I sometimes forget that I live in Iowa, and that this place is more progressive than a lot of the nation gives it credit for. I don't think about the fact that gay marriage is legal here, where in the majority of states it remains illegal and unsanctioned. Today I was doing a lot of thought about the gay/queer diaspora and how during the HIV crisis larger cities with gayborhoods such as the San Fransisco's Castro, Chicago's Boystown, and New York's Greenwich Village were battle grounds and places of refuge. These cities became what queer rural youth longed for and were reminded of. They were considered by many as a place to go to feel a sense of belonging. They became the sites of the gay diaspora. Iowa City (where this picture was taken) was also a gay paradise during that troubling time with a leading research hospital at the University, which until a few years ago was still one of the most active institutions for HIV/AIDS research.
I think we take for granted our safety in the middle. Iowa has become a place where coming out in rural areas is not hard as many other states. It is still not easy, we are a long way off from it being as normal as heterosexual identities but we are further than many areas of Nebraska, the Dakotas, Missouri and Kansas. I am happy now to see the gay diaspora in Iowa, where now the right to marry, regardless of sex, sets this state apart. Where people are feeling a sense of belonging, and don't feel like they have to run to a coastal city in order to be who they are.
Iowa, sometimes I really love you.
