Republican members of two Iowa House Judiciary subcommittees advanced two bills on Monday that continue the anti-LGBTQ agenda Gov. Kim Reynolds and legislative Republicans have enshrined in state law since 2022. As the hearings were underway, supporters of transgender rights and advocates for LGBTQ Iowans protested in the rotunda and halls of the State Capitol. […]
LGBTQ
Posted inCommunity/News
Des Moines’ new indie bookstores want to help Latino, LGBTQ readers ‘see themselves on the shelf’
Like a book, an independent bookstore can be a spiritual oasis in a chaotic world. It probably says something about our world, then, that three indie bookstores sprouted up in central Iowa over the past 18 months. From pushing back against book bans and COVID-era malaise to capitalizing on online reading trends, Shelf Love DSM, […]
Posted inDear Kiki
Dear Kiki: I’m a boring monogamist. Does that make me less queer?
Dear Kiki, Polyamory has taken the lesbian and queer community by storm. Every person I talk to wants me to read The Ethical Slut or Polysecure and be on board with their primary partner, but after experimenting with it I think I’m just monogamous. Am I less enlightened? Less queer? How do I say I’m […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Queer history, pop culture and computers helped Iowa artist Ben Millett cover a gallery in quilts
Ben Millett’s quilts are tactile records, coded with color, memory and meaning. They look soft because they are, but their softness doesn’t dull their message. Instead, it amplifies it. On July 26, 2025, the Des Moines Art Center will open its first-ever quilt-based solo exhibition, “Iowa Artists 2025: Ben Millett,” a showcase of about 20 […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Plain Spoken: How the Planned Parenthood Book Sale made me the man I am today
My mother and I love each other dearly and we are both capable Christmas gift-givers. Ceramic chicken knick-knacks or matching salt and pepper shakers never fail to bring a gleam to Mom’s keen antiquer’s eye, brightening the tree’s particolored twinkles already refracted in her gaze.
Posted inBook Reviews
Fully Booked at DMPL: Read to resist LGBTQ+ erasure
Legislators in the state of Iowa are actively trying to erase the stories of LGBTQ+ people by removing books from public schools and denying access to important, life-saving stories for youth. People that try to ban books know that books are powerful and are a danger to their hegemonic systems and strict societal norms, which […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The pair of artists behind Des Moines’ Pride murals, Cat Rocketship and Dani Awesome, have a colorful love story
Artists Cat Rocketship and Dani Awesome have created some big, head-turning work together: massive rainbow murals in the East Village and Historic Valley Junction; human-sized Iowa wildlife painted along a bike trail in West Des Moines; pop-up art markets and a pair of Etsy shops with over 7,000 sales of original prints, stickers, jewelry and […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Pride 2025 events across eastern and central Iowa
From raucous Pride parades and festivals to intimate LGBTQ+ support groups and book clubs, there are dozens of ways to celebrate Pride Month this June (and July, and August) in Iowa. Browse more than 50 options below. Iowa City area Tuesday, June 10, 7 p.m., Pride at FilmScene: I Am My Own Woman, FilmScene Satuday, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
ACLU of Iowa warns five cities that their anti-drag ordinances are unconstitutional
The ACLU of Iowa has sent letters to city councils in five communities, asking councilmembers to update their city codes and remove language classifying performances by male and female impersonators as “adult entertainment” banned or restricted by local law. ACLU of Iowa staff attorney Shefali Aurora said during an online news conference on Wednesday that the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
What’s the point of Pride? Trans/genderfluid Iowans discuss persistence, fear and how to spite the bigots in power
Dr. Emma Denney (she/they) is the community resource navigator at the LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library in Iowa City. She regularly tracks anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the state legislature, traveling to Des Moines to speak against them. She holds a Ph.D. in composition from the University of Iowa and makes music under the name .em. V […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Rainbow Kitten Surprise brought some much-needed queer joy to Des Moines
Returning to Des Moines for the first time in three years, Rainbow Kitten Surprise lit up Vibrant Music Hall on Friday, May 16 with a performance that radiated joy. The band’s chemistry was palpable. Each member moved with intensity, feeding off one another’s rhythm and the crowd’s roar. Their iconic logo pulsed in sync with […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Love is a thing with feathers in ‘La Cage Aux Folle,’ a triumph for Revival Theatre Company
It was a sweaty, 83-degree day when I went to Revival Theatre Company’s staging of La Cage Aux Folles. This was perfect weather to be spirited away to Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera and into a packed theater full of cheering, clapping and the best show I’ve seen this year. The musical is a reworking […]
