Ambush Magazine Volume 37 Issue 09

THE OFFICIAL GAY MAGAZINE OF THE GULF SOUTHâ„¢

A Biweekly Publication Celebrating LGBTQ Life, Music & Culture Since 1982 VOLUME 37 ISSUE 09

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

www.AMBUSHMAG.com

Jazz Fest, Cinco de Mayo & Gay Easter Parade Highlights

s. d w o r C s g in r b n so a Se l a iv Fest , m e h t s ll a c n e K r o t a n se or, as

! e c n ie d u a e iv t p a c a Play Girlz

The Music of

Senator Ken Fridays 7:30–9:30pm

hosted by Gia GiaVanni

Fridays 10–11:30pm

The Music of the

Vanessa Carr Band

Saturdays 7:30–9:30pm

Divas R Us starring Monica Synclaire-Kennedy

Saturdays 10–11:30pm

The Half-Assed Straight Boys

of c i s u M The or Ken

Sundays 3–9pm

Senat 7:30p m

FR I day Best L GBTQ

Bar

Jubilee: Dragging for Jesus with Reba Douglas Sundays 5–7pm

Best Happy Hour

in the Quar ter!

s@

Golden

The Official Home of Southern Decadence.

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

THE “OFFICIAL” DISH

by TJ ACOSTA, PUBLISHER

Dear Ambush Nation, Thank you to everyone who made Easter weekend a huge success! We kicked off the weekend with the 10th Annual Bunnies in the Big Easy and finished with the largest Gay Easter Parade in the 20 year history of the event! Through sponsors and a series of fundraisers, the Gay Easter Parade is used as a vehcile to raise funds for Food For Friends. Thank you to all our sponsors who made this anniversary year one to remember! Also, I want to take a moment to remember the first Easter Grand Marshals, Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain. They were instrumental in the continued success of the Gay Easter Parade and we are honored to continue their work.

I want to thank the members of the Gay Easter Parade Advisory Board who give of their time, talents and money to make all these fundraising events a success. Members of the board include Tony Leggio, Electra City, Anthony Lala, Jr., Arthur Severio, Henry

Marshall and Darrin Duplissey. Each board member helps coordinate the fundraisers leading up to the Gay Easter Parade weekend. These events would not happen without all of their combined efforts and as a community, we thank them!

Congratulations one more time to Easter Grand Marshals Clint Taylor and Regina Adams and to Honorary Grand Marshall Jesse Hernandez. It was a pleasure having all three of you represent the LGBTQ community in the parade on Easter Sunday!

Finally, I’d like to thank all the members of the LGBTQ community who participated in the 20th Annual Official Gay Easter Parade or who attended one of several fundraisers. Each and every one of you in your own unique way are what makes this such a special series of events. The Gay Easter Parade is such a wonderful opportunity to showcase members of our community, their Easter fashions and their generosity. Thank you again for being

Inside this Issue of Ambush Community Announcements

6-7

Snap Paparazzi Bunnies in the Big Easy

8-9

THE ROCKFORD FILES: Fifty Shades of Gay – The Hanky Code

10

A Community within Communities: Resurrection

11

Musings by Catherine: On Faith and Resilience

12

Shane Tate Fires Up for Fire Island Bear Weekend

13

Snap Paparazzi Wigs & Wine

14

Snap Paparazzi Out & About with Pauly Cajun

15

Community Voice: Finding Your New Friends

16

Moments in Gay New Orleans History: Race and Gay Spaces: Remembering the Safari Lounge

17

Book Review: Now I’m Here

18

Health & Wellness: Let myStrength be Your Strength

19

Snap Paparazzi Gay Easter Parade

20-21

Trodding the Boards

22-23

Book of the Month: A Fall in Autumn

24

Bartender of the Month: Byron Anderson

24

Museum Spotlight: Gallier House

25

Snap Paparazzi Out & About with Bun

26

Snap Paparazzi Prophylactic Prom

27 28-29

Party Down New to New Orleans: A column highlighting “Only-in-New-Orleans” moments

New Orleans Hot Happenings

29

30-40

Financial & Business: Making a Smart Move in Retirement

40

Along the Gulf South Hot Happenings

41

LGBT Owned & Friendly Business Directory

42 46-47

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

an active member of our community!

PRIDE SEASON IS HERE As we move into May and June, be on the lookout for more information about many of the upcoming Pride Celebrations throughout the Gulf South.

There are currently active pride celebrations in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Biloxi, Mobile, Houston, Pensacola and Birmingham. Once again this year Ambush will have a float in the New Orleans Pride Parade. New Orleans Pride is June 7-9 so be on the lookout for more information in the upcoming issues of Ambush. For more information about New Orleans Pride you can go to NewOrleansPrideFestival.com GAY EASTER PARADE L”EGG”ACY AWARD Beginning last year at the Annual Bunnies in the Big Easy fundraiser, Ambush Magazine presented two individuals with a L”egg”acy award.

The award is presented to individuals who honor the legacy of Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain through their support of the Gay Easter Parade and Food for Friends, a division of The NO/AIDS Taskforce/CrescentCare.

The recipients of this years L”egg”acy awards were Tittie Toulouse and Tony Leggio, Easter Grand Marshals XI and X. Tittie Toulouse was a member of the Gay Easter Parade Advisory Board for 17 years from 2001 to 2017.

He helped coordinate fundraisers that raised tens of thousands of dollars in support of the parade and Food for Friends. Tony Leggio, also a member of the GEP Advisory Board, has a signature event “Bunnies in the Big Easy” that has become the kickoff event of Gay Easter weekend in New Orleans.

Bunnies celebrated its 10th anniversary this year and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the parade and Food for Friends.

The recipients of the award last year were Ellen Miller and James Garner. Ellen has been a longtime supporter of Food for Friends and James, the owner of the Golden Lantern Bar, has been a sponsor of the Gay Easter Parade for many years. Thank you to all our past award recipients for all they have done in support of the Gay Easter Parade and Food for Friends.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS The Southern Decadence Press Party will be held on Saturday, May 11th from 6 to 9 pm at Oz. Join this year’s Grand Marshals William Antill and Daryl Dunaway to learn all you need to know about Southern Deca-

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™

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR info@ambushpublishing.com CIRCULATION

Alabama - Mobile; Florida - Pensacola; Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metairie, New Orleans, Monroe, Alexandria; Mississippi - Bay St. Louis, Biloxi, Jackson; Texas - Houston

PUBLISHER TJ Acosta EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Reed Wendorf DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & EVENTS Chris Leonard SENIOR EDITOR Brian Sands CONTRIBUTORS Brian Sands, Catherine Roland, Crescent City Sports, Frank Perez, Jim Meadows, Kevin Assam, Persana Shoulders, Rev. Bill Terry, Rodney Thoulion, Ryan Rockford, Scot Billeaudeau & Tony Leggio LOCAL ADVERTISING sales@ambushpublishing.com Reed Wendorf NATIONAL ADVERTISING 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. ©1982-2019 AMBUSH PUBLISHING LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOTHING HEREIN MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER INCLUDING AD LAYOUTS, MAPS & PHOTOS.

4 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 5

dence 2019. They will unveil the official theme, colors, and poster for this year’s festivities. The proceeds from this event will benefit Southern Decadence.

A crawfish boil for Big Easy Animal Rescue (B.E.A.R.) will be held

on Sunday, May 19 from 12 noon until 4pm at GrandPre’s on Rampart Street. A $10 donation will get you crawfish and drink specials. BEAR is a non-profit volunteer group that works to assist, rescue, foster and provide medical care to neglected and abused

animals. For more information you can visit bigeasyanimalrescue.org Dining Out For Life will be held on Thursday, June 6 and will have over 40 restaurants participating again this year. Show your pride and dine out on June 6 to support the NO/AIDS Task

Force, a division of CrescentCare.

Each participating restaurant will donate a percentage of sales to NO/AIDS so grab your family and friends and dine out to support this worthy cause.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

37th Annual GLMA Conference to be Held in New Orleans The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association will host its annual conference on LGBT+ health in New Orleans September 11-14, 2019. The conference will take place at the Riverside Hilton.

GLMA’s Annual Conference is the premier, interdisciplinary LGBT+ health conference and the world’s largest scientific gathering devoted to LGBT+ health issues and concerns.

GLMA’s Annual Conference educates practitioners, policy advocates, educators, administrators, researchers

and students—from across the health professions—about the unique health needs of LGBT+ individuals and families. The conference is a forum for discussion and exploration of how best to address these needs as well as the needs of LGBT+ health professionals and health profession students. GLMA’s Annual Conference also reports on research into the health needs of LGBTQ people.

This year’s conference theme, “LGBTQ Health Across the Lifespan,” highlights the importance of under-

standing the ever-changing healthcare needs of LGBT+ people throughout their lives, from birth to end-of-life care.

The GLMA Annual Conference on LGBT+ Health will focus on comprehensive and team-based approaches to healthcare and research that optimize the mental and physical well-being of LGBT+ people from all age groups, while taking into consideration the intersection of sexual orientation, gender identity, and age with other identities.

GLMA’s Annual Conference draws

Gay New Orleans Takes Over the West End New Orleans own Bianca Del Rio will make her West End debut on May 6 when she opens in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at London’s Apollo Theatre. Del Rio will play the role of Loco Chanelle during the show’s run through June 29.

As anyone who hasn’t been under a rock knows, Del Rio has enjoyed international success since winning Season Six of Ru Paul’s Drag Race.

She has previously appeared in productions of Rent, Gypsy, and Cabaret, among others. More recently, she starred in the films Hurricane Bianca and From Russia With Hate while also appearing in Cypress Edge, The Sons of Tennessee Williams, and National Lampoon’s Dirty Movie. Del Rio, whose real name is Roy Haylock,

also has theater experience as a costume designer. Television appearances include MTV Mardi Gras, One Night Stand Up, Threesome, Bad Girls Club New Orleans, and She’s Living For This, as well as the penultimate episode of In Bed with Joan Rivers.

She has also been featured in several web series and music videos.

Also premiering in the British capital is The View Upstairs, Max Vernon’s 2017 musical about the Up Stairs Lounge arson. The show opens at the

over 400 participants from various health professions including physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, mental and behavioral health specialists and social workers, dentists, pharmacists, researchers, educators, health policy specialists, advocates, administrators, public health practitioners, health profession students and others interested in improving health for LGBT+ individuals.

SoHo Theatre in London on July 23.

In it, the main character, a designer named Wes played by actor Andy Mientus, plans to convert an abandoned building into a clothing store and, in the process, learns of the building’s grisly and significant history.

The 1973 tragedy has been the subject of three books, countless articles, one documentary film, and two musicals.

New Orleans to Participate in World Pride in New York This summer marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising and to celebrate, World Pride is coming to New York City. This is the first time World Pride has chosen a host city in the United States.

WorldPride is an event that promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues on an international level through parades, festivals and other cultural activities. The inaugural WorldPride was held in Rome in 2000. The host cities are selected by InterPride, an international association of pride coordinators, at its annual general meeting.

Pride events will span the entire month of June, culminating in the famous NYC Pride March on the last Sunday. Throughout the month, there will be 50 different events ranging from rallies to parties to lectures. Over four million people from around the world are expected to attend WorldPride.

New Orleans is excited to be a part of this celebration. New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) and partners are set to participate in

WorldPride in New York City, June 2230. NOTMC and local tourism leaders will showcase New Orleans as a top tourism destination, and build on the city’s designation as the world’s second “Most Welcoming City” for LGBTQ travelers (GayCities 2017 and 2018).

New Orleans will contribute the signature Natchez Mardi Gras Float to be included in the WorldPride March on Saturday, June 30. Kern Studios will decorate the float with pride colors, flags and other elements representative of the city’s unique LGBTQ culture.

Tourism leaders and partners will be fully immersed in the parade as both riders and walkers alongside the float, which is set to be the largest in the entire parade. Native New Orleanian actor Bryan Batt is set to ride on the New Orleans float.

“New Orleans strives to be a welcoming and inclusive destination for all travelers, not just for large events and attractions, but every day. WorldPride will allow us to showcase our great city on a national scale in a meaningful and authentic way,” said Mark Romig, Pres-

ident and CEO of NOTMC. “We are honored to be part of this historic moment for our community, and are eager to share with the world that New Orleans is an inclusive and welcoming city for everyone,” said Dustin Woehrmann, CEO and Creative Director of Communify.

The opening ceremony will take place on Wednesday, June 26, at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Whoopi Goldberg will host the benefit concert.

Cyndi Lauper, Ciara, and Todrick Hall will perform. Proceeds from the ticket sales to this historic event will support Ali Forney Center, Immigration Equality, and SAGE—three leading LGBT+ organizations based in New York City.

The closing ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 30, in Times Square after the annual parade. The evening will provide a full slate of influential speakers and global musical talents who represent the cultural diversity of the LGBT+ community, including Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge.

6 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

New Orleans Pride Announces 2019 Partnership with the Krewe of King Arthur The New Orleans Pride Organization is proud to partner with The Krewe of King Arthur for the 2019 New Orleans Pride Parade, slated for June 8, 2019. The parade rolls through the French Quarter at 7:30pm and will feature 24 Mardi Gras Style Floats and an array of walking groups and vehicles.

