AUTUMN 2018 I VOLUME 2 I ISSUE 1
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BERNIE LEE BOWLS US OVER | STL’S BEST GAYBORHOODS | BEAR ESSENTIALS
where we live
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A magazine exploring and celebrating the LGBTQ community in St. Louis Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Chris Andoe E D I T O R I A L Associate Editor Melissa Meinzer Director of Social Media Jolene Gosha Contributing Writers Eric Berger, Seán Collins, Patrick Collins, Charles Reagan, Melinda Cooper, Dera Luce, Melissa Meinzer, K. Templeton, Cami Thomas, Monica Mileur, Ben Westhoff Editor at Large Sarah Fenske
A R T Art Director Evan Sult Contributing Photographers Theo Welling, Susan Bennet,
THEO WELLING
Lindy Drew, Monica Mileur, Sharon Knotts, Jess Luther, Sara Bannoura
P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Jack Beil M U LT I M E D I A A D V E R T I S I N G Sales Director Colin Bell Senior Account Executive Cathleen Criswell, Erica Kenney Account Managers Emily Fear, Jennifer Samuel Multimedia Account Executive Michael Gaines, Jackie Mundy Event Coordinator Grace Richard C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Kevin G. Powers E U C L I D M E D I A G R O U P Chief Executive Officer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner Human Resources Director Lisa Beilstein VP of Digital Services Stacy Volhein Creative Director Tom Carlson www.euclidmediagroup.com N A T I O N A L A D V E R T I S I N G VMG Advertising 1-888-278-9866, www.voicemediagroup.com
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR:
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CHRIS ANDOE
LIKE PLACES with character. In the late ‘90s I rented a sprawling, drafty flat below the neighborhood drug dealer because I loved the stained glass and mahogany woodwork. So when I found myself living in a soulless and crushingly expensive apartment in the Bay Area from 2012 to 2013—in a building where it was pointless to befriend neighbors because it was little more than an extended-stay hotel—I was miserable. I missed many things about St. Louis during that time, but high on the list were its interesting neighborhoods and their colorful, deeply rooted inhabitants. We wanted to know which neighborhoods you loved, so we set up a poll. Your choices helped form this issue’s cover story, Where We Live. Along with that, Associate Editor Melissa Meinzer profiles Aurora Schmidt, a south-city seamstress who’s made it her mission to serve the St. Louis queer and trans community from her sewing machine. K. Templeton introduces us to Bernie Lee’s new restaurant, HIRO Poké Co., and fills us in on the Halloween-themed street fair organized by Bar: PM, Boo on Broadway. And it’s bear season in St. Louis — Patrick Collins takes us inside the Show Me Bears as they celebrate 25 years and prepare for the annual Hibearnation, which draws attendees from around the world. We’re excited to welcome Jolene Gosha to Out in STL as director of social media, and want to give a shout out to photographer Theo Welling and Art Director Evan Sult for the sensational cover. The models are trans writer and artist Joss Barton and Chuck Pfoutz Presents model Terrence Stokes. Special thanks to Diane Baklor at Remember Me Vintage & Costumes for use of the window, which is known as “The Emperor’s Opera Box” during Mardi Gras. The people and the places of LGBTQ St. Louis have character. Our goal is to celebrate that.
The entire contents of Out in STL are copyright 2017 by Out in STL, LLC. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the expressed written permission of the Publisher, Out in STL, 308 N. 21st Street, Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63103. Please call the Out in STL office for back-issue information, 314-754-5966.
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Fashion
Audra Schmidt’s tailoring allows comfortable, stylish fits for bodies that may not follow the usual mold.
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Getting It Just Right AURORA SCHMIDT’S CALLING: QUEER, TRANS AND NONBINARY-FRIENDLY TAILORING BY MELISSA MEINZER / PHOTO G RAPHED BY VIRG INIA HAROLD
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t’s hard to get a suit to fit just so. But if the person wearing the suit happens to have been born in a body that includes broad hips, narrow shoulders or breasts, then the question of tailoring brings a whole new set of problems. Can the tailor handle the customer’s request without overt bigotry — or even a subtle side-eye?
