Anyone near St Louis, MO?

[atlantafemme]

Hi folks,

My partner has a job interview near St Louis, MO this week. Obviously we don't know yet if DP will be offered the job but I'm in a bit of a panic trying to gather information should an offer be forthcoming. We live in Atlanta now which is totally liberal and queer-friendly, unlike the rest of the state, and we're completely comfortable being out as a couple and queer parents here. (We have an 18-month-old and 1 on the way.) St Louis seems more conservative but I can't really get a good feel for it online. Neither of us has ever been there. 

Plus, we've lived here for many years so we've had a lot of time and opportunity to establish friendships. I'm worried that we won't be able to find other queer parents in St Louis or won't know where to look. 

Any help?

[activistkate]

Hi there,

I just joined this site recently. My partner and I have lived here in South St. Louis City for about a year, moving from very liberal, queer-friendly South Florida. My first piece of advice is that you should adjust your expectations a bit. St. Louis is the midwest. It's never going to be as progressive as ATL or anywhere similar. And it's a heck of alot smaller and less populated than ATL, so you'd have to expect a significant "scale down" in terms of places, activities, things to do. But there alot of really great things about St. Louis.

St. Louis is one of those places that whether someone agrees with what you're doing on or not, they wouldn't dare say it. It's very tolerant. Even the little old ladies in our neighborhood are accepting and courteous, which I didn't find to be the case in Florida. And you'd actually be surprised how liberal many people are, specifically in the city. There are many gay friendly restaurants and businesses here and I've yet to hear of any homophobic incidences. We also have a ton of great museums, performance halls, parks, and alot of really great <usually free and family friendly> activities, concerts, festivals, and block parties in the spring, summer, and fall.

We are in the first stages of our TTC journey, just getting labs done and starting to chart and such. So no (non furred or feathered) family yet so I can't speak to actually raising a child here for lesbians. I did spend most of my formative years here and I have very fond memories. St. Louis people tend to stay in St. Louis. So you really can make friends for life. And St. Louis is kind of like a city but a small town at the same time. By this I just mean that wherever you go, you see someone you know or someone who knows someone you know. Also, St. Louis is ridiculously affordable.

I do tend to be dissapointed with the lack of lesbian activities/groups/etc here that don't involve bars. But I also found that to be the case in South Florida and elsewhere.

I would recommend staying in or right outside the city. The further you go outside of the city the less tolerance you'll find. If you come into town, let me know. We'd be happy to give you a tour and introduce you to some people. :-)  

[atlantafemme]

Thanks so much for this reply! I didn't get a notification, otherwise I would have responded sooner. Anyway--sadly, my partner didn't get the job. We're bummed but hopeful of other offers soon. Good luck on your TTC journey!

[ValzQueen]

I agree 100% with Activistkate!!!! I am a St. Louis Native. I have left several times and came back. Although there is no place like home, St. Louis difinately beats a ton of other states. Everything Activistkate said is true and you would love it here. Wish you the best of luck.

Also if you partner is into security work she can try Whelan Security and Securitas. They are hiring now.

Good luck to the both of you and I assure you will love it here even if it's just for the political and economical reasons. Those reasons beat anything. :)

Mia & Val