Dressed To Defy

Cost: $5; doors open at 6:30pm. Note: our cover charge helps support equipment and other expenses to bring you these talks. No one who wants to attend will be turned away for lack of funds**.**

"In 1843, St. Louis passed a law prohibiting people from wearing the clothing of the opposite sex. The ordinance remained on the books until 1986 (yes, just 40 years ago!) and was used for generations as a tool to harass and punish people who were queer, transgender, or gender nonconforming. Drawing on newspaper accounts, legal records, and other surviving historical evidence, Miranda will explore how the law was enforced, how it was challenged, and its impact on the lives of ordinary St. Louisans. Along the way, we’ll explore the landmark case D.C. & M.S. v. City of St. Louis, which ultimately led to the ordinance’s downfall, and consider why this history still matters today."

The Speaker:
"Miranda Rectenwald is curator of local history collections in the Julian Edison Department of Special Collections at Washington University Libraries. A lifelong resident of the St. Louis region, she earned a BA in History from Webster University and an MA in History and Museum Studies from the University of Missouri–St. Louis."

Learn more about the talk and the speaker at https://unseenstlouis.substack.com/p/unseen-stl-history-june-2026