A Gay Liberation Front flyer featuring drag queen Divine pointing her finger at handwritten text that says: Outrageous Weekend. The flyer includes a calendar of activities.

Gay Liberation Front “Outrageous Weekend” flyer, 1974. Jo Rabenold Papers [IWA0191], Iowa Women’s Archives.

Flyer text:

OUTRAGEOUS WEEKEND

FRIDAY, NOV. 15
8 – 10 PM  Pink Flamingos (Union)
10 – 1 PM  Conference ’75 Benefit Dance (120 N. Dubuque)

SAT. NOV. 16
1 – 4 PM  Conference ’75 Planning Session (120 N. Dubuque)
4:30 – 6:30 PM  Pot Luck Supper (Rec. Center 220 S. Gilbert)
8 – 12  Lou Reed (Fieldhouse)

“Have a ‘Divine’ time!”
Gay Liberation Front

An event list for the first ever Midwest Gay Pride Conference. It includes a keynote address by Mark Segal, workshops about sexuality and society and psychology, community meals, music, and a disco dance.

1st Annual Midwest Gay Pride Conference schedule. The Daily Iowan, April 18, 1974. Newspapers Collection, University Archives, University of Iowa Libraries.

More about this item:

The conference noted on the flyer was the Midwest Gay Pride Conference. Founded in 1974 at the University of Iowa and held at the Iowa Memorial Union, the theme of the first conference was “Alternative Lifestyles.” The conference was an annual event through 1976, and included workshops, speakers, film screenings, coffeehouses, health information, dances, music, and other special events. This multi-day gathering emerged at a time when the gay liberation movement was gaining momentum after Stonewall. It is an early Midwestern example of public queer joy and community.

From the exhibit:

The University of Iowa has been home to an LGBTQ student organization since 1970. Gay Liberation Front at Iowa was the first gay student group to be officially recognized by a university in the U.S. The formation of the Gay Liberation Front in Iowa City was in response to a nationwide

2nd Annual Midwest Gay Pride Conference info, including a list of films, speakers, workshops, and info about dances, community meals, etc.

2nd Annual Midwest Gay Pride Conference ad. The Daily Iowan, April 10, 1975. Newspapers Collection, University Archives, University of Iowa Libraries.

push for gay rights following the Stonewall Riots, which were a series of protests in New York City at the Stonewall Inn. The protests contested the raids of gay bars and the violent homophobic and transphobic treatment by police towards the members of the LGBTQ community who frequented these spaces.  

Over time, the name for this student group evolved to reflect the expanded community that the organization represented. Variations included Gay People’s Union; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies Union (GLBTAU); and Spectrum UI. After over 50 years at the University of Iowa, the student organization that started as the Gay Liberation Front changed its name to Queer Liberation Front in 2021. The group has ongoing weekly meetings on campus that provide a safe space for members of the LGBTQ community to socialize and discuss issues relating to queer life on campus and in Iowa City.

3rd annual Midwest Gay Pride conference presents Arts & Skills - the Gay experience. Includes event list for films, dances, workshops, poetry readings, etc.

Flyer for the 3rd Annual Midwest Gay Pride Conference, 1976. Tracy Bjorgum papers, LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library, Iowa City.