Voice for Equality: Nicole LeFavour

Nicole LeFavour is an American politician and educator from Idaho, currently serving as a member of the Idaho Senate. Elected to the Senate in 2008, she had previously served four years in the Idaho House of Representatives. A Democrat, LeFavour was first elected to District 19's Seat B in the State House of Representatives in 2004, succeeding long-time Democratic incumbent Ken Robison, who retired. The 19th district, which she now represents in the Senate, is contained within Boise and includes the city's North End, East End, Downtown and Foothills neighborhoods. LeFavour was the first ever openly gay member of the Idaho Legislature and her election campaigns have won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. She is a strong voice for marriage equality and for the LGBT community in Idaho. Learn more here.

Nicole LeFavour spoke on January 10, 2009 at Boise City Hall for the local Join The Impact Rally calling on President Obama to keep his promise to the LGBT community and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). [Link]




Freedom to Marry salutes Idaho's Nicole LeFavour as a Voice for Equality! See other Voices for Equality here.

If Senator LeFavour's example inspires you - take action! Link to No on 1/Protect Maine Equality to find out how you can help with the vital work of preserving marriage equality in Maine!

Thanks to Stacy Falkner for this nomination. **Make your NOMINATION for a Voice for Equality today!

Family matters: Gays, straights, Christians and kids gather to support marriage equality

Boise Weekly
November 19, 2008
"I'm here today to say that oppressing people isn't what Christianity is about," said Edith Walsh, whose gay brother and 8-year-old daughter were also at the rally. "I'm for gay marriage as a Christian. In the end, I believe gay marriage will be legal. I have faith in that." [Link]
Find out how to get involved.

OPINION: For love or country?

Newsweek
February 5, 2007
An Idaho mother writes about her son, "In a matter of years Cameron will be gone. He is moving to a country where he will have the same civil rights that heterosexual couples enjoy, a country that will benefit from his immense talent and skill, a country that does want him no matter whom he wants to marry. We are close, and we will find a way to stay close, but it will not be the same easy back and forth we have now. Distance and borders will make it harder. I will miss him terribly, but it is not just me who will suffer. We will all be the poorer for his moving and the reasons that drove him." [Link]

ID businesses join marriage equality movement

Boise Weekly
October 4, 2006
"We could not stand idly by without taking a stand on this amendment," said Michael Byron, president of the Idaho Inclusiveness Coalition, in a prepared statement concerning the Idaho initiative to write marriage discrimination into the state constitution. "As an organization, we are charged with developing and implementing strategies for creating inclusive communities in Idaho. And as businesspeople, we are concerned about the effect passage of HJR2 would likely have on the business climate of our state. Opposing this amendment is the only logical choice for us." [Link]

Idaho marriage amendment fails

365Gay.com
February 2, 2005
Eight Republican senators joined with six Democrats striking down the proposed anti-gay amendment to the State's constitution. This is the second consecutive year such a proposal has been defeated. [Link]