“Maven of Mardi Gras” Luann Denten, known in Soulard circles as simply “the Maven,” is the founder of the Krewe of Vices and Virtues and Soulard Pride. She’s thrown many opulent soirees over the years but is finally realizing her long-delayed ambition to bring many disparate parts of the LGBTQ community together with a Pride…
Notorious St. Louis Con Man Dustin Mitchell Busted in Texas, Police Say
LGBTQ St. Louis’ most infamous con man, Dustin Mitchell, 43, was arrested in Houston, Texas on Thursday. He faces four felony charges including: unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, credit/debit fraud, and fraudulent use of ID Info, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Under the name Dustin Cohen, Mitchell, who was raised…
Letter from the Editor: June 2023
Only a year or two ago, it seemed that nothing was more mainstream than drag. Cabaret audiences always included bridal parties, and you just knew some of those attendees had to be Trump voters. Drag, it seemed, was post-political. It’s also jarring to realize that just a year ago, folx could make their own medical…
Soulard Pride Is a Can’t-Miss Neighborhood Festival
Few cities have a neighborhood specifically for drinkers. Sure, New Orleans has the French Quarter, but that’s mostly tourists. Historic Soulard, however, is the real deal. The Anheuser-Busch Brewery’s blazing red marquis looms over the rooftops like the Eye of Sauron, there’s a tavern on or around every corner, and one even peruses the offerings…
2019 Out in STL Influencer’s Startup Included in Business Journal’s ‘Inno Madness’ Challenge
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…
Get Out in the Ozarks
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…
Letter from the Editor: Chris Andoe
The roar is seared in her memory. Writer Elizabeth Van Winkle recalls waiting for her first Pride Parade to start and not knowing what to expect — and then the Dykes on Bikes revved their engines. Van Winkle digs all the way back to the 1940s while researching the history of motorcyclists in our community,…
From Seminary to Coven: The Journey of Brother Zeeke
“I like these crackers,” said my roommate Zeeke Harris, 36, while happily munching on a multigrain wafer in the kitchen. “I give them as an offering to the spirits I work with. Ancient Greeks used to offer the first grains of the harvest.” Living with a witch is interesting. At 25, Zeeke left Dallas Theological…
The Influencers: 2020
Our editorial team assembled this list of influencers in January, before COVID-19, the subsequent financial collapse, and well before the seismic shift in the discussion on policing and race spurred by the murder of George Floyd. The world is a very different place than it was six months ago. We are proud to say that…
Joan Lipkin: Lifetime Achievement
It’s about 5:30 a.m. and I’m up early trying to finish the final task of the massive, unwieldy undertaking that is the Out in STL Influence Issue: a profile on theater guru and activist Joan Lipkin. “You’re writing the Joan piece? Good luck with that,” laughs a mutual friend I will not name. So much…