Ambush Magazine Volume 36 Issue 08 by Ambush Publishing

THE OFFICIAL GAY MAGAZINE OF THE GULF SOUTH Celebrating LGBTQ Life, Music & Culture Since 1982 A BI-WEEKLY PUBLICATION

VOLUME 36 ISSUE 08

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018

www.AMBUSHMAG.com

French Quarter Festival, Navy Week & Easter Highlights

2 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

The “Official” Dish by Frank Pizzolato, Publisher Email: frank@ambushpublishing.com

Finally, a little time to breath after a great Easter weekend in the French Quarter. We hope everyone enjoyed the Gay Easter Parade as much as we did in bringing it to you. We felt it was so important to continue this wonderful tradition; the huge crowds and the large number of participants, riders & marching groups helped us in making this event a big success. As with every event of this size, it would not have been possible without the help and support of so many in the LGBT community. I personally want to mention again the members of the Advisory Board, who worked so closely with us over many weeks to carry off this production: Tony Leggio, Monica Sinclair Kennedy, Tony Lala, Darrin Duplessey, Reba Douglas, Jeremy Fontenot and

Tip Varnadore. Your efforts are much appreciated. We would also like to thank the bars and businesses who contributed to the fundraising efforts in the weeks leading up to the Easter Sunday production: The Double Play, Grand Pre’s, OZ, The Four Seasons, The Golden Lantern, The Corner Pocket, Bourbon Pride, The 700 Club, The Faubourg Bistro and The Mardi Gras Museum. Each of these gave generously of time, money, and effort to enable us to create and stage a very memorable Easter afternoon for the thousands who came out to enjoy the 19th Official Gay Easter Parade. We also want to thank our Grand Marshals, Carl Mack and Nicole Lynn Foxx, who gave so much to add to

Inside this Issue of Ambush City Recognizes Larry Bagneris, Jr. for Work on Human Relations Committee

CrescentCare’s Third Annual Bow Tie Bash

Snap Paparazzi: Oz New Orleans & Oz at the Gay Easter Parade

Sports

Snap Paparazzi: Bunnies in the Big Easy

Snap Paparazzi: Hats of the 19th Annual Gay Easter Parade

Snap Paparazzi: 19th Annual Gay Easter Parade

Under the Gaydar: New Orleans Hot Happenings

Snap Paparazzi: Double Play Bar

Upcoming at OZ New Orleans & Southern Decadence Announcement

LGBT Owned & Friendly Business Directory

22-23

Party Down

Trodding the Boards

Snap Paparazzi: NOAGE Potluck

Tricentennial Profiles in History: Homer Plessy

Snap Paparazzi: MORE Gay Easter Parade

Snap Paparazzi: SIPPS Bar in Gulfport, MS

You Are Needed

Moments in Gay New Orleans History: Trans Advocacy

Book Review: Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation

Snap Paparazzi: Corner Pocket

A Community within Communities: Atchalaya

Gulf South LGBTQ Entertainment & Travel Guide Since 1982 New Orleans, Louisiana info@ambushpublishing.com

the fabulousness of our events. They proved themselves to be truly inspired choices for Grand Marshal and performed admirably. We have not completed the final accounting of the funding, but with the help of our generous sponsors and riders, we are on track to have been a financial success as well, and look forward to continuing the tradition of presenting another check to Food for Friends to sustain their great work. As soon as the final accounting is completed, we will publish the fundraising results and make a formal presentation to Food for Friends. Ambush is already at work on the 2018 calendar of events for Southern Decadence that you have come to expect from us. The team working on Southern Decadence, 2017’s Grand Marshals and the Board of Directors, have informed us they are making plans for the 2018 Announcement Party, where we will learn who the Grand Marshals are for this year’s celebration. They have chosen OZ to host the event on May 10th, so save the date and be a part of the kickoff of this truly unique New Orleans extravaganza. Ambush, as always stands by to help, promote, and support the Decadence festivities. Pride weekend plans are also fully underway, and we look forward to similarly supporting all of their efforts. Ambush is also making plans for the Annual Gay Appreciation Awards for 2018. We are going to keep that tradition alive and make sure that it grows to be a significant part of the social life of summer in New Orleans. Please remember to support our advertisers. They have shown their support for the LGBT community by spending their money to reach out to you, our loyal readers, to help promote our activities and to be a part of our community. Gay-owned and Gay-friendly businesses and service providers are there for us, have been there for us and will be there for us, but it’s our patronage of them that makes it possible. Where we eat, where we drink, where we spend our money matters, Make it count!

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Gulf South Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 • Texas-Florida ANNUAL READERSHIP OVER 1M+ 260,000+ Print/780,000+ Online Official Gay Easter Parade Guide© Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide© Official Gay New Orleans Guide© Official Pride Guide© Official Southern Decadence Guide© Email: info@ambushpublishing.com CIRCULATION Alabama - Mobile; Florida - Pensacola; Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metairie, New Orleans, Slidell; Mississippi - Bay St. Louis, Biloxi STAFF PUBLISHER Frank Pizzolato DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Reed Wendorf EDITOR Brian Sands CONTRIBUTORS Brian Sands, Tony Leggio, Frank Pizzolato, Brian Rivas-Davi, Elisa Cool, John Harper, Persana Shoulders, Felicia Phillips, Frank Perez, Rev. Bill Terry, Pastor Allie Rowland, Davis Walden, Rodney Thoulion, Kara Coley, Crescent City Sports LOCAL AD SALES Reed Wendorf reed@ambushpublishing.com NATIONAL AD SALES Rivendell Media 212.242.6863 Ambush Magazine is published on alternate Tuesdays of each month by Ambush Publishing. Advertising, Copy & Photo DEADLINE is alternate Tuesdays, 5pm, prior to publication week, accepted via e-mail only: info@ambushpublishing.com. 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 Magazine. ©1982-2018 AMBUSH PUBLISHING LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOTHING HEREIN MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER INCLUDING AD LAYOUTS, MAPS and PHOTOS.

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 3

City Recognizes Larry Bagneris, Jr. for Work on Human Relations Committee by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

In a ceremony at the City Council Chambers, the city of New Orleans recognized Larry Bagneris, Jr., for his long-time contributions on the Mayor’s Human Relations Committee. Larry Bagneris began his Civil Rights activities at the age of 16 as a student at St. Augustine High School. He took part in pickets in front of Maison Blanche Department Store protesting the Jim Crow policies of the retail giant. He participated in sit-ins at Walgreen’s in Gentilly Woods and other New Orleans mainstays such as the FrosTop on Canal Street and Woolworth’s. He was arrested for his efforts to seek equal treatment for persons of color. More than once, Bagneris was taken to the Juvenile Center because he was too young to be booked into Central Lockup with the adult population. He took part in many mass rallies including a nighttime march from A. L. Davis Park to City Hall. In 1963 he attended the National Conference for International Justice in Memphis, Tennessee with other students and priests from St. Augustine H.S. He challenged the Monsignor of the Diocese of New Orleans to explain why Catholic Schools were still

segregated. Several years later, when Archbishop Rummel was to receive an honor from the Vatican, Larry led a protest outside the hotel where the accolades were presented. Larry served as President of the Negro Betterment Council of St. Augustine and worked with Chink Henry and the Longshoreman’s Union during the Johnson-Humphrey bid for the Presidency. While demonstrating for the Voter Rights Act he was confronted by opposing, angry demonstrators and was taunted with the Confederate Battle flag. In 1967 he was the first Black elected to serve as Vice-chair of the Young Democrats of New Orleans. As an out gay man, Bagneris experienced homophobia during a raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York in 1969. It was perhaps this incident that altered his course in the Civil Rights movement from an emphasis on the rights of racial minorities to that of the gay community. It was also during this time that he worked as a volunteer for the first Annual Women’s Conference in Houston, TX. He served on the Board of the first and second March on Washington, D.C. for Lesbian and Gay Rights. He

was the founder of the Houston Gay Pride Parade. He served on the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Bagneris was the first openly gay person elected as a delegate to the National Democratic Convention in New York City in 1980. The 1990’s found Larry immersed in the confusion, turmoil and grief as the gay community responded to HIV/AIDS. After accepting a job as a lobbyist for New Orleans NO/AIDS Task Force, Larry organized a network to meet with every Senator and member of the House of Representatives in Louisiana seeking to educate and illuminate political leaders and the public about HIV/AIDS. Bagneris has also enjoyed a highly successful career in insurance and investments and is now the head of the Human Relations Commission. He is responsible for receiving and mediating complaints of discrimination in Housing, Public Accommodations and Employment for the city of New Orleans, LA. Most recently Bagneris was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Conference for Gay and Lesbian Elected Officials. He has secured New Orleans as the meeting place for that group’s International Conference. In addition to his political activism, Larry founded the Christmas Joy and

Toy Giving Program for the children of the B. W. Cooper and St. Thomas Housing Developments. (For twelve years this project donated clothing, toys and school supplies to those in need). He is one of four children of the late Lawrence G. Bagneris, Sr. and the late Gloria (Diaz) Bagneris. As a resident of the French Quarter, he has been a long time member of the Vieux Carre Residential and Business Association and President of the Chateau Dauphine Homeowners’ Association. He has sought the office of Representative to the House of Representatives on three occasions. He serves on the Mayor’s Advisory Council for GLBT Issues and is a Board member of N. O. Alliance of PRIDE. Bagneris received the Human Rights Campaign Award. He has been named liaison to the New Orleans City Council. Recently he was awarded the Forum for Equality Public Service Award and the Ben Smith Award for Lifetime Achievement by the ACLU. Mr. Bagneris is the Founder and President of the Rainbow Flag Project that identifies a ‘Boulevard’ of flags down Rampart Street, the entrance to the French Quarter or Vieux Carre. This highly symbolic mode displays for all to see the prosperity and the diversity of the GLBT community in New Orleans.

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4 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

CrescentCare’s Third Annual Bow Tie Bash CrescentCare held its third Bow Tie Bash (BTB) on April 5 at The Lighthouse on Camp Street. The annual event honors the memory of Chet Pourciau, longtime NO/AIDS Task Force volunteer that had a penchant for being a snazzy dresser. His outfits were always complimented with a bow tie. “Chet had an awesome flair for fashion and design,” said Rodney Thoulion, Development Director of CrescentCare. “That flair was equally matched by his love for volunteerism through NO/AIDS Task Force and other nonprofits around the city. Chet had a big heart and we don’t want people to forget Chet’s enthusiasm for volunteering.” In the spirit of Pourciau, this year’s event remembered longtime volunteer, Laurence “Larry” Mercier. Mercier had been a volunteer with the Task Force since the early 1990s. He was a fixture at all of the agency events including the Chevron NO/AIDS WALK, Art Against AIDS and most recently the Bow Tie Bash. Larry passed away in July 2017. “Larry was the quintessential volunteer,” Thoulion said. “In development, if we receive time, talent or treasure from a volunteer we are thrilled. When you receive all three, it’s elation! Larry would assist in the office.

Photo Credit: Squirrel News

He would show up at events to sell his goods. Then at the end of the evening, he would turn all of his profits over to us. Larry was certainly one in a million.” Last year’s event recalled Sister Marcy Romine, OSF, longtime employee of Project Lazarus and CrescentCare. It was announced at BTB that Chet’s partner John “Jack” Sullivan is spearheading a campaign to have the reception/welcome area in CrescentCare’s new construction on Elysian Fields to be named in her honor. The goal is to raise $500,000. “Sister Marcy was so welcoming and open,” Sullivan said. “She was the epitome of kind and compassionate and we must remember her kindness towards others and use that as an example in how we treat others. In the new CrescentCare building we want her spirit to be the guiding force and shining example to all.” BTB is a fundraiser for CrescentCare’s Food For Friends (FFF) program which delivers home delivered meals to HIV and cancer clients. FFF also has a pantry of dry goods and toiletries for those who are able to cook for themselves. “This is a needy program,” said Glen Kahrman, business development coordinator. “CrescentCare receives

little in grants for this program, so most all of the support comes from the community. FFF provided the food for the event that was sponsored by Avita Pharmacy, LabCorp and HealthyBlue of Louisiana. Kelcy Mae and Will Dickerson provided the entertainment. To learn more

about CrescentCare’s Capital Campaign, services or upcoming events, visit CrescentCare.org Rodney Thoulion is the Director of Development at CrescentCare and the NO/AIDS Task Force. He writes for Ambush as a freelance writer and you can contact him with news ideas at rthoulion@gmail.com.

