Impressed with Iowa! (Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Boone: live, floors, moving)

[tollfree]

The midwest in general is still surprised to find out not all gay men act how the media portrays them. You have huge populations of people from farming communities (Chicago included and I'll explain), still believe all gays are a certain way. It reminds me of Hispanic TV shows on Univision, when you see how a great deal of their comedy is based around gay stereotypes. I personally consider it ignorant.

In Chicago, it seemed like everyone I met there (excluding immigrants) were from a smaller city or town in a surrounding state. Of course, you meet people from bigger cities all over - but they moved there for work/family reasons, opposed to really wanting to live there. It's not as diversified as LA, NYC, or even Dallas in this aspect.

[steel03]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

I drove across Iowa for the first time last summer on a return trip from Montana to Georgia. The scenery was amazing! I've never seen so much corn in my life, and it was lush and green last year. Those giant windmills weren't too much to look at -- kinda creepy. But the rest of the state was surprisingly scenic, unlike much of the Midwest (Illinois -- yuck!)

Here's one thing I noticed: all the Iowa cities we passed through felt MUCH larger than they actually are, especially Des Moines. I couldn't believe it was a metro of barely 500,000 -- not much bigger than Savannah, GA where I live.

Any theories on why Iowa cities FEEL bigger than they are? Is it because there's so much corn in between?

Des Moines in particular has a big insurance industry, which is a big part of the reason we have so many skyscrapers and such a nice downtown. But I think it's also a Midwest thing. There are fewer sizable cities, and they're more spread out, so cities that wouldn't be very big on the coasts are major metros in the Midwest (thinking of cities like Des Moines, Madison, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Rochester, Duluth, Sioux Falls, Fargo, Omaha, etc).

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

Oh please! You need to start moving away from this firm belief that no matter what Iowans are ignorant on all "civilized" aspects of humanity. The Chicago gay pride parade is exactly like that poster stated, and this is coming from a gay person.

YEP! All stereotypes are based on some degree of reality, and when it comes to gay men we seldom do ourselves any favors (and yea, I am one so I can say that!)

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

While it has come a long way, comments like this embody what people in Iowa still think about gay men...all are super flamboyant divas and act a certain way. It's simply not true, but someone in Iowa still might be surprised if they met a "non stereotypical" gay man. It hasn't quite gotten past this idea that all gay men probably act like Richard Simmons.

I was at the parade. I saw this with my own eyes. It DOES exist. I didn't make it up as a random stereotype. I have many gay friends and I know what they are really like, and i DO know a few who are very flamboyant ALL THE TIME, and many are proud to be divas!

Pride fest is a place to celebrate who they are, who they can be if they so choose, and for those who support the LBGT community to show support and celebrate with them. One thing I heard when I was there was a speaker say "it is okay to be who we are, never let anyone take that away from you!" It's a good message that can be applied to everyone, even sourpuss posters on internet forums.

The parade was fun, and I cheered along with everyone else as the glitter came raining down. The crowd was full of all types of people...young and old, and lots of families with children who obviously don't care about stereotypes.

[tollfree]

Originally Posted by steel03

Des Moines in particular has a big insurance industry, which is a big part of the reason we have so many skyscrapers and such a nice downtown. But I think it's also a Midwest thing. There are fewer sizable cities, and they're more spread out, so cities that wouldn't be very big on the coasts are major metros in the Midwest (thinking of cities like Des Moines, Madison, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Rochester, Duluth, Sioux Falls, Fargo, Omaha, etc).

Lol, like 3 or 4 and the only one that looks like it would belong in a real skyline is 801 grand.

[steel03]

YEP! All stereotypes are based on some degree of reality, and when it comes to gay men we seldom do ourselves any favors (and yea, I am one so I can say that!)

