BY: COLIN MURPHY - SENIOR WRITER

ST. LOUIS - A Picnic With Friends was held July 11 at the Worlds Fair Pavilion in Forest Park to honor St. Louis Effort for AIDS (EFA's) 25-years of dedicated service for people who are affected by HIV/AIDS.

On hand were  volunteers and clients, family and friends, donors and sponsors, board members and staff, community collaborators, partners and anyone who has been a part of the EFA family this past quarter-century.

BY: MATT JAMIESON

    It takes a lot to be a filmmaker, but it takes a lot more to be a gay independent filmmaker, especially in today’s recession society. L.A. based filmmaker J.T. Tepnapa (Tep-nah-pa) has made five short films to date, from the dramatic “Begging for Change” to the hilarious “Masturbation: Putting the Fun Into Self-Loving.”

    Saint Louis City now joins Kansas City and University City in offering basic protections in housing, public accommodations and employment.

    In late May at a town hall sponsored by PROMO and TransHaven, Alderman Shane Cohn announced Board Bill 67, inserting gender identity into the list of protected categories which already includes sexual orientation. The bill gained many co-sponsors and moved swiftly through committee and passed with unanimous support of the Alderman.

    A major victory was handed to proponents of marriage equality when Judge Joseph Tauro of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Gill v. Office of Personnel Management and Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Department of Health and Human Services, declared the denial of federal rights and benefits to lawfully married Massachusetts couples under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to be unconstitutional.

BY: CURTIS COMER

    My friend, Kris, has long been obsessed with the macabre. Serial killers, slasher movies, gritty crime dramas…anything that realistically portrays gore or the darker side of humanity…Kris has probably either read it or rented it or both. And, if she really loves it, she’ll buy it.

Inside The July Issue:

Publisher's Voice - 1 Out of 10

St. Louis Aces - LGBT & Media

ST. LOUIS - Over 85,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and allied revelers from throughout the region and beyond converged on South Grand and Tower Grove Park for the 31-annual St. Louis Pridefest. The two day event held June 26-27 culminated with Sunday's Grand Parade and was one of the largest on record despite temperatures hovering at the century mark. 

PHOTOS BY: PHILIP DEITCH-

Dear Friends,

    Squirrels… "It’s gettin’ hot in here!" And heating up our cover is the sizzling Anna Kournikova. Miss Kournikova, along with Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams Martina Hingis and Jan-Michael Gambill will all be burning up the court this month with the St. Louis Aces. Please join Vital VOICE on July 6 for a throwback to the 1970’s kick off party. Log onto stlouisaces.com for more information!

BY: COLIN MURPHY - SENIOR WRITER

    I’ve always been a bit of an Olympics nut. I love the pomp and ceremony, the competition and the cultural coming-together of the many nations of the world. So it goes without saying—I’m a big fan of the Gay Games to boot.

BY: COREY STULCE

    Dani Apted Schlottman might be dating herself when she recalls the days of the St. Louis Blues heading to the play-offs and when a night at the Checkerdome meant ladies in dresses and guys in suits—cheering Bernie Federco and Co. to victory.

    "Everybody talked about it. It was a big deal if you went," Dani told the Vital Voice.

BY: MATT JAMIESON

    Have you ever been out on the dance floor at your favorite club and wondered who is manning the turntables? Well worry no longer! Here are four local area DJs sharing about their starts, their influences and more about why they love what they do.

CHARLIE BUTTONS

BY: SARAH FENTEM

    It’s a tale as old as time: After gleefully cashing your paycheck, you and your loaded wallet go out to kick back a couple of drinks on Friday night. Newly acquired funds allow you to finally fill your tank up with gas, repair that leaky faucet, and—what the hell, splurge on a new pair of shoes.