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F RO Y ID BR 8 A AY E A M - SU K - 1 N FA 1 A DA S M Y T

6 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Snap Paparazzi: Oz New Orleans & Oz at the Gay Easter Parade Photos Courtesy of Persana Shoulders

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LSU has unproven talent in face of dire predictions for 2018 football season by Rene Nadeau, Crescent City Sports

Jonathan Giles (#7) is expected to be a prime target in the LSU passing game (Photo: Terrill Weil). There continue to be major concerns among the LSU faithful regarding how the 2018 season will unfold. Many feel that LSU will be lucky to win six games against what figures to be one of the nation’s toughest schedules. The crux of the matter is that LSU has not embarked on a season with so many uncertainties in many, many years. I understand how that can cause fans consternation. The new pecking order at quarterback remains unknown and hard to predict. A running back with extremely

limited game experience (or none at all on the college level) will be in the starting backfield against Miami on opening day. The offensive line will probably have three new starters. The top receiver is expected to be transfer junior Jonathan Giles, a Biletnikoff semifinalist two seasons ago, but the rest of the picture at the wideout spots are up in the air. The secondary is in a flux. The defensive line lost Arden Key, Christian LaCouture and Greg Gilmore. You get the picture. The schedule is brutally daunting and there are so many unanswered questions on the roster.

Don’t get too excited or concerned about what you witness in the upcoming spring game on April 21 though. Neither the offense nor the defense is going to show much with so many outside eyes watching. This team is not devoid of talent. How many LSU players will be 2019 drafted? Potentially nine appear possible right now: • WR Giles • TE Foster Moreau (senior) • OLs Badera Traore and Damien Lewis (JUCO transfers who haven’t played a down) • DT Rashard Lawrence (junior) • DT Breiden Fehoko (Another Texas

Tech junior transfer) • LB Devin White (junior) • CB Greedy Williams (redshirt sophomore is a possible top 10-15 pick) • DB John Battle (senior) So take a deep breath when the prognosticators predict doom for the Tigers in 2018. They may be right but the LSU staff may have a plenty of surprises in the form of capable talent for the upcoming opponents. This article was originally published by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

Alvin Gentry has earned more time as Pelicans head coach by David Grubb, Crescent City Sports

NEW ORLEANS — Saturday marked the start of the most critical three-game stretch of this New Orleans Pelicans season and quite possibly the tenure of head coach Alvin Gentry. In many ways, the close of this season is looking eerily similar to the end of the 2014-15 campaign. Monty Williams faced a “Playoffs or Bust” edict from ownership. The Pelicans

knocked off the San Antonio Spurs 108-103 in their regular season finale to claim the eighth-seed before being eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in a four-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs. It wasn’t enough to save Williams’ job, as he was fired two weeks later. There have been no public statements or mandates for Gentry, who is

in his third season with the Pelicans and in the final year of his contract. Obviously, the transition in ownership from Tom to Gayle Benson will have some impact on Gentry’s future. Mrs. Benson and Pelicans Head of Basketball Operations Mickey Loomis also have a decision to make regarding General Manager Dell Demps who, like Gentry, is also in the final year of his contract. Any change at the GM spot would probably have a big impact on Gentry’s chances of returning. A new general manager would likely mean new leadership on the bench. Right now, that’s not what the Pelicans need. They don’t need a third coach in five seasons for Anthony Davis. They need stability. They still need Alvin Gentry. Gentry has had to deal with some incredible challenges since he arrived in New Orleans. In three seasons he’s had his projected opening night starting lineup available for fewer than 40 games (none in 2017-18). There have been 48 different players on the roster and nearly 800 different roster combinations on the floor. There have been two major roster overhauls during that time, with the departures of Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson after his first season and the trade deadline acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins last year. And of course, there are the injuries. No team in the NBA has been hit harder by injury to key players than the Pelicans. This season has been no exception, with Cousins lost to an Achilles tear, Solomon Hill missing the

first 70 games, and Rajon Rondo missing 17 with various ailments. The Pels’ lone rookie, Frank Jackson, has been out all season as well. Through all of that the Pelicans have been a pleasant, if not inconsistent, surprise story this season. With 45 wins, New Orleans has already matched the ‘14-‘15 playoff team. Two more victories would give the franchise its most successful regular season since 2008-09. While they haven’t secured a playoff spot just yet, the Pels still have an opportunity to end the season as high as fifth in the conference standings. That is due in no small part to Gentry’s leadership. He and his staff also deserve credit for getting career-best basketball out of Davis, Holiday, Cousins, as well as role players like E’Twaun Moore and Darius Miller. Since Cousins went down on January 28, the Pelicans are 18-12, tied for ninth best in the NBA. They easily could have packed it in. However, Gentry made the adjustment to increase tempo in Boogie’s absence, a move that helped elevate Davis into an MVP candidate and turned Holiday into a two-way terror. There are a great number of questions facing the Pelicans this offseason. Alvin Gentry’s future shouldn’t be one of them. He’s earned the opportunity to see if he can take another step forward with this team next season. Playoffs or no playoffs.

The Pels still have an opportunity to end the season as high as fifth in the conference standings.

This article was originally published by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

8 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Saints reunion tour continues with addition of Benjamin Watson by Ken Trahan, Crescent City Sports

Never burn bridges. Keep options open. Leave on a positive note. Never say never. Imagine the possibilities. Hell froze over and the Eagles reunited. Axl Rose and Slash actually mended their seemingly insurmountable rift and Guns and Roses played together again. In the movies, The Blues Brothers came together for another “gig.” In recent years, we have seen Roman Harper, Jahri Evans, Rafael Bush, Chase Daniel and Jonathan Goodwin return to the New Orleans Saints after departing for other teams. While reunions are not common – in fact rare in the NFL – the Saints are the champions of the reunion tour in 2018. First, there was Patrick Robinson. Jermon Bushrod followed most recently. Now, there is the return of Ben Watson. In the case of all three, there appears to still be gas in the tank and positive feelings on both sides. While the Saints were in the game to forge a reunion with Jimmy Graham, you never totally got the feeling that there were very positive feelings all around on both sides. The NFL is a business. Often

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times, business decisions are made which result in popular players getting their feelings hurt or simply being phased out due to affordability issues. Watson left the Saints for Baltimore and a lucrative deal. Soon after, he tore his Achilles tendon and missed the entire 2016 season coming off of an outstanding season for the Saints. While no one could replace Graham, who was perhaps the best receiving tight end in the league when he departed New Orleans, Watson did a superb job, catching 74 passes for 825 yards and six touchdowns. The concern about Watson is his age (37). Those who know Watson understand that he, like Drew Brees, defies age. Watson works as hard as anyone. He is a true professional and a dogged competitor. He rebounded from the debilitating injury a year ago to catch 61 passes for 522 yards and four touchdowns. He caught 77.2 percent of the passes that were thrown at him, a career best. Watson played in all 16 games,

displaying that he was fully back from the injury. He is not a deep threat but he can run routes correctly, catch the football and is a willing, capable blocker, an important element in the revamped Saints offense which focuses more on pounding the rock. Like Harper, it could be just a one year proposition. Unlike Harper upon his return, Watson still has much of the skill he displayed when with New Orleans the first go-round. Bush was brought back to provide depth at safety and was never counted on as a primary player. Evans, a future Saints Hall of Fame inductee to be certain, filled a need for one year. Daniel was a one-year rental to provide insurance for Drew Brees. Watson’s acquisition likely allows the Saints to focus on wide receiver and defensive end, the other two glaring needs, in the draft. Sean Payton stated in Orlando that tight end, along with wide receiver and defensive end, are the team’s biggest needs to address. Then, there is the other value Watson brings to the Saints. He is a natural born leader, a man

Those who know Watson understand that he, like Drew Brees, defies age.

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of character, principle and faith who has a terrific perspective on life and social issues as a devoted family man. Watson fits the profile of the organization over the last three years, purging itself of players with off the field issues and clubhouse lawyers while stocking it with hard working individuals who play the game right and play the game of life straight. Robinson is being counted on as a primary contributor and starter at cornerback and he is coming off of his best season in the league. Bushrod is being counted on in reserve, as an insurance policy. With the oft-injured Terron Armstead and the loss of Senio Kelemete, Bushrod was a good acquisition as well. If the reunion goes well, the Saints could be singing the words of Peaches and Herb: “Reunited and it feels so good, proving the Neil Sedaka claim that “breaking up is hard to do.” The Saints are putting the band back together in the hope of leaving other teams singing the blues. This article was originally published by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

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New Orleans Baby Cakes to feature many new faces to start 2018 season by Les East, Crescent City Sports

METAIRIE — Program sales should be brisk when the New Orleans Baby Cakes begin the season Thursday night at The Shrine. There’s a lot of catching up to do with this year’s team because only four players on the roster for the game against Nashville spent any time with New Orleans last season — infielder Peter Mooney, outfielder Isaac Galloway and pitchers Adam Conley and Nick Wittgren. “We’ve got some veteran presence, we’ve got some young talent and we’ve got some older guys with talent,” third-year manager Arnie Beyeler said at Media Day on Tuesday afternoon. There are so many new faces that Beyeler was still evaluating some positions in his lineup and rotation, though he has decided that Conley will start the opener. The left-hander is not only one of the players who was here for part of last season, but was also with the Baby Cakes for parts of the 2014 and 2015 seasons during his ascendancy to the parent Miami Marlins. Conley called last season “a struggle” for him. He was 3-3 with a 5.49 earned run average with New Orleans and 8-8 with a 6.14 ERA with Miami. He said he feels confident that a series of changes since the end of last sea-

son will yield better results. “The way I set myself up to pitch in the past was really hit or miss, it was high risk, high reward, so you see a lot of peaks and valleys in my career in the big leagues,” Conley said. “I rebuilt myself from a mechanical standpoint during the off-season.” Additionally he has two new pitches after changing the grip on his fastball and switching to a more conventional slider about a month ago. He said the new slider makes the ball move more laterally, gives him another option early in the count and can “backdoor righties.” “I thought I had a great spring as far as the progression I made,” Conley said. “I’m really happy with the way I’m throwing the ball.” The goal, Conley said, is to become “consistent through a long season.” As a group, the Baby Cakes hope for improved results compared to last season. In 2017, New Orleans (55-83) finished last in the American Southern division, 34 1/2 games behind firstplace Memphis. Only Las Vegas (5686) had a worse record in the entire Pacific Coast League. Among the newcomers to watch is outfielder Braxton Lee, the 2017

Southern League batting champion, who spent the first three days of this Major League season with the parent club as it played the Cubs before he joined New Orrleans. The Picayune, Miss., native said the parent club and the Triple-A club are both “young and scrappy.” “There’s a lot of upside being on this team, being on the next level to be called up if they need somebody,” Lee said. That opportunity for advancement in the Marlins organization is thanks to a series of off-season trades that created openings and brought in talented youngsters. Three of the more notable acquisitions are Baby Cakes — outfielder Magneuris Sierra and pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen, who came from the St. Louis Cardinals in a deal for outfielder Marcell Ozuna. “There’s great opportunity in this organization right now,” Conley said. “We’re a talented bunch with a ton of potential. It’s going to be about harnessing that consistently.” Veterans of the Marlins organization said they have seen a new approach in the organization with former Yankees star Derek Jeter taking over

as co-owner and CEO. “There certainly has been an emphasis on a respect for the game, a respect for your opponent and respect for your manager,” Conley said. With a new attitude and a lot of new faces, there’s hope that the Baby Cakes will be improved but that comes down to something that never changes, Beyeler said: “The guys have to go out and play.” When they go out and play for the first time Thursday, Beyeler will place the baseball in Conley’s hands. “It took me four years to get it. It’s an honor,” Conley said. “I love getting a lot of starts, a lot of innings. I don’t care if it’s here or overseas or in the big leagues, I want the ball. “Being the opening day starter hopefully that means I’m going to get it a little sooner each time. It’s a great privilege. I don’t take it lightly. I’m excited to set a tone for this club.”