Well, I don't know about that. There are quite a few gay men who do fit that stereotype, but I believe there are many more who do not (and I think I can include myself in that category). One reason it's so difficult to come out of the closet for a lot of gay men is that they don't identify with "gay culture."
But that certainly doesn't validate RonnieJonez. That is problem that is absolutely, without question, beyond reasonable doubt, NOT confined to the Upper Midwest. There is no media representation for regular gay guys. Anywhere, at all. There are no gay men on TV or in movies who aren't flamers. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, whatever. Doesn't matter. It's an untapped market. That's the reason that stereotype endures. Not some convoluted Upper Midwest mindset. Come on. This is a poster who is chronically unable to see anything other than exactly what will validate his ridiculous opinions, whether or not they're grounded in fact.

[steel03]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

Lol, like 3 or 4 and the only one that looks like it would belong in a real skyline is 801 grand.

Yes sir, whatever you say, sir.

[tollfree]

Originally Posted by steel03

Well, I don't know about that. There are quite a few gay men who do fit that stereotype, but I believe there are many more who do not (and I think I can include myself in that category). One reason it's so difficult to come out of the closet for a lot of gay men is that they don't identify with "gay culture."
But that certainly doesn't validate RonnieJonez. That is problem that is absolutely, without question, beyond reasonable doubt, NOT confined to the Upper Midwest. There is no media representation for regular gay guys. Anywhere, at all. There are no gay men on TV or in movies who aren't flamers. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, whatever. Doesn't matter. It's an untapped market. That's the reason that stereotype endures. Not some convoluted Upper Midwest mindset. Come on. This is a poster who is chronically unable to see anything other than exactly what will validate his ridiculous opinions, whether or not they're grounded in fact.

I don't think it's even been quantified, but meeting a non-stereotypical gay man is going to generally surprise someone in the midwest. I also think the stereotypes are intentionally exaggerated (local media does it all the time) so as to say : "Look we have gay people in the midwest too! So take that!"

Midwest cities have their pride parades and it's seen as this amazing, groundbreaking, one-of-a-kind thing...it just wouldn't get such mileage on a coastal city, it's there, it's part of society - and that's that.

Another thing, the whole gay marriage in Iowa is actually misleading. That was the State Supreme Court - not the people. Had it gone to a vote, it would not have passed. While I support it myself, there is something funny about knowing two men (or women) can marry in a rural community in Iowa, but not in San Francisco (truth is stranger than fiction sometimes). Just because it's legal here, doesn't mean it's as accepted as in other places. I think that has largely been ignored (or course, Iowa isn't western Kansas either, but it's not this super "liberal" place some try to make it out to be.)

[Newsboy]

^^^ Ronnie actually makes a lot of sense, y'all.

As for "non-stereotypical" gay men, there are quite a few that immediately come to mind: Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, Rupert Everett, Chad Alan, Ricky Martin, Neil Patrick Harris, Richard Hatch ... But I digress.

Here in Savannah GA, we have quite a few gay men who work for local TV stations and are out at the clubs on Saturday night. Is it really all that unheard of in the Midwest?

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by nep321

So I was on a road trip earlier this week and spent the night in Davenport, IA. First of all, I thought the natural beauty of Iowa was actually nice. I live in Connecticut, so it was refreshing to see open fields, but still some concentrations of trees here and there. The traffic was minimal and the people seemed nice and actually somewhat tolerant/liberal. And the area was very convenient, too. I have consistently heard good things about IA, such as the cost of living, quality of life and easier pace of life. Not to mention, I am glad to know that the state has legalized gay marriage (I'm gay), which is good for me someday if I want to settle down with someone. I am a 28 year old male with a master's degree in accounting and 5 yrs of experience.

I've always wanted to live in a place that's less urbanized, but still reasonably tolerant of diverse peoples. I'm also an atheist.

Do you think I would like living in Iowa? I know, I only spent a day there, and in one city only. But from what I saw, I liked it. It didn't feel like a stressful place at all!

I have lived in Riverside, Iowa, Fremont, Iowa and now live in West Liberty, Iowa and I have loved every place we have lived here. I will be happy when we get to go back home to Illinois but I am quite happy to be in Iowa until we go back home.