Jim Andris, Facebook

Feature Articles: BEING GAY IN ST. LOUIS

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS

Is St. Louis really a combination of Northern charm and Southern efficiency? Is it a bastion of conservatism, and an outgrowth of the Bible Belt? Does it roll up its streets at 9:00 P.M. and is there really nothing to do in the evening? Are St. Louis gays all in the closet and would they all immediately lose their jobs if they came out in conservative St. Louis? Is the general dislike of St. Louis that does exist a product of reality or of ignorance?

When I first came to St. Louis nine years ago, after four years in Boston and all my life in New England, I experienced culture shock and hated the city for almost three years. But I did not know the city. I had seldom gone east of Skinker. When I did get to know it, I began to like it. St. Louis has perhaps the finest residential architecture in the country, and many fine old neighborhoods, such as Soulard, Lafayette Square and Tower Grove, all of which are accepting of gays. The Central West End, a combination of a wide variety of peoples, is a unique area with an exciting night life, much admired by visitors from other cities. Housing and apartment prices are cheap compared with most major cities. In addition, food can be bought cheaply and enjoyably at Soulard Market, Market-in-the-Loop, and other open air places. So one can live better here on less.

Culturally, St. Louis does go well beyond Busch Stadium. The symphony is quite good now; Powell Hall has excellent acoustics, and in the Summer, the symphony plays at various parks. The art museum, while not great, is certainly good and should be better when it reopens. And there are numerous art galleries and antique shops in the area. In addition, St. Louis has one of the finest zoos in the country and one of the best botanical gardens in the world. There are also numerous excellent restaurants in the city, at varying price levels.

St. Louis often seems to be more of a small town than a major city, and that is one of its charms. In this very green, tree-filled city, with its lovely parks, the pace is easy-going, the people are polite and friendly, and there are things to do in the evening. Classical music is readily available, and in addition to the frequent rock concerts, there are numerous places for jazz buffs.

Fine theatre does exist, and in the Summer, one can enjoy the Muny Opera. Our gay bars are not numerous, but the variety of types found in each is unusual. Other cities have bars for each type, and so bar-hopping is more common and gays are kept separated. This is perhaps one of the causes of the St. Louis gay community being rather incestuous, but that has its good points as well as its bad ones.

St. Louis is conservative, but many gays have come out of the closet at home and at work and have found complete tolerance and often acceptance and support. Same-sex couples can walk hand-in-hand and even kiss in the West End. Many of our fears of this are often of our own making and have no basis in reality.

St. Louis may not have it all from A to Z, but it does offer a lot if we want to take advantage of it. So come and enjoy it, and if you have any suggestions on how to change the climate, let me know.

Marvin Kabakoff

GAY SOCIAL LIFE IN ST. LOUIS

A complete discussion of all the places in St. Louis where gay people go to have fun & to meet other gay people would require more space than we have in this issue and more expertise, perhaps, than any one of us can claim to possess. Gay people can be found most anywhere, and there are no clear dividing lines between gay, mixed and 'straight' places. The places listed below are all popular, in one degree or another, with gay people; but that does not mean that they are all gay places. The restaurants, especially, are far from being exclusively gay. Nor can we claim that this list includes all the places in St. Louis where gays meet. Very likely, there are other places we have overlooked or just did not know about. If you know of other spots, please write & tell us about them so that we can mention them in the next issue. Meanwhile, here are at least some places gays go in St. Louis.

BARS & COFFEEHOUSES:

Art & Ernie's Disco, Part II - Missouri Ave., between 5th A 6th, East St. Louis. A new place, predominantly black, busy after 1:30 A.M. & on Sundays. Includes a restaurant, bar & disco.

Bob Martin's - Stadium Hotel, corner 20th and Eugenia, one block south of Market, just west of Union Station. One of the most popular bars in the city, it is three bars in one on Wed. and on weekends, with a regular bar, a disco and a 1eather-western bar in the basement. Basically male, it attracts a wide variety of gay people; all "types" can be found there. Disco has large dance floor and good lighting effects: usually packed on weekends. Disco has $1 cover charge.

