Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
GAY RIGHTS
GAY RIGHTS. The first gay march was held in Dubuque on September 19, 1987. Hecklers who shouted obscenities and threw eggs and rocks met an estimated thirty marchers. Organizers of the march included Stacie Neldaughter and Ginny Lynns.
The second gay march occurred in May 1988, with an estimated 575 participants. The third annual Gay/Lesbian Pride Rally / March was held Saturday, September 16, 1989. An estimated one-third of the participants in the 1988 march attended the event that included a march through downtown Dubuque and a rally in WASHINGTON PARK featuring a speech by Tammy Baldwin of Madison, Wisconsin. (1)
In 2017 recognition of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Month, events were sponsored by local businesses and nonprofits. Pride Month was observed in June in recognition of the Stonewall Inn riots of 1969 in Manhattan. The site, later named a National Historic Site, was a gathering place for members of the gay community. CO DUBUQUE was founded to provide a local network for Dubuque's LGBT and allied community. (2)
Members of the Dubuque Human Rights Commission were angered and saddened to learn of anti-gay graffiti being found in the city. The offensive remarks were found on the sidewalk and a utility pole in the 1300 block of Cox Street. It was found on June 11th, one day and one year after the June 12, 2016 mass killing of forty-nine people at the Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Kelly Larson, director of the City of Dubuque Human Rights Department noted that the city has an internal hate incident response plan. According to Larson, the city was technically the victim of the graffiti incident. It was not a hate crime, because it did not target an individual. Among the resources for those needing support or education, the MULTICULTURAL FAMILY CENTER had youth support groups on the second Thursday of each month and adult groups on the fourth Thursday. There were also the Better Together Dubuque page on Facebook and ThisIsMeIowa.org website. (3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YPv79pvotE Actual banner carried in 1987 stained with eggs thrown by hecklers. Image courtesy: Stacie Neldaughter.
---
Source:
1. Stacie Neldaughter-interview 2/3/2014
2. Goldstein, Bennet. "LGBT Pride Month Events in Dubuque," Telegraph Herald, June 8, 2017, p. 5A
3. Rezab, Matthew. "Commission Responds to Anti-Gay Graffiti," Telegraph Herald, June 17, 2017, p. 3A