The Ordinances of the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri (1861)


The Ordinances of the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri. Digested and Revised by the Common Council of Said City, in the Years 1860 & 1861. St. Louis: George Knapp & Co., 1861. A digitized copy of the book is available on Archive.org.

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Looking for the original St. Louis ordinance? See this related source:
The Revised Ordinances of the City of Saint Louis (1843)

St. Louis is known as the first city in the United States to adopt a cross-dressing ordinance in 1843. This is the revised ordinance as published in 1861.

Misdemeanors (No. 4869), Article 2 (Offenses against Public Morals and Decency), Section 2, p. 511:

Whoever shall, in this city, appear in any public place in a state of nudity, or in a dress not belonging to his or her sex, or in an indecent or lewd dress; or shall make any indecent exposure of his or her person, or be guilty of any indecent or lewd act or behavior; or shall exhibit, sell, or offer to sell, any indecent or lewd book, picture, or other thing; or shall exhibit or perform any indecent, immoral, or lewd play or other representation, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.

Misdemeanors (No. 4869), Article 6 (Penalties), Section 1, p. 520:

Whoever shall be convicted of a misdemeanor under any provision of this ordinance, in a case where no special penalty is prescribed, shall forfeit and pay to this city a sum not less than three nor more than one hundred dollars for the first offense; for the second offense, of a like nature, he shall forfeit and pay not less than double the minimum penalty aforesaid; for the third offense, of a like nature, not less than treble said minimum; and so on, increasing the minimum three dollars upon each additional conviction.