[1] Due to hostile legislation at the state level, however, it has become common for LGBT residents to relocate to Illinois for better protections and healthcare access.
[2] Recorded history and resource flow tend to prioritize white individuals and the city's central corridor, creating a perception of LGBT culture in St. Louis that does not always align with regional demographics.
[9] In 2017, a sergeant in St. Louis County Police Department filed an EEOC discrimination lawsuit alleging that he was told to "tone down your gayness" in order to be eligible for promotion.
While much ancestral knowledge has been lost through colonization and forced assimilation, it is known that the Osage recognized Mixu'ga, one of the identities under the modern two-spirit umbrella.
[13] Despite the Indian Removal Act and other attempts to displace indigenous people, members of the Osage nation continue to reside in the area and are working to preserve Sugarloaf Mound.
The author, using the pseudonym Claude Hartland, wrote about his mental health and experiences with doctors related to sexuality and gender identity as well as descriptions of homosexual social life in downtown St.
[16][17] In the late 1950s, a competition for "female impersonators" called Miss Fannie's Ball was organized by the Jolly Jesters social club, with proceeds going to St. Louis African American institutions.
[18] The event is a continuing annual Halloween night celebration that has been hosted at various venues, including Masonic Prince Hall Grand Lodge and Chase Park Plaza.
[19] During the Halloween festivities of 1969, nine young people were arrested without explanation while leaving the Onyx Room, one of the most popular gay bars of the time.
They spread news of the arrests by phone to gather supporters at police headquarters, assisted with bail, and hired legal representation.
[21][20] In 1968, Laud Humphreys presented his research on male-male sexual activities in public restrooms in Forest Park, later published as the controversial Tearoom Trade.
Chuck Charleston, a bartender at Red Bull in East St. Louis, organized a procession of cars that ended in a large gathering in Forest Park in 1971.
[25] The first city sanctioned Celebration of Lesbian and Gay Pride occurred April 12–20, 1980, with a full week of activities, ending with the landmark Walk for Charity and Rally.
[25] St. Louis Effort for AIDS was established by volunteers in 1985, raising money to support people affected by HIV/AIDS through Dining Out For Life and drag shows.
[29] In 1995, BABAA and other African American community members organized B-Boy Blues Festival, and in 1999 established the annual St. Louis Black Pride.
[30] The Pride Center, located between the Grove neighborhood and Grand, opened in 2017 under St. Louis PrideFest and closed at the end of 2021 citing financial issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Black gays and lesbians lacked such privilege and also faced discrimination from their white counterparts that often limited their socializing to private parties.
[42][38] Northside establishments primarily catering to black gays and lesbians included 1960s Bills Bar and Grill, which was a critical venue for Ethel Sawyer's sociology masters thesis, “A Study of a Public Lesbian Community.”[28] Between the 1990s and 2010s, the Grove, in Forest Park Southeast, became the "heir apparent" to the Central West End's LGBT club scene.
Although the Grove remains the most high-profile gayborhood in St. Louis, the rise of mainstream venues and other markers of gentrification have raised alarms among the LGBTQ community that the history of the Central West End may be repeating itself.
It is also the original home of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet who were early advocates for LGBT inclusion and continue to actively support the transgender community.