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…
Letter from the Editor: Chris Andoe
When we rang in the year 2000, it wasn’t about a new year or even a new decade. We were celebrating a new millennium (setting aside the boring technicality that the millennium actually began in 2001). Prior to that, it felt like each decade was distinctive from the last. Visuals come to mind when someone…
Moving Past Trauma: EMDR Has Helped LGBTQ Patients Overcome Toxic Feelings
When Jason Eccker finally sought counseling for the bullying he faced in grade school, it changed his life — personally, and professionally. Now, in his own counseling practice, he makes use of the specific type of therapy that helped him so much. It’s called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, or EMDR. It’s a proven…
How to Break Rocks
If you truly believe you are living your best life then stop reading this now. Up-cycle your time, and enjoy the fact that you are winning. This essay is for the losers. The concept of “living your best life” is as old as the first Neanderthal showing the other homos how to break rocks. A…
Men of the Match: Kevin Hayes, Jr. & Mike Lehmkuhle are Bringing Dating Back
What is it about new romance that captivates us? Supermarket checkout lanes are lined with cover photos of attractive, freshly minted couples. We even went through a phase of coming up with cute names for them, like TomKat and Brangelina. Whatever the reason, public interest is undeniable. The dominance of hookup culture has made getting…
He Can Really Cook: Bringing Recipes to Life is a Family Tradition for Curtis McCann
It doesn’t take long for a conversation with Curtis McCann to become a conversation about entrepreneurship. Striking out on his own was an important step for McCann, 27, who launched Catered by Curtis LLC a little more than a year ago. But it’s also a big part of how he helps others. He defines the…
Carrying a Community: the Journey of Pastor Tori Jameson
Pastor Tori Jameson’s life had long been trending toward their unique place as a pastoral care provider for the queer and kink communities. But it was physically carrying a dead woman’s children during a march in her memory that brought Jameson’s life’s mission into sharp focus. Jameson was serving at the church that did the…
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…
Black Tulip Chorale Celebrates 500 Years of LGBTQIA2+ Music With Free Concert Nov. 16
Black Tulip Chorale closes its second season with a performance celebrating more than 500 years of music from LGBTQIA2+ artists, ranging from art songs and arias to 21st century pop music. Featured artists for the “Our Song” concert include Grammy award winner Christine Brewer and members of the St. Louis Wind Symphony. Production manager Ken…
New Cabaret Venue Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge Opens with Ken Haller Oct. 31
Twenty years ago pediatrician and cabaret favorite Ken Haller started a special fund for a yet-to-be-determined retirement passion. Although he has no plans to retire at the moment, when producer and entrepreneur Jim Dolan invited him to invest in a Central West End cabaret venue this past March, Haller basically said, “Take my money!” See…