John “Gene” E. Dawson’s memoir Farm Boy City Girl: From Gene to Miss Gina, A Memoir (MiRiona Publishing) blends personal narrative with the history of his family and the times in which he lived (1931-2020), chronicling his life as a genderfluid gay man coming of age in the changing cultural landscape of Iowa, St. Louis, […]
LGBTQ
Posted inCOVID-19
During the HIV/AIDS epidemic, artists became activists. What will COVID inspire?
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, In sunsets, In midnights, In cups of coffee, In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife —“Seasons of Love,” Rent Jonathan Larson, who wrote the groundbreaking rock musical Rent, spent all of his time, money and effort creating this […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Oh, my god: University Lecture Committee to host Dan Levy in April
On Friday, April 9, Schitt’s Creek fans are invited to don their luxury garments, fold in the cheese, grab a stiff drink and ask thrice before tuning into a virtual event with show co-creator and star Dan Levy. The University Lecture Committee at the University of Iowa will present An Evening with Dan Levy at […]
Posted inDear Kiki
Dear Kiki: Is it wrong to fanboy for Kum & Go?
Dear Kiki, My boyfriend bought me a Kum and Gay Rights T-shirt and I called him a “Republican donor who supports big oil.” He tried to explain to me that $10 from every purchase goes to the Trevor Project and that the entire thing was set up by @justin_nick our favorite LGBTQIA+ gamer. I told […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Blackness is many things’: Meka Jean breaks down the ‘partitions of identity’ in new visual LP
There’s a setting used in some of the ambient noise interstitial scenes between videos in Meka Jean’s “visual long play,” Still (a) Life, released at the end of January. It first appears between tracks two and three, “Distortion” and “Too Good for You.” It’s within the abandoned frame of a building, likely in Alabama, where […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Sweeter Voices Still: An LGBTQ Anthology From Middle America’
The mythology of “the Heartland” (also called “Middle America” or the “flyover states”) is usually rooted in archaic abstractions such as “traditional family values” and conservative ideals. These parts of the American landscape are described as if they are closed off by narrow boundaries, with rigid attitudes imposed upon the diverse populations inhabiting them. As […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Trans, polysaturated: Mitchell Grauberger’s gender journey and polyamorous love story
“The line between friendship versus romantic attraction is very strange for me,” 24-year-old Mitchell Grauberger lamented. “I enjoy having, like, platonic cuddles with my friends. So where’s this line? Am I romantically attracted to you? Or am I just a friend?” Last February, Mitch managed to maneuver this gray area with a friend he’d met […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City’s first LGBTQ safe space
On May 1, 2009, a charter bus rolled into downtown Iowa City, packed with lesbian and gay couples from Missouri (and a rabbi or two). A few weeks earlier, Iowa had become the first state in the Midwest to recognize same-sex marriage. The busload of couples had come to the Hawkeye State to get hitched. […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Englert web series ‘Nuggets of Wisdom’ presents a friendly dialogue on race and queerness
Viewers might watch an episode of the Englert Theatre’s new series, Nuggets of Wisdom, and think Sharon Udoh and Jonny Stax have been close friends for years. Whether it’s the chemistry they have in their conversation, or how comfortable they seem talking about personal subjects, there’s a sense of familiarity. The two actually met in […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Aime Wichtendahl, Iowa’s first trans elected official, reflects on coming out, her run for Hiawatha City Council and Iowa’s COVID-19 failures
Aime Wichtendahl didn’t run for office until 2015, but she’s been intrigued by politics for more than three decades. “When I was 8 years old, I remember following the ’88 presidential election between Bush and Dukakis,” she said. “And interestingly, I was really mad at my parents for voting for Dukakis. Which is weird now […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa’s kink community wants to show you the ropes
Kinks — sexual desires attached to specific objects, acts or body parts that aren’t necessarily sexual in and of themselves — tend to be taboo at the dinner table, but they’re more common than you might think. The Journal of Sex Research found one in three people have experimented with paraphilia, or unusual sexual interests, at some
Posted inCommunity/News
Polyamory works wonders for one Cedar Rapids couple
When Cinna Lewis’s husband gets home from a date, she’s the first one to ask how it went. It bolsters the friendship side of their marriage, she says, a marriage that has flourished for 10 years, this May. Cinna had no intention of ever getting married until, at 32, she reconnected with an old Cedar Rapids Washington High classmate, Beau Lewis.
