This guide is intended to compile the sources about Idaho LGBTQIA+ history from the Boise State Special Collections and Archives as well as what is accessible online through other platforms and formats. It touches on various points from the mid-20th century to the present, concentrating on gay and lesbian organizations in the 1990s, and serves as a look into the history of a community that isn’t often recognized as being a welcome part of this state. In addition to history, there are also resources for members of the LGBTQIA+ community that wish to find community and support in the present in addition to the past.
Compiled by Liz Mora, 2024
Brian J. Bergquist Papers, 1968-1998
Bergquist was a Boise State Assistant Director of the Student Union Building. The papers cover his activities as a gay rights activist, including the founding Your Family Friends and Neighbors (YFFN), the first Pride Parade, and the No on One campaign against Proposition One from 1994-1996. Also included are papers of his partner, John Hummel, a lawyer, president of the Idaho AIDS Foundation (1989-1993), and President and Co-Founder of Your Family Friends and Neighbors with Bergquist from 1990-2003.
Cole LeFavour/Nicole LeFavour Papers, 1978-2020
The Cole LeFavour Papers primarily document their activist and political activities, including terms as Idaho Senator and Representative, and involvement in Snake River Alliance, Your Friends, Family, and Neighbors, the Idaho Women's Network, and No on One. The collection also includes their journalism for the Green Reader and Boise Weekly.
The Community Center Records, 1983-2003
This collection details the forming, financials, and minutes for The Community Center from 1983-2003. It also includes event planning details for a few events during this time period, including a carnival and a T-Dance.
The Community Center website: https://tccidaho.org/
Dallas Chase Papers, 1991-2004
The Dallas Chase collection is a compilation of the writings, interviews, and collections of news articles gathered by Dallas Chase, a lesbian activist in Boise. Much of the collection is clippings of LGBTQ news and work that Chase did with the No on One Coalition, as well as resources for the LGBTQ community from the early 1990’s regarding political action. Box One, detailing the arguments in Idaho, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington against Anti-Gay propositions and the right-wing arguments for the propositions, is completely digitized. Chase also helped organize the first Pride Parade in Boise.
Dean Worbois Papers, 1982-2022
The Dean Worbois Papers consist of assorted writings and documentary films by Boise resident Dean Worbois. Articles, books, and pamphlets focus on a variety of local historical topics and personal memoirs related to Boise and the surrounding region. Topics include the history of Boise High School, the great floods of Clark Fork and Red Rock Pass, Boise's geothermal development and sewer system, the history of gay bars in Boise, and a pamphlet on the Bible and homosexuality
Donna Harwood / Lion's Pride Papers, 1980s-2015
Lion's Pride was founded in 2009 by Donna Harwood. It was a Boise based blanket organization for all LGBT organizations that are working for progress in the Western United States. The collection includes personal memorabilia from Donna Harwood and organizational records of Lion's Pride - including information on conferences, the Community Center, and the Add the Words campaign, as well as some material on different interpretations of the Bible with regards to queerness.
Douglas E. Flanders/"Martini" Papers, 1980-2005
The Martini collection consists of memorabilia of Douglas E. Flanders, of Boise, Idaho, chiefly relating to his activities in the 1980s and 90s as the drag queen "Martini." Much of the material pertains to Boise's drag court, the Imperial Sovereign Gem Court of Idaho, with which Flanders was active. Also included are dresses and clothing worn on stage. The collection also includes memorabilia from other gay-related groups and causes in Boise, and programs from Boise theater groups.
Idaho LGBTQ Oral History Project
This Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) Oral History Project began as a key component of a cross-listed Boise State University course, Intro to LGBTQ Studies (GEN 380, HIS 381, SOC 497). Dr. Riley Caldwell-O’Keefe taught the course and designed the project as an interactive learning tool to help students understand LGBTQ history, with special emphasis on Idaho history, and the impacts of this history on local individuals. In addition to this history and context, students learned interviewing techniques throughout the semester. We discussed ethical considerations and obtained Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for the project. Throughout the process, we worked with Boise State Special Collections librarians, Alan Virta and Cheryl Oestreicher. The culmination and digital release of the collection would have been impossible without them. We are thrilled and honored to offer these first-person insights which help provide a more well-rounded and comprehensive story of Idaho history.
No On One Coalition Records, 1992-1994
The No on One Coalition was an organization dedicated to stopping the passing of Proposition One in 1994, an anti-gay referendum that would have prevented gay people from receiving minority status in the state (it did not pass), framed by groups for the proposition as “special rights.” For more on the No on One campaign, the Idaho Citizens Alliance (the group campaigning for the proposition), and the leaders who helped to shape the movement, see the tab labeled “No on One/Other Nation-Wide Anti-Gay Initiatives”
Spontaneous Productions Records, 1997-2007
Spontaneous Productions was a gay theater company that ran for ten years. The collection contains VHS tapes for many productions, including The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and production posters for the company.
Triangle Connection Records, 1989-2011
Newsletters and meeting notices of The Triangle Connection, 1989-1991 and 1998-2011. Social and civic organization for gay men and women in Boise, Idaho; founded 1989.
Your Family, Friends, and Neighbors Records, 1989-2006
Your Family, Friends and Neighbors Records documents activities and initiatives related to gay rights in Idaho, primarily in the 1990s. Major initiatives include Pride Festival, No on One, Speak Out Idaho, and the Anti-Violence Project.
Frank Church Papers, 1941-1984
Frank Church Papers Finding Aid - Use Keyword "Gay"
Karl Boyd Brooks Papers, 1986-1996
Box 31, Folder 3 “Gay Rights”
Episcopal Diocese of Idaho Records, 1867-1988
Series 20: Miscellaneous, Box 66, Folder 28 “Gay Rights/Homosexuality”
Bethine Church Papers, 1916-2013
Series 1: Activities and Subject Files, 1954-2009, Box 13, Folder 29 “Human Rights/Gay Rights”
Kathleen Warner Idaho Folklore Collection, 1968-2000
Box 6, Folder 93 “Stewart, Danny. Homosexual dialect and gesture (Boise)”
Larry LaRocco Papers, 1982-1994
Series 1: General Files, Box 2, Folders 25 and 26; Box 20, Folders 7-9
Series 2: Campaigns , Box 8 Folder 15
Series 5: Caldwell Office, Box 1 Folder 55
Series 6: Coeur d'Alene Office, Box 3 Folder 41