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2019 Pride Guide PRESENTED BY
PRIDEFEST IS PRESENTED BY
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MAYOR’S WELCOME
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© Women & Infants Center 2019
What if I waited too long? What if my egg count is low? What if we need to use my partner’s eggs? What if I have to start driving a minivan? What if we pick the wrong sperm donor? What if I’m finally able to have the family
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
St. Louis Pridefest 2019 Welcome from the President of Pride
9
Welcome from the Editor of Out in StL
11
St. Louis Pride Parade Grand Marshal
13
History Project: 50 Years Proud
18-19
Entertainment Schedule
24-25
Artist Profile: Chel
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Artist Profile: Angelica Vila
31
Artist Profile: Dinah Jane
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Artist Profile: Icona Pop
35
Artist Profile: All Mixed Up
39
Artist Profile: Brian Justin Crum
41
Artist Profile: Martha Wash
43
Artist Profile: Taylor Dayne
45
Map of PrideFest
46-47
The Parade
50-51
OUT in STL: Mr. Leather
54-59
OUT in STL: David and his Divas
62-63
OUT in STL: Strike a Pose
66-68
Resource Guide
71-73
Community Services Awards
79-81
Acknowledgements/Thank You to Our Sponsors
84-85
Cover: Photography by James Pfaff/St. Louis LGBT History Project
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MADE HERE WITH PRIDE S I N C E 19 8 9
We have always been strong supporters of groups and individuals advocating for civil rights and LGBTQ equality. As leaders in our industry, we take PRIDE in being the only company to take this stand...from the very beginning.
CELEBRATING THIRT Y YEARS OF COMFORT AND PRIDE PLAZA FRONTENAC | 314.447.7005 | MGBWHOME.COM
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PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Welcome to PrideFest! Welcome to PrideFest 2019, Millions of Moments! This weekend we gather to honor two great milestones in our LGBTQIA history. It’s the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall and the 40th Anniversary of Pride St. Louis. We honor the Millions of Moments that brought us here. As we celebrate these milestones, let’s stop and give thanks to those who started our Gay Liberation Movement. To Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two gay liberation activists, trans women, and self-identified drag queens who were instrumental in the Stonewall Riots that started our Gay Liberation Movement, to them we say, “Thank You”, we honor and remember you! That same year in October, St. Louis felt its very own Stonewall when the arrest of nine drag queens outside of a local gay bar sparked the first LGBT rights organization in the city called The Mandrake Society. To them we say, “Thank You,” we honor and remember you! To the Concerned Gay and Lesbian Students that hosted a Gay Pride Weekend at Washington University in 1979 that was the springboard for future Pride Celebrations. We say. “Thank You,” we honor and remember you! Without all these LGBTQIA Rights pioneers we would not be able to honor, remember and celebrate Pride today. We ask that you remember the struggles and mountainous hard work of the members of our community over the years. We ask that you respect those who came before us and those who should have our respect to be heard. We have achieved so much, but there is still so much more we can do, and must do, for all of us in this community to achieve equality and have the same basic human rights. From equal housing, proper medical interactions, to justice reform, Pride and being “prideful” must be more than just a party or celebration. It must be continued activism and advocacy from all members of the community to upli and empower our most marginalized community members. Together can make this community a be er, stronger, equal community. Reach out this weekend, learn about community organizations that need your support, and let’s embrace the hard work that is still ahead of us and let’s continued to make a million more moments together! On behalf of The Pride St. Louis Board of Directors, we hope you have a wonderful and memorable experience here at PrideFest 2019, Millions of Moments. Have Fun! Be Safe! Happy Pride!
Ma Harper President, Pride St Louis
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EDITOR’S LETTER
Out in STL editor Chris Andoe, center right, with vogue ball stars (from left) Meko Lee Burr, Spirit Ebony and Mechee Harper. photo by Theo Welling | styling by Sirglamourotti Liberachi
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e’re honored to once again partner with Pride St. Louis and #Boom to bring you this combined Official Pride Guide and summer issue of Out in STL. On this monumental anniversary, we contemplate where we’ve been and how far we’ve come. Associate Editor Melissa Meinzer and Steven Louis Brawley of the St. Louis LGBT History Project take a fascinating look back on where our local community was 40 and 50 years ago. The leather community has long been front and center at Pride celebrations, and Patrick Collins profiles the insightful Thom Glowski of Rudis Leather Society. The always colorful Joss Barton features sensational pop artist David Rantz, and with the popularity of Pose in mind, I sat down with three stars of our city’s renowned vogue ball scene: Meko Lee Burr, Mechee Harper and Spirit Anthony, pictured with me above on the storied Monocle stage. Pride is a time to remember that we’re all in this together, and we always have been. The radicals — with trans individuals and drag queens front and center — who ignited our movement at Stonewall. The caregivers, which included many lesbians, who fed and bathed and comforted the countless sick and dying when nobody else would. The activists and politicos who insisted on full marriage equality when it seemed impossible, and the historians and journalists who tell our stories and keep them alive. This is why “We Are Family” is such an anthem this time of year. I will celebrate with the understanding that this is our moment. And I’ll have all my sisters with me.
Chris Andoe Editor in Chief pridestl.org
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We take pride in being your financial partner.
We see your potential and possibilities and believe that an inclusive society creates a better future for us all. usbank.com/ourcommunity U.S. Bank is proud to support PrideFest 2019.
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GRAND MARSHAL
St. Louis Pride Parade Grand Marshal BY TERRY WILLITS
S
t. Louis PrideFest 2019 choosing to honor the Metro Trans Umbrella Group, QTPOC: STL, and the transgender and non-binary community as Grand Marshal of the MasterCard Grand Parade during this historic year of Stonewall 50 takes many back to that historic day in 1969. “I am ecstatic for this moment — to be a young black trans woman at the front of the parade,” says Jazelle Wilkins, from St. Louis. “We are the movement and it is surreal to think how far we’ve come since trans pioneers Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Miss Major led this movement. They are the reasons I am who I am today.” The Metro Trans Umbrella Group (MTUG) is a local non-profit organization that primarily serves the St. Louis metro area. The organization currently serves the metro transgender and non-binary communities through ongoing support groups, food assistance programs, name change workshops, Alix’s Closet free clothing program, Trans 101 training, town hall meetings, therapy and medical resources, QTPOC:STL, the Transgender Memorial Garden, a Trans A.M. monthly podcast, an annual 24hour telethon, and a Transgender Spectrum Conference with Washington University. Sayer Johnson, Executive Director of MTUG, proudly accepted the grand marshal honor on behalf of the
community in a week that had seen the murders of three transgender women across the nation. While the tragedies brought fear to some, who wondered if they might be next, they also fueled anger, hurt and feelings of invisibility. The parade honor is one way of keeping the trans and non-binary community front and center. This historic gesture on behalf of Pride St. Louis is an opportunity to bring this important part of our LGBTQIA+ history back into the conversation as we stand together with community. “This is a privilege, but more importantly it’s a visibility necessary on this platform when so many have forgo en the catalysts of the movement that proceeded the parade they celebrate,” shares LadyAshley Gregory of QTPOC: STL. The Grand Pride Parade has always been the way that the community fires up for the entertainment part of Sunday’s festival. This year’s Grand Marshal is ready to get the party started and share space with our LGBTQIA+ siblings. We will dance our way down Market Street to commemorate those who have led before us, remember those we have lost in our fight, and celebrate those who continue to walk the path with us. The St. Louis metro transgender and non-binary communities appreciate the support of Pride St. Louis and their decision to march on the right side of history for PrideFest 40 and Stonewall 50. We are honored to celebrate with you.
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Standing with you, St. Louis. Then. Now. Always. Standing together with the LGBTQ community. It’s a commitment we made 30 years ago. Since then, we’ve contributed more than $50 million and countless team member volunteer hours to organizations that are making a difference.* We’re proud to stand together with the LGBTQ community now, and we promise to be there always. To learn more, visit wellsfargoadvisors.com.
*Wells Fargo & Company data. Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC. © 2018 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. 0518-04265 IHA-5814701
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PRIDE NIGHT
at Busch Stadium
VS
Friday, July 26 @ 7:15
Pride St. Louis and the St. Louis Cardinals are partnering to present the 3nd Annual Pride Night at Busch Stadium! With the purchase of a special Theme Ticket, fans will receive a Cardinals rainbow tank top. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to the Wash U chapter of Athlete Ally, which educates athletes at all levels, changes sport policy, and advocates for LGBTQ rights.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW AT
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HISTORY PROJECT
50 Proud Years As Pride celebrates the golden anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, we look back at significant milestones in the nation and in St. Louis BY STEVEN BRAWLEY AND MELISSA MEINZER
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t’s important to remember that Pride, social highlight and party extraordinaire that it’s become, started with a riot. Half a century ago the LGBT community (with trans women of color right up front) had enough of institutionalized bigotry and fought back hard against a pointless police raid at the Stonewall Inn. Our community comes together in cities across the globe every June to celebrate, and to remember. So on this fiftieth anniversary of an incredibly bold act of reclamation and visibility by a group of queer underdog New Yorkers, it’s fitting to look at where we came from and the progress we’ve made—in St. Louis and across the country.
Here are some of the major events. 1969 Stonewall Riots
In the late hours of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents, leading to six days of violent clashes with law enforcement. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the LGBTQIA+ rights movement across the globe.
1969 St. Louis’ Stonewall
The Gateway Arch was four years old, men were walking on the moon, and the St. Louis LGBTQIA+ community was still mostly living in the shadows. Gay men cruised local bath houses and parks. Lesbians played in bar-sponsored sports teams, and the East Side was the go-to for a er-hours partying and drag performances. On Halloween night in 1969, nine young men donned female a ire and hit the bars on St. Louis’s gay strip in the Midtown neighborhood, near Grand and Olive. Shortly a er midnight the men were arrested for violating the city’s long-standing laws against “masquerading,” or appearing dressed as the opposite sex. A new local gay rights organization, the Mandrake Society, sprung into action to assist the men with their bail and subsequent court case, which was ultimately dismissed. For years, the Mandrake Society held an annual Halloween Ball to protest the 1969 arrests and advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights. St. Louis’ masquerading law would not be overturned until 1985.
1979 Gay Pride Weekend
From April 20-22, 1979, Washington University hosted a Gay Pride Weekend that featured workshops, films, a dance and a 18
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faith-based service. The weekend, combined with St. Louisans’ participation in the groundbreaking National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in October 1979, would pave the way for St. Louis’ first official Pride festivities in April 1980.
1980 St. Louis Pride Events
A er returning to St. Louis from the March on Washington, a couple of groups independently began to plan the region’s first official Pride-related activities. A er some duplicative efforts, one group (The Celebration Commi ee) organized events from April 12 to April 19 at locations around the city. The other group (The Magnolia Commi ee) focused solely on the April 20 march and rally in the Central West End and Washington University. Pride festivals have been held in St. Louis every year since.
1981 Gay News Telegraph
The first Pride was galvanizing for the community, and in 1981 Jim Thomas and a crew of volunteers began publishing the Gay News Telegraph, an eight-page paper focused on news and advocacy. In the early ‘80s, as the Lesbian and Gay News Telegraph, it was distributed all over the Midwest. In 2000, it was renamed the Vital Voice, which continues publishing online today.
1985 Saint Louis Effort for AIDS
In the early days of the AIDS epidemic, a group of volunteers realized people in St. Louis were scared of, uninformed about and dying of a terrible new illness. They worked out of bars and church basements to cobble together care and information, finally gaining nonprofit status as the Saint Louis Effort for AIDS in 1985. The city has a long history at the forefront of the fight, with St.
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HISTORY PROJECT
St. Louis Pride parade 1981 Historical photos courtesy St. Louis LGBT History Project
Miss Fannie’s Ball, late 1960s
PFLAG, St. Louis Pride, 1981
Louis teenager Robert Rayford often described as the first North American to die of the disease, in 1969. Doctors then didn’t know what ailed him, but Rayford’s saved tissues were later tested and evaluated, proving invaluable pieces of the medical puzzle.