The Krewe of King Arthur is a 1600 member organization that parades on the Uptown New Orleans Route, and is tied for the 6th largest Mardi Gras Krewe in the City of New Orleans.

New Orleans Pride Parade Captain, Darryl Martin, says “The Krewe of King Arthur shares the same values as New Orleans Pride when it comes to Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-bullying. We are excited to be partnering with King Arthur again for the 2019 Pride Parade.”

The Krewe of King Arthur welcomes anyone to be a part of their organization and also has a philanthropic mission for volunteering and assisting in various local charities and causes including those focused on Anti-Bullying and Suicide Prevention.

The 9th Annual New Orleans Pride Parade, presented by Walgreens and

Access Health Louisiana, is the Largest LGBT+ Parade on the Gulf Coast.

The 2018 parade consisted of nearly 3,000 participants and more than 60 groups.

For more information on the New Orleans Pride Parade, or to volunteer with it, email parade@neworleanspridefestival.com The Krewe of King Arthur turns 43 for their 2020 parade, but also has a milestone year celebrating their 20th ride on the Uptown Parade Route.

In 2001, The Krewe made history by moving from their Westbank home to the New Orleans Uptown parade route to parade on the first Sunday of Mardi Gras. Since the move, the Krewe of King Arthur and associated float building operation has grown and prospered.

For more information on the Krewe of King Arthur, visit www.kreweofkingarthur.com.

LGBT+ LIBERATION STUDY GROUP Join us to read and discuss "Lavender and Red" by Leslie Feinberg Wednesdays at 6:30 until May 15, 2019 Artspace Bell Campus Community Room 2111 Dumaine St., 2nd floor We're learning about the history of our struggles against capitalism, racism, and the state! We'll study colonialism and its effects on LGBT+ people worldwide, movements like Stonewall and ACT UP, and socialist ways forward to smash patriarchy, white supremacy, homophobia, and transphobia.

Free transportation available!

Contact Dylan at dborne99@gmail.com RSVP that email for this week's readings

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 7

SNAP PAPARAZZI Bunnies in the Big Easy AT TONY LEGGIO’S 10TH ANNUAL BUNNIES IN THE BIG EASY GAY EASTER PARADE FUNDRAISER AT SHERATON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TJ BOUDREAUX

8 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Bunnies in the Big Easy AT TONY LEGGIO’S 10TH ANNUAL BUNNIES IN THE BIG EASY GAY EASTER PARADE FUNDRAISER AT SHERATON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY TJ BOUDREAUX

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 9

THE ROCKFORD FILES

Fifty Shades of Gay – The Hanky Code Ryan Rockford RyanRockfordNYC@gmail.com Fetishes fascinate me. Actually, it’s not the particular fetish that I find interesting, but more the journey of self-discovery that leads a person towards a particular fetish. For example, there is a fetish known as Tamakeri (Japanese translation: ball kicking) Yep, it’s just what it sounds like; the erotic pleasure of being kicked in the nuts. Uh… that’s a ‘hard pass’ for me, but I have questions.

How does a person with an erotic paraphilia (a condition characterized by abnormal sexual desires, typically involving extreme or dangerous activities) discover these desires? What was their “A-ha” moment? When does a man realize that he derives sexual stimulation and satisfaction from getting smashed in the balls? Was it a bad bounce on the playground? An unfortunate ricochet on the tennis court? And once a man discovers that hammering his nut-sack turns him on, how does he find others who share this very specific inclination towards CBT (cock and ball torture)? Inquiring minds want to know.

Fetishism today has become commonplace enough to be considered cocktail chatter. We’ve been spoiled by the internet, which has taken the mystery out of almost everything. In just a few keystrokes you can find any sort of group, club, or tribe that your dirtymind can conjure. Finding like-minded gays is easier now, but what about then – back in the day? We tend to forget that there was a time, not long ago, when discussing one’s homosexuality – much less one’s homosexual perversions, was strictly taboo. So how did our forefathers find their birds together with similar flocks of feathers?

One way was by using a little semiotic hanky-panky.

The clever and somewhat complex system of flagging that we’re most familiar with began in the subversive, underground leather and fetish communities of gay San Francisco. Men wanted a way to communicate their dirty little

secrets to one another, without having to say anything. So those queers did what queers do best; they took an outdated and forgotten concept and made it fabulous.

As a result, the practice of stuffing a colored bandana into the back pocket of your jeans became a way of not only identifying yourself to other queers, but also signaling to them whether you were in a dominant (left pocket), or passive (right pocket) mood -- as well as which direction your sexual interest was leaning.

Awareness, and the practice of flagging, didn’t really take off until the trend hit New York. When a writer for the Village Voice quipped that rather than using the existing system of hanging one’s keys on the left (dominant) or right side (submissive) to signal one’s preference, gay men should use a handkerchief instead, the concept of flagging reached gay communities nationwide.

While it was certainly popularized by the gay community, the idea of using a colored bandana as a coded language was hardly unique, or gay.

Origins of such unspoken signaling go back to the 1800’s and the hillbilly miners of the Gold Rush era. Legend has it that when Billy Bob and friends were looking to get their freak on at the Miner’s Ball, there weren’t enough female dance partners to go around for the do-si-do. With a ‘no miner left behind’ spirit, some men stepped up and volunteered to dance the female part, giving everyone the chance to strut their stuff. Those dancing the ‘male’/ lead part wore a red bandana around their neck and those dancing the ‘female’/follow part wore a blue one.

At the end of the day (and enough moonshine), a hole is a hole.

As with any secret language, the hanky code’s details and specifics are up for regional interpretation, but in its most basic form, it relies on the communal agreement of two things: (1)

The color of the hanky you choose to wear, and (2) on which side you wear it. Flagging to the left (wearing a handkerchief in the left pocket) signifies the dominant/top role, and flagging to the right (right pocket) signifies the more passive/bottom role.

For example: A light blue handkerchief worn in your left pocket signifies that you are looking to receive oral sex; wearing it in the right pocket signifies you are looking to give it. If oral sex isn’t you’re thing, not to worry, there are plenty of other colors in the hanky-code spectrum.

With that in mind, here is the basic color chart for all of us pervy flaggots: Black – Heavy S/M Red* – Fisting Yellow – Watersports (Pee, urine) Dark Blue – Anal sex Light Blue – (see above) Orange – Anything, anytime, anywhere Grey – Bondage Brown – Scat (poo) Purple – Piercing Kelly Green (the color of money) – Hustler Hunter Green – Daddy/Boy Black and White checkered – Safe sex *How influential had the hanky code become at the height of its popularity? Ask The Boss. Does anyone remember the original album cover of Bruce Springsteen’s BORN IN THE USA album having a red handkerchief hanging out of his right back pocket? I do. Now, that image has been scrubbed from existence and the hanky has been replaced with a red baseball cap. Believe it…. or Not. Replacing the original image was a wise move, from a PR perspective. Any inkling that The Boss might like getting a fist up his ass isn’t going to help sell records to his American, blue collar fan base.

As with any secret language, the system has its flaws. A person’s wants and desires are ever changing as is a person’s mood, curiosities, etc. But flagging was never intended to provide an in-depth psychoanalysis of a person’s sexual composition. Flagging was, and is, a simple way of communicating basic information; a soft introduction.

The self-labelling flags we choose to wear are temporary labels, intended to provide enough information, to determine the likelihood of an erotic match. The hanky is an ice-breaker and in no way should be considered a deal breaker. Within each color there exists a wide spectrum of possibilities and interests but matching hankies is a good way to begin navigating the details.. Flagging shouldn’t indicate a person’s reluctance to suggestion, or thirst for variety. Everything is always up for negotiation.

The Hanky Code is a bit of history that has managed to expand over the years, despite the advent of the inter-

net. New colors and fabrics have been adopted to accommodate the expanding range of fetishes being discovered, such as: aluminum foil/electrical stimulation; chain collar/slave role play; handy wipe/motor oil fetish; doily/public restroom scene; etc.

Today it is very common to see leather harnesses, arm-bands or most any type of fetish gear, trimmed with color derived from the Hanky Code.

If you were previously unaware of the Hanky Code and were wondering why men were following you to the bathroom every time you wore your yellow-trimmed harness, now you know.

You’re welcome.

Fortunately, in today’s society we can be much more comfortable about discussing who we are and what we prefer behind closed doors. And while we may not feel the need to wear a colored handkerchief to announce our personal tastes and preferences, we should acknowledge those who do. Or at the very least understand where this color-coded language came from and why it was created in the first place.

Whether or not flagging is for you is a personal decision, but before you brush it aside as an antiquated custom of an ancient past, consider this: There are many gay men today, especially Leathermen who proudly and publicly display their colored flags. For them, and many like them, these simple pieces of colored fabric can embody a much deeper message. They are worn as a badge of honor, a validation for an achievement or goal reached.

Their flags are an acknowledgement of intimacies shared and boundaries explored within the brotherhood. The simple flags represent earned honors on their journey in the search for finding their higher self. The journey to find and reach self-fulfillment is a noble quest; who are we to question how to get there.

The Hanky Code is an important part of gay history and worth mentioning, if for no other reason then to remind us of our tenacity in overcoming the struggles of our past. Signaling and communicating in code has always been an unfortunate necessity for the gay community. But it speaks to the resilience of who we are. Being homosexual is a natural phenomenon, and it’s one that we needn’t justify or be ashamed of. That’s an important message to put forth, especially now, as we prance our way closer to the 50th anniversary of the gay civil rights movement. The fight for equality is not over.

As America’s Next Fag Superstar, it is my duty to encourage you to be your very best and authentic self. So, stand up. Be proud of who you are. Do no harm, but take no shit.

Until next time…

10 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

A COMMUNITY WITHIN COMMUNITIES

Resurrection

The Very Rev. Bill Terry+ fr.bill@stannanola.org

Families can be very complicated matters. We often make them more complex than they need be, yet, they are what we are born into. We do not choose our families they choose us.

For some, this works out well; though no parent is perfect, we can have a whole childhood and adulthood.

For some this is unknown territory. For some a father or mother is not what we would imagine or hope for.

While our society is becoming more embracing of diversity in sexual identity, still, so many families are broken by simply saying “I am gay.” So many stories still surface and are never forgotten. So much brokenness is still around either as current reality or as historic legacies.

My Mother was an odd duck. Her father was abusive. She had two sisters and each was born a decade apart. They were not close. How my mother sorted out her family relationships I don’t know. I do know that she loved me and was the perfect, imperfect mother. I still think of her with affection. But, as I said, she was an odd duck. She could be as cold as an iceberg when it came to some interpersonal and intra-family relationships.

She did not care much for her sisters.

So we did not have that pseudo-southern family charm all dressed up in linen or Oxford cloth. She was what she was without apology. What I did learn from her was a bit about genetics.

Genes have not determined family for neither my mother nor myself.

Relationships do. Shared experience and emotional investment--unwavering emotional investment--create families.

Do not despair, my friend, for Paul reminds us “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

The “suffering of Christ” looks a bit odd indeed in this context. It is stepping out from the norm and embracing relationship over gene pools. Jesus loves the world, all of us, full stop and period. It was not qualified by gender nor by race nor by economic situation.

The only qualification was a generosity of spirit and the capacity to love abundantly. Those that would not love abundantly but rather loved vaingloriously, or loved themselves above others, or loved money and power instead of humanity and justice, are marginalized in the Dominion of Christ. So, here are stories of family that breaks the bonds of blood and moves to something greater and more powerful.

Story I: Douglas, Erik, Ali Mae &

Ella (the new face of family.)

A few years ago I ran into a man who was in Medical School. He had worked hard to get into Med School and his partner had been known as a party boy who had settled down. He managed a restaurant and I am always up for good restaurant connections.

Douglas is a gentle man who was honestly trying to make a difference in the world. Because of his past life he was pursuing a career in helping people with addictions. He and his partner, apparently, had been quite the cut-ups on the Bourbon Street scene but they were both trying to find, I suppose, a greater context for their lives together and indeed to express their mutual love in deeper and more powerful ways.

They married once it was finally legal. But their love for each other, it seemed to me, could not be contained or restrained. It needed a landing place beyond their own care for one another.

So, how do two men find an object(s) of affection beyond their own being?

Children!

Now this was a few years ago and marriage equality was still new. But they began the process of becoming Daddies. Risky business. They, I suspect, needed to love more abundantly.

In time they were blessed not with one but with two of the most beautiful children in the world. Alli Mae and Ella.

The thing is I have never seen better parents. There is no “blood” that surfaces here. Rather, it is love, abundantly and graciously given and returned by this new family of four. Love, real love, assumes a new way of being. Here is a simple example.

One of their daughters is of African-American descent. Erik, who is now a stay-at-home Daddy, one day asked Nicole Gottschalk, a black woman in our church, how to tend to his daughter’s hair. Now that seems simple enough. Yet, that is big. Why? Because his concern was not about his ego nor his own world perceptions or what people thought of him. Rather, his concern was for his daughter’s joy, happiness, and grooming. So many people would have been embarrassed to ask. Not Erik. I watch how he and Douglas tend to their children; it’s what one would hope for in the best of parenting, full of mutual love and affection.

