In 2001, the group chose a new leader, Dr. In 1991, the DMMC lost its director and could not find another, resulting in a ten-year hiatus.
There was much concern over backlash against group members. The word “gay” was excluded from the original chorus’ name because of significant homophobia in Iowa during the early 1980s, especially amidst the AIDS epidemic when President Reagan refused to speak publicly about the public health crisis that disproportionality impacted gay and bisexual men. In 1984, John Schmaker founded the Des Moines Men’s Chorus (DMMC) in his basement, then a small group of about eight to ten members. Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, Queer Spaces, Collectives Styles, and Activist Dress, 1984 to the Presentĭes Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, Queer Spaces, Collectives Styles, and Activist Dress, 1984 to the Present Octo– March 2022 / MARY ALICE GALLERYĭuring the 1970s, people in the United States founded gay and lesbian choruses for political activism, coming out, and celebration.