The answer is yes, if the tailor is Aurora Schmidt, a radical queer south-city lady who’s made it her mission to serve St. Louis from behind her sewing machine. She’s a highly trained seamstress who left behind the world of pricey alterations for bridezillas in favor of her own beloved community. Even as a cisgender and “super-femme” presenting woman, Schmidt, 29, says she’s encountered discomfort at fittings. Her unshorn legs and armpits can lead to disdain, she says, though it pales in comparison to what can happen to transgender and nonbinary people, or people of color. So she decided to be the option she wanted: Block Garment Alterations and Design (blockstl.com). “Just being nice isn’t enough,” Schmidt says. “It is fucking political! If you’re not standing up and saying something and supporting people, you’re harming them.” In addition to spelling out very clearly on her website and social media channels that she is queer-friendly, Schmidt charges on a social-justice-motivated sliding scale, with prices
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that favor trans and femme folks and people of color. Schmidt had sewed for years out of her apartment, getting business through word of mouth, but she’s recently moved into a space in Cherokee Street’s House of Eight Legs (2714 Cherokee Street). Business is booming — Schmidt met with OISTL on a beautiful evening at Whiskey Ring’s patio the day after she had seven fittings. For her, it’s as much outreach as it is a business. “I like sewing, but I like meeting other queer people, being part of something that lets people feel like themselves,” she says. “It’s hard to find a tailor who will treat you like a human being. There’s so much hostility toward queer people.” One of her customers, 26-year-old Jes Stevens, could have gone the traditional tailoring route if he wanted.
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“I’m, for lack of a better term, someone who passes very well,” says Stevens, who has been taking clothes to Schmidt since July. Even before transitioning, feminine clothing never held any appeal. “I probably would have no issues going to a tailor — hemming pants isn’t very expensive and doesn’t need to get into areas of concern for a trans-identified individual.” Stevens had been asking his grandma for hemming help, or just dealing with too-long pants. But, he says, he decided to upgrade after getting a professional job, and it was important to be able to support someone actively affirming to queer clientele. “When I started transitioning, clothes were really a way to express my own individual style that I never really had prior
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Schmidt, upper left, with customers Xóchitl Plancarte (lower left), Tanjanyika Gandy (center) and Joss Barton (right).
to that,” Stevens says. “Feeling at home not only in my body, but in the clothes I put on top of my body, really affirms that.” Jack Mazzoccoli, 23, found his way to Schmidt through Instagram. “She was focusing on trans and non-binary bodies and how they are different,” Mazzoccoli says. “They make ‘big and tall’ but they don’t really make ‘short and stout.’” He hired Schmidt to alter a formal outfit for him, and now it fits perfectly. “She’s part of the community in her own way. That takes all the fear off the table — I know I’m not going to be judged,” says Mazzoccoli. “I’m in a trans-masculine group and I let the guys know, ‘This person is specializing in our
bodies.’” Alyson Thompson, 27, got a great vintage ‘90s shirt from her sister for Christmas. It was cool, but the fit was awkward. Schmidt altered the piece into one that makes Thompson feel fully confident, with shortened sleeves and a gusset added to the waist. Thompson, who identifies as black and mixed race, queer and a cisgender woman, finds Schmidt’s commitment to serving her community — both at the sewing machine and the cash register — crucial. “You’re not just bringing and item of clothing, you’re bringing your body,” says Thompson. “They’re interacting with your body. I want to know that person loves that body.”
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Poké? OK! MEET BERNIE LEE, THE HIRO WHO BROUGHT POKÉ TO ST. LOUIS BY K . T EM PLE TON
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estaurateur Bernie Lee now owns two of downtown’s hottest dining concepts. Hiro Asian Kitchen, which has been successfully promoting hyper-local ingredients and Southeast Asian cuisine on Washington Avenue for more than five years, is now joined by Hiro Poké Co., the ultimate build-your-own bowl addition to the downtown business lunch scene. An outsider who’s made good in a famously insular city, Lee’s story is one of determination. Lee moved to the United States twenty years ago from his native Malaysia. His grandparents fled the Chinese Civil War to move there as refugees in the 1940s, and Lee was born to first-generation Malaysian-Chinese. It is from the root of this rich culture that Lee pulls his culinary inspiration. “My mom, childhood memories, my travels, experiencing unknown talented chefs from all backgrounds... They are my inspiration for the experience I strive for,” Lee explains. Young and as yet unaware of his culinary talents, Lee came to St. Louis seeking both higher education and new cultural experiences. He spoke six languages, but English wasn’t yet among them. The language barrier led to criticism and bullying from college classmates. Undeterred, Lee took a job as a busboy at a locally owned restaurant in Kirkwood. What started as a way to make extra money while in school quickly led to a life-changing realization; Lee was passionate about providing a great dining experience. Moreover, he was damn good at it. Upon graduating from the University of Missouri-St. Louis
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in 2000, Lee found himself submerged in the food industry and loving it. But it was actually a negative customer-service experience, one that involved being publicly humiliated in a local bar, that sparked his desire to open a space of his own. Lee became determined to create a space that was welcoming, unique and top tier in all areas of customer service. In 2003, he got his chance, opening 609, St. Louis’ first Asian fusion restaurant and lounge. He was just 27 years old. Located in the Delmar Loop, 609 introduced a new style of dining to the St. Louis food scene. “Alone here in the Midwest, no family for support, it was really hard for people in Bernie Lee, who came to the the community to understand U.S. from Malaysia , has made what I was doing,” he recalls. “I his name as a restaurateur. | JANET PARK was offering food from a different culture and was an unknown in the food scene, too young to be respected... I didn’t give up, though. I pushed the boundaries in all directions. In a ‘tight concepts’ community, that was like playing with fire!”
