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"Finding evidence of early lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history often involves reading between the lines" (The State Historical Society of Missouri).

Throughout history, art has provided an outlet for people to air their joy, pain, and fears without expectation or pressure. It functions not only as a mode of self-expression but also as a means of bridging the gap between yourself and those who may experience life in a completely different way.

In our time exploring the city of St. Louis, we saw this outlet exhibited thoroughly by historical and contemporary displays of artistry based on the culturally rich neighborhoods and streets all around us.

As time went on, we began to recognize the significance of representation in the art of this place, knowing that it could validate and empower marginalized individuals who had been excluded from traditional historical narratives.

We came to appreciate the power of art as more than just a record of history; it was an affirmation of identity, an assertion of existence, and a testament to the indomitable spirit of those who dared to love and live authentically, even in the face of adversity.

The progression of queer art in St. Louis was especially compelling to us, signifying the power of artistic expression to challenge societal norms, break barriers, and bring about positive change.

A history of queer festivals and exhibitions has and continues to provide a place for queer artists and filmmakers to gain recognition, connect with their audiences, and contribute to a more inclusive and accepting city.

We hope that by shining a light on the artistic achievements of the queer community in St. Louis, we can continue to inspire dialogue and empathy, fostering a richer and more vibrant cultural landscape for all.

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“Program and newsletter for Saint Louis International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 94, May 20-26, 1994.” 1994. Saint Louis Gay and Lesbian Community Collection. A1422-00057. Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Missouri https://mohistory.org/collections/item/A1422-00057. Accessed 29 June 2023.

"May 4-10 2023 - St. Louis International Film Festival." 2023. Cinema St. Louis,
https://cinemastlouis.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/QFest_Program_2023_Web_1.pdf. Accessed 29 June 2023.

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“Jacolby Satterwhite in Conversation with Sasha Bonét.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Mar. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEeEXZjrTnA. Accessed 31 July. 2023.

“QFest 2023 Trailer.” YouTube, YouTube, 19 Apr. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f24GOpFF7dc&t=2s. Accessed 31 July 2023.

“The St. Louis Artists’ Guild Presents LGBTQIA+ Exhibits.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 May 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9lN35fNV8A. Accessed 31 July. 2023.

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Johnmeyer, Alex. Let Me Spell it OUT For You. 2023, St. Louis Artist's Guild, St. Louis, Missouri.

Satterwhite, Jacolby. Black Luncheon. 2020,  St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri.

Satterwhite, Jacolby. Boys Don't Cry. 2021, St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri.

Sharpe, Marshall. Last Supper in St. Louis. 2022, St. Louis Artist's Guild, St. Louis, Missouri.

Trusty, Rachel. The New Saints. 2021, St. Louis Artist's Guild, St. Louis, Missouri.

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It Was All very Queer II -- Various Artists

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It Was All very Queer II -- Various Artists

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It Was All Very Queer II is a national juried art exhibition, focusing on work by queer artists. It is the second show of its kind, the original It Was All Very Queer taking place in 2021.

Submitted pieces focus on themes of gender, self-exploration, social norms, and the celebration of queer identities and truths, and were displayed at the St. Louis Artist's Guild up until July 2023.

Below is a look into some of the exhibited works.

https://www.stlouisartistsguild.org/it-was-all-very-queer-ii

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The St. Louis Artists' Guild Presents LGBTQIA+ Exhibits

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A section of the program and newsletter, "The Liberated Screen", for the 1994 Saint Louis International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

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St. Louis International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival

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St. Louis International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival

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The third annual SLILAG film festival took place over the course of a week at Tivoli Theatre and featured many breakout films in the queer and feminist communities at the time.

One of these was Lynne Fernie & Aerlyn Weissman's "Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives", a drama-documentary that intersperses the interviews of real lesbians who came out in the 1950s with the romanticized story and overall image presented in lesbian pulp fiction during the same time.

Another feature was Jennifer Johns' "Beneath the Surface", a film that combines the lesbian experience with the unique experience of being a woman. She details her perspective on her mother's battle and eventual loss to breast cancer, a reminder to Johns that the American medical system is rampant with instances of downplaying the medical struggles of women.

During the week, 17 programs, 15 features, and five shorts were aired to hundreds of viewers and participants from the downtown St. Louis area and beyond.

This brief snapshot of queer history in St. Louis is a glimpse of the greater world at the time, rampant with discrimination and hatred towards minorities due to societal taboos and irrational fear. The stories shown in these festivals often contain loss and loneliness characterized by the world the artists exist in. However, the simple showing of the film to a wider audience contains a victory in itself in showing that the creation of safe spaces, although borne out of necessity, can be a space of joy and inspiration that allows for the growth of communities and the continued creation of unconventional art.

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Graphite on bristol paper, part of 'Queer Domesticities' series

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A part of Trusty's Queer Domesticities series, focusing on contemporary queer couples and their daily lives. There is a certain tenderness in the way these two women are portrayed, showing them in a casual and comfortable light. In a world where queer love-- especially lesbian love-- is seen as inherently pornographic, the piece works in stark contract to that assumption. These are simply people living their lives. What does it matter if they're both women?

