Northern Idaho Pride Event Tainted by Patriot Front, Accusations Against Performer

Northern Idaho student and resident Stephanie Coates was excited about celebrating the 2022 Coeur d’Alene Pride in the Park party event with her daughter, age 11, and son, age 7.

“This was a super peaceful event that was supposed to bring our community together for the first time in years,” says Coates.

The family had no way of knowing that a U-Haul truckload full of protestors affiliated with the white supremacist group, Patriot Front, would be arrested down the road, and that the Pride in the Park event itself would become enmeshed in a swirl of negative controversy spearheaded by conservative community blogger, Summer Bushnell.

According to Coates, attendees spanning all age groups gathered to watch the Pride in the Park entertainment.

“There was a group of about 100 or so at any given time, with the total number of visitors estimated at 1,000 throughout the day,” Coates explains. “Many of the party goers were young people who found their niche and a place to feel they belong.”

Despite the festivities, the event perimeter was occupied by protestors carrying signs that were “religious in nature” condemning LGBTQ people and their identities. However, the event remained peaceful for the duration. Attendees took cell phone video of the entertainers as they performed for the crowd.

The controversy began when an edited, slow-motion video was posted on The Bushnell Report Facebook page, and Summer Bushnell and others accused the dancer of flashing their genitals at the audience. Bushnell appears in a video on the Facebook page and levels accusations at the dancer. A slew of commenters condemning the dancer and the event; some commenters accused the dancer of “grooming” young attendees.

The Bushnell Report is a Facebook off-shoot of Bushnell Media and serves as a conservative, community-based blog. Bushnell maintains that, although she did not witness the live performance, she could “clearly see the dancer’s genitals in the unedited video.”

Bushnell also admits to knowingly posting the edited video online. She claims she received the original video from someone she would “rather not name.”

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and the Coeur D’Alene police confirmed that complaints were made by people who did not witness the performance first-hand. Local NBC affiliate KHQ6 viewed the unedited original video and confirms that it does not appear the dancer exposed themselves at any point.

Coates fears that, while the U-Haul arrests dominated the headlines, the importance of the Pride Party controversy was overlooked.

“The events featured beautiful performers who may never return to Coeur D’Alene after this,” she says. “It’s important to hold those who make false accusations accountable.”

The personal fallout for Coates has been unpleasant. She says she was bullied online for defending the event. She was also warned that her association with the controversy might harm her career and make it difficult to find employment opportunities.

Coates concludes, “The whole thing has really placed a damper on the spirit of everything Pride stands for.”