Gabe Montesanti

Sep 22, 2023 | glreview.org | Gabe Montesanti

It was dark around the stage lights, and a drag king named Mars was lip synching to “Could Have Been Me,” by The Struts. The 2023 St. Louis Pride Pageant was underway, and after a yearlong reign, Mars was preparing to step down as King of Pride. Like the queens at the event, Mars was dripping in rhinestones. His body language was grandiose as he gestured to himself and the audience, composed of 350 people waiting to see the crowning of the new court.

Jun 30, 2023 | latimes.com | Gabe Montesanti

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) About a month ago, I was crowned the first Mx. Pride St. Louis, winning my first title in drag. The most memorable part of this experience for me was seeing Q., a 12-year-old trans girl in the audience. I’ve been in Q.’s life since she was 6, supporting her through her parents’ split, a move to rural Missouri and a confusing — and often tumultuous — exploration of her gender. When I first started performing drag, I invited Q.

Jun 19, 2023 | outinstl.com | Gabe Montesanti

Until I competed in my first pride pageant on May 28 at River City Casino, all I really knew about pageants came from watching the iconic 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine and occasionally mining YouTube for the worst beauty pageant responses to the on-stage Q&A. My working class roots and the fact that I was raised to scorn anything that could be deemed “frivolous” — manicures, bubble baths, fancy dresses — meant that I had suspicions and preconceived notions about what a pageant could be.

Mar 13, 2023 | huffpost.com | Marco Margaritoff |Gabe Montesanti |Shruti Rajkumar |Hilary Hanson

"I just want to embrace the time where I am, and be as real and honest as I can," the silver-haired star said. Traute Lafrenz, Last Survivor Of Anti-Nazi Resistance Group, Dead At 103 Lafrenz was arrested by the Gestapo for handing out pamphlets from the White Rose, a group of young idealists calling for opposition to Adolf Hitler.

Mar 12, 2023 | huffpost.com | Gabe Montesanti

Until I was 19 and left my hometown in rural Michigan for the first time, I was only vaguely aware that there was such a thing as drag. Not a single student in my high school was out. We never used the word “gay” as anything but a slur. The closest anyone ever came to discussing queerness was government class, where we learned about a landmark Supreme Court ruling from 1986 that said states could outlaw homosexual acts.