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BOISE • More than 40 gay rights protesters were arrested Monday from Idaho’s Capitol, but it took a surprise suspension of an obscure Senate rule to close the doors on the last objector to the state’s lack of anti-discrimination protections for gays in the state.

The protesters arrived 8 a.m. to block all three of the Senate chamber’s doorways. They stood silently with one hand covering their mouths and the other supporting an arm of a fellow protesters. All of them wore black T-shirts with “Add the Words” printed in white.

By 11 a.m., Idaho State Police officers had arrested all members of the group except for one and issued misdemeanor trespass citations. The fine for a misdemeanor can be as high as $1,000 and includes a possible imprisonment of six months. The protesters arrested Monday included three people under the age of 18.

The were arrested because Senate rules dictate that the public may be in the chamber until 30 minutes before the session starts. After that time, only certain individuals are allowed in.

Once 42 of the 43 protesters had been removed, former state Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, and Idaho’s first publicly gay lawmaker, remained in the doorway, facing the senators filing in.