Fall Issue September 2021
Now in our sixth year of serving the local LGBTQ+ communities, friends, families, and allies. www.issuu.com/goguideiowacity
The Way of the Force: an interview with Q-Force’s Gabe Liedman | page 11
STEP AFRIKA! DRUMFOLK
Quixotic, Hancher Illuminated – August 28 Step Afrika!, Drumfolk – September 11 Bill Nye – September 27 Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project – September 29 Waitress – October 22–23 Boston Pops on Tour, Lights, Camera…Music! Six Decades of John Williams – October 27
WAITRESS
Bill Irwin, On Beckett – November 5 Hermitage Piano Trio – November 12 CLUB HANCHER
Jazz at Lincoln Center Quintet Let Freedom Swing – November 18 Storm Large, Holiday Ordeal – December 4 Straight No Chaser – December 9 MUSIC BY SARA BAREILLES (“LOVE SONG,” “BRAVE”)
MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP PEPPERLAND
Brunch with Santa – December 11–12
www. CoralvillePrideFestival .com Coralville Pride Festival
@Tavern Blue | 805 2nd Street November 7 | Noon-8pm www.CoralvillePrideFestival.com
An Officer and a Gentleman – January 19 Roomful of Teeth – February 16 Mark Morris Dance Group, Pepperland – February 18 Castalian String Quartet – February 20 The Philadelphia Orchestra – March 9 Damien Sneed, A Tribute to Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul – March 10 Danish String Quartet – April 1
JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER QUINTET LET FREEDOM SWING
The Band’s Visit – April 6–7 Steve Kroft – April 13 KIDS CLUB HANCHER
Jazz at Lincoln Center Quintet Let Freedom Swing – April 23 Kronos Quartet, At War With Ourselves – 400 Years of You – April 30 Las Cafeteras – May 7
TICKETS ON SALE AUGUST 16 $10 STUDENT TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR MOST SHOWS
Discover more at hancher.uiowa.edu Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events.If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Hancher in advance at (319) 335-1158.
This First-ever Coralville Pride Festival will take place on the historic Coralville Strip
Next Month in GoGuide
GoGuide Advocacy
Note from the publiser & excitve editor:
September 2021 Back to School
Welcome to our sixth year of publishing GoGuide Magazine. Like so many others, it has been a challenging last two years. Let us hope and pray that an end to COVID-19 is coming soon.
Vol. 1; Issue 1
Publisher & Executive Editor
The official Guide to Coralville Pride Meet the great people of Tanager Place in Cedar Rapids Meet new UI President A quick look at the upcoming local elections
Our first print and online issue since 2019 Reserve your space by emailing tim@romllcm.us Photo by Tim Nedoba Tavern Blue
Tim Nedoba
Operations
Gregory Cameron
Photography GoGuide Media
Senior Columnist Erica Barz
Contributor
Gregg Shapiro
Graphics/Cover Design/Photo GoGuide Media
Local & Online Sales: Reach Out Marketing tim@romllc.us (319) 800-3223
National Sales: Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863
GoGuide would like to welcome everyone back to campus this year. Please wear a mask in consideration of others. It is the right thing to do. It is one of the only ways to keep everyone safe. Of course, please get vaccinated. If we follow these straightforward guidelines, 2022 will be a great year. Maybe even a year of normalcy. I hope this has not sounded too preachy. Our issue is a fun issue with a lot of new features and columns. Feedback is essential and is genuinely the only way this magazine can meet the needs of the readers. Start every issue with THE LEAD—this column by Erica Barz. There is not find a better writer anywhere in LGBTQ media than Erica. Please let share with friends and let them know about THE LEAD and please feel free to share.
Contact GoGuide Magazine at tim@romllc.us www.issuu.com/GoGuideIowaCity www.CoralvillePrideFestival.com tim@romllc.us (319) 430-2545
GoGuide File Photo
THE LEAD
It’s time to follow the science and get vaccinated
September 2021 A column by Erica Barz
We are living in uncertain times. Honestly, a cliche we’ve heard far too many times before, but it’s true. The Delta variant is running rampant throughout our state, and we’re seeing hospitals and other healthcare centers struggle to deliver care not only to the increased number of (largely unvaccinated) people coming in with serious cases of COVID-19, but...
No matter who you are, an HIV test is right for you.