Among the newcomers to watch is outfielder Braxton Lee

This article was originally published by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

Class on French Quarter History to Feature LGBT Contributions

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Several years ago, Frank Perez designed a course on the history of the French Quarter at Delgado Community College. His vision for the course was to cover not only “traditional” history but also the hidden history that is rarely included in Chamber of Commerce brochures and conventional books. He wanted to explore the “underbelly,” as it were, of the sacred enclave known simply to locals as “the Quarter.” Because of Perez’s passion for gay history, the course contains a strong LGBT+ component. Gay men, after all, led early preservation efforts to save the neighborhood from the wrecking ball. But he also wanted to explore other marginalized groups and their contribution to the development of America’s quirkiest neighborhood—other groups such as immigrants, free people of color, sex-workers, mafioso and others. The class focuses on the history of the French Quarter as both the original

city of New Orleans and its shifting role as the city’s flagship neighborhood. While the French, Spanish, and early American periods are covered, the emphasis of the course is on 20th century history. Topics include, but are not limited to: architecture, historical preservation, colorful characters, the rise of tourism, literature and arts, drinking culture, crime and vice, and LGBT+ history. The last class meeting is a tour of the French Quarter. Perez has taught the course several years now and it never gets old. There are no assignments or tests and no grades (the class is offered through the Continuing Education and is non-credit). If you love the French Quarter and want to learn more about what makes it so unique, do enroll in the course. The course begins April 17 and meets once a week on Tuesday evenings for seven weeks. Cost is $249. Registration is now open at the Delgado Community College website.

If you love the French Quarter and want to learn more about what makes it so unique, do enroll in the course.

10 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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with Reba Douglas

Sundays 5:00–7:00pm

Best Happy Hour in the Quar ter!

THE

Lantern

1239 Royal St. New Orleans • facebook.com/GoldenLanternBar

HAPPY HOUR 8AM – 8PM DAILY

N E V E R A C O V E R AT THE GOLDEN LANTERN

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 11

Snap Paparazzi: Bunnies in the Big Easy

Gay Easter Parade Fundraiser Photos by Davis Walden

12 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Snap Paparazzi: Hats of the 19th Annual Gay Easter Parade Gay Easter Parade Photos by Davis Walden

HATS OFF TO YOU!

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 13

19th Annual Gay Easter Parade Benefiting Food for Friends

A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE SPONSORS WHO HAVE SIGNED ON AS OF PRESS TIME FOR THE 2018 OFFICIAL NEW ORLEANS GAY EASTER PARADE The Gay Easter Parade serves as a fundraising event where Ambush donates all profits to Food for Friends.

Official 2018 Grand Marshal Portrait by Arthur Serverio

Nicole Lynn Foxx & Carl Mack 2018 Grand Marshals

Own the Perfect Pied-à-terre Steps from the French Quarter 917 Esplanade #7 ∙ 1 Bed, 1.5 Bath, 695 SF ∙ $349,900 Situated on beautiful Oak-lined Esplanade Avenue, this condo is the ideal weekend getaway. The location offers easy acces to everything the French Quarter, Marigny and the city has to offer! Don’t miss this opportunity! +1 504-777-1773 ∙ Michael.Styles@evusa.com

ENGEL&VÖLKERS MICHAEL STYLES

GEP Platinum Golden Lantern, James Garner; Bourbon Pub, Sandy Sachs; Alva John Groth ll; Friday Night Before Mardi Gras GEP Gold 700 Club, Matt Gigglio; Corner Pocket, Michael Elias; Faubourg Bistro, Matt Hayes, Glen Kahrman & Noel Twilbeck; Michael Hollis GEP Silver Robert Herndon; Jeremy Fontenot & Kyle Keenan; Stuart Nettles/ EGM XV & Safonda Peters/ EGM IX, Ronald L Issler GEP Bronze Krewe of Stars; Kathryne McNeil; Frank Abbruscato; Crescent City Leathermen; Rodney Thoulion & RJ Buras; Herman Ordoyne; James Davis; John Marc Sharpe & RP Smith; Tony Leggio; Aaron Rusich; A&B Errand Services, LLC; Ted Jeansonne & David Cabrera, Tim Goodman

Engel & Völkers New Orleans ∙ +1 504-875-3555 ∙ neworleans@evusa.com 601 Julia Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 ∙ 722 Martin Behrman Ave., Metairie, LA 70005 ©2018 Engel & Völkers. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Licensed in Louisiana.

14 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Snap Paparazzi: 19th Annual Gay Easter Parade Gay Easter Parade Photos by Davis Walden

THIS IS GAY EASTER

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 15

Under the Gaydar: New Orleans Hot Happenings by Tony Leggio Email: ledgemgp@gmail.com

I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter weekend. There were so many incredible events, but the month of April presses on with lots more good times in store for everyone. Every month we will feature weekly events at some of the best LGBTQ bars in the city as well as special fundraisers, festivals, parties and drag shows. In NOLA, there is no lack for hot happenings. Here are just a few of them.

Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras: Buffa’s Bar and Restaurant; 1001 Esplanade Avenue; 8 p.m. Tacos, Tequila, and Tiaras is a one of New Orleans’ only family friendly drag shows! Join hostess Vanessa Carr Kennedy every Tuesday, have a taco or two, and learn a little bit about the art of drag. Twofer Tuesdays: Doubleplay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drinks special is two for one drinks until 10 p.m.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018 Kocktail Karaoke: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine Street; 8 p.m. - midnight Join us at Good Friends Bar for Kocktail Karaoke with the winner gets a $25.00 bar tab. Country Dance lessons: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 8 p.m. Tuesdays are Country Dance lessons with dancing from 8 - 11 p.m. Bourbon Boylesque: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 8:00 p.m. See the men of Oz like you have never seen them before. The show stars Atomyc Adonis, Bobby B, Franky, Phathoms Deep and other special guests. Hosted by Trixie Minx.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 WednesGays at LPK Uptown: Louisiana Pizza Kitchen; 615 South Carrolton Ave.; 5 p.m. Join us every Wednesday to celebrate diversity. See old friends or make some new ones and find out what’s happening in the Nola community. All this while enjoying 1/2 price drinks from the bar. Invite your friends... You Better Sing Karaoke; Lafitte’s in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Lafitte’s in Exile. Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon

The Double Play

Street; 10:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean. Game Night: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 7 p.m. Wednesdays are Game night with Honey Bee at 7 p.m. with free jello shots and Bar Tabs. Half-Price Hump Days (Wednesdays): Doubleplay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is all drinks are half price until 10 p.m. Thursday, April 12, 2018 Second Thursday at CAC: Contemporary Arts Center; 900 Camp Street, 6 - 9 p.m. Join the CAC on the Second Thursday of each month for an evening of programs designed to enhance your appreciation of contemporary art and artists. Music by AFROANARCHY; Food Truck: La Cubana; Happy Hour 6–7pm Honey Bee Trivia: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Thursday is Honey Bee Trivia at 7 p.m. Four rounds with jello shots to the winner of each round and a Bar Tab to top person/team of the night. Girl | Crush: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 9 p.m. Girl | Crush is

bringing you a weekly event for girls who like girls, and their friends! This flavor of CRUSH entitled DTF is exclusive to New Orleans’ #1 Dance Club, Oz and happens every Thursday night. The Jeff D Comedy Cabaret; Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 10 p.m. The Comedy Cabaret stars Jeff D. featuring Gia Giavanni. Enjoy hilarious comedians, amazing talent and the Ladies of Oz. Strip Off: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; midnight Persana Shoulders hosts the Strip Off every Thursday night. Sign up begins at 11 p.m. and the show features a spotlight performance by Miss Gay Louisiana America 2013 Mercedes Ellis Loreal. Winners receive: 1st PLACE - $100 Cash • 2nd PLACE - $50 Bar tab Three-Dollar Thursdays: DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is $3 Fireball and Jagermeister shots all day and night. Hey Girl!: The AllWays Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Avenue; 9 p.m. - midnight This drag show is serving up 2 scoops of the finest femme artists of the 90s with a strong alternative lean. From The Lunachicks to Lauryn Hill, and Sleater-Kinney to Save Ferris, we’re giving you more 90s nostalgia than a Delia’s catalog! Hosted by SIContinued on Page 18

Daily Specials Margarita Mondays $3.00 Margaritas from Open to Close

I s n

a r T

Two-fer Tuesdays 2-for-1 Drinks from open until 10:00 PM

HALF-PRICE HUMP DAY

All Drinks half-price from open until 10:00 PM

Three Dollar Thursdays

$3.00 Jagermeister & Fireball Shots from Open to Close

Long Island Fridays

$5.00 Long Island Iced Teas from Open to Close

CAT 5 SATURDAYS

439 Dauphine Street New Orleans, LA 70112 (504) 523-4517

$5.00 Hurricanes from Open to Close Doubles for the price of singles from 8:00 pm to 10:00 PM

Open 7:30 AM - 1:30 AM

All You Can Drink Mimosas & Bloody Marys from Noon to 3:00 PM Only $15

B ottomless Sundays

16 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Snap Paparazzi: Double Play Bar

Purple Party Gay Easter Parade Fundraiser Photos by Davis Walden

THE DOUBLE PLAY Cocktails offered in a casual watering hole with a pool table, drag shows & an offbeat vibe. “Drink where the locals drink!”

OPENING HOURS Everyday 7:30am - 1:30am ADDRESS 439 Dauhpine Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 523-4517 www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 17

Continued from Page 16

REN with the talents of: FRANKY, TARAH CARDS, JASSY and special guest MAXI GLAMOUR (St Louis). Tickets $10 at the door; Doors at 9pm, Show at 10. Friday, April 13, 2018 Long Island Fridays: DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is $5 Long Island Iced Teas all day and night. Music of Senator Ken: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy live music with Senator Ken playing all your favorites. Play Girlz: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 10 - 11:30 p.m. Drag show featuring Gia GiaVanni and special guests. New Meat Amateur Dance Contest: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Lisa Beaumann, anyone can enter - $100 cash prize. Saturday, April 14, 2018 NOAGE Presents Coffee Talk Mindfulness: New Orleans Healing Center; 2372 St. Claude; 10 - 11:30 a.m. In Room #250 of the New Orleans Healing Center. Coffee and refreshments will be provided. The topic will be Mindfulness. Evidence supports the use of mindfulness to alleviate symptoms of a variety of mental and physical disorders, and many people

find that mindfulness practice enriches their spiritual life. The moderator will be Rolf VanAnders who is on the Wellness Committee at LSUHSC and has created a mindfulness training program called the Mindful Tiger. His mission is to promote mindfulness and meditation training as a way to get in touch with our rich inner resources of wellness, healing and creativity, and to celebrate our quality of life as both individuals and community. Southern Gothic Redux Artist Talk: Severio Gallery; 834 Charters Street; 1 p.m. The show will be opening April 11th and an artist talk with artists Andrew Lamar Hopkins and Arthur Severio. Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Severio will take place on the 14th with discussions of Andrew’s current & past work and Arthur will talk about his photos of Tennessee Williams characters portrayed in modern times by gender fluid people. Piano Bar with Trey Ming; Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine Street; 4 - 7 p.m. Sing along with your favorite songs with Talented piano player Trey Ming. Music of Vanessa Carr Kennedy; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy songstress Vanessa as she sings some of the tops hits of yesterday and today. Divas R Us; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 10 - 11:30 p.m. This wonderful drag show directed by Monica