They have bonds that will sustain them come what may. They are family.

I encourage any couple, particularly same sex, to look at a blog that Douglas writes. It’s called www.nolapapa.com. In it, you will find unabashed self disclosures of Erik’s life. It is powerful. Both Douglas and Erik came up rough. Some may call this “a non-tradi-

tional family”, but with love at their center, they now live in abundance. That abundance is family. Love triumphs!

Story II: Bill, Vicki, Tonya, Amanda, and Hutch (bloodlines) When I married Vicki, she had two children by a prior marriage. Two delightful little girls, Tonya and Amanda.

Eventually, we made one of our own union, Hutch. Some of you may know Hutch because he was a giant (6’7”) ginger tending bar at Mag’s for a time.

When Vicki and I married, as far as I was concerned, the girls were my children and I their parent. I did not, and to this day do not, understand the concept of “stepchildren.” In fact I hate that term. You are a parent and love them and care for them and go through all the trials and tribulations that parents do or you do not. In our case, Vicki empowered me to be a parent fully and completely. Too often that is not the case. Often a parent with a child from prior relations sets boundaries around that child. That is too bad. I know there are always challenges like the other parent etc. But, nonetheless, if we allow ourselves to be fully present to chil-

dren we will soon learn that we can be family. True family.

Vick was a “stepchild” to her “stepfather.” It was a case where Mom set those limits and StepDad bought in to it. David, the stepfather, made a baby with his wife, Vicki’s Mom, Marta. David made much of his “blood” child. In the meantime all little Vicki wanted was a Daddy. She never really got one. The first and only time I met StepDad David he tried to suck me into that thing.

He leaned over and said something to the effect of “well you have your son, that’s blood. I know that makes a difference.” I will never forget my immediate response. I was PISSED. I remember saying, “no they are my daughters and we are a family.” We are family. You see genetics, blood, played no part.

Relationship and love played their respective roles. So it is...we are family.

Not by adoption but by relationship.

Love triumphs!

Story III: Bigger than matrimony.

Years ago there was an “odd couple.” No not Felix and Oscar rather Alfred and Stuart. They would wander the gay bar scene and became known

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to many. Over the years, like so many stray cats, Alfred and Stuart would take young men in, often runaways. They would make them feel not only welcomed but indeed loved. Like our own solar system with its spinning planets and moons Stuart became the center of an expanding universe of folks.

Not just gay, though usually so, but engaged folks. Folks that were determined to bring peace and love and acceptance into the world.

Over time a pattern arouse within this planetary system. One designated night a week the “family” would gather

at a local bar. On another designated night the “family” would gather in a home and play dominos. In fact, Stuart now refers to this cohort as “the family.” Because it is. This group of independent and engaged folks began to build relationships. It is true that Stuart remains the center of that family. But that group is now emotionally interdependent. You see they, through familiarity and the presence of Stuart, have learned to love one another.

Here is an example. Susan is a great person. She lives by herself.

She worked with Unity to find hous-

MUSINGS BY CATHERINE

On Faith and Resilience Catherine Roland catherineroland12@gmail.com

By the time you are reading this column, Easter will have passed, and Passover will be at about the mid-point.

There are many explanations of both holidays, but loosely speaking as a lay person, Passover commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.

Easter is a festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calva-

ry c. 30 AD. Regardless of what you believe about either of these holidays, there is a similar theme of being free, either from a wrongful death, slavery or control. It strikes me that there are times for all of us where we have had the feeling we had little or no control over our lives, due to other humans, or as a result of death or fear of harm. In our current world, it seems there are many fears that can plague us, just as there are many gifts and innovative technologies/media that are available to sus-

ing and for a time was employed as a dog-washer for an Uptown Doggie Spa. She has come off and on again to St. Anna’s. She has no genetic family in NOLA that I am aware of. She is usually optimistic though her life has been a very hard one. She is a bit older.

Well, Stuart invited her to start attending “the gatherings.” Now Susan is a full member of the family and she beams. She is a modest person with modest needs but like us all she needs to be connected and she needs to be loved. The FAMILY does that for her.

This circle is, I suppose, a dozen

or more. This family continues to meet.

They share, they laugh, they talk.

When one of the members passes they hold celebrations of life and embrace each other. They are truly a family by any standard. Love triumphs!

So, know this, that you have the capacity to love and to be loved. That capacity should never be hindered by a gene pool or “blood.” Rather you can be defined by relationships that go beyond birthing. You have the capacity to love and be loved and to be a family of your own making. Love triumphs.

tain us in various ways. You might say that the trait of resilience is one that, although not likely named as an attribute so many centuries ago, is now a concept we value and work to emulate.

New Orleans and her people are perfect embodiments of the word ‘resilience’ when you think about it. Here’s a question - if there is resilience, isn’t there also faith?

This past week, there were several things that occurred in our world that speak to just that, resilience and faith.

The spectacular Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, burned. Notre Dame is a symbol of light, faith, history and holiness worldwide, and has been for centuries. Although only three people were injured and there was no loss of life, many of us watched the news on that day live, on line or TV, or saw the many replays of that horrible scene. Watching the spire fall was a bit too much like watching the Twin Towers crumble on 9/11, and brought a chilling familiarity to my native New Yorker heart.

The fire at Notre Dame was not a terrorist attack, and the few comparisons with 9/11 are more about the sense of powerlessness than anything else. Due to the media coverage, and the literally instant sharing of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire with the world, there was a collective sadness and disbelief for people all over, simultaneously. And almost at the same time, we observed the heartfelt offers and statements of assistance, and collection of funds for the reconstruction of the cathedral. In fact, in just one day over $400,000,000 was pledged. One day.

That speaks to resilience, and to faith.

New Orleans can be regarded as one of the most resilient cities in the United States. I wonder, aren’t we really speaking of the people who live here, who experienced Hurricane Katrina firsthand, who evacuated and then returned, undeterred in their quest to rebuild and recommit? I think the answer is yes, and that is reflective of not only resilience, but of faith. And courage.

And fortitude. And of course, hope.

If only we could embrace the general resilience and enormous faith on a personal level, so that regardless of personal pain, fear and hopelessness, there could also be an underpinning

of faith. Faith that we would survive trauma, pain or fear, and that we could reach out to others in our life who are struggling.

The ultimate wish, the epitome of care, would be self-care, self-esteem and faith. And whatever it takes to achieve your version of success, that requires deep resiliency. We have that, we all do, it is just a matter of having faith in yourself, and the certainty that the result of your efforts will be positive and life-giving.

Another example of faith and resilience from this week would be the saga of Tiger Woods. For many, Tiger Woods embodies the first and most famous golfer, from when he was the youngest golf phenom, to the over 40-yearold champion of this past weekend at Augusta. His trials and tribulations, that played like a sad soap opera, were known by so many Americans that he didn’t actually have an opportunity to make the necessary changes soon enough to seek forgiveness from his fans, his family or the press.

Considering the debilitating injuries and medical issues that have plagued Woods for several decades, and recalling the ‘win’ at Augusta National for his 5th Master’s title, we should be impressed and encouraged to go forward, even when we might want to isolate and just stop.

Millions watched Woods’ expertise, fortitude, and then his joy as the coveted green jacket was again put on his shoulders; we could hear him almost whisper, “It fits”. The camera and microphone caught that, and millions thought or spoke out loud, something as I did, “You bet it fits.” And shed tears because the resilience and faith that was obvious to all was then turned toward his children. It was truly an amazing inspirational image.

So whether it was the pronouncement of the French President to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral in 5 years, or Tiger Woods returning from the depths of multiple personal losses to his stunning victory at Augusta National, we recently observed the embodiment of resilience, of hope, and of faith. Let’s embrace that this season.

12 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

INTERVIEWS FROM KEY WEST

“Molly, You Are In Danger!”: Shane Tate Fires Up for Fire Island Bear Weekend Kevin Assam kevin-assam@hotmail.com Bears! Otters! Gay infighting?

Shane Tate is the event organizer for Key West and Fire Island Bear Weekend. The latter takes places June 6-9th.

As a veteran observer of NYC shenanigans, he is uniquely poised to comment on hairy and insane relationship and queer scenarios.

I’ve gained a few pounds on account of putting too many oblong objects down my trap. Now I don’t want to be seen nude at Fire Island this season. Will it look odd if I keep wearing t-shirts and blouses to the pool and beach?

Shane: [Laughs] That’s exactly what Fire Island Bear Weekend is about. Every event is meant to be body positive. You can wear a T-shirt if you wish or wear nothing at all. It’s up to you and whatever makes you feel comfortable. Every year people tell me that the event changed their life. You start off shy at the beginning and after a few drinks and some flirting you find you’re tits to the wind in your birthday suit.

My partner is transitioning from an otter to a bear and it is impacting the quality of our oral fun time. How can I combat this?

Shane: Becoming a bear is inevitable for a lot of us unless you spend all your free time in a gym. There is nothing wrong with that as long as you love yourself. If you provide love and support to each other, sex can still be amazing whether you’re 98 or 400 lbs.

It’s about trust and acceptance. It’s about loving the skin you are in. Despite the extra pounds, maybe switch up your positions to make things more comfortable for your bear.

I go to Provincetown every summer with my husband. It’s a serious exercise in financial hobnobbing.

We’ve taken a financial hit over the past year. He’s worried about being shunned by his highfalutin friends.

What should I tell him?

Shane: Going to bear events can be very expensive and I always suggest planning things out well in advance and shopping around for the best deals. If your friends judge you for your frugality, it’s time to get new friends.

I keep leaving intense fingernail marks and imprints all over my boy toy’s glorious body. I caught him crying after one session because I accidentally bruised him. Would his wearing a harness give me something safer to grab onto?

Shane: A harness can be very handy in those situations. Rope can also be a very creative and fun idea.

I’m a black man. My white LGBTQ friends roll their eyes and

disengage me when I support the addition of a new stripe to the pride flag to recognize black members of the community. Who’s in the right here?

Shane: The rainbow has room for all colors.

My partner is several decades my senior and well endowed — physically and financially. He’s a magnet for these parasitic money boys at events. He enjoys the attention but ignores me while he basks in the glory. I love him but I’m jealous.

Help!

Shane: Bye gurl, bye! [Laughs] Men in general have a need for attention and will often get caught up in these situations. If you truly love him, give him the space to indulge in his fantasies but if you feel he doesn’t have your best interests in mind, then it’s time to find someone who will put you first.

I’m in my twenties and find myself attracted to the maturity, stability, and salt and pepper dongs of middle-aged gents. The problem is they think all guys my age are young, dumb, and just full of cum.

How do I get through to them?

Shane: That’s a tough one. I’m 48 and find myself automatically prejudging men that are a decade or two younger than me. It’s because I knew how I was at that age and don’t trust that they will stick around.

Provincetown, Fire Island, and Key West. Where do I stand the best chance of finding love with a middle aged silver fox who handles his finances like he handles his Harley — sturdy?

Shane: I think you would have as good a chance at all three. I will say Fire Island has the most silver haired daddies that own homes on the island.

My otter boss grabbed me aggressively at work when he became angry. I know he probably harbors some sort of love for me based on his tendency to kiss me on the lips and go on dates prior to joining the firm. Should I say anything?

Shane: Molly, you are in danger!

That is not appropriate in a business or professional relationship. I’ve worked in nightlife for 30 years and I’ve never crossed that line. People I work with or hire for my events get treated professionally.

Is there more infighting among the LGBTQ community than ever before or do we all exist in the bliss of Queer Eye? Shane: Every community has its infighting and disagreements. However, as a community I would say we

Shane Tate

are pretty solid. It’s our solidarity that has gotten us to where we are today.

As a community we have had to deal with the AIDS crisis and discrimination.

We have been used as political pawns and constantly told we are immoral and not normal. Through all of this we have prevailed and stayed strong.

Kevin Assam is an average writer and hilarious interviewer originally from the Caribbean. He can be best described as a forty year old imaginative mind trapped in a pint sized twenty something year old body. His upcoming book is a collection of outrageous things overheard in Key West.

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COMMUNITY VOICE

Finding Your New Friends Jim Meadows Executive Director, NOAGE info@noagenola.org This is a subject I’ve covered here before, but it’s one that merits revisiting. We’re all looking for connection and friendship with other people, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. If you feel isolated, you are not alone. I regularly get calls from people who want to meet new friends, but they just don’t know where to start. I can definitely relate. Five years ago, before getting involved with NOAGE and some other community organizations, I felt pretty isolated too. Aside from occasionally going to bars and clubs, I didn’t really have much of a social life. If that changed for me, I know it can change for you. If you follow through on some of these suggestions, I promise that you will make more friends than you’d have ever thought possible.

Getting Started. First steps are always the toughest. Whether you’re someone who is very isolated, or someone who has gotten tired of hanging around the same little group of people all the time, it’s going to be difficult to step out of your comfort zone at first. If you haven’t been socializing much lately, going to an event or meeting with a room full of people is going to feel awkward at first. If you’ve only been socializing with a limited group of friends, branching out is going to take more effort than you’re probably used to. But you are not doing yourself any favors by limiting yourself, and the rewards of making new friends are sure to outweigh any initial feelings of hesitancy. So you have to ask yourself, what are you willing to do? If you are willing to take some chances, here are some ideas on how to meet new

friends: Join a Meet-up. Meetup.com is a website that has listings for dozens of groups in New Orleans. You can search by interest (e.g., book clubs, fitness groups, peer support groups, etc.) to find the meetup that’s right for you.

