Welcome to the First Friday Breakfast Club!

The First Friday Breakfast Club (FFBC) is an educational group for gay, bisexual, transgender men, and their allies. We gather monthly in Des Moines for breakfast, fellowship and a speaker. We provide a safe and supportive environment for all members and guests.

As Iowa’s largest breakfast club, we are active, dynamic and engaging. We educate ourselves on LGBTQ issues. We work to reduce prejudice and discrimination, advocating for equality and inclusion of all people. Throughout the year, we raise sch olarship funds for students who fight homophobia. We offer guidance to those who need help in the coming out process. And we provide opinion leaders and the community with positive images of LGBTQ people.

Please visit our website www.ffbciowa.org where we have our upcoming speakers and archive of prior speaker recordings as well as newsletters.

You now have the ability to make one-time or recurring donations to support the scholarship program!

Click HERE to donate to the scholarship fund.

The December 2023 newsletter is now available HERE.

Fourteen outstanding graduating high school seniors were awarded scholarships at an awards ceremony on June 2, 2023. See more about these outstanding young adults on the Scholars page.

Upcoming Speakers

January 5, 2024: Representative Jennifer Konfrst, Iowa House Minority Leader.

February 2, 2024: Ben Page, Director, Des Moines Parks and Recreation.

March 1, 2024: Rob Sand, Iowa State Auditor.

April 5, 2024: Melissa O’Neil who is the CEO of Central Iowa Shelter & Services (CISS) @ 14th & Mulberry in downtown DSM.

June 7, 2024: Sarah Brown Wessling who has been awarded both Iowa and National Teacher of the Year.

July: Annual Donor Appreciation Social

August 2, 2024: Daniel Zinnel is CEO of Proteus. Proteus provides agricultural workers and their families with affordable health care, educational assistance and job training.

FFBC members enjoy breakfast and a speaker during the monthly gatherings. Breakfast begins promptly at 7:00 am. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are at the Hoyt Sherman Place.

Hoyt Sherman Place (website)
1501 Woodland Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309

To view past speakers (and listen to remarks from select speakers), click here or on the PAST SPEAKERS link at the top of the page.

Speaker Recommendations: If you have a recommendation for a speaker for a future First Friday Breakfast Club meeting please email to info@ffbciowa.org, providing information about the potential speaker, and contact information for them. Your contact information would be appreciated as well.

Items of interest

Coming Out Stories

This month on Out Late With David, David welcomes author and therapist William Brown, LPC, who shares his own coming out story, as well as essential advice for those making the hard decision to live a more authentic life.

Iowa LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce

Connect with Iowa’s LGBTQ+ business community and its allies, and grow your business. More info at: https://iowalgbtqchamber.org/

The Iowa LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce is a proud affiliate of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the largest advocacy organization dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancements for LGBTQ people, and the exclusive certifying body for LGBT-owned businesses.

LGBTQ Equality – OneIOWA

OneIOWA provides a summary of proposed Iowa legislation HERE.

Prime Timers of Central Iowa

Bringing together mature gay and bisexual men for friendship, activities, support, and personal growth. For more information see their Facebook group or website.

HRC Declares National State of Emergency – 6 June 2023

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Declares Nat’l State of Emergency: Historic warning for LGBTQ+ people in US!

Know your rights before you travel anywhere.

CLICK HERE FOR INFO & RESOURCES

The Rainbow Revival

Past FFBC Speaker (June 2021), Reverend Jim Conrad, published a memoir, The Rainbow Revival: a pastor and church on the journey towards inclusion. Reverend Conrad tells about the journey of his congregation’s acceptance of a same sex couple and his church’s expulsion from the Southern Baptist Convention. You may listen to Rev Conrad’s FFBC presentation HERE or view on YouTube.