Sinclaire Kennedy includes a special guests stars. Johnny Passion Presents Elite Celebrity Entertainment: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 10 p.m. - midnightJoin show director and host, Johnny Passion for the debut of ELITE Celebrity Entertainment at GrandPre’s. Starring Pussy Hertz and Ava Gina with special guest star Solitaire (Bonita Folse). Showtime is 10pm with NO cover! CAT 5 Hurricane Saturdays: DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink specials are $5 Hurricanes all day and night and from 8 - 10 p.m. Doubles for the price of a Single on all alcohol. Sunday, April 15, 2018 Bottomless Sundays: The DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is $15 Bottomless Bloody Marys and Mimosas from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Bottomless Mimosas: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 1 - 4 p.m. Bottomless Mimosas are offered upstairs from 1 - 4 p.m. for $12. You Better Sing Karaoke; GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Good Friends Bar. Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Jubilee: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 5 p.m. This Sunday Funday show stars Reba Douglas and special guests. Zingo: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Play Bingo with hosts Opal Masters followed by the Barry BareAss Dancer of the Week Contest. Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 9:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean. Drink Drown and Drag: The Pub; 801 Bourbon Street; 6 - 9 p.m. Sunday Funday upstairs at The Parade. $15 Drink and Drown from 6 - 9 p.m. with a star studded drag show starting at 8 p.m. Monday, April 16, 2018 S.I.N. Night: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis Street; Starting at 9 p.m. Come drink with Ashlee. Get your SIN card and receive $2.50 canned beer Margarita Mondays: The DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is $3 margaritas all day and night. Make Up - Improv and Drag: The AllWays Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Avenue; 8:30 - 10:30 p.m. Using a special combination of gender deconstruction and audience suggestions, your favorite drag kings / queens / in-betweens serve you that HAUTE, HAWT comedy straight off the top of their wig caps. This monthly improv show features

drag numbers chosen by you. Make Up’s STACKED April ensemble includes: Annie Bacterial, Mz. Asa Metric, Fabigail Tchoupitoulas, Dolly Pardon?, Gayle King Kong, Laveau Contraire, Napoleon Complex, Precious Ephemera, Quinn Laroux and Tarah Cards. Tuesday, April 17 - Sunday, April 22, 2018 Rent - 20th Anniversary Tour, Saenger Theatre, 1111 Canal Street Tickets start at $30 and will be available at the Saenger Theatre Box Office, BroadwayInNewOrleans.com, all Ticketmaster outlets and by phone at (800) 982-2787. In 1996, an original rock musical by a little-known composer opened off-Broadway… and forever changed the landscape of American theatre. Two decades later, Jonathan Larson’s Rent continues to speak loudly and defiantly to audiences across generations and all over the world. And now, this Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning masterpiece returns to the stage in a vibrant 20th anniversary touring production. A re-imagining of Puccini’s La Bohème, Rent follows an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. Tuesday, April 17, 2018 Kocktail Karaoke: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine Street; 8 p.m. - midnight Join us at Good Friends Bar for Kocktail Karaoke with the winner gets a $25.00 bar tab. Country Dance lessons: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 8 p.m. Tuesdays are Country Dance lessons with dancing from 8 - 11 p.m. Bourbon Boylesque: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 8:00 p.m. See the men of Oz like you have never seen them before. The show stars Atomyc Adonis, Bobby B, Franky, Phathoms Deep and other special guests. Hosted by Trixie Minx. Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras: Buffa’s Bar and Restaurant; 1001 Esplanade Avenue; 8 p.m. Tacos, Tequila, and Tiaras is a one of New Orleans’ only family friendly drag shows! Join hostess Vanessa Carr Kennedy every Tuesday, have a taco or two, and learn a little bit about the art of drag. Twofer Tuesdays: Doubleplay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drinks special is two for one drinks until 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, 2018 NOAGE Membership Party and Elections: Drifter Hotel; 3522 Tulane Avenue; 6 - 7:30 p.m. Join the New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elder for their Membership Appreciation Party and Elections for the NOAGE Board of Directors. This is a great opportunity to become a NOAGE Member or renew your Membership, and also to meet the Board of Directors. Only paid NOAGE Continued on Page 19

18 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Continued from Page 18

Members are eligible to vote in the election. If your membership dues are not current, you can either pay online at www.noagenola.org/support or at the event. Membership is $25. Members are also eligible to run for a spot on the NOAGE Board of Directors. Refreshments will be provided, and each attendee will get one free drink ticket. WednesGays at LPK Uptown: Louisiana Pizza Kitchen; 615 South Carrollton Ave.; 5 p.m. Join us every Wednesday to celebrate diversity. See old friends or make some new ones and find out what’s happening in the Nola community. All this while enjoying 1/2 price drinks from the bar. Invite your friends. You Better Sing Karaoke; Lafitte’s in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Lafitte in Exile. Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 10:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean. Game Night: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 7 p.m. Wednesdays are Game night with Honey Bee at 7 p.m. with free jello shots and Bar Tabs. Half-Price Hump Days (Wednes-

days): Doubleplay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is all drinks are half price until 10 p.m. Thursday, April 19 - Wednesday, April 25, 2018 NOLA Navy Week All along the river there will be fun and festivities pertaining to NAVY week such as tall ship tours, rides, seminars and the blessing of the fleet. For more information, go to www.tallshipsnola2018.com/about/ nola-navy-week-2018/ Thursday, April 19, 2018 Honey Bee Trivia: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Thursday is Honey Bee Trivia at 7 p.m. Four rounds with jello shots to the winner of each round and a Bar Tab to top person/team of the night. Seasons of Love - A New Orleans Krewe Social: Four Seasons; 3229 N. Causeway; 7 - 10 p.m. Join hosts Becky Allen and Marshall Harris for Seasons of Love: A New Orleans Krewe Social. Krewes from across town are coming together to celebrate what makes us all special. There will be a complimentary buffet starting at 7:00pm, with a fabulous stage show to follow at 8:00pm. Appearances by Krewe of Stars, Krewe of Armeinius, Krewe of Narcissus, The Lords of Leather, Krewe of Petronius, and more! Other entertainment will be provided by some of our city’s finest entertainers.

HoneyBee Trivia

Girl | Crush: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 9 p.m. Girl | Crush is bringing you a weekly event for girls who like girls, and their friends! This flavor of CRUSH entitled DTF is exclusive to New Orleans’ #1 Dance Club, Oz and happens every Thursday night. The Jeff D Comedy Cabaret; Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 10 p.m. The Comedy Cabaret stars Jeff D. featuring Gia Giavanni. Enjoy hilarious comedians, amazing talent and the Ladies of Oz. Strip Off: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; midnight Persana Shoulders hosts the Strip Off every Thursday night. Sign up begins at 11 p.m. and the show features a spotlight performance by Miss Gay Louisiana America 2013 Mercedes Ellis Loreal. Winners receive 1st PLACE - $100 Cash • 2nd PLACE - $50 Bar tab Three-Dollar Thursdays: DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is $3 Fireball and Jagermeister shots all day and night. Friday, April 20, 2018 75th Anniversary Celebration of the New Orleans Opera: Mahalia Jackson Theatre; 1419 Basin Street; 8 p.m. 75 years of brilliant opera in one night with historic memories and legendary musical moments! International stars and Louisiana’s leading vocal talent come together to salute our rich past and to usher in the next 75 years of opera in New Orleans. Maestro Lyall will

Thursdays 7:00 PM

Happy Hour Daily

Free Jello Shots & Bar Tab

noon - 9:00 PM

Country Dancing Tuesdays 7:00 PM

lead the combined forces, including the 90-member New Orleans Opera Chorus and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, in rousing selections by Verdi, Mozart, Offenbach, Rossini, Puccini, Wagner, Bizet, Gershwin, a collection of Broadway favorites and more! Their SOIRÉE 75, starts at 6:30pm and tickets are $75. Join them for a cocktail reception with amazing appetizers from The Country Club New Orleans and Live Painting from artist Andrew Wilkie & special surprises! There is a lecture right after at 7 p.m. Tickets Available Here: https://neworleansopera.secure.force.com/ticket#details_ a0S46000000K06jEAC Music of Senator Ken: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy live music with Senator Ken playing all your favorites. Play Girlz: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 10 - 11:30 p.m. Drag show featuring Gia GiaVanni and special guests. New Meat Amateur Dance Contest: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Lisa Beaumann, anyone can enter - $100 cash prize. Long Island Fridays: DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is $5 Long Island Iced Teas all day and night. Saturday, April 21, 2018 Amon Ra’s Beer Bust and RoyalContinued on Page 20

Amon Ra Beer Bust & Royalty Party Sat. 04/21

2-4pm

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 19

Continued from Page 19

ty Party: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 2 - 4 p.m. Piano Bar with Trey Ming; Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine Street; 4 - 7 p.m. Sing along with your favorite songs with Talented piano player Trey Ming. Music of Vanessa Carr Kennedy; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy songstress Vanessa as she sings some of the tops hits of yesterday and today. Divas R Us; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 10 - 11:30 p.m. This wonderful drag show directed by Monica Sinclaire Kennedy includes a special guests stars. Gag Reflex: The AllWays Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Avenue; 11 p.m. Augmented with a core cast of some of the fiercest talents in the industry and turning duets in to group-ettes, this is surely going to be just as exciting as it was three years ago. Core Cast includes: Tarah Cards, Siren, Laveau Contraire, Fabigail Tchoupitoulas and NEON Burgundy. The theme is The News. Show starts at midnight. $10 Cover. GCPAH Beer Bust: The Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; 8 - 10 p.m. $5 ALL YOU CAN DRINK Beer Bust with $1 jello shots are the specials at the Gulf Coast Puppies Animals Handlers event. CAT 5 Hurricane Saturdays: DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The

drink specials are $5 Hurricanes all day and night and from 8 - 10 p.m. Doubles for the price of a Single on all alcohol. Sunday, April 22, 2018 New Orleans Tricentennial Dog Parade: NOLA City Bark; 30 Zachary Taylor Drive; 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Celebrate New Orleans’ 300th birthday with a four-legged parade. Come out and show your NOLA spirit with a morning dog walk around NOLA City Bark. This fun event will also include a costume contest for the best New Orleans-centric dog attire. Let’s celebrate with the “lucky dogs” that get to call New Orleans home. For tickets, go to https:// neworleans.boldtypetickets.com. Queens in the Garden: 1216 Jackson Avenue; 3 - 5 p.m. Come enjoy a showcase of the multiple talents and fashion of New Orleans’ finest drag queens. During a queen-themed fashion show, our performers will flaunt their elaborate costumes and regale their royal subjects. Best Attire Prizes for attendees (hats, heels, bowties, dresses, costumes, etc) and more! This event is rain or shine. No refunds: please consider your ticket cost a tax-deductible donation to the Brain Injury Association of Louisiana if you can’t attend. For tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com Bottomless Sundays: The DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is $15 Bottomless Bloody Marys and Mimosas from 11:00 a.m. to

ARE YOU BEACH READY FOR PENSACOLA MEMORIAL WEEKEND?

