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NOSouthernDecadenceSponsors.pdf.
the "official" dish
Upcoming Southern Decadence Events
by Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain Email: ripna@ambushmag.com
Welcome to Memorial Day Weekend! Ambush brings to our readers the excitement of Memorial Day Weekend across the Gulf South. Yes, it's the "official" start of summer as droves of the LGBT+ community will head to the pools, beaches and travel destinations. "Play in Mobile, Alabama: 2 bars, 1 block!" is the motto for B-Bob's, 213 Conti Street, and Flip Side Bar & Patio, 54 Conception Street. B-Bob's celebrates the weekend starring Regine Phillips on both May 27 and 28. Over at Flip Side catch DJ Melly Mell for Friday's Late Night Dance Party at 12:30 am. Here in New Orleans, it's an open field of events and activities! There are dance parties with hit DJs, shows galore, special events, loads of restaurants, crawfish boils, beer busts, BBQs, shops, tours, cookouts, picnics, contests and more. You can find exactly what you're looking for in the Gulf South oldest LGBT+ Entertainment/Travel Guide direct from Bourbon Street since 1982 in New Orleans.
Southern Decadence Press Party & Sponsorship Drive set for June 4 Southern Decadence Grand Marshals XLII Tony Leggio, Felicia Phillips, Jeffrey Palmquist and Derek Penton-Robicheaux invite you to the Southern Decadence Press Party and Sponsorship Drive on Saturday, June 4. This year the event will be hosted at Bourbon Pub & Parade, 801 Bourbon Street, with doors opening at 6 pm. There is a $10 door donation. Former Southern Decadence Grand Marshals are admitted free. $50 VIP Tables of 4 are available. Please contact Tony Leggio, Felicia Phillips, Jeff Palmquist or Derek Penton-Robicheaux for VIP table reservations. The excitement reigns at 6:30 pm when all will find out the official theme, colors, song, charities, sponsors and the unveiling of the 2016 poster. Starring SDGMs XLII “The Fantastic 4” the festivities will feature special guests Monica Synclaire-Kennedy, Vanessa Carr Kennedy, Coca Mesa and Kitty D’Litter! The event will be catered by Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli. You to can become a sponsor of the largest LGBT+ celebration in Louisiana today! All funds raised minus expenses benefit the official 2016 Southern Decadence Charities chosen by the grand marshals. A complete financial report will be issued following this year’s celebration by New Orleans Southern Decadence Inc.. There are several levels of sponsorship available including $5,000 Presenting, $2,500 Platinum, $1,000 Gold, $500 Silver, $250 Bronze, and $100 Pearl. Sponsorship forms are available at www.southerndecadence.com/2016/NOSouthernDecadenceSponsors.pdf. For more information visit www.SouthernDecadence.com or www.Facebook.com/ SouthernDecadenceNOLA.
Southern Decadence Raises More $$$ Southern Decadence 2016 has raised another $575 plus a $100 Pearl sponsorship at the Crawfish Boil Meet & Greet hosted by Cafe Lafitte in Exile in honor of Southern Decadence Grand Marshals XLII Jeffrey Palmquist, Felicia Phillips, Derek PentonRobicheaux and Tony Leggio. It also received a $500 Silver sponsorship from New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation. Decadence has already received $1,500 from the Friends of The Golden Lantern towards the sponsorship of The Home of Southern Decadence, $765 from the Grand Marshals Announcement Party at Four Seasons Bar in Metairie, and the first $100 Pearl sponsorship from Dawn Leggio, Mother of SDGM Tony Leggio. Sponsors to date include Presenting: Ambush Magazine, www.SouthernDecadence.com; Platinum: Gay Appreciation Awards (GAA), Crescent City Tour Booking Agency; Gold: The Golden Lantern; Silver: Four Seasons Bar, Cafe Lafitte in Exile, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation; Bronze: Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli; and Pearl: Dawn Leggio, SDGM XXVII Errol Rizzuto.
Sponsorship forms are available at www.southerndecadence.com/2016/
inside
Pride, GAA Ballot, Father's Day issue due out June 7 DEADLINE: Tues., May 31
southern decadence press party a community within communities moments in gay new orleans history obituary/richard milton magill lez talk real estate celebrazzi/new orleans snap paparazzi/new orleans ambush marketplace, book review spotlight feature/baton rouge pride
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AD INFO: Call 504.522.8049 ripna@ambushmag.com
Gulf South LGBT+ Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 828-A Bourbon St. • New Orleans, LA 70116-3137 • 504.522.8049 ripna@ambushmag.com
Events continue to be added leading up to Southern Decadence, the largest LGBT+ weekend in Louisiana ranking 5th after Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Essence Fest, and French Quarter Fest in New Orleans. The event always falls on Labor Day Weekend, August 31-September 5 this year. Fundraisers set include: FRIDAY, June 10th... 7pm, Southern Decadence Dinner & A Show with dinner at 7pm & show at 9pm benefiting Southern Decadence 2016, $10 donation @ Official Home of Southern Decadence: The Golden Lantern; WEDNESDAY, June 15th... 6:30-9:30pm, Cocktails & Queer History: A Southern Decadence Fundraiser begins with a Southern Decadence Grand Marshals reception at the home of SDGM XLII Jeffrey Palmquist. After cocktails, local historian Frank Perez will conduct his internationally famous New Orleans LGBT+ History Walking Tour. This fascinating stroll around the French Quarter will end back at SDGM XLII Palmquist’s Bourbon Street home, where hors d’ouvres and more cocktails will be served. Space is limited and the cost is $75.00. All proceeds go to Southern Decadence and its official charities. Tickets may be purchased from Jeffrey Palmquist, Frank Perez, or Perez’ business, the Crescent City Tour Booking Agency @ 638 St. Ann; MONDAY, July 4th... 3pm, 3rd Annual Potato Salad Contest, $10 to Taste & Judge includes Hot Dogs & Baked Beans, winner receives trophy & 1/2 proceeds, 1/2 proceeds benefits Southern Decadence 2016, (register to enter contest @ GrandPre’s, contestants bring 5 lbs. of their potato salad by 2pm) @ GrandPre’s; SATURDAY, July 9th... 10pm, 3rd Annual Johnny Passion’s Snatch Game with local entertainers impersonating celebrities benefiting Southern Decadence 2016 with auctions, $60 VIP Table’s for 4, $10 door donation @ Allways Lounge; and SATURDAY, July 23rd... 7pm, Ambush Magazine presents 29th Annual Gay Appreciation Awards Gala with “Walking the Red Carpet” with Southern Decadence Grand Marshals XLII Tony Leggio, Felicia Phillips, Jeffrey Palmquist & Derek Penton-Robicheaux 7-7:45pm, followed by the Gala 8-10pm announcing the Winners, benefiting Southern Decadence 2016, $200 VIP Table’s for 4, $10 door donation @ Oz New Orleans. Visit www.SouthernDecadence.com for more information.
Blanche Debris Returns to Oz Memorial Day Weekend May 29 Yes, that's right, the Grand Dame of Oz, Blanche Debris will return to the club Sunday, May 29 bringing back Sunday Funday Dingo by popular demand! Hosted from 6-8pm, Blanche will be awarding a slew of prizes from 801 Royal, Quartermaster, Crescent City Tour Booking Agency, Little Vic's, Meauxbar, Bourbon Pride, Rab Dab, Louisiana Pizza Kitchen, Eat, Boy-
THE OFFICIAL MAG
Facebook.COM/AmbushMag Gulf South Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 • Texas-Florida Official Gay Easter Parade Guide© Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide© Official Gay New Orleans Guide© Official Pride Guide© Official Southern Decadence Guide© AWARD WINNING:
Saints & Sinners Literary Festival Hall of Fame/2015, Louisiana Excellence Award: Media & Internet/2014, New Orleans Print Media Award/ 2014, 25th NO/AIDS Task Force Humanitas Award/2013, New Orleans Print Media Award/ 2013, Krewe of Mwindo Media Honoree/2009, Krewe of Petronius Carnival Spirit of Gay Mardi Gras XLVIII Award/2009, Forum For Equality Acclaim Awards X Media Recipient/2008, NO/AIDS Task Force Prometheus “Torch of Truth” [media] Award/2001 OFFICE/SHIPPING ADDRESS: 828-A Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70116-3137 USA OFFICE HOURS: 10am-3pm Monday-Friday [Except Holidays] Email: ripna@ambushmag.com PHONE: 1.504.522.8049 ANNUAL READERSHIP OVER 1 MILLION: 260,000+ in print/780,000+ On-line CIRCULATION: Alabama-Mobile Florida - Pensacola Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metairie, New Orleans, Slidell Mississippi - Bay St. Louis, Biloxi Texas - Houston
STAFF: PUBLISHER/EDITOR R. Rip Naquin, New Orleans PRODUCTION DIRECTOR M. Marsha Delain, New Orleans GULF SOUTH/NEW ORLEANS AD SALES Rip Naquin • 504.522.8049 Paul Melancon THEATRE/PERFORMING ARTS CRITIC Brian Sands AD REPS/JOURNALISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Misti Ates, Tony Leggio, Hubert S Monkeys, Felicia Phillips, Frank Perez, Rev. Bill Terry-New Orleans MIss Cie, Leon Weekley-Mobile, AL National Advertising Rep: Rivendell Media 212.242.6863 Ambush Mag is published on alternate Tuesdays of each month by Ambush, Inc., R. Rip NaquinDelain, President. Advertising, Copy & Photo DEADLINE is alternate Tuesdays, 4pm, prior to publication week, accepted via e-mail only: marsha@ripandmarsha.com, except for special holidays. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for the claims of advertisers and has the right to reject any advertising. The inclusion of an individual's name or photograph in this publication implies nothing about that individual's sexual orientation. Letters, stories, etc., appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of the Publisher or Staff of AMBUSH Mag. Subscription rate is $45 for 1/2 Year; $75 for 1 year. Sample Copy is $3 First Class Mail. ©1982-2016 AMBUSH, INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOTHING HEREIN MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER INCLUDING AD LAYOUTS, MAPS and PHOTOS. AMgrant - AMbush Advertising Grant Donation
friend Tees, and NOLA Candles. Get there early to get a good seat at the bar! Club owners Madeline Schwartz and Cindy Lou Simpson negotiated for some time to bring Blanche back to Dance and Show Club of the Year Oz. They are excited with the return; and are looking for good, new, live, fresh talent to enchance their current show lineup with fresh and different scenarios (if you fit the bill, see Kirk or Persana at rehearsals on Tuesdays at 4pm to set up an audition). They also have new event nights in the works, but mum was the word. It will be exciting to see what these ladies have in store for us.
