The gay rights movement in Eastern Iowa -- Part 2

Although Iowa City was recognized as being more open and liberal about accepting gays, Cedar Rapids in a 1984 Gazette article was viewed as being ultra conservative. Its blue collar base was more family-values oriented, and so the gay population in Cedar Rapids mostly stayed in the closet. People interviewed for the article asked to remain anonymous. “Fear of losing their jobs, the threat of harassment and a terror arising from the prospect of losing the love and respect of their families have kept this minority out of sight,” said the article. One young man who moved here from Illinois said, “In Illinois you are gay. In Cedar Rapids, you're a ‘fag.'”

The story cited a 1949 Kinsey report that concluded one of every 10 men are gay, saying that subsequent studies hadn't strayed much from that analysis.

“Everyone knows a gay person,” claimed Roy Porterfield, a co-chairman of the Cedar Rapids-based Gays of Eastern Iowa, a social club organized in 1983. “It would be statistically impossible for anyone in Cedar Rapids not to know someone who's gay. They probably just don't know it.”

Still, in small cities the gay community mostly remained invisible. Porterfield estimated there were thousands of gays in Cedar Rapids, but only 200 people were on the club's mailing list.

In 1984, Luther College in Decorah, affirmed the purpose of AWARE, a support group for gays and lesbians, that had been meeting off campus for about seven years. While making it clear that they weren't endorsing homosexual behavior, the school's Community Assembly of both faculty and students, expressed support for the purpose of the group. Nevertheless, the group was denied charter status because of the college's rules against “secret” memberships. The group's constitution stressed the need for confidentiality of its members.

On the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in 1989, the fifth Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade in Iowa City, Johnson County Democrats took part in the celebration of the birth of the modern gay rights movement by protesting the Iowa Legislature's failure “to add protection for bisexuals, lesbians and gays to its civil rights code,” according to Johnson County Democrats Chairwoman Mary Mascher.

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• Timeline of gay rights in Iowa

For the first time at an Iowa City Lesbian and Gay Pride Week rally, a UI administrator pledged university support of gay rights. Peter Nathan, UI vice president of academic affairs, said, “I'm pleased to represent the U of I administration in showing support for Lesbian and Gay Pride Week.”

Michael Current, co-chairman of the Iowa Lesbian and Gay Political Caucus, said efforts must be heightened in the face of bigotry that still existed. Governor Branstad had vetoed a “measely few thousand dollars” of funding for AIDS coalitions across the state, he said, and although a task force had been created, it still was not enough.

Not long after announcing his homosexuality in 1995, Des Moines school board member Jonathan Wilson spoke at Iowa City's Gay Pride Festival in College Green Park. He said the firestorm in Des Moines over gay-positive curricula was orchestrated by people hoping to sell “distorted videotapes and presidential candidates.” The videotape he referred to was “The Gay Agenda,” a film released by the conservative Christian group, the Family Research Council. The film purported to reveal the LGBT community's plans to become accepted. Its “explicit scenes” were of gay couples kissing, holding hands and dancing. A month later, the gay community mourned the death of UI Gay Liberation Front co-founder Rick Graf, who died of AIDS at age 45.

The following year, a former Marine, Muscatine native Kevin Blaesing, attended the Gay Pride festivities at College Green Park. Blaesing's four-plus years of active duty came to an abrupt end after he participated in a South Carolina gay pride march. He was first placed on reserve and, after discussing his homosexuality with a naval psychologist, he was discharged.

Cedar Rapids held its first Pride Fest in June 1998. The city pushed for its own observance after residents had traveled 20 miles to Iowa City for over a decade. The event kicked off with a Men's Health Night, offering free tests for HIV and STDs as well as wellness information. CSPS Hall displayed a photo exhibit “Love Makes a Family,” and the documentary “The Celluloid Closet” was shown at the Gay and Lesbian Resource Center. “Pride Fest is based on the belief that a broad commitment to tolerance strengthens our community,” said festival co-chairman F. John Herbert. “Diversity is not only the right thing to do – it also means a safer city, a better business climate, a more vibrant cultural scene and a place where all visitors feel welcome.”

Greene Square was filled with vendors, activists, speeches and music on June 13. Gays interviewed for a Gazette article said Cedar Rapids was a friendly city for gays and lesbians. One featured speaker was Melbourne, Iowa, Mayor Bill Crews, the first openly gay elected official in the state.

As the gay rights movement in Eastern Iowa moved into the 21st century, Cedar Rapids' 2000 Pride Fest attracted 350 people to Greene Square Park. It's theme of “Take Pride, Take Joy, Take Action” was intended to encourage gays to be open about their sexuality and celebrate the progress made in overcoming discrimination. “We have come a long way,” said Chris Taylor, a Cedar Rapids resident. “But we still have a long way to go.” Some people at the festival said Cedar Rapids' gay community is probably larger than most people realized.

On April 27, 2009, Tracy Lee Bjorgum and Kenneth L. Bunch, could legally have gotten that marriage license they applied for in 1976, following an Iowa Supreme Court decision on April 3 that struck down a ban on same-sex marriage.