2025 Manifestations
DMGMC Pride Cabaret
June 13: Temple for Performing Arts, Des Moines
The Priory joined the Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus for their Pride Cabaret: Proud ‘N Pink.
Proud ‘N Pink is not your average cabaret. It’s part concert, part catharsis, and a full-throated celebration of love and the strength we find in one another when times get tough. You’ll hear the power-pop anthems of Pink, the poetic brilliance of Maya Angelou, and the unapologetic songs from artists like Chappell Roan, Pentatonix, Janelle Monáe, Doechii, and Bad Bunny. This is a setlist with purpose. Our ensemble TRANScendent will also premiere a powerful new commission titled “They Cannot Erase Us,” created for this moment.
Capital City Pride
June 6-8: Easy Village, Des Moines
Pride season kicked off early with Capital City Pride!
We spread joy and frivolity around the pride grounds on Friday night and were incognito for Saturday festivities. We also snuck in a Conclave and Sister Clara's house Saturday afternoon.
Sunday we were up bright and early to prepare for the Pride parade! This year our theme was flower power as a peaceful protest and we marched a gaggle of clown nuns down Grand Avenue. We twirled for the Beaverhausen's and put on a spectacle for all the queers and allies!! While we didn't win best parade entry this year (cough, cough, rigatoni) we were delighted to see the honor go to the Iowa Pride Ensembles with their debut entry. We're still exhausted but it was a magical weekend for all.
More information on Capital City Pride can be found here:
Bingo supporting the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition
May 31: The Blazing Saddle, Des Moines
Our second bingo was a blast! We packed the house once again to raise money for the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition.
The IHRC works to create health equity in Iowa communities through advocacy, education, and drug user health services.
They are committed to building power among people impacted by the war on drugs, including people who use drugs and communities of color; committed to acceptance of stigmatized and minoritized peoples and people who use drugs; and committed to dismantling systems of race, class, and gender-based privilege.
May East Village Ministry
May 16: East Village, Des Moines
Pappa Tarte came to town to meet the clowns! What better way to introduce him to Des Moines than drag shows and gay bars?!
Mother's Day Brunch and Bingo
May 11: Garden Nightclub, Des Moines
The Priory hosted our brunch and bingo event to celebrate the fabulous mothers in our lives! Our very own, Randi Tarte, served up some great food and the fabulous Rusty Jones kept everyone hydrated at the bar. We are beyond thankful to everyone that showed up and look forward to hosting more bingo events throughout the year.
Animal Lifeline's Comedians to the Rescue
May 2: Event's Center West, West Des Moines
Our favorite animal shelter invited us once again to their annual Comedians to the Recuse fundraiser. Animal Lifeline is a no-kill animal shelter that specializes in special needs cats and dogs. Willie Farrell, Jonathan May, and Dwayne Clark entertained the audience in one of Animal Lifeline's biggest fundraisers. The Priory will be hosting bingo later this year for Animal Lifeline so stay tuned!
More information on Animal Lifeline can be found here:
Indie Bookstore Weekend Story Time
April 27: The Little Book, Des Moines
We returned to our favorite bookstore to host another story time and sing-a-long! The Little Book hosted The Priory once again to read and sing with kids of all ages, and kids at heart. Afterwards, we ventured through Highland Park for delicious food and meeting new friends at local businesses.
More information on Highland Park friends can be found here:
Leather and Lace Ball
April 26: The Garden Nightclub
Mama Jean Marie Knight Michaels, Gus Gus, Nerdy Bear, and XJ Miller hosted the second annual Leather and Lace ball to bring together the commUNITY in a time of divisiveness. The community showed up for performances education, shots, and all sorts of frivolity and raised over $3,000 for the Trans Mutual Aid Fund!
The Priory was honored to be included and look forward to next years event.
Mister Iowa City, Iowa City Diva, & Mx. Iowa City Pageants
April 19: Frist Avenue Club, Iowa ICty
Lesbians of Iowa presented the Annual Mister Iowa City, Iowa City Diva, & Mx. Iowa City Pageants to raise money for Iowa City Pride.
The Priory was on-hand to greet attendees, spread joy, and open the show with a blessing.
More information can be found here:
Simpson Drag Show
April 1: Simpson College
Two of our siblings with close ties to Simpson had the honor of attending and giving the blessing at the Simpson College annual Drag Show and competition in Indianola, IA! All tips and proceeds benefitted the Trans Mutual Aid Fund! It was a delight to see our young college students perform and show their support for our community.
Resistance (A Trans Mutual Aid Fund Benefit)
March 29: The Garden Nightclub
To combat the recent hate in Iowa, hosts Alexandra St. James and Tyler Jo wanted to spread a little Trans and Queer joy by putting on a benefit show for Trans Mutual Fund Of Iowa. The benefit will featured live performances, shots, and many fun raffle baskets. The Priory happily showed up to help and rejoice in some queer joy.