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a community within communities by The Rev. Bill Terry, Rector St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, New Orleans Email: fr.bill@stannanola.org
The Hippie Church It was a party to celebrant an upcoming wedding. The crowd gathered and it was a grand time. The families are of Irish descent and good solid Roman Catholics. Our small Italian convert (no longer Roman) cornered the young priest-to-be who is now a Deacon in the Roman Church. So, after a cocktail or two our good convert (we’ll call him Guido) talked about Church. Two things came out of this conversation. First, Guido asked, “OK so you know my partner and I are married right?” The Deacon’s eyes rolled and he said, “You aren’t going to ask it are you?” Guido said, “Yep! Are you going to give us communion (both men were Confirmed Roman Catholics as kids)?!” The Deacon’s eyes rolled and with a great sigh he simply said, “No. I can’t I am under orders.” Such extinguished any sense of attachment to this childhood church for Guido. It caused pain and righteous anger to some degree. You see Guido is a good man trying to lead a good life. He is settled with a wonderful husband and they both attend church and participate in church and have become comfortable in receiving the sacraments – all of the sacraments. This spiritual brick wall was the final insult. The conversation remarkably continued as Guido explained to the young priestto-be that he attended St. Anna’s Episcopal Church. He began to share about the missions and outreach of St. Anna’s: Anna’s Place NOLA which reaches at risk children and families and seeks to break the back of poverty and violence. He spoke about the Food Pantry, part of Anna’s Place, which feeds almost 60 people and two dozen children (thanks mostly to LGBT community). He shared about his personal quest to help with and work with the Metropolitan Community Church in establishing a LGBT Youth Runaway hostel. The young priestto-be then said, and this is the Second thing, “Oh I’ve heard of St. Anna’s I just thought it was some little hippie church.” Guido almost exploded with his inner voice. Guido then called me, “The Priest”, when he got home and shared his experience with some degree of agitation and humor. Apparently the young priest-to-be was up against it with Guido. This, at least, gave Guido some solace. You see, “the hippie church” thing really got to Guido and to me also. Being refused the sacrament was hurtful but expected, I’ve been in the same position by being non-Roman. The characterization of our church was meant and indeed did trivialize it and dismiss it. I suppose in the same way calling M.C.C. “the gay church” for some would trivialize it and dismiss it. So lets set the record straight! Yes, I “The Priest”, had a ponytail and its growing back. Yes, some say I look very much like George Carlin although I think I am bit more like Brad Pitt or Richard Gere who is 67! Can you believe that….humph! Yes, it is true that we have Jazz Bands working with us at times. It is also true that about 30% of our congregation is Gay. About 20% is African American more if we count the kids from the neighborhood. It is
true that we are the “Murder Board” church, have a great after school educational program, and yes we have an eccentric group for our choirs. It is also true that we are supported in so many ways by groups like Bears, Bear Trappers, Lords of Leather and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. It is true that at least one Gay Mardi Gras Krewe meets at St. Anna’s on a regular basis. It is true that “The Priest” occasionally can be seen at Mags, Cutters, The Friendly Bar and strolling about “the lavender line.” Yes, we have been represented at Jackson Square when love became legal; marked the Upstairs Lounge Fire; and received awards for simply including all of God’s people in our sacramental life. So, does that make us “that little hippie church?!” HELL NO! It makes us and any church like ours true Christian churches and we are in the business of reclaiming Christianity for Christians. Our Presiding Bishop calls us members of “the Jesus Movement.” I kind of like that. It takes Jesus out of the attic of antiquity and uselessness and puts him right where he ought to be, alive and active and confrontational. Because we reclaim the good language of this post modern faith does that make us “that little hippie church?!” HELL NO. What we are is a church that rejoices in the ancient Rituals established by earliest believers (read smells aka incense) and refined by centuries of devotion and liturgical art forms (read lace, bells, and fabulous costuming). What we are is a church that administers the seven Holy Sacraments with dignity and truth. Yes, we administer them and make them available to ALL Christians not just straight or dressed up or doctrinally orthodox – “ALL OF THE SACRAMENTS FOR ALL OF THE PEOPLE.” I am so weary of the shunning and refusing access to Grace because of some old tired dogmatic teaching that has no contemporary or even scientific standing. So, does that make us “that little hippie church?” HELL NO QUITE THE CONTRARY. Before each mass the rosary is prayed. We read the litany of Saints on All Saints Day. We have enjoyed Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, processed on the Feast of Corpus Christi, and sung Gregorian chant and Latin mass settings. We kneel at an altar rail to receive the Blessed Sacrament as a sign of devotion yet we ordain and rightfully so women and gay priests. We hold the most Holy Days on the days of origin and don’t conveniently transfer them to Sundays. Inclusive and open does not need to mean throwing out beauty and replacing it with milk toast liturgies. I trust people to understand and to express the beauty of holiness not make worship a quest for inclusion because it should be inclusive anyway. SO THERE! NUF SAID! The bottom line is that no one church has a corner on holiness or sanctity. So, don’t marginalize and take into account the possibility that some churches are actually busy doing the WORK of their professed savior not just claiming authority and rule…just doing the work. God bless us one and all and be safe this Memorial Day.
the "official" dish ...from 4 But don't forget Dingo with Persana Shoulders on Saturdays, Show Night on Wednesdays and Sundays, Comedy Night with Jeff Derouen and Midnight Strip Off Contest with Persana Shoulders on Thursdays, and dance the night away on Fridays and Saturdays, and every night of the week. (www.OzNewOrleans.com)
17th Annual MASCARa Race Memorial Day Weekend in New Orleans May 27-30 Sponsored by Wood Enterprises and Bud Light, the 17th Annual MASCARa Race promises to be even bigger and better with events surrounding the race all weekend long May 27-30. All proceeds from the event benefits the NOCCA Institute which supports NOCCA Riverfront. It assists all students who need help with tuition and any other supplies needed. It also helps with each production NOCCA puts on. Each MASCARa runner/contestant gets sponsors to donate money raising as much as they can. On the day of the race, each team will sign up and turn in all monies raised. Since 2002 more than $121,210 has been raised for this very worthy charity. On Friday, May 27, Good Friends Bar at the corner of St. Ann and Dauphine Streets, will hold the 16th Annual Hamster Derby beginning at 5 pm. One can bet on the races using Hamster Bucks ($1 gets you 10 Hamster Bucks) which can be purchased at the betting booth. These Hamster Bucks can be used later at the charity auction with prizes that have been donated by local retailers. On Sunday, May 29, Rawhide, located at the corner of St. Ann and Burgundy, will host its annual Crawfish Boil at 5 pm at $10 per plate. They brag that they make the best crawfish in the South. The MASCARa $5 Beer Bust will be hosted at the same time. The race itself will be held Memorial Day, Monday, May 30 at Clover Grill, corner of Bourbon and Dumaine, promptly at 2 pm. As the contestants are announced, they will take their seat at Clover Grill, where they will be served a piping hot order of chili cheese fries. Once the horn sounds, the contestants begin eating. All food stuff must be consumed before the runner can leave the table. Then it’s off to… Café Lafitte in Exile, the 2nd Pit Stop; where the runners will slip into their stockings and heels while consuming a shot of peppermint schnapps. Yes, the heels will be measured before the runners can leave. Leaving through the front door, the runners will then proceed down Dumaine Street, turning left at Burgundy. Once arriving at Rawhide, the 3rd Pit Stop, the runners will consume a 16oz. Bud Light while putting on their earrings, two rings, a bracelet and a necklace. Once completed, the runners will proceed up St. Ann to Good Friends Bar, the 4th Pit Stop; where they will enjoy a Separator while applying their make-up, eye lashes, and fake nails. Contestants must have ten nails and they must be painted! Leaving Good Friends, the runners will proceed to the Bourbon Pub, 5th Pit Stop; where they will consume a mind eraser and apply their bra, boobs, and wig. Crossing the street to Oz, 6th Pit Stop;
the runners will then consume a surprise drink while putting on their dress. The final sprint: the runners will continue up Bourbon back to Clover Grill, 7th Pit Stop, to cross the finish line. The runners will enter through the Dumaine side, put on their hat and purse, and exit through the door facing Bourbon Street. The runners must have everything on accumulated through the Pit Stops, and will be judged for all points at this stage. Categories of competition include: Quickest Time, Most Money Raised, Prettiest Drag, Miss Congeniality, and Ugliest Lady. Contestants will be awarded points in each category with a trophy being awarded in each category. The person who receives the most points will be declared Ms. Mascara 2016. The award ceremony will be held later that day, at 5 pm at Rawhide, located at 740 Burgundy Street. To become a contestant or for more information, contact Chris Ward at 504.525.6724.
Pensacola Beach Welcomes Memorial Visitors, Beach Festivities Receive Permit for May 27-30 Escambia County welcomes visitors to Pensacola Beach for Memorial Day Weekend! New to Pensacola Beach is a “Leave No Trace Behind” ordinance passed in August 2015. Simply put, it means you cannot leave personal property unattended on the beach after sunset. The ordinance is common in coastal communities as a way to help reduce litter and to make beaches sea turtle-friendly. A special event permit has been granted to Johnny Chisholm for this year’s LGBT beach festivities, allowing personal items in the special event area to be left on the beach unattended overnight from Friday, May 27 until Monday, May 30 in the following designated areas only: between beach walkover 28A (look for the dog park sign) to approximately ¼ mile east of beach walkover 29D. Overnight camping and campfires are not permitted. The Santa Rosa Island Authority and Escambia County will continue to focus on educating all our visitors on our new policies, and only warnings will be issued during Memorial Weekend. "We ask that when you leave Pensacola Beach to return home, please be sure to 'Leave No Trace': > Fill in any holes in the sand and knock down sand sculptures to remove obstacles blocking sea turtles’ nesting activities. > Properly dispose of trash and discarded gear. Sea turtles can become entangled in old fishing nets and lines or ingest plastic bags and wrappers, mistaking them for jellyfish. > Remove all personal belongings from the beach. If you are unable to take the items with you, please use one of the six roll-away dumpsters provided by Escambia County. It is imperative that when visiting Pensacola Beach, you pick up all trash and leave our beaches in their natural beautiful state. Enjoy our beaches, have a great time and please leave only your footprints!" See informational ad on page 23.