Charlie's - Corner 6th and Delmar. The only drag shows on the St. Louis side of the river. Charlie's caters to an older working-class crowd, but all types of gays can be found there. The drag shows are good and the atmosphere is interesting.

Cross-Eyed Cricket - 9th A Delmar. Small, quiet, predominantly black.

Ernie's - 5300 West Florissant, near Union. Bar and restaurant; predominantly black.

Golden Gate Coffee House - 35xx Olive, just east of Grand. Since the Gate serves no alcoholic beverages, it can stay open much longer and it caters to people under 21. Good size dance area, with jukebox providing music. Cover charge of $1.

Helen Schrader's - 5th, near Missouri, East St. Louis. Clientele is mixed, but a majority is female; very good drag shows. Pleasant atmosphere. Cover charge of $1 on weekends.

Herbie's - Corner of Euclid and Maryland. Restaurant, bar and disco. Extremely popular, with attractive deco decor and live plants. Good dance floor above bar, though it gets crowded quickly. Clientele is mixed, with some heterosexuals, and a fairly wide assortment of gays, with a slight leaning toward the more fashionably dressed. Membership cards (free) are used to keep out the homophobes. No cover charge.

Newsroom - Corner 5th and Missouri, last St. Louis. Pleasant piano bar, with good drag shows. Nice atmosphere. Open Fri. & Sat. evenings only.

Onyx Room - 35xx Olive, Just East of Grand. Nice atmosphere, good crowd, predominantly black, especially in the evenings. Small disco area for dancing.

Potpourri - Corner Euclid and McPherson. Neighborhood bar in a gay neighborhood; good place for sitting and talking and relaxing. Friendly atmosphere; clientele is not as varied as at other places, but is quite interesting. Gets very large crowd at cocktail hour.

Red Bull - Missouri Ave., between 5th and 6th, East St. Louis. Very popular bar, especially on Sunday and on weekends after 1:30 A.M. when there is a traffic jam on the bridge. Combination of regular bar, good disco with excellent light show, and a fine drag show downstairs, featuring both Donna Drag, the current Miss Gay Illinois and Dusty, the current Miss Gay Missouri. Dusty often does a very unusual "draq" act, and there are often more elaborate shows. Cover charge: $1 on weekdays, $2 on weekends.

BATHS:

The Club St. Louis - 600 N. Kingshighway at Washington, rear entrance; 367-3163. Part of the well-known Club Baths chain; lockers, rooms, steambaths, whirlpool, TV & reading rooms, snack bar, etc. Open 24 hours; very popular. Male only.

Stadium Baths - In basement of Stadium Hotel, with Martin's Bar, at 20th & Eugenia (1 block S. of Market A 20th). Open noon - 8 A.M. daily. $2.00 Monday - Friday; $3.00 Saturday & Sunday. Sauna, exercise room, showers, partitioned areas with curtains,etc.

COMMUNITY CENTER:

The Gay Community Center - 4940 McPherson, just east of Kingshighway; phone 367-0492. Operated by MLSC (Mid-Continent Life Services Corporation), the Center offers a gay bulletin board, meeting rooms, gay publications for sale, rap groups, counseling, and a large basement activity center with snack bar, jukebox, pinball, pool table, etc. The activity center and snack bar are open every weekend evening, but the big night is Sunday, when the Sunday evening get-together is held from 7 to 11 P. M. At the Center, you will find a relaxed, informal, low-key atmosphere very different from most of the bars.

