In Des Moines, some queer Iowans are seeking alternatives to major, corporate-sponsored Pride events

It was a gusty Saturday at Water Works Park, but even as vendors at Des Moines’ second-ever “People’s Pride” held down their tents or reorganized their scattered tables of handmade goods, their sentiments about the event were anchored in one word: community.

“I’m just excited to be a part of an event where I get to represent a community that’s really important to me,” said Olivia Houchins-McCallum, a multidisciplinary artist selling pottery at one of the booths that encircled the amphitheater.

The grassroots event, founded in 2023, was far smaller and quieter than Des Moines’ staple Capital City Pride Fest celebration, held just one week earlier, and separate from it in several key ways. At People’s Pride, volunteers handed out masks at the welcome booth, attendees were served mocktails instead of alcohol and vendors — all local — weren’t charged a fee to sell. The event was intended to be made as accessible as possible, offering free food for up to 300 people and a free clothing and book exchange.

Most distinctly, according to organizers Leah Plath and Apple Jackson, People’s Pride isn’t sponsored by any large corporations or secured by law enforcement.

It’s a national trend among some LGBTQ groups seeking radical alternatives to major corporate-sponsored citywide Pride celebrations with heavy police presence. Each year, New Yorkers partake in the Queer Liberation March and Bostonians in the Boston Dyke March in an effort to reclaim the community’s traditional history of gay activism, which traces back to the Stonewall riots of 1969. Plath was inspired by a similar event in Minneapolis.

“What made me want to start in Iowa was just hoping to see — and really wanting — a space where corporations or cops weren't at Pride, to try to get back to a little bit of the roots of Pride,” they said. “I really wanted to see a space where it was more indicative of the queer community that we live in and that we're a part of day to day, and the people who are supporting each other day to day.”

While many attendees said they also went to Capital City Pride, several expressed that they appreciated the space People’s Pride provided.

“After coming here last year and kind of realizing the move away from the big, corporate Capital City Pride, I just really like the energy here,” said Liv Minshall, who added it was the only formal Pride event they’d attended so far. “[It’s] something I want to support, for sure.”

The event is still new, organized by individuals. Plath and Jackson said they saw a significant jump in interested vendors this year from last, and hope to watch the event continue to grow.

“We had such good feedback last year,” Plath said. “A lot of people expressed that it was really a great Pride space to be in and the kind of celebration that they were wanting to see. I love getting to know our community more and being able to celebrate joy together in that way.”