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obituary
moments in gay new orleans history
Richard Milton Magill
by Professor Frank Perez E-mail: f.perez@sbcglobal.net Photo by: Larry Graham, GrahamStudioOne.COM
“Rich Magill and His Times” On Friday, May 6, I received a package in the mail from Rich Magill. Rich Magill died the day before by his own hand. In the package were 14 back issues of a gay-themed newspaper Magill published in 1988-1989 called the Big Easy Times. These were the years when Magill was at the height of gay activism in New Orleans. Magill moved to New Orleans in 1986 and became involved in LAGPAC (Louisiana Lesbian and Gay Political Action Caucus). In 1991, LAGPAC published Magill’s study, Exposing Hatred: A Report on the Victimization of Lesbian and Gay People in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was instrumental in the City Council’s passage of the historic non-discrimination ordinance. As I looked at the stack of papers before me, I began to reminisce about my friendship with Rich. I remembered the first time I formally interviewed Magill about his activism, about having cocktails with him at Café Lafitte in Exile, about the parties he threw at his Chartres Street home, about him stopping by my office on St. Ann Street as he walked the Quarter. I thought about him and his friend Stewart Butler smoking marijuana and protesting the Pope’s visit in 1987. I thought about his dry sense of humor and his keen intelligence and his kindness of heart. I thought about how I would miss him. Years earlier, Magill assisted his partner John H. Foster in his suicide when complications from AIDS became unbearable. Magill suffered from chronic back and neck pain resulting from an automobile accident decades ago. And then, as I began perusing the papers he had sent me, I began to think about the gay community in New Orleans in the late 1980s. Newspapers have been described as the first drafts of history. And it’s true— newspapers provide historians not just accounts of what happened but also of what was. Advertisements, for example, offer historians invaluable information that may not be found elsewhere—the date of a drag show or political rally or the address of a bar long gone and forgotten. The Big Easy Times was published biweekly from August 1988 to February, 1989. It was not the only gay publication in New Orleans at the time; there was also Impact, Ambush, and the Rooster. Magill was a regular contributor to the Big Easy Times, as was
Jerry Zachary, who founded the New Orleans Gay Men’s Chorus in 1982, Shelley A. Hamilton, who served as pastor of what was then called the Vieux Carre Metropolitan Community Church, and Henry L. Phillips. The paper lasted a mere six months but its 14 issues provide an insightful glimpse into gay New Orleans in the fall of 1988 and winter of 1988-89. Among those insights: An obituary for Paul D. Bond who died of complications from AIDS on August 4, 1988. Bond was an actor best known for his role as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady performed at Le Petit Theatre. He was also a member of the acting ensemble “Nobody Likes a Smartass,” which ran for 16 years on Bourbon Street. The cover charge for the Becky Allen Show at the Mint was $1.00. Well
Rich Magill Portrait by Larry Graham cocktails and domestic beers were .90 cents during happy hour. Cox Cable Channel 42 was an open access channel that featured a gay themed show called “Just for the Record.” The show was co-produced by Valda Lewis and Loretta Mims. New Orleans briefly had a chapter of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power). Oz almost never was. The property at 800 Bourbon Street had been vacant for two years in 1988 following the closing of Le Bistro (prior to that it had been Pete Fountain’s club). Nick Krysalka, who had recently purchased the Great American Refuge, had purchased the property with the hopes of opening a bar called Dixie’s. Property owners and area bar owners vigorously opposed Krysalka’s application for a liquor license. Good Friend’s bar, previously the Louisiana Purchase, had just opened and was initially open for just two hours on Friday evenings. A cheeseburger with bacon at Quarter Scene (now Eat) cost $4.25. Jewel’s Tavern was cited for violations of the city fire code. Gay Carnival pioneer Bill Wooley celebrated his birthday in 1988 at Le Roundup, which coincided with the bar’s 12th anniversary. The Double Play was still Gregory’s and not yet The Wild Side. Ourelia Manchester and Paulette Coustaut opened Pinstripes and Lace, a bar for black lesbians. An obituary for the legendary Jo Jo Landry. There were five lesbian bars in New Orleans in December of 1988: Blue Odyssey II,
Richard Milton Magill died May 5, 2016. He was 70. A long-time resident of the French Quarter, Magill was a homebuilder and gay activist. Born in St. Louis, he was reared in a military family and lived in six different places by the time he was graduated by Autauga County High School in 1964, in Prattville, AL. Afterwards, he attended the University of Alabama and was graduated in 1968. He entered the United States Air Force and was honorably separated in 1972 at the rank of Captain. After traveling through Europe he entered the University of Florida to study building construction and was graduated in 1975. He worked in Fort Lauderdale, Montgomery, AL, Austin, TX, and Seagrove Beach, FL, building houses until spinal problems forced him to retire at age 40. Magill moved to New Orleans in 1986 and until 1991 was active in gay politics. Magill met Stewart Butler, long-time LGBT+ activist, at Charlene’s bar in 1986 on the day the New Orleans City Council voted down a non-discrimination ordinance against gay people. Butler encouraged Magill to get involved with LAGPAC and the two went on to become close friends. In 1991 LAGPAC published his study of violence and discrimination against lesbian and gay people in New Orleans, Exposing Hatred. Magill considered December 12, 1991, the happiest day of his life. That was the date that the New Orleans City Council prohibited discrimination in jobs, housing in public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation. Magill was a member or supporter of Mensa, Disabled American Veterans, Human Rights Campaign, LAGPAC, NOW, P-FLAG, NAACP, Compassion and Choices, Beta Theta Pi, ACLU, NO/AIDS Task Force, Sierra Club and the Democratic Party. Magill was preceded in death by his life partner, John Horn Foster, and his parents, Milton Harold Magill and Patricia Thelma Richards Magill. He is survived by his sisters Linda Lee Magill Herring and Sherry Patricia Magill, and his brother James Robert Magill, Sr., two nieces, one nephew, and three grandnieces. Services will be private. His ashes will be inured at Arlington National Cemetery. Memorials should be made to the New Orleans PFLAG Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 15515, New Orleans, LA, 70175. Charlene’s, Diane’s, Pinstripes and Lace, and The Other Side. The Monster (formerly Menefee’s) had its Grand Opening just before Mardi Gras, 1989.
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lez talk
REAL ESTATE
by Misti Ates Email: Mistimichelleates@gmail.com
Necha Benoit "Lady Magic" I remember one of the first times that I met Lady Magic. It was about seven (7) years ago in the small dressing room of what was The Sanctuary in Metairie. I had seen her only a couple of times, but I had always felt not only a connection to her, but also a little bit intimidated. I had been asked to meet with Necha to discuss the possibility of me performing in her show, Lady Magic and the Vamps. I walked in and there she was, the Grand Dame, with her trademark raven black hair, the biggest jewels I had ever seen and of course, high heels. I remembered nervously sitting down and listening to her talk about her show and that she was thinking about giving me a chance to perform in her monthly production. This was big news to a small town girl like me, who was raised in a strict Pentecostal home in a town with only a four way stop sign. We talked for a while and it was from that meeting, Johnny Passion came to life. I would lip synch my songs back then until I got enough nerve to start singing live. I didn’t know at that time, that I was in the presence of someone who was an important part of New Orleans LGBT history. Necha always has and will continue to do things her way. Some may agree with her and some may not, but yet, she continues. She is very proud of the fact that she has been having her own show for the past thirty two (32) years. That in itself is a feat, not many show directors or bar owners today can boast about. Even after thirty years, she still brings in large crowds that come to see her perform. People not only from the New Orleans area, but also from Slidell, Houma and other places who make the drive to watch Lady Magic and her cast. Necha not only has longevity in producing and starring in her own show, she also has made an imprint in the lives of so many. It all began when the Captain of the all female Krewe of Ishtar, Sue Martino, asked Necha to host a show at her bar in Metairie, The Blue Odyssey. The show was originally named, “Sassy” and every Thursday, it would bring in record crowds. She was one of the first show directors to give lesbians a venue and opportunity to perform on stage. Using her role as show director, she was able to break down some invisible barriers from within our community as she would invite Drag Queens to share the stage with her usual performers. After her success at The Blue Odyssey, Necha decided to open her own bar, called Lady Magic’s. It was located in one of the buildings at the corner of N. Rampart and Elysian Fields which is what we know today as Gene’s Po-Boys. Although it was small, it was where some of our performers that we still enjoy and love today got their start. Our current Miss Gay Louisiana 2016, Dominique DeLorean, had her first show at Lady Magic’s. Dominique has become a major title holder and performer not only at Oz in New Orleans, but also has her own show, Dominique’s Cabaret at The Four Seasons Bar in Metairie. Since she was fifiteen (15), Necha
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has been drawn to the stage, like a moth to a flame. She would sing at high school dances and just about anywhere that they would let her. Her big break came when she was singing in a talent contest. A gentleman in the audience gave her his card and told her he was going to tell his friend about her and her talent. It was just days later when she got a call and was asked to audition for Al Hirt. She went to Al’s club and he was so impressed with her singing voice, she toured all over the country with him for the next three years. It was through this opportunity, she realized the power of the stage. It triggered in her a desire to perform that hasn’t been quenched after all these years. Necha tried different things, becoming a florist, wedding planning and catering and even owning her own ceramic shop. No matter what she has done or where she has gone, her first love will always be the stage. It is like a familiar friend that always welcomes her back no matter the time or distance that has passed between them. During our interview, I asked Necha about all the titles she has won throughout the years. She was one of the last reigning Queens of Ishtar, Pride Grand Marshal in both 2005 and 2006. She was also nominated as Lesbian of the Year and Entertainer of the Year for the Gay Appreciation Awards. In 2014, the missus and I were honored to present her the first ever ICON Tribute award at our 4th Winter Wonderland. It was a touching and heart felt tribute to Lady
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Magic as friends near and far, old and new, gathered together to show their love and respect to her and her legacy. As I began to rattle off her different accolades, she stopped me mid sentence and said, “You know what? All of those awards and tributes were nice, but do you know why I keep going and do the things that I have done? I don’t do it for the praise or recognition of others. I do it for the people, for my friends.” The Blue Odyssey has been changed to the current name of The Twist of Lime. The dressing rooms may no longer look the same. The music selection and performance numbers have definitely changed with time. Al-
though the crowd still has the familiar faces of her loyal fans over the many years, it is also now sprinkled with new faces from the upcoming generation. Even though times change and people move on, there are some things that remain the same. This July, The Grand Dame, Lady Magic will walk out on stage once again, where her legacy once began and she will continue to own the stage and through her performances, give the crowd a piece of her heart that they will take home with them. And maybe, just maybe her performance will speak to another small town girl and change her life, too.
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celebrazzi
The 26th annual Sandra Pailet Memorial Scholarship Champagne Reception presented thirty-five outstanding students from around the State with PFLAG New Orleans scholarships ranging in amounts from $1,000 to $10,000. Thirteen of the scholarships donated by Southern Decadence 2015 in the amount of $1,000 each were presented in honor of Southern Decadence Grand Marshals XLI Rip Naquin, Marsha Delain, Misti Ates, Frankie Fierce Wingerter IV, and Steven Mora. The grand marshals were recognized with a crystal engraved appreciation vase in each of their names. Other scholarships presented were in honor of Marshall Harris; Janet DeGrazio; Mary Zervigon; Christopher Karnes; Cliff Farish Jr.; Chet Pourciau; Tony Guerrero; Dr. Robert Udick; Dr. Mollie Wallick; GrandPre's, Glazer's and University of New Orleans; Volleyball New Orleans and Tennis Association; Keller Family Foundation; PFLAG New Orleans "Straight For Equality"; Harcros Chemicals Inc.; Fr. Howard Hall, Dr. Mollie Wallick; American Aquatic Gardens; and Jack Taylor. The event benefited PFLAG New Orleans (www.pflagno.org) and was hosted at UNO Alumni Center. (Photo by Rip Naquin) RIGHT: Krewe du Rue Royale Revelers Grand Reveler II (GR II) Will Antill joins Grand Reveler I and Southern Decadence Grand Marshal XLII Jeffrey Palmquist, and Lord of Misrule Frank Perez at Grand Reveler Will Antill's Cookout benefit raising $531 for the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana. Hosted at The Double Play, guests were treated to a scrumptious buffet, all courtesy of GR II! (Photo by Rip Naquin)
Cafe Lafitte in Exile's Southern Decadence Grand Marshals XLII Crawfish Boil Meet and Greet raised $576 for Southern Decadence 2016, and a $100 Pearl sponsorship from SDGM XXVII Errol Rizzuto. It also celebrated manager Ace's birthday, and Bob and David's marriage. (Photo by Rip Naquin: SDGMs XLII Philip Anthony, aka Felicia Phillips, bartender Bob, manager Ace, and SDGMs XLII Tony Leggio and Derek Penton-Robicheaux.