If you’re reading this article, there’s probably a pretty high likelihood that you’ve beenvaccinated. According to new research from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, an estimated 92 percent of LGBTQ+ adults surveyed have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. I’m proud that the majority of our community is taking the pandemic seriously enough to take this critical step. Vaccines are the single best way to both minimize the chance that you will contract COVID-19 and the severity of your illness in the unlikely event that you do contract the disease. Unfortunately, according to the same research, 21% of LGBTQ+ adults surveyed reported that a close family member or friend has died from COVID-19, and those responses are even higher for Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ adults. Those numbers will grow even higher unless we can convince more people to get vaccinated. The best thing we can all do to protect ourselves and the people we care about is to get vaccinated and talk to our friends and family who are hesitant. It’s tempting to tell people off or berate people for not getting vaccinated, but while that can feel good in the moment, it’s not actually helpful for getting more shots in arms.The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has some good resources for navigating these difficult conversations on their website. As the saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. The HRC research also showed what I’ve observed anecdotally for the past year and a half: many of us are Not Doing Well. One in two LGBTQ adults who responded to the survey said COVID-19 has impacted their mental health. Please give yourself some grace to cope with the uncertain state of the world. https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/hrc-foundation-survey-of-u-s-lgbtq-adults-shows-92-have-at-least-one-covid19-shot?emci=bafe1e42-1105-ec11-b563-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=c22c8658-b905-ec11-b563-501ac57bf4cb&ceid=3616496
6
9/1/21
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/talk-about-vaccines.html
Ask your health care provider for an HIV test today. Visit stophiviowa.org for more information, including testing locations near you.
3231 Redhawk Street, Coralville, IA 52241 www.965Flats.com
now leasing for fall
ON IOWA GoGuide File Photo
Find Comfort, Style & Convenience
be the first to live in these brand new luxury apartments!
Check out our new community with a heated pool, fitness center, underground parking, professional dog park and many more amenities! Each apartment receives 200MBS high speed internet AND free garage parking, included in the rent.* *Mention this ad for specials. Ask agent for more details.
Issue Feature
Business PRIDELIFE CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY The world’s only LGBT-certified business selling domain names calls on others to support LGBT-owned businesses. September 2021 Special to GoGuide Magazine Jamie Baxter – jamie@getpridelife.lgbt
Bringing LGBT ownership into the domain registrar industry was long overdue
back in 2019 when PrideLife initially launched, and our partnership with over two dozen LGBTQ organizations since has helped benefit an underserved consumer group in just two short years. Today, our mission moves forward with a new PSA-like campaign encouraging everyone to buy LGBTQ.
Our deep belief in supporting LGBTQ entrepreneurs and small businesses are what makes us proud to launch the new campaign “Support LGBT-owned Business.” Designed to celebrate the diversity within LGBTQ business ownership and remind others to make choices that help empower our community, this campaign goes beyond just your choice in a domain registrar. Our goal is to help raise awareness and open opportunities for all LGBT-owned businesses. PrideLife has been disrupting the traditional registrar business and inspiring a more diverse domain name eco-system on the Internet.LGBT and.GAY registrations. As the world’s first and only LGBT-certified business selling domain names, PrideLife now provides a business option for consumers who wish to support LGBT-owned enterprises and for corporations looking to count their domain registrations as diverse spend. Both occur with every new registration and domain transfer into PrideLife, including all names on .COM, ORG, and many others. As the campaign rolls out in collaboration with many of our community partners, everyone is invited to help grow it organically by posting a link to an LGBT-owned business as a comment, tagging LGBTQ businesses, and sharing our content with friends, colleagues, and social networks. Delivered in multiple languages to help meet our global audience, supporting LGBT-owned business remains the universal message. Whether a business is LGBT-certified or owned and operated by a member of the LGBTQ community, let’s all consider ways to lift them up and strengthen our community. PrideLife is always open at www.pridelife.lgbt
The Way of the Force: an interview with Q-Force’s Gabe Liedman September 2021 Special to GoGuide Magazine By Gregg Shapiro
Do you love to hear cartoon characters swearing and talking dirty? What about seeing them naked, muscular, and anatomically correct? Oh, and can you dig a story involving brainwashing, world domination and LGBTQ+ folks saving the planet? If so, the hot new Netflix series Q-Force is meant for you! Featuring the voices of a stellar cast of queer and queer-friendly actors including Sean Hayes (voicing Steve Maryweather aka Agent Mary), Wanda Sykes (voicing Deb), Patti Harrison (voicing Stat), Matt Rogers (voicing Twink), Laurie Metcalf (voicing V) and Gabe Liedman (voicing Benji) in lead roles, as well as several other guest stars, Q-Force takes animation to a whole other level. Liedman, who plays the love interest of hot Agent Mary, also writes for, and co-created, the series. Gabe was good enough to make time for an interview in advance of Q-Force’s September 2021 debut. Gregg Shapiro: Gabe, your new project, the animated Netflix series Q-Force is a perfect opportunity to ask if when you were younger, were you a follower of Saturday morning or primetime cartoon shows, or both? Gabe Liedman: Both, definitely! My favorite Saturday morning was Garfield and Friends. I never missed it. U.S. Acres was my favorite part of that show. Prime time I really was raised by The Simpsons. I used to watch it every week and run to school on Monday to quote all the best lines with my friends. We would memorize it. Very much a huge fan of those two. GS: I interviewed you in 2014 about your feature film acting debut in Obvious Child, alongside your friend and former performance partner Jenny Slate. Jenny provided the voice for a character on 11 Netflix’s Big Mouth, which made me wonder if that had any influ- 9/1/21
