Owners of Safari Pearl Comics, Tabitha Simmons and Kathy Sprague, never thought they would be married — let alone the first same-sex couple legally wed in Idaho.
When gay marriage was legalized nationally in 2015, they left behind three freshly hired employees in the middle of the work day to go and say “I do.”
“We are going now, before someone changes their mind,” Simmons said on that day in 2015.
Despite the chaos across the state, Simmons and Sprague unknowingly became the first gay married couple in the Gem State due to Latah County’s quick service, Sprague said.
Though their union wasn’t officially legal until 2015, they considered themselves married long before then, having what they called a “hand fasting ceremony” in 1991.
“It wasn’t really a stance (the relationship), it was just matter of fact — we’re together,” Sprague said.
The couple met at a dance hosted by the Inland Northwest Gay Peoples Alliance in the Moscow Community Center — now known as City Hall. She saw Simmons walk away and later asked a friend who she was.
“Oh my god, you don’t know Tabitha Simmons?” the friend responded, prompting Sprague to ask for an introduction.
“It was essentially a one-night stand gone horribly wrong,” they said — their classic joke about their now 30-year relationship.
The two not only own Safari Pearl Comics, but also TabiKat Productions and Eclectica. Simmons said their personalities complement each other, allowing for different perspectives on various ideas.
“No matter what sort of relationship you want with someone, communication is key,” Simmons said.
Having been in the community for several decades, Sprague said her customers have grown with her — from children coming in as toddlers with their parents to graduating with doctorate degrees.
“We have customers come in with their young kids, and we watch these children grow up. But at the same time, they see us as a couple, as a normal part of society,” Sprague said.
While Sprague started selling comic books before Simmons came into the picture, adding her partner to the mix wasn’t a challenge, and they came together naturally.
“We’ve both been geeks our entire lives,” Simmons said.
Being an openly gay couple in Idaho may be ground breaking for some, they said they do their best to keep the politics of their lives out of their businesses. Having respect for customers no matter their beliefs, Simmons said, is a number one priority.
When being gay wasn’t as openly accepted as it is now, Sprague said there were times when people wouldn’t come into the store because of who they were and their sexual orientations.
“It is much easier now than it was then, certainly. But it wasn’t entirely orientationbased when Kathy first started. A lot of it was just flat out sexism,” Simmons said. “There were some guys that were unwilling to buy their comics and games from any woman — didn’t matter what type of woman.”
When approached by anti-queer rhetoric, they instead focus on civility, not hate.
“We have changed minds simply by being civil,” Sprague said.
Alex Brizee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @alex_brizee