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Hiro Poke Co. offers build-yourown poké bowls. | B E R N I E L E E
Determined to perfect his craft and certain he was onto something, Lee took everything he learned and focused on his heart, his passion and his home. In 2013 Lee closed 609 and opened Hiro, a more elevated concept that offered a culturally rich reflection of his home country. “So many people were expecting me to fail in a short time. I just kept telling myself, ‘Do it for my culture, do it for my ego!’ If I would have failed, at least I tried; if I made it, I would always have a fun story to tell later in life,” he says. Through that determination and the encouragement of Lee’s friends and other local restaurateurs, Hiro quickly established itself as a downtown mainstay. Lee firmly believes that St. Louis’ local restaurateurs are a community, not competition. They are helping invigorate the area, he says, leaving their individual marks in a collective effort to enrich our city. “It’s not an easy business to be in,” he says. “Everyone contributes to make unique experiences that make people happy and satisfy their needs. They make contributions to our rich community and educate our society about their cultures and visions. St. Louis is one of the best food cities in the country. Our food scene has been progressively
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growing up, all thanks to everyone’s collective efforts. A thousand thanks to all chefs, back-of-house kitchen staffs, service-industry folks and bartenders.” And Lee continues to do his part. His newest culinary project, Hiro Poké Co., opened downtown in the Metropolitan Square Building at Broadway and Olive this summer. While other local poké bowl spots beat his opening by a few months, it was the always-innovative Lee who had initially introduced the city to poké at Hiro Asian Kitchen. He later noticed the trend popping up in other major cities and knew it was time to bring it back to St. Louis, this time with a dedicated space of its own. Lee’s next goal is to open multiple poké spots. These, he says, won’t be lunch spots but rather fine dining in the vein of Hiro: ultra-chic, contemporary Asian boutique eateries serving fine wines and Asian-inspired craft cocktails. “If you believe, you can deliver,” he vows. “If you don’t believe, there’s no point. You have to trust yourself. You have to believe in your culture.” Lee lives by this. And at Hiro Poké Co., he’s again putting it in action.
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Where the Bears Are
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AFTER A QUARTER-CENTURY, THE SHOW ME BEARS ARE STRONGER — IF NOT NECESSARILY HAIRIER — THAN EVER
BY PATRICK C OLLINS
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wenty-five years ago, when the Show Me Bears first became an official organization, the moniker conjured forth images of big guys who proudly sported beer bellies, beards and lots of body hair.
