When you think of the history of LGBTQ+ Idahoans, often the first, and only thing that comes to mind is the dark chapter in the city’s history known as the “Boys of Boise.”

Back in the 1950s, this McCarthy-era investigation into an alleged ‘homosexual underground’ in Boise, stained the city’s history and too often overshadows the successes and accomplishments of the community today.

Dr. Lisa McClain, professor of history and gender studies at Boise State University, and graduate student Rachel Taylor have been moving past the Boys of Boise controversy to look not only at successes but how religion and rural Idaho fit into the LGBTQ+ community in the Gem State.

They’ll be speaking at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State on Thursday.