Battle Lines Drawn: Idaho Bar Owner Sets 'Hetero Awesome Fest' During Pride Month

What do Americans need during Pride Month? Straight pride! At least that is what an Idaho bar owner believes.

Boise bar owner Mark Fitzpatrick has founded Hetero Awesome, an organization that calls itself "a battle-ready force in the culture war, targeting ... those who oversexualize children, DEI hustlers, and school indoctrinators."

The group plans on taking their agenda to the streets, or at least a local Boise park, on June 20th and 21st, 2025 with the Hetero Awesome Fest. "This ain't your limp-wristed woke fest; it's a full-on celebration of family values with guts," promises its description on its website. Heterosexual Awesomeness Inc (@heteroawesome) is throwing down to honor God's design and obliterate the anti-family noise–join the tribe, no apologies."

The event is a larger version of one Fitzgerald held in his bar, Old State Saloon, last year.

"In addition to offering "Heterosexual Karaoke" and "a Constitutional Conservative Conga Line, led by Dancin' Donna," the bar will offer drink discounts for hetero women and men with "XX" and "XY" chromosomes, respectively. (The bar didn't explain how it will verify drinkers' chromosomes.)," reports LGBTQ Nation.

"This celebration of traditional gender norms and heterosexual awesomeness is set to be... the talk of those who still believe in the charm of a good old-fashioned, non-rainbow-colored party," his bar wrote.

Yes, there's nothing more charming than good, old-fashioned homophobia served up with a conga line led by Dancin' Donna.

Newsweek reports that more details about what the event entails or who the organization is partnering with for the festival are yet to be announced. It's unclear whether any protests are being planned for the festival. The event will not take place on the same day as Boise's Pride festival, which is celebrated in September.

In addition to this event, Hetero Awesome is seeking volunteers and funding. The group recently published a press release saying the group is assembling a team of full-time content creators to push their far-right agenda, which includes the "Marxist teachings of LGBTQ+ extremism."

They also have a presence across social media platforms–@HeteroAwesome on X, Facebook, Instagram, Truth Social, TikTok, Rumble, and YouTube. And a webpage pushing their merchandising, which include a selection of flags ($38.00) and unisex t-shirts ($28.00) with such slogans as "I Love My Heterosexual Husband" and "I Love My Heterosexual Wife." For singles, there's "Beers for Breeders," as well as ones that simply read "Hetero Awesome."

Straight pride events in the past have had a woefully sad history. In 2019 a group called Happy Fun America held one in Boston where counter-protesters far outnumbered those marching. The same was true at an concurrent event in California. And what could be considered the start of the movement occurred in 2015 in Seattle when activist Anthony Rebello promoted a Straight Pride parade. LGBTQNation writes "he invited thousands of people via Facebook, writing: 'In the name of equality & equal rights, I have created this event to celebrate our right to be heterosexual, and to encourage younger heterosexuals that they should be proud of their heterosexuality.'"

At the parade, he marched alone with a hand-held cardboard sign.