KIRKWOOD, MO - School officials in Kirkwood have approved a measure that bans harassment based on sexual orientation.

KMOX Radio reports that school board members voted unanimously in support of the measure during a meeting Monday night. Students gathered nearly 1,000 signatures on a petition in support of the ban.

Recent Kirkwood High graduate Meghan Hickerson told KMOX she didn't want other students to be treated as she was - shoved into a locker by classmates, teased about her sexual orientation, while she said staff members failed to intervene.

ST. LOUIS - Despite threatening skies, Harvey Milk  Week St. Louis officially got underway yesterday with a historical walking tour of LGBT sites in the Central West End and a "Kiss-In" downtown. Several events are planned Sunday, May 16th through Sunday, May 23rd in honor of Milk's birthday on May 22nd.

BY: COLIN MURPHY - SENIOR WRITER

    At long last the wait is over as openly gay actor and comedian, Jason Stuart returns to The Lou for two-shows-only, May 21-22  at The Gaslight Theatre (358 N. Boyle).

    WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today hailed President Obama’s selection of United States Solicitor General  Elena Kagan as the nominee for the opening on the United States Supreme Court created by the retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens.

BY: ANDREA BRAUN - THEATRE CORRESPONDENT

    Jami Brandli demonstrates courage as a playwright by using The Sinker as a title. If the play weren’t any good, it would be tempting to make the second letter a “t.” But that’s not going to happen here. Brandli has written an absorbing piece, well acted by a cast of three and directedH by Annamaria Pileggi.

INSIDE THE MAY ISSUE:

Publisher's Page - 1 Out of 10

Overlook Farm - Pike's Peak

Non Profit of the Month

BY: COLIN MURPHY - SENIOR WRITER

    If you’re ever at an area antique store and spy a piece of whimsically painted furniture, don’t be surprised if the name Cheap Trx is scrawled on the backside. For the queer landmark’s beginnings 20-years ago just might surprise you.

Dear Friends,

    Now that spring is in full bloom, the travel bug has bitten Vital VOICE Magazine. Sure, it’s easy to hop a flight to some tropical destination or a glamorous city. However, the age-old adventure of the American road trip seems to be just what the doctor ordered.

BY: WILLIAM A. DONIUS

    It is almost a knee jerk response to head either east or west from St. Louis on vacation. The big cities: New York, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco are certainly exciting places to visit. But I decided to break the habit and took a road trip to Colorado. We also wanted to break out of the more typical vacation by going skiing and discovering the beauty of the Colorado Rockies by staying at a B&B owned by former St. Louisans.

BY: AMANDA WICHERN

    What is the perfect getaway-place for a vacation? Few would answer this question with the word farm. But for those who have visited the relaxing, historical Overlook Farm, their answer may be a tad different. Located about 70 miles north of St. Louis— Overlook Farm is just a hop, skip and an hour-long-drive away.

BY: COLIN MURPHY - SENIOR WRITER
   
    Chances are you’ve never heard of Wilbur Wegener. He wasn’t famous—but he was among the countless foremothers and forefathers who helped to shape and document the St. Louis lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

BY: AMANDA WICHERN

    The new date place in town is not only appealing to the taste buds, but the view from the dining room is another aspect that can’t be found just anywhere. Bixby’s, the newly renovated restaurant in the Missouri History Museum, is an elegant, chic place to take a lunch date—or have a brunch date on a Sunday morning.

    The Missouri Botanical Garden is an oasis in the heart of St. Louis. Opened to the public in 1859, the Garden is a National Historic Landmark and the oldest botanical garden in continuous operation in the country, widely considered one of the top three botanical gardens in the world. It is a renowned center for science and conservation, education and horticultural display.