You may have heard that state Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, returned his copy of the movie “Brokeback Mountain” that Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, sent to all Idaho senators last yuletide. LeFavour, the state’s only openly gay legislator, told the Idaho Statesman she circulated the video about a closeted gay relationship to launch a discussion about expanding human rights protections for Idaho gays. On my Huckleberries Online blog (spokesman.com/hbo) last week, Nonini’s wife, Cathyanne, explained why LeFavour’s actions fell flat with her and her husband: “We returned the movie without a fuss and public comment – and it was my idea. I am a cradle Catholic and found her sending this movie in very poor taste, especially at Christmas. Nothing was written to Nicole, nor was anything unkind said to her. Nicole and the media were responsible for this being made public”/DFO, Sunday Huckleberries. More here.

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Nicole LeFavour knows what it’s like to fight incredible odds. LeFavour, Idaho’s only openly gay legislator, gave copies of the movie “Brokeback Mountain” for Christmas to 60 fellow members of one of the most conservative legislatures in the nation and pushed in vain a bill to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. “Watching good people get hurt is something you can only be a part of for so long,” she said. Now, LeFavour is leaving the state Senate in frustration. She’s taking on Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, a well-funded veteran congressman of 14 years who has never had even a close race for re-election. No Democrat has held the congressional seat since Richard Stallings, who is LDS like many of his constituents, left office in 1993/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Wouldn't Sen. LeFavour have better served her party & constituency by staying in the Idaho Legislature, where she has a voice, than attempting a quixotic race against Congressman Mike Simpson?

Question:

A bit more on an Idaho Legislature culture clash, which was reported Wednesday by the Statesman's Sean Cockerham in a profile of Boise Democratic Sen. Nicole LeFavour, who is retiring from the Senate to run for 2nd District Congress. Cockerham was unable to reach House Education Committee Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, who LeFavour said was the lone lawmaker among 60 who received a DVD of “Brokeback Mountain” as a Christmas gift and expressed his disfavor. LeFavour intended the gift as an icebreaker that might help convince lawmakers to finally expand the Idaho Human Rights Act to cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. I caught up with Nonini this morning after his committee passed a compromise on teacher pay that's one of the few puzzle pieces left before lawmakers can adjourn for the year. Nonini explained why he took offense and how he returned the disc to LeFavour when the Legislature convened in January/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Was it bad form on Sen. LeFavour's part to send “Brokeback Mountain” to a social conservative like Nonini? Or bad form on Nonini's part to make an issue of it?

Here, the lawmaker who has spent eight years working for what might seem far less controversial goals is the only openly gay member of the Idaho Legislature. Now with the session well under way and a gay rights bill again showing little sign of getting a hearing, the senator who has been its champion, Nicole LeFavour, plans to become the former only openly gay lawmaker in the Idaho Legislature. Ms. LeFavour, 48, has decided not to seek re-election, for what she says is a very painful reason: she has had enough and she expects things to only get harder. “My partner Carol has put up with a lot of stress and has stood by me as I dealt with a lot of loss,” Ms. LeFavour wrote in a blog post last month. “She’s so smart and keeps me laughing through the hardest times but you can only ask that of someone for so long”/William Yardley, New York Times. More here. (Betsy Russell 2009 SR file photo: Nicole LeFavour asks a Senate committee to introduce her bill to expand state human rights protection to gays but is rejected)

Question: What will be state Sen. Nicole LeFavour's legacy?

As JFAC set the budget for the state Department of Labor this morning, Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, raised concerns about the continuing inclusion in that budget of a “general fund phase-out” for the Idaho Human Rights Commission, cutting state general funds to that agency by $156,600 next year for the third straight year; after four years, the commission would have no general funds. The money is being replaced with dedicated funds, including federal funds, from the Department of Labor/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

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• Idaho retailers re: online sales tax: “It's a fairness issue”

Question: Should the Human Rights Commission be funded by the state's general fund?

Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, has decided not to run for another term, after serving two terms in the Senate and two in the House. “The job that I've had, I think, often is just speaking up for those who are about to lose, the side that's going to go down,” she said. “I think your heart can only take that for so long.” LeFavour, 48, a teacher and a writer, is the Legislature's only open gay member. She's been an outspoken advocate of legislation to expand the Idaho Human Rights Act to cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation; that legislation has seen growing support, but lawmakers have never granted it a hearing/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Question: What is Sen. LeFavour's impact on the Idaho Legislature?

Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, has been overruled in her attempt to challenge Senate Assistant Majority Leader Chuck Winder's ruling that her amendment to SB 1215 can't be considered. The bill is about increasing penalties for prison contraband; LeFavour argued that the bill says it's about promoting safety and security, and so was her amendment — to expand the Idaho Human Rights Act to cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. That would include prison employees who are gay or lesbian, she said/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

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• Luna: Cameron's bill to remove teacher pay cuts from 'Students Come First' is good law

Question: Do you support Sen. LeFavour's attempt to resurrect “Add the Words” legislation?

The Senate is beginning its annual Lincoln Day commemorative program, but before it started, Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, rose to introduce guests in the gallery, as is the custom, including her partner, Carol Grohoski, and a large group of folks “who have worked with the Add The Words campaign for the last several months” to add sexual orientation and gender identity to Idaho's Human Rights Act. LeFavour reeled off names of those in the gallery, adding, “and all the amazing people who have worked so hard and who I love dearly. So please give them a warm welcome.” The Senate responded with a vigorous round of applause/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Betsy Russell posts on “Add the Words” discussion:

• 'Add the Words' print hearing moved to capitol auditorium
• 'Add the Words' bill rejected on party-line vote
• Crowd places sticky notes, sings 'We shall overcome'
• Human rights bill backers 'astounded,' say, 'This is 2012, it's time
• Senate GOP leadership on 'Add the Words': 'We don't think that bill is the right thing to do'

Question: Isn't this odd behavior by the Senate after the action against “Add the Words” in committee?

Does anyone think this year the Idaho legislature will suddenly re-consider our current strategy of telling every single state agency, “This year, no building anything, no hiring anyone, no replacing broken items or taking on new projects?” No. This three year austerity strategy has cost Idaho over 3000 state jobs. And somehow the Governor still seems proud of it. When America had its last great depression, rather than paying unemployment for laid off workers, government paid them to do jobs communities needed to have done. Idaho has closed parks, health department offices, scaled back mental health treatment programs, laid off school teachers, increased class sizes in schools colleges and universities and much more. Yet I'm sad to say I suspect those who loathe government will have their way with our economy again. They will continue the austerity in spite of the fact that it's hurting the very people who cry for lower taxes/Sen. Nicole LeFavour, Idaho Legislature. More here.

Question: Rather than continue to cut state jobs, should Idaho consider putting people to work by adding state jobs or short-term public jobs programs?

Boise police data show that attacks motivated by bias against someone’s race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation — generally called “hate crimes” — are rare. In 2010, there were a total of seven hate crimes reported in Boise, including five listed under race, and one each listed under ethnicity and religion. Hate crimes due to sexual preference reported? Zero. So far this year, there has been just one reported hate crime due to sexual orientation, Boise police data show. But the data don’t reflect the reality on the street, according to Idaho state Sen. Nicole LeFavour (pictured) and other members of Boise’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. LeFavour put out a warning on Twitter this week about a “horrible rash of anti-gay hate crimes.” She encouraged readers to watch out for each other and report what they see/Katy Moeller, Statesman. More here.

Question: Do you believe hate crimes are becoming rarer in Idaho, especially those based on sexual orientation? Or they're being reported less?

Item: Senate panel rejects human rights protections for gays/Betsy Russell, SR Eye On Boise

More Info: The Senate State Affairs Committee just voted down a motion to introduce legislation to extend the Idaho Human Rights Act’s anti-discrimination provisions to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, gave a heartfelt pitch to her fellow senators to introduce the measure, which she said has an array of legislative co-sponsors. “At least 20 members of our Legislature have members of their families that are gay or lesbian and directly affected by these issues,” she told the committee.

Question: Do you support Sen. LeFavour’s bill to add protections for sexual orientation and gender identity to the Human Rights Act?