1999 St. Louis Black Pride Festival
Almost twenty years a er St. Louis Pride events became a summer standard, LGBT folks of color inaugurated a complimentary festival of their own. Black Pride takes place in August, extending Pride season throughout the summer.
2007 QFest
In 2007, the venerable Cinema St. Louis added another jewel to its crown. The same organization that’s been bringing the must-see St. Louis International Film Festival to the Gateway City added QFest St. Louis. Over several days each spring, the festival brings the very best of local, national and international queer cinema to the big screen, highlighting the joys, sorrows and everyday lives of LGBT people.
in the United States thanks to the 2015 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.
2012 Tower Grove Pride
When Pride St. Louis moved out of Tower Grove Park, a contingent from the neighborhood wanted to maintain a presence along South Grand Boulevard, in line with the more laidback, funkier, DIY feel of the area. The result was Tower Grove Pride, which has been growing ever since and has moved from the street back into the park.
2013 MTUG
A er 2013’s Pride celebration, a group volunteers led by Sayer Johnson saw a need for a larger trans presence — in both the festivities and in the city over all. Metro Trans Umbrella Group has been providing resources, community and support for transgender, genderqueer, agender, intersex, questioning and all other trans-expansive people ever since.
2014 Pride St. Charles
In 2008, the Illinois side of the region launched its own Pride celebration. The summer’s earliest festival now serves to kick off Pride season in greater St. Louis.
Two St. Charles moms — straight women with gay kids — were staffing a Pride booth for PFLAG and found themselves wondering where the celebration was in their neck of the woods.. Realizing there wasn’t one, they got busy, founding Pride St. Charles in 2014.
2009 Show Me Marriage Equality
2019 PrideFest
2008 Metro East PrideFest
In 2009, the state Supreme Court in our northern neighbor, Iowa, legalized same-sex marriage. Ed Reggi of Show Me No Hate, a marriage equality coalition, traveled to Iowa and married his husband, Sco Emanuel — and brought a bus full of couples with him. Plenty more busses and plenty more couples made the trek. These days, however, it’s no longer necessary: Marriage equality is the law of the land pridestl.org
On June 29 and 30, join with thousands of St. Louisans and out-of-towners for “Millions of Moments,” PrideFest’s 2019 celebration. Icona Pop and Taylor Dane headline the downtown event. And for the first time in Pride’s history, the parade’s grand marshal is a group, not an individual: the Metro Trans Umbrella Group and the St. Louis metro transgender and non-binary community.
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27TH ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
SEPTEMBER 14TH | MARRIOTT GRAND For more information and tickets, visit www.hrcstlouis.com/tickets
you seen it?
Have
A mysterious creature is coming to St. Louis. Together, we must create a temporary home so the creature can discover its story.
What is the creature, exactly? W hy did it come here? W hat does it need?
June 10-August 4 Visit The NEST, a new child-led playscape exhibit at Central Library, 1301 Olive Street.
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ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE
Saturday, June 29 MAIN STAGE 1:00 1:15 1:30 1:50 2:20 2:50 3:40 4:20 5:00 5:50 6:30
Emcees Trixie LaRue, Adria Andrews & Tassandra Crush Pride Idol Winners Pride Idol Finalists Charis Gateway Mens Chorus Royalty Review Chel Angelica Vila St. Louis Drag Review Dinah Jane Icona Pop
SECOND STAGE 2:00 2:20 3:05 3:50 5:00
Emcee Kyra Banks & Vincent Debeaute Tre G Paula Douglass Glimmer Jen Norman
Sunday, June 30 MAIN STAGE 2:00 2:15 2:50 3:25 4:05 4:45 5:30 24
Emcees Sable Sinclair, Tumara Mahorning & Julie Tristan Dignitaries Divas of the Grove All Mixed Up Brian Justin Crum Martha Wash Taylor Dayne
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SECOND STAGE 2:00 2:10 3:25 4:35 5:15
PRIDE GUIDE 2019/OUT IN STL
Emcee Ming Lee One Way Traffic Josh Zuckerman Esintrik Amanda Hughley
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ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE
EMCEES PARADE EMCEES
CHASITY VALENTINO
MELISSA MARNIER
VINCENT DEBEAUTE
SATURDAY EMCEES
KYRA BANKS
TASSANDRA CRUSH
TRIXIE LaRUE
ADRIA ANDREWS
SUNDAY EMCEES
SABLE SINCLAIR
TUMARA MAHORNING
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Now OPEN
4156 Manchester AVE.St. Louis, MO 63110 26
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PRIDE is ageless
SHOWING OUR ST. LOUIS PRIDE Show your pride with AARP in St. Louis at PrideFest on June 29 – 30 at Soldiers Memorial Park. Stop by our booth for a fun and engaging time! Present your AARP membership card to receive a free gift. AARP in St. Louis is proud to sponsor the 2019 PrideFest. We understand and embrace the importance of celebrating our LGBTQ community. Learn more at AARP.Org/StLouis
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ARTIST PROFILES
CHEL
PRESENTED BY HOT 104.1
SAT. 6/29 3:40 P.M.
STONEWALL MAIN STAGE PRESENTED BY BAYER BY COLIN MURPHY - #BOOM
P
op artist Chel can’t wait to start the party on the Stonewall Main Stage at St. Louis PrideFest with her fun and inspiring set. Chel is a multi-faceted artist with an indie soul spirit threading through her music. The St. Louis native’s freshman single , “That Fire,” earned impressive play on social media, and just four years later, now in Los Angeles, the entertainer has amassed a Facebook fan-base of over 1.1M followers and her music videos have surpassed 16M views. Chel was even hired to host her own prime time radio show on DASH X Radio. The EDM/POP show features other up and coming artists and the latest in pop music. A champion of body positivity, Chel was told for most of her life that she did not have the body type or look to succeed in the music industry. She was ridiculed, insulted, and even bullied, and is keenly aware this is a struggle shared by many in the LGBTQ community, particularly young people, and urges them to redirect their a ention. “What we see immediately affects what we think,” says Chel. “If we are constantly subscribing to people who tell us we are wrong for the way we look, dress, feel, or just who we are, then we will believe that. Sometimes the things we believe to be our biggest flaws are some of the most beautiful and unique things about ourselves.” Chel last performed at St. Louis PrideFest in 2017. It was
right about the time she uprooted her life to move west and chase her dream. “Everything has changed since then,” Chel explains. “Being vulnerable meant having to trust myself. A er two years, I feel the most confident I ever have and I am making the best music I ever have as well. I am so excited to share it with you.” “PrideFest audiences come with open arms,” she continues. “It’s so beautiful. It doesn’t ma er your race, religion, size, or gender, the people at PrideFest are there to spread love and that’s a very special thing.” Having experimented with a few different sounds and styles of music in the past few years, Chel has recently found her voice and writes about the challenges and barriers that life puts in your path. Her last single “My Name” received a rave review from Billboard, was featured in the “New Music Friday” on Spotify, and continues to garner positive press and a ention. The LGBTQ community, and fans, continue to play an important part in Chel’s life. “The LGBTQ Community is all about love and acceptance,” says Chel. “I grew up as an overweight kid who wanted to be a singer in a small town in the Midwest. I was also raised Jewish in a predominantly Cristian/Catholic area. All of this being said, I know what it feels like to be judged for who you are. I feel very strongly about fighting for equality and acceptance. I also feel very strongly about spreading light and love. Pride is the epitome of that.”
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ARTIST PROFILES
ANGELICA VILA PRESENTED BY HOT 104.1
SAT. 6/29 4:20 P.M.
STONEWALL MAIN STAGE PRESENTED BY BAYER
N
ew York based singer Angelica Vila is thrilled to make her St. Louis PrideFest debut courtesy of HOT104.1. The Latina songstress takes the Stonewall Main Stage presented by Bayer on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 4:45 p.m. Born and raised in the Bronx, the 20-year-old diva began singing at an early age, and in her teen years, she started pursuing a career with the support of her family. “Growing up, my mother used to play a lot of Alicia Keys, a lot of Selena and Whitney Houston,” Angelica told We Are Mitú of her musical inspirations. “My sister is 25, and I was also always listening to her playlists and loved her songs by artists who were more popular at the time. I also had my own favorites, like Hannah Montana. I was inspired by all of it.” In 2016 Angelica began releasing original music, starting with a single called “Making Up My Mind” and a viral response remix to Justin Bieber’s hit “Sorry.” While “Sorry” was more of a novelty than an arrival, it set the stage for the R&B singer’s original music to gain an audience and was followed shortly by her debut EP 1998. The five-song collection paired Angelica’s powerful voice with sharp hip-hop production, offering a strong platform for her autobiographical songs of love and betrayal. Angelica spent this early phase of her career trying to
build up her audience and reputation, opening shows for artists like Future and Trey Songz. She followed her 1998 EP with two singles released over the course of 2017, the heartbroken “Where Are You Now” and “Talking About Us,” which began with a guest feature from rapper Elijah the Boy. In 2018 she caught the attention of veteran rapper Fat Joe, who championed her talent and guided her toward a record deal with the Roc Nation label. In the spring of the next year Angelica issued her first new music with the label in the form of the jubilant single “More in the Morning.” With over one million views on YouTube in less than one month, Angelica’s “More in the Morning,” proved to be a hit. The Cool & Dre-produced track, which samples Shyne’s 2001 song “Bonnie & Shyne,” that itself a sample of Grace Jones’ 1977 cover of “La Vie en Rose,” enjoyed wide play across radios in the Northeast before making its way throughout the nation. “Just be who you are. You shouldn’t be afraid to be comfortable in your own skin,” says Angelica of the freedom she felt doing the sensually-choreographed “More in the Morning” video. “A lot of women are coming into the industry and we are starting to get that equality now. I think before there was a lot of men, but more women are speaking up, doing what they believe in and having a voice.”
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ARTIST PROFILES
DINAH JANE PRESENTED BY HOT 104.1
SAT. 6/29 5:50 P.M.
STONEWALL MAIN STAGE PRESENTED BY BAYER BY COLIN MURPHY - #BOOM
P
op singer Dinah Jane is excited to make her St. Louis PrideFest debut courtesy of HOT104.1. The former girl group songstress takes the Stonewall Main Stage presented by Bayer on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. “I can promise you this, you can expect a good ole time with your girl,” says Dinah of her very first solo appearance in the STL. “I’m so excited to be amongst a community of outgoing, bold and lavishing beings. It’s my favorite place to be!” Dinah is best known as a founding member of Fi h Harmony (5H), the all-girl pop group that formed on “The X Factor” in 2011. The soulful vocalist and her 5H band mates Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Lauren Jauregui, and Camila Cabello shot to stardom with three chart topping albums. In 2018, Dinah launched her solo career with the single “Bo led Up.” As a member of 5H, Dinah enjoyed chart success with the group’s first two albums, 2015’s Reflection, and 2016’s 7/27. The albums peaked in the Top Five of the Billboard 200, and spawned the hit singles “Worth It” and “Work from Home,” respectively. Following the departure of Cabello in 2016, 5H released their third studio album, the eponymous Fi h Harmony, in 2017. Buoyed by the lead single “Down,” it debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. Dinah and 5H are vocal supporters of the LGBTQ commu-
nity, having performed together at LA Pride, making appearances at gay clubs, and delivering a 2017 video message of support to their LGBTQ fan base: “Collectively, we would like to say: Love yourself and be yourself. It’s beautiful.” “The environment is so full of life,” Dinah explains of PrideFest. “They make you feel so special and the baddest woman in the house! They can bring so much confidence out of you because that’s the energy that resonates from them. It’s amazing! If you ain’t got a group of gay friends/ family around, you ain’t doing it right! (I have a lot of gay uncles so I learned a thing or two from them.)” Also in 2017, Dinah was featured on RedOne’s single “Boom Boom,” along with Daddy Yankee and French Montana. By May 2018, 5H went on indefinite hiatus to allow the individual members to pursue their own projects. That same year, Dinah signed a recording contract with L.A. Reid’s Hitco label and issued her debut solo single, “Bo led Up,” featuring Marc E. Bassy and Ty Dolla $ign. “I think what resonates is the message you share in your music and the feeling of being free,” says Dinah of her appeal to the LGBTQ community. “You’ve go a be 100% REAL. Especially when it comes to performing, you’ve got to have an organic connection with them, or they’re not buying it.” And as for Dinah’s personal mo o when it comes to PRIDE? “Stand 10 toes down. Never let anyone’s opinion shift what you believe,” she says.
