Part of the Gay St. Louis Guide — bars, events & things to do.
St. Louis, Missouri
Queer-run indie bookstore in the Central West End since 1969.
Founded in 1969 by Washington University grad students, Left Bank Books is the oldest and largest independently owned full-line bookstore in St. Louis. Owner Kris Kleindienst has been part of the store since 1974, and the shop's social justice roots run deep — it was the first bookstore in the city to carry dedicated LGBTQ+, women's studies, and African American sections. The staff openly identifies Left Bank as a queer bookstore, staffed almost entirely by queer folks. That shows up in the programming: a monthly Lesbian Reading Group (third Thursdays), a Gay Men's Reading Group, Pride-month "Queer Joy June" pop-ups with Blueprint Coffee, and regular LGBTQ+ author events co-hosted with PFLAG Greater St. Louis. The store runs 300+ events a year and eight in-house book clubs across a range of themes. Located in the Central West End at Euclid and McPherson, the store also runs the Left Bank Books Foundation, a literacy nonprofit that distributes thousands of books to underserved St. Louis schools.
Have feedback on this description? Let us knowDrag brunches, circuit nights & every party worth knowing in St. Louis — in your inbox every week.
No upcoming events
Try checking a later date or browse events in the app
$139
$175
$25
$399
$495
$56
$779
$105
Experiences powered by Viator
Get the full experience — check in, follow this venue, and connect with the community.
St. Louis has nine gay bars spread across four neighborhoods — The Grove strip, two side-by-side dives in Carondelet, a piano bar and the city's oldest, open since 1988.
Robbie S.
Everything for Tower Grove Pride 2026 — the two-day Tower Grove Park festival, the Sunday parade, The Grove's gay bars, and where to stay in St. Louis.
Robbie S.
The practical first-timer's guide to drag: what people actually wear, how much cash to bring, how to hand a tip to a queen without making it weird, and what the room expects of you.
Robbie S.
A gay bar is a bar. Here's what actually happens on a normal night, why walking in alone is easier than you think, and how to pick the right one for your first time.
Robbie S.
A calm, practical answer to every question first-timers actually have about gay bathhouses — how check-in works, the unwritten rules, what things cost, and why almost everyone there came alone.
Robbie S.
The rainbow flag has meant something specific since 1978 — one word per stripe, assigned by the man who dyed the first one. What every color means, why two stripes are gone, and all the other flags.
Robbie S.
