BOISE, Idaho — A minor confrontation broke out at the controversial “Hetero Awesome Fest” on Saturday when a protester took the stage and began singing a pro-LGBTQ+ song before being removed.
According to several livestreams of the event, including those from Old Street Saloon, the incident occurred during the two-day festival held on June 20-21 in Cecil D. Andrus Park, directly across from the Idaho State Capitol. Mark Fitzpatrick, owner of the Old State Saloon and organizer of the event, rushed the stage and took the microphone from the man after about a minute of singing.
I’m against giving hatred and bigotry a platform. It’s like saying “let the Nazis have their event, I support their freedom to gather, as long as they’re not causing problems for others.”
Them gathering is causing problems. We’re on the forefront of changing centuries of human rights violations, and tolerating other people’s intolerance will only get in the way of real change.