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SDGMs XLII Crawfish Boil Meet & Greet @ Cafe Lafitte in Exile raises $576 for SD 2016 ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Paul Melancon, Rip Naquin
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Krewe of Narcissus Kentucky Derby Party & HaT Contest @ GrandPre's ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Paul Melancon, Darwin Reed
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book review by Frank Perez E-mail: f.perez@sbcglobal.net Photo by: Larry Graham, GrahamStudioOne.COM
Crooked Letter i Coming Out in the South Connie Griffin, Ed. New South Books, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-58838-313-6. 208 pages. This anthology of coming out stories is poignant and significant. The coming out genre is not new; in fact, one could argue that it was this genre, which emerged after Stonewall and which really established itself with the publications of the anthologies The Lesbian Path and The Coming Out Stories (both in 1980), that created and opened up a larger space in the world of gay letters for other genres. Whether it’s Merril Mushroom’s account of coming out as a bar dyke in 1950s Florida or James Villaneuva’s more recent account of coming out in rural Texas or Jack’s gender-queer story in Mississippi or Logan Knight’s transgender journey in Georgia, Crooked Letter i reminds us that nothing, especially sexuality
and identity, is as binary as the Bible Belt would have us believe. Readers who have been out for years will appreciate this collection as it dials up nostalgia and perspective. Those readers still in the closet will benefit from the courage and inspiration this book offers. This book reminds us of the creative power of coming up, namely, that coming out opens up safe spaces, which, in turn, creates freedom. From the Foreword by Dorothy Allison: “Confronting the enforced silence of manners and social expectations, we claimed our lives for ourselves. Was it heroic? Was it audacious, marvelous, scary and day by day painful? Of course. Did we change the world? Look around you and marvel.” Connie Griffin is a senior lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the author of To Tell The Truth: Practice and Craft in Narrative Nonfiction. Dorothy Allison is an awardwinning author whose novels include Bastard Out of Carolina. The contributors include Susan L. Benton, Elizabeth Craven, Louie Crew, Christina Holzhauser, Jack, Logan Knight, Thom Koch, Suzanne Lea, Ed Madden, Jeff Mann, Merril Mushroom, B. Andrew Plant, Beth Richards, Vickie L. Spray, James Villanueva, Stephanie Woolley Larrea.
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spotlight feature Largest Indoor Family Friendly GLBTQ Pride Celebration in the South June 11 in Baton Rouge The 2016 Baton Rouge Pride festival is set for Saturday, June 11, at the Baton Rouge River Center Exhibition Halls in Louisiana's capitol city. With a great lineup of entertainment, a record number of resource fair participants, a special area for kids, a marriage victory celebration and much more, this 10th annual Baton Rouge Pride celebration promises something for almost everyone. The festival, which is the largest indoor family friendly GLBTQ pride celebration in the South (if not the world) kicks off with a free afternoon of fun from 1 pm until 7 pm on June 11. “‘Moving on up’ to the River Center Exhibition Halls last year was a great thing for us. It’s given us three to four times the indoor space we had before, and that’s meant we’ve continued to be bigger and better again this year,” said Tom Merrill, chairman of Baton Rouge Pride Inc. and leader of the festival planning team. “It’s great to be able to say Baton Rouge has the largest indoor, air-conditioned, family friendly pride celebration in the South. Plus, thanks to the extreme generosity of a long list of sponsors, the festival is still completely free admission for anyone who wants to come out and celebrate with us.” More than 80 groups and businesses have signed up for the festival’s community resource fair. In addition, the entertainment lineup includes a number of new acts this year, as well as favorites from year’s past. Among them are the Austin Babtist Women, Krewe of Divas, Captain Green, Ms. Silky Sol “The Red Afro Queen,” Jayce Guerin and the international hit duo Jason and deMarco. In addition, the event will include its traditional blessing of relationships, along with a giant marriage equality victory celebration, and organizers will recognize Kayla Mulford of Capital City Alliance as the honorary grand marshal for the 10th annual BR Pride celebration. “We try to give people what they say they want, so we hope this larger space and the packed entertainment lineup is going to make them want to pack the River Center with their friends, families, neighbors, co-workers and anyone else who’s interested,” Merrill said. “After all, what’s better than a free party accompanied by a giant community resource fair and so much more?” For more details on the event, visit www.BRPride.org. To volunteer to help with planning or to find out ways your group or organization can become involved, visit that site or email BRPride@bellsouth.net.
Kayla Mulford Selected Honorary Grand Marshal of 2016 BR Pride
In addition to her rigorous schedule of service with CCA, Mulford also is active as a volunteer with a number of other community organizations and initiatives such as Baton Rouge Pride, Pride 1, Equality Louisiana (EQLA), Youth Oasis, Family Services of Greater Baton Rouge and a host of other anti-bullying campaigns and various local and national platforms advocating for LGBTQ communities. Recognized in 2014 as the Pride 1 Female Advocate of the Year, Mulford’s professional life, in addition to her community service, includes serving as a paralegal for approximately 10 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree from LSU and has been with her “beautiful partner” for nine years and has four “furry kids that I am obsessed with.” She also says she loves to travel, read, shop, attend concerts, binge-watch trash TV and occasionally enjoy a good bottle of wine. Baton Rouge Pride is pleased to recognize Kayla Mulford as its honorary grand marshal for 2016. To learn more about the Baton Rouge Pride festival from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Baton Rouge River Center Exhibition Halls, visit BRPride.org or follow Baton Rouge Pride on Facebook at Facebook.com/BRPride.
Baton Rouge Mayor Declares Pride Day June 11 Baton Rouge/East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden again signed a proclamation declaring June 11, 2016, as Baton Rouge Pride/GLBT Pride Day in the city-parish – in honor of the Baton Rouge Pride festival and other activities that day. “The Baton Rouge Pride team thanks Mayor Holden for recognizing the importance of our community to the area,” said Tom Merrill, chairman of BR Pride Inc. and head of the team organizing the Baton Rouge Pride festival on June 11 at the Baton Rouge River Center. The mayor’s proclamation reads, in part: “Whereas Baton Rouge is a city composed of a great variety of diverse people, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, languages and customs, and whereas the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities have contributed to the City Parish of East Baton Rouge through active involvement in cultural and economic progress, now, therefore, I, Melvin “Kip” Holden, Mayor-President of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, hereby do proclaim June 11, 2016, as Baton Rouge Pride/GLBT Pride Day.” The Baton Rouge Pride festival is open to all who want to celebrate with the community on June 11 and includes entertainment and a giant community resource fair from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Baton Rouge River Center Exhibition Halls. Admission is free. The festival will be followed by the Equality March, organized by Equality Louisiana, starting from the front of the River Center and progressing to the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol building.
The Baton Rouge Pride team has selected community leader Kayla Mulford to serve as the honorary grand marshal of the 2016 Baton Rouge pride festival. Mulford, who serves as president of Capital City Alliance among many other community activities, was the unanimous selection of this year’s Baton Rouge Pride team. “We couldn’t think of anyone better qualified to serve as the honorary grand marshal for the 10th anniversary celebration of Baton Rouge Pride,” said John Deshotel, vice chairman of Baton Rouge Pride Inc. and head of the search committee for this year’s grand marshal. “The things Kayla does in the community are certainly amazing.” She joins a distinguished list of grand marshals of Baton Rouge Pride, which began recognizing community leaders as honorary grand marshals for the third year of its celebration in 2009. The former grand marshals include the late Richard Dykes, owner of George’s, in 2009; Larry Fremin, founder of the Krewe of Apollo Baton Rouge, in 2010; James Chinn, also known as Trixxie LaRue, a longtime entertainer and activist, 2011; Daphne Mushatt, longtime entertainer and community supporter, 2012; Carol Frazier and Jody Huckaby, leaders of PFLAG locally and nationally, 2013; Cami Miller and Joe Traigle, early organizers and leaders of Capital City Alliance, 2014; and Rev. Keith Mozingo, pastor of MCC of Baton Rouge and one of the founders of Baton Rouge Pride, and Whitney Vann, TV personality and longtime community friend, 2015. The Baton Rouge Pride festival is the largest indoor family friendly GLBTQ pride celebration in the South. Mulford has been active in Capital City Alliance since 2012 and has served as its president for nearly three years. She helped to organize the first Louisiana Equality March in 2012 and continued that work for three years, as well as organizing CCA’s holiday adoption project that has raised more than $10,000 to provide gifts to children affected by HIV/AIDS over the past five years. She also was a driving force behind the Louisiana Loves campaign last year that featured 100 iconic GLBTQ couples from across the state and was instrumental in CCA’s publication of a GLBT wedding directory – all just in time for last summer’s marriage equality decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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trodding the boards by Brian Sands
Email: bsnola2@hotmail.com
Brundibár at the WWII Museum’s US Freedom Pavilion Fate can be so very, very strange. Had World War II not come along, Brundibár probably would’ve remained a forgotten children’s opera. But Germany invaded Czechoslovakia and Hans Krása, its Jewish composer, wound up in the Theresienstadt (in Czech, “Terezin”) concentration camp. There the short, two-act work was performed by the camp’s musician and child prisoners a total of 55 times; the Nazis used some presentations in 1944 to fool Red Cross inspectors into believing that all was good there. Brundibár became one of the legendary events of the War, in part, because the evil title character was viewed as a symbol for Hitler; his vanquishment at the opera’s end gave the Jews in the camp some hope. The National WWII Museum and The New Orleans Opera Association, in a brilliant joint venture between two of this city’s premier cultural institutions, presented Brundibár in a fully staged production in the Museum’s US Freedom Pavilion. With real WWII planes hanging overhead, a vital part of history was brought back to life. Adding to the sense of history was the presence of Ela Weissberger who had a featured part in the Theresienstadt
performances and is now the sole stillliving participant from that production. In Adolf Hoffmeister’s libretto, a brother and sister attempt to sing in the town square to earn money to buy milk for their sick mother. The organ-grinder Brundibár runs them off, but with the help of a sparrow, a cat (Weissberger’s role) and a dog, they rally the townspeople to their side, drive Brundibár away, and obtain the vital milk. (Frankly, while Brundibár may be a rather nasty sort, defensively trying to keep his audience, his characterization hardly rises to the Hitler-esque. Still, the metaphorical connotations are understandable.) Joža Karas’ English translation re-
under the gaydar by Tony Leggio Email: ledgemgp@gmail.com Photo by: Larry Graham
Bartender of the Month A good bartender (or mixologist) is the key to any type of bar whether it be a sports bar, upscale or just a neighborhood joint you frequent because of the proximity to your home. People will give many reasons why they frequent a bar, the crowd, the atmosphere or the cocktails. But no bar will survive for long with bad service, so ultimately the bartenders are the key to their success. After all we live in a city where there are plenty of places to choose from to wet your whistle. My bartender of the month for May gives his customers many reasons to return to his bar. Tony Simmons at The Phoenix is professional, courteous, makes great cocktails and ruggedly handsome. Tony has spent the last three and a half years in New Orleans coming from Los Angeles. The Phoenix is quite an anomaly of a bar able to transform to meet the crowd, whether it is a beer bust for the Lords of Leather or Bingo done by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. A bartender who is able to handle the different personalities and styles of the patrons is a great
Tony Simmons @The Phoenix asset. Tony does that wonderfully. In the evening at the Phoenix, the lights are dim and the crowd heavy; being able to maneuver quickly behind the bar, acknowledge all the customers when they approach and be generally pleasant can be quite difficult, but Tony does this with ease. He also is a man’s man, reminiscent of the Ted Danson sexiness from Cheers (although he is much hotter). One of his favorite cock[continued on 28]
lies on rather basic rhymes; one wonders if the original Czech text offered more piquancy. I did, though, appreciate the line “Getting up I do delay/Night is better than the day.” Krása’s score, however, retains its tangy, propulsive texture with beautiful passages throughout. Often more sophisticated than one would expect from a children’s opera, it shares some DNA with Kurt Weill and other Weimar-era composers. Brundibár was preceded by a brief curtain raiser, Friedl, a chamber opera based on Weissberger’s memories of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, the art teacher whose students in Terezin created the Holocaust children’s artwork that has been shown throughout the world. Combining Sprechstimme with singing, Eli Villanueva’s music is pretty, but Leslie Stevens’ libretto, which portrays one of Friedl’s lessons, is fairly simplistic, more sketch than painting; you wonder if children, even in a concentration camp, spoke so “per-fect-ly.” Still, Stevens does give a full sense of the terror under which Friedl valiantly persevered. After the performance, in moving remarks, Weissberger stated that we “learned so much from Friedl and the other wonderful teachers who helped us to survive.” Using a 14-piece orchestra to recreate the one at Terezin, Robert Lyall conducted expertly, as always, bringing out the full colors in both scores. Weissberger herself singled out trumpeter Louie Eckhardt for special praise. Villanueva staged the two works effectively, though I could’ve done with a little less of the children skipping around to convey joy. Julie Winn’s costumes were her usual blend of tastefulness and inventiveness while George Johnson’s set imaginatively transformed from the drab concentration camp room into a vibrant village square. Both casts sang with lovely voices with Murphy Meyn, David Murray and Eli Zitler standing out in Friedl along with Amy Pfrimmer who displayed tender concern for her charges along with wary caution in the title role. As the Milkman in Brundibár, pint-sized Evan Johnson shone with natural charisma and talent. The entire cast and chorus, though, 40 plus of them ranging in age from 6 to 18, were adorable and it was clear from their emotional reaction afterwards that this will be an experience they will never forget. Nor will anyone who saw it. Songs that Won the War continues at the WWII Museum’s Stage Door Canteen while N.O. Opera will be presenting their “Demon” season starting in the fall with Don Giovanni (Oct. 7 & 9) followed by Macbeth (Nov. 11 & 13), Sweeney Todd (Feb. 10 & 12) and Faust (Mar. 31 & Apr. 2).
