[Benjamin]

A local restaurant owner is organizing the Boise event after hosting a “Heterosexual Awesomeness Month” last year

The owner of an Idaho bar and restaurant plans to host a two-day “Hetero Awesome Fest” outside of the state Capitol in Boise in June to coincide with LGBTQ Pride Month.

Mark Fitzpatrick, the owner of the Old State Saloon in Eagle, a suburb of Boise, said the event was inspired by the restaurant’s inaugural “Heterosexual Awesomeness Month,” held last June in response to Pride celebrations.

Hetero Awesome Fest will be held June 20 and 21 in Cecil D. Andrus Park, directly across the street from the Capitol, and will feature live music, speakers “who are on the front lines defending traditional family values” and local food and drink vendors, according to a social media video promoting the event.

“This festival is more than just an event,” a voiceover on the video said. “It’s a declaration that faith, family and freedom are worth protecting.”

The event is seeking bands, volunteers, vendors and sponsors “who share our visions.”

"The Hetero Awesome Fest and Heterosexual Awesomeness Month aim to celebrate the traditional family unit and address concerns about cultural trends influenced by liberal progressivism," Fitzpatrick, who has owned the bar for two years, said in an email. "Our event is not about targeting any group but about raising awareness of practices we find troubling, such as the encouragement of 'gender transitions' among children or their exposure to inappropriate content."

He added, "We believe the traditional family is vital to society and deserves recognition and protection."

Fitzpatrick, 47, said he has six children, including one adopted child, with his wife of 22 years.

Fitzpatrick has said on social media that Pride Month exists “so LGBTQ can march down the street doing disgusting and criminal activities while demanding to be celebrated” and that the community “encourages children to cut off their sex organs.”

He said in a video shared last week on the bar’s Instagram account that he had reached out to a number of corporations who have donated to LGBTQ Pride celebrations over the years to ask if they would support the event, and they told him they typically only donate to registered nonprofits. As a result, he said, he created the nonprofit Heterosexual Awesomeness Inc., which will host the festival, though he hasn’t heard back from any major donors yet.

Fitzpatrick received international attention and backlash last year in response to “Heterosexual Awesomeness Month,” which he said at the time involved “no hate at all, it’s a love thing.”

“I’m always going to side with what God says,” Fitzpatrick told NBC affiliate KTVB of Boise last year. “If the Bible says that it’s a sin to act out in homosexuality, then I’m going to agree with what the Bible says. That doesn’t mean I don’t love homosexuals, and that doesn’t mean I don’t love people. But just because you love somebody, doesn’t mean you’re going to jump behind them and support them in every single decision they make in life. It’s not a requirement.”

Fitzpatrick said on social media that he was inspired to create Heterosexual Awesomeness Month last year when he and his family were discussing how they would celebrate his daughter’s birthday in June.

“Can’t go downtown to Boise during that time because of Pride Fest and everything that happens with it,” he said. “I got off track from the birthday, and I was thinking to myself, ‘What could we do to celebrate in June that would be different than what’s going on downtown? Can we be different than what Pride has been celebrating every June? What if we celebrated God’s design for sexuality? What would that look like?’ And within a few seconds, I thought, ‘Man, heterosexuality is awesome.’”

Fitzpatrick said last year that he had never been to Boise Pride. The festival hasn’t been held in June since 2020, when organizers rescheduled it for September due to the pandemic and decided to permanently adopt the change due to better weather, among other factors.

Regardless, Fitzpatrick said he had decided that the Old State Saloon would celebrate heterosexuality throughout June with a variety of specials. On Mondays, straight men can get a free beer during “Beers for Breeders.” On Tuesdays, straight women can buy drinks all day at happy hour pricing, and on Wednesdays, straight couples can receive a discount on their bill.

After last year’s Heterosexual Awesomeness Month went viral, Fitzpatrick said he received death threats, but that the positivity was “overwhelmingly more powerful.”

Boise Pride told NBC affiliate KGW of Portland, Oregon, that it has no official statement regarding this year’s Hetero Awesome Fest but wished the organizers “the best of luck with their new festival.”

“Straight pride” supporters organized events in Boston and Modesto, California, in 2019, and last year several businesses in Santa Rosa, California, were vandalized with anti-LGBTQ flyers that provided a link to a rap song about “straight pride.”

LGBTQ Pride events, which trace their roots to 1970, have faced intense backlash in recent years. GLAAD, an LGBTQ media advocacy organization, recorded 110 anti-LGBTQ incidents during June 2024, though the nonprofit noted that number was down 25% when compared to Pride 2023. Organizers of some of the country’s largest Pride parades have also reported that some of their biggest sponsors have pulled back this year amid the Trump administration’s policies targeting DEI initiatives.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna203543

[Ammi]

[bots]

i was going to say isn't this last years news

[Beso]

I salute you sir.

[Mystic Mock]

I honestly don't care if this guy wants to do a Hetero pride event or whatever he wants to call it.

But I will call out two bullshit statements from what he has said.

1. "Traditional" relationships will never truly be eradicated because the Human race would obviously go extinct without straight couples having babies.