Here’s a sampling of some of the local groups listed on Meetup.com: Mentally Chill, Adventurous Introverts, ManTalk, Science Book Club, Men’s Body Image Support, Queer Feminist Book Club, and Yoga on the Bayou.

Take a Class. The New Orleans Lifelong Learning Cooperative (NOLLC) is a learning community offering cultural and educational enrichment through classes and discussion groups. Some of the current and upcoming classes they are offering include: New Orleans History Reading Group, Science and Technology, New Yorker Discussion Group, Philo Café, Cinema Circle, Women’s Discussion Group, and Introduction to Fiction Writing. To find out more about NOLLC, email lifelonglearningcoop@gmail. com. The New Orleans Jewish Community Center also has some great course offerings, including Portrait Drawing, Creative Painting, and Mahjong. For more information about these and other classes at the JCC, call (504) 897-0143. Another great local resource is the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC). They have a huge variety of different classes you can take. To name just a few: Ceramics, Painting and Design, Sewing, Line Dancing, Piano, and Senior Choir.

To learn more, visit nordc.org.

Get moving. One of the best de-

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cisions you could possibly make is to get physically fit. Research has conclusively shown that people who exercise live longer and healthier lives.

But it doesn’t have to be a slog, and you don’t have to do it alone. If you’re a complete beginner, my number one recommendation is to start walking with me and NOAGE folks on Mondays at Audubon Park. We meet in the oval parking area right off Magazine Street.

We start walking right at 6:15pm, so arrive a little earlier than that to get acquainted with us and maybe get in on a group photo. You can definitely go at your own pace with this group, and we tend to get into some great conversations while marveling at the beauty of the park. Every few weeks, the Stonewall Prancers (a running group) join us.

And speaking of Stonewall Sports, they are on fire lately, with some truly amazing fitness initiatives for LGBT folks of all ages and body types. They’ve got a kickball league, bowling, dodgeball, tennis, and even a trivia league (my personal favorite) if you’re not quite ready to start sweating just yet. NORDC (nordc.org) also has a good variety of exercise and fitness-related classes too, everything from yoga and Pilates to swimming and Zumba. If you’re already pretty fit but are tired of just showing up to the gym alone, check out CrossFit or Orangetheory. Friends of mine who are involved in both those groups swear by them, and they’ve made lots of new friends while getting into the best shape of their lives.

Volunteer. This is one of those things that we swear we’re going to start doing but just haven’t had time to get into yet. It’s time. I can tell you from personal experience that volunteering is probably the best way of all to find really good friends. In early 2015, I was between jobs. That’s a euphemism for: “I could not, for the life of me, find a job.” I was sick of spending my days

filling out applications online, and the cabin fever was awful. I realized that I was either going to have to finally start volunteering, or go insane. I’d worked with older adults for most of my career, and I wanted to get more involved with the LGBT community, so I just typed into Google: “LGBT Elders New Orleans.” As luck would have it, NOAGE had just launched that January. That Google search changed my entire life.

I went from being someone who was fairly isolated to someone who gets to meet amazing new people all the time.

Whenever someone tells me they are looking for work, my first question is: Where are you volunteering? If you really want to start meeting people with common interests, or you are having trouble finding work, visit handonneworleans.org and volunteermatch.org.

Either search by your area(s) of interest or browse through the listings. There are so many worthy organizations that could use your help, and I guarantee that you will meet more new friends than you ever could have imagined.

Get Involved with NOAGE If you’re looking to meet some great new people, you need to get with us. We have some of the best events in the community, and this month has probably been the busiest month for NOAGE events and services to date.

In addition to the weekly walking group, we’ve hosted a Coffee Talk on making friends, a film screening at the new Zeitgeist location in Arabi, and a Membership and Board Elections meeting at the Drifter Hotel. The Generations Forum is at 7:00pm on Tuesday, April 23, at Café Istanbul, so if you got this issue of Ambush early enough you may still be able to attend. Be sure to RSVP at generationsforum2019. eventbrite.com. On Sunday, April 28, 6:00-8:00pm, at the AllWays Lounge and Theater (2240 St. Claude Ave.) Misti Gaither (aka Johnny Passion) will be hosting “Flashback thru the Decades 3,” her annual fundraiser for NOAGE. The next NOAGE potluck will be at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church (1313 Esplanade Ave.) on Tuesday, April 30, at 7:30pm. The potlucks are probably our most popular recurring event, and they’re a great opportunity to meet new friends and have some great food.

I hope some of these suggestions will be helpful for you. We are very fortunate to live in a city like New Orleans, where there are so many great opportunities to meet new and interesting people. I hope I will get to meet you soon.

I’d love to hear from you. Do you have any ideas or suggestions for other services, events, or initiatives that you’d like NOAGE to provide for the community? You can always reach me at info@noagenola.org. I also urge you to consider making an investment in your future by supporting NOAGE. www.noagenola.org/support

16 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

MOMENTS IN GAY NEW ORLEANS HISTORY Race and Gay Spaces: Remembering the Safari Lounge—An Interview with Robert Fieseler Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com FP: Since the publication of Tinderbox, you and your husband have moved to New Orleans. What has actually living here been like for you?

RF: It’s been vastly different than just visiting here, even for extended bouts of adventure and misadventure during book research.

Setting down roots with my husband has meant realigning our lives with the pace, attitudes and flavors of this foreign land. At first, I would weep every morning on walks with my dog about how intricately beautiful everything could be. Flowers bloomed in November. I would also, occasionally, shudder at disparities others took as a matter of course. I’m not from the South, and this city can be shockingly upfront about class and race.

But then I began to see a fabric weaving it all together and, in a sense, protecting this place from skirmishes of the outside world, the America that begins when you stray a step too far from the Quarter. For the first time in a long time, our first thoughts when we woke weren’t some reaction to a President who stage-manages himself into thoughts and imaginations and nightmares. We both exhaled. We didn’t even realize we were exhausted, beaten down, becoming censored versions of ourselves. And then we really started creating. My husband Ryan began painting these amazingly queer and sexy self-portraits. And I began to write the story that scared me most to tell, which will come out this summer.

We felt that freedom to say “Fck ‘em all” and just do and be.

FP: You have recently done some research into the racial climate in 1970s and 1980s New Orleans. How did you get interested in that topic?

RF: Race, in general, is an underexplored avenue in the historical LGBT+ canon, and many forget that New Orleans gay bars were effectively segregated into the mid-1980s. In Tinderbox, I wrote a line about a black gay bar down the street from the Up Stairs Lounge called the Safari Lounge being the first to close in a fire code crackdown that followed the 1973 tragedy—the notoriously unsolved crime that claimed 32 lives. Something about the Safari Lounge’s closing stuck in my mind long past the book’s publication.

How could one fire lead to the disappearance of not just one but two gay bars on the same city street? Why did no one from the white gay community step up to defend the Safari Lounge when it became targeted?

These questions bothered me. It bothered me that I didn’t know, and it bothered me that I hadn’t fully asked in the book, largely because it would have raked up all the complexities of Southern racial politics at a time when my editor was encouraging me to cut half of the material from the original manuscript. (Ryan nicknamed the original draft of Tinderbox “Gay War and Peace” or “Gaylord of the Rings.”)

Honestly, I began to see some amount of privilege in my not attempting to find out more about the Safari Lounge. I am a gay white male who can accidentally “pass” because I hid in the closet into my early 20s, which means I tend to be taken as the “model sexual minority” at churches and barbeques— the least threatening queer person to white men with golf tans. And I realized that an author in my position, where I’m accidentally presumed to be straight all the time, had a responsibility to draw attention to unheard queer voices and unheard queer stories, if able, and I decided I was able. I had no excuse.

So I just started asking. And kept asking. It’s not like this isn’t a city where people won’t tell you if you want to know. You just have to want to know. No archival collections existed to provide obvious answers to my questions, per se, but a solid record of news reports did exist, which nipped at the periphery of this subject. I met figures vital to the local black gay story like Michael “Fish” Hickerson, Ken Williams and Rusty Downing. Discoveries accumulated until I had the equivalent of a companion chapter to Tinderbox that was ready to be published. I also want to be up front that I intend for an article on this topic to spark conversation about black gay history, but it’s no final word, not by any stretch.

There’s more than enough material for a history book on this, but I think my going alone any further on a project like this would constitute “appropriation” or some form of cultural theft. I do hope a queer writer of color from New Orleans takes this idea to contract with a publisher and wins the Pulitzer Prize.

FP: Tell me about the slang words “snow” and “dinge.”

RF: “Snow” and “dinge” were 1970s street-speak for white gay men and black gay men. “Snow” reflected antiquated notions of purity, a.k.a. Snow White, and “Dinge” commented on dirt and dinginess of skin tone. These terms, especially “dinge,” are now understood to be pejorative and offensive and justifiably so. You won’t hear them used in the bar scene,

and most queer youths aren’t even aware they once existed.

But these words were common in the 1970s, and especially in New Orleans, in an era and in a city that both stigmatized and eroticized interracial dating and gay men of color. A white man who sought primarily black male partners was known as a “dinge queen,” and a black man who sought mostly white male partners was known as a “snow queen.” You can find these terms scattered throughout early queer literature. For example, they’re in Andrew Holleran’s classic novel Dancer from the Dance. It was national queer lingo that took on a life of its own in the Creole South.

LGBT+ historians have swept these terms under the rug, in large part because most queer historians are gay white males who assume unexamined activist roles. They, the writers, often curate the past to inspire readers and end up presenting a singsong narrative of LGBT+ citizens joining hands and marching together for mutual rights after Stonewall. Most people, in fact,

forget the primary role of queer people of color in the Stonewall Rebellion. But I think the queer community is stronger and more effective when it takes a harder look at uneven advancement.

The poisonous legacy of “snow” and “dinge” must be acknowledged.

FP: Bars were segregated in the early 1970s by color as well as by sexual orientation. One of the few bars that catered to black men was the Safari Lounge. Can you tell us a bit about the Safari Lounge?

RF: In 1973, the Safari Lounge was something of a companion bar to the Up Stairs Lounge on Iberville Street in that both were second-story establishments for gay men, both required a walk up a nondescript staircase to reach safe harbor, both boasted celebrated drag shows, both were popular locales – written about in the international gay travel guide Bob Damron’s Address Book – and both were frequented by members of the closeted working class.

The major difference between the two bars was that the Safari Lounge

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served black gay men, and the Up Stairs Lounge served primarily white gay men, although a few black patrons did become regulars at the Up Stairs Lounge thanks to the open-minded personality of manager Buddy Rasmussen. At the time of the Up Stairs Lounge fire, the Safari Lounge had black ownership, a man named Hayes Littleton, and black management.

When you stepped off the staircase into the bar space of the Safari, according to Up Stairs Lounge survivor Regina Adams [Grand Marshal of this year’s Gay Easter Parade], you’d see a T-shaped stage where black drag queens you never saw elsewhere performed magnificently.

It should be noted that Safari Lounge existed at a time when the black gay community of New Orleans mostly hid its existence for protection.

The white gay community, also largely in hiding, didn’t suffer from racism along with homophobia. They found hideaways like the Safari Lounge to be so negligible, so separate from their daily concerns, that many patrons of, say, the Up Stairs Lounge down the street were not even aware that the Safari Lounge served gay patrons.

After the Up Stairs Lounge burned

to ashes on June 24, 1973, in the deadliest fire on record in New Orleans history, the Louisiana State Fire Marshal and the New Orleans Fire Prevention Division began a fire code crackdown on the French Quarter bar scene, citing at one point more than 1,000 violations. The first bar shuttered in that crusade, closed by June 28 of that week, was the Safari Lounge—the black gay bar steps away from the Up Stairs Lounge. In a very real sense, the Safari Lounge was the most vulnerable and obvious target for authorities if they wanted to “make an example” of someone or something.

The white straight and white gay communities seemed either apathetic or oblivious; The Times-Picayune reported the Safari Lounge’s closing in detail but failed to mention that it was a gay establishment. The Advocate, the most heralded queer publication in LGBT+ history, also noted the Safari Lounge’s closing in a story but misreported to readers that “the Safari is not gay.” The Safari was in fact gay, and it was now gone, wiped from the map as if it never existed.

FP: The Up Stairs Lounge was unique in that it allowed blacks and women. Did that fact affect the way

other bar owners and regulars viewed the Up Stairs Lounge?

RF: That’s a question I wish more people would raise. The Up Stairs Lounge nurtured a trailblazing community of patrons in its short existence of about three years, from Halloween 1970 to the summer of 1973.

Most people only think of its destruction, not the laughter or the love or all of the hurdles overcome.

Not only was the Up Stairs Lounge unique as a gay institution in that, after the fire, it elbowed its way into mainstream conversation at a moment when no mainstream publication wanted to cover homosexuality, but it also had been an interracial hangout that flouted racial codes by encouraging black and white gays to meet on a more equal playing field of friendship, erotic courtship and – at the white baby grand piano – song.