ence on your decision to be involved in an animated series? GL: It did not affect my decision, but there is a little bit of overlap in the world. I wrote for Big Mouth; I still do. We actually use the same animation house as them. They’re called Titmouse. There is certainly a lot of overlap in our orbit, but no this was a wholly independent choice on my part. GS: A recent episode of CNN’s History of the Sitcom featured Get Smart, Mel Brooks and Buck Henry’s 1960s James Bond parody. Is that a show from which you find inspiration? GL: Absolutely! I did a lot of research. I watched a lot of old James Bond films. Watched a little bit of Get Smart. I wanted to see what the genre was like. I would say that one of the biggest influences on the show though was Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which is a show that I used to write for. I consider that a bit of a training ground for me on how to tell these kind of case-of-the-week or short-arc case stories while still doing a show that’s a workplace comedy about people. I looked mostly to my days at Brooklyn Nine-Nine when I was trying to make a decision. GS: On the same History of the Sitcom episode, the show also highlighted several classic animated series including The Flintstones, The Simpsons, and The Boondocks. What would it mean to you have Q-Force talked about in the same breath with these other shows? GL: [Laughs] it would blow my mind! I don’t think I’m there yet in my imagination. This is still such a baby, and it hasn’t really been seen by anyone yet. I’m just sort of holding my breath, waiting for it to come out and see what people think of it. I know we worked really hard on it and had a ton of fun. If it got to live in in a lineup like that, I would just be blown away. GS: The lead actors providing voices on Q-Force, including Sean Hayes as Agent Mary, Wanda Sykes as Deb, and Patti Harrison as Stat, read like an LGBTQ who’s who, and each one is a great fit for the character. Which came first, the character or the actor providing the voice? GL: It was a little bit different with each character. Sean was a part of the show since its very inception. He and I developed the idea for it together with his producing partner Todd Milliner and Mike Schur, the legendary television creator. Sean was a part of it from the very beginning and the rest of the cast came later. Wanda Sykes was Deb in my head from the moment I sat down to write it. It’s always helpful for me to have an actor in mind when you’re writing someone’s dialogue, so that it sounds organic and authentic, like a personal talking. I chose Wanda because she’s my idol and I thought she’d make a great Deb. GS: She is great! GL: She just exploded my mind when she agreed to play the part. The rest of the cast came together piecemeal. Patti and Matt Rogers, who plays Twink, are comedians on the scene who I really admired and had somewhat of a relationship with. But Laurie Metcalf and David Harbour and Gary Cole and Dan Levy and Niecy Nash were actors I was a huge fan of, but our casting people just sent them the script. It was really just up to them and up to the strength of the writing as to why they said, “Yes.” GS: I’m glad you mentioned Dan and Niecy, because the guest stars are another queer who’s who, including Jane Lynch and Fortune Feimster,
among others. Do you think there’s a waiting list of performers who want to be turned into cartoon characters? GL: [Laughs] I was surprised that they were all down for it. I think that animation is a fun type of work. In regular, non-pandemic times, it’s actually fun and easy to pop into a recording studio and bang out an episode or two in an hour. It doesn’t really take much of actors’ time. They don’t have to get in makeup and wardrobe and do a bunch of takes and wait for the lighting to be done. It’s something that I think actors gravitate to. It was much more difficult to do over Zoom, but we still did it. I was thrilled with who said yes. We really shot for the stars. GS: You provide the voice of Benji, the love interest of Agent Steve Maryweather. It’s not the first time you are doing voice work. What do you like best about it? GL: When your body goes away and you’re just your voice, you can really inhabit different types of characters you wouldn’t be cast as based on your looks. I think it’s a really freeing experience. I’ve played a mouse, which I’m not. It’s much more imaginative acting. All the possibilities exist in front of you. You can really kind of do anything. GS: As with any parody, you have the chance to take digs at a variety of subjects including all the gay Mikes, streaming services and the corporatization of Pride, among others. Please say something about how animated characters can get away with saying things that flesh and blood folks can’t. GL: When you’re working in animation, it becomes a kind of fantasy world. The stakes are a little different. In the same way that we can blow up a mountain or jump out of a plane or put on Eurovision in a way that you really can’t in live-action in a believable way; that also applies to the humor. You can push boundaries or you can sort of slip stuff in because you’re existing in this fantasy world. When we were writing the show, I wanted it to just be fun and just be crazy and sexy and weird. I think that having that as the goal allowed for some of the politics and the more intellectual stuff to slip in. We weren’t going hard on that stuff. Our goal was to be funny and have fun. GS: Debra Winger was recently in the news for an interview she did in which she talked about backing out of A League of Their Own because of Madonna’s involvement. GL: [Big laugh.] GS: In Q-Force, “Debra Winger has been in enough movies” is used as a trigger. Would you say that you are on Team Debra or Team Madonna? GL: [Laughs] look, you’re about to spark World War III here. I think I might be on both teams. I can’t imagine A League of Their Own without Madonna. But I’d also loved to have seen it with Debra Winger. She’s unbelievable. She’s an incredible talent. But I [laughs] also have nothing bad to say about Madonna. I need to live in a world where they’re both here. How’s that? GS: That sounds great!
