On the surface, the word socialite can sound frivolous. But for those who know how to harness the power of connection, being social can be a superpower—especially when it’s used in service of the community. “Maven of Mardi Gras” Luann Denten has done exactly that. As founder of The Krewe of Vices and Virtues…
2025 Luminary Awards: Q&A With Vivent Health’s Board Chairman Emeritus, Arvan Chan
Whether he’s mapping global growth strategies for companies like Centene Corporation, or speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Arvan Chan brings a rare mix of strategic rigor and social commitment to the healthcare-and-impact sector. Arvan is not just an executive; he is a global thinker, a healthcare strategist, and an advocate for inclusive…
2025 Luminary Awards: Joe Hedley
At 80 years old, beloved bartender Joe Hedley describes the three defining eras of his life as the three legs of a tripod: his time in the US Army, his years in San Francisco at the dawn of the AIDS crisis, and his 14 years at Just John. Though he has received awards from Fair…
The Luminary Awards: Randy Rafter
Black Pride’s Randy Rafter was sitting in church when something the pastor said stuck with him: “It’s no longer time for moments. It’s time for a movement.” A man of service, Rafter took that message to heart—and made it his organization’s motto. In many ways, Rafter and Black Pride St. Louis are one and…
SIRenity Closed Out Their Sixth Season on Sunday
On Sunday, SIRenity closed out their sixth season by treating their members and guests to a brunch drag show featuring an all-Miss Gay Missouri America cast. The lovable Trixie LaRue was a lively emcee, and the queens put on top-notch performances. Having spent many summer days there, it was strange seeing the pool empty, and…
SIRenity Ends Their Sensational Sixth Season With Epic MGMA Drag Brunch
On Sunday, November 2, SIRenity closes out its sixth season with a brunch featuring an all-star Miss Gay Missouri America cast. The show, which will be hosted by Trixie LaRue and co-hosted by Akasha Royale, features forever MGMAs Vivian Versace, Tajma Stetson, and Tumara Mahorning, as well as reigning MGMA Penelope Booze. Brunch will be served at…
Ghosts of Alton Past
This feature originally ran in the October 25, 2023 issue of The Riverfront Times The year was 2015, and I’d been trying to set up an interview with Janet Kolar, Alton’s hearse-racing “Mistress of the Macabre” and proprietor of the Historic Museum of Torture Devices. I had first been drawn to Alton while exploring…
Private Reception for Jonathan Karrant in Advance of His Blue Strawberry Performance
There’s nothing like being in a room full of talented musicians, and that’s exactly where I found myself Monday evening as socialites Russell Jackson and Alex Gutierrez opened their beautifully converted Lafayette Square firehouse for an intimate gathering. The guest list included some of St. Louis’s finest entertainers—Ron Bryant, Adam Levinskas, Chuck Flowers, Kim Fuller,…
Right-Wing Group Vows to Doxx All Y’all
There’s only one thing Dent County, Missouri hates more than the free-thinking, outspoken Julie Heyn Strebe living among them, and that’s a bunch of St. Louis liberals opening their purses to move her here. They’re livid, vowing to harass every employer of hers going forward, and trying to get GoFundMe to pull the fundraiser. Now,…
The Salem (MO) Witch Trials
When a teen was kicked out for being gay, this progressive mom took him in. He destroyed her life over Charlie Kirk. “You gotta be fucking kidding me. Read this,” John Strebe said to his wife Julie Heyn Strebe as he passed the phone across the table last weekend. He had been scrolling Facebook when…