The Up Stairs Lounge set an example as a new kind of gay bar, and its vibe was catching on. When an interracial couple like Up Stairs Lounge victim Reggie Adams, who was black, and Regina Adams, who is white, went to Café Lafitte in Exile in May 1973, five or six weeks before the tragedy, Reggie became the first black man that Re-

gina ever saw drink in one of the city’s most famous gay institutions. Regina remembers a sign at Café Lafitte in Exile that read, “No blacks, No Fems, No Women.”

One wonders whether bar owners like Tommy Hopkins, who ran Lafitte’s, was made less sympathetic to the destruction of a competitor bar whose racial attitudes had affected his own.

Certainly, Hopkins discouraged talk of the fire and the recent deaths after the incident. Hopkins also, according to Troy Perry, resented the national gay activists holding press conferences in the week that followed the tragedy and blamed gay leaders for decreasing his bar crowd sizes. Sometimes in any community, those in power can’t see further than their own bank balances.

I think these should stand as open questions: To what extent was the dismissive reaction to the deadliest fire on record in New Orleans history shaped by the Up Stairs Lounge having a black gay victim and some black gay patrons? To what extent was the Safari Lounge’s subsequent closing a reflection of those same racial attitudes?

Who was least interested in the fire when it happened? Who didn’t want to know, and why?

BOOK REVIEW

Now I’m Here

Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com

Now I’m Here.

Jim Provenzano.

Beautiful Dreamer Press, 2018. 363 pages. $17.95 Lambda Literary Award winner Jim (Every Time I Think of You) Provenzano blends rural romance and the music of Queen in his sixth novel, Now I’m Here.

Set in the small fictional town of Serene, Ohio, in the 1970s and ’80s, the novel blends fiction with the author’s own upbringing in Ashland, Ohio, where he played a solo piano version of Queen’s hit song Bohemian Rhapsody, and later worked on a pumpkin farm in Ashland County.

In this romantic and literary novel, two boys from different families—Joshua, with his stable middle-class home in town, and David, raised by his alcoholic and abusive father on their isolated farm—discover, then lose, then find each other again.

Thirty years later, as the town’s history is slowly erased by fading

memories and encroaching suburbia, their childhood friend, Eric Gottlund, tells the tale of their quiet heroism with poignancy and a sharp eye for detail.

Fighting religious intolerance, “rehabilitation therapy,” the lure of fame, and the heartbreak of AIDS, the two boys grow into men before our eyes.

Through their love of each other and of rock’n’roll, Queen in particular, Joshua and David breathe life back into their home town, if only for a while.

This novel is especially poignant for those of us who came of age in the 1970s/’80s. The writing is honest and the characters are authentic, as are all the emotions associated with first love. Readers will come away feeling nostalgic for lost youth as well as grateful for the perspective that comes with age.

Jim Provenzano is also the author of Message of Love (a Lambda Literary Award Finalist), the novels PINS, Monkey Suits, Cyclizen, the stage adaptation of PINS, and the short story collection Forty Wild Crushes.

This novel is especially poignant for those of us who came of age in the 1970s/’80s.

18 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Let myStrength be Your Strength Chenier Reynolds-Montz Director of Outreach & Development for Access Health Louisiana CReynolds@accesshealthla.org The demands of work, relationships and bills can be a source of everyday stress for most people. It’s important to take time out for yourself.

Enjoy festival season in Louisiana. Get out there and spend time with friends enjoying the sights, sounds, great food and beautiful weather! Carving time out to take a run in the park or your dog for a walk is great, but it’s important to take time out for your mental health too. When life gets tough, let myStrength be your strength.

The myStrength app is a free digital behavioral health tool designed to improve and sustain your emotional health and well-being. It’s offered through a partnership between myStrength and Access Health Louisiana (AHL).

The app offers an outlet for people dealing with life challenges including: depression, anxiety, stress, substance abuse, chronic pain and insomnia, just to name a few. Creators of the app playfully compare it to a health club for your mind.

“I’ve had patients tell me that they’ve been looking for something they can use when they’re at work that can help them to calm down,” says Vanice Zenon, a licensed clinical social worker. Zenon is the Clinical Supervisor for Access Health Louisiana’s Behavioral Health Department. She oversees Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) and Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) at AHL’s 29 locations in 11 parishes.

Digital programs like myStrength can complement regular therapy sessions. In fact, in clinical trials, patients saw a 74-percent improvement in their depression scores after using myStrength. It also offers people added support that is affordable (free), accessible and devoid of the often negative stigma of behavioral health. “It’s ideal to use the app while seeing a therapist to help patients manage their life challenges outside of their regular clinic appointments,” says Zenon, “but they don’t need to be a patient to benefit from all the app has to offer.” myStrength is beneficial for everyone regardless of whether a person is enrolled in regular therapy. “You can still have access to tools that can be help-

ful in sustaining emotional health as well as resources that can be useful to help challenging life situations.” myStrength adjusts with every interaction, capturing your personal preferences and goals, as well as your current emotional and motivational states. So far, feedback has been positive from users. Zenon says, “I’ve had patients tell me that the meditation videos have helped to inspire them to get through the week.”

You will find hundreds of wellness resources, self-help tools, online health trackers, personalized activities, uplifting daily quotes and more. The free digital app is available 24 hours a day seven days a week. You can access myStrength from your desktop computer, tablet or mobile device.

You don’t have to be a patient of Access Health Louisiana to use myStrength.

To give it a try, visit myStrength. com, click on “Create a new account” and enter the access code: AHLcommunity. You can also download the app in the Google play store.

Zenon says, “from resiliency to well-being, myStrength’s digital behavioral health app can empower individuals and engage them in useful clinically-proven resources.” Studies show that when a person is in a good mental state, they improve their overall quality of life and the people around them benefit too. The myStrength app continues Access Health Louisiana’s mission to improve the health of the communities they serve.

Chenier Reynolds-Montz is Director of Outreach & Development for Access Health Louisiana, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. She can be reached at creynolds@accesshealthla.org.

Zenon says, “from resiliency to well-being, myStrength’s digital behavioral health app can empower individuals and engage them in useful clinically-proven resources.”

Social Worker Vanice Zenon demonstrates how easy it is to use the myStrength app.

Chenier Reynolds-Montz is Director of Outreach & Development for Access Health Louisiana. She can be reached at creynolds@accesshealthla. org. Access Health Louisiana is a registered 501©3 non-profit organization.

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 19

SNAP PAPARAZZI Gay Easter Parade PHOTOS FROM THE 20TH ANNUAL GAY EASTER PARADE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICKY TAILLON, AMBUSH MAGAZINE

20 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Gay Easter Parade PHOTOS FROM THE 20TH ANNUAL GAY EASTER PARADE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICKY TAILLON, AMBUSH MAGAZINE

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 21

Trodding the Boards Brian Sands bsnola2@hotmail.com

The Blind at Marigny Opera House/Rigoletto at Mahalia Jackson Theater, April 26-28

New Orleans Opera (NOO) recently presented Lera Auerbach’s The Blind, an a capella opera for 12 voices based on a 1890 play by Nobel Prize winner Maurice Maeterlinck whose Pelléas and Mélisande inspired Debussy’s opera.

Unlike the three hour Pelléas and Mélisande, The Blind ran a mere 45 minutes.

Unlike Pelléas and Mélisande, being an a capella opera, there was no orchestra for The Blind, merely an electronic overture.

And while Pelléas and Mélisande may be visually static, The Blind, as befits its sightless characters, was performed in near-total darkness.

Auerbach’s one-act opera takes place in a forest where a group of blind people are waiting for the return of their priest who guided them there to feel the last rays of the sun before winter.

As they wait, they become increasingly desperate and, according to the synopsis in the program, “realize they are lost and hopelessly unable to do any-

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To learn more, visit www.noagenola.org, or call (504)517-2345.

thing except wait for the priest to save them.”

Eventually, they discover the body of the priest who has died and fear that they too are doomed. As they begin to pray, they hear steps around them.

The opera ends before we discover the cause of those steps, whether a person or Death itself. Hey, Maeterlinck was not known as a Symbolist for nothing.

Auerbach, who conducted and did the libretto as well, creates an unusual aural landscape from the start, one filled with a sense of angst. One might almost think The Blind was an operatic version of a Twilight Zone episode.

As these nameless characters confront their unknown fate, the composer builds, through vocal lines alone, to a palpably desperate conclusion. The Blind is certainly effective for what it is, and remains true to Maeterlinck, the music adding another layer to his tale.

Yet, given how brief The Blind is, this is a rare opera that could actually have benefitted from being somewhat longer; the crisis came too quickly preventing the drama from building fully.

Had Auerbach taken a few more liberties with the original play, her opera might have been even more engrossing than it already is.

Watching Director Brenna Corner’s simply but potently staged, behind a moire scrim, production, I couldn’t help but wonder how disability rights activists would feel about this work as its blind characters seemed to have no agency of their own, entirely relying on their (sighted) priest to guide them.

In a Q&A after the performance, however, Auerbach said that her opera was “meant to be symbolic” and that the original play is “about humanity, how we are blind to the environment around us.”

In addition, a (blind) representative from Lighthouse Louisiana (formerly “Lighthouse for the Blind”) who also participated in the talkback, said “If [the opera] was just about blind people, I can guarantee we’d’ve gotten out of the woods.” Fair enough. But still...

In any case, soloists Kameron Lopreore, Haley Whitney, H. Aaron Ambeau and Zara Zemmels, each with a beautiful voice, along with a chorus of 12, under Carol Rausch’s always superb direction, sang with the requisite passion that is vital for bringing The Blind to compelling life.

More traditional operagoers should enjoy NOO’s next production of Verdi’s Rigoletto playing April 26 and 28 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Those of us who appreciate works beyond the standard operatic canon, however, owe a debt of gratitude to Artistic Direc-

Jeremy Jordan tor Robert Lyall for bringing The Blind to New Orleans, as NOO is only the second company in the United States to produce it. Bravo!

Jeremy Jordan/Broadway@NOCCA

For this season’s final Broadway@ NOCCA, Jeremy Jordan, Tony nominee and star of TV’s Smash, came to town and, despite being sniffly, delivered an endearingly marvelous show.

From the opener Everything’s Coming Up Roses, rewritten for NOLA with funny new lyrics, to the encore from The Last Five Years, Jordan proved to be both cheeky and completely down-to-earth. And very cute.

With host Seth Rudetsky guiding him, we learned that Jordan is from Corpus Christi, went to Ithaca College, and got his first job catering at the US Open tennis match. Also, that he’s technically Jewish but never got bar mitzvahed.

Jordan, with his somewhat goofy presence, told of his Mom seeing him nude onstage (in The Little Dog Laughed) and then getting appendicitis (Jeremy, not his Mom). With that, he had the audience in the metaphorical palm of his hand...until he mispronounced “New Orleans” and they quickly turned on him.

He just as quickly got them back with a dewy rendition of West Side Story’s Something’s Coming and an

account of standing up to WSS librettist/director Arthur Laurents and then, overcoming his cold/sinus thingy, a simple and beautiful rendering of Bring Him Home from Les Misérables.

Now, one could complain that the songs that followed, from Smash and Waitress and the disastrous musical Bonnie and Clyde that Jordan starred in, though winningly done, were not quite on the same level as those from WSS and Les Miz. Or that even the slightly naughty and ever-so-smart Rudetsky could not mine more juicy stories out of his guest. But that would be churlish and I refuse to do so.

(I do wish Rudetsky had had Jordan talk about his recent experience on Broadway opposite Kerry Washington in American Son, but as Jordan explained from the stage, since it wasn’t a musical “Seth wasn’t interested in it.”)

A gorgeous medley of Charlie Chaplin’s Smile and I’ll Be Seeing You showed off a lovely, tender side of the adorable Jordan, whose 100 minutes in the Marigny concluded Broadway@ NOCCA’s seventh season on a very high note. On to Season 8!

New in New York

If you are in New York before July 7, do not miss Glenda Jackson in King Lear at the Cort Theatre. Just to be clear, you can miss King Lear; Director Sam Gold’s production never rises

22 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

above standard issue Shakespeare even with some bells and whistles thrown in.

Jackson as the titular monarch, however, is incredible and awesome and amazing. Even more so when you consider that she’s 82. Every line she utters reveals new dimensions of the Bard’s words. From her lips, “Oh, reason not the need” becomes a piercing cry of existential anguish. Do what I did--get a $35 ticket for the center section of the last row of the second balcony. They have boosters you can put on your seat so you can see everything and you’ll certainly get your money’s worth.

He may not be a King but Giovanni Gerolamo Grumelli is one hot Cavaliere--dressed in pink no less! He and other fabulous paintings by Giovanni Battista Moroni can be found at the Frick Collection (1 E. 70 St., through June 2) in “Moroni: The Riches of Renaissance Portraiture,” the first American exhibit dedicated to this 16th century Northern Italian artist.

Fans of sumptuous outfits and jewelry will not want to miss this show where each work’s detail is mind-boggling. In fact, Moroni, a forerunner of Rembrandt, was criticized for being too lifelike. Be that as it may, 450 years later one could easily imagine the handsome Grumelli, an Italian nobleman and one of the richest & most powerful men of his time, walking right out of his nearly life-sized portrait...and swaggering into a job as a danseur at the Corner Pocket.