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ICONA POP SAT. 6/29 6:30 P.M.
STONEWALL MAIN STAGE PRESENTED BY BAYER
BY COLIN MURPHY - #BOOM
fore anyone else did and started to spread our music through blogs before we had a label outside Sweden. We sing about real things and feelings but usually hide it a li le in happier melodies that people can dance to. We also sing a lot about our friendship, girl power and that you should not care to much about what other people think and I think a lot of our listeners can relate to that.
T
he wonder that is Icona Pop was born in 2009 when Caroline and Aino began their musical collaboration hell-bent to create “the best band ever”. For LGBTQ fans - they didn’t disappoint. The Swedish pop duo’s big breakthrough can be described with one phrase: ‘I Love It’. The 2012 monster hit (which dominated many top lists in the Western World, and appeared on several TV- and talk shows), became a milestone for Swedish pop music. The song had big success worldwide, especially in the US, where the single sold over 2 million copies and reached US Platinum sales. Other great hits by Icona Pop are ‘All night’, ‘We Got the World’, ‘Girlfriend’ and ‘Let’s Go’ . Tiesto. Icona Pop is greatly awarded for their musical brilliance. For instance, they’ve received prizes and titles like “Swedish Breakthrough of the Year”, “Group of the Year” and “Song of the Year” (‘I Love It’). We’re excited to have you headlining the 40th Anniversary St. Louis PrideFest - tell us what you have in store for STL audiences? We are so excited! We are ready to dance, celebrate and party with the St. Louis crowd. We’ve heard that the St Louis PrideFest is amazing and that the crowd is crazy so our expectations are very high. You’ve enjoyed a huge LGBTQ fan base from the start. What do you think it is about your music that resonates with gay audiences? We are so thankful for the support we’ve had from the LGBTQ community all these years. They believed in us be-
Do you have a favorite LGBTQ Pride memory you can share? Wow, that’s hard because we have so many: But we will never forget the first time we performed “I Love It” in a Pride festival, before it got big on the radio, and it was insane. Everyone was screaming their lungs out. We just looked at each other on stage and couldn’t believe it. What makes PrideFest audiences so special? The crowd is celebrating and giving it their all. It’s like we are having a show together with all of them. The energy is magic! What does PRIDE mean to you, personally? It means being able to have the freedom to be who you want to be and be proud over it. It means that you shouldn’t have to hide or change to fit in. Equality and Love. Any upcoming projects you’d like to talk about? We’ve been in the studio for a while now and this summer and we have a lot of music coming out. Couldn’t be more excited and proud. We want to show everyone what we have been up to!
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BJC is a proud supporter of the PRIDE community.
Health care knows no race, orientation, class, color, gender or creed. At BJC HealthCare, we believe in the power of what we can achieve through our diverse perspectives, experiences and talents. We unite in improving health for patients and communities. Every one of our 31,000 team members across BJC — from the office to the bedside — helps to make a difference for patients, families and our communities. At BJC, we choose to make medicine better, every day. Join us.
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ALL MIXED UP SUN. 6/30 3:25 P.M.
STONEWALL MAIN STAGE PRESENTED BY BAYER
BY DEAN J. FULTS - #BOOM
“G
et ready to dance!” says Dennis Moser, bandleader for All Mixed Up. The seven piece band identifies as a high energy dance/party cover band, featuring a variety of hits from all eras and styles. Moser says, “Some songs may have a three piece horn section, while others may have five part vocal harmonies. You never know what you are going to see or hear next.” The band originates right here in St. Louis, and members include Andi Bloome (lead vocals, keyboard, percussion), Cari McKnight (lead vocals, keyboard, percussion), Ben Blackmon (trombone, percussion, keyboard, vocals), Dennis Moser (keyboard, sax, EWI, flute, vocals), Sco Dubitsky (guitar, vocals), Phil Sgambelluri (bass), Marciano Garcia (drums, vocals) and Keith Reding (trumpet, vocals, sax, acoustic guitar). All Mixed Up is a band of individuals from various walks of life that all come together for a passion of music. This will be the band’s third time playing PrideFest, but the first time on the big stage. “Music knows no gender, race or sexual identity. Music is universal. It has been great to see so many businesses, volunteers, and musicians that have contributed their time to make Pridefest happen,” says Moser. “It has been awesome seeing everyone coming together to celebrate diversity in St. Louis.” All Mixed Up touts the array of musical range, switching from vocals to instruments to new instruments to different vocals, creating an entire performance that delights audiences, including past performances for companies such as Microsoft, Monsanto, ConocoPhillips, the City of Richmond Heights, and U-Gas/Dirt Cheap. The band has
an open catalogue of music genres such as disco, funk, rock, R&B and country, playing all sorts of events like wedding receptions, corporate, public or private events, and of course PrideFest here in St. Louis. Pride and PrideFest has been an important part to All Mixed Up; aside from just their performances for the audiences at PrideFest, the entire message and purpose of Pride has meaning. “Everyone is there to have fun and support inclusivity in St. Louis. They are taking a moment to show support and solidarity, and remind everyone that diversity is at the center of our culture in the United States and critical to our future,” Moser says of PrideFest. “Pride is about showing your support and love for everyone for who they are, and not judging people for their differences. It is our diversity and individuality that collectively makes us stronger. For us to progress, we must value everybody’s individual characteristics and come together to improve lives and help influence others. Pride is about action!”
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The SELFY Project
WÁőĂű UĩĂĢʼnĩĢ͡ W ŖÙěĆÚ äěÁőĆĩĢʼn ÁĢà `ÁŅėäőĆĢú ėÁőĂű͠ĔĩĂĢʼnĩĢϝŖėű͠äàŖͣ gÚő͠ ̟̣͡ ̠̞̟̦
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Do you have an LGBTQ+ Parent? Ăä ;ÁġĆěĆäʼn͡ àĩłőĆĩĢ͡ ÁĢà #ĆŪäŅʼnĆőű ZÁÙ Áő őĂä ĢĆŪäŅʼnĆőű ĩù WäĢőŖÚėű Ćʼn ÁʼnėĆĢú ÚĂĆěàŅäĢ ĩù Z< θ łÁŅäĢőʼn őĩ őÁėä łÁŅő ĆĢ ÁĢ ĆĢőäŅŪĆäūͿÙÁʼnäà ŅäʼnäÁŅÚĂ ʼnőŖàű őĩ ěäÁŅĢ ÁÙĩŖő űĩŖŅ äŰłäŅĆäĢÚäʼn͠ Hù űĩŖ ĂÁŪä Áő ěäÁʼnő ĩĢä Z< θ łÁŅäĢő ÁĢà űĩŖ ÁŅä ÙäőūääĢ ̟̠Ϳ̠̣ űäÁŅʼn ĩěà͡ űĩŖ ÁŅä äěĆúĆÙěä őĩ łÁŅőĆÚĆłÁőä͠ α̣̞ äͿúĆùő ÚÁŅà ūĆěě Ùä łŅĩŪĆàäà őĩ łÁŅőĆÚĆłÁĢőʼn͠ Hù űĩŖ ÁŅä ŖĢàäŅ Áúä ̟̦͡ łěäÁʼnä ĂÁŪä űĩŖŅ łÁŅäĢő ÚĩĢőÁÚő Ŗʼn͠ ;ĩŅ ġĩŅä ĆĢùĩŅġÁőĆĩĢ ĩŅ őĩ ʼnĆúĢ Ŗł͡ äͿ ġÁĆě Ŗʼn Áő ʼnäěùűłŅĩĔäÚőϝúġÁĆě͠Úĩġ 40
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BRIAN JUSTIN CRUM SUN. 6/30 4:05 P.M.
STONEWALL MAIN STAGE PRESENTED BY BAYER
BY DEAN J. FULTS - #BOOM
“I
’m putting together a brand new show for St Louis. I’ll be serving a mix of my favorite covers from the past and debuting my new single “I&U!” Get ready to dance and have some fun!” says singer-songwriter Brian Justin Crum. This year, Crum will be performing for Pride St. Louis on the Stonewall Main Stage, Presented by Bayer. At seven years old, Crum was already telling his mother he was going to be a star. He has been on quite a journey ever since. Fresh out of high school, he was cast on Broadway in “Wicked,” subsequently landing roles in the musicals “Altar Boyz,” “Grease” and “Next to Normal.” Then the role as Galileo Figaro in Queen’s rock theatrical “We Will Rock You” earned him reviews that celebrated his performance as a “triumph” and a handful of awards for Best Actor. Crum had major break through a er Broadway with success on the 11th season of “America’s Got Talent,” where he placed fourth overall. His biggest success from the show came from clips of his performances going viral and garnering new fans and a social media following. He’s even had success being a Billboard chart topping artist, spending weeks on the Dance/Electronic charts. Being an out LGBTQ+ performer is important to Crum saying that he is, “Very proud to be an out man singing pop
music.” He has been openly gay since a young age, which led to bullying that was highlighted on AGT, but he says he’s more than that. “We, as LGBTQ+ people, are told from the time we’re very young, that sexuality is something to be ashamed of,” says Crum. “I want to show people out there it’s nothing to be shameful for, that we should be proud and celebrate.” Openly identifying as gay has given Crum the opportunity to perform at Pride events, such as in Phoenix, where he paints a picture of the sun just setting, the crowd being vast, a breeze was blowing and he was singing. “It was an awe moment for me. I was so filled with gratitude. Not only was I living my dream but I was getting to live it as my most authentic self. Very proud to be an out man singing pop music,” he says. For Crum, Pride is a chance to release personal notions of shame and if even for just one moment, strip oneself of apologizing and dance. “I feel the most confident and sure of myself when I’m on stage and performing. It’s the rest of life that gets me in my head and when I feel insecure. Music and the creating and performing of it is where I feel safe,” he says. Crum’s passion for Pride expresses a message that is at the core meaning of Pride. “It’s really about ge ing this incredibly special community of people together. To celebrate who we are with no shame. I want to continue to urge our community to leave judgment at the door,” he says.
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LGBTQ+ Collecting Initiative The Missouri Historical Society seeks to collect items and stories related to the history of the LGBTQ+ community in the region, in order to develop a collection that can be researched and exhibited for years to come. MHS has partnered with the St. Louis LGBT History Project to receive materials, as well as make connections in the LGBTQ+ community.
If you have items you wish to be considered for the collection, contact Sharon Smith, MHS Curator of Civic and Personal Identity: sharons@mohistory.org or (314) 746-4535. Background : Huge fragment of nylon rainbow flag made in the original eight colors to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the rainbow flag in 2003. The entire flag was carried in the Key West Pride Parade; in 2004 this fragment was carried in the St. Louis Pride Parade. Left: Sepia tone photograph of Lucy Rhinehart, trumpet player with the USO during WWII. After her USO service, Lucy and USO drummer, Helen Montgomery, settled in the St. Louis area. They could be heard playing around town under the name the Lu-Wows. Right: Coffin-shaped foamcore box used by ACT UP St. Louis member Gregory Gerhart in the 1990s to draw attention to issues associated with the AIDS epidemic. Below: Pin from PrideFest 2003. Missouri Historical Society Collections.
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MARTHA WASH SUN. 6/30 4:45 P.M.
