Mary Todd Lincoln is having a moment. Cole Escola’s gleefully unhinged portrait of the First Lady built a cult following off-Broadway before arriving on Broadway last season with Tony nominations and audiences already primed to laugh. The show’s success was confirmed at the Tony Awards, where Escola won for Best Actor in a Play and…
New Doc Short Explores the Videotaped History of the Queer Midwest in the 1980s-90s
A Newsweek cover forty years ago declared a “video generation,” with young and old and black and white Americans eager to record birthdays, weddings, and other significant events in their lives. There is no identifiable LGBTQ person included on that cover, but queer people in the 1980s were as eager as everyone else to document…
“Mayor of Gay OKC” Floyd Martin to Celebrate His 60th on Saturday
He eats terribly. He drinks like a fish. He never has any money—if an employer won’t give him time off for an event, he simply quits. He’s tumbled through a second-story plate glass window at The District Hotel. He’s been run over by a car. He’s been struck by lightning—twice. It’s almost incomprehensible that “Mayor…
Rain Can’t Stop Soulard Mardi Gras’ Sequin Circuit
Each Soulard intersection has its own tribe and vibe during Mardi Gras, and the stretch of Russell near Menard is ground zero for LGBTQ+ folks and those who love the spectacle we put on. Known as “The Sequin Circuit,” the compact area is bookended by Bastille and The Hi-Hat Lounge, offering options for shelter should…
I Believe Cori Bush is the Fighter We Need
The Epstein Files have pulled back the curtain on how power often operates — dividing and distracting the public while wealth and influence concentrate at the top. At a moment like this, it’s critically important that we scrutinize our candidates and ask where their loyalties truly lie. When you follow the money, the contrasts in…
You Can’t Judge a Feminist by Her Lipstick
The new nonfiction debut by poet, critic and Washington University writing professor Eileen G’Sell, Lipstick, gets beyond the gloss. Through rigorous research and candid conversations with lipstick fans and haters alike, the book moves past what you’ve already read about the iconic cosmetic’s history, ingredients and occasional double duty as an economic indicator. It explores…
Just John Co-Owner John Arnold Hospitalized After Major Heart Attack
John Arnold, co-owner of the popular LGBTQ bar Just John, is recovering after suffering a massive heart attack on Sunday following a pickleball game, according to an update shared by his husband, Adam Arnold. Arnold experienced what his cardiologist described as a “widow maker” heart attack — a 100% blockage of a critical coronary artery…
Mooneyham Art Presents Corridors of Stillness – Italy
Mooneyham Art presents Corridors of Stillness – Italy, a solo exhibition by regional painter Jamie Geragosian, on February 21 from 5–9 p.m. The opening reception is free to the public and will feature live music by Psychedelic Symphony. Geragosian, a resident artist at both Soulard Art Gallery in St. Louis and Mooneyham Art in Alton,…
Precious Names and Places: The Central West End and LGBTQ+ St. Louis
For as long as I can remember, grounding myself in history has provided steady footing. Even an evening at a new restaurant requires a quick Google search to learn the who, what, when, where, and why of the establishment’s history. In the period between 1990 and 1997 when I lived in St. Louis (South County,…
Flowing: “A Kick-Ass Activist”
I met Flowing Johnson in 1994 through the St. Louis chapter of the (then-called) Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN), which I started that summer. She and I were teachers – community college math for her and high school social studies for me. In her mid-50s at the time, Flowing had long ago developed…