In the early 1990s, when gays in the military would have been an off-the-charts hashtag had hashtags existed, there was something intriguingly subversive about the bears. Rather than assimilate, they retained an aura of raw, unapologetic sexuality — gathering, for example, not in bars or clubs but in dens. For those of us who weren’t part of the scene, it was easy to imagine bear dens as dimly lit sanctuaries that smelled like sweat and cigar smoke, places where manly things happened. Today, a quarter of a cenChase Mosley, left, and Jesse tury later, the definition of E. Jackson revel in a Show Me bear, like many things in the Bears event at JJ’s Clubhouse. | ROBERT KIECHLIN realm of queer, is much more open to interpretation. “There is a big bear spectrum,” says Joey Franks. He would know; in many ways Franks personifies the queer world’s transcendence of labels. He identifies as bisexual, he’s not particularly bearish in a physical sense and he was just three years old when the Show Me Bears became an official organization. Yet Franks began volunteering with the group shortly after a job transfer brought him to St. Louis from California in 2015. This year, he’s chairing the group’s biggest event, Hibearnation, a four-day social extravaganza year that kicks
off November 1 at the Holiday Inn in downtown St. Louis. The festival is now in its 24th year. Although he’s sometimes referred to as a cub, Franks says he doesn’t think he’s quite stocky enough for that designation. And besides, he says, he’s drawn to the bears not because of their physicality so much as their spirit and ethic of community service. “I identify on a plane of what the Show Me Bears represent, and what they do,” he says. “To be a part of that makes me feel like a bear.” In addition to providing a great time, the group has served a valuable role as an anchor, Franks says. He was in the process of coming out when he began volunteering at various bear events. “I was just learning to accept who I was supposed to be,” he says. “It was very comfortable, and the work being done and the people I met were all very worthwhile.” One of the things Franks appreciates most about the Show Me Bears is that membership has given him the opportunity to develop friendships with people of different generations. “I’m friends with people in their 40s, 50s, 30s,” he says. “I like it. It makes me see things more clearly. I learn about what things used to be like compared to what they are like now.” Franks is hardly an outlier when it comes to leaving rigid physical restrictions in the last century. On a warm Friday afternoon in late summer, he’s seated at a picnic table on the patio at JJ’s Clubhouse, the group’s home bar, with president Akash Manshi, 38, and his partner, Lance Hamann, 48, who serves as the organization’s secretary. If encountered in a more neutral setting — strolling in the Central West End, say, or shopping at Schnucks on Arsenal — would any of them be pegged as a bear? They laugh. Manshi, as if he’d anticipated the question, pulls his shirt open to reveal a very hairy chest. Franks says, “We knew this would come up.” Manshi sees the increasingly open definitions of groups like bears as part of a natural progression. “Over the last decade I’ve noticed people becoming more accepting of LGBTQ rights and issues,” he says. “As a result, there aren’t
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as many restrictions as there used to be. We don’t need to cling to identity as much as previous generations have. Bears don’t feel like they can’t go to preppy bars anymore.” And Manshi sees that as a good thing overall. “It’s more fluid, which is helping us,” he says. “I feel like we can do things for the rest of the letters in the alphabet and it’s not an issue.” Regardless of how fluid definitions may become, bears, true to their roots, remain notoriously fun. After all, only people with a well-developed sense of what constitutes a good time could pull off an event like Hibearnation for 24 years in a row. Dubbed Fifty Shades of Bear, this year’s gathering, Hibearnation 24, will feature pool parties, kink workshops, a trip to the sex club, a dinner served by Show Me Bears wearing aprons (and nothing else), a cigar social, a masquerade ball and the F*ck Jeans Dance Party, in honor of the spirit with which Fifty Shades of Grey’s protagonist wears certain blue jeans. Hibearnation, which began as a few friends getting together for drinks at a hotel, typically draws close to 500, not only from the Midwest but from across the U.S. and other countries, including Australia, Germany and Japan. Its reputation borders on legendary: People who have never set foot near the event, people who don’t even know it’s called Hibearnation, have stories. The bears are also known — have always been known, in fact — for their fundraising chops. “We’re all into hairy, huskier, bigger guys — that’s our common ground,” says Manshi, who joined in the group in 2010 shortly after moving here to pursue a Ph.D at Saint Louis University. “But our goal as a group is to help the community. We get together and raise money for charities that are important to us, such as Doorways and St. Louis Effort for AIDS. Since we’re a 501(c)3, we give everything away.” Even the organization’s bear pageant, Manshi explains, is actually a fundraiser. “We think it’s important to always promote awareness,” he says. “The entire weekend we spend crowning Mr. Heartland Bear, for example, we were also raising money for Camp Hope, which helps families that have a member with AIDS, not necessarily just the person who has AIDS. That’s what we aim to do for this one event — raise a few thousand dollars.” Throughout the year, the bears raise money in various ways, from manning a liquor booth at PrideFest to selling themed Jell-O shots and raffle tickets to guest-bartending at JJ’s and donating the tips. Last year, the group raised $16,000, which was donated to local organizations at a holi-
day-themed party in December. The bears who volunteer on the Hibernation planning committee get to select which groups receive the funds. Manshi believes that the key to the Show Me Bears’ longevity is the group’s strong sense of philanthropy. “All of us have this passion, and we have a platform we’ve used to do good,” he says. “The Show Me Bears made it to 25 because we have found an avenue to help the community.” Though newer to the group, and younger by a decade, Franks agrees. “The sense of pride and duty to the community is what people bring into the group,” he says. “That’s what keeps it expanding. We’ve seen members come and go, but when they come back, when they’re here, they are part of the group. There’s a great sense of pride and I think that’s what’s helped carry it through 25 years.” Manshi acknowledges that the last quarter-century has indeed been transformational, but he’s quick to add that lots of people continue to suffer from unmet needs. “There’s been a huge amount of progress in the last 25 years,” he says. “But there are still people with HIV who aren’t accepted by their families, who, once their status is known, have a lot of problems with healthcare, food, good jobs. That’s why the Show Me Bears support thriving entities in our community that provide food for people with AIDS, for example, or who are suffering from cancer.” Both Manshi and Hamann point out that in spite of all the progress over the past couple of decades, old needs have reemerged. “People think that because AIDS has come such a long way that it’s not an issue anymore,” Hamann says. “But over the last year and a half, there have been drastic funding cuts, so I feel like we’re needed more than we were a couple of years ago.” While bears tend to avoid politics, there’s a general consensus that in this particular political moment, the group’s commitment to communal well-being has become even more important. “Over the last year and a half, with everything going awry in the country, it’s become really important to look out for each other,” says Hamann. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a twink, a bear or a wolf — we’re all under attack. I think it’s important to maintain a strong sense of community, that feeling that if you pick on one of us you’re picking on all of us.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a twink, a bear or a wolf — we’re all under attack. It’s important to maintain a strong sense of community, that feeling that if you pick on one of us you’re picking on all of us.”
