In rural southeast Iowa, the town of Ottumwa is embracing its growing LGBTQIA+ community, led by Cyclone Cara Galloway (‘08 interdisciplinary studies & psychology) and her fellow Ottumwa Pride members.
What began as a conversation with friends over pizza and drinks has grown into a welcoming and inspiring community advocacy group that has brought joy, comfort, and freedom to many Ottumwans.
“We had a performer at Pride last year who came up to me, and she said, ‘I have lived in Ottumwa my whole life, and I never thought I would be on a stage at a pride event. I’ve never felt as comfortable in my community as I have now,” says Galloway, board member of Ottumwa Pride.
Galloway is a program coordinator for the Iowa Child Advocacy Board. When asked if her involvement in Ottumwa Pride was influenced by her work, she says “Absolutely.”
With years of social work experience, Galloway has witnessed first-hand the sense of displacement and lack of belonging among kids in communities with little to no LGBTQIA+ presence or support.
“Studies have shown that kids that are part of the LGBTQ community have a higher risk of being placed in foster care and actually have a higher risk of suicide and abuse rates,” Galloway says.
What these kids – and many other LGBTQIA+ individuals – need are resources and a sense of belonging in their community, Galloway explains.
Ottumwa Pride is working on creating an LGBTQIA+-friendly resource book. This resource book will have LGBTQIA+-friendly lawyers, medical providers, churches, and more resources located in Ottumwa.
Additionally, Ottumwa Pride hosts community building events and celebrations.
On June 25, Ottumwa Pride hosted their second Pride Block Party. The growth from last year was astounding.
“We’ve had to block off a whole road because we think we’re going to be so busy!” Galloway says.
The group raised $13,000, and the planning committee went all out. This year’s block party had kids events, radio presence, a pet parade, and multiple live performers.
While Galloway hoped for great success, she couldn’t help but be surprised at just how well the community responded.
“I was just shocked at the end,” Galloway says. “I shouldn’t be shocked, because our community is amazing and accepting, but it’s exciting.”
The tremendous community support has been heart-warming, and for some, cathartic.
One individual told Galloway that years ago they left Ottumwa because they felt ostracized for their LGBTQIA+ identity, and they’re so excited to see the city growing to support diverse communities.
“And they said, while they didn’t feel comfortable coming back because of what they’ve experienced, they were so excited to see this event and they were supporting this event and future events because this was their hometown, and they felt this was a pretty amazing feat for Ottumwa,” Galloway says.
Ottumwa Pride plans to continue expanding, but they already have many milestones to celebrate: membership growth, new committees, and Ottumwa has officially proclaimed June as Pride Month.
“We have a growing LGBTQ population, and we want to ensure that our community is inclusive of everyone,” Galloway says.
Ottumwa Pride logo, courtesy of Facebook page.
By Ashlyn Ware
Story published: June 2022