A lot of local Pride this Fall Location. Location. Location.
First-Ever Coralville Pride Festival to take place at Tavern Blue www.CoralvillePrideFestival.com Coralville, IA - After more than five years in the planning stages, Pride is finally coming to the suburbs. However, it hasn’t been easy. It’s been one hurdle after another. Believe it or not, some pushed hard against this idea altogether. Thankfully, the community and sponsors have come together to beat the odds and finally bring this event to fruition. www.CoralvillePrideFestival.com The date is Sunday, November 7 and the location is Tavern Blue. Tavern Blue is the newest entertainment club in Coralville. It’s located on the historic Coralville Strip at 805 2nd Street. The fun starts at noon and doesn’t end until 8 pm. www.CoralvillePrideFestival.com It’s all-day fun featuring food and drinks, live music and performances and a line-up of vendors and information booths for all to enjoy. www.CoralvillePrideFestival.com
Iowa City Pride 2021 “Our Pride We Will Maintain” www.iowacitypride.org
WHAT: Our 50th Pride festival, canceled in 2020, will be back Fall 2021 for 2 days at the beginning of October. WHO: Drag King and Queen pageant winner performances, local celebrity performers, live music, vendors of pride merchandise/arts and crafts/local business and action group promotions, instead of a parade we will be organizing a community march. WHEN: Friday October 1st, Saturday October 2nd WHERE: Downtown Iowa City WHY: We were saddened to cancel last year, but excited to celebrate the 50th year this year. Safety is our main priority. Pride will look a little different in 2021, maybe more like a lame Middle school dance, with social distancing rather than the packed, sweaty, 15,000-person festival we celebrated in 2019, but you can be sure that we will be very colorful and full of Pride.
IT’S A MATTER OF
Coralville Pride Festival Pride Campaign for LGBTQ Clinic About the Clinic The UI Health Care LGBTQ Clinic opened in 2012 under the directorship of Dr. Nicole Nisly, Professor of Internal Medicine, and Dr. Katie Imborek, Associate Professor of Family Medicine. The LGBTQ Clinic started out with a Tuesday evening Clinic at Iowa River Landing and was financially housed in the Department of Internal Medicine. In the past 8.5 years since its inception, the “clinic” has expanded beyond the Department of Internal Medicine and follows the providers and staff whenever and wherever they are seeing patients. The core team consists of 4 primary care providers (2 in Internal Medicine and 2 in Family Medicine), one pediatric endocrinologist, one PharmD, and multiple registered nurses and medical assistants. As UI Health Care has added expanded services specifically for transgender patients, they have grown their secondary team to include gynecology providers, urologists, plastic surgeons, oral surgeons, dermatologists, speech therapists, child psychiatrists, marriage and family therapists, and even law professors and students. The majority of persons involved in the care of LGBTQ patients at UIHC are providers and employed clinical and non-clinical staff. They have a number of volunteers including medical students and resident physicians who spend time shadowing providers outside of their mandated clinical time in hopes of garnering the necessary knowledge to care for patients identifying as LGBTQ
in a medically competent and culturally humble way.