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For more on Hibearnation 24, see hibearnation.org. And for more on its hosts, check out showmebears.org.
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Where we live PRESENTING THE ST. LOUIS AREA’S TOP 5 LGBT NEIGHBORHOODS, AS CHOSEN BY READERS 2 0 OUTINSTL
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here was some grumbling in conservative Jefferson County when the 2016 DeSoto Christmas Parade was slated to include the county’s drag bar, Rumors on Ice. Among the garden-variety homophobic comments posted to the event’s Facebook page, one stuck with me: “Go back to the Central West End.” The remark amused me on a couple of levels. One: the dated idea of the Central West End being synonymous with “gay” — a concept that hit its peak in the seventies and eighties. Second, I can’t help but think it would blow this troll’s mind to learn that his Jefferson County community is home to more drag than the Central West End today. While residing in concentrated LGBTQ neighborhoods was once a necessity for those wanting to live openly, these days it’s more of a preference, one factor to be weighed alongside other area amenities. Still, many of us seem to cluster in our preferred enclaves, whether it’s be-
cause we share similar tastes, we like living where the action is, or both. We asked our readers to tell us what St. Louis area neighborhood was the best “gayborhood,” and your top five picks have some similarities. Three are near the Mississippi River, four out of the five are in the city, all have impressive historic housing stock, all have LGBTQ businesses in walkable proximity to residences, and all serve as magnets for LGBTQ visitors from throughout the region and beyond. Most importantly for the purposes of this poll, all of these neighborhoods have passionate supporters.
5. SOULARD
then discovered all three had beer bottles in the cup holders. Saturday mornings are the best time for shopping and socializing at Soulard Farmers’ Market. Grab a cheap and delicious bloody mary at Julia’s Market Cafe and peruse the offerings while stopping to visit with friends doing the same. Any evening of the week you can find good conversation just by walking down the street, where bars and restaurants have tables lining the uneven brick sidewalks and residents enjoy libations on their front stoops. Of all the neighborhoods chosen by readers, none comes close to honoring its dead like Soulard. Examples include Midnight Annie, a drag queen who long performed at Clementine’s and whose remains were entombed in the wall there, and the recent funeral march held for murdered Bastille bartender Peyton Keene, where hundreds marched, played instruments and rode in adorned vehicles and golf carts while bars along the route offered free shots to passing mourners. An island in the heart of everything, Soulard is among the most interesting districts in St. Louis, and feels like home, even to many of us who don’t live there.
