 'deviant conduct' law and warns of violence against LGBTQ people",347,1827000,2174000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3613333-1289bce38db1422b0b494a9b61b5d37f&start=1827&end=2174","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3613333-1289bce38db1422b0b494a9b61b5d37f/thumbnail_1827000.jpg","/articles/6221479/Missoula/Missoula-County/Montana/PRIDE-director-recounts-legal-challenge-to-Montana-deviant-conduct-law-and-warns-of-violence-against-LGBTQ-people","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221479-52a38293551391aa0a5d394f21e9b4b1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770415220&Signature=N1EBhYkd0psMtpzeKa01PngE4Cl3YHHDsMGHu60NiliRLtsCJMq5-TkDG4RKLNRhJPrr~awCb1OQ83APPzPn6JyuCYFTUHMIIKo~1s05AwxIJWxf5~Oa71m-fyYoWQMSdt1NbMonRE1vtan2Dl31dOK753leZ4YMjJitceNamwsRanAwWOi1z4VFk7QA-PPpgvhXDoJ4zRBLtl-lPeiPrwnT9bjCL3wQvZtop2uCV-wGL8Yo1UGTodZjoFrYyKFXmFepljS07gY1LdWO1HAsf20O8rkb7xFTo1tMhQlseHMcd5h~Ox8gqHyWGEBAvduY40xrXoyhNW6T0eE7XqTrVg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sandy Hale, executive director of PRIDE (Montana's statewide civil‑rights organization for gay, lesbian and bisexual people), told a Missoula forum that Montana's \"deviant sexual conduct\" statute has been the \"major stumbling block\" to civil‑rights protections for LGBTQ people and that the law is now being challenged before the Montana Supreme Court.

Hale described a December 1993 challenge brought by three lesbians and three gay men; she said a district court in February 1994, Judge Jeffrey Sherlock ruled the law \"does violate our right to privacy\" and that the case is on appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Hale also detailed recent violence and harassment: she said two gay men were ambushed and beaten on the University of Montana campus in fall 1995 and recounted that anti‑gay flyers circulated in downtown Missoula that called for the death of homosexuals and their supporters. \"This instills absolute fear and terror into the entire gay and lesbian, bisexual community,\" she told attendees.

Why it matters: Hale said the statute separates LGBTQ people from legal protections that others enjoy and contributes to discrimination in employment, housing, education and public accommodations. She also called for community support and legal change to improve safety and equal treatment.

What the forum did not record: the transcript contains speeches and personal accounts presented by Hale and others; it does not include formal statements from prosecutors, the state Supreme Court, police incident reports, or legislative responses. The article reports what Hale said at the forum and identifies incidents as presented by her.

Ending: Hale urged community members to speak up against harassment and to support legal and policy changes that would remove barriers to civil‑rights protections.","Sandy Hale, executive director of PRIDE, described efforts to challenge Montana's deviant conduct statute, cited a 1994 district court ruling that found the law violated privacy, and recounted recent violent incidents and harassment against LGBTQ people in Missoula and statewide.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6221484,"Montana advocates warn House Bill 365 would criminalize rare late‑term procedure, urge testimony at Helena hearing",311,1346000,1657000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3613333-1289bce38db1422b0b494a9b61b5d37f&start=1346&end=1657","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3613333-1289bce38db1422b0b494a9b61b5d37f/thumbnail_1346000.jpg","/articles/6221484/Missoula/Missoula-County/Montana/Montana-advocates-warn-House-Bill-365-would-criminalize-rare-lateterm-procedure-urge-testimony-at-Helena-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221484-fed0ad1c04992e037c58c20e4531a7e9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770415220&Signature=EOpoOoHFcDUdUr0XU3PjRXGv4rYxGQFLEfHLaxPbyJDTCENcXEbu0KsoIKzXk4si5ifGkTz5xoO1oo~XPefYZCBUL5jJu3woHLGkeb8SyWayG9p3fj6Egke~camHN4y~QBZzfnsXtFQkK0tmh05tFAqBonddI529~~yMxe18qbxHYDMeLFRrKGsbHIJGnt~-X8SSz4Lj4LHwPxh~7S5b3PhvAswR3yyrqCrEx1FZVLaQBlgI1YyJUHFMup~KWUMas4nXdVDqcSVxVTRhBvyYafzyOUKF42D1HoDIX4KJbxzBYLUHcguRJ1xgE5rmDRlB27ivF10FBvyJ6JzXdRAnSw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Gail Gucci, board president of Montana NARAL, told a Missoula forum that House Bill 365 would ban an “intact D and E” procedure used in rare, extreme cases and would criminalize providers.

\"The problem with this bill is that there's no exception for health of the mother. Only death,\" Gucci said, urging people to attend the bill's hearing in Helena the following morning.

Why it matters: Gucci said the intact D&E — which she described as a late‑term procedure used in cases involving severe fetal anomalies or risks to a woman's health — is performed only rarely in the United States. She told the meeting the procedure occurs \"about 600 times a year\" nationwide and argued the Legislature lacks medical expertise to regulate specific procedures. Gucci said HB 365 would impose criminal penalties on providers, including fines she described as \"$50,000\" and prison terms \"up to 10 years,\" and that the bill contains no broad health‑of‑the‑mother exception.

Gucci urged forum attendees to travel to Helena for the hearing, saying the hearing was scheduled for 8 a.m. and organizers would leave at 5:30 a.m. She offered to help attendees submit written testimony if they could not attend in person.

The forum remarks were advocacy and informational in nature; no legislative action occurred at the meeting. Statements above reflect what Gucci presented to the forum. The transcript indicates supporters plan to testify and submit written comments to the Legislature, but it does not record any formal filing or a vote by a government body.

Background from the speaker: Gucci framed HB 365 as the so‑called \"partial birth\" bill (she called that label political rhetoric) and said it would ban a procedure she identified as an intact D&E. She characterized the procedure as \"rarely, rarely used\" and as medically approved and safer in certain tragic cases.

What was not specified at the forum: the bill text, the sponsor, floor or committee actions beyond the hearing Gucci referenced, and any formal legal analysis. Forum remarks reflect Gucci's descriptions and interpretations; the article does not assert legal conclusions not stated in the transcript.

Ending: Gucci asked interested attendees to speak with her after the forum to arrange travel or to provide written testimony, and encouraged people to monitor the Helena hearing the next morning.","At a Missoula community forum, Montana NARAL warned that House Bill 365 would ban an intact D&E procedure, impose criminal penalties on providers and lacks a health‑of‑the‑mother exception; advocates urged people to testify at a Helena hearing scheduled the next day.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Local groups press economic justice, warn of punitive welfare reform and push back on efforts to ban affirmative action

PRIDE director recounts legal challenge to Montana 'deviant conduct' law and warns of violence against LGBTQ people

Montana advocates warn House Bill 365 would criminalize rare late‑term procedure, urge testimony at Helena hearing