Homophobia

I like Wikipedia, I use it often. I stumbled across this wiki in regards to homophobia and found it interesting. With all the links, it took me nearly an hour to read what I wanted on the site. I especially like the picture of Fred Phelps to the right, looks dashing doesn't he?

Gender identity spectrum

I think we have all heard of the book "Mens are from Mars, Women are from Venus" that discusses the communication style and emotional needs of the opposite gender, mostly in relation to husbands and wives. I was left to wonder if these views were based on stereotypes or research. There certainly is a concrete division between the sexes in the book. Men. Women. No in between. Where does this leave transgender individuals or intersex? Genderqueer and intergender are catchall terms for gender identities other than man and woman.

Gender follows more of a spectrum, and is up to each individual as to how one identifies. I respect my neighbor's gender identity and know that it's not a choice.

Lots of comments on our Des Moines Register blog!

Check out our new Des Moines Register blog and be sure to read the comments! We are being moved from Des Moines Juice's site to a new place and have set up an account with the Register. After posting two of our blogs on their site, we were amazed by the amount of negative response about homosexuality and gay marriage here in Iowa. At the same time, we have some really great responses in our favor.

Transgender inclusion in the workplace

Just saw this topic on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) website. Transgender rights oftentimes get lumped together with gay and lesbian rights, and more often are ignored altogether. Check out this article.

http://www.hrc.org/issues/transgender/7084.htm

Want to march in the Pride Parade?

We are now accepting applications for those individuals and organizations that wish to march in the Pride parade on Sunday, October 5, 2008. Parade starts at 1pm and we will be announcing the parade route soon. Visit the Forms page to fill out the parade application. If you have already applied this year, you do not need to reapply. We have your information and will contact you about the parade.

Interested in being a vendor, signing up for the parade or advertising? Visit the Forms page to download the vendor application, sign up to walk in the Pride parade or reserve ad space for next year's Pride Guide.

CNN Video about Gay Christians in Nigeria

An MCC (Metropolitan Community Churches) church in Nigeria was featured on CNN last week. Historically, MCC has ministered primarily to the LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer) community and was founded by Rev. Elder Troy Perry. MCC has established churches around the world, with most being located in the United States.

Check out the video of this story and see how this particular congregation is offering hope in the midst of oppression and standing up to societal and governmental anti-gay pressures.

While Capital City Pride does not endorse any religious organization, we do watch the news and are supportive of those organizations that are helping to promote human rights around the world.

Public forum

We are working on hosting a public forum for the Des Moines community to meet the faces behind Capital City Pride and to ask questions and make comments. We need your feedback to make this successful and hope to learn what you really think. As soon as we get a location, date and time, we will announce it in a press release, post flyers, post it on our main website http://www.capitalcitypride.org, our blog, our MySpace page, Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else we can find!

This is the time to think about what questions you have for Capital City Pride.

Quelling rumors and gossip

I don’t think that any group or organization is immune to the havoc caused by gossip and rumors. It’s certainly not new to Hollywood celebrities and those that read the tabloids on the grocery store shelves. And it’s not new to our group. What can we do about it? We cannot control others and cannot expect to change someone else’s opinion. However, we can work really hard to promote the truth. So there it is, truth. I try very hard to speak the truth and to earn the respect of my peers in doing so. I think that Albus Dumbledore said it best (er, um… J.K. Rowling from the Harry Potter series). I will paraphrase… There is the right way and the easy way. Choose wisely.

Capital City Pride Announces October Dates for PrideFest 2008

Des Moines, Iowa, July 8, 2008 - Capital City Pride has announced Saturday, October 4 as the date for the PrideFest Street Party in the Historic East Village and Sunday, October 5 for the annual PrideFest Parade, followed by the community festival at Simon Estes amphitheater.

The annual PrideFest typically takes place the second weekend of June, however, due to the worsening flooding situation in Des Moines that week, Capital City Pride, in consultation with Des Moines authorities, decided to postpone PrideFest 2008 events until fall. All available city resources were needed for emergency preparations. Capital City Pride had previously announced dates for PrideFest to take place in September. The September dates were chosen based on information available to Capital City Pride at that time. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Capital City Pride has rescheduled PrideFest 2008 until the first weekend in October.

Capital City Pride would like to thank the entire Des Moines community for its support and understanding, and we look forward to celebrating with you in October.

For additional information about PrideFest 2008, visit www.capitalcitypride.org.