LGBTQ Pride events aren’t just for big cities. Here’s why they’re growing in small towns. (2024)

Small towns dotting the fields of Iowa are seeing a few more flashes of color than in years past.

For most of modern history since the Stonewall Riots of 1969, LGBTQ Pride celebrations have been consigned to larger cities throughout the month of June. In Iowa, the main celebrations have been in Des Moines, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Sioux City.

But over the last few years, smaller towns across Iowa have started events of their own. New celebrations in Vinton, North Liberty and Marion have put Eastern Iowa on the small town Pride map alongside celebrations in Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Orange City, Washington and more.

‘Better place for everyone’

At Benton County’s annual celebration in Vinton, now in its second year, organizers said Pride is a space that should exist for everyone — not just residents of Iowa’s larger cities.

“Growing up in rural communities, you kind of feel like you can’t quite be yourself, even with mundane things. There’s a status quo of how things have always been,” said Rylie Pflughaupt, founder of Benton County Pride and lifelong resident of Vinton.

“Being able to provide a space for people to be comfortable with who they are is extremely important (without having to) drive to larger cities.”

Pflughaupt, 31, an at-large member of the Vinton City Council, spearheaded the Pride effort after being approached by constituents in the aftermath of the Vinton Public Library’s brief closure in 2022. At the time, tensions grew over the library hiring openly LGBTQ staff members and a library display of books with LGBTQ topics. Two library directors and an interim director resigned.

“People were being harassed and targeted. We needed to step up,” she said. “(This) community has always existed and always will exist.”

So with a few vendor booths and Pride merchandise, Benton County Pride held its first event last June. This year, it grew in attendance with the addition of a food truck, live entertainment and speakers in a more visible spot at Celebration Park.

Until last year, residents of rural towns in Benton County had to drive to Cedar Rapids or Iowa City to celebrate Pride events. Even though it’s a short drive, some say a local event is better at building community or close relationships.

“You go to these bigger events … and you don’t necessarily know them,” said Mackenzie Ford, current president of Benton County Pride.

Benton County Pride, designed to be a family friendly event for all ages, has drawn parents with their children as well as a number of LGBTQ adults in their 30s — around the same age as Ford and Pflughaupt.

Ford was inspired to join the effort after watching her younger gay brother move away to find community — first to Iowa City, then to southern California. Having a space for people to be themselves and find camaraderie in their own hometown doesn’t just make the LGBTQ community stronger, she said — it makes Vinton a better place for everyone.

By providing a safe space for one day each year, she hopes others like her brother will come to know their hometown as a place where they’re not alone, where they’re accepted for who they are.

“It’s really hard to see that when you’re in a town that’s telling you that you can’t be who you are. Vinton is good at doing that,” Ford said. “We wanted to give the LGBTQ population in the county a chance to know that people do (care) about them, and they’re not what other people are saying.”

In a short time, Ford said, the effort has received volumes of gratitude from Benton County natives — people who never thought they’d see Pride at home.

Entry points

The city of North Liberty, one of the fastest growing small cities in Iowa, also has hosted new events to reach its changing population.

Let Love Fly, an annual event that takes a novel approach to Pride celebrations with colorful kite displays, has served as a new way to introduce families to Pride over the past three years.

“We feel passionate about our responsibility and ability to be able to program community events that create safe spaces,” said Jillian Miller, assistant director of community relations for North Liberty. “Inclusion is fundamental to building an equitable and compassionate society.”

The event, which attracted 5,000 attendees earlier this month, could have potential to be more than kites. With a new amphitheater and event center planned in the near future, Let Love Fly has potential to become a full-blown Pride festival with stage entertainment in 2026, Miller said.

As the city manages exponential growth happening over a short period of time, sending a message of welcome from the local level will become critical to attract families of all stripes to Iowa as anti-LGBTQ legislation continues to proliferate.

“It can be discouraging, what happens at the state or national level. One thing we can control in our community is how we treat one another and our neighbors,” Miller said. “It’s not a small thing.”

Queer visibility in small towns

Zach Owens, organizer of one of the first full Pride events in Marion, hopes to use the event’s debut this year as an opportunity to highlight those neglected in the bigger picture of Iowa, where broad strokes obscure people like him.

A native of Cedar Rapids and two-year resident of Marion, Owens called the June 29 event a “big leap” in building community for LGBTQ people in Marion.

“Because of our (state) lawmakers, there is this picture painted that there isn’t a vibrant community of queer people here,” he said. “Having these events is a small step to show others we’re here, and we shouldn’t be in fear.”

With funding from Cedar Rapids Pride, Owens and co-organizer Rachel Maker have organized an event featuring a fashion show, drag entertainment, performers, DJs and a lineup of vendors throughout the evening.

“There are so many variations in our (LGBTQ) community that aren’t explored or seen. This is a chance for us to be seen in a different light,” said Owens, 32.

As many others their age migrate to other states, Maker said the visibility provided by events like these will build the type of community that can retain the next generation in Iowa.

Feeling seen

Cedar Rapids drag performer Hollywood Hope will be performing for the first time at Chicago Pride this year. But the up-and-coming queen, known out of drag as AJ Adorien, has made a name for reaching underserved crowds in smaller towns like Manchester and Decorah.

In more conservative areas, he said, meeting people where they’re at is important to change hearts and minds in a way that can’t be done at the ballot box or in the Iowa Legislature. With algorithms that magnify political polarization, he believes social media has made it easy for Iowans to forget who their neighbors are.

“That’s why I feel like it’s so important to converse and be the voice of reason to people who don’t walk in your shoes,” said Adorien, who is 6-foot-5 before putting on high heels. “People come up to me crying, saying ‘I’ve never seen a gay person, or a drag queen. I hear stories about you being a pedophile, but I’ve never had someone show me so much love and light.’ ”

Through representation, small town Pride events are more than a convenient celebration. They’re a chance to reach the ones who never wanted to go to big city Pride in the first place.

“You can’t fight hate with hate,” Adorien said. “You can only fight hate with love.”

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.