BOISE, Idaho — An Eagle bar owner is bringing his "Hetero Awesomeness" concept to downtown Boise this weekend, while the local LGBTQ community is hosting a satirical counter event in response to events like this weekend's festival.
Mark Fitzpatrick, owner of Old State Saloon, is organizing a two-day "Hetero Awesome Fest" at Cecil D. Andrus Park on June 20th and 21st.
"I started thinking, 'what can we do at Old State Saloon that would be an alternative or something that would be celebrating God's design for sexuality?'" Fitzpatrick said.
This follows the saloon's launch of "Heterosexual Awesomeness Month" last year. Fitzpatrick describes the upcoming event as a "family values festival."
"This is something that a lot of people around the country have kinda said, 'we love what you're doing because things have just gotten so far and enough is enough,'" Fitzpatrick added.
Instead of a drag show, the fest will feature a "swag show," booths, and various activities.
Meanwhile, The Balcony, Boise's only LGBTQ+ nightclub, is hosting a "But, What About Straight Pride" show on Friday at 8 p.m., which aims to poke fun at events like the Hetero Awesome Fest.
"We realize that there's been a lot of outcry, especially around pride last year, where people were claiming, 'When's straight pride month? When's this? When's that?' and we thought it would be fun to put on an event and call it, What About Straight Pride?," said Aunt Tifa, co-producer of "But, What About Straight Pride".
Aunt Tifa explained that the show also serves as a comedic way to spark conversation about LGBTQ issues.
"Queer people were thrown in prisons. Queer people were murdered just for being queer. In a lot of places, this is still happening. In 72 different countries it's illegal to be queer. This is a huge reason why we do our pride events, [which] is to really celebrate those that we lost but also remembering our spaces and remembering where we came from," Aunt Tifa said.
The Hetero Awesome Festival will take place outside the State Capitol on Friday and Saturday, June 20 -21, while The Balcony Club's "What About Straight Pride" show begins at 8 p.m. on Friday.
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