2015 History Month Events

history of lgbt history month2October 4, 2015: The Project has several events planned to commemorate LGBT History Month - which was proudly founded in St. Louis through the leadership of local educator Rodney Wilson.

October 24 Walking Tour: The Queer History of St. Louis's Central West End, 10 am - 1 pm, Central West End.

To celebrate LGBT History Month,  join the Project on a guided walking tour of St. Louis's Central West End neighborhood. For decades, the Central West End was a regionally important hub of queer community life and political activism.

Featured places include the boyhood homes of T.S. Eliot and Tennessee Williams; the sites of St. Louis's first gay community center, Herbies' disco, and the Masters and Johnson Institute; and one of the Forest Park "tearooms" studied by pioneering sociologist Laud Humphreys.

If you can commit to attending, please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to reserve a spot. Further information, including where we will meet at the start of the tour, will be provided by e-mail. The tour is free of charge, but cash or check donations to support the the work of the St. Louis LGBT History Project are appreciated.

This walking tour will last approximately two hours, so a bit of physical stamina is required. It will also take place outdoors, so comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are recommended. Think of this as a sort of leisurely "urban hike." In case of inclement weather, the tour will be canceled and rescheduled.

October 26 Lecture: The History of LGBT History Month7 pm, Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium.

In October 1994, Rodney Wilson, a teacher at Mehlville High School, founded the now annual nationwide Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History Month, choosing the month of October to coincide with National Coming Out Day and commemorate the first LGBT march on Washington in 1979. Join Wilson and Steven Brawley, founder of the St. Louis LGBT History Project, for this discussion that explores LGBT history in St. Louis and the story of LGBT History Month.

Additional Resources:

Commentary by Rodney Wilson

Op-ed by Rodney Wilson