Prefer your art more abstract?

Then head over to the Museum of Modern Art (11 W. 53 St.) for a terrific exhibition of sculptures by the Romanian artist Constantin Brâncusi (1876– 1957).

Brâncusi briefly assisted Rodin and then exhibited alongside Picasso and Matisse at the 1913 NYC Armory Show. He carved his works directly from wood or stone, or cast them in bronze, and examples of each material can be seen. From the streamlined Bird in Space (1928) to the sensuousness of the bust of Mlle. Pogany (1913), a bronze with a black patina that evokes her hair, this show (through June 15), which also includes drawings, photographs, and films by Brâncusi, offers a great introduction to, or reacquaintance with, a 20th century master.

Call him “Master”. Call him “Daddy”. Call him “The King of Queer Sleaze”. Call Daniel Nardicio what you will, but call him or, better yet, sign up for his Dworld email list (http://danielnardicio.com and enjoy touring through the site as you do) so you’ll know about all his fab events in NYC and Fire Island as well as NOLA. While I was in NYC in March, I attended two quite different Dpresentations.

On a Tuesday night at Club Cumming (505 E. 6 St.), which Nardicio co-

owns with actor/singer Alan Cumming, I delighted in The Hot Sardines, an American jazz band that would be right at home in the Quarter or on Frenchman Street.

Led by singer Elizabeth Bougerol, the Sardines served up a jam session of new and vintage foot-tapping numbers with brassy horn arrangements and rollicking piano melodies from their new album, French Fries + Champagne that take you from New York speakeasies to Parisian cabarets.

The Sardines will return to Club Cumming on Tuesday, April 30, at 10pm for another highly enjoyable FF+C Jam Session. I can’t guarantee that Mr. Cumming himself will join them for a number, as he did when I was there, but I suspect there’s a pretty good chance you’ll see him.

At Bedlam (40 Avenue C), another Destablishment in Alphabet City, on a Sunday night, Nardicio staged The 8th Annual Mr. Nude York Pageant. Half a dozen HOT guys competed for the coveted title and sash. A fierce rivalry ensued as any of the 6 would’ve been a worthy selection but, ultimately, the audience did indeed choose the most deserving candidate.

Upcoming events at Bedlam include Between Gods and Kings, a new rock show on Thursday & Friday nights thru May 10; for XXX Brolesque: We Try Harder (Apr. 28) and XXX Brolesque: Sinkhole De Mayo (May 5), five guys will bare all--need I say more?; the latter will be followed by Bette, Bathhouse and Beyond!, Nardicio’s tribute to the days when the Divine Miss M was just starting out. You might want to bring a towel along.

Curtains Up

While some theaters beyond the Orleans Parish line are willing to go up against Jazzfest, the more local ones, understandably, will hold off their opening nights till after the grand music festival. Here’s what to look for– Sister Act, that wild and wacky musical about a gal on the run who winds up with a bunch of nuns plays at the Slidell Little Theatre (2024 Nellie Dr.) April 26-May 12.

In Mandeville, 30 by Ninety Theatre (880 Lafayette St.) is offering up a rarity. The Great Big Doorstep centers on the Crochets, a Cajun family who live in a ramshackle house between the levee and the Mississippi River. The Crochets dream of one day owning a stately plantation befitting the magnificent cypress doorstep they have salvaged from the river and proudly display outside their humble home.

Interestingly, this was adapted from a book by Louisiana writer E. P. O’Donnell by the husband & wife team of Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, best known for their Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning The Diary of Anne

Mr. Nude York 2019 and Daniel Nardicio at Bedlam Frank as well as their Oscar-nominated screenplays for The Thin Man, After the Thin Man, Father of the Bride and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers plus the classic It’s a Wonderful Life.

Doorstep had a brief Broadway run in 1942 starring Louis Calhern and Dorothy Gish. Is it a forgotten comic masterpiece? Or not? Find out April 27 through May 12.

Christopher Durang’s Beyond Therapy also had a brief Broadway run albeit with more familiar names (John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, David Hyde Pierce). Playmakers of Covington (19106 Playmakers Rd.) brings back this wacky comedy involving two zany therapists and their clients including Bruce whose male lover isn’t pleased by Bruce’s desire to date a woman. (May 3-19) Local actress/singer Troi Bechet wrote and stars in Flowers for Halie at Southern Rep (2541 Bayou Rd.) about the Queen of Gospel, Mahalia Jackson, from her early days in a shotgun shack in New Orleans to her international success as a singer and civil rights leader. This world premiere opens on May 8 and continues until May 26.

The NOLA Project will have its own world premiere running the same dates. The Henchman: A Shakespeare Story is Michael Aaron Santos’ sequel to A Midsummer Night’s Dream; it focuses on Jacob, the changeling boy whom Oberon and Titania quarreled over many years ago,

who must now deal with his duplicitous, war-mongering brother Esau.

Henchman plays in NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden in City Park. Seating for this outdoor show is bring-your-own, and food trucks will be available at all performances as well as a fully-stocked bar.

Five years ago, The Pianist of Willesden Lane received a rave review in the NYTimes when it played off-Broadway. It now comes to Le Petit (616 St. Peter St., May 10-26) starring Mona Golabek. To quote Charles Isherwood’s write-up: “Golabek seems to slip effortlessly into the persona of her mother, the pianist Lisa Jura, during her tumultuous adolescence in Vienna and London.

“Ms. Golabek is not a trained actress, but a concert pianist herself. In this deeply affecting memoir-once-removed, based on a book by Ms. Golabek and Lee Cohen, Ms. Golabek tells the story of her mother’s youth during World War II in her mother’s voice. Underpinning the story are selections from the classical piano repertoire--Bach and Beethoven, Chopin and Rachmaninoff--which Ms. Golabek performs on a grand piano that gleams on a gilt-edged platform at center stage and is her sole co-star...It’s the kind of tale that would probably seem melodramatic if it were fiction.”

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

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 23

BOOK OF THE MONTH

A Fall in Autumn

Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com I have always been fascinated with science fiction. I love sci-fi writers from classic ones such as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells to more contemporary writers such as Isaac Asimov, William Gibson and Orson Scott Card. My book for the month of April is A Fall In Autumn by Michael Williams. Williams writes horror, fantasy, and science fiction with his wry sense of humor and style. He is also an avid podcaster, activist, reader, runner, and gaymer, and is a brother in St. Anthony Hall and Mu Beta Psi. He lives in Durham, NC, with his husband, two cats and two dogs.

He is also known for his vampire series entitled The Winthrow Chronicles.

A Fall in Autumn centers on Valerius Bakhoum, an Artie, who is a person born of two parents the “old fashioned way.” We are in 9172 YE, which stands for Year of the Empire.

People like Valerius are looked down upon because of their imperfect genetics. The action takes place miles above the Earth in Autumn, the sole surviving flying city that is filled with all forms of humankind: from Human Plus “floor models” to the oppressed and disfranchised underclasses doing their dirty work and every imaginable variation between. There are Mannies and Golems as well as a cast of oth-

er characters that at first was hard to keep track of.

But Williams does an excellent job of setting up this futuristic world. Valerius is a washed-up private detective/ street hustler and the novel becomes a mash-up of science fiction with a hardboiled detective novel and it works wonderfully.

Valerius barely makes ends meet and is looking to get out of the business with one last job when in walks a gorgeous Golem, a mythical relic from the past, with an alluring mystery to save him from being killed.

This is my first LGBT science fiction novel and I am hooked. Williams does a noteworthy job of creating a damaged yet sympathetic (and sexy) main character as he builds his storyline. Autumn’s abandoned history emerges from the shadows. There are even monsters in the shape of angels that can kill thousands of people by ripping them to shreds.

I could not put this book down. If you are a fan of science fiction, this is a must read! A Fall in Autumn is a mesmerizing tale of redemption that catapults the reader directly into the action. This satisfying thriller also has an abundance of twists and turns. Besides you can never go wrong with Gays in Space!

BARTENDER OF THE MONTH

Byron Anderson Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com New Orleans is a city with a healthy LGBT bar scene both in and around the French Quarter. Most people know all the exciting hot spots in the Quarter, but what many do not realize is that there are many LGBT spots in the surrounding neighborhoods.

One such place is Cutter’s, located in the Faubourg Marigny. This is where my bartender for the month of April can be found. Byron Anderson has worked at Cutter’s for four years. He brings his own special charms to this very locals’ hangout.

When Byron is behind the bar, he creates a warmth that makes this place popular with locals and visitors alike.

He is a good ol’ Louisiana boy hailing from LaPlace.

He previously worked at Rawhide.

In addition to his wit and charisma, Byron makes a terrific cocktail. His specialty is a Manhattan which is telling

since his drink of choice is Maker’s on the rocks.

Byron is definitely at ease behind the bar and he credits this as the reason he enjoys his job so much.

He says he loves being able to be himself when he is working and thoroughly appreciates making others feel comfortable and welcome.

And don’t we all want to go to a place that makes us feel accepted?

You should make it a point to stop by Cutter’s at 706 Franklin Avenue and see Byron.

He works Thursdays and Fridays from 3 - 7 p.m.; Saturdays from 11 a.m.

- 7 p.m. and Sundays and Mondays 7 p..m. - close.

24 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT

Gallier House

Located at 1132 Royal Street, Gallier House is a charming museum that captures the essence of a mid-19th century French Quarter home.

Using the household inventory created following James Gallier Jr.’s death in 1868, period decorative arts have been acquired to reflect the Galliers’ refined taste.

Gallier Jr. (September 25, 1827 – May 16, 1868), was a prominent architect in New Orleans. His father, James Gallier was also a New Orleans architect.

Gallier Jr. graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1848, and

the following year he joined his father’s architectural firm. In 1853, he married Josephine A. Villavaso of St. Bernard Parish. The couple had four daughters.

He died at age 40 just a few years after the Civil War. New Orleans was experiencing a yellow fever epidemic during this period; it is likely that Gallier succumbed to the disease.

Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Gallier overlook the Rococo Revival double parlor while upstairs authentic toys and games hold prominence in the children’s bedroom. The kitchen and bathroom featured hot and cold running water, a rare luxury in the mid-

19th century. Every detail in this home beckons to a time more than 150 years ago when a prominent architect designed a house that reflected the latest in household technology and stylish interiors. This comfortable lifestyle was made possible through the work of enslaved people, and later domestic servants, whose work and lives are also interpreted on tours of Gallier House.

Tours of Gallier House are available at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm on weekdays (closed Wednesdays) and 12 pm, 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm on Saturday (closed Sundays).

The Gallier House hosts a popular monthly speaker series. “Gallier Gatherings” features lectures by locals and nationally-known experts with a focus on historical connections to the House, modern day New Orleans, and beyond. These events bring together diverse participants and audiences with dynamic and engaging topics. Gallier Gatherings are held on the second Wednesday of each month from 6 – 7:30 pm. Cost is $10.

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SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Bun PHOTOS FROM FRENCH QUARTER FEST | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BUN CEE

26 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Prophylactic Prom AT PROPHYLACTIC PROM BY THE ODYSSEY HOUSE LOUISIANA ON MARCH 23, 2019 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANI LEAL

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Party Down Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com Something is always happening in the Crescent City and April is probably one of the busiest months with all the festivals, fundraisers and Easter celebrations. My last two weeks were jampacked with events almost every night and in some cases multiple ones.

I started April off right by catching the Krewe of Fools Parade on Monday, April 1. It started at Mimi’s in the Marigny and made its way through the neighborhood. Adikus Sulpizi and I decided to participate in all the fun and wore our headpieces from Southern Decadence. We had cocktails before at the Friendly Bar and afterwards at Cutter’s, so we made a night of it in our hood. Since this is the first time I attended the parade, I thought you might want to know a little bit more about the krewe. Founded in 2011, their mission is to celebrate, preserve, protect, promote and honor the art of street performance in New Orleans.

Each year a new king is chosen. This year it was King Willow. The reign of a King lasts from Lundi Gras to Lundi Gras. The parade itself was small but extremely fun and what better way to party on April Fool’s Day than to be

part of a parade.

I went from a jester hat to a suit the following day when I attended the opening of the Historic New Orleans Collection’s new building located at 520 Royal Street. The Seignouret-Brulator Building Tricentennial Wing is gorgeous and boasts galleries, guided tours, a museum shop and a cafe.

The building is open Tuesday through Sunday and is free, but ticketing is required. Guests at the VIP opening enjoyed food, open bar and music throughout the venue that includes a beautiful courtyard. Founded in 1966, THNOC has grown to include 11 historic buildings making up three French Quarter campuses. THNOC’s holdings comprise 1,000,000 items that document everyday life as well as momentous historical events spanning more than three centuries. Recently I have become fascinated with our city’s history and so am thrilled to see the opening of this new Museum. The exhibits are interesting and educational, and on a more shallow note, their gift shop has some really cool gifts.

