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Missoula advocates press civil‑rights case, cite court challenge to deviant‑conduct law and community violence
Summary
PRIDE and allied groups described ongoing litigation over Montana’s deviant conduct statute, gaps in non‑discrimination protections, and incidents of violence and harassment in Missoula that advocates say underscore the need for legal and community action.
Speakers from PRIDE and allied organizations described legal and everyday barriers faced by gay, lesbian and bisexual Montanans and urged broader community engagement. Sandy Hill, executive director of PRIDE, said a district court ruled the state’s deviant conduct statute violated privacy and equal‑protection rights and that the issue was then before the Montana Supreme Court.
Hill reviewed specific civil‑rights gaps: Montana lacks statewide statutory protections for sexual orientation in employment, housing, education and public accommodations, she said, and she described several violent incidents and intimidation in Missoula that community members reported. “Violence motivated by hatred is just not a crime against the individual, it's a crime against the entire community,” Hill said, arguing hate‑motivated attacks create fear across the community.
Hill recounted that a group filed a legal challenge to the statute in December 1993 and that Judge Jeffrey Sherlock ruled in February 1994 that the law violated the state right to privacy; she said the case was pending before the Montana Supreme Court. Hill also described specific local incidents from 1995: two men assaulted on the University of Montana campus after being identified as gay, harassment and assaults at a 1995 Pride event, and distribution of flyers advocating violence against homosexuals.
Beyond criminal law, Hill said many same‑sex couples face day‑to‑day discrimination—denial of hospital visitation, family health benefits and recognition of committed relationships—and that callers and young people perceived as gay face harassment in schools. She urged community members to speak up and to create welcoming environments so lesbian, gay and bisexual people can participate safely in public life.
Hill also said PRIDE formed in the early 1990s to provide a public policy voice and to address the statute as a central barrier to equal treatment. She asked attendees to support efforts to change laws and to provide community support for victims of harassment.