And 2. He is saying that he "loves Homosexuals" while also saying that he doesn't agree with Homosexuality because the Bible tells him to not like it. He can't have it both ways.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by bots

i was going to say isn't this last years news

Is it?

[Cherie]

He is cashing in to promote his business, bit ridiculous but as long as he isn't hurting anyone I don't see the issue

[Jessica.]

Every day of the year is already hetero awesome fest though. Also, loads of straights celebrate pride and being their kids to parades and stuff, nobody is excluded.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Ammi

[Livia]

What harm is he causing? So long as it isn't meant to antagonise gay people he can do whatever he wants.

[Zizu]

How come every other celebration is a single day or date yet Pride gets a whole month !?!


All those million of fallen soldiers only get a day


Pride should be celebrated as a day and it may resonate more ..

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Livia

So long as it isn't meant to antagonise gay people

Of course it's meant to antagonise gay people . It's culture-wars "anti-woke" trash.

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Quantum Boy

Of course it's meant to antagonise gay people . It's culture-wars "anti-woke" trash.

Why would it antagonize gay people?

Is pride done to upset straight people?

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Beso

Why would it antagonize gay people?

Is pride done to upset straight people?

Because it's done in a reactionary and pointed way.

All of this "playing dumb" is so fkn boring, you know fine well why "anti-woke" stuff is done and that it's done pointedly.

Do I think that the bloke himself is doing it because HE particularly wants to antagonise? No, I imagine he just wants to make $$$ - but he knows that it's good marketing and might make money because he knows there are plenty of people who will be like "Aww yee haw haw haw we should have STRAIGHT MONTH why don't us heteros get stuff". That is the gimmick. Appealing to bitter folk who like to bawl about how everything these days is "too woke".

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Quantum Boy

Because it's done in a reactionary and pointed way.

All of this "playing dumb" is so fkn boring, you know fine well why "anti-woke" stuff is done and that it's done pointedly.

Do I think that the bloke himself is doing it because HE particularly wants to antagonise? No, I imagine he just wants to make $$$ - but he knows that it's good marketing and might make money because he knows there are plenty of people who will be like "Aww yee haw haw haw we should have STRAIGHT MONTH why don't us heteros get stuff". That is the gimmick. Appealing to bitter folk who like to bawl about how everything these days is "too woke".

Culture wars. You are making it a culture war, you instantly see no wrong in anything to do with pride, yet instantly jump on anything promoting straight. That's what's boring m8. You you and your need to seem like a good guy to the TIBB LGBTQ brigade.. a knight in shining armour, so to speak.


Helll, this ain't even a worthy news story, it's only there to fuel any divisions to people to stupid to seer over their noses.. Ie, you.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Beso

Culture wars. You are making it a culture war, you instantly see no wrong in anything to do with pride, yet instantly jump on anything promoting straight. That's what's boring m8. You you and your need to seem like a good guy to the TIBB LGBTQ brigade.. a knight in shining armour, so to speak.


Helll, this ain't even a worthy news story, it's only there to fuel any divisions to people to stupid to seer over their noses.. Ie, you.

What TiBB LGBTQ brigade TiBB is a gammon echo chamber. It may have skipped your attention that what TiBB LGBTQ folks remain don't particularly like me for being a TERF/(supposedly) "anti trans". If I'm just trying to appeal to them, I'm not doing a very good job of it. But the truth is I'm not here to appeal to anyone. Not them, but also, not you. Proud to be universally disliked, means I'm not brainrotted.

"Anything promoting straight" is a ridiculous statement, and I have made criticisms of Pride in the past (e.g. inappropriate nudity around children) so your assessment is based on thin air. Utter pish. Simply untrue. I'm just telling the obvious truth -- that the appeal this event has is as a "backlash" for people who feel like there's a disproportionate lack of "heterosexual representation".

That is blatantly obvious.

Whether or not you think that's a good or bad thing is a different debate, but why pretend that it's something that it isn't, you know why the event has been planed, you know that it's a "response" to Pride.

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Quantum Boy

What TiBB LGBTQ brigade TiBB is a gammon echo chamber. It may have skipped your attention that what TiBB LGBTQ folks remain don't particularly like me for being a TERF/(supposedly) "anti trans". If I'm just trying to appeal to them, I'm not doing a very good job of it. But the truth is I'm not here to appeal to anyone. Not them, but also, not you. Proud to be universally disliked, means I'm not brainrotted.

"Anything promoting straight" is a ridiculous statement, and I have made criticisms of Pride in the past (e.g. inappropriate nudity around children) so your assessment is based on thin air. Utter pish. Simply untrue. I'm just telling the obvious truth -- that the appeal this event has is as a "backlash" for people who feel like there's a disproportionate lack of "heterosexual representation".

That is blatantly obvious.

Whether or not you think that's a good or bad thing is a different debate, but why pretend that it's something that it isn't, you know why the event has been planed, you know that it's a "response" to Pride.