Loretta Lynn at IP Casino Resort in Biloxi It takes more than a li’l sore throat to stop Loretta Lynn. While some performers might’ve cancelled a concert, disappointing fans, Lynn, trooper that she is, soldiered on. And, honestly, had she not mentioned it, probably no one would’ve been the wiser. It did seem a little odd that a couple of times she had her band restart songs (at first, I wasn’t sure if it was a real screw-up or just a bit of shtik), but it turned out they had changed some keys to accommodate her beingunder-the-weather voice and things weren’t completely in sync. But all that hardly mattered. Looking radiant in a sparkling, beaded red dress Lynn delivered one classic song after another, 19 in an hour including two from her newest album Full Circle. Lynn might not have remembered all the words to Everything it Takes, which features Elvis Costello on the disc, but daughter Patsy stepped in to gently help her Mom along. As Patsy jokingly said, referring to the Queen of Country, “Write’em and forget’em!” When it came to her biggest hits, though, Lynn was word-perfect. Sitting down for most of them (at 84, who can blame her?), she was mesmerizing as she spun tales inspired but her tumultuous relationship with her late husband Doo. Even taking the soreness into account, her voice seems a little dryer than it once was, but she’s pitch perfect and can embellish a tune with simple but thrilling ornamentation. Lynn instills Love Is the Foundation with the same conviction as when she introduced it in 1973. The soulful Blue Kentucky Girl, she said, is my “favorite song I ever recorded and I didn’t even write it,” adding, with tongue in cheek, “Makes me mad.” And she mentioned to Patsy, “I wish your Daddy could see her now,” referring to the gal that the pugnacious Fist City is addressed to, “’cause she’s got only one tooth.” Patsy and brother Ernie each sang a couple of numbers to start off the show, and Ernie’s perky daughter Taylor did a song which caused Grandma Loretta to comment, “Don’t shake it too much.” Lynn’s 3 male back-up singers, who have been with her as much as 40 years, also got to do two songs and we were treated to some genuinely funny interplay, as well as some corny but cute stuff, between rube-ish Ernie and his Mom. With memorable renditions of You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man), Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind), Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven (included on her new album), and, of course, Coal Miner’s Daughter, despite her minor vocal problems, this was one of Lynn’s most satisfying concerts. ’Cause, in addition to all the wonderful music, in [continued on 28]
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26th PFLAG Scholarship Champagne Reception presents 35 Scholarships @ UNO Alumni Center ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Misti Ates, Rip Naquin
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bars Mobile, AL [251] B-Bob's Downtown, 213 Conti St., 433.2262, B-Bobs.COM Flip Side Bar & Patio, 54 S. Conception St., 431.8819, FlipSideBarPatio.COM GABRIEL'S DOWNTOWN, 55 South Joachim St., 432.4900 THE MIDTOWN PUB, 153 Florida St., 450.1555 Pensacola, FL [850] EMERALD CITY, 408 E. Wright St., 433.9491, EmeraldCityPensacola.COM THE ROUNDUP, 560 East Heinberg St., 433.8482 Baton Rouge, LA [225] GEORGE'S, 860 St. Louis, 387.9798, SPLASH, 2183 Highland Rd., 242.9491, SplashBR.COM Lake Charles, LA [337] CRYSTAL'S, 112 W. Broad, 433.5457
New Orleans, LA [504] DR. MICHAEL LECHLEITER, D.C., 1526 Magazine, 566.1833 [is1915]
circuit/events Aug. 31-Sept. 5, 2016, 45th Official Southern Decadence Celebration of Gay Life, Music & Culture, end of Summer Blowout including the Southern Decadence Parade & loads of activities, bringing over 180,000 revelers to New Orleans, LA, sponsored by Ambush & SouthernDecadence.com Oct. 27-Oct. 30, 2016 Halloween 33, benefiting Project Lazarus, New Orleans, LA, sponsored by AmbushMag.COM, HalloweenNewOrleans.com Dec. 26, 2015-Jan. 1, 2017 Gay New Year's in New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, GayNewOrleans.com Feb. 24-28, 2017, 68th Official Gay Mardi Gras, New Orleans, LA, sponsored by Ambush, GayMardiGras.com Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017, 18th Official Gay Easter Parade, New Orleans, sponsored by Ambush, GayEasterParade.com
costumes
French Quarter/Faubourg Marigny/Bywater
attorneys
Houston, TX [713] NEON BOOTS DANCEHALL & SALOON, 11410 Hempstead Hwy., 677.0828, www.neonbootsclub.com
800
ST. ANN
DUMAINE
FR
Biloxi, MS [228] CLUB VEAUX, 834 Howard Ave., 207.3271
Metairie, LA [504] FOUR SEASONS & PATIO STAGE BAR, 3229 N. Causeway, 832.0659, FourSeasonsBar.com New Orleans, LA [504] 700 CLUB, 700 Burgundy, 561.1095, BIG DADDY'S, 2513 Royal, 948.6288 THE BLACK PENNY, 700 N. Rampart BOURBON PUB & PARADE, 801 Bourbon St., 529.2107, BourbonPub.COM CAFÉ LAFITTE IN EXILE, 901 Bourbon Street 522.8397, Lafittes.COM CORNER POCKET, 940 St. Louis, 568.9829, CornerPocket.NET COUNTRY CLUB, 634 Louisa St., TheCountryClubNewOrleans.COM, 945.0742 CUTTER'S, 706 Franklin, 948.4200 THE DOUBLE PLAY, 439 Dauphine, 523.4517 THE FRIENDLY BAR, 2301 Chartres, 943.8929 GOLDEN LANTERN, 1239 Royal, 529.2860, Facebook.COM/GoldenLanternBar GOOD FRIENDS BAR, 740 Dauphine St, 566.7191, GoodFriendsBar.COM GRANDPRE'S, 834 N. Rampart St., 267.3615, Facebook.com/grandpres KAJUN'S PUB, 2256 St. Claude Ave., 947.3735, KajunPub.COM OZ NEW ORLEANS, 800 Bourbon, 593.9491, OzNewOrleans. COM THE PAGE, 542 N. Rampart St., 875.4976 PHOENIX/EAGLE, 941 Elysian Fields,
New Orleans, LA [504] QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633
florists Baton Rouge, LA [225] FOUR SEASONS FLOWERS & GIFTS, 3482 Drusilla Ln., Drusilla Shopping Center, 924.1386, 1.800.237.5381
galleries New Orleans, LA [504] CASSELL-BERGEN GALLERY, 1305 Decatur St., cassellbergengallery.com, 504.524.0671
guides AMBUSH Mag, 828-A Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70116-3137; 504.522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; marsha@ripandmarsha.com
groceries/delis New Orleans, LA [504] QUARTERMASTER DELI, THE NELLIE DELI, 1100 Bourbon, 529.1416
hair salons New Orleans, LA [504] Two Guys Cutting Hair, 2372 St. Claude Ave., Suite 125, appointments: Adikus 215.519.5030, Trent 504.239.2397
hardware New Orleans, LA [504] MARY'S FRENCH QUARTER HARDWARE, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465
lodging/accommodations New Orleans [504] AARON INGRAM HAUS, 1012 Elysian Fields, New Orleans, LA 70117, PHONE: 504.949.3110, www.ingramhaus.com/xqey, e-mail us at ingramhaus@yahoo.com. Condos with queen-size beds, private entrances; located only six blocks from Bourbon Street and walking distance to most New Orleans attractions. Several favorite bars are within one block. [0715] BLUES60 GUEST HOUSE, 1008 Elysian Fields Ave. New Orleans, LA 70117, Phone: 1.504.324.4311, www.blues60guesthouse.com, info@blues60guesthouse.com. The Blue60 Guest House with 5 suites provides a peaceful retreat in the center of the Faubourg Marigny, just blocks from the French Quarter and Frenchman St. [1115] BURGUNDY BED AND BREAKFAST, 2513 Burgundy St., New Orleans, LA 70117, PHONE/FAX: 504.942.1463, Toll Free (Continental US only): 1.800.970.2153, www.theburgundy.com, E-mail us at theburgundy@cox.net. Gay owned and operated in newly renovated 1890's double. Four guest rooms with private baths, guests' parlor and "halfkitchen", courtyard and half-open tubhouse with spa (hot tub/whirlpool). Clothing optional in sunbathing and hot tub area. Walking distance to French Quarter. Immediate vicinity of gay and lesbian bars/venues. [0815] THE FRENCH QUARTER GUEST HOUSES, 1005 St. Peter, New Orleans, LA 70116, Phone: 1.800.367.5858, FrenchQuarterGuestHouses.com, email: Info@frenchquarterguesthouses.com. Four meticulously restored boutique inns located in the heart of the French Quarter's most popular LGBT neighborhood. Each building's individual character and charm provides an unforgettable authentic French Quarter experience!
