The famous saying that “blood is thicker than water” can be interpreted to suggest that familial bonds will always be stronger than the bonds of friendship or romantic love. But what people don’t realize is that, while familial bonds can be stronger than most friendships or romantic relationships, this can only be achieved through unconditional…
Op-ed: Navigating Relationships as a Bigender Person
I’d like to offer two truths that must be underscored before proceeding. The first is that gender is a socially constructed spectrum, and the second is that bigender is the gender of a person who aligns with two genders on the spectrum. I align with the male and female genders on the spectrum. Most people…
Why Transphobia Needs to Die in 2019
Three hundred and thirty-one. That number represents how many trans and gender-diverse people were killed between October, 2018 and September, 2019, according to a study by transrespect.org. A majority of the murders, estimate at 130, were reported in Brazil, while the United States saw 30 deaths. These numbers are haunting. They’re disturbing. They’re heartbreaking. Innocent…
St. Louis Arts Community Teams up to Promote Dance, Poetry and Voter Registration at the Missouri History Museum through “Dance the Vote”
The St. Louis arts community has teamed up to promote voter awareness and registration through the “Dance the Vote” campaign. This project brings together local artists who seek to make a difference during this election season by getting people registered to vote before the October 10th Missouri voter registration deadline for the upcoming November 6th…
Crown Jewels: Meet our 2017 Diamond List
The history of drag in St. Louis is both colorful and politically important. The St. Louis LGBT History Project has unearthed examples of “female impersonator” news stories dating as far back as the 1870s — including one of a man who died from wearing a corset too tight, crushing his organs. St. Louis’ masquerading laws,…
FILTHY FILTH FEST
GET FILTHY As queer culture goes mainstream, its “edgy underground nature” dissipates, says Maxi Glamour, a fashion designer and event planner for Qu’Art (a.k.a. Queer Art). To keep the rebel vibe alive, Glamour and DJ Monsieur Gaston have announced the first annual Filthy Filth Fest for the night after Thanksgiving. It aspires to be a…
Poet Eileen Myles to Speak at Left Bank Books on Thursday
Lovers of belles lettres can enjoy a feast of literary discussion at Left Bank Books this Thursday, September 28. In the back of the shop, nationally renowned lesbian poet Eileen Myles will be discussing her most recent work, Afterglow (A Dog Memoir). Ostensibly it’s a love letter to her late pit bull Rosie, whom she…
Why Rapper Eric Dontè Holds on to Teddy Bears
Eric Dontè is not in counseling. His music is how he gets out his anguish. “I think a lot of people feel like I do but are afraid to say it out loud,” he says, sitting in his bare-bones apartment in the Shaw neighborhood. “I’ve hit rock bottom so many times, what’s the worst that…
‘Every Breath We Drew’ Shows the Gentle Side of Masculinity
When artist Jess Dugan began shooting portraits of her friends in 2011, she says, she gravitated to those who had “found a way to be masculine that’s more gentle and more vulnerable than the mainstream version of it.” In 2015, she published a book of those photographs, Every Breath We Drew. Now she’s exhibiting 30…
Illinois’ Ban of the ‘Gay Panic’ Defense Won’t Solve a Problem — But It May Prevent One
If a man were on trial for murder and adopted the “gay-panic defense,” it would sound something like this: I’m sorry I killed the victim, your honor, but he winked at me, and he’s gay, so that’s provocation. I deserve a lesser charge. On August 25, Illinois joined California as one of only two states…