There were many different things that changed this year in the city; one

such example is the move of the New Orleans Food and Wine Experience from Memorial Day Weekend in May to April. Because of my crazy work schedule I was only able to attend the vintner dinner at Cavan this year and it was well worth it. I have been to many of these dinners in the past, but this year’s dinner has to go down as one of the best. The food was simply delicious and included five course starting with an amuse bouche. The menu included zucchini beignets, spring tea salad, duck fat seared scallops, crawfish sugar cane skewer, shrimp enchilada cannelloni and Earl Grey tart.

Every course was like heaven on my taste buds. And the wine paired with the courses was quite fascinating. My favorites were the Bisson 2017 and the Hubert Rousseau 2015. The entire night was a true dining experience from the service to the cuisine and solidified Cavan as my choice of one of the top restaurants in the city.

On Friday, I went to MS Rau’s opening of their newest exhibition From Sea to Shining Sea: 200 years of American Art on Royal Street. Taken as a whole, this nation’s painters have produced a rich pictorial essay on what it means to be American throughout the country’s relatively short history. Each era has pieces designating the Early Republic, Visions of a Nation and the Modern Era. And everything is for sale, although I believe they may be

a little high for my price point. But I still love going into this gallery which is one of my favorites on this storied street.

From antiques and priceless works of art to million dollar pieces of jewelry, MS Rau is a collector’s dream and a museum style gallery in its own right.

One of our city’s best seafood delicacies has been particularly bountiful this season. I love boiled crawfish and have been enjoying it the last few months at different restaurants, but on Saturday, I went to my first true crawfish boil of the season hosted by the Krewe of Armeinius President Kevin Hemenger. It was held in a courtyard on Esplanade Avenue. Friends standing side by side at tables with newspaper on them ate crawfish with all the fixings (potatoes, garlic, corn on the cob, etc.). A jazz band serenaded us in the background as we drank beer from kegs. Music, crawfish, beer and a courtyard--you do not get any more authentic New Orleans than that.

Later that night, my friends and I did the First Saturday Art Walk on Julia, one of the best free things to do in our city. The first Saturday of each month, Julia Street galleries open their doors and show off their new exhibitions while serving wine. I love a good wine walk.

The special exhibition that night was at The Arthur Roger Gallery which presented an exhibition of new works by artist Dale Chihuly. The exhi-

28 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

bition will be on view at 432 Julia Street from April 6 – June 22.

After the walk, my friends and I went to a late dinner at the Trolley Stop Restaurant which has been newly renovated and was recently featured on Gordon Ramsey’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back. Gone are the days of the greasy spoon I remember from years past. It now boasts a sleek new look with a pared down menu, but still has good late-night food.

On Sunday, I caught the show South Pacific presented by Jefferson Parish Arts Society (JPAS). This community theater did an admirable job at producing this iconic musical.

The cast was filled with talented singers and dancers. I love this show and the cast gave it their all. They especially shined in the larger production numbers such as I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair and There Is Nothing Like. A Dame.

From JPAS, I headed to Oz for the Gay Easter Parade Fundraiser, the 18th Annual Star Studded Drag Extravaganza hosted by Persana Shoulders. The list of entertainers that night ranged from drag mainstays to newcomers on the scene each bringing their lively and unique flair to the event.

There was live and silent auctions and lots of raffles. It was another successful event for Food for Friends.

The next week was just as busy as the previous one starting on Tuesday with the grand re-opening of the Joy Theatre. After some renovations, the historic theater hosted a little open house to get the community reacquainted with the venue. The place looks great and that night they had some unique entertainers such as

roaming oysters shuckers and a glitter buffet. Even drag personality Fatsy Cline was on hand to add her own energy to the event.

Afterwards, I attended the Membership Meeting and Board Elections for the New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE) at the Drifter Hotel. There was a nice crowd as the new members of the board were voted on. I am honored to be on the board as the Vice President. There are lots of great programs and events with NOAGE such as the monthly potluck dinners, the movie nights, the monthly coffee talks and the weekly walking group. NOAGE is a worthwhile organization to belong to at any age. To find out more about the group, go to www. noagenola.org.

Everyone has drag fever these days and these magical entertainers are more popular than ever. One of the city’s hospitality organizations, Meeting Professionals International, hosted a drag lunch as their monthly event at the gorgeous Degas House on Esplanade Avenue. There was a bonnet contest and guests were wowed by Countess C Alice and Lana O Day as they drank copious amounts of champagne. I love day drinking in the middle of the work week.

On Friday, I attended another theatrical ;performance. The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company presented Suddenly Last Summer at Loyola.

This is one of my favorite Tennessee Williams plays and there is not a better character than Violet Venerable.

Gwendolyne Foxworth gave a standout performance as the grand Southern lady with a wicked tongue. The TWTC hit it out of the park with anoth-

er outstanding show. They have been producing many hits since their inception and last year was no exception receiving five nominations for Big Easy Awards.

On Saturday was another achievement for our city with the grand opening of NOCHI (New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute). NOCHI is the city’s first culinary school devoted to students looking for a degree in the culinary arts or baking and pastry. Its mission is to provide a seat at the table for all people to bring their culinary passion to life.

With New Orleans powerhouses Ti Martin and Dickie Brennan spearheading this project, the list of donor companies was a literal who’s who in the restaurant industry such as Republic National Distributing Company, Emeril Lagasse Foundation, Commander’s Palace, Dickie Brennan and Company, McIlhenny Company Tabasco Brand, and the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation to name a few.

Guests were treated to a special night of exceptional cuisine prepared by the students alongside their teachers.

A stilt walker in a chef outfit greeted guests as they entered the five story building located on Howard Avenue.

Lots of specialty cocktails were created in their beverage lab as well as a fabulous champagne and oyster bar. They also have two connecting ballrooms on the top floor each with its own terraces with picturesque views of the city. It was a star-studded night as the city’s society came out in full force. Governor John Bel Edwards was on hand to say a few words in praise of this much needed addition to our city.

After, I went to the Gay Easter Pa-

rade’s Purple Party which has been renamed this year as the Marsha Delain Purple Party in honor of the late owner of Ambush. This was a different star-studded crowd as the LGBT society came out in full force for this fundraiser at Crossing NOLA. Reba Douglas kept the night moving as emcee. There were live auctions, raffles, performances and food. I love this party every year and not just because it is all about my favorite color, but it always brings a large crowd of people supporting the Gay Easter Parade and Food for Friends.

Sunday was all about the French Quarter Festival and you could not have asked for better weather. The cool breezes from the river kept attendees comfortable all day, and the food and music was at its best. One of my favorite performers for the day was Sweet Crude. What an amazing group.

Adding to the festivities of French Quarter Festival, Halloween New Orleans hosted a kickoff host party at the French Quarter home of Dustin Woehrman and Jeff Hebert. It was a huge success as the hosts came out in full force to sign up for this year’s upcoming festivities. I am particularly loving the theme this year -- Hallowdays. As always, all proceeds after expenses go to Lazarus House. This year’s event will be October 25 - 27 with the major costume ball taking place at the Fillmore. But before we move on to Halloween, let’s get through Easter.

Do you want your party or event covered? Invite me! ledgemgp@gmail.com

NEW TO NEW ORLEANS

A column highlighting “Only-in-New-Orleans” moments

Robert W Fiesler wordbobby@gmail.com Uprooting to the Crescent City with loyalties. I can barely see my feet as I my husband has been a whirlwind exchug ahead. My skin goes prickly in the perience, exposing us every day – in mist. My nipples could cut shapes, but palpable ways – to ecstatic, poetic, I am alone with the assuredness of my “Only-in-New-Orleans” moments. body as it breathes. I face no risk, no Though the weather is chilly, I’m judgment in my half-naked state. Feet feeling sexy, and I decide to run shirtslap concrete as I pass what seems to less along Crescent Park. I regret this be the end of a tree line behind a fence decision almost immediately when on my riverside. I turn my head left to I jog up an incline and find the rivertake in the fullness of grey. front pathway cloaked in fog. It’s as if Perhaps this is like death, I think— the Mississippi has breathed its spirit seeing little and hearing less but the upon the levee, or perhaps the levee lap of water on land. Then a cruise has agreed to temporary terms with ship bursts through a slip in the haze the marine. Both have abandoned their like the pulling back of stage curtains. definitions like soldiers venturing from At first, I take its lights to be downtown idle trenches into a no man’s land for New Orleans, but then why is downa kiss. town coursing towards me? This ghost They become the same in a probship, I muse, carries all of yesterday’s ing embrace they’d secretly pined parties and all the mass of a sideways about for weeks, erasing lines and city, with a thousand pale white faces

and thousands of hands bearing drinks in bell-shaped glasses.

A part of me wonders if I’m hearing the theme song to the ‘80s show Love Boat (too on the nose, I suppose at first). But then Love Boat is fully upon me, the song unmistakable and inspiring boisterous laughter and dancing.

Before my eyes, a virtual army of the living has gathered at the railings after shoving off from berth towards whoknows-where, and I am now their solitary stage piece.

They can see me as clearly as I see them through the vapor, and I am shirtless in my thirties and not exactly Instagram-worthy. Generously, the audience explodes in a raucous cheer as if I was their first and last sight of humanity on land. Perhaps they were merely hoping to see someone, some-

thing as they went, and I fit the bill. Still, I think about covering my pectorals with my hands like some shy merman.

“Nice nips!” I hear someone yell as the ship is, again, swallowed into the river’s void. Curtain closes.

Love won’t hurt anymore…I barely make out from the lyrics until fog and distance warp and bend the rest of the song. I continue running on my path, upriver towards the turnaround point, and I begin to wonder if any of that scene could have really happened.

Robert W. Fieseler is the acclaimed debut author of Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation. He recently moved with his husband to New Orleans.

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 29

UNDER THE GAYDAR

New Orleans Hot Happenings

Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter holiday. Feeling blue that your dance card is not full? Here are a few hot happenings to fill up your calendar.

(If you have a fundraiser, party, show or event coming up and would like to be listed in the calendar, please email me at ledgemgp@gmail.com).

WEEKLY EVENTS EVERYDAY

Happy Hour: Crossing NOLA; 439 Dauphine St.; 7 days a week from open until 9pm (7AM to 9PM). It’s $3 domestic beer and well drinks. $1 off everything else.

Happy Hour: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal Street.; 7 days a week from 8 a.m - 8 p.m.

Happy Hour: GrandPre’s; 834 N Rampart St.; 12 p.m. - 9 p.m. $3 Well/ domestics Happy Hour: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.

777 Happy Hour: Kajun’s Pub; 2556 St. Claude Avenue; 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Kajun’s Karaoke: Kajun’s Pub; 2556 St. Claude Avenue; Karaoke from

5 p.m. until.

MONDAY

Martini Mondays: Crossing; 439 Dauphine St.; (all day) Tito’s and Deep Eddy martinis will be $3.

Karaoke Monday: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 7 - 9 p.m. Enjoy happy hour prices all night long. Hosted by Denny with VJ Dollabill.

S.I.N. Night: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; Starting at 9 p.m.

Come drink with Ashlee. Get your SIN card and receive $2.50 canned beer.

Pool Tournament: Rawhide 2010; 740 Burgundy St.; 9:45 p.m. $2 PBR and $50 gift certificate for Rawhide Lazy Susan Karaoke: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. Join bartender Mark and a revolving cast of drag queen hostesses for LAZY SUSAN KARAOKE with Music

by DJ Lucius Riley. Mondays are a drag, so make them fabulous and sing the night away. Fatsy Kline will perform on 4/29.

NOAGE & Stonewall Sports Walk/ Run Club: Audubon Park; 6:15 p.m.

Join Stonewall Sports New Orleans and NOAGE starting at 6:30 p.m..

Meet for the walk/run at Audubon Park by the Magazine Street entrance parking lot. This will be a weekly event for walkers and the Stonewall Run Club will join every 3 weeks. This group is for ALL fitness levels, and you can go at your own pace. Whether that’s running, jogging, leisurely walking, or using a wheelchair or walker, this group is for you. If you are worried that you’ll be left behind, don’t worry; someone will walk with you. If you are the fastest person there, we’ll see you at the finish line. If you need assistance or have questions, call Jim at (504) 228-6778.

Service Industry Night: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; Open to close. $2.50 domestic beers; $3 well cocktails; $3.50 imported beer; $5.50 Tito’s; $6 Jameson.

Underwear Night: The Eagle at the Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; starting at 9 p.m. The Eagle now is open EVERY Monday night. Happy Hour prices if you’re in your underwear.

Doors open at 9 p.m. and NO COVER. S.I.N.: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave.; 1 a.m - 4 a.m. 2 for 1 drinks.

Happy Hour All Night: The Page

Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; Open to close.

Well, Domestic, and Wine.

TUESDAY

Tequila Tuesdays: Crossing; 439 Dauphine St.; (all day) Tequila drinks $5.

Kocktail Karaoke: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine St.; 9 p.m. - 1 a.m., Join us at Good Friends Bar for Kocktail Karaoke. The winner gets a $25.00 bar tab. $5 Fireball.

Country Dance Lessons: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 8 p.m.

Tuesdays are Country Dance lessons with the Big Easy Stompers from 8 - 11 p.m.