STONEWALL MAIN STAGE PRESENTED BY BAYER
BY DEAN J. FULTS - #BOOM
M
artha Wash has a career that has stood the test of time. She has had massive pop hits such as “It’s Raining Men” and “Sweat (Everybody Dance Now).” Her voice is instantly recognizable. Her music has become a staple in the disco and club scenes. Her music makes you dance, makes you groove, and makes you ask how’s the weather? She’s excited to be back at Pride St. Louis, “It’s been some years since I did St. Louis Pride, so I’m really looking forward to it. I will say you’ll hear classics!” Rolling Stone dubbed her “one of the most famous voices,” as her music is still used in commercials, sports events and still heard on airwaves. NPR called her “The Voice” and “The Queen of Clubland.” And at this point, she has earned her royal title! Wash’s career started not in the club, but in church. Her musical roots are in gospel music, singing in her parents church by age two. She went on to study opera and tour Europe while still in high school, then becoming part of a contemporary gospel group called N.O.W. (News Of The World). This mix of classical and gospel training and experience accounts for her seemingly effortless transition, from ballads to dance music to pop. “She merged a gospel voice into pop and dance music seamlessly,” says RuPaul, who collaborated with Wash on
1998’s “It’s Raining Men… the Sequel.” “Her voice speaks to both the church and a pop ear and was built to cut through the bass of a dance club. The timbre of her voice is so distinctive and beautiful. A lot of gospel-based singers have come and gone in dance music, but she is the one.” Wash has been a part of the duo Two Tons Of Fun with Izora Rhodes —which evolved into The Weather Girls with the release of “It’s Raining Men.” The Weather Girls rose a er pairing with the king of disco, Sylvester, appearing on four of the singer’s albums, including hits like “(You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real” and “Dance (Disco Heat).” Performing with Sylvester resonated with LGBTQ+ audiences, securing Wash as an LGBTQ+ icon. While Wash’s career dates the entire history of Pride, she has been able to see the fights that the LGBTQ+ community has had to endure. “That the fight for equality with my brothers and sisters continues. To be able to live in a country that doesn’t make some people feel marginalized, and where “with liberty & justice for all” is a true pledge of allegiance and not a lie,” she says. She is thankful for her LGBTQ+ audiences, and performing at Pride events. She says, “For that time frame, there’s a space where the community can celebrate who they are, who they love and who loves them without fear of ostracize, hate, possible arrest or even death. They want to be treated as any other citizen in this country. Also, they just love a good party, right?”.
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Some things are bigger than banking (Like making life plans on lazy beach days.)
Long walks on the beach have a way of creating good conversation. Whether you’re discussing baby names or simply sharing life goals, it’s your relationship that helps motivate the big decisions in life. That’s why Regions takes pride in supporting the LGBTQ+ community and all those committed to building a better future together. regions.com/LGBTQ
© 2019 Regions Bank. Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.
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TAYLOR DAYNE SUN. 6/30 5:30 P.M.
STONEWALL MAIN STAGE PRESENTED BY BAYER
BY DEAN J. FULTS - #BOOM
M
ulti-platinum selling artist Taylor Dayne is an American pop icon, with decades of hits, roles and now a best selling book— Tell It to My Heart available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and all major booksellers! Dayne rose to fame with her debut single “Tell It to My Heart” back in 1987. Since then she’s had a multitude of Top 20 hits, including “Love Will Lead You Back,” “Prove Your Love,” and “I’ll Always Love You.” Dayne has sold over 75 million albums and singles worldwide, earned three Grammy nominations, an American Music Award, multiple New York Music Awards, received New York Music Hall of Fame honors and ranked as the Number 18 Female Dance artist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. She is one of the very few artists in musical history to successfully crossover into almost every musical genre and chart with hit singles in Pop, Dance, R&B, Adult contemporary and Rock. For the span of her 30+ year career, LGBTQ+ audiences have been fans of Dayne’s. “I consider my LGBTQ+ fans the most loyal fans, for sure. My LGBTQ+ fans are fun and joyful to perform for and grateful!” she says. “My music makes you dance, makes you feel, makes you happy, and I’m sure few of my videos never hurt.” To her, Pride means three things: love, joy, community… And the music! Pride is “a state of bliss; all senses are aligned, heart, mind and soul. One does good things when in this state.”
By the late 90’s, Dayne’s career grew further as an actress. From Broadway favorites like Elton John’s award winning production of “Aida,” and Mel Brooks “Archie,” to movies including “Love Affair” with Warren Bea y, co-starring in Denis Leary’s TV drama “Rescue Me,” and Showtime’s original series “Rude Awakening.” Her voice became stronger and more meaningful as she took her platform to be a voice for single motherhood, empowerment, surrogacy and parenthood head-on, and becoming an advocate for working women, same-sex marriage, parenting and fertility. Dayne has used her career for personal perseverance, ambition and adaptation, “It’s my own personal plight to never settle. There are many things that have gone on, and I’ve made some hard decisions, but in the end of the day you can’t go back as much you’d like to. I think that moving forward and making new goals for yourself is important. I’m not always sure how satisfying that is, but it is ambitious. “The older I get, I realize the joy of having such opportunities. There’s a great joy of being still, obviously, if you can maintain it and understand it and embrace it. But working and generating interesting work and being inspired by what you do is what I have done.” Dayne’s outlook reflects on the advancement of the LGBTQ+ community and the embodiment of the purpose of Pride. She says that one of her favorite parts of Pride is how, “the family and community keeps growing, and glowing.”
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OL
Permit Parking Area
Metrolink Civic Center Station Walk North to Festival Grounds
PrideFest H
LYFT, TAXI STAND, UBER, PEDI Located at 14th & Market Parking
KEY - PRIDE ST. LOUIS 2019
Kiener East / West Garages Stadium East and West Garages City Hall Parking Lot on Clark Street
ENTRY AREA
w WINE
SODA & WATER BEER LIQUOR
www.pridestl.org
$5 Suggested Donation at Entry Daily
Saturd Pride Volleyball Tou Military Wreath Ce The Hive (Under 2 Children's & Family
Permit Parking Area
Downtown St. Louis, Missouri $5 Suggested Donation at Entry Daily
VENDOR Electrical FOOD BOOTH FOOD TRUCK RESTROOMS
S Interfaith Hands Acros Grand Pa
The Hive (Und
POLICE / STLFD /EMS ATM
Children's & F
ver48 DWG
Resident Permit Park
PIN
RESTRICTED GATE2
Saturday, June 29 - 11 am - 7 pm Sunday, June 30 - 11 am - 6 pm
Meter Parking
Interfath Service Sunday 10 am - Main Stage Parade Presented by Mastercard Sunday at 12 Noon
Local Stage
presented by Cookie Cookie Dough Cafe
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GRAND PARADE PRESENTED BY Mastercard - 12 NOON SUNDAY A&ZBBQ AARP Abby's Best Food Adelman Vacations Ah yeah unlimited Alenco Home Improvement ALIVE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention AMN Healthcare Angad Arts Hotel Arch Apparel Athletico Physical Therapy Bailey's Restraurants BandTogether Bayer Bayou Seasoning and Catering Bear Pride Candy Bellosbakery BJC Healthcare Boeing Building Futures CBD Kratom Centene CenterPointe Hospital Home Cheap TRX Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) STL Cigna Coco Loco Drink Paradise Code With Pride presented by LaunchCode + 1904labs Community of Christ Cookie Dough Cafe Cushman & Wakefield D's Cold Sweet Treats Daftboy Diageo's Diamonds Resorts dough co Emerson
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Ethical Society of St. Louis FCKH8 Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Festival Concepts Fire Grill FritoLay GAMMA Gateway Harley Davidson Gateway Men's Chorus Gateway Open & Affirming UCC Churches Giving Garments of Grace Glad Rags Growing American Youth Hamspa Skin Therapy & Wellness Human Rights Campaign Hustler Hollywood iHeart Media iLL Advised Prints Jacob Sunroom & Exteriors JCPenney Juan Taco Keurig Dr Pepper Krazy Connie’s Concoctions Lasik Vision Institute LeafFilter Gutter Protection Lucky Buddha T-Shirts Lyft (on Market Street at 14th) Massage Envy Mchuzi African food Meats & More Metro East Pride Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Saint Louis Midtown Barbershop Midtown Home Improvements Midwest Advertising Missouri Lottery Missouri Women In Trades
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MO Kettle Corn/ Roasted Corn Mr. Hyde's Custom Leather Metro Trans Umbrella Group (MTUG) My Best Friend Veterinary Center My Campaign Wear NAMES Project Metro St. Louis Nature's Variety Old Time Servicing Co. Only Human Open eyes Orlando Travel Outer Peace Planned Parenthood of St Louis Region Pride Gone Wild Prime Timers St Louis PROMO prpwine.com Purina QTPOC Radio One Rainbow Love -- formerly "Good to Glow" Rearn Thai Reconciling In Christ Reconciling Methodists of Missouri Regions Bank Renewal By Andersen Ride For Wishes (Conley’s Concessions) Romantix Romero Concessioners Safe Connections Save-A-Lot Scarefest Schnuck Markets Inc SCOOPS and More Series Six (Official Merchandiser) Soka Gakkai International-USA Southern Illinois Pride / Rainbow Cafe Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
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culture
Mr. Leather OPEN AND INCLUSIVE, RUDIS IS NOT YOUR DAD’S LEATHER CLUB. THOM GLOWSKI IS ONE REASON FOR THAT
M
BY PAT R IC K C OL L IN S
PH OTO G RAPH Y BY T H EO WELLING
ore leather cycles through here in a week than most people will see in ten lifetimes,” says Thom Glowski as he looks around the workshop in the basement of the home he and his husband share in south city.
Home to his business, LDD Leather Works, the Botanical Heights workshop is where the self-taught leather maker creates harnesses, suspenders, arm bands, wrist cuffs, leg harnesses and vests. There are long work tables, male torso mannequins and a garment rack where a few in-progress pieces hang. Adjustable lamps hover over three industrial sewing machines, while the back wall displays samples that represent a relatively recent departure from the leather community’s all-black ethos of years past: leather in various colors. On an adjacent wall, an inventory of shiny metal rings hangs on white pegboard. The space, like its occupant, is bright and orderly. “I don’t wear leather anymore,” says Glowski, adding that he prefers his best creations instead be worn by his customers. “I live it.” An active player in the St. Louis leather scene since he was 22, Glowski recently turned 54. He believes his communication skills are the main reason he’s considered a pillar of the community. “I can talk to people one on one,” he says. “I explain leather. We talk about styles, what to wear, attitudes.” To aspirants, Glowski provides an education on the leather community’s values, such as silent strength and confidence. “I’m a leather maker and a mentor,” he says. “I build leather men. I take a person under my wing and help him become more a more well-rounded leather man.” He also
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works with apprentices who want to become leather makers, sharing wisdom acquired throughout a career that started with him teaching himself to make leather saddlebags and fender guards. But he does a lot more than talk, teach and observe: He organizes. In 2016 he was one of the founding members of Rudis Men’s Leather Society. The group takes its name from the wooden swords that were given to gladiators when they were granted their freedom. Glowski believes that emphasizing and celebrating freedom is one of the most important ways Rudis differentiates itself from other organizations, many of which still adhere to the tradition of admitting new members on an invitation-only basis. “Rudis is open to anyone who is interested in leather,” he says. “We have a social twice a month where everyone is welcome. Don’t expect kink parties or a dungeon night, but you can learn about events that are all over the country. You can learn about different leather makers. And if you want to learn about a specific activity, we can introduce you to a sir who is an expert.” Glowski is particularly proud that the group doesn’t exclude based on age or gender. “You can be 60 or 85 years old, and if you look hot in leather, you’re welcome to be a
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Thom Glowski operates LDD Leather Works from a basement studio in Botanical Heights.
