[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]

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Ammi

[bots]

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

[Beso]

I salute you sir.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by bots

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

Is it?

[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.

[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.

[Livia]

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

[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.

[Mystic Mock]

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".

Tbf, there are a fair few things in today's world that are quite Woke imo, admittedly some of it does also get exaggerated or even out and out fabricated by the anti-woke side, but there are definitely examples of extreme Woke things imo.

But I do agree with you ultimately that this guy is gritting because he knows that he can make a lot of money from anti-woke/anti-LGBT groups.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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 ..

[BBXX]

Originally Posted by 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 ..

In the U.S it’s literally Military Appreciation Month THIS MONTH. Which you would know about if you actually cared about appreciating the Military, but you don’t and you’re just using it as a way to disparage Pride Month.

You can set up any kind of “month” you want. If you would like to campaign for a Veterans Month in the UK nobody is stopping you, as proven with the above news.

As for this, he can do as he pleases. The fact it’s to run at the same time as Pride Month is proof enough he’s doing it in for reactionary and antagonistic reasons which is enough of a reason to call it pathetic. But meh, hope they all have fun.

I just wish they’d stop shoving their lifestyle down our throats…

[Zizu]

Originally Posted by BBXX

In the U.S it’s literally Military Appreciation Month THIS MONTH. Which you would know about if you actually cared about appreciating the Military, but you don’t and you’re just using it as a way to disparage Pride Month.

You can set up any kind of “month” you want. If you would like to campaign for a Veterans Month in the UK nobody is stopping you, as proven with the above news.

As for this, he can do as he pleases. The fact it’s to run at the same time as Pride Month is proof enough he’s doing it in for reactionary and antagonistic reasons which is enough of a reason to call it pathetic. But meh, hope they all have fun.

I just wish they’d stop shoving their lifestyle down our throats…

It was a simple question .. why jump to unfair assumption ?

I used to idolise George Michael and went to see Will Young at the M.E.N Arena years ago



Somebody gave about 3 examples of monthly celebrations whereas the norm for the thought of celebrations is a day


What makes the monthlies so special ?

Is longer actually better or are they simply diluting the cause ?

They say less is more

[BBXX]

Originally Posted by Zizu

It was a simple question .. why jump to unfair assumption ?

Honestly, the amount of times I've seen someone say "Why is there a Pride Month but only a Veterans DAY" as a way to somehow make out like LGBT people are somehow being given special treatment is beyond a joke, it's such a cliche from those who are trying to make a certain point while at the same time uncovering how little they actually care about the Veterans they make out they care so much about (yet they actually don't give a **** otherwise they'd know there was a Military Appreciation Month).

[Zizu]

Originally Posted by BBXX

Honestly, the amount of times I've seen someone say "Why is there a Pride Month but only a Veterans DAY" as a way to somehow make out like LGBT people are somehow being given special treatment is beyond a joke, it's such a cliche from those who are trying to make a certain point while at the same time uncovering how little they actually care about the Veterans they make out they care so much about (yet they actually don't give a **** otherwise they'd know there was a Military Appreciation Month).

Nice editing of my post

[Zizu]

Originally Posted by BBXX

Honestly, the amount of times I've seen someone say "Why is there a Pride Month but only a Veterans DAY" as a way to somehow make out like LGBT people are somehow being given special treatment is beyond a joke, it's such a cliche from those who are trying to make a certain point while at the same time uncovering how little they actually care about the Veterans they make out they care so much about (yet they actually don't give a **** otherwise they'd know there was a Military Appreciation Month).

Why are you so angry , so ready to fight !?!

Look I am a confessed ‘people watcher’


We were shopping in Tesco the other day and saw two young women ( obviously a couple) walking around holding hands and occasionally whispering in each other’s ears .

We walked past each other a few times up and down the isles and they were a few places in front of us at the queue .. now the one thing that was clearly noticeable was one of them was kinda ‘edgy’ and definitely more confident than the other and was actively seeking eye contact with anyone they walked past or who walked past them ..

I got the definite feeling that she was ready to ‘ go at it’ or to shout “what are you looking at ? “

Why not just be yourself why go looking for something that probably isn’t there ..

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by 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 ..

Pride has just become a commercial venture, now that there's virtually no battles left to fight (in the west).

If they had it all in one weekend, that's only one weekend they'd make money. Spread it out, and they can make money on multiple weekends!

Some even go "on tour", and attend multiple Pride events! A fool and their money, and all that.