DUBUQUE — Organizers of Dubuque Pride Festival, coming this Saturday, anticipate a second consecutive record-setting year, with a day of festivities that kicks off a diverse month of LGBTQ-focused events involving seveal different groups.
Organizers expect 1,500 or so attendees, at least — which is almost double the 850 that attended last year, which was also a record-setting year for attendance. Still deeply supported by the city of Dubuque through the Multicultural Family Center, the event has grown this year from three to four hours and also features more food trucks, says Sara Eliot Steuer, among the Pride organizers.
“We project our crowd again to grow by leaps and bounds,” says Steuer, who also designed the festival T-shirts. ”We’re gearing up for all the contingency plans of, ‘how can we accommodate even more people than what we think might come?’ We love to see people come out…. then, we have more reason to do it.”
The event is among many events year-round that the city-sponsored MFC helps to organize and host, including the Juneteenth-three-day celebration in mid-June, and the India Independent celebration coming in August.
Antonio Mouzon, head of the MFC, says the Pride festival is “an extremely fun and engaging time for all of our community members, and the committee is always looking to enhance the experience.”
Dubuque Pride’s T-shirt design was created by Sara Eliot Steuer.
Dubuque’s Pride fest may double last year’s turnout
In addition to the increase in food trucks, Dubuque Pride Festival will feature some new ways to serve people with limited means, Steuer says. The Pride group is providing a limited number of free lunches, including vegan and gluten-free options.
Sara Eliot Steuer, left, and City Council Member Danny Sprank are among the organizers of Dubuque Pride this year.
“We want people to be able to come, even if budgetarily, this is not something that is easy to make happen,” Steuer says. “We are trying to make this as accessible as we can.”
Even in an era when LGBTQ+ acceptance is stronger than ever, the Pride tradition is important today, says Danny Sprank, a city council member who has helped organize Pride for the past several years. Increased visibility and “integration” into society for LGBTQ+ people has created an indifference. “We’ve been able to be seen,” Sprank says. “But it’s like ‘oh, OK, that’s my neighbors, Chuck and Danny. They’re the guys, you know they’re fine. They’re not a problem.’
“But the fact is, because we’ve integrated ourselves so well, we’re not seen, and that’s really the point of what I feel our Pride event should be.”
Steuer also says Dubuque’s strong Christian tradition leaves the question often lingering: is the community “accepting” of its LGBTQ community members, or “tolerating.”
“I think that’s a big difference,” she says. “I think people don’t really want to be tolerated. We want to be accepted.”
Iowa’s recent legislation banning gender transition care for youth, and other policies construed or labelled as “anti-LGBTQ,” have also left Dubuque and much of Iowa yearning for more stable, reliable “safe spaces,” she said. The Pride events are a way to help meet that need.
Balancing the needs of different generations is another goal Sprank says this year’s Dubuque Pride Festival and related events are fulfilling. A June 7 Pride-themed art show, titled ““Art of Pride: Midwest Queer Perspectives,” helps address the needs of LGBTQ adults, he said
Sprank also said ensuring a safe and fun atmosphere for Dubuque’s “queer families” and youth is essential. “I get why we need to do these things for the kids that are 20 years younger than me, for the kids in junior high, in high school,” he said. “They’ve got to see, ‘you don’t need to leave.’ “
Performer Anna Mae, who leads the adult performance troupe Cirque Du Buque, is excited that her troupe is among the performers this year. “I really love that they reached out to the actual Dubuque drag community and the queer community in Dubuque itself,” she said. “We have a pretty diverse drag scene in Dubuque.”
Cirque Du Buque provides “cartoonish, big, bold” cosplay-style drag and also hosts an annual amateur night. Anna Mae says the group’s goal is to give potential entertainers a chance to perform and learn even if they are not affiliated with an existing venue, performer, or house.
Anna Mae, left, leads Cirque Du Buque, an adult performance and drag troupe that will perform at Dubuque Pride this year.
Anna Mae is also excited about how visual artists in general are part of this year’s Pride-themed events even beyond this weekend. On June 7, Steuer and the Dubuque Area Arts Collective will host “Art of Pride: Midwest Queer Perspectives,” with a reception from 7 to 11 p.m. honoring the artists whose work is featured. The exhibit at the Smokestack, in the same building as the Arts Collective, aims to offer “a kaleidoscope of perspectives on the queer experience, and the work will remain on display through June 28.
“There are so many POCs and queers that are part of this huge art movement here,” Anna Mae said. “There are so many amazing artists here… there are so many creative minds that live in this little town.”
Yet another event is happening in Dubuque during the Pride month of June: The Iowa LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce will host a launch event focused on the Dubuque area. It’s the fifth such launch even the nonprofit has held in the past year. Happening from 5 to 7 p.m. June 13, the reception is at Voices Studios, 1585 Central Ave.
Special guests will include Iowa State Rep. Lindsay James, D-Dubuque, and Sabrina Gill Kent, executive vice president of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Register here to attend this free event.
For more information on Dubuque Pride, see the DBQ Pride Facebook page.