CALLED “THE ISLAND” by many of its cocktail-loving, golfcart driving residents because of the way the river and highways cut it off from everywhere else, Soulard is the oldest intact neighborhood in the city, as well as St. Louis’ own French Quarter. The area has had a sizable LGBTQ population since at least the seventies, when several bars catering to our community opened up. At that time many of the historic brick homes were abandoned, and all were going cheap. Today, property values in Soulard are among the Soulard’s gorgeous brick homes city’s highest. provide a backdrop to heavySt. Louis is a drinking duty partying. | C H R I S A N D O E town, but nowhere is alcohol more central to the culture than in Soulard, with its countless corner taverns, tucked-away patios and of course its massive Mardi Gras celebration. Once, leaving brunch at Nadine’s, I saw three golf carts in a row and was trying to determine which one belonged to my friend. “This one must be it,” I proclaimed. “It has beer bottles in the cup holders.” We
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4. CARONDELET/PATCH FOUNDED IN 1767 by French-speaking settlers, and annexed by St. Louis in 1870, Soulard’s scrappy and much more diverse down-river sister is seeing a resurgence with rehabbers drawn to the historic housing stock, some of which is among the oldest in the region but remains surprisingly affordable. From the workers in the industrial businesses along the riverfront to the homeowners restoring their domiciles brick by brick, this is a place where skilled people use their hands. The community’s roots in this area, at the southern tip of the city, run deep. Greg Yogi Thomas, whose family has resided in the neighborhood for generations, remembers a trans woman who lived openly on his block for much of the seventies. “Did people leave her alone?” I asked him. “Hell yeah they did! She’d kick your ass!” Thomas replied. South Broadway has had gay and lesbian bars going back decades, and the two current LGBTQ bars, Bar: PM and Hummel’s, flank “Queen of Country” Bonnie Blake’s antique shop. Steven Louis Brawley of the St. Louis LGBT History Project believes that Blake, 90, is the world’s oldest performing drag queen. Brawley has concerns about the increasing buzz around South Broadway. “St. Louis’s ‘gayborhoods’ have always been on the margins, and our local LGBTQIA+ community needs more recognition for its many contributions to the revitalization of historic neighborhoods such as Benton Park,
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Nathaniel Lucena has found happiness in Carondelet’s growing LGBTQ community.
the Central West End, Lafayette Square, South Grand, Sou| NATHANIEL LU CENA lard, etc.,” he says. “Many of our pioneers and elders, including Bonnie, have settled where they feel at home, not because it’s trendy or fashionable. Gayborhoods are places to work, play, and live. Sadly that is a hard trifecta to sustain.” Read more about Carondelet/Patch in K. Templeton’s “Boo On Broadway” piece in this issue’s nightlife section. The story focuses on a street fair that Bar: PM is throwing in October.
3. ALTON WHILE THE MISSISSIPPI River that passes by St. Louis is a workhorse, filled with gigantic barges, a swift current and dangerous debris, twenty miles north it feels more like a lake, with broader width, numerous islands and recreational watercraft. Situated on dramatic bluffs rising high above it all is picturesque Alton, Illinois. Known as one of the most haunted towns in America, I’ve also dubbed it “The Bi-Muda Triangle” (see “Navigating the Weirdness of Alton, Illinois” on outinstl.com), thanks to the town’s penchant for bisexual activity. The area is rich with outdoor activities, from the marina on the riverfront to the famed Great River Road, where you can drive or bicycle alongside the bluffs for miles in what’s been called one of the most scenic drives in America. Hiking, fishing and ziplining options are available, in addition to
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Jason Brooks and Rob Cook make the most of their Alton porch with friends Kage Black and Terrence Stokes . | C H R I S A N D O E
numerous wineries. It was Alton’s marvelous (and shockingly affordable) neighborhoods that lured Kevin Dyer to move here from Old Town Florissant in 2014. Dyer lives in a circa 1865 elegant Italianate-style home on Christian Hill, a beautiful area defined by steep streets and sweeping views. Like the famously haunted town itself, many homes in Alton have their secrets. In the case of Dyer’s home, so did the man who built it. “This house and the one across the street were built by Alton architect Lucas Pfeiffenberger, who played an important role in local history,” Dyer begins. “This house has a crawl space between the first and second level that was used for hiding soldiers from the Confederate prison to sneak them out of Alton. The house across the street, which belonged to the best friend of the man who built my house, has a secret passageway from the basement to the garden shed that was used as part of the Underground Railroad to smuggle slaves through Alton.” The ruggedly handsome Jason Brooks lives in the nearby Middletown Historic District and surveys the city’s goings on from behind the white picket fence in front of his charming two-story, circa 1871 wood-frame home. On a recent Sunday afternoon, he’s on his front porch, conversing with his partner and a couple of friends, when he stops to take notice of
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an attractive guy walking towards Schwegel’s, a full-service corner grocer that’s a throwback to days gone by. Brooks refers to the blocks around him as “a mini-gayborhood.” “There are so many of us that live within just blocks of each other. Seven or eight I can just think of off the top of my head within just three blocks of me,” Brooks says. When the sun goes down, the party kicks off at Bubby & Sissy’s, the LGBTQ bar where Brooks works. Expect a packed dance floor downstairs, a dazzling drag show upstairs and great conversation on the patio with an amazing cross-section of open-minded people. A 45-minute commute to downtown St. Louis, Alton may not be the best fit for those with city-centered lives or for those who require constant stimulation. But for those who can surrender to the rhythm, this captivating jewel of a town gets in your blood and has plenty to offer.