3630 COLISEUM ST. NOLA, 70115

3:00 p.m. Bottomless Mimosas: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 1 - 4 p.m. Bottomless Mimosas are offered upstairs from 1 - 4 p.m. for $12. You Better Sing Karaoke; GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Good Friends Bar. Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Jubilee: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 5 p.m. This Sunday Funday show stars Reba Douglas and special guests. Zingo: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Play Bingo with hosts Opal Masters followed by the Barry BareAss Dancer of the Week Contest. Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 9:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean. Drink Drown and Drag: The Pub; 801 Bourbon Street; 6 - 9 p.m. Sunday Funday upstairs at The Parade. $15 Drink and Drown from 6 - 9 p.m. with a star studded drag show starting at 8 p.m. Monday, April 23, 2018 New Orleans Cycle 7 Draguation: Allways Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Avenue; 7 p.m. New Orleans has been turning the New Orleans Drag scene upside down and inside out for four years and has completed 6 cycles. So many incredible performers have launched their Drag careers through this workshop. On April 23rd 2018, Cycle 7 takes the stage at the Allways Lounge for the first time. They will have been grinding away at this 10 week program led by everybody’s favorite Drag Grandma and Head Mister-ess of the NODW, Vinsantos. 10 performers have survived this round and they are HUNGRY and they are coming for your GIGS! Also, as usual, this event is not only one of the funnest things that happens all year, but it has NEVER NOT SOLD OUT! Tickets are General Admission. Most of the room is seated, so arrive early for that prime spot. Come help us continue to build diversity and creativity here in New Orleans through the power of DRAG!!! Doors for this event are at 7pm and the Ceremony starts at 8pm. For tickets, go to https:// cycle7draguation.brownpapertickets. com. S.I.N. Night: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis Street; Starting at 9 p.m Come drink with Ashlee. Get your SIN card and receive $2.50 canned beer or well drinks and $1.50 draft. Margarita Mondays: The DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is $3 margaritas all day and night.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018 Swing in the Oaks: New Orleans City Park; 1 Palm Drive; 6 - 9 p.m. Bring your blankets, chairs and picnic fare to this free annual concert on Goldring/Woldenberg Great Lawn presented by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and City Park. Music begins at 6 p.m. and admissions free. City Park will offer food and drinks for purchase. Please note: While the sounds of LPO can be heard throughout the park and there are no bad seats, plan to arrive early if you want a spot near the orchestra. This free event is popular! Free parking available throughout the park; Dreyfous and Victory are closed during this event. Just across Victory Drive in the New Orleans Botanical Garden, the annual Earth Day event is happening before Swing in the Oaks. Stop by this free event to learn about being green and for music and educational lectures then head to the Swing in the Oaks! Learn more here: http://neworleanscitypark.com/events/ earth-day. Kocktail Karaoke: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphione Street; 8 p.m. midnight Join us at Good Friends Bar for Kocktail Karaoke with the winner gets a $25.00 bar tab. Country Dance lessons: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 8 p.m. Tuesdays are Country Dance lessons with dancing from 8 - 11 p.m. Bourbon Boylesque: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 8:00 p.m. See the men of Oz like you have never seen them before. The show stars Atomyc Adonis, Bobby B, Franky, Phathoms Deep and other special guests. Hosted by Trixie Minx. Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras: Buffa’s Bar and Restaurant; 1001 Esplanade Avenue; 8 p.m. Tacos, Tequila, and Tiaras is a one of New Orleans’ only family friendly drag shows! Join hostess Vanessa Carr Kennedy every Tuesday, have a taco or two, and learn a little bit about the art of drag. Twofer Tuesdays: Doubleplay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drinks special is two for one drinks until 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, 2018 Trixie Mattell - Now With Moving Parts Tour: Civic Theatre; 610 O’Keefe Avenue; 8 p.m. Trixie Mattel from RuPaul’s Drag Race hits the stage with comedy, drag and performs songs from her new album. VIP Meet & Greet: 6:00pm Door time: 7:00pm Show time: 8:00pm ALL AGES Tickets are on-sale now at civicnola.com WednesGays at LPK Uptown: Louisiana Pizza Kitchen; 615 South Carrollton Ave.; 5 p.m. Join us every Wednesday to celebrate diversity. See old friends or make some new ones and find out what’s happening in the Nola community. All this while enjoying 1/2 price drinks from the bar. Invite your friends... Continued on Page 21

20 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Continued from Page 20

You Better Sing Karaoke; Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Lafitte in Exile. Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 10:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean. Game Night: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 7 p.m. Wednesdays are Game night with Honey Bee at 7 p.m. with free jello shots and Bar Tabs. Half-Price Hump Days (Wednesdays): Doubleplay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is all drinks are half price until 10 p.m. Thursday, April 26, 2018 Honey Bee Trivia: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Thursday is Honey Bee Trivia at 7 p.m. Four rounds with jello shots to the winner of each round and a Bar Tab to top person/team of the night. Girl | Crush: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 9 p.m. Girl | Crush is

bringing you a weekly event for girls who like girls, and their friends! This flavor of CRUSH entitled DTF is exclusive to New Orleans’ #1 Dance Club, Oz and happens every Thursday night. The Jeff D Comedy Cabaret; Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 10 p.m. The Comedy Cabaret stars Jeff D. featuring Gia Giavanni. Enjoy hilarious comedians, amazing talent and the Ladies of Oz. Strip Off: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; midnight Persana Shoulders hosts the Strip Off every Thursday night. Sign up begins at 11 p.m. and the show features a spotlight performance by Miss Gay Louisiana America 2013 Mercedes Ellis Loreal. Winners receive 1st PLACE - $100 Cash • 2nd PLACE - $50 Bar tab Three-Dollar Thursdays: DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is $3 Fireball and Jagermeister shots all day and night. Atomyc Wolf Present FamBOYant:Allways Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Avenue; 9 p.m. - midnight AtomycWolf brings a new Monthly show to the ALLways Lounge & Cabaret. flamBOYant brings the art of Boylesque to a new level, fully stripped. The flamBOYS will grace the stage with conceptual art and striptease that will stimulate all of

Upcoming at OZ New Orleans & Southern Decadence Announcement Tuesday, April 17th Join SDGM Perana Shoulders and Oz New Orleans for a fabulous benefit show to help raise funds for Tazeya Ballz, first alternate to Miss Gay Louisiana USofA, as she gets ready to compete for the national title at the Miss Gay USofA pageant. Show will start at 10:30 pm following Bourbon Boylesque. Tuesday, April 24th Join SDGM Perana Shoulders and Oz New Orleans as we celebrate and raise money for New Orleans Pride! Headlining this benefit show will be the current reigning Miss New Orleans Pride and Lady of Oz, Connie Hung. Show will start at 10:30 pm following Bourbon Boylesque Wednesday, May 2nd It’s time to crown a new queen at the Miss Gay New Orleans America 2018 pageant, “Lost In Space”. Who will represent the city of New Orleans at the Miss Gay Louisiana America? This year celebrates the reign of Miss Gay New Orleans America 2017, Lana O’Day and the current reigning Miss Gay Louisiana America, Arilyn Roberts. The pageant plans to bring former title holders, local entertainers, and quality contestants to the stage! Miss Gay New Orleans America is the oldest, longest, and most prestigious continuing city preliminary for the Miss

Gay Louisiana American state level. Hosted by Promoter and SDGM XLIII Persana Shoulders, the competition begins at 10 pm. If you are interested in competing or have any questions regarding the pageant, please contact Persana Shoulders (persana@ozneworleans.com). Tuesday, May 8th Join Oz for a fabulous benefit show to help raise funds for the current reigning Miss Gay Louisiana USofA, Britney DeLorean, as she gets ready to compete for the national title at the Miss Gay USofA pageant. Show will start at 10:30 pm following Bourbon Boylesque. Thursday, May 10th WHO WILL BE THE SOUTHERN DECADENCE GRAND MARSHALS FOR 2018? Come join Southern Decadence Grand Marshals XLIII - Persana Shoulders, Princess Stephaney, and Coca Mesa - as they announce their successors for Southern Decadence Grand Marshal this coming year. Fabulous food, cocktails, and entertainment to be had! Party begins at 7 pm with hors d’oeuvres in the upstairs bar followed by a fabulous show leading up to the announcement of the new Grand Marshals. Followed by the Oz Strip Off at midnight hosted by Persana Shoulders!

your mind and body. Come meet the flamBOYS, Phathoms Deep, Bobby B, Franky Conga, Danny Girl, Claymazing, Joy, and Atomyc Adonis on Thursday April 26th at 10pm for the premier of flamBOYant hosted by the non-binary wonder Atomyc Adonis with the Show All flamBOYS for the new revolution of BOYlesque here in New Orleans. $10 cover. Friday, April 27, 2018 Music of Senator Ken: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy live music with Senator Ken playing all your favorites. Play Girlz: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 10 - 11:30 p.m. Drag show featuring Gia GiaVanni and special guests. New Meat Amateur Dance Contest: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Lisa Beaumann, anyone can enter - $100 cash prize. Long Island Fridays: DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is $5 Long Island Iced Teas all day and night. Saturday, April 28, 2018 Music of Vanessa Carr Kennedy; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy songstress Vanessa as she sings some of the tops hits of yesterday and today. Divas R Us; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 10 - 11:30 p.m. This wonderful drag show directed by Monica Sinclaire Kennedy includes a special guests stars. Piano Bar with Trey Ming; Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine Street; 4 - 7 p.m. Sing along with your favorite songs with Talented piano player Trey Ming.

CAT 5 Hurricane Saturdays: DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink specials are $5 Hurricanes all day and night and from 8 - 10 p.m. Doubles for the price of a Single on all alcohol. Sunday, April 29, 2018 Bottomless Mimosa: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon Street; 1 - 4 p.m. Bottomless Mimosas are offered upstairs from 1 - 4 p.m. for $12. You Better Sing Karaoke; GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Join DJ Kory and DJ Derek as they play Karaoke at Good Friends Bar. Behind the bar slinging your drinks for you are Jeremy, Ryan, and Tim. Jubilee: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street; 5 p.m. This Sunday Funday show stars Reba Douglas and special guests. Zingo: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis Street; 6:30 p.m. Play Bingo with hosts Opal Masters followed by the Barry BareAss Dancer of the Week Contest. Oz Show Night: Oz; 800 Bourbon Street; 9:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Nicole Lynn Foxx, Lisa Beaumann, Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; Chichi Rodriguez and Dominique DeLorean. Drink Drown and Drag: The Pub; 801 Bourbon Street; 6 - 9 p.m. Sunday Funday upstairs at The Parade. $15 Drink and Drown from 6 - 9 p.m. with a star studded drag show starting at 8 p.m. Bottomless Sundays: The DoublePlay Bar; 439 Dauphine Street The drink special is $15 Bottomless Bloody Marys and Mimosas from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

If you want to make sure your upcoming event is listed, email the information to me at ledgemgp@gmail.com.

HEALTHY COOKING CLASS FOR COUPLES OR GROUPS!

Tupperware is growing in your area. Learn how to Save Time, Save Space and Cook without the waste.

Call 985-377-9162 for more information. www.my.tupperware.com/steverocha • tupcouple@gmail.com

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 21

LGBT Owned & Friendly Business Directory

bars

Job Opportunities Ambush Magazine is growing!

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We want to hear from you if you are a working or aspiring journalist interested in covering topics meaningful to the LGBTQ community.

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If you are interested, please email your resume, cover letter, and portfolio to info@ambushpublishing.com

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] 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 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 BIG EASY DAIQUIRIS, 216 Bourbon, 501 Bourbon, 409 Decatur, 617 Decatur 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 MAG’S 940, 940 Elysian Fields Ave., 948.1888 OZ NEW ORLEANS, 800 Bourbon, 593.9491, OzNewOrleans. COM THE PAGE, 542 N. Rampart St., 875.4976 PHOENIX/EAGLE, 941 Elysian Fields, 945.9264, www.phoenixbarnola.com Rawhide 2010, 740 Burgundy St., 525.8106, Rawhide2010.COM TROPICAL ISLE: Home of the Hand Grenade, 721 Bourbon St., 529.4109, TropicalIsle.COM VALIANT THEATRE AND LOUNGE, 6621 St. Claude Ave., Arabi, LA, 504.900.1743 Slidell, LA [985] BILLY’S, 2600 Hwy. 190 West, 847.1921 Biloxi, MS [228] CLUB VEAUX, 834 Howard Ave., 207.3271

bookstores

New Orleans, LA [504] FAB - Faubourg Marigny Art & Books, 600 Frenchmen St., 947.3700

circuit/events

Easter Sunday, April 11, 2018, 19th Official Gay Easter Parade, New Orleans, sponsored by Ambush, GayEasterParade.

com

costumes

New Orleans, LA [504] QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633

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

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. [0118] 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 “half-kitchen”, 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!

