Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Boise’s Hetero Awesome Fest Flops With Onstage Fight and Racism Fallout

Low attendance highlighted public condemnation following racist remarks by a white nationalist podcaster.

There was a small turnout at Hetero Awesome Fest in downtown Boise, Saturday, June 21, 2025.
Image

Overview

  • The two-day festival drew just 30 to 50 attendees to Boise’s Cecil D. Andrus Park.
  • Organizers cut musician Daniel Hamrick’s microphone and Mark Fitzpatrick forcibly removed him from the stage after an LGBTQ+ themed performance.
  • Podcaster Dave Reilly praised the city’s lack of Black residents during a recorded segment at the event, provoking widespread outrage.
  • Fitzpatrick told Idaho News 6 that he does not share Reilly’s racist views but allowed him to interview speakers without conducting background checks.
  • Observers link the failed festival to a broader national anti-LGBTQ+ movement and note a 14-point drop in Republican support for same-sex marriage since 2022.