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LOVE IS
Love
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country and the world with his husband, or attending an arhot daddy and absolutely nobody is going to give a shit ray of leather events, Glowski is a keen observer and cataloger about your age,” he says. In addition, based on a vote of the of details. members, Rudis is open to Cisgender women and non-bina“I ask questions wherever I go,” he says as he recounts the ry and trans people. The emphasis on learning about individual interests rather origin and evolution of what’s known today as the leather community. than a strict adherence to traditional rules and regulations Male leather as a subculture is popularly believed to have clearly strikes a chord — Rudis has 45 active members and almost 700 followers on Facebook. Based on the calls he gets started in the 1940s, as thousands of young men returned from people wanting to launch similar organizations in other from World War II and joined what were then mostly heterosexual motorcycle groups. That first era — or genre, as locations, Glowski considers Rudis a leather incubator. periods in the leather community’s evolution are called — is While Rudis emphasizes welcoming newcomers, the group known as First Guard. Leather got also has four sirs — an earned desits start as a comparatively formal, ignation — in its ranks. rules-based affair; it was a commuMost importantly, Glowski says nity you had to be invited to join, that Rudis does not tolerate disfor example, and its norms dictated crimination on any level. “There’s that leather clothing and gear was not a single mean bone in anyone’s gifted rather than purchased. body,” he says. “If someone rolls Other genres include First Guard, his eyes at what someone is wearNew Guard and New School. Puping, they’re going to hear about it.” pies, thought of by many cultural While the leather scene in genercritics as the new kids on the kink al — and Rudis in particular — is block, are a millennial manifestation evolving, some things remain relaof leather: very few rules, and very tively unchanged. Leather men are mild — if any — power differentials generally not what you’d call cudexist between the pups and their dly, Glowski says. And generally, handlers. “The Old Guard has more they’re alpha males. “That’s changrules around collaring, boys and ing, but gradually,” he notes. sirs, how you wear your Sam A few more traditional members Brown,” Glowski says. “The Pupof the community aren’t down pies are such a young community with Rudis’ freestyle approach to that they’re still working out what leather. Glowski says that some the rules are.” even find fault with the group’s As is the case in many communihome bar, the popular but unasties, the more recent the iteration, suming Bar PM, a cozy, soft-lit esRyan Ellis models a leather shirt. the more liberal. “If you put on a tablishment known for lively drag leather dress and some spiked shows, that’s tucked into the emergboots, lots of traditional leatherman from earlier genres ing mini-gayborhood on South Broadway near Blow Street. would say that’s not even leather,” Glowski says. “Some “I’ve heard some people say that even our setting isn’t aupuppies, on the other hand, would say, ‘Great, here’s a mask thentic, that Bar PM isn’t even a real gay bar,” he says. to add.’” “You’re right. It’s not. It’s not dark and dank and it doesn’t Glowski believes leather has prevailed through times as smell like urine and someone’s not getting fucked in the cordocile as the 1950s and as turbulent as the Vietnam era and ner. It’s 2019, and you can’t do that anymore.” the rise of the AIDS epidemic because it’s centered around Rudis owes its formation in part to one of St. Louis’ legahumankind’s all-time favorite subject: sex. “It’s about sex, cy leather organizations folding, leaving only one group in and it’s about giving and taking power,” Glowski says. “It’s the area — one that left some people feeling as if they often hard to go to your partner and say you want to try weren’t “leather enough” to join. “The people we had in something new.” mind when we formed Rudis were looking for something a Not so in the leather community, where those who want to little lighter, a little more entry level,” Glowski recalls. explore new territory are introduced to a sir who is an expert While the group’s inherent openness gives it a decidedly modern feeling, the roots of Rudis actually run deep. Glowski on whatever the interest happens to be, and that sir then asis an avid historian who has been part of the leather commusumes responsibility for making sure the experience is both nity for more than three decades. Whether teaching himself safe and good. “It’s about relinquishing sexual control,” to create leather wear on his first WalMart-bought sewing ma- Glowski says. “Worlds open. If this were common practice, chine, reading books on the history of leather, traveling the everyone would be a lot happier.”
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As worlds were opening in various ways, somewhere along the line the leather and the kink communities bonded and, as Glowski puts it, “became one. That’s because everyone is at least a little kinky, and the missionary position is boring as shit,” he says. “Everyone has something that’s off the norm that strikes them and gets them a little woody.” The joining of the two groups beneath a banner of kink gave rise to the notorious hanky codes, the sexual emoticons of life before the Internet, which signaled what a person was looking for based on the color of their bandana and its placement in their left or right back pocket. Earrings were also used to convey what was being sought or offered. Glowski believes hanky codes are oversimplified and limiting. “As gay people we categorized our interest, gave it a label and a color and handed it out like Pez candy,” he says. “We should not have done it that.” Glowski believes that once someone is known as a piss queen, for example, that will likely be the only thing people associate him with, which could make exploring new avenues difficult. Glowski has other, more practical reasons for not being a fan of hanky codes. “They’re left and right,” he says, “while your harness, on the other hand, is symmetrical.” Also, hankies are prone to misinterpretation and tend to ruin perfectly good colors. Brown, for example. It is Rudis’ annual event — Hell on Heels — that most epitomizes the group’s passion for redefining leather culture while simultaneously embracing its tradition. Hell on Heels takes place at Bar PM the weekend before the official start of Pride and brings together, on one stage, drag queens in leather and leather men in drag. Not surprisingly, it’s a raucous affair, a festive collision of drinking, performing, charity, the hypermasculinity leather is known for, and fabulous heels. It’s an event that’s also chock full of historical symbolism. When World War II ended in 1945, thousands of veterans returned to the U.S., where many found themselves missing the adrenaline and sense of adventure that combat had provided. More specifically, many were lost without the close bonds and the deep sense of camaraderie they’d experienced with other men during their tour of duty. Queer men in particular simply found it difficult, if not impossible, to return to living with the restrictions imposed by the communities from whence they’d come; the war had given them a taste of the larger world. Some were also likely suffering from PTSD. Many of the young men who had spent life-and-death time in trenches throughout Europe returned home, bought a new motorcycle and promptly hit the road. Eventually, a loose affiliation of road houses and biker bars formed, places that were not initially segregated based on orientation. In
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Rudis member and Mr. Missouri Leather 2018 AJ Gault.
the 1953 film The Wild One, Marlon Brando wore jeans, a t-shirt, a leather jacket and a Muri cap, single-handedly inspiring even more young men to reject mainstream culture, jump on a motorcycle and take up a life on the road. And of course men who migrated to cities instead of back to the farm were liberated to explore the art of female impersonation. “The war ends, now what?” Glowski asks, his already bright blue eyes beaming with the added excitement of a historian who has reached the heart of his matter. “We’re on the road on motorcycles and they’re performing at the bathhouse.” And decades later, for one evening in June, on a small stage on South Broadway, an enthusiastic crowd celebrates a joining of forces that feels very much like a family reunion. To learn more about Rudis, follow the group on Facebook or visit www.rudis-mls.com. Patrick Collins is a freelance writer who lives and writes on the city’s south side. Reach him at pword313@msn.com
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arts
David and His Divas
IN LESS THAN A YEAR OF PAINTING, DAVID RANTZ HAS QUICKLY ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE LGBTQ SCENE’S FAVORITE ARTISTS BY JOSS BARTON
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n a gray drafting table speckled and smudged with blue, orange, red and white paint lays a pencil sketch of a buxom doll in platform heels plucking bubbles from the air. Next to the sketch is artist David Rantz’s newest painting. The details at this stage are few. Her hair is a blonde bouquet of curls, she wears a pair of purple elbow-length gloves and her lips are a blank canvas pout. But the process is what Rantz defines as one of his signature techniques: A Diva’s Eyes. 62
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“I try to get the eyes and the mouth out of the way first because they are the hardest to do,” he explains. “I can make up my own colors and shadowing and that is maybe what attracts me to these divas because I can exaggerate a Cher cheekbone or the shadows on Dolly Parton,” he adds. “I like to keep to icons.” And in true Rantz style, even in this early draft, our bubbly blonde already resembles Amanda Lepore. Like the painting, Rantz’s profile is a work in progress. Now based in a Dutchtown studio, he moved to St. Louis from Southern California thirteen years ago. He came to painting much later. “I was always scared to paint,” says Rantz. As a child, his first medium was colored pencil, and he often sketched and drew replications of his photographer and artist mother’s work. “Growing up, my mom had her own dark room in the garage my dad built,” Rantz says. “I would sit and watch amazed how she could take a photo of a washed-up boat on a beach and do things with chemicals to make it look sepia, and I would take the photos and draw them with pencil and add pastel colors.” A brief detour at graphic design school and a fifteen-year hiatus from the art world led Rantz to St. Louis, where he picked up creative work designing ads and fliers for the burgeoning queer arts scene. Some accounting work and a steady stint at South Grand’s Cheap TRX supported Rantz, but the paintbrush remained untouched until someone asked him for a custom painting last October.
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Right: A David Rantz original. Below: the artist | C O U R T E S Y D A V I D R A N T Z / ART WORK ©D.R AY DESIGNS
An eye for social media and a close relationship with gay bar owners who showcase his pieces has helped fuel his commissions. He laments a drawback to being an in-demand commission artist: telling potential new clients that he has to add them to the bottom of his list and that inventory for any future exhibition will be hard to gather, as his works sell fast. “I still have some say-so over the commissions,” says Rantz. “I have to find something that speaks to me in some way in the painting. I was always drawn to sketching divas and that’s what I get requested most by people.” Rantz’s work is situated squarely in the iconography of queer and gay divas, with paintings of Cher, Elvira, Madonna, Josephine Baker, Ariana Grande, and yes, even local drag legends Jessica Leigh Foster and Maxi Glamour. Looking at each painting, one begins to feel what Rantz describes as the “texture” of a diva. “I sit with an image and I blur my eyes and all these details begin to pop out at me,” says Rantz. “I might see the highlight on the nose or the sparkle on the ear and those become the things I have to paint. I’m inspired by drag queens like Maxi Glamour, and their image just jumps out at me and I want to paint all that wonderful color, or another queen I may want to paint because I feel like I’m doing makeup on a painted version of their face.” The journey to becoming an artist is full of self-discovery. For Rantz, the lessons he has learned in his new medium range from trial and error with different brushes to how to thin out acrylic paints on a canvas. “My best friend is a wet napkin!” says Rantz with a laugh. “Acrylics are so forgiving because if you mess up you can
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just cover it up, but with pencil drawings you can’t do that.” “And I am starting to see other things in paintings I’ve never seen before,” he continues, “so I’m seeing everything in teeth now! Like the color of the gums. I’m still having those revelations and still learning every time I’m doing a painting.” Rantz says he has always called his work Pop art. “But it is also more than that,” he says. “Almost all my paintings are connected to queerness because they are connected to queer icons. They also fall into camp and the campiness of the gay community.” Rantz radiates the irreverence and proud legacy of queer camp. A collage of tattoos adorns his body — Wonder Woman, the doe-eyed fish from Xanadu, and even the words GOLD STAR across his knuckles — even as shelves of Cabbage Patch Kids sit in his studio. He has high hopes for the trajectory of queer art in St. Louis. “There is so much power in St. Louis,” says Rantz. “Artists are becoming more raw because they are being pushed out of their communities. We have such an amazing group of artists who support each other, from painters to burlesque performers to drag queens. They are not scared and they are doing what they do because they love it. Here we support our arts community.”
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THANK YOU
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performers
Meko Lee Burr, Mechee Harper and Spirit Ebony are in vogue.
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Strike a Pose
ST. LOUIS HAS A STORIED BALL SCENE — AND ITS STARS ARE READY TO STRUT THEIR STUFF AT PRIDE
BY CHRIS AND OE P H OTO G R APHY BY TH EO WE LLING |
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t was 2001 when Mechee Harper took her nineteen-year-old friend Meko Lee Burr to Chicago for his first ball. “We ended up taking over a KFC as our dressing room,” Harper recalls. “And the employees were like, ‘Well, alright!’”