2. THE GROVE IN THE 1990S the Manchester strip was a mile of boarded-up buildings climaxing with Attitudes, Novak’s and — who could forget — Grandma’s Rainbow’s End. Today, LGBTQ establishments in or immediately outside its borders include PrideCenter (the region’s LGBTQ center and home of Pride St. Louis), Attitudes, Just John, Rehab, the Monocle and the behemoth JJ’s Clubhouse. Many mainstream businesses and venues have also taken hold in the Grove, creating a vibrant, walkable mile illuminated by neon signs hanging over the street demarking
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MoKaBe’ s Coffeehouse has long been a hub for activism in Tower Grove South. |
the district’s entrances. In addition to the venues, the neighborhood hosts large street CHRIS ANDOE events including GroveFest and the World Naked Bike Ride. But there’s more than meets the eye to this festivity factory, especially at Just John. Pride St. Louis’s Todd Alan is among the many influential people who frequent Just John, sometimes even setting his laptop upon the bar and working there. He notes that Just John raises a tremendous amount of money for the community. “Last year Thirst For Life raised $12,500, which was more than all other participating bars combined. They also have done events for Pride, Team St Louis, GLASS, GMC, Gateway Pet Guardians, Mullen Day Foundation.” Alan explains. “We are actually lucky in St. Louis to have a lot of generous bar owners in Just John, Rehab and Bar: PM.” With the area’s boom in high-end housing, with both expensive single-family rehabs and big new multi-family complexes springing up in the neighborhood, some people worry our businesses might be pushed out. Only time will tell, but right now the Grove has never been hotter. Despite the fact fewer of us live within its boundaries than some of the
other top neighborhoods, both commercially and in terms of influence, the Grove’s Manchester strip is widely recognized as the region’s most high-profile “gayborhood.”
1. TOWER GROVE SOUTH YOU WOULD BE hard pressed to find a more well-rounded neighborhood for LGBTQ people than Tower Grove South. Want a lesbian-owned social-justice-oriented coffee shop? OK! A drag bar within stumbling distance of your door? Grab your dollars! An LGBTQ-focused twelve-step program? Step right up. Endless Instagram-worthy international food options, food trucks, and an all-night diner? A buffet of options! Affirming, rainbow-flag-flying churches? Praise! A place to buy that last-minute sex toy, or get a replacement key for your handcuffs? Take your pick, and bring your trick! Neighbors who broadcast their liberal beliefs on yard placards? More good signs! Your own worldclass pride festival, attracting upwards of 10,000 to your own neighborhood park? Well aren’t you precious? And in the right place! Beginning in the 1970s and increasing throughout the 1990s, many in our community migrated from the Central West End to south city, and Tower Grove Park was and re-
Walking my dog, I’ve been invited to last-minute barbecues, picnics, pool parties and, yes, protests.
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mains the epicenter of our St. Louis settlement. Tower Grove South is such a multicultural liberal bastion, even its Alderwoman Megan-Ellyia Green is frequently on the streets during major protests, a fact that’s even caught the attention of the New York Times. Living in close proximity to so many people you know, the neighborhood lends itself to the impromptu. Walking my dog, I’ve been invited to last-minute barbecues, picnics, pool parties and, yes, protests. Even the dead of winter can be fun; a snow day that shut down the city in 2017 inspired a big group of us to take over Friendly’s. With all the cyclists, dog walkers, people doing yoga in the park, and fit, shirtless joggers, Tower Grove South is teeming with active residents. With all it has to offer, it’s no surprise readers voted it the Top LGBTQ Neighborhood in St. Louis.
The Financial World for our Community Is Much Different Now!
ZOOMING OUT IN THE GRAND scheme of things, neighborhood boundaries in St. Louis are somewhat arbitrary. While the cosmopolitan Central West End has no regular drag shows, stroll across a short bridge and you’ll find them several nights a week in the Grove. Similarly, south city, which encompasses many of the highest-ranking LGBT neighborhoods, largely operates as one ecosystem rather than semi-autonomous districts — and a whopping 67 percent of respondents to our poll voted for city neighborhoods south of Interstate 64. You can happily enjoy the delights of Tower Grove South even as you live one block away in Tower Grove East — or even a bit further east in Fox Park. There are enough LGBTQ-friendly businesses, and friendly neighbors, to go around. That said, we’re glad to bestow bragging rights upon some of the enclaves where it’s easiest to surround yourself with “family.” And for everyone else, isn’t it nice to know we can find welcoming neighbors throughout the St. Louis area — and even in Jefferson County? Rumors on Ice owner Dave Sassman tells me that those who made a stink about the club participating in the parade succeeded in one thing only: galvanizing the local community to stand up in support of his business and patrons. “What was funny is it really backfired on them because more people supported us, enjoyed our float and saw nothing wrong with it,” he says. “We actually won ‘best float’ in the parade that year.” I surmise that “Central West End” wasn’t merely a geographical location in the mind of the Facebook troll, but was an idea of a worldly, urbane place where those he considered “weird” would be readily accepted. But rather than sticking to the Central West End, we’ve made the entire region a bit more like it.
