Pride month has arrived this June with colorful events, parades and statements of allyship from companies and individuals alike. Yet the monthlong commemoration of LGBTQ pride arrives in 2023 with a sharp tension.
That’s because the status of being publicly queer or trans has become increasingly fraught in Missouri. This year has seen an unprecedented wave of legislation aimed at restricting gender-affirming care, as well as policies that led numerous schools to remove books featuring LGBTQ characters and themes from their libraries.
Steven Louis Brawley, who has spent years chronicling St. Louis’ LGBTQ history, describes this moment as “real-time history.”
“I've been documenting the events that have been occurring, the rallies,” said Brawley, who founded the St. Louis LGBT History Project in 2007. “Some folks have donated the speeches they used to testify [in Jefferson City], so we have that record. It's collecting in real time what's been happening the last six months, because that's all history.”
Brawley joined St. Louis on the Air on Tuesday to reflect on Pride month history and to describe his continuing research into the history of queer and trans people in the region.
Terry Willits, an LBGTQ activist, writer and artist, said that this Pride month feels different from those in the past. Willits, a patient at the gender clinic operated by Washington University, said he saw his own medical care come under attack.
Among trans people and their families, “there's a lot of frustration,” he told St. Louis on the Air.
“I don't know that there are a lot of people celebrating [Pride] necessarily as much as in the past. I think there's still a carryover from all of the legislation … a lot of people are still making plans, families making plans of what they need to do to care for their loved ones right now. They aren't necessarily in a celebratory mood.”
Even so, Willits believes that it’s important for LGBTQ people to share their stories.
“People are sharing their stories, trying to make that difference, and are using their stories to generate some more hope,” he said. “And, if nothing else, to let others know that they're not alone in this.”
For the full conversation with Steven Louis Brawley and Terry Willits, and to learn more about their reflections on Pride and LGBTQ history, listen to the full St. Louis on the Air conversation on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
