MARSHALLTOWN – One of Iowa’s most diverse cities will celebrate Pride for the first time Saturday, in an event that features yoga, dance, a fashion show, pro wrestling, and a kids’ zone in addition to performances by a dozen drag artists and vocalists.
“Pride changes someone’s outlook of themselves, because they see so many other humans just being their true authentic selves,” says Taylor Bear, organizer of Marshalltown Pride in the Park. “The goal of having our own Pride is compassion, and allowing all of us to live in our truth and authenticity.”
Taylor Bear, second from left, and comedy drag performer Leslie Hall, third from left, smile with other members of Marshalltown LGBTQ+ at last year’s Cedar Valley Pride Fest.
Bear decided to coordinate the festival so that she and other LGBTQ+ residents of Marshalltown didn’t have to “travel an hour away every year to have a good time with my queer community.” Marshalltown is, actually, about an hour away from two of the state’s largest annual Pride events, Capital City Pride in Des Moines and CR Pride in Cedar Rapids.
It’s also the third-most diverse city in the state of Iowa, behind only Des Moines and Storm Lake. In a state where 93 percent of residents overall are white, Marshalltown’s population is about 63 percent white, and about 32 percent Hispanic and Asian.
“We have a huge Latinx community that puts on a heritage festival every fall. We have solid diversity here,” says Bear. “We also have random cultures and communities you wouldn’t even realize are here, including a Burmese population.
“I knew and know that there were people of the LGBTQ community that were here, and maybe they were longing for community, too.”
She and a group of LGBTQ Marshalltown residents first began holding social events two years ago, and they’ve since begun organizing a silent book club, walking club, and more as part of a group called Marshalltown LGBTQ+. The Pride event came together since April, with the help of Marshalltown’s Parks and Recreation Department.
The day begins at 8 a.m. with yoga and dance. The festival happens from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at West End Park, 220 N. 13th St. Hollywood Hope, named Iowa’s top drag queen in the Iowa Drag Awards last year, will host the day along with drag king Xander Lyon Frost.
Read about Hollywood Hope here, in a limited-time peek at the June 2024 print edition.
Also featured: Mr. Waterloo Giovanni Strong Michaels; LoNika LaReese Knight, teen representative for Capital City Pride; Matte Black, Mx. Capital City Pride from 2022; lesbian drag queen Amanita Girl; Cedar Rapids drag king Rory Phoenix Monroe; and more. All drag performances throughout the day are family-friendly. Vocalist Paige Clouse of Iowa City will also perform, and almost two dozen vendors will be on hand.
“It’s a wonderful way to bring to light how big the LGBTQ+ community is in Marshalltown,” says Coltin Kinney, also an organizer. “It allows those less familiar with the community or new to the area to get to know about us, and that we are here and welcoming.”
Find out more about Marshalltown Pride in the Park at the Marshalltown LGBTQ+ Facebook page.
(cover photo shows, clockwise from top left, Matte Black; Hollyood Hope; Rory Phoenix Monroe; Amanita Girl; and LoNika LaReese Knight)
