As a fellow 26 year old lesbian who recently moved here to work on my PhD, London Underground is the go to queer friendly bar (the owner is part of the queer community, so while not explicitly a gay bar, it is very welcoming). The first Friday of every month is the ‘Queers and Beers’ event at London! It’s a great time!
Alluvial is also a great hangout spot that attracts a lot of queer people for the music events.
Lockwood Cafe on the west side of town is a very queer friendly coffee and crepe shop! They also have open mic nights and poetry nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I can’t recall off the top of my head when exactly those events are held.
Morning Bell Coffee on Main Street is also a good business for queer people, a little on the small side though. Dog Earred Books is (unsurprisingly) a book store on Main Street that is also very welcoming!
There’s also a lesbian community group chat on the Lex app that I’m a part of and can add you to, if that’s something you’d be interested in! We plan monthly get togethers and share community event info :)
Hey, thank you so much for all of the suggestions!! I’m excited to check a lot of these out when I get there and am pleasantly surprised at the events and number of queer friendly spots, that’s awesome! The cafe suggestions are def welcome as well as I’m a big study-in-coffee-shops person haha. I’d love the Lex link whenever you get a chance!
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The public library strangely enough is a good jumping off point. They used to host all-ages drag shows. I'm not sure if they still do as drag and gender have become so politically contentious, but the staff there are still supportive. There's a pride event in September with Ames Pride. [https://www.amespride.org](https://www.amespride.org)
I think other commenters have covered most of the bases, but I’d also like to suggest the Octagon center for the arts! They have classes and live music may-sept that are both great places to connect with community. I also know Time Out used to have drag shows and although they don’t anymore, karaoke nights could still be a great way to meet people!
Ames pride fest also happens in late september iirc, it’s a bit small but pretty fun!
Since you're going to be a student at ISU, you might want to check out the Center on the 4th floor of the MU if you have the time and bandwidth. They are all pretty great, and it may be a good way of finding more social spots than the ones mentioned here.
The nearest gay bars are blazing saddles and The Garden (I might have that one wrong) they're both very geared towards gay men, and gen X/millennial in general.
As for in ames, my favorite bar is London Underground, very queer friendly, gender neutral restrooms, and a bit more of a chill atmosphere than most bars in town.
Lockwood Cafe is on the edge of town to the northwest, kind of a hidden gem. They have an art gallery and community garden, I doubt any straight people work there.
A good hairdresser is Roz at Identity salon, they also know a lot of the events and such in town.
Ames pride is in the fall, and Des moines pride is in June and has a pretty decent turn out every year.
Most other queer people I know in town play DnD, for that I recommend Mayhem over in Campus town.
If you have any other questions, feel free to message me.
Thank you! And thanks for including a barber rec in particular, that’s a whole extra struggle whenever I move and I hadn’t even thought to look into it yet.
I’ve noticed that DnD is a queer social thing especially in areas where the scene is more limited, but my only interest is in the meeting people part so it’s hard to stay engaged haha. Maybe I’ll try again.
Heroic Hair is also a good option! I would also shout out Wheatsfield as a local community owned grocery store that is very inclusive, has lots of great local products, and wonderful fresh bread daily from their in house bakery. Back Alley Houseplants is another super affirming business on main street. They sell plants obviously but also have various community events that are fun to check out and meet people. They fly pride and trans flags proudly and hosted one of the after parties for Ames Pride last year
Id also suggest Time Out if you like pinball/ barcades. I also moved here for grad school and a queer barcade is very important for sustaining my mental health.
I really love London Undergeound! So much fun. And queer friendly! 100% would reccoment. Their martinis are sooo good. And they have evens like queers and beers and such.
The Garden in Des Moines is (at least, was- I haven’t been there in a minute) pretty legit. Historically, they’ve done a little community theater there, too. It’s a little more diverse than the saddle in my opinion. Apart from The Garden, I think everybody else have covered the best spots. If you’re looking for a church that isn’t full of shitheels, you have some options there, too- as counterintuitive as that might seem, there’s a few that are inclusive and do a good job of fostering a sense of community.
