Campaniling, a time-honored tradition at Iowa State, had another iteration starting in 1991. This version of campaniling started out as a ‘Kiss-in’ before eventually changing into what is now known as ‘reverse campaniling.’

The Kiss-in of 1991 was organized and run by Phi Alpha Gamma co-founders Jay Larson and James Schaefer. The group held the kiss-in as a form of PDA, normally defined as “Public Display of Affection.” They defined their kiss-in as a “politically disobedient act,” according to an Iowa State Daily article in 1991.

“We have made a conscious choice to refuse to live by the implied standards of our society,” according to an LGBTAA press release in 1991. “Where our cultural ‘norms’ refuse to recognize same-sex affection, we refuse to accept those restrictions.”

The 1991 kiss-in drew same-sex couples and heterosexual couples, such as Susan Budlong and Kory Sylvester, who allied with Phi Alpha Gamma.

Not everyone on the Iowa State University campus liked or approved of the kiss-in, and there was a group of protesters present back on that Thursday.

Seniors at the time, Tim Siemens and Dwight DeJong, confronted the kiss-in participants and yelled about them spreading AIDS and their dislike of the display same-sex affection.

“We don’t f****** want to see it. Don’t do it on campus,” Siemens told Jennifer Wilson, a reporter with the Iowa State Daily.

“Greeks aren’t fags, and we sure as heck don’t approve of it. If there was a fag that we knew of, we’d get rid of them, you’re darn right,” Siemens said.

A couple years after the 1991 kiss-in held on central campus, the LGBT community changed the name from Kiss-in to Reverse Campaniling and kissed their significant others underneath the Campanile instead of on the lawn.

In 1998, the LGBTAA and LGBT Student Services came together and created an event called Reverse Campaniling, which was part of LGBT Awareness Week.

Instead of the traditional campaniling, reverse campaniling was held at noon instead of midnight and was specifically for members of the LGBT community and their allies.

While this event wasn’t outright protested, many students at Iowa State did not approve of the act.

Many students wrote letters to the Iowa State Daily complaining about the picture on the front page, which showed two men kissing.

“I found it very distasteful to put this picture on the front page of the paper, or anywhere else in the paper for that matter,” wrote Chad Pacha, a sophomore in Chemistry in 1998. “One reason for my distaste and disgust, to be honest, is that I am not comfortable with gay people in general.” 

In 1999, Reverse Campaniling occurred again as part of LGBT Awareness Week.

“On Thursday, ‘Reverse Campaniling’ will be held at noon at the Campanile,” said Jeff Sorensen, the LGBTAA adviser. “The event isn’t just for same-sex couples, and he encouraged heterosexual couples to participate in the event,” according to an Iowa State Daily article in 1999.

Reverse Campaniling was held again in 2000 as part of LGBT Awareness Week.

There were again letters sent to the Iowa State Daily showing disdain and disgust with photos the Daily published. One of the photos was of Jeremy Hayes and Curt Lund kissing under the Campanile.

After the letters against the photos were published, letters against the previous letters rushed in.

“A little ‘desensitization to gayness’ would go a long way,” wrote Matthew Burack, a senior in computer science in 2000. “Maybe those of us who are not LGBT should become used to hearing about LGBT events, individuals and issues before our friends, sisters, brothers, sons or daughters come out to us. Acceptance and support will do more good for everyone than fear and hatred will.” 

In 2001, reverse campaniling had one of the lowest attendance rates for the event, with only about ten people attending.

“A lot of people [on campus], even if they’re out, they’re still kind of afraid of public things like this. That’s what Awareness Week is supposed to do – get rid of that fear,” said Adam Calder, a freshman in LAS at the time.

Calder attended with his boyfriend, Joshua Flees who was a freshman in horticulture at the time, and a picture of them kissing was on the front page of the Iowa State Daily.

Later that year in October, LGBTAA discontinued the event “in an attempt to better integrate its members into the ISU community, the LGBT community will take part in the traditional Campaniling events, said Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, LGBTAA president,” according to an Iowa State Daily article in 2001.

Calder, once again, talked to the Daily about his participation. This time he said he was having “second thoughts about its effectiveness.”

“I feel that separating ourselves is a bad idea,” Calder said to the Iowa State Daily in 2001. “All we’ve ever wanted is to be a part of society. I’m tired of being in a dark closet – I want to be out there. I want to be with everyone else. I want to show them I’m a valuable, contributing member of society.” 

Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, a junior in political science in 2001, said holding the event at noon became harder “due to rainy, cold weather last year.”

“More people in the LGBT community go to [Mass] Campaniling,” Beatty-Hansen said. “I think some felt uncomfortable with the idea of Reverse Campaniling being a separate event because it is segregating the two communities.”

During the mass campaniling during Iowa State homecoming of 2001, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples were encouraged to attend after reverse campaniling was discontinued.

“I think that during Homecoming week, people’s school spirit really shows and overshadows many differences,” said Ben Taylor, member of the LGBTAA and junior in computer engineering at the time. “It’s important for us to be a part of campaniling and come together instead of segregating ourselves with our own campaniling.”

In 2009, reverse campaniling happened one last time in celebration of Freedom to Marry Week.

About fifteen undergraduates, graduate students, and staff attended this iteration of reverse campaniling, including allies.

Even with the small turnout, “Alissa Stoehr, a graduate student at the time, said she was happy with the turnout, considering much of the LGBT and ally community was away at a national conference,” according to an Iowa State Daily article in 2009.

Dr. Alissa Stoehr, now a lecturer in sociology and women’s and gender studies at Iowa State, and nicci port, project director for diversity and inclusion and LGBTQIA+ initiatives both talked about their involvement with Reverse Campaniling.

“I remember that it was about visibility and that ‘we’re here,’ that was the noon event, I believe there were conversations after that where they decided “well we’ve done the visibility thing now let’s incorporate it into the main tradition,” port said.

Stoehr and port also talked about their feelings about what the events did for the Iowa State campus.

“I think [Reverse Campaniling] gave [the LGBTQIA+ community] a presence and platform to show who they are, to show love and affection to their partner,” Stoehr said. “It gave them the opportunity to participate in a tradition that was inclusive of them because some felt that traditional Campaniling was uninclusive.”

port explained that most traditions are “rooted in heteronormativity,” so something like reverse campaniling is good because it “disrupts that heteronormative narrative.”

“Looking historically at the events the takeaway is all about visibility,” port said. “Events like this and LGBTQIA+ History Month are important because I don’t believe people should have to hold back who they are. Members of the Iowa State University community should be fully a part of the community and be who they are.”