While queerness is becoming more accepted within mainstream society, many cities in the United States have a drought of diversified queer nightlife spaces. Many places have gay bars or drag venues but lack a wider, deeper community for queer folks, especially for female-identifying people, to gain community in a bar-like setting. Specifically focused in St. Louis, Missouri, this article examines why that is, where these spaces are going, and what is the point of these spaces. This article combines the personal narratives of queer-identifying folks from two generations and their experiences and feelings about St. Louis’s scene with historical analysis to discover the significance of a void of these nightlife spaces.

Sarah Cerkvenik would like to thank their faculty sponsor Penny Weiss for their support of this project.