The Iowa Pride Ensembles marching band leads the Iowa City Pride Parade on Saturday, June 20, 2026. — Emma McClatchey/Little VillageBy Kate Carroll de Gutes and Laura Julier, Iowa City

We’re writing to express our disappointment and, frankly, outrage that Christina Bohannan, Josh Turek, and Rob Sand failed to show up for the Iowa City Pride parade on Saturday, June 20. The Johnson County Democrats and part of each candidate’s team were there waving signs. They even pulled a flatbed trailer, ostensibly for the candidates, but that trailer was empty. In a state that is trying hard to erase the LGBTQ+ community, this lack of presence spoke volumes.

These candidates profess to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, but the visual of the empty platform lingers as a sign of the lack of support. What’s more, all three candidates rely on the LGBTQ+ community to help door knock and for donations, but on the most important day of the year for us, they were elsewhere, speaking, according to a JoCo Dem volunteer, to “hundreds of voters.” Yet, there were thousands of voters at the Pride parade. Showing up for a few hours at an event that was planned a year in advance would not have seriously affected anyone’s campaign schedule.

We have given thousands of dollars to these campaigns and volunteered our time. And as important as this election is, we now find ourselves with less to say and less enthusiasm on their behalf.