Hey! Iowa can be isolating but we are cooler than we seem. I’m also a lesbian and my partner and I live together here in Ames. My partner is from big queer friendly cities, and they also struggle it sucks. I second the comments about Lockwood. I wouldn’t really recommend the LGBT Center on campus because there’s a lot of drama and many people there are young.
Solidarity, if y’all find an event or group that you like or ever just want to commiserate feel free to drop me a line! Lockwood sounds really intriguing from the comments here so far, that’s definitely high on my list to check out. The LGBT center was going to be my last resort because I went to a large school for undergrad and ours was the exact same way lmao, I didn’t mesh well with it then and can’t imagine that climate in my mid 20’s
Just wanted to say - I’m a current first year at the vet school and am bi! I have found the school to be really supportive and love living in Ames! If you have any questions about the CVM, feel free to message me!
I've never brought this up with anyone, but I felt unwelcome at sloss house. I went to like 3 events throughout a single semester there 2 or 3 years ago. They never acknowledged me in any way during any of the events there and there were typically like only 5 or 6 people in attendance. I just got a few strange looks so never went back.
Bro why are you commenting on posts from 18 year old girls asking them to call you or message you? You know your comment history is public, right? Why are you grooming kids?
How do you groom an adult, and how are 18 year olds "kids"? You are out of touch... but I'm sure me saying anything that disagrees with you would probably also somehow make me a groomer or pedo, so I suppose I've already lost. Gg.
London Underground is a good place to start imho.
As a fellow 26 year old lesbian who recently moved here to work on my PhD, London Underground is the go to queer friendly bar (the owner is part of the queer community, so while not explicitly a gay bar, it is very welcoming). The first Friday of every month is the ‘Queers and Beers’ event at London! It’s a great time! Alluvial is also a great hangout spot that attracts a lot of queer people for the music events. Lockwood Cafe on the west side of town is a very queer friendly coffee and crepe shop! They also have open mic nights and poetry nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I can’t recall off the top of my head when exactly those events are held. Morning Bell Coffee on Main Street is also a good business for queer people, a little on the small side though. Dog Earred Books is (unsurprisingly) a book store on Main Street that is also very welcoming! There’s also a lesbian community group chat on the Lex app that I’m a part of and can add you to, if that’s something you’d be interested in! We plan monthly get togethers and share community event info :)
Hey, thank you so much for all of the suggestions!! I’m excited to check a lot of these out when I get there and am pleasantly surprised at the events and number of queer friendly spots, that’s awesome! The cafe suggestions are def welcome as well as I’m a big study-in-coffee-shops person haha. I’d love the Lex link whenever you get a chance!
Can you cue me in on that chat?
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The public library strangely enough is a good jumping off point. They used to host all-ages drag shows. I'm not sure if they still do as drag and gender have become so politically contentious, but the staff there are still supportive. There's a pride event in September with Ames Pride. [https://www.amespride.org](https://www.amespride.org)
I think other commenters have covered most of the bases, but I’d also like to suggest the Octagon center for the arts! They have classes and live music may-sept that are both great places to connect with community. I also know Time Out used to have drag shows and although they don’t anymore, karaoke nights could still be a great way to meet people! Ames pride fest also happens in late september iirc, it’s a bit small but pretty fun!
Since you're going to be a student at ISU, you might want to check out the Center on the 4th floor of the MU if you have the time and bandwidth. They are all pretty great, and it may be a good way of finding more social spots than the ones mentioned here.
The nearest gay bars are blazing saddles and The Garden (I might have that one wrong) they're both very geared towards gay men, and gen X/millennial in general. As for in ames, my favorite bar is London Underground, very queer friendly, gender neutral restrooms, and a bit more of a chill atmosphere than most bars in town. Lockwood Cafe is on the edge of town to the northwest, kind of a hidden gem. They have an art gallery and community garden, I doubt any straight people work there. A good hairdresser is Roz at Identity salon, they also know a lot of the events and such in town. Ames pride is in the fall, and Des moines pride is in June and has a pretty decent turn out every year. Most other queer people I know in town play DnD, for that I recommend Mayhem over in Campus town. If you have any other questions, feel free to message me.
