Unless you've been living under a rock for the last decade, you've probably heard of St. Louis's Annual Summertime Pride celebrations. Massive lavish gatherings take place in the beautifully photogenic downtown area.
St. Louis boasts of a large and thriving LGBTQ+ community made up of extraordinarily welcoming and helpful people who would love nothing more than to see you join them in one of their many bright and colorful festivities.
You don't need to feel lost, as many outsiders don't know much about the community and how amazingly wonderful they are. Read on for a list of why the St. Louis LGBTQ+ community is so lovable.
1. Incredibly Supportive
Photo Courtesy of Riverfront TimesThe St. Louis LGBTQ+ community is very supportive. For instance, the University of Missouri in St. Louis creates an open and friendly atmosphere for all members of the LGBTQ+ community and its supporters. The university has initiatives and policies in place to help LGBTQ+ students, professors, and staff find their place and be their authentic selves. It serves as a place for you to learn about and develop your own gender identity or contribute as an ally.
There is also the LGBTQ Center of St. Louis, whose mission, through education, empowerment, outreach, and community development, is to provide a safe and welcoming space, resources, and support to the LGBTQ+ community of The Gateway City and its surrounding areas.
2. Know How to Have a Good Time
The LGBTQ+ community in St. Louis knows how to have a great time. St. Louis has a buzzing and electric gay nightlife. The Grove neighborhood, centered on Manchester Avenue, is the city's undisputed crown gem for bar hopping.
Prism is a cocktail and drag bar with a 2,000-square-foot outside patio, a cocktail lounge, and a cabaret stage. On hot summer nights, Just John's terrace is the place to be. Plus, Rehab Bar & Grill is a relaxed hangout with diverse cuisine. And things get funky and friendly as you get deeper into South City.
In addition to many ethnic eateries, the South Grand area is home to punk-rock dive bar CBGB, which hosts live music and strong cocktails. After its pleasantly low-key happy hour, the Grey Fox Pub on the neighboring Spring Avenue holds drag and cabaret performances most evenings. Bar PM and Hummel's Pub form a mini-“gayborhood” in the up-and-coming Carondelet area.
St. Louis also has a long history of famous ballroom culture and drag performances, which are still alive today. It is believed to be one of the top 10 ballroom cities in the United States.
3. Rich, Captivating History
Photo Courtesy of St. LouisThe LGBTQ+ community in St. Louis has a vibrant history with milestones that span the city's many dynamic neighborhoods.
1969: St. Louis' Stonewall
On Halloween Night in 1969, nine young males dressed as women hit the bars on St. Louis' gay strip around Grand and Olive in the Midtown district. The men were detained for breaching the city's long-standing prohibitions against "masquerading" and dressing as the other sex.
The Mandrake Society, a young local gay rights organization, jumped into action to help the men with their bail and the following court case, which was eventually dismissed. Since then, the Mandrake Society has held an annual Halloween Ball to protest the 1969 arrests and fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
1980: St. Louis Pride Events
After returning to St. Louis after the March on Washington, a few groups began planning the region's first formal Pride-related activities on their own. One organization, The Celebration Committee, scheduled activities from April 12 to April 19 of that year at various venues across the city after some duplicative attempts. The Magnolia Committee, on the other hand, was focused entirely on the April 20 march and demonstration in Central West End and at Washington University. Since then, St. Louis has hosted annual Pride festivities that have seen loads of engagement.
4. Very Open and Inclusive Community
The LGBTQ++ community in St. Louis is open and accepting of everyone, including the trans community. They do this through the Metro Trans Umbrella Group, a non-profit organization hard at work in creating a more inclusive and supportive community.
The group feeds, clothes, and provides bus passes for marginalized members of the trans community, especially trans women of color. They have even set up America's first Transgender Memorial Garden to be a beacon of hope for the transgender community in the St. Louis area.
The LBGTQ community in St. Louis is a community that values self-expression and inclusivity, often inviting non-members of the community to join in on their Pride Parades.
5. Take Pride in Their Gender Identity
Photo Courtesy of Gaytravel4uThe members of the LGBTQ+ community in St. Louis boast immense pride in their gender identities, knowing how hard they’ve had to fight for acceptance and equality within the St. Louis community and beyond.
Pride St. Louis hosts year-round community events and the annual St. Louis PrideFest. There are also regional festivities such as Metro East PrideFest, which kicks out Pride season in early June, Pride St. Charles, which takes place the weekend before PrideFest, and Black Pride St. Louis, which takes place in August.
These events and parades bring together the LGBTQ+ community and the allied communities and increase the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community, encouraging members of the community to invite their friends, families, and children of all ages. Their ultimate goal is to have everybody feel welcomed, at home, and comfortable celebrating their pride in who they are.
6. The community has a lot of solidarity
Even though marriage equality laws have passed nationally, the LBGTQ+ community in St. Louis still has a long road ahead. In Missouri, an employer can fire you for being gay, and even housing can be denied due to your gender identity or sexual orientation. These glaring issues are why the LBGTQ+ community has a unique, non-profit organization called PROMO fighting for their rights. PROMO is hard at work in ensuring the LBGTQ+ community is protected under the law.
7. Vibrant Art and Culture
The St. Louis LBGTQ+ community has a vast array of people, organizations, and businessmen responsible for bringing lively LBGTQ+ art into the community, like Q Fest, St. Louis' queer music festival. QFest St. Louis utilizes the art of contemporary gay cinema to shed light on the lives of the LBGTQ people and propagate LGBTQ+ culture.
The St. Louis LGBTQ+ community also hosts several talented designers like Paul Gibson. Gibson creates his signature clothing line in the heart of St. Louis. Paul could have moved anywhere to create his masterpieces, but he opted to stay in St. Louis because of the beautiful support he receives from his lovely LBGTQ+ community.
8. LBGTQ Rugby Team
Sports play a vital role in the LGBTQ+ community of St. Louis. They give people an opportunity to work out, be healthy, live out their lifestyle openly and proudly, and find a brotherhood or sisterhood.
St. Louis has one of the most successful and engaging LGBTQ+ rugby teams in the nation, The Crusaders. The St. Louis Crusaders were founded in 2009. They are an all-male team that welcomes anyone regardless of their sexuality, ethnicity, height, weight, or race.
The Crusaders host and play tournaments across the Midwest while giving back locally to the community by:
- Raising money and volunteering for food banks in St. Louis.
- Raise money and volunteer for St. Louis's efforts for AIDS.
9. Rich Pageant History
St. Louis has a deep history in the drag pageant community. In St. Louis, you can watch fabulous drag queens provide live entertainment. Is it possible for it to get any more exhilarating than that?
You may watch as many movies as you want and read as many books as you want, but nothing beats the joyful atmosphere of a live drag show. Imagine the applause from the audience, the aroma of the drinks, and sharing laughter and joy with your closest friends. Nothing comes close to competing.
10. LGBTQ+ Theater
The LBGTQ community of St. Louis has its own LBGTQIA theatre organization, the Q Collective, founded to relate their stories authentically.
The Q Collective has ambitions of establishing itself as a pillar of the theatre community and the pillar of the queer community, which will give a lot of hope for the community as it continues to receive a voice with which to communicate its grievances to the larger population.
Is St. Louis a Good Fit for You?
The St. Louis LGBTQ+ community has many things to offer, from vibrant nightlife to a growing art scene that promises to captivate and bewilder. More than that, they have welcoming energy that will have anyone feeling at home.
If you've fallen in love with the community and are strongly considering finding up-market luxury homes in St. Louis, contact the L. Merrick Agency for all your listing needs.