How You Can Make a Difference
Like all philanthropic funds related to UI Health Care, federal law prohibits the provision of direct patient services (such as money toward medications, surgical procedures, etc). However, funds can be used to support additional training and education for providers through LGBTQ-focused conferences. Additionally, it could be used to fund a position such as a social worker or care navigator to help assist LGBTQ patients through the complex care system of insurance coverage, prior authorization, and specialty care. Finally, we would hope to use the donations to directly impact patients in significant financial need that preclude their ability to purchase personal items that assist in their overall health and well-being. The majority of these items would be used by transgender and gender non-conforming persons--those who are the highest risk for health disparities and systemic discrimination.
Our Goal
We hope to raise $10,000 to purchase items that would greatly reduce the gender dysphoria experienced by these individuals and increase their safety as they walk through a world that is largely ciscentric and heterosexist. In addition, we would hope to provide travel vouchers for LGBTQ patients who did not have the means to travel to the clinic for services. Thank you for helping us achieve our goal. NOTICE: The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is an operational name for the State University of Iowa Foundation, an independent, Iowa nonprofit corporation organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported charitable entity working to advance the University of Iowa. Please review its full disclosure statement.
SOCIAL
MEDIA
GoGuide Magazine is exclusively on Twitter at @ReachOutM.
Congratulations
SOCIAL
MEDIA
GoGuide Magazine is exclusively on Twitter at @ReachOutM.
TRAVEL Weekend Getaway Pride Journey: Chicago By Joey Amato September 20201
Chicago, IL - Chicago is my kind of town… it really is. I’ve been to Chicago more times than I can count over the years, however I have never written a Pride Journeys article about the city. Well, it’s about time I did! I planned my visit to the Windy City to coincide with Market Days, one of the city’s premier LGTBQ festivals. Since relocating to Nashville and then Indy, I had heard dozens of stories about this event from friends from around the country who would travel to Chicago specifically to attend. This year’s festival was going to be iconic since last year’s event was cancelled due to the pandemic. Trixie Mattel, Todrick Hall and Greyson Chance were among the headliners performing this year, however I was most excited about seeing Lisa Lisa, Jody Watley and Ty Herndon. Tyler and I arrived on the first day of the festival and it appeared to be similar to a pride event. Vendors lined the street selling everything from artwork to sunglasses as well as some other more risqué items. It didn’t take long for us to run into a few friends, some of which I hadn’t seen in many years. Market Days is what you make it. You can spend the afternoon strolling Halsted Street or you can skip the street fair and head straight to the bars, clubs, and circuit events in the evening. Take some time the next morning to check out the hotel’s 2-story art gallery space or maybe find time for a quick workout in their fitness center before heading to Hutch American Bistro for brunch. Hutch is located off the same red line stop as Boystown so it’s quite con-
venient. I ordered the smoked salmon avocado toast which came with fruit salad. It was light yet filling and the perfect way to begin the day. We went back to Hutch for happy hour of a different day and sampled a few additional items including the guacamole + queso and Chicago meatballs. The restaurant offers a daily happy hour menu consisting of half-off select appetizers as well as $3 champagne. Yes, please! When in Chicago, you would be remiss if you didn’t visit one of the city’s numerous cultural institutions. Since the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium are in the same complex, we decided to visit both in the same morning. Tyler and I are both huge animal lovers, so we headed straight to the beluga whale and penguin habitats. Beluga whales are one of my favorite mammals, so it was wonderful to see them up close. The Field Museum is home to one of the largest (and best in my opinion) dinosaur exhibitions in the country. The chronological display brings guests through history and mass extinctions leading up to the birth of dinosaurs. The Field Museum is also home to Sue, the largest and most complete T-Rex skeleton ever discovered. This is a must-see for any dinosaur lover. After a fun filled day of partying, head back to the 21c Museum Hotel located in the River North neighborhood, about a 25-minute red-line commute from Boystown. The boutique property is one of the newer hotels in the 21c family. I’ve stayed at their properties in Oklahoma City, Nashville and Kansas City and they never disappoint. The 21c Chicago was kind enough to provide me with a wonderful corner suite as well as their Love is Love package, which included a pride tank top, perfect to wear during the festivities. We decided to walk back to our hotel after visiting the museum as the weather was perfect for a leisurely stroll along the lake – until it started raining. With nowhere to take cover, we just admired the beauty of Chicago’s architectural wonders as well as the sculptures in Millennium Park including the world-famous Bean. Speaking of walking, the city offers free walking tours through Chicago Greeter. Local guides volunteer their time to take guests on customized walking tours of the city. We decided to focus our tour on architecture and landmarks. Our knowledgeable guide took us to some places we would have never known about if we had set out on our own. GG
Location. Location. Locaton!
Tavern Blue; our venue for Coralville Pride Festival 2021! www.CoralvillePrideFestival.com