‘Wholesome’ not all it seems in Hayden

When Hayden, Idaho, passed a resolution to encourage a wholesome, family-friendly environment, City Council members never imagined they were perhaps endorsing a religious-based movement to cover up bikinis, bellybuttons and cleavage.

Sheepish city officials stand by the new resolution that promotes “child-appropriate” standards, yet some council members admit they should do more research before blindly passing anything – even a seemingly innocuous, feel-good statement of philosophy.

“Things may not always be as simple as they seem,” Councilwoman Jeri DeLange said.

The resolution is modeled after declarations passed by 21 Utah cities, largely with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints populations, to reduce children’s exposure to what supporters see as pornography – specifically, provocative magazines displayed in grocery stores.

Once the resolutions have been passed, the Utah-based nonprofit Citizens for Families asks local businesses to cover any magazines the group deems to be inappropriate. Their argument is that pornography addiction can begin in the checkout line when a child sees the image of a woman in a swimsuit for the first time.

Instructions for how to get these resolutions adopted are outlined in a how-to book and Web site written by Citizens for Families President JoAnn Hibbert Hamilton, a Bountiful, Utah, Mormon and mother of 22. Hamilton said in Bountiful, 95 percent of the stores shield magazine covers with any hint of sexuality.

That’s the very information Coeur d’Alene resident Amber Facer used to approach the Hayden council recently. Council members say they didn’t learn the whole motivation behind the resolution until after they had voted. The revelation led them to question whether they had passed something that ultimately would legislate morality and endorse a movement largely associated with the Mormon Church.

The city administrator and attorney reviewed the resolution last week and concluded it’s not enforceable by law, and that the language doesn’t define what is a “child-appropriate standard” or “wholesome environment.” The council plans to keep the declaration, yet make it clear that it’s just a statement of philosophy.

“It’s important for businesses to know the city isn’t defining the standard,” Councilwoman Nancy Taylor said. “What we are saying is, ‘Hey, we want a wholesome family-friendly community.’ “

Taylor, a lifeguard, swim coach and triathlete, said each person must decide what is appropriate.

“I spend a lot of time out training for Ironman in a sports bra and shorts,” Taylor said. “I can’t imagine people wearing long johns to do Ironman.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho agrees the law doesn’t violate the Constitution, but spokeswoman Marty Durant said it is a good lesson for the council to be more thorough in the future.

The hubbub has shaken Facer, a young mother of two who recently moved to the area from Iowa but who grew up in Utah. Facer said she was “naïve” and feels some in the community grossly misrepresented her intentions.

“I just wanted to do something good for my kids,” Facer said Thursday, while declining a more extensive interview. Instead, she referred questions to Hamilton, whom Facer found on the Internet and spoke with a few times for advice.

Facer added that she won’t approach grocery store owners or picket people wearing swimsuits at the beach.

Hamilton said Facer called in tears, upset over the commotion she unintentionally provoked, and wanted to know what went wrong. Hamilton candidly confessed that Facer’s honesty got her in trouble and that she shouldn’t have used her own definition of decency when giving interviews. Facer had openly condemned pictures she felt exposed too much skin on the cover of a wedding magazine.

“I feel bad about the crucifixion of that lady,” Hamilton said, adding that the public reaction was partly because people have become so desensitized. “That city (Hayden) has major problems. Your city and your area need this information or you are going to have the heartache that comes (with addiction).”

Hamilton’s literature advises people pushing the resolutions to keep the definitions of child-appropriate standards broad and avoid debates over right and wrong.

“Don’t talk about legal matters or lecture on pornography. In fact, don’t ever refer to pornography,” the Web site states. “Define child-appropriate as those things that are appropriate for the eyes of a 6-year-old child.”

She declined to name what magazines she thinks are inappropriate for grocery store checkout stands.

But Hamilton did say she’s working with 10 other states to get the resolutions passed and that there is no free speech violation because the groups aren’t preventing people from buying the magazines.

She also said the movement has nothing to do with the Mormon Church. “This has to do with what’s good for children, and I don’t even care if they are LDS or not.”

When asked if it’s easier to get these resolutions passed in areas with large Mormon membership, Hamilton said she thinks it’s actually more difficult because people are “tied up with how we must be tolerant.” Yet Hayden is the only town outside Utah – a state where 72 percent of the population is Mormon, according to the Deseret Morning News 2006 Church Almanac – where elected officials have approved the resolution. Idaho’s population is 27 percent Mormon, the third-highest in the nation.

Mayor Ron McIntire, who owns Super 1 Foods and is the only Mormon on the council, said he doesn’t know Facer and wasn’t aware she is affiliated with the church. Yet City Administrator Jay Townsend said Facer approached McIntire to get permission to make the initial presentation to the council.

McIntire reiterated that the resolution has no power and no unintended consequences. As a businessman, he said it won’t change how he displays magazines at his grocery stores because he already covers magazines such as Cosmopolitan and doesn’t sell adult publications such as Playboy.

“It all sounded like apple pie and motherhood to me,” he said. “It’s something we all should do anyway.”