To learn about the solutions we can offer to meet the fnancial needs of the LGBT comunity, call today. Our community faces unique financial challenges when planning for life’s important events. I’m here to help you navigate them! As your financial advisor, we will celebrate successes and overcome challenges together. I would very much like the opportunity to speak with you personally to understand what is important to you and your family. Please contact my office today!
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Chris Andoe is the editor in chief of Out in St. Louis and the author of Delusions of Grandeur. He’s currently married to Tower Grove South, but flaunts his torrid affair with Alton. FA L L 2 0 1 8
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nightowls
The Flats Gets Festive BAR: PM SPEARHEADS THE INAUGURAL BOO ON BROADWAY STREET FAIR BY K . T EMPL E TO N
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his Halloween season, deep south city’s Bar: PM (7109 South Broadway, 314-312-6683) brings what’s sure to be fall’s hottest block party: Boo on Broadway. From 2 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, October 13, the event will shut down two blocks of the South Broadway strip. Between Blow and Robert streets, Boo on Broadway will offer live music, a wide array of street vendors,
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an exciting lineup of drag performers gracing two stages, food trucks, a bouncy house, massive bubble machines, face painting and costume contests. The growing South Broadway nightlife district provides the perfect backdrop of industrial grit and history for this fall bazaar. Bars including the Livery Company, Hummel’s Pub, the Off Track Saloon, Tesson Station and the Halfway Haus will all be participating in what promises to be a funfilled, hair-raising community gathering. “What I would love to see from this event is that people come out and get to experience the true idea of our neighborhood — not what it used to be, or what they heard about it,” says Angel Tutt, president of the Patch neighborhood association. “I hope they see that it is a great neighborhood with accepting people and caring hearts. We all contribute a lot to many charities and give back a lot of time to help
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ButterScotch is one of the many performers you’ll see at Boo on Broadway. | G I N G E R S N A P
make this area great.” For more than three years, James Pence and Chad Wick, the owners of Bar: PM, have been building their tribe in the Carondelet and Patch neighborhoods. They don’t just run a business there — they are also local homeowners, and community is at the heart of what they stand for. Charity outreach emanates from their shotgun bar on Broadway. They’ve hosted events for the local chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and PAWS’ Thirst for Life, as well as benefits for the Alzheimer’s Association, Special Olympics and Food Outreach. Now Bar: PM has worked with local officials and its neighboring establishments to create this first-ever street festival on Broadway. Both the neighborhood association and Ward 11 Alderwoman Sarah Wood Martin gave their support. “As we started to discuss the idea of the event, we began listing off our assets as a community, and one of our biggest assets is down on South Broadway. All the bars are so welcoming,” says Tutt. “Anyone can feel comfortable and be served, whether you’re walking into the gay bars, the biker bars or the hipster bars. There is no exclusion and they all
co-exist together. This strip of South Broadway isn’t for one type of individual; it is for everyone.” Bar: PM’s Pence echoes those words in discussing the goal for Boo on Broadway. “We really want to showcase the strong diversity of our community,” Pence explains. “It is a common place for all of us to patronize each other’s bars. It’s not about a gay bar versus a biker bar or whatever style bar, it’s about how we all support each other and the blend of cultures we embrace. That concept is how this all came about.” Bar: PM is an ideal hideaway nestled on the South Broadway strip. It offers the perfect alternative to the Grove if you seek a star-studded drag show, karaoke, live music of all genres, or just a late night of storytelling from a barstool historian. The vibes down on South Broadway are drenched in lore, and the surrounding neighborhood is one of the fastest rising, up-and-coming pockets of south city (in fact, it was recently voted No. 4 in our “Top Gayborhood” online poll; see our cover story for more on that). Check out Bar: PM on Facebook (facebook.com/BarPMSTL) for more details and the event schedule. Kid-friendly activities are primarily slotted earlier in the line-up, but festivities will continue into the night for older folks. Kid and adult costume contests will be held separately.
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