Jessica Hicklin may be best known as the trans woman who took the state of Missouri to court over access to gender-affirming care while incarcerated, with a successful ruling in 2018. Now five years later, as Missouri state legislators are sponsoring an array of bills targeting transgender health care, she describes this as a dark…
The 29-year-old Bryon Dawayne Pierson first hit my radar in 2019 when, as editor of Out in STL, I was searching for dynamic LGBTQ+ St. Louisans for our Influence Issue, and Habitat for Humanity’s Michael Powers nominated the tech entrepreneur. Since then, Pierson has missed no opportunity to update me on his startup, EDUrain, which…
“We are all born naked, and the rest is drag.” -RuPaul Prism owners Sean Abernathy and Jade Sinclair, along with RFT Society Columnist Chris Andoe, and Pride St. Louis’ Jordan Elizabeth Braxton, have formed an ad hoc group called “It’s all drag!” to respond to the nationwide drag bans and other anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being introduced.…
A recent piece by Jamie Reed titled “I Thought I Was Saving Trans Kids. Now I’m Blowing the Whistle” frames itself as an exposé of the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, suggesting the program is “morally and medically appalling.” But dig deeper and it becomes clear that this article is filled…
In the dressing room at St. Louis’s newest gay bar, Prism, nine drag performers are in varying stages of undress. They pass around duct tape to secure their genitals and help each other shimmy into breast plates. Their voices are low, and they always need something: safety pins, concealer, eyelash glue. Usually, I have whatever…
A collaboration between Planned Parenthood and Metro Trans Umbrella Group has helped almost 700 gender-expansive folks in the region access gender-affirming hormone therapy in the past year and a half. The program, funded by a four-year grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health, is called TRANSforming Community, TRANSforming Care, or TC2. TC2 prioritizes access for…
Metropolitan residents fortunate enough to live near natural wonders tend to cherish them, whether that’s the Catskills for New Yorkers or the Hill Country for Austinites. An argument could be made that the Ozarks are as impressive as those oft-hyped areas, but St. Louisans have had a complicated relationship with the wilderness at our southwest…
St. Louis PrideFest is a heady mix of rainbow colors, exuberant dancers, pulsating music, wild drinks, great food, old friends and, most importantly, a coming together of people across the region in support of LGBTQIA+ identity and rights. “The main purpose of starting a Pride festival is to celebrate together as a community,” says Jordan…
The nickname came up for the first time this past summer. When I heard of my friend Ed’s passing, in addition to being saddened by the loss of a special person, I was immediately concerned about his personal collection of local LGBTQIA+ history. What would happen to it? I got nervous. While I was researching…
