Spend more than six months in St. Louis, and you’ll find everyone knows someone who knows you. St. Louis is a big small town of distinct social, political and professional circles that overlap only slightly at their fringes. Tyler “Tai” Davis, who passed away on January 9, 2026, was that rarest St. Louisan, someone who…
In Memorium
Flowing: “A Kick-Ass Activist”
I met Flowing Johnson in 1994 through the St. Louis chapter of the (then-called) Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN), which I started that summer. She and I were teachers – community college math for her and high school social studies for me. In her mid-50s at the time, Flowing had long ago developed…
Year-In-Review: Remembering Bonnie Blake
At 89 years old, sitting behind her big wooden desk at the front of her sleepy South Broadway antique store, Bonnie Blake could have never imagined how interesting her life was about to become. In walks Geoff Story, a documentary filmmaker seeking to interview her for a documentary about found footage of a 1940s gay…
Year-In-Review: Remembering Kitty “Denise” Litter
St. Louis has never lacked brilliance, but every so often, a light appears that does more than shine—it guides. Kitty Denise Litter was that light. A native daughter of this city, Kitty Denise Litter was not only a gifted drag queen; she was a mother to the community, a powerhouse on the stage, and a legacy that continues…
Year-In-Review: The Community Remembers Stephen Houldsworth
To many, movements for civil rights appear to change with each generation, topically shifting focus as new social issues arise year by year. We often fragment movements chronologically, forgetting the expertise of elders who, like ancestral chords, sonically bind movements together through time. Rooted in the legacy of those who came before us, we stand…