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-

22 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; email: ripna@ambushmag.com AMBUSHonLINE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049, ambushonline. com, email: ripna@ambushmag.com

organizations

FOOD FOR FRIENDS, 504.821.2601 ext. 254 FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE MARDI GRAS (FNBMG), 504.319.8261, www.fridaynightbeforemardigras.com GAY APPRECIATION AWARDS, 828A 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; HalloweenNewOrleans.COM 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 LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, 1308 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116, 504.475.7911, www.lgbtarchivesla.org MYSTIC KREWE OF LORDS OF

LEATHER, 1000 Bourbon St #B415, New Orleans, LA 70116, www.lordsofleather.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 NO/AIDS TASK FORCE, 2601 Tulane Ave., Suite 500, 70119; 504.821.2601; NOAIDSTaskForce.COM NEW ORLEANS PRIDE, info@neworleanspridefestival.com; 504.321.6006; NewOrleansPrideFestival.COM; NOLAPride. ORG; New Orleans Pride fully embraces the message of “One CommUNITY” as we celebrate our history and promote the future prosperity of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region. We use public awareness and education about the LGBT+ community as a way to combat “phobias” and discrimination. Our programs, seminars and events leading up to, and during Pride weekend, are meant to include individuals from all walks of life. 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 504.947.2121, stannanola.org

pharmacy

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.

sards.com Cafe Sbisa, 1011 Decatur St., 522.5565, www.cafesbisanola.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 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 Mona Lisa Restaurant, 1212 Royal St., 522.6746 Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro, 720 Orleans, 523.1930, www.OrleansGrapevine.com Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli, 1100 Bourbon St. , 529.1416, www.QuartermasterDeli.net Royal House Oyster Bar, 441 Royal St., 528.2601, www.RoyalHouseRestaurant.com

tor, 504.258.1800, SteveRichardsProperties.com New Orleans Relocation, Realtors — gay-owned boutique real estate agency for locals and newcomers. 504.273.0088 www.NOLArelo.com

New Orleans, LA [504] Engel & Völkers New Orleans, Michael Styles, Realtor — Michael specializes in helping first-time homebuyers and real estate investors find the perfect New Orleans properties. 504.777.1773, NolaStyles.com Latter & Blum, Steven Richards Real-

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

real estate

retail/shopping

New Orleans, LA [504] BOURBON PRIDE, 909 Bourbon, 566.1570 COK (Clothing or Kinkl), 941 Elysian Fields, 945.9264 MARY’S FRENCH QUARTER KITCHEN & BATH, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465 QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633 XXXSHOP, 1835 N. Rampart St., 504.232.3063

services

New Orleans, LA [504] Formal Connection, 299 Belle Terre Blvd. LaPlace, LA, 985.652.1195

theatres

New Orleans, LA [504] CAFE ISTANBUL, 2372 St. Claude Ave., #140, 504.974.0786, CafeIstanbulNOLA.COM

tours

photography

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://brous-

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www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 23

Party Down by Tony Leggio Email: ledgemgp@gmail.com

Love (and in some cases lust) was in the air for the last two weeks leading up to Easter. There were parties and weddings, plays and fundraisers and it all culminated with the Gay Easter Parade. I was so crazed with events I felt like Peter Cottontail half the time, so let’s strap on our bonnets and review some of the cool events. I unfortunately missed most of the events of the Tennessee Williams and Saints & Sinners Literary Festivals this year (which I especially love) because of other engagements, but I did manage to make it to see A Tennessee Williams Double Bill produced by Southern Rep at Loyola Theatre. The first one act play (which was my favorite) was directed by Ricky Graham. And Tell Sad Stories of the Death of Queens showcases barely contained desires and passions that erupt during a fateful Mardi Gras holiday. Candy, a successful drag queen, picks up a rough sailor and spoils him with money and attention. When he leaves suddenly, it’s up to the two queens who live upstairs to offer consolation. This was funny, poignant and sexy all wrapped into one fabulous act.The Two-Character Play, directed by Austin Pendleton, is about a brother-and-sister team of touring actors that are aban-

doned in an isolated theatre by their troupe to face an unknown audience. Williams’ fugue of a play brilliantly intertwines fantasy and reality as the two enact an illusion within an illusion and come to face the darkest truths about themselves. It was a great evening of theatre by one of the most celebrated playwrights. My first weekend was all about L’Amore, I attended an engagement party, a rehearsal party and a wedding. Love was definitely in the air. On Friday, I went to the engagement dinner party of New Orleans bon vivant and dear friend Cheryl Lemoine who is awesome. The dinner was held at Contessa Breaux’s manse on State Street. The Garden Party/Mad Hatter theme brought out the best chapeaus to celebrate Cheryl and Jim’s upcoming union. The saying “We are all mad here” from Alice in Wonderland fit with the festive decor and atmosphere of the night. It was a small gathering celebrating love and champagne (which was free flowing that night). The following evening I went to my friends Marvin Andrade and Dane Castille’s rehearsal party at NOSH in the Warehouse District. I remember when they started planning this wedding last year and the weekend has

At Cheryl Lemoine’s Engagement Party

finally arrived. The evening was about the families and friends of both these incredible men meeting each other and getting acquainted before the nuptials the next day. The liquor flowed and so did the funny stories. I met some great new friends and reconnected with old ones. Later that night, more love was shared at the Purple Party at the Double Play. Once again this popular Gay Easter Parade fundraiser was a huge success. There was great food, an incredible drag show and a live auction that brought in lots of money. The following day, I dolled myself up and was off to see my friends tie the knot. Dane and Marvin chose the gorgeous venue Marche for their ceremony and reception. Guests were greeted with champagne as they entered. Cocktails with a ceremony is fabulous, because we all know that everyone at the ceremony is just waiting to go to the party after. Their ceremony was lovely as their maid/men of honor walked up the aisle each leading one of their dachshunds. They wrote their own vows which was beautiful and caused many an eye to tear up. Once the ceremony was over, the party started with a DJ playing incredible hits keeping the dance floor filled the entire time. The food and beverages served were delicious and the stunning view of the Mississippi River made this a memorable afternoon. But this was not the end of the evening--a second line band led us to the corner of St. Ann and Bourbon and as guests left the venue, they received champagne in a go cup with a frozen champagne popsicle in it. Now that is how you end an event. Easter week was especially hectic this year beginning on Wednesday with a Bourbon Tasting Dinners I attended at NOSH. If you have not done one of the tasting dinners at this great eatery, you need to check it out. There was an absolutely delectable four course dinner with appetizers paired with a different bourbon. Guests received lessons on how to taste the bourbons and savor the flavor and see how they mix well with food. The prices are reasonable

and the food is amazing, so go to www. noshneworleans.com to see when the next dinner will be held. On Friday, I hosted the Bunnies in the Big Easy fundraiser for the Gay Easter Parade at Carl Mack’s Museum of Costume and Culture. This year marks my 9th year of the event and once again it was a wonderful night of entertainment, food, music, auctions and free flowing libations. The location was magical as guests got to try on costumes and see some iconic outfits worn by Big Freedia and Chris Owens as well as members of Zulu and many of the gay Carnival Krewes. On Saturday we hopped around the Marigny at the Marigny Bunny Hop Bar Crawl. Starting at Mags 940 and ending at the Phoenix, we stopped at eight locations each presenting a trophy for a best bonnet category. The weather was fabulous as we paraded from bar to bar. At the Phoenix, I sponsored the Life of the Hop award which goes to a person or a group who stay from start to finish and really gets into the event and spirit of the day. This year I was proud to award it to Ronnie White and David Forth who are always at the event having a great time. Easter Sunday is always a full day for me. I host my Easter brunch at my house that has bunny boy bartenders, good food that I actually cook and great friends. To me Easter is the ultimate Sunday Funday with lots of champagne, chocolate and laughter. My guests enjoyed the pre-parade gathering at my house before heading to the parade start at GrandPre’s. Ken Garndpre pulled out all the stops to make both the pre- and post-Easter Parade parties fabulous. This year’s ride was amazing; the longer route meant we got to see some many more areas of the Quarter and the crowds were the largest on record. I have never seen so many people. My friends and I had an incredible ride and then afterwards we partied in the Quarter ending with an impromptu pool party at Matt Dow’s house. Now that is how you celebrate Easter!

At the Purple Party at the Double Play

Armenius Night

24 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Snap Paparazzi: Out & About with Tony Leggio Photos by Tony Leggio At Nosh Bourbon Tasting

At Marvin and Dane’s Wedding

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 25

Trodding the Boards by Brian Sands Email: bsnola2@hotmail.com

The Stranger Disease at Madame John’s Legacy through April 22

Broadly speaking, immersive theater comes in four formats: (1) where you remain seated and the action swirls around you (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 ), (2) where the audience follows en masse as the action moves from one space to another (some of Cripple Creek’s and ArtSpot Productions’ shows come to mind), (3) where the audience can choose which character(s) to follow as the action occurs in various spaces (off-Broadway’s Sleep No More), and (4) where the audience interacts with the actors (Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding). I generally enjoy all these formats (not all people--or critics--do) so when I discovered that Goat in the Road Production’s The Stranger Disease was of the third variety, I had high expectations. Happily, this original, historically-inspired show did not disappoint. Presented along with The Louisiana State Museum and Friends of the Cabildo, The Stranger Disease

takes place in New Orleans on an afternoon in 1878 as a yellow fever epidemic threatens the city. Lead writers Chris Kaminstein and Kiyoko McCrae’s script interweaves the stories of seven people as they choose, or in some cases, have chosen for them, how to deal with this crisis. In a masterstroke of authenticity, The Stranger Disease occurs in Madame John’s Legacy, one of the oldest (1788) and most historic buildings in the French Quarter. Brothers Joe (Ian Hoch) and Louis (Keith Claverie) own the building. They rent the street level space to Eleanor (Jessica Lozano) where she creates and sells modish hats. The bon vivant Joe lives upstairs with his serious-minded African-American common-law wife Adeline (April Louise) who manages the property for the brothers. Joe would sooner plan to go to the opera than assist with Louis’ exit strategy as a citywide quarantine looms. Because some quarantines in the past had proven unwarranted (think of certain hurricane evacuations), the other characters, including Louis’ Irish

Ian Hoch and April Louise in The Stranger Disease those scenes they missed the first time. housekeeper (Shannon Flaherty), a Forced to adhere to Madame Cuban servant who dabbles in voodoo John’s layout, with only one staircase (Denise Frazier), and a hired hand (Khconnecting upstairs and the ground iry Armstead), must all make potentiallevel, occasional traffic jams do ocly life-changing decisions. Scenes take place in Madame cur. The opening scenes parcel out John’s courtyard, downstairs in Ela good deal of expository informaeanor’s hat shop and upstairs in sevtion and there is an occasional feel of eral rooms of John’s living quarters. something waiting to happen; at times I Audience members choose which wished for more dramatic action. characters to follow and can switch Yet The Stranger Disease proves their allegiance at any time. Because a major achievement for Goat in the the running time is a brisk 40 minutes Road, a company which is having a Kaminstein and McCrae, who also dibanner season following the remount rected, made the decision to run the of its haunting Foreign to Myself earperformance twice in quick succession lier this year. to allow viewers an opportunity to see Continued on Page 27

26 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Continued from Page 26

As Kaminstein and McCrae’s play, for which Flaherty and Owen Ever also served as writers, evolves, we witness the challenging complexities of race relations in post-Reconstruction-era New Orleans and the heart-breaking consequences of ignominious laws and social conventions. Whether you’re present for the gripping denouement involving most of the characters or observe the silent pain of one of them, there’s no escaping the emotional wallop the finale delivers. (Ironically, the night I saw the show, at just that moment, a buoyantly playing brass band passed by outside on Dumaine Street which caused a surreal disconnect. To their credit, all the actors remained resolutely in character.) As half the fun with these immersive entertainments is knowing you’re not seeing all the scenes and then comparing notes with fellow attendees afterwards, Stranger Disease might have benefitted had it been lengthened and embedded with more conflicts and, perhaps, more characters, and been done just one time through. With its well-written period locutions, however, various upstairs/downstairs intrigues, and mind-tickling moments which find comedy in tragedy, as well as its jigsaw puzzle-like construction, it’s pretty darn fine just the way it is. Aided by the detailed set and costume designs of, respectively, Ever and Hope Bennett, Kaminstein and McCrae’s direction effectively establishes the late 19th century atmosphere and brings out the power fear has over people in such an emergency. Hoch expertly balances a devilmay-care bravado with tender warmth for Adeline whom Louise invests with great reserves of stoic dignity. (Their story was inspired by Alecia P. Long’s nonfiction book The Great Southern Babylon.) Jessica Lozano touchingly captures the frustrations and all-consuming dread a businessperson has who may lose her customers. Claverie sputters with well-meaning ineffectiveness until he reveals an unwavering steeliness. As the maid tasked with reining in Joe, Flaherty nicely summons up a constipated uprighteousness. The Stranger Disease has been extended a week beyond its original closing date. If you love the tangle of history, if you love the mysteries of the French Quarter, if you love exciting theater, by all means see it.

