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.
Because I don’t even know where to start. The biggest part, I suppose, is that if you give them a space like this, it normalizes the movement. People stop feeling like there is something wrong with disliking the LGBT community, the movement grows as it is no longer stigmatized, and LGBT rights backslide.
Furthermore, holding a “hetero pride” festival during pride month is inherently bigoted as well. Pride month exists because straight people wouldn’t let gay people express themselves otherwise. Your idea isn’t totally unlike the idea of letting klansmen openly hold festivals during Black History month so they stop harassing black people.
But it’s pride month, we can let bigots be bigots for a moment. We’re already fighting them the rest of the year.