marketing & printing New Orleans, LA [504] SIR SPEEDY, 343 Carondelet, 586.9812, 586.9817, offering printing and marketing services including web design and hosting. info@sirspeedyneworleans.com, sirspeedyneworleans.com
massage New Orleans, LA [504] RIGHT TOUCH MASSAGE -- Christopher - Full body therapeutic massage (Swedish/Deep Tissue); heated table; private studio; tropical garden; Faubourg Marigny Area, French Quarter. Upgrade (Salt Scrubs Bodywork & Thai/Sport Stretching massage). Call/text 504.458.5996 / For pictures http://www.christophernola.com. License #LA4553 [is2515]
media New Orleans, LA [504] AMBUSH Mag, Official Gay Easter Parade Guide, Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide, Official Gay New Orleans Guide, Official Gulf South Guide, Official Pride Guide, Official Southern Decadence Guide, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; email: marsha@ripandmarsha.com AMBUSHonLINE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049, ambushonline.com, email: marsha@ripandmarsha.com
museum/arts New Orleans, LA [504] BEAUREGARD-KEYES HOUSE, 1113 Chartres, 523.7257 CABILDO, 701 Chartres, Jackson Square, CAC [Contemporary Arts Center], 900 Camp St., 528.3805, cacno.org EDGAR DEGAS HISTORIC HOME, 2306
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Esplanade Avenue, tours by appointment: 504.821.5009, the house tour lasts one hour, is led by a great-grand-niece of Degas, and includes the award-winning documentary video, Degas in New Orleans: A Creole Sojourn 1850 HOUSE, 523 St. Ann GALLIER HOUSE, 1132 Royal, 523.6722 GERMAINE WELLS MARDI GRAS MUSEUM, 2nd Floor Arnaud's, 819 Bienville HERMANN-GRIMA HISTORIC HOUSE, 820 St. Louis, 525.5661 HISTORICAL PHARMACY MUSEUM, 514 Chartres, 524.9077 HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION, 533 Royal, 523.4662 LONGUE VUE HOUSE AND GARDENS, 7 Bamboo Rd, Metairie, 488.5488, MUSEE CONTI HISTORICAL WAX MUSEUM, 917 Conti, 525.2605 NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART, City Park, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 488.2631 OGDEN MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN ART, 925 Camp St., 539.9600 OLD U.S. MINT, 400 Esplanade PRESBYTERE, 751 Chartres, Jackson Square ST. LOUIS CATHEDRAL, Jackson Square WORLD WAR 2 MUSEUM, 945 Magazine, 527.6012, http://nationalww2museum.org
music New Orleans [504] SKULLY'Z RECORDZ, 907 Bourbon St., 592.4666
organizations New Orleans, LA [504] ACLU and ACLU Foundation of Louisiana, P.O. Box 56157, New Orleans, LA 70156, 504.522.0628 x25, Fax: 888.537.0384, laaclu.org AIDS HOTLINE, 821.6050 in New Orleans, 1.800.99.AIDS[2437]-9 toll free statewide AIDSLaw of Louisiana, 3801 Canal St., Suite 331, 568.1631, AIDSLAW.org ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, 838.3399 BIG EASY STOMPERS, Country & Western line dancing. Weekly lessons and monthly Country & Western dance party, www.bigeasystompersneworleans.com, info@bigeasystompersneworleans.com BELLE REVE NEW ORLEANS, AIDS Residence for Families, PO Box 3305, 70177; 945.9455 BreakOUT! builds the power of youth ages 13-25 in New Orleans to end the criminalization of LGBTQ youth of color, 504.252.9025, 1001 S. Broad St. #119, NOLA 70125, @youthbreakout, www.youthbreakout.org, COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK, a project of the NO/AIDS Task Force which works with the gay community to implement HIV prevention activities, 507 Frenchmen St., 945.4000, noaidstaskforce.com COPS 8 (Citizens' Organization for Police Support in the 8th District), 840 N. Rampart St., #51, 70116; 588.COPS (2677), cops8.org FOOD FOR FRIENDS, 944.6028 FORUM FOR EQUALITY, 336 Lafayette, Suite 200, 70130; 947.2981, ForumForEquality.COM FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE MARDI GRAS (FNBMG), PO Box 791376, New Orleans, LA 70179-1376; 733.3311, fridaynightbeforemardigras.com, fnbmg@cox.net GAY APPRECIATION AWARDS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049; AmbushMag.COM/GAA GAY EASTER PARADE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, info@gayeasterparade.com, GayEasterParade.COM GAY MARDI GRAS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayMardiGras.COM GAY NEW ORLEANS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayNewOrleans.COM HAART (HIV/AIDS Alliance Region Two, Inc.), 4550 North Blvd. Ste. 250, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, 225.927.1269, www.haartinc.org, offers a complete continuum of care to people living with
HIV/AIDS including housing, primary care, medications, case management, and an array of supportive services. In addition HAART provides HIV prevention education and FREE testing to the Baton Rouge area. HALLOWEEN IN NEW ORLEANS, INC., PO Box 52171, 70152-2171; halloween neworleans.com/ambush KREWE OF AMON-RA, PO Box 7033, Metairie, LA 70010, KreweOfAmonRa.COM KREWE OF ARMEINIUS, PO Box 56638, New Orleans, LA 70156-6638, kreweofarmeinius.org KREWE OF MWINDO, PO Box 51031, 70156; 913.5791, KreweOfMwindo.ORG, krewe@kreweofmwindo.org KREWE OF NARCISSUS, PO Box 3832, New Orleans, LA 70177. Contact: 504.228.9441 KREWE OF PETRONIUS, PO Box 1102, Kenner, LA. 70063-1102, www.kreweofpetroius.net KREWE OF QUEENATEENAS / KING CAKE QUEEN ROYALTY CLUB, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, GayMardiGras.COM/KCQ KREWE OF URSUS, kreweofursus@aol.com LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, 1308 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116, 504.475.7911, www.lgbtarchivesla.org LORDS OF LEATHER, 1631 Elysian Fields, #161, 70117, www.lordsofleather.org Louisiana Equality Foundation, serving the Louisiana LGBT Community through education, activism, and awareness. www. l o u i s i a n a e q u a l i t y f o u n d a t i o n . o r g , info@louisianaequalityfoundation.org Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans, services at 10am, 6200 St Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118; 504.270.1MCC www.mccneworleans.org MYSTIC KREWE OF SATYRICON, 2443 Halsey Ave., New Orleans, LA 70114, 504.906.7990 Todd J. Blauvelt / Secretary, krewe.of.satyricon@gmail.com, MysticKreweOfSatyricon.COM NEW ORLEANS BEAR AND BEAR TRAPPER SOCIAL CLUB, P.O. Box 57756, New Orleans, LA 70157-7756, 504.298.0061, theneworleansbears.com NEW ORLEANS GAY MEN’S CHORUS, 322.7007, nogmc.com; nogmc@aol.com NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL, nojazzfest.com NO/AIDS TASK FORCE, 2601 Tulane Ave., Suite 500, 70119; 821.2601; NOAIDSTaskForce.COM PFLAG/NO [Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays/ New Orleans], PO Box 15515, 70175; 895.3936, 392.0001, pflagno.org, info@pflagno.org PRIDE, NOLAPride.ORG PROJECT LAZARUS, A Residence for PWAs, PO Box 3906, 70177-3906; 949.3609 REGIONALAIDS INTERFAITH NETWORK [RAIN], 523.3755 RENEGADE BEARS OF LOUISIANA, PO Box 3083, New Orleans, LA 70177; renegadebearsoflouisiana@gmail.com SOUTHERN DECADENCE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, SouthernDecadence.COM ST. ANNA'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1313 Esplanade Avenue New Orleans, LA 70116 947.2121, stannanola.org VOLLEYBALL NEW ORLEANS, PO Box 13306, 70185-3306; volleyballneworleans.com, postmaster@volleyballneworleans.com
www.avitapharmacy.com New Orleans, LA [504] AVITA PHARMACY, offers personalized, convenient care to those affected by chronic illnesses. Avita offers free delivery, co-pay assistance, benefit coordination, and refill reminder calls as well as access to a pharmacist 24/7. Every prescription filled today helps Avita give back to the community tomorrow. www.avitapharmacy.com MUMFREY'S PHARMACY, 1021 W. Judge Perez Dr., Chalmette, LA 70043, 504.279.6312, www.MumfreysPharmacy.COM. Supporting & serving the LGBT Community for over 20 years. Local pharmacy offering personalized family-like service, automatic refills & free metro wide confidential pickup & delivery. Also offering shipping for out-side our delivery area. When you call us you speak to a person, not a machine. See our ad.
Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli, 1100 Bourbon St. , 529.1416, www.QuartermasterDeli.net
photography
retail/shopping
New Orleans, LA [504] GRAHAM/STUDIO ONE NEW ORLEANS, by appointment, grahamstudioone.com
restaurants Metairie, LA [504] Chef Ron's Gumbo Stop & Pub, 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., 835.2022, GumboStop.com New Orleans, LA [504] The Bombay Club, 830 Rue Conti, 577.2237, www.bombayclubneworleans.com Broussard’s Restaurant & Courtyard, 819 Rue Conti, 581.3866, http://broussards.com Cheezy Cajun, 3325 St. Claude Ave., 265.0045, www.TheCheezyCajun.com Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St., 598.1010, www.CloverGrill.com Country Club Restaurant, 634 Louisa St., www.TheCountryClubNewOrleans.com, 945.0742 Deanie's Seafood, French Quarter: 841 Iberville, 581.4141; Bucktown: 1713 Lake Ave., Metairie, 831.1316; www.Deanies.com Gene's Po-Boys & Daquiris, 1040 Elysian Fields Ave., 943.3861,
www.genespoboys.com Ilys Bistro, 1040 Elysian Fields Ave., 947.8341, www.Facebook.com/ILYSBistro Kingfish Kitchen & Cocktails, 337 Chartres St. 598.5005, www.KinfishNewOrleans.com Little Vic’s Rosticceria, 719 Toulouse, 304.1238, www.littlevics.com Mona Lisa Restaurant, 1212 Royal St., 522.6746 Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro, 720 Orleans, 523.1930, www.OrleansGrapevine.com
Royal House Oyster Bar, 441 Royal St., 528.2601, www.RoyalHouseRestaurant.com Stanley, 547 St. Ann St., 587.0093, www.StanleyRestaurant.com
real estate New Orleans, LA [504] Latter & Blum, Steven Vaughn Realtor, Cell 504.810.4646, Office 504.948.3011, St e v e n Va u g h a n P r o p e r t i e s . c o m , Svaughan@latterblum.com New Orleans Relocation, Realtors — gayowned boutique real estate agency for locals and newcomers. 504.273.0088 www.NOLArelo.com
New Orleans, LA [504] BOURBON PRIDE, 909 Bourbon, 566.1570 COK (Clothing or Kinkl), 941 Elysian Fields, 945.9264 LEATHER VOODOO, 708 Toulouse St., 249.5603 MARY'S FRENCH QUARTER KITCHEN & BATH, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465 MR. BINKY'S BOUTIQUE, 107 Chartres St., 302.2095, MrBinkys.com PANDA BEAR, 415 Bourbon St., 529.8064 QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633 RAB DAB CLOTHING AND GIFTS, 918 Royal St., 525.6662
services New Orleans, LA [504] ABC Title Services, www.abctitle.com Formal Connection, 299 Belle Terre Blvd. LaPlace, LA, 985.652.1195 Milavo, www.milavospray.com
theatres New Orleans, LA [504] CAFE ISTANBUL, 2372 St. Claude Ave., #140, 504.974.0786, CafeIstanbulNOLA.COM
tours New Orleans, LA [504] Gay New Orleans Walking Tour, Crescent City Tour Booking Agency, (LGBT Business of the Year) 638 St. Ann St., 568.0717. follow Gay New Orleans Walking Tour @ Facebook.COM
pets New Orleans, LA [504] DR. MIKE'S ANIMAL HOUSE, 1120 N. Rampart, 523.4455
pharmacy Baton Rouge, LA [225] AVITA PHARMACY, offers personalized, convenient care to those affected by chronic illnesses. Avita offers free delivery, co-pay assistance, benefit coordination, and refill reminder calls as well as access to a pharmacist 24/7. Every prescription filled today helps Avita give back to the community tomorrow.
