CR Pride creates Eastern Iowa LGBTQ business registry

CEDAR RAPIDS — Nonprofit advocacy organization CR Pride is launching a business registry of local establishments owned by or welcoming to LGBTQ people.

The Cedar Rapids organization, which organizes annual celebrations and resources to support community members among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer spectrum, said the new registry fills a need in Linn, Johnson and surrounding counties.

“We routinely have community members reaching out to ask if it's safe for our community to visit certain businesses throughout the Corridor,” said Corey Jacobson, board president of CR Pride. “We decided CR Pride could fill this gap in information by creating this online resource where community members can see which businesses actively identify as welcoming to and supportive of our community.”

The new public database, with 40 businesses so far, will allow LGBTQ residents, visitors and allies to ensure they will be comfortable when visiting or seeking employment in local shops, bars, restaurants and more.

The registry, going live Wednesday at crprideia.com, is open to businesses of all sizes in the counties in and surrounding the Corridor: Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Delaware, Iowa, Linn, Johnson and Jones.

To learn more about the registry or add your business to it, visit CR Pride’s online form. Businesses may sign up to be listed on the registry at any time.

For business owners like Ann Brown, a personal injury lawyer and owner of Ann Brown Legal in Cedar Rapids, it’s a chance to voice support.

“Especially right now, it’s incredibly important not to be a quiet ally but to be, in addition to an ally, an advocate,” said Brown. “The business community has the best opportunity to make change.”

With a changing legal landscape for the civil rights of LGBTQ Iowans, Jacobsen said the need for the new tool became more pressing this year. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis that a website designer could decline to create websites for same-sex weddings — setting a worrisome precedent for LGBTQ advocates.

Transgender Iowans, in particular, have been on high alert as anti-LGBTQ legislation continues to proliferate in each session of the Iowa Legislature, most notably with a ban earlier this year on gender-affirming care for minors that has sent families out of state for medical care. Jacobsen said CR Pride has seen an uptick in inquiries asking where transgender people will safely be able to use a public restroom.

“We do a good job here with businesses, organizations, city government and nonprofits showing we’re welcoming to everyone,” he said. “This is just another layer to continue that welcoming to make sure that people know when they’re visiting or when they’re going out that there are safe spaces here.”

For community members and allies alike, it may also serve cues on where to prioritize their spending.

“It’s not just so members of the community know they’re welcome,” Brown said. “It’s to let them know this is where you want to go if you want to support businesses that support the community.”

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