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Happy Pride!


The month of June marks LGBTQIA Pride celebration! This is a time for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) community to celebrate and remember the brave folks who have contributed to the fight for equality.

The Stonewall uprising occurred June 27, 1969, in New York City. It's often seen as the start of the modern movement toward LGBTQIA equality. It began with a targeted police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a popular bar for the queer community. It was operating without a liquor license, due to state discrimination against LGBTQIA people.

Faced with the horrific brutality of the police, a revolt quickly ensued. Patrons of the bar, largely led by transgender people of color, fought back against law enforcement. The uprising lasted for 6 days as the community rallied together to demand freedom from police intimidation and violence.

The Stonewall uprising continues to be commemorated year after year with a march and rally that has now been duplicated across the globe. This paved the way for what is now commonly known as Pride Month. Click here for a full list of Pride events in the U.S.

Upcoming Pride events in Iowa include:

  • Capital City Pride, Des Moines: June 9-10. Click here.

  • Iowa City Pride Festival, Iowa City: June 16. Click here.

Why it matters

Transgender and gender non-conforming individuals face some of the most alarming rates of sexual violence across the country. The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that 47% of transgender people are sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime. This number increases significantly among transgender and gender non-conforming people of color (between 53-65%). Bisexual women and bisexual men also experience increased rates of sexual violence (61% and 37% respectively) according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.

LGBTQIA survivors are oftentimes denied services and shelter because of their sexual orientation, gender presentation, or gender identity. IowaCASA works with victim service programs to address these concerns and others when it comes to serving the LGBTQIA community.

Transformative Healing, the only LGBTQIA-specific victim service program in Iowa, lost access to state and federal funds last year. Despite this fact, Transformative Healing continues to raise funds and is hoping to keep providing invaluable direct service to LGBTQIA survivors in the future. For more information about this program, click here.

The following is a list of resources for LGBTQIA individuals in Iowa:

  • Transformative Healing: a safe space for LGBTQIA survivors of sexual violence. Click here.

  • One Iowa: a statewide LGBTQ organization preserving and advancing equality for LGBTQ individuals through grassroots efforts, advocacy, and education. Click here.

  • Siouxland Pride Alliance: connecting and protecting the LGBTQ people of Siouxland. Click here.

  • Transformations Iowa: a transgender support group that meets weekly in Des Moines and Urbandale. sophia.transformations@gmail.com

  • Transcend North Iowa: a group dedicated to supporting transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals in North Iowa. contact@transcendnorthiowa.com

  • Iowa Safe Schools: a statewide nonprofit working to create safe, supportive learning environments for those who identify as LGBTQIA. Click here.

Resource articles for allies who want to show support during Pride Month:

Resource articles about intersectionality within the LGBTQIA community:

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