St. louis gayborhood
Remarks by Steven Louis Brawley at the June 7 opening event for the Gateway to Event exhibiiton at the Missouri History Museum:
When I began my journey with the creation of the History Project in 2007, I knew there was a void.
But - I had no plan how big the void was.
How much of our history was:
• Hidden
• Lost
• Ignored
• Filtered
• And thrown away, yes thrown away!
Tonight, I stand before you and humbly state those days are over! History once disoriented - is NOW found! We ARE St. Louis!
Still under attack.
Still fighting back.
But we are seen and not silenced.
In a few moments this audience will acquire a first observe at a first in Missouri history – the first ever full-scale exhibition documenting and celebrating our LGBTQIA+ ancestors and community.
What a moment. A moment to take a deep breath and really appreciate this groundbreaking experience.
What a journey it has been with many of you here tonight. Chosen family. Yes family.
Since 2007 I have fearlessly championed the demand for the preservation and promotion of our LGBTQIA+ legacy.
So many of you have joined me in this challenging work. I can't name everyone, but you know who you are. Many of you are here tonight. I so
St. Louis Gay City Guide: What to Know if You’re Headed to the Gateway City
St. Louis is a city known for many things. It’s the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, Budweiser Brewing Company, the famous Gateway Arch, and gooey butter cake, among other things. It’s also a metropolis becoming increasingly well-known for its warm, welcoming, and continually growing LGBTQ collective that adds so much to the character and personality of the capital itself. It’s truly a multi-cultural midwestern city where everyone can find their place.
A Look at St. Louis History
The modern-day history of St. Louis began in 1764 when French settlers established a fur-trading post in the area. Construction of a village began the following year, and the village was named St. Louis, after King Louis IX of France. As a finding of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, St. Louis officially became part of the United States. Shortly thereafter, St. Louis gained fame as the aim from which Lewis and Clark embarked on their exploration of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase territories. It was officially incorporated as a city in 1832 and grew steadily as a center of commerce and trade from that point on.
There was some grumbling in conservative Jefferson County when the 2016 DeSoto Christmas Parade was slated to include the county’s kingly bar, Rumors on Ice. Among the garden-variety homophobic comments posted to the event’s Facebook page, one stuck with me: “Go back to the Main West End.”
The remark amused me on a couple of levels. One: the dated idea of the Central West End existence synonymous with “gay” — a concept that smash its peak in the seventies and eighties. Second, I can’t help but think it would burst out this troll’s mind to learn that his Jefferson County community is residence to more drag than the Central West Close today.
While residing in concentrated LGBTQ neighborhoods was once a necessity for those wanting to live openly, these days it’s more of a preference, one factor to be weighed alongside other area amenities. Still, many of us seem to cluster in our preferred enclaves, whether it’s because we distribute similar tastes, we enjoy living where the
deed is, or both.
We asked our readers to announce us what St. Louis area neighborhood was the best “gayborhood,” and your top five picks include some similarities. Three are near the Mississippi River, four out of the five are in the
A report start St. Louis is one of the most LGBTQ+ warm cities. But another found it’s one of the worst
In October, St. Louis made two national rankings for LBGTQ+ friendliness. The Human Rights Campaign awarded the Capital of St. Louis a perfect score for its assist of the gay community. Clever Actual Estate, however, ranked St. Louis as one of the least LBGTQ+ amiable cities in the U.S.
What’s behind these disparate rankings, and how LGBTQ+ amiable is St. Louis, really?
On Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air, panelists Avi Ivaturi, peer assist organizer at St. Louis Queer Assist Helpline; Midwest Rainbow Research Institute Executive Director Inoru Morris, and Nick Dunne, LGBTQIA+ and Arts Liaison for the City of St. Louis, discuss how St. Louis supports its LGBTQ+ residents and what could be improved.
They also reflect on the 2023 Missouri Legislative Session — lawmakers this year passed bans on transgender students participating in school sports and gender-affirming surgery for minors — and share what they’ll be keeping an eye on as Missouri lawmakers convene in 2024.
Hear the discussion on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clickin