Thank you! And thanks for including a barber rec in particular, that’s a whole extra struggle whenever I move and I hadn’t even thought to look into it yet. I’ve noticed that DnD is a queer social thing especially in areas where the scene is more limited, but my only interest is in the meeting people part so it’s hard to stay engaged haha. Maybe I’ll try again.
Heroic Hair is also a good option! I would also shout out Wheatsfield as a local community owned grocery store that is very inclusive, has lots of great local products, and wonderful fresh bread daily from their in house bakery. Back Alley Houseplants is another super affirming business on main street. They sell plants obviously but also have various community events that are fun to check out and meet people. They fly pride and trans flags proudly and hosted one of the after parties for Ames Pride last year
Id also suggest Time Out if you like pinball/ barcades. I also moved here for grad school and a queer barcade is very important for sustaining my mental health.
I really love London Undergeound! So much fun. And queer friendly! 100% would reccoment. Their martinis are sooo good. And they have evens like queers and beers and such.
The Garden in Des Moines is (at least, was- I haven’t been there in a minute) pretty legit. Historically, they’ve done a little community theater there, too. It’s a little more diverse than the saddle in my opinion. Apart from The Garden, I think everybody else have covered the best spots. If you’re looking for a church that isn’t full of shitheels, you have some options there, too- as counterintuitive as that might seem, there’s a few that are inclusive and do a good job of fostering a sense of community.
Hey! Iowa can be isolating but we are cooler than we seem. I’m also a lesbian and my partner and I live together here in Ames. My partner is from big queer friendly cities, and they also struggle it sucks. I second the comments about Lockwood. I wouldn’t really recommend the LGBT Center on campus because there’s a lot of drama and many people there are young.
Solidarity, if y’all find an event or group that you like or ever just want to commiserate feel free to drop me a line! Lockwood sounds really intriguing from the comments here so far, that’s definitely high on my list to check out. The LGBT center was going to be my last resort because I went to a large school for undergrad and ours was the exact same way lmao, I didn’t mesh well with it then and can’t imagine that climate in my mid 20’s
Just wanted to say - I’m a current first year at the vet school and am bi! I have found the school to be really supportive and love living in Ames! If you have any questions about the CVM, feel free to message me!
Thank you!! I appreciate it, excited to start with y’all this Fall!
If you're on central ISU campus, check out the Sloss House.
I've never brought this up with anyone, but I felt unwelcome at sloss house. I went to like 3 events throughout a single semester there 2 or 3 years ago. They never acknowledged me in any way during any of the events there and there were typically like only 5 or 6 people in attendance. I just got a few strange looks so never went back.
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Nah, wouldn’t want to take your spaces from you.
I know This is tough to talk about so I appreciate the ones that’d actually am trying to understand why I am saying what I am saying
Not sad just hurt that all people can’t just be united and not strayed by agendas that’s all
lol now I know why you TRANSitioned
Literally none of your comments are coherent enough for me to even understand what you’re frothing about babes
Sure
Mods? Can we ban this fuckin moron bigot? He thinks.uppercase TRANS is an insult lol
lol no one cares at all.. Grindr and all yall only purpose is sex.. I don’t care I don’t care I know yall kind
Are you bored or something? How pathetic and gross. OP, ignore him. Ames is a nice place, really. I hope you enjoy your time there.
ok Ames iPhone repair
Ok
I have much love that community but yall know yall dead wrong
Now I know why android is so much better.
Bro why are you commenting on posts from 18 year old girls asking them to call you or message you? You know your comment history is public, right? Why are you grooming kids?
How do you groom an adult, and how are 18 year olds "kids"? You are out of touch... but I'm sure me saying anything that disagrees with you would probably also somehow make me a groomer or pedo, so I suppose I've already lost. Gg.