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For Tom Wheeler, real estate and publicity are one and the same.
Tom Wheeler
“I said my political job was to hand the keys to a family that had never owned real estate before, in a community that was not as well represented in real estate as cisgender white people,” he said. “Being involved in the intersectionality of LGBTQ advocacy and real estate has always been at the core of my work.”
Four years ago, Wheeler moved to Boise from the Twin Cities with a partner to start The HomeFound Group, a real estate team at Keller Williams. Wheeler quickly established himself in Boise’s LGBTQ+ community, using his experience as a founding member of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance to host fair housing classes and events, leading Boise-area Realtors’ first cultural diversity committee, and support local nonprofits that aim to help LGBTQ+ youth find their way in an increasingly volatile social and political environment.
“I’m involved in a nonprofit called Clutch in Nampa,” he said. “Clutch was started by two lesbians who wanted to make sure teenagers had a place to go to eat after school and do activities that allowed them to be themselves.”
During a volunteering experience, Wheeler met a non-binary parent and transgender child who used Clutch after-school services. He said the parent’s story had an indelible impact on him because they described the power of providing a safe space for children in a state where lawmakers have upped the ante on introducing and passing anti-LGBTQ+ bills. The newly passed House Bill 668 would ban Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care starting July 1, the day after Pride Month ends.
“The women who started Clutch are originally from Canyon County, which is the second-largest jurisdiction in Idaho,” he said. “It’s also very conservative, and working with that nonprofit last year was a huge impetus for launching ideas like Canyon County Pride.”
Wheeler’s first step is to ensure that Nampa’s LGBTQ+ community is included in hosting Pride events, since most people are accustomed to waiting until September to attend Boise’s Pride weekend. Gaining recognition in the drag community is especially important, he said, as performers face increased violence due to harmful and misleading narratives that drag queens are sexual predators.
“Pride without a drag queen isn’t pride. My first call was, ‘Hey, What do you think about this? “THey, it’s like, “Let’s go.” Many of them were residents of Nampa and had to drive from Nampa to Boise to perform and be seen.
“When we got their support, we said, ‘OK,'” he added. “This is the approval we need to ensure our Queen can feel comfortable doing something like this.”
After receiving approval from the Nampa LGBTQ+ community, Wheeler submitted an event application to the city of Nampa. The application asked Wheeler to provide an agenda of events that would include live music, drag performances, art exhibits, food vendors, booths from local nonprofits and voter registration.
“We don’t necessarily expect approval because we are transparent about what we intend to do, and that creates resistance,” he said. “In fact, we encountered resistance during this event [wasn’t immediately] public. We know this is going to add fuel to the fire of groups that categorize and misrepresent LGBTQ+ people as child predators, and that drag is a terrible thing to do even though it’s really just going to [a performer] Wearing an Elsa wig and singing a Disney song.
Screenshot of Canyon County Pride’s GoFundMe page.
After the city of Nampa approved the event at Lakeview Park, Wheeler and event co-founder Van Knapp created a GoFundMe to seek community support. During the first week of the fundraiser, donations poured in. However, Nampa Mayor Debbie Crean’s criticism of the event thrust Wheeler’s work into the spotlight.
“While this event does not reflect the personal beliefs and beliefs of myself, the Nampa City Council, and the many people who live in Nampa who have contacted us requesting cancellation, the advice of our legal counsel is that the City of Nampa must acknowledge Those who arranged and participated in this event have protected First Amendment rights,” Crean said in a May 28 statement.
While Crean’s statement encouraged some Nampa residents to express their anti-LGBTQ sentiments more loudly, it also prompted LGBTQ+ people and allies to put their voices and funds to good use.
Canyon County Pride’s GoFundMe has ballooned to nearly $20,000, twice what Wheeler requested. He also received a call from country star Wilburton, who had headlined the Memphis Pride Festival and wanted to headline the Canyon County Pride Festival after seeing Crean’s comments on the news.
“He was the 2019 Tennessee Music Awards Songwriter of the Year. He called me and said, ‘Hey, my wife and I are straight allies. We’re moving from Boise to Nampa. We saw the news. I became Memphis Headlining Pride Festival and willing to contribute in any way I can,” he said. “He’s amazing, and to me, he’s like a representative of the ally that brings us together to play music.”
After Crean’s comments sparked a double-edged firestorm, Wheeler had to think bigger for the event, which, according to an initial budget of $3,000, would be “a patchwork of park benches in a park.” together” and “something alive”. Thankfully, he has the wherewithal to invest more in branding and logistics for the event, including the need for stronger security forces to deal with potential anti-LGBTQ violence.
“Overwhelmingly, we’ve had positive support,” he said. “It feels like there are a lot of people in Canyon County who have been living in this community for a long time, and what I’m hearing is that’s the way it is. Sometimes you need outsiders to step in.
Although Wheeler faces discrimination because of his sexual orientation, he realizes that he still enjoys tremendous privilege as a cisgender, white, male business owner.
“I can’t expect queer people in Canyon County to go through this process of standing up and wearing something like this when they’re worried that their employer will fire them, their landlord will evict them, or community members will retaliate,” he said. “Because of my job, I’m truly privileged to have the time and resources to do this. These factors and others make me confident and ready to do so.
Wheeler’s hard work was reflected on June 9, when the Canyon County Pride event attracted nearly 4,000 attendees and news coverage from publications across Idaho.
“At one point, we weren’t sure if we had to stop letting people in. We parked 1,000 cars and the line took 45 minutes. It was crazy!” he said in an email to Inman a week after the event. “Just as we expected. As it was, the scene was mostly peaceful except for about 20 protesters at the front door. We actually thought there might be more.
“I fully believe this event was peaceful and a step in the right direction for civil liberties for LGBTQ people in Idaho,” he added.
Wheeler said the fact that two Nampa city council members who were originally opposed to Canyon County Pride attended the event was proof that change can happen.
“I’m still thinking about how incredible this experience was,” he continued in the email. “I was completely blown away by the turnout and reception from the community. So many tears were shed by people who had lived in Canyon County their entire lives and had never experienced an inclusive and supportive space like this. It was a huge blessing both personally and professionally. It is undoubtedly a peak experience.
Wheeler said he looks forward to Canyon County Pride becoming a permanent cornerstone of Nampa as LGBTQ+ people and allies push for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and discrimination.
“I think it gives people a little hope that there are people in this state advocating for their rights whether they want to or not,” he said. “Idaho is one of the states with the most anti-LGBTQ legislation in the country — bans on reading, bans on cross-dressing, bans on gender-affirming care for teenagers and even adults.”
“We already have plans for another area in Canyon County next year,” he added. “I think people have a lot of confidence in it that it’s going to be super successful year after year.”
Email Marianne McPherson
