25-05-2025
A new Pride event is coming to Boise. Here's when, where and why
When Meridian resident Joel Camacho came out to his family at age 14, they weren't the happiest people, he recalled.
Now, over two decades later, his mom will attend Boise's first LatinX Pride, an event that Camacho is helping to plan and arrange.
Camacho, the lead organizer and head of fundraising, said he wants the inaugural LatinX Pride to be a space for families to heal. And although polls show the term LatinX is unpopular within the Latino community, he said the goal is simply to make all people feel included.
'I want to create a space for more older Latino generations to come and celebrate their gay uncles or gay sons or gay brothers or gay dads,' Camacho said. 'It's hard for us to feel that our entire self is being celebrated because there's a piece that's missing, and that is our Latino heritage.'
LatinX Pride is free to attend and will take place May 31 at Cecil D. Andrus Park across from the Idaho Capitol, on the eve of Pride Month. Anyone is welcome to come, whether they are LGBTQ+ or Latino, Camacho said.
Attendees will find a wealth of food, including empanadas, Caribbean dishes, tacos, quesadillas and more, Camacho said. The theme is 'La Diáspora,' or the diaspora. Camacho said it recognizes that Latinos come from many different backgrounds, different countries, and different racial identities or religious affiliations.
'There's no one-size-fits-all,' Camacho said. 'There's no one face.'
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean will deliver the keynote speech.
Idaho's LGBTQ+ community is at a crossroads, said Amanda Bladt, who is co-head of safety and volunteers for LatinX Pride. Idaho's Republican legislators continue to introduce anti-LGBTQ+ bills, they said, such as a memorial asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn gay marriage. Bladt identifies as genderqueer.
Bladt said many LGBTQ+ Idahoans are trying to determine whether they should even stay in the Gem State.
'We want to have these amazing and joyful experiences that really celebrate the history of our communities,' Bladt said. 'LatinX Pride is about an intersection.'
Although June is Pride Month, the Boise Pride Festival has made a permanent move to September, so that students who might be out of town in the summer have a chance to attend while school is in session. In particular, organizers have said it helps the Boise State LGBTQ+ community.
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