Seven attorneys general (including Missouri’s Andrew Bailey) wrote a letter to Target last week accusing the retailer of selling obscene LGBTQ+ material to kids in its Pride collection. Target became embroiled in controversy in June when right-wingers found “tuck friendly” tags on swimsuits, indicating that there was extra crotch material to cover up male genitalia…
This Sunday, Bella’s Sweet Treats & Boozy Shake Shop and Naughty Bits STL are hosting the first opening review of the Rooftop Revue Drag Brunch at Hotel St. Louis (705 Olive Street, St. Louis). The brunch kicks off at 10 a.m. with unlimited mimosa and Bloody Mary packages, followed by a drag show that runs…
Beatriz Gonzalez knows firsthand the difficulty in securing housing as a trans person in Missouri. When he needed to seek emergency shelter with his children, Alternatives to Living in Violent Environments, a.k.a. ALIVE, supported Gonzalez with space in a motel while he made a multitude of calls to 211, the hotline for getting help with…
Until I competed in my first pride pageant on May 28 at River City Casino, all I really knew about pageants came from watching the iconic 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine and occasionally mining YouTube for the worst beauty pageant responses to the on-stage Q&A. My working class roots and the fact that I was…
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…
Upon entering the sliding doors at my home-away-from-home, you’ll first notice the smell. The vetting process, when you’re verbally given directions to this clandestine spot and finally understand where you’re going, probably already filled you with apprehension and anticipation, and those feelings return now as you realize you’re breathing in the acrid air of your…
Today’s American Red Cross is not the one your grandpa knew post World War II. Most people associate it with the blood drive and with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s ban on homosexual and bisexual men being able to give blood. But the Red Cross has actually been fighting that archaic policy with a…
In 2015, joyful crowds hugged outside of the Supreme Court Building when the Justices inside struck down same-sex marriage bans, making it legal across the country. It was the latest restriction to LGBTQ+ rights to fall after sodomy laws were struck down in 2003 and the military allowed people to serve openly in 2011. For…
As home to one of the largest networks of regional Pride celebrations, St. Louis has a calendar already jam-packed with events, but the party keeps going throughout the summer and fall across the region. Soulard Pride kicked things off with its golf cart parade, and our extended season wraps up with the beloved Tower Gove…
The year after Stonewall in 1970, what we now call Pride events began taking place across America. While St. Louis did not host its first Pride until 1980, many foundational events paved the way for modern era Pride celebrations across the St. Louis region. In 1977 and 1978, local gay rights rallies were held in…