Curtain Up

Southern Rep Theatre will be giving the regional premiere of Eclipsed at Loyola University’s Marquette Theatre from April 18 through May 6. Danai Gurira’s Tony Award-nominated

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, 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. The cast of Southern Rep’s production includes both American-born and African-born women. Valentina Imokhai, Idella Johnson, Sarah Nansubuga, LaSharron Purvis, and Lauren E. Turner make up the ensemble which will be directed by Malika Oyetimein. On a much lighter note, Jefferson Performing Arts Society presents Catch Me If You Can April 13-22 at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center (6400 Airline Dr.) in Metairie. Based on the hit film and the incredible true story, this musical comedy is about a precocious teenager, Frank Abignale, Jr., who runs away from home to begin a dream-chasing, fame’n’fortune-seeking adventure...without getting caught. Michelle Taylor directs a cast headed by Anthony Harvey, Jimmy Murphy, Butch Caire, and Christian Tarzetti. The score is by Marc Shaiman and Scott Whittman who previously had collaborated on Hairspray. Junebug Productions’ Gomela/ to return: Movement of Our Mother Tongue returns for two performances (April 20 & 21) at the Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp St.). Directed by Stephanie McKee-Anderson and developed by dancers Kesha McKey, Kai Knight, Jeremy Guyton and poet Sunni Patterson, Gomela/to return takes audiences on a journey through time and space. Making evident the connection between Africa, Haiti, and New Orleans, the show highlights the vibrant and percussive movements and stories passed down from generation to generation using ancient African dance and drumming as well as contemporary artistic expression, such as spoken word, hip-hop and jazz. In addition to these professional companies, April offers an excellent opportunity to check out some of the first-class work done by our local universities’ theater departments. From April 12 to 29, UNO will be having a mini-Ibsen festival. For her thesis project, Kristin Shoffner will be directing A Doll’s House and starring in Hedda Gabler in repertory. I’ve admired Shoffner’s work both as an actress (Lobby Hero) and director (The Aliens) so am looking forward to these classics that are too rarely seen here. Informed Consent by Deborah

Zoe Laufer, a New York Times Critic’s Pick (Charles Isherwood called it “a thoughtful and engrossing play”), will be done at Loyola’s Lower Depths Theatre April 13-21. In it, a geneticist hopes to do groundbreaking DNA research that could save both a Native American tribe in the Grand Canyon whose members are ravaged by diabetes, and her own four-year-old daughter. But at what cost? From April 18 through 22, Delgado Community College Theatre Department presents Doubt which examines innocence, guilt, and the collective morality of society. Michael Santos directs John Patrick Shanley’s Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play in which a nun tries to determine whether a priest at her school has molested a young boy. Don’t know too much about Clytemnestra, an “original adaptation” by Ellen Bull and Hannah Lax,” other than it will be directed by Jessica Podewell and will run April 24-29 in Tu-

lane’s Lupin Theater. But last year’s Dancing at Lughnasa, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and Voir Dire were all topnotch at Tulane. And musical theater afficionados should mark April 18-21 on their calenders as NOCCA’s Spring production will be Anyone Can Whistle by Arthur Laurents (book) and Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics), in what is believed to be its regional premiere directed by Michael McKelvey. Whistle’s story concerns a corrupt mayoress, an idealistic nurse, a man who may be a doctor, and various officials, patients and townspeople, all fighting to save a bankrupt town. It didn’t last long on Broadway, despite starring Angela Lansbury in her first stage musical role, but with such songs as There Won’t Be Trumpets, Everybody Says Don’t, and the title tune, you’d be crazier than Sweeney Todd to miss it!

Please send press releases and notices of your upcoming shows to Brian Sands at bsnola2@hotmail.com.

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 27

Snap Paparazzi: NOAGE Potluck Photos Courtesy of NOAGE

NOAGE New Orleans Advocates for LGBT Elders NOAGE is committed to ensuring that all LGBT older adults can live their best lives with the dignity, respect, and good health that they deserve.

LEARN MORE ONLINE www.noagenola.org

28 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Tricentennial Profiles in History: Homer Plessy by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

Homer Plessy

In the midst of the Civil War, Homer Plessy, a free man of color, was born in New Orleans on St. Patrick’s Day in 1863. Plessy grew up to be a shoemaker, a civil rights advocate, and an insurance salesman. At age twenty-five, he became the vice president of the Justice, Protective, Educational and Social Club to reform New Orleans’ public education system. In 1890, the Louisiana Legislature passed a series of laws segregating public facilities, one of which was the Separate Car Act. In 1892, a civil rights organization called the Citizens’ Com-

mittee decided to legally challenge the Separate Car Act and Homer Plessy agreed to help them. So Plessy purchased a ticket from the East Louisiana Railway Company to ride from New Orleans to Covington. He boarded the train at Press and Royal Streets and sat in the “Whites Only” section, thus violating the Separate Car Act. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have been a problem because Plessy, who was one-eighth black, could have easily passed as white. But this was a test case and the railway company had been notified in advance that Plessy was prepared to be arrested. The company readily

agreed to have Plessy arrested, hoping his case would be successful because of the expense required to maintain separate cars. Plessy was convicted and appealed his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which handed down its landmark decision, Plessy vs. Ferguson, in 1896. The decision ruled that segregation was perfectly legal as long as the facilities were “separate but equal.” This ruling allowed states to segregate all aspects of public life from trains (and later buses) to water fountains and public schools. Plessy vs. Ferguson was eventually overturned by Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954. Homer Plessy died in 1925 and is buried in St. Louis Cemetery #1. His descendants

Homer Plessy and the descendants of John Howard Ferguson, the judge who presided over the case, have formed the Plessy and Ferguson Foundation whose mission is to teach the history of the Plessy v. Ferguson case and why it is still relevant today.

Snap Paparazzi: MORE Gay Easter Parade Photos by Davis Walden

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 29

Snap Paparazzi: SIPPS Bar in Gulfport, MS

Ambush Magazine’s Gulf Coast Coming Out Party Photos by Davis Walden

SIPPS BAR GULFPORT Our beer is cold, patio is shaded, and pool tables and nightlife dance floor are waiting for your moves at Sipps bar Downtown Gulfport.

OPENING HOURS Everyday 5pm - TILL ADDRESS 2218 25th Ave, Gulfport, MS Phone: (228) 206-7717 Email: sipps25th@gmail.com 30 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

You Are Needed by Pastor Allie Rowland, Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans (MCCNO) Email: alisan.rowland42@gmail.com Website: www.mccneworleans.com Has anyone ever told you they needed you before? A family member? A lover? Maybe even a friend? When someone says those words it can evoke many different feelings; sometimes the elation of being loved, but also sometimes the fear of someone else’s expectations. At work, we like to be needed because we feel fulfilled, and we need that paycheck! But, it can feel overwhelming when we think about our responsibilities to our families, friends, and communities. Feeling needed can be both something we long for, and something we run from. Many of us who understand ourselves as on a spiritual journey acknowledge the equal and unique value of every human life. My recent exploration of the South African concept of “ubuntu” has caused me to reflect more deeply on the truth that as humans we need each other. In Archbiship Desmond Tutu’s An African Prayer Book, he wrote: “We say in our African idiom: “A person is a person through other persons.” A solitary human being is a contradiction in terms. A totally self-sufficient human being is ultimately subhuman. We are made for complementarity. I have gifts that you do not; and you have gifts that I do not. Voilà! So we need each other to become fully human. The concept that we need each other to become fully human emphasizes our unique and complementary gifts, but it also points out our responsibility to each other. And that is a re-

sponsibility which often can make us nervous. In my experience, those of us in the translesbigay community have often been told that we are not needed; not needed in the service of our country, not needed as parents, and not needed in churches and religious communities. We are sent the message through government policies and fundamentalist religious teachings that somehow we are “less than” or an “aberration” that needs to be fixed. For us, coming to understand our worth as the authentic people we are is often the first step in reclaiming joy and fulfillment in our lives; even when it comes at a cost. Since we began “coming out of the closet,” we have been asserting our right as “needed” and valued members of society and our nation. We are needed as the unique fabulous rainbow people that we are…and our abilities and talents are more varied than the stereotypes that are often perpetuated around us. Not all of gay men are incredible hair stylists and not all lesbians are good with power tools, although yes, some of us are! We don’t have to let anxiety or fear prevent us from claiming our unique roles; in our places of employment, our families, and our communities. We are needed because we have value to contribute in every area of our lives. When external voices try to shut us out, or try to diminish us, we can claim our truth. We know what we have to offer and we shouldn’t believe that we can only offer

it by living our lives in the secrecy of a closet, or by giving up romantic love and affection. There was a time in my life when I was timid. I always preferred to stay in the background and to be silent. If you had told me then that I would be willing to be an activist when needed… to stand up with the LGBTQ community during times when we have been attacked, I never would have believed you. But since that time I have come to understand my own value, and the value of my voice in a new way. I never stopped being afraid, but I learned to use my voice anyway. I had to face my fear and overcome it. I was able to do that because my love for this

community, for all of us as a rainbow people, became greater than my fear. My desire to help people in our community find hope and healing became greater than my fear. Eventually the love I felt became greater than all the obstacles in my way! I knocked down the walls of my closet! There may be times when I am quiet, but I will never be timid again! Do you know how you are needed to bring love and justice in your community and in our world? Have you overcome your doubts and are you embracing the unique way you are needed? May you be bold in how you love and in using your gifts to benefit humanity!

Commentary by Frank Perez In an apparent effort to demonstrate just how misogynistic, transphobic, and generally backward it is, the Louisiana Legislature has thus far in its regular session: • Rejected legislation meant to address pay disparities between men and women • Killed legislation that would have prohibited employers from forcing employees to waive their rights to pursue sexual harassment charges against the company in civil court • Rejected use of LGBT-friendly language in marriage laws • Killed a bill to ban transgender discrimination in schools • Rejected an effort to set a minimum wage in Louisiana, for the first time, that is higher than the federal rate • Required public schools in Louisiana to display the motto “In God We Trust”

This record is nothing new and reaffirms the fact that the Louisiana Legislature is a Good-Ol’-Boys Club owned and operated by business interests. The current legislature’s draconian stance also illustrates the need for more women, more trans people, more gays and lesbians, and more people of color to run for office. Of the 144 members of the legislature, there are only 21 women, 32 African Americans, 1 Latino, and no openly LGBT people. Until a more diverse crop of legislators is elected—a crop that is not controlled by the greed of business interests—working people, women, ethnic minorities, and LGBT folk will continue to suffer harm from policies that are rooted in the 19th Century. Justice and equality be damned. Because Jesus. Bless their backward little hearts.

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 31

Moments in Gay New Orleans History: Trans Advocacy by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

Trans Advocacy

Of all LGBT history, trans history is perhaps the most elusive. Until relatively recently, trans people were on hardly anyone’s radar and at a time when white gay males (the most privileged group in the queer alphabet soup) were routinely being arrested, trans visibility was light years away, trans advocacy unthinkable. That has begun to change. Louisiana Trans Advocates was founded in 2011 to strengthen and support trans and allied communities across the state through social support, education, empowerment and advocacy. The group, which works to advance the core human rights of self-determination and expression for all trans, gender non-conforming and gender variant people, currently maintains five monthly support groups across the state and connect trans people with vital health care resources.

