Iowa House is a weekly queer fellowship started by a couple who hosts a family-esque dinner in their backyard for other queer Utahns.
Amanda Madden, right, hugs Rosa Bandeirinha during a Mother's Day social at Iowa House, Sunday, May 8, 2022. Iowa House is a weekly queer fellowship, started by Amanda Madden and Jade Swayne, who host a family-esque dinner in their backyard for other queer Utahns. The experiment has turned into a success and now there's a waiting list for those hoping to join the community they've created.
In Utah, where Sunday dinner is ingrained into the culture, no other day seemed as appropriate to Madden and Swayne. Sunday dinner was something they felt they could reframe for a queer community that may have negative associations with the practice. They wanted to fill their home with queer joy. The home’s architecture and style already exude a welcoming feeling from the outside. But walking inside compounds that feeling. Madden knew it, too. They say the home was made to bring people together.
Visitors to Iowa House are encouraged to wear sticky notes with their name and pronouns, Sunday, May 8, 2022. Iowa House is a weekly queer fellowship, started by Amanda Madden and Jade Swayne, who host a family-esque dinner in their backyard for other queer Utahns. The experiment has turned into a success and now there's a waiting list for those hoping to join the community they've created.
“Now I feel like I have this vast queer community here that is so strong and supportive,” Madden said giddily. “It gives me butterflies to think about my kid self somehow imagining that possibility.” “I did not expect that I would feel so sustained by this community,” Swayne said. “It’s like a moment to just be together and recharge.”Jamera Ewing put all the states she’s never been to into a hat. By the luck of the draw, she pulled Utah. Next thing she knew, her bags were packed and she was leaving the Midwest for the desert West.
Ewing’s experience is exactly what Madden and Swayne set out to accomplish. They wanted to cultivate a space where queer people of color felt safe, uplifted and noticed. For Swayne, the creation of Iowa House and the community its built has allotted them the ability to relax as well. “Everyone wanted to learn how to make the drink, and that really meant a lot to me,” she said. “It reminded me of back home, where we all partake in something that represents our culture together.”
l-r Sammy Walker, Mirna Ibarra, Cydney Caradonna and Rhett Duncan share a laugh during a Mother's Day social at Iowa House Sunday, May 8, 2022. Iowa House is a weekly queer fellowship, started by Amanda Madden and Jade Swayne, who host a family-esque dinner in their backyard for other queer Utahns. The experiment has turned into a success and now there's a waiting list for those hoping to join the community they've created.
Walker says they also discovered something beyond their queer identity. “I have a queer family,” they said, “and I never thought that would happen.” A few weeks earlier, Volle made their drag debut in the Iowa House living room. Their chosen family cheering them on, and Volle felt the moment was bigger than them.
What sets Iowa House apart from conventional queer inviting places, like LGBTQ bars, is Madden and Swayne’s dedication to its community members, asking them what they would like to see the house become — and then making that happen.
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