NEXT Ambush DEADLINE Tuesday, May 31st 504.522.8049 ripna@ambushmag.com
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trodding the boards ...from 22 these days of tightly choreographed stage extravaganzas, it’s kinda refreshing to see something a little looser and more spontaneous. This was Lynn’s 14th or 15th annual concert in Biloxi (no one could quite seem to remember the exact number). I’m already looking forward to the next one. In the meantime, some upcoming shows at the IP Casino’s Studio A include appearances by Peter Frampton (May 27), Delbert McClinton (June 10), and Culture Club (July 30).
New in New York, Part 1 A Mother’s Day trip north allowed me to catch up with a number of recent Broadway offerings. This column will look at some new dramas, all Best Play Tony Award nominees; next column will examine musicals and a revival. Frank Langella stars in The Father (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre through June 12) as a man increasingly afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease. What makes this play so harrowing is that its author, young French playwright Florian Zeller, shows the decline of André from his perspective as memory fades and reality takes on a surreal aspect. What could’ve been just another Lifetime movie becomes almost like a horror film as the disease tragically affects André, his daughter and his son-in-law. Zeller’s ingenious script, extremely well-translated by Christopher Hampton, is fugal in its repetitions while Doug Hughes’ marvelous direction makes this perceived funhouse very scary...and, on Scott Pask’s magical set, utterly believable. Langella’s magnificent performance reveals ever new facets of André’s personality which can be charming, stern, boyish, suspicious, lordly, shy, and imperious by turn. Often insulting to his caregiver daughter (a sympathetic Kathryn Erbe), we can’t help but ultimately feel for him as, Lear-like, he endures elemental pain and confusion. At 90 minutes, The Father sags slightly at the hour point, but quickly picks up steam again. I mean it as a compliment to say that you’ll be happy when this thrilling play is over and you can return to the real world once more. In Eclipsed (Golden Theatre through June 19), one of the many tragedies is that, even when she finally can, one of the characters is unable to return to the world she once knew. Danai Gurira’s play focuses on four women who have become the sex slaves of a Liberian warlord during that country’s civil war. Gurira confers dignity on these women, one just a teenage girl (Lupita Nyong’o), as she wisely leavens their terribly sad existence with humor. Names forsaken, petty jealousies can
arise among the “Wives” and rank may be pulled, but they bond together to survive emotionally. Faced with horrendous moral choices, we can only wonder what we would do in such circumstances. Suffice to say, only a gun— and the willingness to use it—endows these women with any power. Nyong’o, unrecognizable from her Lancôme ads, gives an outstanding performance transforming from a naive yet spunky and literate youngster to, after she joins the rebel army, a ruthless yet repentant killer. Zainab Jah (as a soldier/wife), Akosua Busia (a businesswoman/peace negotiator) and, especially, Saycon Sengbloh (Wife #1, stoic but compassionate) deliver superb, complex performances. Though generally fine, Pascale Armand (the pregnant Wife #3) was occasionally too cutesy for my tastes. Against Jen Schriever’s gorgeously evocative lighting, Eclipsed is, under Liesl Tommy’s firm direction, always interesting, but while passages of small talk (some amusingly involving a biography of Bill Clinton) reveal character, they slow the narrative. Otherwise, admirable and important, Eclipsed lacks just a little pinch of something from being one of the all-time great dramas. After all its great reviews and Tony & Pulitzer nominations, I expected to love The Humans (Helen Hayes Theatre), Stephen Karam’s play about a struggling family’s Thanksgiving gathering in one of its daughter’s new basement/duplex Chinatown apartment. I certainly loved how Karam orchestrated everything from solo arias to larger choral numbers involving all the characters. And his lyrical realismstyled dialog. And his sense of humor which somehow manages to get a laugh at the mention of “ovarian cancer.” And certainly Joe Mantello’s precisely choreographed direction, and the entire cast’s achingly natural and finely etched acting. But as the financial, romantic and health problems built up, The Humans veered towards the soap opera-y. For, despite its Chekhovian undertones and sense of mysteriousness, unlike Karam’s breakthrough dramedy Speech & Debate, Humans lacks an involving narrative and any sense of character growth. Perhaps I just can’t fully identify with a lower middle class Irish Catholic family from Scranton, but, fearful I was being Grinch-y, others I discussed this play with felt the same way. Perhaps if you go with lower expectations you’ll find it more moving than I did. Actually, the most moving portion of any of these plays came after the bows at Eclipsed when Saycon Sengbloh made a brief introduction, read the names of four of the girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram two years ago, and then had the audience repeat the names. For worthy as these
under the gaydar ...from 22 tails is a Manhattan which he makes superbly. What I love about the Phoenix, that even though a majority of the crowd may be beer drinkers, their cocktails are excellent. Try his martinis. His favorite drink is Pinot Noir when he is not behind the bar. Good looking, talented and a wine connoisseur, Tony is the entire package. Make it a point to take a walk on the wild side one night and see Tony at The Phoenix which is at 941 Elysian Fields Avenue.
Hot Happenings As we move into summertime, the temperatures are not the only things rising in the city. There are so many fun events happening in the city your calendar will be so busy that you will not even notice the heat. Here are just a few of the ways to while away those endless summer hours. Wednesday, May 25, 2016 Please join Project Lazarus for the Annual Guardian Angel Award Gala at Messina’s at the Terminal, Lakefront Airport (6001 Stars and Stripes Boulevard) starting at 6:30 pm. They will honor David Cortez with the Guardian Angel Award in celebration of his years of support and dedication to this mission as well as present their founder’s award, the Pawell-Desrosiers Award, to Anne Milling in celebration of her passionate commitment to Project Lazarus throughout the agency’s entire history. The elegant evening features a high-end live and silent auction, cocktail hour, seated dinner, award ceremony and live music. Please contact Lily Hannigan with any questions or sponsorship inquiries: lhannigan@projectlazarus.net or 504.949.3609 x503 or go to www.projectlazarus.net. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Jessica Kinnison at jkinnison@projectlazarus.net. The attire is black tie optional and tickets are $150.00. Wednesday, May 25 – Sunday, June 19, 2016 Let’s get Wicked! Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED, winner of over 100 international awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards is coming to the Saenger Theatre. Wicked is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One – born with emerald-green skin – is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of plays are, those four girls represent an awful reality that no work of art could ever fully capture.
their remarkable odyssey, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Pippin, Godspell, Academy Award®-winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman (“My So Called Life,” “Once And Again” and “thirtysomething”), WICKED is directed by two-time Tony® Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues) and features musical staging by Tony® Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who’s Tommy, How To Succeed…). For tickets or more information, go to or call 800.218.7469 or online at www.BroadwayInNewOrleans.com. Friday, May 27, 2016 Get your military on this Memorial Day with the Krewe of Armeinius with their special event Permission To Shoot, Sir at Tulane Avenue Bar (3813 Tulane Avenue) from 7 – 10 pm. There will be a naughty drag show performed by the Queens of Armeinius! Wear your favorite camo and brings your dollars! Sunday, May 29, 2016 The Krewe of Armeinius is holding a costume design workshop at their den (435 N. Broad Street) starting at 3 pm. This class is open to non-members for the first time and is only $10 dollars. For more info and to book your spot please contact Ball Captain Chad at rqstv@yahoo.com. Saturday, June 4, 2016 Want to find out what is happening this year during Southern Decadence, then come out to the Southern Decadence Press Party and Sponsorship Drive at the Bourbon Pub (801 Bourbon Street). Learn the colors, the theme and the song of the season. There will also be a special show at the event. All the festivities start at 6:30 pm. So join Grand Marshals XLII Tony Leggio, Jeffrey Palmquist, Derek PentonRobicheaux and Felicia Phillips as they make the announcement in true Southern Decadence style. Saturday, June 11, 2016 Come out to the 10th annual Baton Rouge Pride festival from 1 – 7 pm. It’s going to be bigger and better than ever in its anniversary edition. Loads of participants will be at the community resource fair, great entertainment, food and cash bar, and all in the air-conditioned comfort of the Baton Rouge River Center Exhibition Halls. Bring your friends and family to this free celebration. The Baton Rouge River Center is located at 275 S River Road. Saturday, June 11, 2016 Join the Krewe of Amon-Ra for a fabulous evening of fun at their 2016 Prom entitled an Evening in the Red [continued on 30]
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Light. Enter to win their Prom Queen or King at the Fully Catered Event with live DJ and auctions at Napoleon’s Itch (734 Bourbon Street). Hosted by New Orleans Legends Becky Allen and Marshall Harris, this event starts at 8 pm. Tickets are $20.00. Friday, June 17, 2016 Season 6 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Bianca Del Rio is back home in New Orleans. The “Queen of Mean” will host “An Evening with Bianca del Rio” with performers, Mrs. Kasha Davis, Darienne Lake, Aggy Dune and MILK the Queen for one show only starting at 8 p.m. at the Joy Theatre (1200 Canal Street). Joining them are Chris Harder, Cherry Brown, Miss New Orleans Pride: Vanessa Carr and Mr. New Orleans Pride: Eros Sea and Gia Giavanni. Tickets are General Admission $45 (standing), VIP $76.50 (includes balcony seat, meet and greet, and one free drink). The show starts at 8 pm with the pre-show entertainment beginning at 7:45 pm. For tickets, go to www.thejoytheatre.com. Saturday, June 18, 2016 Are you ready to take your pride to the streets? The New Orleans Pride Parade rolls at 7 pm. There is a PreParade Party at The Phoenix. The parade lines up on Elysian Fields at Rampart Street. The route is from Elysian Fields, right on Royal Street, left on Frenchmen Street, right on Decatur Street, right on Canal Street and right on Bourbon Street. There is a designated Family Viewing at Jackson Square. Balcony Viewing will be at the Bourbon Pub, Oz New Orleans, The Swamp, or The Bourbon Cowboy. Saturday, June 18, 2016 Dine out for an amazing cause at the 24th Annual HRC Louisiana Dinner & Silent Auction presented by Hyatt Regency New Orleans & WDSU News. The VIP Reception starts at 5pm; General Reception starts at 6 pm. with the doors opening to the ballroom at 6:45 pm. The Hyatt Regency New Orleans is located at 601 Loyola Avenue. The evening’s menu was designed by local celebrity chefs: Chef Kelly Kields Willa Jean, Chef Tory McPhail Commander’s Palace, Chef Eric Damidot - Hyatt Regency New Orleans. This element is unique to the Louisiana Gala and perfectly blends the culture on New Orleans alongside the important mission of the Human Rights Campaign. Buy your tickets today so you can experience the tastes of these legendary chefs all in one meal. To purchase your ticket, visit hrclouisianadinner.org
Party Down My dance card was definitely filled these last two weeks with festivals,
fundraisers and frivolity. Cinco De Mayo fell on a very busy Thursday in which my work schedule was absolutely crazy, but I still managed to stop by two celebrations. The first was a special Cheesy Thursday at GrandPre’s put on by the SallyFLYs in honor of the new Southern Decadence Grand Marshals. Felicia was behind the bar slinging margaritas and there was some delectable snacks to taste. Felicia and the SallyFLYs kept the atmosphere light and spicy, great way to start off the night. My second stop before returning back to work was Le Meridien where they hosted a soiree in their courtyard. Guests received sombreros, maracas or a peel and stick mustache to get into the mood. Sangrias, Coronas and margaritas flowed like water as their chef prepared a buffet of Mexican delicacies. Even though my stops at these two places were short, it was just enough to get my holiday fix. On Friday, I attended the 2016 Zoo To Do which is the Audubon Zoo’s premier gala which is considered the largest non-medical fundraiser in the United States at one time. Guests meander through the Zoo sampling dishes from over seventy five restaurants and bars as they listen to live music under the stars. The setting is ideal for an event, you are greeted with champagne as you enter and the first thing you see is the gorgeous flamingos. They had handlers mingling with animals for you to hold and take photos with. From the food which was spectacular to the music, every detail of the night was wonderfully planned out. The guests looked lovely also dressed in summer suits, black tie and designer dresses. And there were plenty of people from the LGBT community on hand. Orlando Aloe had his own bar serving up cocktails and Mina Hernandez was there looking stunning. The lively Frankie Fierce was my wingman for the night and Beaux and Barrett Delong Church and Captain Chad Brinkley were on hand from the Krewe of Armeinius. The party ended at midnight and part two of the night kicked into high gear. A group of us hopped into a car and stopped at the Ace Hotel Bar, which is the newest IT place in town then off to the Quarter hitting 700 Club, Good Friends, Corner Pocket, Lafitte’s, the Golden Lantern and the Phoenix. It was a fun world wind of a night (and morning). It has been a while since I have had those 4 am mornings. But Sunday was Mother’s Day and I persevered having brunch with Dawn at Fogo de Chao. You have to love a place where hot men keep throwing meat at you. That evening, I attended a special concert of Well Strung hosted by the Gay Carnival Krewe Armeinius at Café Istanbul. These four sexy young men performed a concert where they mash-up classical music with pop [continued on 32]
Chris & Jeremy with Miss Cie Hello Mark & Company
Disco Nights @ B-Bob’s
PaPa Jerry & the Clown, Thorgy Thor @ B-Bob’s
Michael & Girls...
