Saint Louis remains the largest region in Missouri with over 1.5 million people living in both Saint Louis City and Saint Louis County; it also remains a hub for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life. PROMO has been working in the Saint Louis area since its founding in 1986 and has housed the main PROMO office for over 25 years. Rich in culture, history, arts, and, of course, sports, Saint Louis has been coined as the "Gateway to the West."
Saint Louis City
Saint Louis City was one of the first municipalities to institute a Domestic Partner Registry in 1998. In 2006, the City extended basic discrimination protections in employment, housing, and public accommodations for sexual orientation, and in 2010, gender identity was added as a protected category.
Saint Louis' chief governmental body is made up of the Mayor of Saint Louis City and the Board of Aldermen. Notable LGBT friendly districts include the Grove, the Central West End, and South City.
Saint Louis County
Saint Louis County on November, 27th 2012 passed basic protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in employment, housing, and public accommodations. The Saint Louis County Council has jurisdiction and power within unincorporated Saint Louis County with a population around 321,000, but is home to more than 92 individuals municipalities. Of those, seven municipalities have passed inclusive nondiscrimination protections, including Unincorporated, St. Louis County, University City, Olivette, Clayton, Richmond Heights, Creve Coeur, Ferguson, Maplewood and Kirkwood. University City, Olivette, and Clayton also have city-wide Domestic Partner Registries. In 2013, Webster Groves and Maryland Heights offer limited protections only in housing for the LGBT community.
Southeast Missouri
Moving into the boot heel of Missouri, PROMO continues to increase its presence in this part of the state. Southeast Missouri still remains part of the state that does not have basic protections for the LGBT community. This region is also home to Southeast Missouri State University, which has a growing presence of openly LGBT students and a thriving GSA group.
If you or your community would like more information about the Saint Louis and Southeast Missouri region or to become part of the movement, please contact Andrew Shaughnessy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 314.862.4900.
