"Hetero Awesomeness Fest" Will Be At Idaho Capitol This June

Hetero Awesome, a non-profit group founded by Mark Fitzpatrick, will hold a "Hetero Awesomeness Festival" at Cecil Andrus Park across from the Idaho Capitol Building this June.

Fitzpatrick also owns Old State Saloon in Eagle. The bar became well-known last year for offering beer at a discounted price to straight individuals and couples.

The event will take place on 20-21 June. The speakers’ names and the event details have not yet been announced. Fitzpatrick told Idaho Dispatch about the event:

"We're launching the Heterosexual Awesomeness Fest 2025 at Cecil D. Andrus Park to boldly celebrate traditional family values in a nation that’s shifting politically at seemingly lightning speed. Idaho’s lawmakers just passed fierce new laws to protect our freedoms and shut down divisive, racist programs like DEI. With the Capitol building as our backdrop, we’re calling everyone to join us June 20-21 for music, food, and talks that unite us in strengthening the family unit and championing Heterosexual Awesomeness!"

According to the Hetero Awesome website, the event will:

"This ain’t your limp-wristed woke fest; it’s a full-on celebration of family values with guts. We’re bringing the heat with killer food, ice-cold beer, and bold wines, plus live music to crank the vibe. Expect riveting speeches that’ll wake the dead, booths from family-owned businesses and rock-solid supporters, all standing tall for our Battle Lines."

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.