ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Out & About: Queer Life in Iowa City is an exhibition about some of the many LGBTQ+ people and organizations in Iowa City’s history. Across the decades, queer folks in Iowa City and at the University of Iowa have created spaces in which to gather, to find support, and build community. The exhibit invites exploration of the diverse and complex history of LGBTQ life through an Iowa City lens.

Documents, photos, artifacts, and ephemera from local archives help recount stories from the recent past about queer student groups, local businesses and organizations, and publications. Materials on display in the exhibition are from the University Archives and Iowa Women’s Archives at the University of Iowa Libraries, from the LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library, and from community members.

Exhibit Curation: Madde Hoberg, Aiden Bettine, Sara Pinkham

Information below is a work in progress. Check back occasionally for updates.

 

CURATOR HIGHLIGHTS & EXHIBITION GUIDE

 

• Curator Highlights from Out & About: Queer Life in Iowa City:
  A small virtual selection of items from the exhibition, including photographs, commentary, and additional details.
• Out & About: Queer Life in Iowa City Exhibition Guide
  Accessible PDF document. The complete guide to the exhibition, including a curator's note, a comprehensive item and source list, and complete exhibition credits.
• Virtual Gallery Tour of Out & About: Queer Life in Iowa City
  COMING SOON. A complete interactive virtual tour of the Main Library Gallery exhibition.

 

EXHIBIT VIDEOS

Coming soon.

 

ADDITIONAL VIDEO RESOURCES

 

LGBTQ+ History at Iowa

From Gay Liberation Front to Queer Liberation Front: A History of One LGBTQ Student Organization at the University of Iowa

Out in Iowa City: Lesbian Feminism in the University of Iowa's Hometown

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LGBTQ Clinic at UI Health Care

University of Iowa LGBTQ Clinic: Chat From the Old Cap

Making Queer History, Iowa City Pride

Iowa City Pride Parade 1996

Iowa City Pride 2021

60 Seconds of Pride: The History of Gay Marriage in Iowa

 

MAIN LIBRARY GALLERY BLOG ARTICLES

 

• Out & About: Queer Life in Iowa City exhibit now open in the Main Library Gallery
  January 25, 2023. Blog article introducing the Spring 2023 Main Library Gallery exhibit, featuring co-curator Madde Hoberg.

 

SELECT HISTORIC NEWS ARTICLES

 

Early Years of the Gay Liberation Front

• Homecoming Parade Was Just a Little Bit Different
  October 17, 1970. p.1. The Daily Iowan. The first significant mention of Gay Liberation Front in the campus newspaper after its founding earlier that year.
• Gay lib at UI
  August 26, 1975. p.7F. Alan Kinsey. The Daily Iowan. A history of the Gay Liberation Front at the University of Iowa upon its 5th anniversary on campus. Gay Liberation Front was one of the first officially recognized LGBT student organizations in the nation.

Pride Alliance Center

• After 10 years, center opens
  October 30, 2006. Brittney Berget. p. 1. The Daily Iowan. Article about the grand opening of the Pride Alliance Center, at the time called the LGBT Resource Center.
• Resource center takes pride in new name
  February 8, 2019. Rylee Wilson. p. 1. The Daily Iowan Newspaper coverage of Pride House's name change.

Iowa City Pride Parades

• Gays, lesbians march proudly in IC gathering
  June 24, 1991. Steve Cruse. p. 1. The Daily Iowan. News coverage of Iowa City's pride parade in 1991.
• Pride parade to showcase gay visibility
  June 13, 1997. Katharine Horowitz. p. 1. The Daily Iowan. News coverage of Iowa City's pride parade in 1997..

Transgender Day of Visibility

• 'Trans rights are human rights': Students, community members gather to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility
  March 31, 2021. Rachel Schilke. The Daily Iowan. News article about a gathering on the Pentacrest for Transgender Day of Visibility at the University of Iowa.
• Families gather for the Trans Day of Visibility Rally in Iowa City
  April 4, 2022. Adria Carpenter. Little Village Magazine. Photo gallery of community members gathering to acknowledge Transgender Day of Visibility at the LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library, the Close House, Iowa City.

 

ADDITIONAL PUBLICATIONS AND RESEARCH GUIDES

 

• RFD (A Country Journal for Gay Men Everywhere) Issues
  View complete back issues of RFD Magazine.
• Common Lives/Lesbian Lives
  Read a selection of complete issues of Common Lives/Lesbian Lives.
• LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide
  View a research guide from the Library of Congress that centers around the events before and after the Stonewall Uprising, and find primary source material from the LOC collections.
• LGBTQ Resources: University of Iowa Libraries
  Learn more about LGBTQ+ resources available from the University of Iowa Libraries.