Latest news with #CapitalCityPride
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Final day of Des Moines' PrideFest kicks off
DES MOINES, Iowa — The final day of the PrideFest kicked off in the East Village on Sunday morning. The event is organized by Capital City Pride, a nonprofit whose mission is to bring together the LGBTQ+ community and host around 100 events and programs annually to inspire and educate. PrideFest is a three-day festival and is the nonprofit's largest event every year. It started 46 years ago when a group of people marched from the Iowa State Capitol to the Blazing Saddle in the East Village to demand rights for LGBTQ Iowans. Laurel Feakes is the Director of Public Relations for Capital City Pride. She said last year's PrideFest brought between 130,000 and 150,000 people to downtown Des Moines. The three-day event kicked off on Friday with vendors and acts performing on the Community Stage. Then on Saturday, the packed schedule featured events for families and kids, teens, pets, and more. The Main Stage also headlined acts like Ally and AJ. Sunday is the final day for the event. Early risers started their morning with yoga across the street from the Embassy Suits. PrideFest officially kicked off at 10 a.m. with a Pride Worship Service on the Main Stage. The festival's largest attraction is the Capital City Pride Parade that will start at noon on East Grand Avenue, starting at the Iowa State Capitol. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pride Month event organizers see increased engagement amidst anti-LGBTQ+ activity
Organizers are preparing to celebrate Pride Month in Des Moines through Capital City Pride's Pridefest. (Photo by Tom Foley/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Pride Month event organizers in Iowa are seeing an increase in participation amidst national and state activity targeting the queer community. 'People in the community that are passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion and are passionate about the LGBTQ+ community are showing up because they know this is an important time,' said Wes Mullins, executive director of Capital City Pride. Every June, celebrations of Pride Month focus on self-affirmation, dignity, equality, increased visibility and connections within Iowa's LGBTQ+ community, and Capital City Pride's Pridefest is the largest LGBTQ+ annual gathering in Iowa. The focus is on the so-called 'Five Pillars of Pride,' which are education, family, health and wellness, community and celebration. Each year, Pridefest hosts the Pride Stride 5k — an event that in previous years never had more than 500 participants. This year, there are more than 750. Additionally, all of the available vendor spaces at Pridefest have been booked for the first time in the event's history. 'One of the hardest things in the LGBTQ+ community is combatting a sense of isolation and loneliness,' Mullins said. 'With the political attacks on the LGBTQ+ community that have been happening, it's even more important to make sure people are able to connect.' Earlier this year, Iowa became the first state to remove civil rights protections from a protected class by removing 'gender identity' as a protected characteristic under the Iowa Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, education, credit and public accommodations. After the law goes into effect on July 1, transgender Iowans will no longer have those protections under the state's Civil Rights Act. Mullins calls the revisions to the Iowa Civil Rights Act an 'embarrassment.' PHC Iowa, a healthcare provider, has already closed all gender-affirming care clinics to avoid losing federal funding. A 2024 study found that state-level, anti-transgender laws can cause up to a 72% increase in suicide attempts among transgender and non-binary youth. 'I think people have whiplash in Iowa City, seeing the things happening at the state or federal level and they say, 'that's not my community, that's not what's happening here,' but the reality is that is happening to a lot of other folks,' said Andy Owens, executive director of Iowa City Pride. House File 856, a bill signed into Iowa law on May 27, prohibits public entities from engaging in certain activities relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The new law also prohibits any state organization from attempting to promote a policy or activity that references unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, transgender ideology, group marginalization, anti-racism and many other related concepts. Owens says the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion on a state and federal level has had an impact on many young people in need of support. 'When offices that are dedicated to support and advocacy disappear, then resources become more scarce,' he said. 