A major LGBT pride organization in Boise, Idaho, announced that its annual pride festival isn’t happening in 2025 after low attendance prompted organizers to call off the event and refund tickets, a move that coincides with the general decline in morale shown by the LGBT movement in response to the election of President Trump.
For context, on June 2, 2025, press accounts confirmed that the scheduled “Pride Season Kickoff” event in Boise, Idaho, had been cancelled, with the event’s organizer, Boise Pride, citing insufficient ticket sales as the reason. In the wake of the event’s cancellation, Boise Pride called on the LGBT community in the Idaho city to practice “showing up” to keep the pride movement strong.
Explaining the cancellation in a Facebook post on May 29, 2025, Boise Pride explained, “We created the Pride Season Kickoff to bring more Pride to June, based on community demand.” They clarified, “But despite strong interest, attendance didn’t reach the level needed to hold the event responsibly. As a result, the June 6 event is canceled and all tickets have been refunded.”
Continuing, the announcement added that the organization was still “committed to growing Pride in Boise — but it takes more than excitement. It takes showing up.” The announcement concluded, “Thanks for your continued support. We hope to bring this event back in the future — stronger and together.”
Furthermore, according to press accounts, on May 31, 2025, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean spoke at the first LatinX Pride festival in Boise, telling the gathered members of the LGBT community, “We see you, we welcome you, we love you, we need you here,” adding, “We will make it through these tough times better for it, stronger for it and more Boise than Boise’s ever been.” In addition, McLean told the crowd that these are “uncertain times,” implying that the Trump Administration’s rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives can make people feel “topsy-turvy.”
The news that Boise Pride was cancelling its “Season Kick-Off” event came shortly after press accounts confirmed on April 21, 2025, that the Kennedy Center’s “Tapestry of Pride” program was being cancelled as well, with President Trump announcing in a February 7 Truth Social Post that he would be taking over the direction of the center. The president wrote, “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” adding, “I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
Continuing, President Trump said that he would be the Kennedy Center’s new chairman, adding, “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP. The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
Responding to the president’s announcement in a statement to the New York Post, a Kennedy Center spokesperson said that the center’s leadership was “aware of the post made recently by POTUS on social media,” adding, “We have received no official communications from the White House regarding changes to our board of trustees. We are aware that some members of our board have received termination notices from the administration.”
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