BOISE, Idaho — Matthew Montoya (he/they) is the co-founder of Lumos Optical, an annual sponsor for the Boise Pride Festival -- and they are not going to back down due to the pushback the event has been getting, he said.
A queer-owned, Black-owned, woman-owned eyewear company in Boise, Lumos Optical is a supportive addition to the LGBTQA+ community that provides a safe space for individuals, he said. This is the company's third year sponsoring the event.
As of Friday, five sponsors have said they are pulling out of the festival; Zions Bank, Idaho Power, CapEd Credit Union, Department of Health and Welfare and Idaho Central Credit Union.
Boise Pride won't confirm whether or not the funding will stay from all the sponsors who dropped their participation from the event, but Donald Williamson, the Executive Director of Boise Pride, said Friday that the Zions Bank funding will stay, just that their participation is withdrawn.
Montoya said that Boise Pride had a conversation with his company on a phone call about whether or not the funding will be pulled. The sponsors who have pulled out from the festival are still funding it, Montoya said -- but their name is just no longer on the list and they won't be featured in the event.
"They just asked for their logo to be removed from the website, as well as not having logos present during the event itself," Montoya said.
This all comes after far-right groups online and the Idaho GOP encouraged people to voice their displeasure over the Boise Pride Festival hosting a kids' drag show, ages 11-18, saying it "sexualized" them. The show was eventually canceled due to safety concerns for the teens, since many people were posting questionable things on social media about the event.
Blue Cross of Idaho released a statement on Friday, refusing to pull out of the festival because they said they are happy to support an inclusive community.
"While we do not have all the answers to solving inequality and discrimination, we will always listen to Idahoans and our customers and find where we can help make a difference in making our healthcare and our communities more inclusive," their statement said.
Lumos Optical has gotten numerous emails over the sponsorship of the event accusing them of supporting pedophiles and sexualizing children. Unfortunately, Montoya said, this behavior is not anything new for marginalized communities.
"It's aggravating how this has been framed," he said. "This is a huge reminder as to why we need safe spaces. Families with LGBTQ+ members need spaces to interact with each other in a safe environment...The people bringing this up have never attended any of these events."
"As a business, we are also providing a safe space for these families to come to," he said.
Montoya said he grew up putting on dresses for fun and playing in costumes. While he was lucky to have a supportive family and circle of friends who stood behind him for expressing his identity, not every child in Idaho has this luxury, he said.
Montoya said the online harassment youth face nowadays about being queer or part of the LGBTQ+ community plays into the suicide rates of the group, and the comments all over social media about Pride this year are only exacerbating what LGBTQA+ kids face on a daily basis.
That is why their communities are doing their best to protect these children, he said, by giving them spaces to express themselves so something like taking their own life will not happen.
"By taking away our safe spaces, you are harming these children more," he said. "But, we are going to have a great weekend. It's going to be a fun weekend."
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