The underground, largely black and Latinx LGBTQ ball culture has mostly existed out of mainstream awareness throughout its long history, although Langston Hughes wrote of drag balls as far back as the 1920s. It briefly pierced broader queer consciousness in 1990 with Jennie Livingston’s powerful documentary Paris Is Burning, which explores the highly structured ball competitions in which contestants “walk,” much like fashion models on a runway, and compete, or “battle,” with other performers. That same year, Madonna introduced voguing — the highly stylized dance that evolved out of the ball scene — to the world with her chart-topping hit. Now, the Netflix series Pose, which takes place in the New York ball scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s, has put the culture front and center for a new generation. And we’re all rooting for our favorite “house” to win. Eighteen years after his first ball experience in Chicago, Burr remembers it as a defining moment in his life. “Everyone was costumed and dressed up. It was summer, but there were people in mink coats for one of the categories. Everyone was elegantly going about their business, holding court at their personal tables, but I was ready to turn it up!” Burr says, his face beaming. “The loud house music overtook me and I lost control of myself. I knew some of the fundamentals of voguing and began dancing down the steps, but my family stopped me and told me I wasn’t ready. I knew I couldn’t make
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a mockery of my family. I needed more preparation.” When he returned to St. Louis, Burr began rearranging his life to accommodate that preparation. That included dropping out of Lincoln University, where he’d been studying sociology. “I had to learn everything there was to learn,” Burr says. I first took note of Burr during a rehearsal for Chuck Pfoutz’s Maximum Exposure Fashion Series, which I was writing about. The flamboyant Burr, wearing big dark sunglasses, would escort models down the runway to show them how it was done, swinging his hips side to side. Then he’d stand with the mic and coach them with a seemingly hypnotic chant, saying things like,“Walking the runway. Serving the runway. Walk!” Months later, when I was researching ball culture, I learned not only that St. Louis has a vibrant ball scene going back decades, but that Burr is the voice of it.
FAMILIES & HOUSES At only 22, chiseled model Spirit Ebony has already cemented his reputation as one of the leaders of the younger ballroom generation, traveling the nation and winning battles. Ebony, a native of St. Louis, began walking balls at only fifteen. “My cousin introduced me to the ball scene, promising ‘a whole bunch of gays’ would be there,” he recalls. Since his parents were in jail, and his grandparents worked nights, getting out of the house wasn’t a problem.
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Ebony won the very first ball he walked in, and found a fami- ered true masters of their craft. “They are held at a standard of pure opulence,” says Harper. ly. Today he’s an Instagram celebrity, accumulating nearly Pioneer: At least fifteen years in the ballroom community. 100,000 followers before his last account was pulled owing to And then, there’s The Commentator, who functions in an his penchant for pushing the envelope with racy selfies. After emcee role for events. As Burr puts it, “They are the journalist, all, showmanship is in his blood. the historian, the gatekeeper, the sergeant at arms. They keep “When those real-life parents let you go, you find your drama low by controlling the audience.” queer family,” Ebony says. Of Pose, he says, “Pose nailed Burr was inspired to be a commentator after witnessing the queer families.” That’s true even if, he says, the show conflates legendary Frank Rodeo Revlon during his first Chicago ball in families and houses. 2001, recalling “his charisma and his powerful voice that would “You’re going to eventually love them like your own,” adds make everyone jump …. his chant while voguing. I wanted to Harper, who has “adopted” ten children. hit the runway. I just wanted to get on the floor. I thought, ‘I Sitting at my dining room table, Burr, Harper, and Ebony explain that families and houses are similar, but houses are primar- want to do that.’ He started a fire in me.” The following year, Burr met Revlon during a ball in town. ily about the business of preparing for and competing in ball“He said, ‘A little birdie told me you wantroom categories. They’re typically ed to start emceeing. I’m going to walk and more structured and purpose-driven, have you call me out.’” Revlon told him and often involve a lot of traveling for he’d tap him on the shoulder if Burr events. “woke it up,” letting him know he had Families, by contrast, are about what it took to be a commentator. taking care of one another. Members “I had worked him over, honey,” Burr of a family can belong to different says when describing how his introduchouses. tion whipped up the crowd. “I had “St. Louis is home to several world walked the Big Boy European Runway latrenowned houses,” Harper exer that night — and won. When the event plained. “The Iconic House of Ebowas over, Frank said, ‘I live for you. ny, the Iconic House of Mizrahi, the You’re going to be the voice of St. Louis, House of Xclusive Lanvin, the and whatever you need, call me.’” House of Balmain, the House of Ambrosia…” The three agree that St. Louis is a top-ten ballroom city, after RUNNING THE SHOW New York, Chicago, Detroit and AtOwning the Monocle stage for a photo lanta, and that the talent here comshoot, Ebony is posing on the floor wearpetes in the top tier. Members also ing leather pants, mirrored thigh-high travel to and share expertise with citboots and a netted shirt — showcasing his ies where the culture is less develtight, muscular chest and washboard abs. oped, including Memphis, Kansas His showmanship and his use of the eleMeko Lee Burr works it. ment of surprise are demonstrated when City and Dallas. In Dallas, Burr says, he was the first ball commentator (or he shocks photographer Theo Welling by emcee) in that city’s history. lifting his leg to a 115 degree angle. All of the traveling allows for the element of surprise, which “Holy cow!” Welling exclaims. “Hold that! Hold that! Hold has many advantages. that! Don’t move.” “You’ll go to a city and sit in your car until your category is The camera flashes illuminate Ebony’s face while “Vogue” called,” Harper says. “Someone competing will be relaxed blasts over the speakers. There’s no competition today, no batthinking they don’t have to work too hard, and at the last mintle, but as he strikes a pose, he is absolutely within his element. ute you’ll make an entrance, and everyone is stunned.” Today, these three stars are running the show. Mechee HarpHarper continues, “Ballroom is 90 percent improv. You’re in er directs the St. Louis Awards Gala, and Meko Lee Burr runs a battle with someone who’s 100 percent unpredictable.” the annual event he began in 2002, the My Bloody Valentine Ball, both of which routinely draw more than 300 attendees. STATUS Burr’s event is among the longest-running in the Midwest, and offers an unheard of grand prize of $1,000. “Ballroom is shade. I grew up in shade,” says Harper. The ball And this year, all three will be performing on Pride’s Main scene operates on a hierarchy, with a loose caste system: Stage as the St. Louis Ballroom Collaborative. Statement: Three to five years of consistent performances. Just as Ebony wowed the photographer, he wows competiLegend: Five to ten years. A person who has mastered categotors and spectators from coast to coast, all while proudly repreries, and has been helpful to the community. senting St. Louis. “I love my city.” Icon: Typically ten to fifteen years in the scene, and consid-
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You’re Invited to
A COMEDY WEDDING
dinner theater cruise
The Riverboats at the Gateway Arch request the honor of your presence at the hilariously chaotic marriage of
Dominic & Maria 8:00pm - 10:00pm Select Wednesdays & Fridays July through September
“This 2-hour show includes dinner, views of the St. Louis skyline, and side-splitting laughs!” -Uncle Sal
“Be a part of the action at the funniest comedy wedding of the year!” - Captain Buddy Stinson
Tickets are available at gatewayarch.com or by calling (877)- 982- 1410.
DECKED OUT
DIVAS
Hosted by Jade Sinclair
St. Louis’ Only Floating
Drag Show
$22
PER PERSON
Must be 21
Cash bar and concessions available
Select Friday nights, July - December Board at 8:30pm, Cruise 9pm - 11pm GATEWAYARCH.COM | (877)- 982- 1410
Inquire about private charter options
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It’s WAY better than a photo booth! info@FishEyeFun.com FishEyeFun.com 314-621-8638
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Expert health care. No matter what.
Planned Parenthood is Missouri’s leading provider of sexual health care, from general wellness exams to STD testing and treatment. Each year, thousands of gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals trust us to provide the high quality, non-judgmental care they need to lead healthy lives.
We’ve got you covered - with or without insurance. We accept most health insurance including: Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare and more.
6 locations in the St. Louis metro area – make an appointment by phone or online. www.plannedparenthood.org/stlouis | 1-800-230-PLAN (7526)
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RESOURCE GUIDE
Centers
BIDDLE HOUSE OPPORTUNITIES CENTER 314-802-0700 1212 N 13th St. 63101. Day programs for men who stay CENTER FOR YOUTH ON THE RISE 314-355-2348 12075 Bellefontaine Rd. Spanish Lake 63138 Ages 12 to 19.
COVENANT HOUSE 314-533-2241
2727 North Kingshighway 63113 covenanthousemo.org for youth
EPWORTH’S YOUTH DROP-IN CENTER 314-222-4877
7520 Natural Bridge Rd. Normandy 63121 epworth.org Ages 18-24
PLACES FOR PEOPLE WELCOME CENTER 314-615-2111 4130 Lindell Blvd. 63108 placesforpeople.org
Pride St Louis PRIDE CENTER 314-317-0077 3738 Chouteau Ave 63110 pridestl.org
PRIME TIMERS ST LOUIS 314-467-0445 primetimers.org ST. LOUIS EFFORT FOR AIDS 314-645-6451 2653 Locust St 63103
Clothing & Furniture CONNECTIONS
TO SUCCESS 314-584-6887 2125 Bissell 63107 connectionstosuccess.org
3000 Little Hills Expressway St. Charles 63301 636-940-8027
DREAM CTR 314-381-0700
4324 Margaretta Ave. 63115 stldreamcenter.org
FOCUS GATEWAY CITY 314-776-4205 1901 Ann Avenue 63104
FRIEND OF MOMS BABY BOUTIQUE 314-741-3737
Chapel of the Cross - Lutheran - 11645 Benham Rd. 63136
GIVING GARMENTS OF GRACE givegarments@gmail.com GLAD RAGS 636-940-1221 6 Hawks Nest Plz 63303
GUARDIAN ANGEL/HOSEA HOUSE 314-773-9027 2635 Gravois 63118 www.gasastl.org
HELPING HAND ME DOWNS 314-514-5987
8673 Olive Blvd., University City 63132 helpinghandmedowns.org
ISAIAH 58 MINISTRIES 314-776-1410
2149 S Grand Blvd. 63104 i58ministries.org
ST. LOUIS EMPOWERMENT CENTER 314-652-6100
KAREN HOUSE 314-421-0400
THE SPOT 314-535-0413
KINGDOM HOUSE 314-421-0400
WOMAN’S PLACE 314-645-4848
PAKT COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER 314-524-2710
Disability Services
1908 Olive St. 63103 dbsaempowerment.org
4169 Laclede 63108 thespot.wustl.edu for ages 13-24 8300 Morganford 63123 womansplacestl.org 4116 McClay 63304 St. Charles 636-373-7911
AMERICAN CIVIL
LIBERTIES UNION (ACLU) 314-652-3111
1840 Hogan 63106
1321 S. 11th St. 63104
500 Airport Rd Ferguson 63135 paktcenter.org