'That hurts.' Another bill, House File 51, targeted drag shows, defined as shows in which a performer 'exhibits a gender identity that is different than the performer's gender assigned at birth.' Initially, the bill provided that anyone who brought a minor to one of the performances could be charged with a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. The bill was later revised to include an 'obscene performance' definition and to make it a misdemeanor offense to take a minor aged 13 or younger to one of the performances. Owens says in its original form the bill was 'not an easy pill to swallow' and sparked fears that the organization would not be allowed to have outdoor drag performers during the festival. However, due to revisions in the bill's final language, Iowa City Pride will proceed as planned. Iowa City Pride is one of the oldest Pride organizations in the country, founded just a year after the Stonewall riots in 1969. Owens said this is a 'challenging' time for Iowans on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, especially trans individuals. However, he added, these times also provide 'an opportunity for us to recalibrate' and maximize support. He said Pride organizations are 'working even harder' to stage more events, support the community and work with other Pride organizations and advocacy groups throughout the state. Mullins said Capital City Pride has also tried to partner with other organizations, such as lobbyists and legislative organizations — at least to the extent they can, given CCP's status as a non-profit organization. As part of its work, CCP is connecting isolated individuals to mental health services and community organizations 'in the midst of these attacks.' Owens said he feels anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and protest have been 'drowned out by the voices of people who are supportive.' He says this year's Pride festival is 'shaping up to be the biggest one' Iowa City has ever had. Additionally, ICP has started an unofficial partnership with Coralville to expand their Pride organization and expand their community's work beyond Iowa City. When asked how the community can support their work, both Mullins and Owens said the same thing: show up and donate. As nonprofit organizations, much of CCP's and ICP's revenue consists of donations — but both organizations stress the importance of being present for Pride events. Mullins also suggests that people check in on friends and family who are members of the community to ensure everyone feels connected. The Capital City Pridefest has events all month. The festival this weekend provides a family and youth zone for children, a teen zone, a pet pageant for 'four-legged friends,' and a 'Pride Ride' bike ride for members of the Iowa cycling community. The Iowa City Pride festival will take place on June 21 from noon to 10 p.m.
Axios
6 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Des Moines Pride experiences sponsorship pullback
Des Moines' Capital City Pride may lose up to $75,000 in corporate sponsorships this year — a sign of a broader national pullback during Pride Month, executive director Wes Mullins tells Axios. Why it matters: Some companies are scaling back on Pride Month sponsorships under pressure from political and cultural backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Local organizers have scrambled to fill the financial void to pull off this week's flagship Pride events. State of play: Capital City Pride filled the funding gap with new grants and record-breaking individual support from its March gala, Mullins said. He declined to identify corporate sponsors that have reduced or ended sponsorship. Between the lines: Several longtime sponsors — including Nationwide and MidAmerican Energy — are absent from this year's Capital City Pride list, per an Axios comparison of 2024 and 2025 public records. What they're saying: Nationwide declined to comment. MidAmerican Energy frequently alters its sponsorships among various organizations, and although it is not a sponsor of this year's Pride, a group of its employees will walk in the parade on its behalf, said spokesperson Geoff Greenwood. The other side: Mullins said he reminds sponsors that the LGBTQ+ community — and Capital City Pride — are worth every dollar. "I make the strong case that this is a good investment and there is no reason to fear the retribution that some worry about, but instead, more people will be proud to see your support," he said. Reality check: Many factors influence sponsorship decisions, and not being listed doesn't necessarily mean that a company no longer supports the event's mission, Mullins said. Coldwell Banker, for example, tells Axios that its 2024 sponsorship was associated with a DSM agent and office that is no longer part of the company. Yes, but: While Capital City Pride and its $600,000 event budget are not struggling this year, organizers are still seeking private donors, partly because they believe corporate donations may decline further in the coming years, Mullins said. Events like meet-and-greets with Bob the Drag Queen sold out weeks in advance. Vendor spots are nearly filled to capacity, and participation in the Pride Parade remains robust, he said. Zoom in: Teen and family programming has been expanded, and cast members from "Hamilton" will perform on the main stage as part of this week's celebrations.