PARKS:

Forest Park - there are three main areas in Forest Park where gay people congregate:

1. Confederate Circle ("The Circle", "The Cannon", "The Fruit Loop") - on north side of the park, Just west of Union Blvd., identified by a cannon and the northernmost monument to the Confederacy. Popular meeting place for gays, especially on weekend afternoons and evenings. Pleasant spot for just sitting and chatting or for picnics. Caution advised in regard to police and "sissy-beaters".
2. "The Beach" - on the east side of the park, near the high-shooting fountain, just north of the Steinberg Rink. Excellent spot for sunbathing; attracts large numbers of gays, on sunny weekends. Caution: Do not swim in the fountain pool; this is against the law, and the police may arrest you for it.
3. The Nature Trails - in the southwest corner of the park, in the John F. Kennedy Memorial Forest. This is a series of trails and bike paths through a thickly wooded area that has become a popular meeting place for gay men. Extreme caution is advised here, for the police occasionally use entrapment methods.

In addition to these spots, a small minority of gay men--usually those who are married and the very closeted--use the restrooms in the park as meeting places. These are carefully watched by the police and are extremely dangerous. Many people have been arrested in the park bathrooms.

Tower Grove Park - Although this park Is a meeting place for gays, it is also a hangout for very young, underage hustlers. The police are well aware of the activities here and patrol regularly, so extreme caution is advised.

Cahokia Mounds State Park - Obviously preferred by East Side gays, Cahokia Mounds offers a meeting place for those who live in, or are visiting, the Illinois portion of the St, Louis area. The main gay area is the camping area towards the rear of the park. The most popular time is early evening, since the park closes at 10 P. M.

RELIGIOUS GROUPS A CHURCHES:

Dignity - A Catholic group, but open to Christians of other denominations. Meets at various locations for worship and social events. For further Information, call MLSC at 367-0447 or write P. 0. Box 23093,St. Louis, Mo. 63159.

Integrity - Trinity Episcopal Church, Euclid & Washington, P. O. Box 7213, St. Louis, Mo. 63177. Meets on first and third Sundays at 6:00 P. M. for Evensong and 6:30 for program and fellowship. Call 533-4557 for more information.

Lutherans Concerned - P. 0. Box 974, St. Louis, Mo. 63180. Write for Information, or call Al at 531-3889.

Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) - 5108 Waterman, St. Louis, Mo. 63108. Phone 361-7284. Worship services at 2:00 P. M. on Sunday and 8:00 P. M. on Wednesday. Bible study, rap sessions, counseling, etc. Alternative coffeehouse on Friday evenings, 8:00 to midnight.

RESTAURANTS:

None of the following restaurants is exclusively, or even mainly, gay. But all of them are, in varying degrees, popular with gay people, at least at certain hours. The presence of a restaurant in this list should not be taken as an endorsement of either its food or its service.

Balaban's - 405 N. Euclid, just north of McPherson. Lunches and evening meals; French food. Rather expensive. 361-9071.

City Cousin - 4111 Lindell, near Sarah. Ho reservations, expensive, 535-2465.

Cyrano's - 6383 Clayton Rd., at DeMun. Exotic coffees, teas and desserts. Fairly expensive. 721-6500.

Denny's - 1515 S. Hampton Ave. Very popular with gay people after the bars close on weekend nights; but very slow service and undistinguished food. Fairly inexpensive. 645-1754.

Duff's - 392 M. Euclid, near McPherson. Interesting atmosphere; occasional live entertainment. Moderate prices. 361-0522.
Ernie's Bar and Restaurant - 5300 W. Florissant at Union. Predominantly black. Moderate prices. 383-8442.

Fortune Cookie - on Laclede, just east of Euclid. Chinese food. Inexpensive to moderate.

Herbie's - corner of Maryland and Euclid. Serves dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 P. M. Moderate prices. 361-6332.

Jefferson Avenue Boarding House - 3265 S. Jefferson. Very unusual restaurant. Moderate prices. Reservations advised: 771-4100.

Llewellyn's Welsh Pub - 4747 McPherson, just east of Euclid. Bohemian atmosphere. Moderate prices. Welsh and American food. 361-3003.