ST. AUGUSTINE’S CATHOLIC CHURCH 314-385-1934 1371 Hamilton Ave. 63112 st-augustine-stl.org
ST. JOHN’S COMMUNITY SERVICE MINISTRY 314-533-8668 2240 St. Louis Ave. 63106
ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY RE-ENTRY PROGRAM 314-621-0228 1809 S. 8th St. 63104
906 Olive #1130 63101 aclu-em.org
ST. PATRICK CENTER 314-802-0700
1177 N. Warson Rd. 63132 slarc.org
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH 314-231-9328
7190 Manchester Rd., Maplewood 63143 artistsfirststl.org
URBAN LEAGUE CLOTHING ASSISTANCE 314-615-3654
ARC/St. Louis Arc 314-569-2211 ARTISTS FIRST 314-781-4440
BI-LINGUAL INTL ASSISTANCE SERVICES 314-645-7800 1329 Macklind Ave., Suite 200 63110 bilingualstl.org
BRIDGES COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES 314-781-7900 3114 Sutton Blvd. Maplewood 63143 bridgescss.com
CANTERBURY ENTERPRISES 314-781-3999 7228 Weil Ave. 63119 canterburyinc.org
CITY OF ST. LOUIS stlouis-mo.gov CENTER FOR HEARING AND SPEECH 314-968-4710
9835 Manchester Rd. 63119 hearing-speechstlouis.org
DEAF INC. 314-714-6400
25 East Frisco Avenue Webster Groves, MO 63119 deafinc.org Interpreting Services Voice: 314 968-8868 Toll Free: 888 898-DEAF
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WEBSITE disability.gov INDEPENDENCE CENTER 314-533-4245
4245 Forest Park Ave. 63108 independencecenter.org
PARAQUAD 314-289-4200
5240 Oakland Ave 63110 paraquad.org
MO PROTECTION & ADVOCACY
925 South Country Club Dr., Jefferson City 65109 moadvocacy.org
OPTIONS FOR JUSTICE 314-721-6161
200 South Hanley, Suite 207 Clayton 63105 stldd.org
RAINBOW VILLAGE 314-567-1522
1240 Dautel Ln 63146 rbvstl.org
REHABILITATION SERVICES FOR THE BLIND 800-592-6004 SOCIAL SECURITY WEBSITE www.ssa.gov ST. LOUIS SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND 314-968-9000
Housing - Unhoused 8770 Manchester Rd. 63143 slsbvk.org
ST. LOUIS HELP 314-567-4700
stlhelp.org 314-567-4700
STATE OF MISSOURI DISABILITY PORTAL disability.mo.gov
DOORWAYS --
NEW COOPER HOUSE 314-535-1919
4385 Maryland Ave. 63108 doorwayshousing.org
HOMELESS HOTLINE: 314-802-5444 (VOICE) Toll Free - 1-866-802-7155 Hearing/Speech Imp. - RelayMO 711 or (800) 735-2966 ST. PATRICK CENTER 314-802-0700 800 North Tucker 63101 stpatrickcenter.org BIDDLE HOUSE OPPORTUNITIES CENTER 314-612-1675 1212 N 13th St. 63101
Clothing & Furniture CENTRAL
con't
REFORM CONGREGATION 314-361-3919
5020 Waterman 63108 - Clothing and food pantry
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800 N. Tucker Blvd. 63101 stpatrickcenter.org
Food Pantries (by zip code) 1408 South 10th St. 63104
935 Vandeventer Ave. 63108 314-615-3600 (City) 8960 Jennings Station Rd. 63136 314-388-9840 (County)
WAYMAN AME CHURCH 314-361-4123
5010 Cabanne Ave. St. 63113 waymanamestl.org
EMERGENCY FOOD STAMPS/SNAP 855-373-4636 3101 Chouteau 63103 314-256-7000 dss.mo.gov/fsd/fstamp 4411 N Newstead Ave., 3rd Floor 63115 OPERATION FOOD SEARCH 314-726-5355 MEALS ON WHEELS 314-612-5918 mowaa.org wicprograms.org United Way 2-1-1. BIDDLE HOUSE OPPORTUNITIES CENTER 314-802-0700 1212 N 13th St. 63101 ST. PATRICK’S CENTER 314-802-0700 800 N. Tucker 63101 CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL 314-231-3454 1210 Locust St 63101 FATHER DEMPSEY’S HOME 314-535-7221 3427 Washington 63101 CHAPEL FOR THE EXCEPTIONAL 314-776-7172 3436 Winnebago 63118 FOCUS GATEWAY CITY 314-776-4205 1901 Ann Avenue 63104 GUARDIAN ANGEL/HOSEA HOUSE 314-773-9027 2635 Gravois 63118 gasastl.org ISAIAH 58 MINISTRIES 314-776-1410 2149 South Grand 63104 KINGDOM HOUSE CITY HARVEST MARKET 314-421-0400 1321 S. 11th St. 63104 kingdomhouse.org SOUP ALLEY/TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH 314-231-4092 812 Soulard Ave 63104 SAINTS PETER AND PAUL CATHOLIC CHURCH 314-231-9923 816 Allen St. 63104 ppcsinc.org ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CATHOLIC CHURCH 314-231-9328 1408 S. 10th Street 63104 GATEWAY 180 314-231-1515 1000 North 19th 63106 St. gateway180.org KAREN HOUSE 314-621-4052 1840 Hogan 63106 karenhousecw.org PEOPLE’S CENTER 314-269-5210 2012 Martin Luther King Dr. 63106 pcacstl.org ST. JOHN’S COMMUNITY SERVICE MINISTRY 314-533-8668 2240 St. Louis Ave. 63106
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RESOURCE GUIDE
Food Pantries (con't by zip code)
TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH 314-361-4655 600 North Euclid Ave. 63108 314-361-4655 PILGRIM CONG. / UCHURCH OF CHRIST 314-367-8173 826 N. Union 63108 PEOPLE’S CENTER SOUTH CITY 314-353-1457 6827 S. Broadway 63111 pcacstl.org ST. TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH 314-353-3276 517 Koeln Ave. 63111 PEOPLE’S CENTER COOK ELEM. SCHOOL 314-862-6270 5935 Horton Pl. 63112 pcacstl.org ST. AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC CHURCH 314-385-1934 1371 Hamilton Ave. 63112 fatherbobsoutreach.com WEST SIDE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 314-535-9002 4675 Page Boulevard 63113 WAYMAN AME CHURCH 314-361-4123 5010 Cabanne Ave. St. 63113 waymanamestl.org ST. LOUIS DREAM CENTER 314-381-0700 4324 Margaretta Ave. 63115 stldreamcenter.org KOSSUTH CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST 314-652-4163 3225 North Taylor Ave. 63115 ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH 314-367-2314 5010 Terry Ave. 63115 ST. ANTHONY of PADUA CHURCH 314-352-1460 3140 Meramec St. 63118 WEBSTER-ROCK HILL MINISTRIES 314-961-5082 111 Waymire Ave. 63119 PEOPLE’S NORTH CITY & WELLSTON (PCAC) 314-862-6270 5868 West Florissant 63120 pcacstl.org FEED MY PEOPLE 314-631-4900 171 Kingston Dr. 63125 HARVEY KORNBLUM JEWISH FOOD PANTRY 314-993-1000 10601 Baur Blvd. 63132 jfcs-stl.org PAKT Community Resource Center 314-524-2710 500 Airport Rd. 63135 paktcenter.org ST. STEPHEN’S FOOD PANTRY 314-521-0138 33 N Clay Ave. 63135 PROJECT DOWNTOWN SAINT LOUIS 6809 W Florissant Ave. 63136 pdstl.org
URBAN LEAGUE ST. LOUIS COUNTY 314-388-9840 8960 Jennings Station Rd. 63136
TEAM FOOD PANTRY 314-831-0879
265 St. Catherine Florissant 63031 teamfoodpantry.com
Legal
LOAVES AND FISHES 314-291-3857
2750 McKelvey Rd. 63043 Maryland Hts loavesandfishes-stl.org
FEED MY PEOPLE 636-677-9885
3295 Ottomeyer Rd. 63049
CIRCLE OF CONCERN 636-861-2623
112 St. Louis Ave. 63088 circleofconcern.org
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION (ACLU) 314-652-3111 906 Olive St. #1130 63101 aclu-em.org ARCH CITY DEFENDERS 314-361-8834 440 N. 4th Street, Suite 390 63102 archcitydefenders.org ATTORNEY GENERAL MISSOURI ago.mo.gov Victims: okbemad.org CATHOLIC LEGAL ASSISTANCE MINISTRY (CLAM) 314-977-3993 100 N. Tucker Blvd., Suite 726 63101 314-977-3993 CIRCUIT ATTORNEY’S OFFICES St. Louis City: 314-622-4373 St. Louis County: 314-615-4872 St. Charles County: 636-949-7370 CREA: City of STL Civil Rights Enforcement Agy. 314-622-3301 1114 Market Street #626 CRIME VICTIMS ADVOCACY CENTER 314-652-3623 539 North Grand Blvd., Suite 400 63103 EHOC Metro St. Louis Equal Housing and Opp Cncl 314-534-5800 1027 S. Vandeventer Ave., 6th Floor 63110 ehocstl.org FATHERS SUPPORT CENTER 314-333-4170 4411 N Newstead Ave. 63115 fatherssupportcenter.org FEDERAL BONDING PROGRAM 573-526-8217 421 East Dunklin St., Po Box 1087 Jefferson City 65102 JAIL DIVERSION PROGRAM STL 314-621-5848 LAMDA LEGAL www.lambdalegal.org LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICE 314-621-6681 bamsl.org LEGAL AID (Legal Services of Eastern Missouri) 314-534-4200 4232 Forest Park 63108 lsem.org
LEGAL ADVOCATES ABUSED WOMEN 314-664-6699 laawstl.org LEGAL SERVICES OF MO lsmo.org legalmatch.com MISSOURI COURTS courts.mo.gov
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Legal (con't)
MACARTHUR JUSTICE CENTER 314-254-8540
3115 South Grand Blvd. Suite 300 63118 macarthurjustice.org
NEW COVENANT LEGAL SERVICES 314-726-6489
4236 Lindell Blvd, Suite 201 63108 newcovenantlegalservices.org
PUBLIC DEFENDER, CITY 314-340-7625
1114 Market St. 63101 314-340-7625
PUBLIC DEFENDER, COUNTY 314-615-4778 100 S Central Ave. Clayton 63105
ST. CHARLES VICTIM OF CRIME ASSISTANCE 636-949-7370 ST. LOUIS COUNTY FAMILY COURT PROJECT 314-615-4502 501 S. Brentwood Blvd. 63105 ST. FRANCIS COMMUNITY SERVICES 314-773-6100 4222 Delor St. 63116 sfcsstl.org TRANS LAW HELP
Parents / Families translawhelp.org
UPCOUNSEL www.upcounsel.com
BETTER FAMILY LIFE 314-367-3440
5415 Page Blvd. 63112 betterfamilylife.org
CHILD SUPPORT HOTLINE 800-859-7999 EMPLOYMENT CONNECTION 314-333-5627
2838 Market Street 63103 employmentstl.org
FATHERS SUPPORT CENTER 314-333-4170
4411 N. Newstead 63115 fatherssupportcenter.org
HISET HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY TEST (GED) 855-694-4738 hiset.ets.org JUSTINE PETERSEN 314-533-2411 (Credit)
Violence / Domestic Help 1023 North Grand Blvd 63106 929 North 15th St, East St. Louis, IL 62205 justinepetersen.org
NATIONAL FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE www.fatherhood.org
PARENTS’ FAIR SHARE 800-859-7999 PARENT LINK 800-552-8522 En Español: 888-460-0008 www.parentlink.missouri.edu
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE National Hotline
800-799-SAFE (7233)or (TTY) 1-800-787-3224
ALIVE Alternatives Living in Violent Env. (Stl) 314-993-2777 BRIDGEWAY Women’s Center (St. Charles) 877-946-6854 HUMAN TRAFFICKING RESOURCE CENTER 888-373-7888 LEGAL ADVOCATES FOR ABUSED WOMEN 314-652-3623 SAFE AT HOME 866-509-1409 MoSafeAtHome.com SAFE CONNECTIONS 314-531-2003 safeconnections.org SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE 800-656-4673 ST. MARTHA’S HALL 314-533-1313 TERRY ROBERTSON CENTER (Troy) 877-462-1758 TURNING POINT 888-873-7233 turningpointdvs.com YWCA St. Louis Regional Sexual Assault Ctr 314-531-7273 WOMENS LAW www.womenslaw.org WOMEN’S SAFE HOUSE 314-772-4535 twsh.org
Youth Services
NATIONAL PREVENTION LIFELINE 800-273-8255 1800runaway.org Text START or GO to 741741 crisistextline.org
NATIONAL RUNAWAY SAFELINE 800-786-2929 1800runaway.org YOUTH CONNECTION HOTLINE (24/7) 877-928-2929 314-628-2929 ALTERNATIVE BEHAVIORAL CARE 636-477-6111 255 Spencer Rd Ste 101 63376 alternativebehavioralcare.com
ANNIE MALONE Children Family Service CTR 314-531-0120 2612 Annie Malone Dr. 63113 anniemalone.com
B-WORKS 314-827-6640
2414 Menard St. 63104 bworks.org
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS 314-361-5900 bbbsemo.org
501 N. Grand Blvd., Suite 100 63103 St. Charles: 1236 Jungermann Rd., Ste G 63376 636-939-2227
BJC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 314-729-4004
1430 Olive St., Suite 400 63103 bjcbehavioralhealth.org
CAP4KIDS (Children’s Advocacy Project) www.cap4kids.org CENTER FOR YOUTH ON THE RISE 314-355-2348 12075 Bellefontaine Rd. Spanish Lake 63138
CHADS COALITION (for Mental Health) 314-952-2046 421 Union Rd 63129 chadscoalition.org
COMMUNITY WOMEN AGAINST HARDSHIP 314-289-7523 3963 West Belle Place 63112 cwah.org 314-289-7523
COVENANT HOUSE 314-533-2241
2727 North Kingshighway 63113 covenanthousemo.org
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Youth Services (con't)
DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON CHARITABLE FOUND. 314-367-4141 724 N. Union 63108 djcfgivesback.org
EPWORTH’S YOUTH DROP-IN CTR 314-222-4877 7520 Natural Bridge Rd. Normandy 63121 epworth.org GLBT National Youth Talk 800-246-7743 GROWING AMERICAN YOUTH 314-669-5428 Trinity Church 600 N. Euclid 63108 growingamericanyouth.org JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN SERVICES 314-993-1000 10950 Schuetz Rd. 63146 jfcs-stl.org KIDS UNDER TWENTY ONE LIFELINE (KUTO) 314-644-5886 KINGDOM HOUSE 314-421-0400 1321 South 11th St. 63104 kingdomhouse.org MARYGROVE 314-830-6201 2705 Mullanphy Ln. 63031 marygrovechildren.org METRO TRANS UMBRELLA GROUP (MTUG) 438 N Skinker Blvd 63130 stlmetrotrans.com