Fabulous Fridays @ Flip Side Patio Bar
Happy Birthday Miss Cie
Delta & Miss Cie with Thorgy Thor
m obile paparazzi Hello Jeremy & Tristan
Happy Birthday Miss Venus
Girls Night Out @ B-Bob’s
SkyGlass with Mobile Arts Council @ Skylar Nicholson
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Night Life @ B-bob's & Flip Side ~ Mobile, Alabama ~ Photos by Miss Cie
under the gaydar ...from 28
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under the gaydar ...from 30 songs. From Justin Bieber to Bach, every song meshed elegantly. Afterwards, there was a dessert reception where we were able to meet the guys up close and personal. Now that was a sweet finish to the night.
The following week I went to see the NOLA Project’s new show Don Quixote at the Sculpture Garden at City Park. It was a perfect evening to watch live theatre under the majestic oak trees. This comedy with an exemplary cast had people laughing non-stop. Ian Hoch and Mike Spara played off each other well as Don Quixote and his sidekick Sancho. Alex Wallace Martinez also was a stand-out having some of the best lines of the night. The Southern Decadence fundraisers are starting so keep your eye out on Facebook, Ambush, and www.SouthernDecadence.com for listings. On Friday, the first official fundraiser after the announcement party was a crawfish boil at Lafitte’s in Exile. We had a great crowd under the tent set up outside on the street as they boiled crawfish for the guests. We even managed to get lots of tourists to buy a plate, wanting to get in all the action. They even got lessons on how to pinch the tails and suck the heads from the Southern Decadence Grand Marshals. Since Felicia is having throat problems, she could not fully demonstrate the proper technique of sucking the crawfish heads. But Derrick, Jeff and I were on hand to pick up the slack. Saturday was all about the bling when the Krewe of Petronius hosted their Cocktails and Crowns event at a [continued on 33]
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matters of health Depression in Bi Women by Jack Carrel, MPH, jackcarrel@gmail.com A recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health confirmed that LGBTQ youth experience unique mental health challenges compared to straight youth. But interestingly, bisexual women were found to have a disproportionately high rate of depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidal ideation. Bi men showed slightly higher rates of anxiety than straight men but not as high was among women. According to Annie Shearer, one of the study staff, “Bi people have a unique experience of “prejudice and stigma from gay and lesbian communities in addition to heterosexual communities.”
U.S. Government Issues Rules About Bathroom Access for Transgender Students On Friday May 13, the US Department of Education and the Justice Department issued guidance to schools “to ensure that all students, including transgender students, can attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex.” “There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex,” said Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch. “This guidance gives administrators, teachers and parents the tools they need to protect transgender students from peer harassment and to identify and address unjust school policies. I look forward to continuing our work with the Department of Education – and with schools across the country – to create classroom environments that are safe, nurturing, and inclusive for all of our young people.” To view the guidance to schools go to https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/ 850986/download. To see the example policies go to http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ oese/oshs/emergingpractices.pdf.
FDA Targets Young LGBT Smokers The This Free Life campaign is the FDA’s first major campaign to address tobacco use within the community, the prevalence of which is attributed to several factors, including coming out. “The coming out process can be stressful and is a period of increased vulnerability, which can lead to tobacco use and other behaviors with negative health consequences,” says Richard Wolitski, acting under the gaydar ...from 32 very swanky home in the Marigny. There were crowns, sashes, pins and tiaras aplenty as the royalty of other krewes came out to in support of the event. There was dazzling numbers, a fun bar, great food and the reveal of the royalty and the theme of the 2017 Carnival Ball. The theme of this year’s ball is the Seven Deadly Sins and the royalty is King Joseph McManus (Starr Alexander) and Queen Kayla Starr. When the party ended many of us moved the festivities to the Phoenix for more cocktails till the wee hours of the morning. Sunday was truly an epic Sunday Funday. I began the day by attending Boys Town Louisiana’s Bowl-APalooza, a charitable fundraiser dedicated to recognizing the role we each can play in enhancing the lives of children in foster care. There was delicious food, amazing musical entertainment by Tank and the Bangas (my new favorite local group), DJ Raj Smoove and MC Wild Wayne; a silent auction, door prizes and the chance to interact with the Boys Town children and their families. It was heartwarming to see all the kids laughing and having fun. This
is a great organization that gives kids a fighting chance in this world when the odds are stacked against them. Next, I went to the Double Play to attend Amon-Ra’s Whose Your Crawfish Daddy fundraiser. I certainly had my fill of those delectable little mudbugs this weekend. It was a crowded house as the krewe boiled a sumptuous feast for the guests. The last party of the day was the official kick off Halloween Host party at a spectacular mansion on Esplanade. There were free flowing vodka cocktails, a DJ, Dat Dog serving wieners and a plethora of hot, sexy men. Cannot believe we are not at Decadence and the Halloween excitement has begun, love it. This city is like one big holiday. Even though the parties were over, my friends and I were not done for the night, we went to see the Jubilee show at the Golden Lantern as Reba and her guys brought it home, then we hopped over to the Pub, Oz and ended with trash disco at Lafitte’s. After the bars, I ended my evening in my neighborhood sharing a bottle of champagne with my friend Laura Tennyson and catching up on the day’s activities. Quite a full Sunday Funday. Until next time, stay decadent.
director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for HIV/ AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy. “This is a unique tobacco use risk factor for LGBT young adults that’s due to the actual and perceived social stigma, discrimination and anxiety experienced during this process.” “This Free Life” campaign is primarily aimed at LGBT young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 who smoke occasionally. Of the more than 2 million LGBT young adults ages 18 to 24 in the United States, more than 800,000 are occasional smokers, says Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. To check out the campaign go to http://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/PublicHealthEducation/ PublicEducationCampaigns/ThisFreeLifeCampaign/default.htm. If you are a Louisiana resident and smoked at all before 1988, there are free programs to help you stop including free patches and counseling, for more info call 1-504-842-7490. If you started after 1988, give 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) a call.
Small risk of sexual transmission of HIV persists through first six months of ART A risk of HIV transmission to sexual partners can occur for six months after the start of antiretroviral therapy, according to a study published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Over 1500 serodiscordant (one partner HIV positive and one partner HIV negative) heterosexual couples were included in the analysis. Initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) resulted in a fall in the risk of transmission, but the risk lasted during the first six months of treatment. No transmissions were observed once patients had been taking treatment for over six months.
Men with Rectal STDs Benefit Most from PrEP Data presented at the recent conference of the British HIV Association (BHIVA) indicated that men with rectal STDs are most likely to benefit from PrEP. The data from the PROUD PrEP study also shows men who have unprotected receptive anal sex will also benefit from PrEP. The PROUD trial recruited 544 men who have sex with men (MSM) in the UK who were randomized to receive either immediate PrEP or deferred treatment. While there were no infections in the PrEP arm of the study, analysis of the baseline sexual characteristics of men in the deferred arm who became infected with HIV showed that a rectal STD and reporting recent unprotected anal sex with two or more partners were associated with especially high HIV incidence rates.
Medicaid Expansion Comes to Louisiana In January, our new Governor John Bel Edwards signed an Executive Order which allowed the State of Louisiana to accept the Medicaid Expansion. Louisiana is the 32nd state to adopt the Medicaid Expansion. In Louisiana, the program is known as “Healthy Louisiana.” This is an opportunity for many in the LGBTQ community who have not had health insurance to finally be able to access it . Healthy Louisiana, will provide FULL MEDICAID BENEFITS to approximately 375,000 residents effective July 1, 2016. Anyone with a household income below 138 percent of the federal poverty level will qualify for Medicaid expansion. For a single person, that means income below $16,243; for a family of four, that’s $33,465. Several information sessions are scheduled for the New Orleans area. For more information on Healthy Louisiana or other sessions, visit http:// dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/subhome/48. May 28, Info Session (10am – 1pm) – EB Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave, Metairie May 31, Info Session & Enrollment (3pm – 6pm) – Daughters of Charity, 5630 Read Blvd, NOLA June 7, Info Session & Enrollment (10am – noon; 1pm-3pm)– University Medical Center Atrium, 2001 Tulane Ave, NOLA Jack Carrel, MPH has worked in HIV, STD, and LGBTQ health for over 30 years. Currently he is a doctoral student at Walden University, a consultant in grant writing. He can be reached at jackcarrel@gmail.com.
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ambush
paparazzi
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Mr. Louisiana Leather TimGoodman IML Send-off Fundraiser @ GrandPre's ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Paul Melancon
Krewe of Amon-Ra "Who's Your CrawDADDY" Crawfish Boil @ The Double Play ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Tony Leggio, Rip Naquin
Krewe du Rue Royale Revelers Grand Reveler II Will Antill Cookout raises $531 for LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana @ The Double Play ~ Photos by Rip Naquin, Coca Mesa
The Social Scene ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Adrian Claveria, Tony Leggio, Paul Melancon, Jeremy Weinberg
Miss Gay New Orleans America contest @ Oz Jubilee @ The Golden Lantern
Miss Gay Louisiana USofA Sendoff Fundraiser @ Oz
Zoo To Do @ Audubon Zoo
Joining the Devine Ladies 2nd Line Club @ The Page
Petronius' Cocktails & Crowns
ambush
paparazzi
Rawhide 2010
Armeinius @ Well Strung
The Corner Pocket Boys
Sally-FLYs Cinco de Mayo @ GrandPre's
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