Idaho bar owner's ‘Hetero Awesome Fest' to coincide with Pride Month

A bar owner in Idaho plans to celebrate heterosexuality in the middle of Pride Month

Mark Fitzpatrick, the owner of Old State Saloon near Boise, says his Pride Month-inspired

two-day festival on June 20th through the 21st, dubbed Hetero Awesome Fest, is set to be held

across the street from a local park near the state capitol. The event has its own Instagram page

I was thinking to myself, what can we do to celebrate in June that would be different than what's going on downtown

that would 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 says his festival is meant to give people an alternative to Pride Month celebrations

The move follows Fitzpatrick's Heterosexual Awareness Month last year. He says his aim is not for hate or to target any group He says he decided to create Hetero Awesome Fest after he was unable to take his daughter into downtown Boise last year

because of Pride events taking place. The Heterosexual Awesomeness Festival is coming to Boise

This isn't just another festival. It's a movement, a celebration of faith, family, and freedom right in the heart of Idaho

Pride Month organizers, however, have not held events in June in Boise since 2020

due to the COVID-19 pandemic and opting for better weather by moving celebrations to September

Critics note while his intention may not be hate, his bar's social media page says

there's no shame in speaking the truth. The LGBTQ agenda is wicked, perverse

and victimizes children or their exposure to inappropriate content. When asked about Hetero Awesome Fest, Boise Pride says it has no official statement regarding this year's event, but told organizers best of luck with their new festival

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