Majestic Restaurant - corner of Laclede and Euclid. Moderate to fairly inexpensive. 361-2011.

Maryland Cafe -6510 Delmar, at Melville (In U. City 'Loop'). Unbelievably Inexpensive. 721-9471.

Parkmoor - 6737 Clayton Rd. at Big Bend. Inexpensive. 863-2430.
Sunshine Inn - 8 1/2 S. Euclid near Laclede. Vegetarian cooking, fairly inexpensive. 367-1413.

A LESBIAN LEAD

Lesbians are alive and well in St. Louis. Do you want to meet lesbians who are out of the closet? Do you want to meet women who have a sane view of a normal variation of sexual expression? The following groups and places offer that option. Please keep this in mind--a11 straights are not phobic about homosexuality. Also, many feminists recognize that a woman can't consider herself free in a sexist society if she doesn't have the right to be a lesbian. Therefore, some of the groups have many straights in them.

PREDOMINANTLY LESBIAN:

Moonstorm (lesbian-feminist magazine): P. 0. Box 4201, Tower Grove Station, St. Louis, Mo. 63113.

Women's Car Repair Collective: 3610 Botanical, St. Louis, Mo. 63110. Phone 664-0922.

Women's Garage: Phone 832-9532.

A Re-grouping Lesbian Organization: For information, call 367-0447 (MLSC).

LESBIANS & GAY MEN:

MLSC (Mid-Continent Life Services Corporation): 4940 McPherson, St. Louis, Mo. 63108. Phone 367-0447.

MCC (Metropolitan Community Church): 5108 Waterman, St. Louis, Mo. 63108. Phone 361-7284.

St. Louis Task Force for Human Rights: Phone 361-3936.

LESBIAN BARS:

Bottom of the Pot - basement of the Potpourri, at Euclid and McPherson.

Middle of the Road - 1077 S. Newstead (1/2 block north of Manchester)
Sandy's - corner of California and Shenandoah.

Pat's Palace - corner of California and Shenandoah.

Kitty Kat Klub - corner of California and Magnolia.

WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS WHO WELCOME LESBIANS:

St. Louis Women's Counseling Center - 6303 Washington, University City, Mo. 63130. Phone 725-1958.

Women's Advocates - P. 0. Box 23961, Webster Groves, Mo. 63119. Phone 741-0523.

Women's Self-Help Center - 3219 Delmar, University City, Mo. 63130. Phone 862-2202.

A final comment: Practically all all-women organizations have lesbians who are out. N.O.W. presently has on its list of priorities to work for the civil rights of lesbians. Bring up homosexuality in a non-judgmental way in one of these groups and see what happens.

Ruth Hubberd

GAY CITY LIVING

St. Louis is a city of neighborhoods. From Montgomery-Hyde Park to Carondolet, from Soulard to the West End and the Loop, the city is filled with delightful and unique areas. After a long decline in both price and condition, these neighborhoods are on the way up again, as people rediscover the joys of city living: low costs, beautiful architecture, community, walking.

Gay people have been in the forefront of this movement home. Not usually having children and the need for quality schools, fearful of their acceptance in the suburbs, desirous of being close to the cultural center, and often interested in older homes with character, gay people were the initial pioneers in Lafayette Square, and have been instrumental in "saving” Soulard, the Central West End and other areas. After gays have started in a neighborhood, other people have moved in, some times taking over and making life difficult for gays by setting up rules against same-sex couples sharing apartments or buying a house. Banks often aid in this process by refusing loans to such couples.

Nevertheless, there are several neighborhoods in the city popular with and accepting of gays, and these include some of the most delightful and exciting areas of the city.

