One Less Gay Blog in St. Louis

The St. Louis blogosphere is officially a little less gay, with the virtual shuttering of GayStLouis.com.

Tony Bossaller has run the site since 1998, an eternity in online terms. The site has grown and changed over the years, beginning as a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community events bulletin board and morphing into its recent blog format when upkeep on the bulletin board format became too expensive. The blog had hosted an events calendar, guide to LGBT-friendly bars and event photos.

"I've been running it for ages and it takes a lot of time," says Bossaller, who fits blogging in between working full-time."These days it's become really tough because I'm not getting a lot of details from the community. I think the community is settled -- the groups are doing their own thing and they know where to go."

The explosion of social media has surely contributed to the decline of blogs like Bossaller's: there's less need for a clearinghouse like it when Facebook and Twitter connect you directly to the folks organizing events, for instance.

Bossaller's favorite memory from doing the blog was the formation, in the late 90s, of Out & Urban, a group that helped found the LGBT film festival QFest. He says seeing diverse parts of the community coalesce like that was a real thrill.

"There's really an opportunity in this town for that sort of unity again," he says.

And hey, maybe it's an opportunity for you!

"I would love to see someone else step forward after all this time," he says. Interested? Get in touch with Bossaller at webmaster@gaystlouis.com.