You were saying it was being done to antagonize gay people! When there is no proof if that. That's what's annoying me..whereas pride events and the nudity you speak of is clearly done to antagonize people.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Beso

Why would it antagonize gay people?

Is pride done to upset straight people?

Because toy soldier boy says so and despite not being what you'd call worldly, he does have the definitive answer to everything, he thinks.

[arista]

[“Heterosexual Awesomeness Month” last year]


Yes Ben,
clever thing to do...........

[arista]

Originally Posted by Quantum Boy

Of course it's meant to antagonise gay people . It's culture-wars "anti-woke" trash.

TS
they can take it.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Beso

You were saying it was being done to antagonize gay people! When there is no proof if that. That's what's annoying me..whereas pride events and the nudity you speak of is clearly done to antagonize people.

You don't need "proof" to know that the intent of this is to lampoon Pride, you only need a basic level of social literacy and a bit of common sense. And honesty. You know what the intent of the event is, we all do. I'm not playing this daft "There is no proof you cannot possibly know what people's intent is without them saying so!" game, it's painful.

Originally Posted by Livia

Because toy soldier boy says so and despite not being what you'd call worldly, he does have the definitive answer to everything, he thinks.

You literally know next to nothing about me Livia, just as I know nothing about you, other than that you have a chip on your shoulder the size of the grand canyon . Really don't like me to have any opinion about anything eh.

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Quantum Boy

You don't need "proof" to know that the intent of this is to lampoon Pride, you only need a basic level of social literacy and a bit of common sense. And honesty. You know what the intent of the event is, we all do. I'm not playing this daft "There is no proof you cannot possibly know what people's intent is without them saying so!" game, it's painful.




You literally know next to nothing about me Livia, just as I know nothing about you, other than that you have a chip on your shoulder the size of the grand canyon . Really don't like me to have any opinion about anything eh.

You answer me in the way you did, then basically tell livia she knows nothing about you, kicking up a wee fuss about it as well...because she formed an opinion on you without knowing anything about you...



Like I said, try seeing further than the end of your own nose.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Beso

You answer me in the way you did, then basically tell livia she knows nothing about you, kicking up a wee fuss about it as well...because she formed an opinion on you without knowing anything about you...



Like I said, try seeing further than the end of your own nose.

Don't be silly, making a comment on why some random bar owner has started a Straight Pride event is in no way related to Livia's bizarre claim to know anything at all about how "worldly" or otherwise I am . Like I said, we know nothing about each other on here, some people choose not to disclose details by choice, others make claims about their qualifications and experience levels that are dubious and we're all free to doubt, the point is that it doesn't matter 'cos we're all just random people on the internet having opinions about things in the news.

Livia just (as a rule) detests my opinions and thinks I shouldn't have any . It's because I once said I doubted that she's a lawyer (which I've dogwhistled above - see we can all be honest about our intentions) and she's never been able to get over it.

I suppose it would be more accurate to say, I don't believe her, there is no proof of it, and it seems unlikely based on my limited experience of her thoughts and opinions on a Big Brother forum.

But of course; I don't know. But I also don't care. Because again we're just internet strangers having our opinions online. It simply does not matter either way.

My opinion on this topic is that the guy who made the event is cashing in on sad bigots who want to "stick it to the woke" by lampooning Pride events. You disagree. That's fine. My opinion will remain the same. Can we accept that or not? Because - despite the constant criticisms I get that "I always have to be right" - I'm quite content for us to have different opinions... ... ... it's other people who seem to get reeeeaaally peeved if I won't change my opinion to match theirs .

[Beso]

Originally Posted by Quantum Boy

Don't be silly, making a comment on why some random bar owner has started a Straight Pride event is in no way related to Livia's bizarre claim to know anything at all about how "worldly" or otherwise I am . Like I said, we know nothing about each other on here, some people choose not to disclose details by choice, others make claims about their qualifications and experience levels that are dubious and we're all free to doubt, the point is that it doesn't matter 'cos we're all just random people on the internet having opinions about things in the news.

Livia just (as a rule) detests my opinions and thinks I shouldn't have any . It's because I once said I doubted that she's a lawyer (which I've dogwhistled above - see we can all be honest about our intentions) and she's never been able to get over it.

I suppose it would be more accurate to say, I don't believe her, there is no proof of it, and it seems unlikely based on my limited experience of her thoughts and opinions on a Big Brother forum.

But of course; I don't know. But I also don't care. Because again we're just internet strangers having our opinions online. It simply does not matter either way.

My opinion on this topic is that the guy who made the event is cashing in on sad bigots who want to "stick it to the woke" by lampooning Pride events. You disagree. That's fine. My opinion will remain the same. Can we accept that or not? Because - despite the constant criticisms I get that "I always have to be right" - I'm quite content for us to have different opinions... ... ... it's other people who seem to get reeeeaaally peeved if I won't change my opinion to match theirs .

Makes no sense to me.

If you are content with things, why would you feel the need to ridicule and belittle someone by calling them boring etc, simply for asking you questions on your opinion?

[bots]

ultimately, it doesn't matter a toss if someone gets triggered by someone flying a flag when it's a perfectly legal activity.