Lafayette Square, on the near South Side, was one of the wealthiest areas of the city 100 years ago, and magnificent homes were built on the streets surrounding the oldest public park west of the Mississippi. After a long decline which started around 1900, the area hit bottom in the 1960's. At the very end of that decade, these houses, with their marble fireplaces, parquet floors and ornate woodwork and plasterwork, could often be bought for under $5000. Many required extensive work, needing new plumbing, heating and electrical systems, as well as the usual cosmetic work. In the early days, most of the people buying houses, a majority of whom were gay, did the work themselves. In the past two years, housing prices have skyrocketed and a semi-restored house may well cost over $40,000. A shopping district of antique shops, restaurants and unusual bars has sprung up. Almost ?00 homes are restored or in the process of restoration, and the annual house tour brings in thousands of visitors. The neighborhood, which has a strong commuity feeling, is close to downtown, Soulard Market, and also Martin's and the East Side.

Several blocks east of Lafayette Square and quite near the river is Soulard, an older area of smaller and more manageable homes, built in the early 1800's. The neighborhood is a combination of gays and straights, and middle class and poor whites, and there has been some conflict between the neighborhood people who fear displacement, and the restorationists. Housing prices are generally lower than in the Square, but have undergone the same rapid increase in the past two years. There are also more apartments and smaller homes available. There is an Old World charm to many parts of Soulard, with its narrow streets and houses built up to the sidewalk. Soulard Market is part of the neighborhood; downtown is quite close and views of the Arch are magnificent. A number of shops and bars have opened in the recent past. Houses are still easily available.

A number of gay people have recently moved to the Compton Heights/Tower Grove area, east of Grand and across from Tower Grove Park, and in the past three years, housing prices have tripled and quadrupled, from under $10,000 to over $30,000. Most of the houses are six to eight room, one-family homes, intermixed with some two-family dwellings. This is a comfortable, homey neighborhood with tree-lined streets and lovely, well-kept yards. Lest this sound too suburban, it must be added that most of the houses have carved oak staircases, fireplaces, and art-glass windows. The neighborhood is adjacent to the South Grand shopping district of supermarkets, bakeries, exotic restaurants and a variety of small stores. Across Grand and north of Tower Grove Park is the Shaw Park neighborhood, an area of mostly smaller homes (excepting Flora Place) that are still more than reasonable in price. Gays are just now beginning to move into this area and a rapid increase in property values should begin shortly. For apartment dwellers, the Loop and Ames Place are excellent for large apartments for very reasonable prices. Located north and south of Delmar, this area is populated by gays, students, Blacks and Jews. Close to Washington University, this area is also the center of University City with its many street fairs.

Its Market-in-the-Loop, movie houses, and a large variety of shops and restaurants. This is one of the most liberal areas of St. Louis, and has a real urban feeling, with its variety of people and its crowded sidewalks, both day and night. As the saying goes, "The neatest people live In U. City." Well-integrated, with an excellent school system, U. City is a delightful and exciting place to live.

Neat people also live in the city,and especially in the Central West End, that mixture of rich and poor, Black and white, gay and straight. Also called Euclid, MO., the neighborhood has a strong community feeling, an incredible variety of shops and restaurants, and the most exciting night life in the area, with its streets crowded until 1:30 in the morning. It is a friendly, tolerant area, where gays can hold hands and even kiss in the streets without fear. It is the gayest neighborhood in the city with two gay bars and the gay community center. There is a wide variety of living costs here. The older apartment buildings are still quite reasonable in rent, but the new and restored buildings are relatively expensive, though somewhat cheaper than the suburbs. Housing prices have skyrocketed in the past three years, however, with smaller homes usually going for over $50,000 and the large ones for much more. Yet the homes, compared with what similar prices bring in the county, are a good bargain. The West End is an urban environment and one of the most popular and interesting places to live in St. Louis.

St. Louis gays do not live in just these neighborhoods; they live in every area of the city and county. These are just some of the areas where gays live, areas that gays have worked to restore and beautify. Thereby gays have helped to raise property values, and fostered the re-emergence of the city as an exciting and meaningful place to live.

Marvin Kabakoff