After all queer joy is the greatest form of resistance
Central Iowa Trans Lives Festival
March 29: First Unitarian Church of Des Moines Iowa
In honor of the International Transgender Day of Visibility, the Transgender Action Group For Iowa hosted the fifth annual all-ages festival showcased the creative work of transgender, genderqueer, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming adults and youth from around Iowa. Work included visual art and crafts for sale, food trucks and booths, live music, poetry, literature, dance, drag, and comedy performances. Local nonprofit and community organizations provided support and resources to the trans community. Our very own Lei Meianna Davenport ended the festival with TRANScendent, a member-founded ensemble of the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus.
More information can be found here:
DMGMC Spring Concert
March 22: Urbandale High School
The Priory gladly partnered once again with the Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus for their Spring concert: Reclaim & Rise with the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus.
This choral concert centered on themes of reclaiming strength and rising anew in the face of adversity. Through evocative imagery of nature—waves on the ocean, winds in the trees, and the unrelenting force of the sunrise—the music tells a story of resilience and renewal. No matter how dark or stormy life may become, there is a constant power within us to rise again, drawing on the legacies of those who came before us and the hope we see in future generations.
Sash Bash 2025
March 7-9: Iowa City
The Priory was once again invited to facilitate and spread joy at Sash Bash 2025. We were honored to be joined by our northern friends, the Ladies of the Lakes.
We blessed the masses, partook in educational classes, and made sure that EVERYONE felt welcome at the event.
Sash Bash is the brain-child of Mr. Iowa Leather 2016 - Papa Bear, and offers a weekend of of fun, fetish, and
family with titleholders from the Midwest and beyond.
Sash Bash raised over $13,000 this year and over $55,000 since 2018. These funds are split between Iowa Safe School, and the Leather Archives & Museum.
More information on Sash Bash Weekend can be found here:
Queers & Beers
March 7: London Underground, Ames
Beer, queers: you get the drill by now.
The Priory joined the ISU LGBTQA Employee Network for another Queers and Beers. We had a blast as always and look forward to attending more throughout the year.
More information on the ISU LGBTQA Employee Network and London Underground can be found here:
Bingo Supporting Iowa Mutual Aid
February 22: The Blazing Saddle
Our first bingo of the year was a doozy. We packed the Saddle with our amazing community and raised over $800 for the Iowa Mutual Aid.
The Iowa Mutual Aid Network is made up of numerous individuals, collectives, and affinity groups working together and along side each other to change the material conditions of oppressed communities in so-called Iowa.
More information about The Iowa Mutual Aid Network can be found here:
The Little Book's 1-Year Anniversary
February 9: Des Moines
The Little Book has quickly become one of our strongest allies in the community. Their mission says it all: At The Little Book, our mission is to create meaningful connection in the Des Moines Community through the creation of a space welcoming of all ages, focusing on literacy, community wellness, and inclusion. Centering the voices of Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, as well as the LGBTQ2S+ communities is and will always be of top priority. We believe that all people deserve knowledge, truth, and access to books - and both as booksellers and caretakers of children, we stand against book banning in all of its forms.
We were delighted to help them celebrate their 1-yar anniversary and look forward to many years of mutual support.
More information about The Little Book can be found here:
Queers & Beers
February 7: London Underground, Ames
We're still here, we're still queer, we (kinda) like beer!
The Priory joined the ISU LGBTQA Employee Network for another Queers and Beers. We had a blast as always and look forward to attending more throughout the year.
More information on the ISU LGBTQA Employee Network and London Underground can be found here:
Showtunes Sunday & Miles Long Frost Benefit Show
February 2: East Village, Des Moines
We're old enough to know better than to go out on a school night but we're too you (most of us 😂) to care!!
After our monthly meeting, the siblings went out for a little fun and fundraising for the #commUNITY. We started at Showtunes Sunday, a monthly fundraiser by the Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus at The Blazing Saddle to sing, raise money, and have an adult beverage or 3. After that, we wandered up to The Garden Nightclub to help Miles Long Frost raise money for his upcoming top surgery.
Queer joy is a great form of resistance and there was PLENTY of joy to go around. We ate, we raffled, we mingled, and we enjoyed a fabulous show, all in support of Miles. Over $3,000 was raised and all proceed will help Miles achieve his goals.
More information on our community groups can be found here:
City of Fountains Sisters Leather & Lace Ball
January 18: Missie B's, Kansas City
Our Southern neighbors invited us to their Leather & Lace Ball to have a gay ole' time in Kansas City! The Sisters teamed up with KC Pioneers to raise money for both groups. Sisters from Wichita and St. Louis were also in attendance to spread joy and frivolity.
Find out more about the groups in attendance:
Bears Happy Hour & Iowa Bear Fundraiser
January 11: The Garden Nightclub
The Capital Bears hosted their annual fundraiser for the current Iowa Bear: Cub Teddy. The Sisters were happy to help with raffle sales, selling jello shots, and performing for the children!
Queers and Beers
January 3: London Underground, Ames
We're here, we're queer, we (kinda) like beer!
The Priory joined the ISU LGBTQA Employee Network for the first Queers and Beers of the year. We had a blast as always and look forward to attending more throughout the year.
More information on the ISU LGBTQA Employee Network and London Underground can be found here: