Valentino has left an indelible mark, nurturing entertainers and eventual national pageant titleholders for generations.
Culture
Missouri History Museum Illuminates St. Louis’ LGBTQ+ History in Gateway to Pride Exhibit
It’s the museum’s first-ever exhibition dedicated to celebrating the history and contributions of LGBTQ+ St. Louisans.
Pride United Ball to Bring ‘Unity to the Community’ at Little Bevo on June 21
“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…
The Performance Low Down: Joan Lipkin’s Pride Summer Theater Guide
The St. Louis theater season is exploding with juicy nuggets this summer.
St. Louis Native Launches New Sex Positive Radio Show
For Zach Towers, growing up queer in a religious household in Missouri predestined his own sex life to be … a journey, to put it nicely. Today, Towers hopes to make conversations around sex more accessible to those who need it. That’s why the St. Louis-born comedian, writer and actor started After Hours with Zach…
St. Louis Queer Film Festival QFest Is More Relevant Than Ever
LeeAnne Lowry’s short film “The Treadmill Switcher” is based on an actual incident. One day, she was in the gym and saw someone get on a treadmill a short distance from her and start running. “I couldn’t tell if they were a lesbian or a child,” she says. But the story didn’t occur to her…
The Hearse Chaser: Steven Brawley Preserves LGBTQ History
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…
What’s a Gay Bar Anyway: Who Loses When Queer Spaces Shutter?
A year into a pandemic that’s vastly reconfigured LGBTQIA culture is a good time to reflect on the radical legacy of the gay bar and what’s next for queer spaces — in St. Louis and around the world. Google “gay bars near me” in St. Louis, and the pickings are slim and getting slimmer. (See…
Pod Help Us All
The best podcasts feel like being at a party with your cleverest friends, and Eric Williams’ That’s a Gay Ass Podcast hits the sweet spot. The podcast goes deep with comedians and celebrities, posting the provocative and fully tongue-in-cheek question: “Whose fault is it you’re gay?” Muny Kids alum Williams is NYC-based these days but…
Three Friends, Not Shy: the Creators of One Brick Shy Cast St. Louis as a Star in their New Comedy Series
For almost two hours, it’s only their voices — Abby Dorning and Jenna McDonald, best friends, former college roommates, Bridesmaids fanatics and, most recently, co-creators and co-stars of the comedy series One Brick Shy. The week of Thanksgiving, an in-person meeting seems not only difficult to arrange, but irresponsible, perhaps even deadly. And on laptop…