MOTHERS WAY CAREER COUNSELING 314-561-8507 4134 Seven Hills Dr 63033 motherswaycc.com PROJECT ARK 314-535-7275
RESOURCE GUIDE
Online Additional Resources
Anti-Bullying Help • stopbullying.gov • thetrevorproject.org/get-help-now • itgetsbetter.org Sexual Assault/Discrimination and the LGBTQ+ Community • eeoc.gov/laws/types/sex.cfm • gladd.org • hrc.org LGBTQ+-Supportive Health Care Providers • glma.org • hrc.org/hei/about-the-hei • americanprogress.org Other Great Resrources • thetaskforce.org • sageusa.org • transgenderlawcenter.org • pflag.org
4169 Laclede Ave 63108 projectark.wustl.edu
SAFE CONNECTIONS 314-531-2003 2165 Hampton Ave 63139
CST CHARLES PFLAG 636-928-5639 STL COUNTY YOUTH CONNECTION HELPLINE 314-628-2929 THE SPOT (FOR AGES 13-24) 314-535-0413 4169 Laclede Ave. 63108 thespot.wustl.edu THE SPOT (for ages 13-24) 314-535-0413 4169 Laclede 63108 thespot.wustl.edu/
TREVOR PROJECT 866-488-7386 trevorproject.org YOUTH AND FAMILY CENTER 314-231-1147 818 Cass Ave. 63106 YOUTH IN NEED 24 HOUR 636-946-3771 youthinneed.org St. Louis County 314-628-2929 St. Charles County 636-642-0642 St. Louis City 636-946-3771
Additional Listings and Resources Online at:
PrideSTL.org
To be included and update a listing: compliance@pridestl.org Special Thanks in Assembling This Guide: Heartland Zen Maryville University Transgender Law Center Southern Poverty Law Center
P roviding vital nutrtion services to people living with H I V / A I D S or cancer MAK E A DIFFE R E N C E . MAK E A DON AT ION V IS IT W W W .FOODOU T R E AC H .OR G O R C A L L 3 14 - 6 5 2 - 3 6 6 3 F O R I N F O
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2019 4 Runner
ALL NEW
New 2019 Corolla LE
REDESIGNED 2019 RAV 4 NEW 2019 Camry
2019 Highlander
2020 HAMPTON AVE.
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THE LIGHTING OF THE CIVIL COURTS BUILDING 2019 POWERED BY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE
PHOTO BY 76
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INSTALLED BY
PRIDE GUIDE 2019/OUT IN STL
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Honors LGBT in the Military • MARINE CORPS • COAST GUARD • AIR FORCE • ARMY • NAVY •
military events at pridefest 2019 SUN., JUNE 30, 2019 - 12 P.M. MARCH WITH THE MILITARY COMPONENT OF PRIDE PARADE
*LIMITED TO ACTIVE DUTY, GUARD, RESERVE AND VETERANS.
CONTACT: PRIDECENTER (314) 500-1260 MILITARY ELEMENT SPONSORED BY:
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COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS
THE JIM HOEFER AWARD The Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Saint Louis The Jim Hoefer Award is presented to an organization that best exemplifies what it means to serve St. Louis’ LGBTQIA+ Community.
THE FELTON T. DAY AWARD Aaron Finnegan The Felton T. Day Community Service Award is presented to a person — not associated with Pride St. Louis — whose service to the LGBTQIA+ community has gone above and beyond, exemplifying the spirit of leadership and service in one’s community.
FOUNDED IN OCTOBER 1972, THE METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY Church of Greater Saint Louis is the Gateway City’s first and premiere LGBTQIA+ spiritual community. Indeed, the 200+ member congregation is the church of firsts: The first church to welcome sexual and gender minorities, the first church to offer Holy Unions , the first church to legally marry a same-sex couple in Missouri, and the first church to have all of the following types of leaders: gay, lesbian, trans, poly, and gender non-conforming. MCCGSL’s Christian-based ministry boasts a progressive theology that makes space for people of all religious backgrounds. Each week, their worship service includes the admonition, “Come as you are, believing as you do.” Because of the church’s decidedly LGBTQIA+ lens, MCCGSL is home to a deep understanding of Queer Theology, the intersections of sexuality and spirituality, and an open a itude toward all the diversities that exist within our community. MCCGSL’s award-winning choir, with its unique blend of progressive lyrics, gospel-stylings, and decidedly soulful sound, performs regularly around the region. The church has housed and supported countless other non-profits, LGBTQIA+ groups, and social justice causes in its 46 years. When other churches a ack LGBTQIA+ folk, MCCGSL and their clergy are always there to take a stand. The church recently sold their Soulard building to move into shared space at 7423 Michigan Ave. in South City to be er focus their energy and resources on people and ministry. MCCGSL’s Lead Pastor, Rev. Wes Mullins, offers Sunday Services at 11 a.m. and they have tons of programs and groups meeting all year round. AARON FINNEGAN JOINED THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQIA+ civil rights organization, as a volunteer in 2014. He has served in various leadership roles and is currently one of the Governors of HRC St. Louis and member of the national executive board. Through HRC, Aaron has partnered with numerous local organizations to help spread awareness and grow support for myriad issues pertinent to the LGBTQIA+ community. He has helped raise the capital necessary to fund our fight at the federal level, engaged in pro-equality candidate campaigns and has lobbied Capitol Hill for the federal Equality Act. In 2019 and 2020, Aaron will be the co-chair of the annual HRC Gala, one of the largest LGBTQIA+ fundraising events hosted in St. Louis. A native of Eureka, Mo., Aaron is a Leader at Edward Jones and is currently the chair of the firm’s LGBT+ and Ally Business Resource Group. The Mizzou grad helped his firm progress from a 10% score on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index to a now perfect 100% score, and designation as one of the ‘Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality’ for 3 years running. Aaron now helps leaders from other local companies advance their organization’s practices and policies pertinent to LGBTQIA+ workers to help foster a more inclusive, diverse and equitable corporate environment. In 2018, Aaron was recognized as one of St. Louis Business Journal’s 30 Under 30 recipients for his work and success in progressing LGBTQIA+ equality within the St. Louis corporate community.
Colin Lovett | #Boom Magazine
"Powered by #Boom Magazine"
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ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. We see the world in full color. Inclusion takes us to new heights, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re excited to fly higher together. Boeing is proud to stand with the LGBTQ community and build a future where everyone can soar.
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COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS
THE CHUCK CHARLESTON AWARD Chad Fox/Victoria Rose The Chuck Charleston Award is presented to a former member of Pride St. Louis who has dedicated themselves and extraordinary amount of energy to ensuring that the Pride movement is further strengthened through their work both in the community and certainly on behalf of Pride St. Louis.
CHAD FOX IS NO STRANGER TO THE ST. LOUIS LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY. A powerful and strong-willed man, Chad has dedicated close to three decades of his life fighting for those like himself and all others society has historically dismissed as second class. In doing so he has become synonymous with strength, perseverance, and sacrifice. Always striving toward a better future, Chad has devoted his time, sweat, energy, money, and yes, sometimes blood to achieving that end. Over the past 30 years Chad has stood side-by-side supporting his community as Pride St. Louis President, Pride St. Louis Vice President, Queen of Pride, and to this day continues volunteering, guiding, and shaping the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work for a better tomorrow. As a performer, Chadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s persona of Victoria Rose has been a powerhouse entertainer and fundraiser helping to break down the stigma and social norms society has placed on our community. As Co-Owner of Rehab Bar and Grill in the Grove, Chad is only gaining momentum, and always giving back to the community year after year. Chad and Rehab have grown to be an indispensible family to all, promoting a safe, welcoming, all-inclusive environment not only for the LGBTQIA+ community, but for our straight allies as well.
"Powered by #Boom Magazine" Colin Lovett | #Boom Magazine
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910 west port PL A Z A drive • saint l o u i s, m O • 3 1 4 .54 8 .2876 • W E ST P O RT SO CI AL - ST L .CO M
CATCH UP ON THAT WITH THISSERVES MAKING GREAT
MAKING GREAT SERVES
w estport PL A Z A d r i ve • saint loui s, mi ss o uri • 3 14.548 .2876 • WES TPO RTS O C IAL - S T L . C O M 82
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LUNCH
DINNER
HAPPY HOUR
S U N DAY B R U N C H
.........
MODERN RUSTIC FARE .........
CRAFT COCK TAILS
SMALL PL ATES
BOUNDARY-STL.COM 7 0 3 6 C L AY TO N AV E N U E
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314.932.7818
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Proud Partner for 20 Years.
A portion of every Pride Bottle sold will be donated to GLAAD. ENJOY RESPONSIBLY © 2019 Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light® Beer, St. Louis, MO
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PRIDE G U I D E 2Bud 0 Light 19/OUT IN S T L Job#o 309255 u t i n s t l . cCreative o m Job# XXXXXX Anheuser-Busch: Production Project Name: Trim Size:
BL - Pride - GLAAD 7.125" x 9.25"
Item Number: PBL2019020 Date/Round:
BJC is a proud supporter of the PRIDE community.
Health care knows no race, orientation, class, color, gender or creed. At BJC HealthCare, we believe in the power of what we can achieve through our diverse perspectives, experiences and talents. We unite in improving health for patients and communities. Every one of our 31,000 team members across BJC â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from the office to the bedside â&#x20AC;&#x201D; helps to make a difference for patients, families and our communities. At BJC, we choose to make medicine better, every day. Join us.
APPLY TODAY!
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Equal Opportunity Employer
CS328588_5/19
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PRIDE GUIDE 2019/OUT IN STL
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Supports Pride Center, Scholarships, Outreach, Education & Festival
PrideFest 2019 is Presented By
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PRIDE GUIDE 2019/OUT IN STL
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MINI blazed a trail from the start. With wheels pushed to the corners and a transverse engine for surprisingly generous interior space and tight handling, each MINI is truly distinct. Whether you choose the iconic MINI Hardtop, the sporty MINI Convertible, the sophisticated MINI Clubman or the adventurous MINI Countryman Sports Activity Vehicle, you�ll discover exhilarating performance, premium features and unique accessories that express your personal style. Check out the MINI family today at MINI of St. Louis and experience the difference. #MINIPRIDE
MINI OF ST. LOUIS
40 SUNNEN DRIVE ST. LOUIS, MO 63143-3800
314-644-6464 MINIOFSTLOUIS.COM
Bayer: Respecting
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