Explore Mapping LGBTQ St. Louis
A digital exploration of how the region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans* and queer communities have changed over time.
Welcome
This digital project uses maps to explore the region’s LGBTQ communities from the end of World War II in 1945 through the passage of St. Louis’s first gay and lesbian-inclusive civil rights ordinance in 1992.
The project aims to document the history of people whose sexual and gender nonconformity has often meant that their stories have gone unheard, unrecorded, un-archived, and unremarked. To put this history literally, and metaphorically, on the map.
Scroll down to get started:
- Explore the map by browsing over 800 locations related to LGBTQ life in St. Louis from 1945 - 1992. or
- Jump to the Guided Tours for virtual 'tours' of featured events and locations.
- Questions? Let us know
Explore
This project examines community spaces of all types -- the bars, the bathhouses, and the drag balls. It notes the emergence of other community spaces by the 1960s -- shops, community centers, churches, dances and self-help groups. It presents as many public sites as possible, from protests and organizing, to where people met for friendship and for sex.
Each colored dot on this map represents a location associated with LGBTQ life between 1945 - 1992. Click on each point to read more.
Use the buttons below to filter by type of location:
To explore the map even further, try the Interactive Map where you can search and adjust views:
Note: the map reflects only aspects of LGBTQ history with identifiable locations. See the about page for a further explanation of what is and is not mapped.
Guided Tours
Short 'virtual' tours of featured locations:
Deeper Look
We often describe LGBTQ people as forming a single 'community.' In practice, however, this community has often been divided along a variety of lines, including gender, class, sexual interest, and age. One of the most powerful and enduring divides among St. Louisans is race. It is no surprise that St. Louis’s LGBTQ history has also been split by race, with people often socializing in separate spaces and participating in different activist organizations.
Take a deeper look at how LGBTQ communities and cultures have developed and changed in the St. Louis region with these extended (virtual) tours:
How can I find out more?
A full list of sources consulted, and details regarding methodologies of data collection is available on the About page. It is important to note the map reflects only aspects of LGBTQ local history with identifiable locations. The About page also explains what is and is not mapped. The nature of such work invariably means that some errors have occurred and that some information is missed, and we strive to correct errors when found.
Many collaborative partners have contributed to the effort, including the St. Louis LGBT History Project , Missouri History Museum , Washington University Libraries , and The State Historical Society of Missouri .
Why map history?
Mapping is a process that helps us see history by visualizing place and time.
Mapping helps us to see the ways that physical boundaries (like rivers), legal boundaries (like cities), and social and economic boundaries (like neighborhoods) shape everyday life and realities for LGBTQ people in the region.
Why map history?
Visualizing St. Louis's LGBTQ history shows that it isn't somehow separate from the city's wider history -- it is embedded in everything else.
We welcome feedback and information towards improving the map data. Please contact us using this form (can remain anonymous).
