The first ever celebration of Latinx trans and queer voices in Boise will take place on May 31, kicking off Pride Month in June. Co-organizer Oliver MacDonald says the goal is to highlight the many experiences of the community.
“While we've siloed it into a month, doesn't have to be just this one month for Pride. You aren't LGBTQ for a day or a month. You're that for your entire life.”
The event, which is taking place at Cecil D. Andrus Park, will have various activities from wellness and nutrition to live drag and dance performances, and even a fashion show. With 39 different vendors, artisan artists, food trucks and information booths. MacDonald says everyone is welcome.
“While this is Latinx Pride, we are inviting everyone to this. It's not just the Latinx Hispanic community that we want there.”
The celebration will start with a breakfast and a blessing from religious leaders. Head organizer Joel Camacho says Catholicism in the Hispanic community sometimes makes it difficult for LGBTQ+ people to feel accepted. But he’s seen many family members have a change of heart when a loved one comes out.
“You don't have to choose between your spiritual faith and loving a family member,” Camacho said.
The first Latinx Pride in Idaho took place in Nampa in 2022. Pride month is celebrated in June across the country, in honor of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising.
Boise’s Pride Fest has been celebrated in September since it was moved in 2020 to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Camacho says this year’s theme, “La Diáspora,” will also highlight the experience of all those who have built new homes in America while not forgetting their cultures, stories, and dreams. He says the community comes from all over Latin America.
“We share a common language, and there's some shared history, but we all have our very unique cultures and the different spices that we have in our cultures,” Camacho said.
Organizers will also be handing out pamphlets to educate attendees on immigration rights.
