LGBT rights activists block the entrance to Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's office inside the Idaho Statehouse on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Photo:

LGBT rights activists block the entrance to Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's office inside the Idaho Statehouse on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Photo:

BOISE, Idaho — Twenty-three gay rights activists have been arrested after blocking the entrance to Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s office inside the Idaho Statehouse, the latest in a string of arrests related to protests over attempts to add anti-discrimination protections to Idaho law.

Police say four were charged with trespass, 18 with unlawful assembly and one with resisting arrest.

The arrests started Tuesday morning after protesters refused to leave.

The group wants protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation included in the Idaho Human Rights Act, but Republican leaders have declined to hold a hearing on the issue.

Activists have held multiple silent protests in the Capitol this year, leading to more than 140 arrests.

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