The title itself, The New Saints, comes with both historical and religious context. It's a new set of saints for a new era, and it seems to ask the viewer to consider who these 'new saints' are, and what they represent-- queer love and queer futures.

https://www.racheltrusty.com/

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Let Me Spell It OUT For You -- Alex Johnmeyer 

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Let Me Spell It OUT For You -- Alex Johnmeyer 

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Let Me Spell It OUT For You is a visual look into Johnmeyer's childhood and experiences as a trans kid-- how hindsight makes certain things appear more obvious. The Calvin and Hobbes comic in the background makes this even clearer-- "I suppose it will all make sense when we grow up." It draws on Johnmeyer's own trans experience with a sense of childhood whimsy and nostalgia, creating a piece that overall makes space for discussions of childhood expressions of gender and growing up.

https://www.alexjohnmeyer.com/

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let me spell it OUT for you-- alex johnmeyer

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A picture of downtown St. Louis' historic Tivoli Theatre before internal renovations were conducted by new owners in 1995. 

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Following the increased financial prosperity of the 1920s, many theaters and entertainment spaces were launched to attract residents within major cities across the United States. Tivoli Theatre was one such project that initially opened in May 1924 to cater to a rapidly-growing St. Louis. After a successful introduction, the theater remained a popular destination for showcasing live events and films alike into the 1990s before declining into an eventual closing and reselling in 1994.

The buyer, developer Joe Edwards, had already been opening businesses and renovating existing historic buildings in the area since 1972 and maintained a similar plan regarding Tivoli. A thorough internal restoration was conducted and the theater was reopened for entertainment use in May 1995.

During Edwards' ownership, the theatre was home to various film festivals, including the Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival, and was notable for showcasing primarily independent and foreign language films that often focus on relaying the pointed artistic vision of the director rather than creating a palatable film for a large audience.

In 2021, Edwards sold the theatre to One Family Church where renovations began to revert the historic theatre back to its dual purpose of live events and film screenings. In the years of its initial re-opening, Tivoli Theatre only hosted Sunday worship services but beginning in 2023, film events have been hosted on the first Friday of every month.

Although Tivoli Theatre isn't an obvious cornerstone of queer culture in St. Louis, the dedication of the venue to uplifting the creators of independent and foreign language films for much of its life has no doubt been integral to the growth of unconventional art in St. Louis across the last 100 years.

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A section of the program for the 2023 Saint Louis QFest.

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Starting in 1992, the Saint Louis International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival was the primary showcase of queer films in St. Louis from all over the world. However, this festival ran for only 8 total years before disbanding after the conclusion of their 1999 event due to funding issues. For 8 more years thereafter, the queer film festival scene in St. Louis remained limited. It wasn't until 2007 when a group of individuals from various nonprofits, as well as others who felt strongly about the topic, worked together to create QFest, a film festival aimed at empowering and championing queer lives in St. Louis.

QFest boasts an impressive and inclusive reputation, with more than half of its showcased films coming from outside the United States. Films in languages other than English are captioned to create a better understanding between filmmakers and a large majority of the St. Louis population. In 2023, QFest is celebrating its 16th annual year.

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Jacolby Satterwhite in conversation with Sasha Bonét 

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Spirits Roaming on the Earth -- Jacolby Satterwhite

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Spirits Roaming on the Earth -- Jacolby Satterwhite

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Spirits Roaming on the Earth is a large exhibition of Satterwhite's work over the past decade, spanning multiple mediums and ideas. Located at the Contemporary Museum of Art in St. Louis, the exhibition features both animated and live action film, paintings, sculpture, and various other mediums that he has worked with.

Satterwhite often draws from his family and personal history in his work, drawing from his experience as a black queer man and his childhood with his single mother in various ways. Satterwhite creates worlds of queer exploration, sexuality, emotional intimacy, and self-exploration. Spirits Roaming on the Earth is the current culmination of this work.

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Jacolby Satterwhite in conversation with Sasha Bonét

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A trailer for QFest 2023 showcasing many of the presented films focusing on queer identity and struggle.

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Satterwhite uses a kanekalon ponytail here as a way to fight disease. Kanekalon is often used by black folks in hair extensions, and the motif of it brings ideas of black beauty and work into the piece. Queerness and feminity in many cases go hand in hand with one another, and Satterwhite consistently combines these two aspects of his identity.

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Tin type photograph, part of 'Christ is Ken' series

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Last Supper in St. Louis -- Marshall Sharpe

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Last Supper in St. Louis -- Marshall Sharpe

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Sharpe's Last Supper In Saint Louis is part of a series with a 'character' in mind as the artist-- a closeted gay man in 1800s America. Simultaneously, Sharpe uses biblical and modern imagery to toe the line of hidden desires. Ken is both an object of faith used to represent biblical characters like Jesus Christ and a symbol of the American masculine ideal-- he is muscular, tan, white and beautiful. Last Supper In St. Louis comes with a certain homoerotic tension, but the doll's crotch-- his 'masculinity'-- is obscured. It is toeing the line of social and societal acceptability, just as queerness has in the past and present.

http://www.marshallsharpe.com/

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Though Satterwhite has worked mostly digitally in the past decade, he originated as a painter and has gone back to it in this piece. "Boys don't cry" is a common phase, and one that draws on patriarchal gender roles that Satterwhite aims to deconstruct in his works. The male figures are using hair curlers-- something distinctly 'feminine'-- and the piece asks the viewer to interrogate this dichotomy, even more so considering the ways femininity is discouraged in black men.