LGBTQ+ History Month started in St. Louis in 1994. While Pride Month is about activism and organizing, October gives us the chance to reflect and learn from LGBTQ+ people who have contributed to our collective American history.
In October, we honor the people, organizations and businesses who have contributed to building the history of our region's LGBTQ+ community. If you have any stories you’d like to see shared, please reach out to Molly Hart at mhart@ninepbs.org.
In 2021, Trinity Episcopal Church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places for its legacy of LGBTQ advocacy. The church is the first site in Missouri to receive the designation.
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Being a teacher in Missouri has always had its challenges, especially if your lesson plans include LGBTQ+ history. But that didn’t stop Mehlville High School history teacher Rodney Wilson in 1994.
LGBTQ+ activism might typically be associated with coastal cities like San Francisco or New York. But one local historian has made it his mission to document St. Louis’s role in LGBTQ+ history.
Helen Stephens brought two Olympic medals home from Berlin to Missouri in 1936. She met her partner of 41 years—Mabel Robbe—in St. Louis a few years later.
In 1994, Mehlville High School history teacher Rodney Wilson set out to start LGBTQ+ History Month, which has now been adapted in countries around the world. #pridemonth #LGBTQHistory #LGBTQ+
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