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Idaho Gay Rights Supporters Hope Gay Marriage Marks New Direction

Jessica Robinson
/
Northwest News Network

Same-sex couples across Idaho headed to county courthouses Wednesday.

It was the first official day of legal gay marriage in the state since a court overturned Idaho’s ban on same-sex marriage.

In Boise, there was a long line of couples at the Ada County courthouse -- among them, some of the plaintiffs who took the state to court for refusing to marry them.

To the north in Coeur d’Alene, even before the first same-sex couple arrived, a small crowd gathered outside the recorder’s office. Tim Leadingham came because he has a son who’s gay.

“Just in case there were people here protesting, I wanted to show support,” he said.

Leadingham is part of a newly formed Coeur d’Alene chapter of PFLAG -- a support group for gays and lesbians and their friends and families.

The order from the 9th Circuit court of Appeals to begin gay marriage came after a week of legal wrangling. Kiley Keith said she hopes the change in the law will change Idaho’s image as a difficult place for gay, lesbian and trans people to live.

“I have friends that live out of state and it’s kind of just the way they view it,” Kieth said. “And it’s really nice to just see Idaho moving in the right direction. It’s awesome.”

The federal court overturned a law voters passed in 2006 that said marriage is only between a man and a woman.