Some of the group’s recent political successes include securing the deep South’s first trans-inclusive nondiscrimination executive order, which protects LGBTQ people from harassment and discrimination by state workers and in state employment. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would bring these protections to all LGBTQ workers in Louisiana, advanced out of committee and onto the Senate floor for the first time ever during the 2016 legislative session. Louisiana Trans Advocates now has a small fund (Donna Jean Loy Memorial Assistance Fund) to support at least one transgender person in each of the four regions of Louisiana with financial assistance to get their name changed. Robin Guillie has begun to compile a history of not only the organization but also local trans history in general. Louisiana Trans Advocates grew

out of a previous organization called the Gulf Gender Alliance, which was founded in the early 1990s. By 2000, the New Orleans chapter of the Gulf Gender Alliance was headed by Crystal Little, who penned the following letter to Ambush in 2000: “Thank you Rip for giving me a moment to say a few words. As most everyone knows by now, there is to be a boycott of the HRC dinner here in N.O. this year. Unless something happens to change the plans.” “This boycott is being called because of HRC’s non-inclusion of Bi-sexual and Transgender people in their mission statement and language.” “Being the leader of the local active tg support group (we do not presume to speak for all tg people in N.O.), I wish to take this time to state that the Gulf Gender Alliance will support and participate in this boycott. I also wish to take this time to thank all those in the Lesbian, Gay, Tg communities for their support and dedication to the rights and freedoms of all people. Not finding any need to draw lines.”

“May I take a second to say a bit about the GGA? The GGA is a local Tg support group that is open to any and all who perceive themselves as being tg. My feelings of all, includes those of our sisters and brothers that are the entertainers, and working girls. We host an open forum type meeting at the Lesbian Gay Community Center New Orleans every third Saturday of the month, at 5pm. To give everyone a chance to discuss current issues affecting all of us.” “Our (the GGA) current concern is hate crimes committed against any TG person. This forum will give us a chance to talk about this major problem.” “Thank you for your time and this space. Sincerely Yours, --Crystal Little, President: Gulf Gender Alliance N.O.” Almost twenty years later, discrimination and violence still plague the trans community. That makes the work of Louisiana Trans Advocates all the more important.

Book Review: Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation by Frank Perez Email: f.perez@sbcglobal.net

Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation. Robert W. Fieseler. Liveright Publishing, 2018. 342 pages. Largely ignored for decades, the Up Stairs Lounge tragedy has only recently emerged as a catalyzing event of the gay liberation movement. In revelatory detail, Robert W. Fieseler,

a journalist and author who lives in Boston with his husband, chronicles the tragic event that claimed the lives of thirty-one men and one woman on June 24, 1973, at a New Orleans bar, the largest mass murder of gays until the Pulse massacre in Orlando in 2016. Relying on unprecedented access to survivors and archives, Fieseler creates an indelible portrait of a closeted, blue-collar gay world that flourished before an arsonist ignited an inferno that destroyed an entire community. The aftermath was no less traumatic―families ashamed to claim loved ones, the Catholic Church refusing proper burial rights, the city impervious to the survivors’ needs―revealing a world of toxic prejudice that thrived well past Stonewall. Yet the impassioned activism that followed proved essential to the emergence of a fledgling gay movement. Tinderbox restores honor to a forgotten generation of civil-rights martyrs. Tinderbox is the third book to be published about the fire. Johnny Townsend’s Let the Faggots Burn (2011) was the first and laid the foundation for future researchers. Clayton Delery’s The Up Stairs Lounge Arson: Thirty-Two Deaths in a New Orleans Gay Bar, June 24, 1973 (2014) was named “Book of the Year” by the Lou-

isiana Endowment of the Humanities. A short documentary film called The UpStairs Lounge Fire was released in 2013. A full-length documentary film, Upstairs Inferno, was also released in 2015. Tinderbox is significant (and unique) in that it positions the narrative of the fire in a national context and views its aftermath through the prism of “the closet.” In addition, Tinderbox is replete with original research that uncovers heretofore hidden aspects of the Up Stairs Lounge story. Some of these suppressed issues include: • The true identity of Bill Larson and why it took eight years to bury him • What was Mayor Moon Landrieu doing during and after the Up Stairs Lounge fire • The protracted national effort in 1973 to raise awareness and funds for the USL, which were then quashed by local constituencies following the unmasking of Lucien Baril • The police spokesperson for the USL fire in 1973 was subsequently investigated for graft, defended by the mayor, and then permitted to keep an illicit payment

• What Archbishop Hannan had to say about the fire, and where he said it • New evidence of cameras outside St. Mark’s memorial church during the July 1, 1973 USL observance that redeems Troy Perry • An Up Stairs Lounge victim’s brother—who identified said victim in the morgue—had ties to a city agency that were suppressed, likely due to fear of a backlash against the family • Accusations of theft of monies from the USL by city emergency workers from a former federal officer and USL patron with knowledge of the fire These revelations not only testify to Fieseler’s gift for meticulous research, but also to the book’s true value—pushing the conversation about the tragedy to a deeper, more expansive level. Tinderbox honors both the victims of the fire and the previous researchers who started the conversation about a seminal moment in LGBT history. An essential and mesmerizing work of American civil rights history, Tinderbox is a must read.

An essential and mesmerizing work of American civil rights history, Tinderbox is a must read.

32 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Snap Paparazzi: Corner Pocket

Gay Easter Parade Fundraiser Photos by Davis Walden

ANDREW CHRISTIAN UNDERWEAR FASHION SHOW FUNDRAISER A fundraiser to benefit The Gay Easter Parade & Food For Friends Sponsored by Bourbon Pride & The Corner Pocket All underwear shown is available at Bourbon Pride at 909 Bourbon Street

THE CORNER POCKET Where the Boys are dancing nightly on the bar!

OPENING HOURS Everyday 9pm - TILL ADDRESS 940 St Louis Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 568-9829 www.cornerpocket.net www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 33

A Community within Communities: Atchalaya by The Very Rev. Bill Terry+ Email: fr.bill@stannanola.org “You need to get out more girl!” An anthem that is usually shouted out by friends and associates when we become down or exhausted. Recently I had reason to travel to Lake Charles on a day trip to visit a parishioner who was home bound and had not been back “home” for a while. In fact she is Mary Dodwell; The Dodwell House is named after her and her late husband The Rev. Bob Dodwell. Even as I write this piece, folks are setting up for the Dodwell House Extravaganza, a fundraiser to help restore the old place and turn it into a diverse community center. Mary Dodwell is much beloved by our community and so the trip was more than warranted. We missed her and I wanted to reach out. So...ROAD TRIP! Like many of you readers I live and work in the city. I am an urban priest in an inner city location. With that comes many blessings, like diversity and many challenges, like being surrounded by poverty and sometimes violence. Living in the city can take a toll with its hubbub and constant movement. The concentration of people, each with a story and each with a song, can, at times, become wearisome. But the en-

ergy is also food for the soul. Like all things it’s a mixed bag. I got into my car turned on NPR and hit the road. As usual the traffic outside of Baton Rouge got a bit congested, but not too bad. I don’t know about you but I like solitary road trips sometimes. It is like a retreat for me. The thrum of the highway, a radio show that is engaging, and my own thoughts to wander about as they will. Once you cross the Mississippi going west you enter a part of Louisiana that is celebrated for its music, food and culture but you don’t see too much of that on the highway. Yes, there is the sign for fresh boudin, perhaps a Cajun Village, and the various High School football fields that go by. The thrum continues and the mind wanders. On this trip I was feeling a bit tired and a bit distracted by the gun violence happening once again. On this trip, my mind wandered to speeches and sermons that may and should be made about gun control and about children dying in schools and on the streets. So I found myself preaching to no one in the car and laying out my deepest convictions on these issues. Perhaps

this was prompted by an interview of one of the fathers of a deceased Parkland student. He was pleading and angry and shouting how irreplaceable his child was. And indeed lives are irreplaceable. Take a moment and remember those who have died to violence or perhaps the AIDS epidemic and you will feel what this father was feeling. Loss that is deep and moving and a burden. It surfaces for all of us from time to time, those that have lost loved ones too soon. Tho “soon,” I will note, is a relative term. My daughter at age 19 killed herself with a gun. It was spontaneous and not planned out. It was a reaction to her bipolar depression and breaking up with a boyfriend that she loved. Many of us who are not bipolar can understand the emotions that go along with breaking up. She was sitting on a bed talking to him, he also about aged 19 or 20, and next to her was a loaded gun. She picked it up and said, “Well I guess we are over” and pulled the trigger. Darkness. I believe and trust in the idea of afterlife, and believe and trust in a God who is kind, gentle and generous so I believe that she is well and better cared for and in all ways healed now. I talk to her from time to time and it has been over 20 years since that fall day. So, I have an experience-based view of guns. A “smart gun” would have prevented her death. At least her death at that time and on that day. So, I have an interest in gun control. I also have an interest because we are “the murder board church” with names of victims of violence laid out for all the world to see. So, I have a perspective and a view. Perhaps you too have a view and perspective brought about by your own experience. For your sake, I hope not, but if you do I am here to say that you are not alone. With all of this weight and musings the thrum of the road kept up. Then BANG the road noise changed-a slight bump and I hit the Atchafalaya basin. There is a long causeway that transverses a part of that holy place. This was a few weeks ago and so it was early spring in Cajun country. I was amazed and moved. The trees, oh, those trees, they glistened in the noon day sun. The leaves so fresh and new and bright lime green or lighter NEW LIFE was all around me. I would glance down and see a fisherman and his boat with lines strung out hoping for just the right fish. The water appeared bright with light dancing off of ripples in the water. The water plants like hyacinthine were fresh and lining the banks. The water was high and so trees stood with their feet immersed in the dark waters that surrounded them. NEW BIRTH--the world seemed to come alive! I love travel-

ing over that causeway. I always have loved it because it reminds me why I love this state so much. Deep and old cypress trees, some dead but standing vigil, and some alive with new brightly colored leaves coming out. They are hung with new moss and there is a seductive quality to the grey moss that adorns these trees. The willows are springing into action to soon drape a canopy over the waters. In time I got to Lake Charles. I visited my friend Mary. We shared communion and prayer. She was doing well. It was a good thing to see her. A moment in time perhaps, but a reminder that relationships matter and that we “are precious in His sight.” I got a recommendation for some great boudin at a local grocery and having cooked it recently will tell you it was DELICIOUS and yet another gift and reminder of that road trip. The lady at the counter was confused because I looked like a Catholic priest but I talked about my wife. She was confused but delightfully so. My trip back was more in the sunset. The Atchafalaya more seductive than ever with her darkness and shadows and the moonlight dancing over the open waters framed by those old growth cypress. She was quieter now not as bright and lively but nonetheless she was alive. Perhaps taking an early Spring nap before waking up again tomorrow for the show. I got back home to the love of my life and my four doggies who I love almost as much. I had my fresh packages of smoked and mild boudin. I settled into my easy chair and life went on as usual. The day was a break from the hassles and drama of “urban ministry.” It was a time set aside to consider and experience all things under heaven and on earth. It was quiet time, and time to become a companion with nature. It was brief and it was a respite. Like life itself it was filled with joy and beauty. It was filled with tragedy and sadness. It was complicated yet simple. Thank you Atchafalaya for reminding me that there is more than darkness and that in your grandeur I know that there is God. That God has a place for me and all of the other me’s that preceded this body and this time and all of the you’s that live and have died and will live again. It is after all still Easter and a time of new life. Find a time to get away from “it all” and take a trip wheresoever you wish and set aside a bit of quiet time. Perhaps simply sitting on a levee and watching the majesty of the Mississippi or laying down in a grass field and smelling that fresh cut grass. Get out of the city for a moment. Know that you are part of it all, the whole cosmos, and that you are important in that theater of life.

34 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 10 – 23, 2018 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 35

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