Gay des moines

Des Moines is one of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest. There are plenty of trails around the city to explore. You'll come across plenty of bars, restaurants and the gay scene in the East Village. 

Des Moines was initially established as a fort. The capital is located right by the Des Moines River, and it's in the "Corn Belt."

Gay Bars in De Moines

Gay Clubs in De Moines

On a characteristic Friday night at the Blazing Saddle in Des Moines’ East Village, tightly packed bodies crowd around the bar’s main stage, hands poking out from the throng to offer cash tips to performersdressed in drag. It’s the Saddle Gurls & Friends show, and once the artists take their final bow (or more commonly, dip into their most impressive split), the spotlights cut and the music bumps. Bargoers turn the stage into a technicolor dance floor, robust drinks in hand, staying correct to the bar's motto: "Always a double, never a cover."

The Blazing Saddle is Iowa's oldest operating gay bar. It just celebrated its 40th anniversary. Opened in 1983 by Bob “Mongo” Eikleberry, it’s been referred to as the “Gay Cheers” and has seen Iowa — and the nation — through decades of change for the LGBTQ population: from the beginning — and end — of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, to the outbreak of the AIDs epidemic, to the legalization of queer marriage and the more recent passing and signing of anti-LGBTQ laws in the state.

That history will soon be common in the form of a six-episode do