Bourbon Boylesque: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 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 Ave.; 8 p.m. Tacos, Tequila, and Tiaras is one of New Orleans’ only family friendly drag shows! Join hostess Vanessa Carr Kennedy every Tuesday,

30 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Tony Leggio AT THE HALLOWEEN NEW ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER FEST KICK OFF HOST PARTY AT THE HOME OF DUSTIN WOEHRMAN AND JEFF HEBERT

AT THE MPI LUNCHEON AT CAFE DEGAS | PHOTOS COURTESY OF TONY LEGGIO

AT THE NOAGE MEMBERSHIP MEETING AT THE DRIFTER HOTEL | PHOTOS COURTESY OF TONY LEGGIO

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 31

have a taco or two, and learn a little bit about the art of drag.

Tunes Tuesday: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; Open to close. Free Jukebox credits with a $4 drink purchase.

Trivia Night: MRB; 515 St. Philip St.; Starts at 8 p.m. Every Tuesday at 8 you can join us for Who Wants A Dollar? Trivia! Free to Play. Plenty of Prizes. Tons of Fun. Teams of 1-6 welcome. Enjoy some killer drinks, amazing food from Woodies @ MRB, and out of this world trivia.

Happy Hour all Day and Night: 700 Club; 700 Burgundy; 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Every week on Tuesday from 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM the next day.

Happy Hour: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Burlesque Bingo with Lefty Lucy: The AllWays Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Loose Hellfire presents their free weekly grown-up game show where everyone’s a winner! There’s NO COVER for this sexy & silly game. Just buy a drink from the bar & Tsarina Hellfire will give you a Bingo Card! Each round winner gets a BUCKET of prizes including exclusive prints & a grand finale prize from Abita Brewing Company! Just for showing up you get to enjoy the free BURLESQUE side of this unique game! Between every round, Lefty Lucy performs an improvised striptease to a song the crowd selects, removing only one item per

round—Don’t miss your chance to win the finale prize, and to see the tassels twirl!

Trivia: Cutter’s; 706 Franklin Avenue; 7:30 p.m. Join your host, bartender and local music legend Johnny Sketch, at 7:30. Join a trivia team or bring your own and test your knowledge across multiple categories to win an often odd and useful assortment of prizes!

WEDNESDAY

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.

Kafe Karaoke: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 9 p.m. – midnight. $25.00 Bar tab and Free Shots & Givea-ways with Happy Hour All Day. Oz Show Night: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 10:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; ChiChi Rodriquez and Dominique DeLorean.

Honey Bee Trivia: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Wednesdays are Trivia with Honey Bee at 7 p.m. with free jello shots and Bar Tabs.

32 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI The Corner Pocket MEET ME ON ST. LOUIS—WHERE THE BOYS ARE DANCIN’ NIGHTLY ON THE BAR | PHOTOS BY POCKET PEEPS

THE CORNER POCKET Where the Boys are dancing nightly on the bar starting at 9PM!

OPENING HOURS Everyday Noon - TILL ADDRESS 940 St Louis Street, New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 568-9829 www.cornerpocket.net

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 33

Hump Day: Rawhide 2010; 740 Burgundy St.; 4 - 9 p.m. 2 for $4 wells, draft, and domestic beers.

Wine Night: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; 5 p.m. close. $15 bottles of wine.

Video Game Night: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 8:30 p.m. midnight; The bar is doing Video Game Night starting at 9 p.m. Come and compete for prizes and Grab some Drinks.

Movies in the Courtyard: Flamingo A-Go-Go; 869 Magazine Street; Double-feature movie nights. Showtimes 7pm and 9:30pm Happy Hour: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

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 St.; 9 p.m. Girl | Crush is brings 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 New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 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 New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 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 Prime Time Trivia: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; starts at 9 p.m. Come out and enjoy trivia with great prizes with your host Honey Bee. Retro Night: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; starts at 10 p.m. Enjoy drink special from 10 p.m. to midnight and the best hits from the 80’s and 90’s.

Happy Hour: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race Viewing Party with Laveau Contraire: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Avenue; 8 p.m.

Are you ready for Season 11? Rupaul’s got a fresh crop of queens competing for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar and we’re going to be watching each episode at 2019’s Best Karaoke Bar Kajun’s Pub! There’ll be lots of FREE swag with the purchase of one of our DRINK SPECIALS.

FRIDAY

Music of Senator Ken: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 7:30 - 9:30

Wednesday Video Game Night 7:00 PM

p.m. Enjoy live music with Senator Ken playing all your favorites.

Play Girlz: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 10 - 11:30 p.m. Drag show featuring Gia GiaVanni and special guests.

New Meat Amateur Dance Contest: Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; 6:30 p.m. Anyone can enter - $100 cash prize.

Fireball Fridays: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; Open to close. $4 Fireball Shots.

Take It Off Fridays: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway; 5 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Includes $2.50 domestic beers and $3 well drinks from 5 - 9 p.m.; $15 drink and drown from 9 - 11 p.m. all well cocktails; and Underwear Party with free well. Cocktails for those who strip down to their underwear from midnight to 12:30 a.m.

Misc4Misc: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 9 p.m. Enjoy this wonderfully weird drag show hosted every week by Apostrophe. Cover is $5.

Late Night Happy Hour: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin Avenue; 10:30 p.m. - 2 a.m. Come by and get to know Executive Chef Marlon Alexander and sushi/vegan Chef Kelseay Dukae during their late night happy hours.

They look forward to serving you delicious drink specials and amazing food.

Come chill out in the iconic courtyard.

Beat The Clock; 700 Club; 700 Burgundy; 5 - 9 p.m. Well Drinks: 5

Happy Hour Daily

PM - 6 PM $1.50, 6 PM - 7 PM $2.00, 7 PM - 8 PM $2.50, 8 PM - 9 PM $3.00 Happy Hour: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; 3 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Bayou Blues Burlesque: The Allways Lounge: 2240 St. Claude Avenue; 8 - 10 p.m. A wonderful intimate night of live blues music accompanied by burlesque and variety acts. Drink specials by your favorite bartenders and comfy seating to enjoy the art of the strip tease. Music by The Delta Revues; Burlesque by Andrea Louise Duhe´ (Ooops C.) Cherry Brown and special guests! Doors: 7:00 p.m.; Show: 8:00 p.m.; Cover: $10.

SATURDAY

Music of Vanessa Carr Kennedy; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy songstress Vanessa as she sings some of the top hits of yesterday and today.

Divas R Us; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 10 - 11:30 p.m. This wonderful drag show directed by Monica Sinclaire Kennedy includes a special guest stars.

Piano Bar with Trey Ming; Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine St.; 4 – 7 p.m. Sing along with your favorite songs with talented piano player Trey Ming.

Drag Dingo: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 6 - 8 p.m. Catch ChiChi Rodriquez, Persana Shoulders for Drag Bingo! 11 games of Bingo, 11

Fri, 4/26—10 pm

noon - 9:00 PM $3.00 wells and

domestics

Sat, 05/04 - 10pm 34 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Oz New Orleans PHOTOS BY ANDREW HOPKINS #OZNEWORLEANS & SUBMITTED BY PERSANA SHOULDERS

OZ New Orleans 2-story, 24/7 gay dance club with DJs, drag shows, go-go dancers & a balcony for people-watching.

OPENING HOURS

FRI, SAT & SUN: 24/7 MON–THURS: Opens at 1PM

ADDRESS 800 Bourbon Street New Orleans, LA Phone: (504) 593-9491 www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 35

chances to win prizes! All the fun starts at 6 pm till 8 pm in their upstairs bar with your favorite bottom, Jake, slinging drinks for you all night long!

Late Night Happy Hour: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin Avenue; 10:30 p.m. - 2 a.m. Come by and get to know Executive Chef Marlon Alexander and sushi/vegan Chef Kelseay Dukae during their late night happy hours.

They look forward to serving you delicious drink specials and amazing food.

Come chill out in the iconic courtyard.

Happy Hour: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; 3 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Queer Meditation: Mid City Zen; 3248 Castiglione Street; 10:30 a.m. A queer and trans centered meditation group meeting regularly on Saturday mornings. Open to all LGBTIQ+ people, and all folks interested in holding and sharing an intentionally queer-centering mindful space. Join for a sit, breathe, notice, rest; to cultivate presence and kindness together. Free/by donation.

SUNDAY

Bottomless Mimosas: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 1 - 4 p.m.

Bottomless Mimosas are offered upstairs from 1 - 4 p.m. for $12.

The Original Trash Disco: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 410 p.m. Includes the original napkin toss and the best music videos to sing along with.

You Better Sing Karaoke: GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart St.; 7 p.m.

Join DJ Dereesha as he plays Karaoke.

The Half Assed-Straight Boys: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 3 - 5 p.m.

Jubilee: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 5 p.m. This Sunday Funday show stars Reba Douglas and special guests.

Zingo: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis St.; 6:30 p.m. Play Bingo followed by the Barry BareAss Dancer of the Week Contest.

Oz Show Night: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 9:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; ChiChi Rodriquez and Dominique DeLorean.

Drink Drown and Drag: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 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.

Sunday Worship: Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans (MCCNO); 5401 S. Claiborne Ave; 10:00 a.m. New Orleans first LGBTQ church welcomes you to join us for our Sunday worship service where they celebrate God’s Love for everyone.

Drag Dingo: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 6 - 8 p.m. Catch ChiChi Rodriquez, Persana Shoulders

for Drag Bingo! 11 games of Bingo, 11 chances to win prizes! All the fun starts at 6 pm till 8 pm in their upstairs bar with your favorite bottom, Jake, slinging drinks for you all night long.

Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin Street; 11 a.m.

For tickets, go to www.crunola.com.

Vanessa Carr Presents Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch featuring an amazing menu from Chef Marlon Alexander and awesome entertainment! Come celebrate with the phenomenal talents of Vanessa Carr Kennedy and Friends!

Divas at the Dive: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave; 5 p.m. Vanessa Carr LIve. 6:30 p.m. Drag Karaoke. 8 p.m. Audience Karaoke Drink and Drown: 700 Club; 700 Burgundy Street; 5 - 8 p.m. Unlimited well drinks, Bud Light and Miller Lite draft $10 Happy Hour/ Drink Til You Drop: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; Happy Hour 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. and Drink Til You Drop $12 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Sunday Swing: The Allways Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Avenue; starts at 8 p.m. Every Sunday, local swing dance instructors offer a community class from 8-9pm. From 9 till midnight there is live, local music and social dancing! There is NO cover, but a one drink minimum is required per set.

SPECIAL EVENTS TUESDAY 4/23

Femme Night - Music, Comedy, Burlesque and Pop-Up Market: The Allways Lounge; 22 40 St. Claude Ave.; 7 p..m - 2 a.m. Join your Host Tsarina Magalena Hellfire for an evening celebrating all things Femme!

Burlesque: Blyre Cpanx; Comedy : Geneva Joy & Mallory Head. $7 at the Door. Doors @ 7pm / Show @ 9pm.

Generations Forum - A Cross Generational LGBT+ Conversation; Cafe Istanbul; 2372 St. Claude Avenue; 7 - 8:45 p.m. PLEASE NOTE: Admission is free, but RSVP via Eventbrite is required. Direct RSVP on www. eventbrite.com. On the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, we reflect upon the strides made by each generation in the fight for equality for all LGBT+ individuals. The Generations Forum is an opportunity for the New Orleans community to engage in dialogue, understanding, and appreciation surrounding the changing culture of LGBT+ life.

A four-speaker panel, consisting of LGBT+ people of different generations, will engage in a moderated discussion, followed by a Q&A session. Light refreshments will be served.

WEDNESDAY 4/24

6th Annual Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic Tour - New Orleans: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 9 p.m.

Reserve your no cover tickets at www. eventbrite.com. With RSVP there is no

36 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Crossing PEOPLE ARE CROSSING NOLA TO SEE AND BE SEEN AT CROSSING NOLA | PHOTOS BY DR. RANDY, TEAM CROSSING, AND SOCIAL PATRONS

CROSSING

Neighborhood video bar with a steampunk theme in the historic Vieux Carré.

HAPPY HOUR DAILY 7 AM – 9 PM OPENING HOURS 7 AM – 1:30 AM ADDRESS 439 Dauphine Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 523-4517 www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 37

cover, and YOU can be a part of the blind-sampling to vote audience (1st 100 RSVP’s to check in at 9pm doors get to try every cocktail between 9 and 9:45pm) AND the first 100 to check in with RSVP receive a Stoli drink ticket. NEW this year, all audience members get to participate in “text to vote” with the chance to win additional drink tickets as well as to sample cocktails throughout the show. One of the New Orleans’ brightest Bar Stars will win 7 days in sunny Key West for the SKWCC June 4-10 Pride Week Finale.

Special Performances by THE LADIES OF OZ. Must be 21+. More info: www. facebook.com/StoliKeyWest. For inquiries including how to apply to compete, please e-mail stolikeywest@ gmail.com.

THURSDAY 4/25 SUNDAY 5/5

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival; New Orleans Fairgrounds Race Course; 1751 Gentilly Blvd.

For more information, go to www.nojazzfest.com.

Marquee: Theatrical Burlesque, Circus and Drag Cabaret: Le Petit Theatre; 616 St. Peter Street; 9 -n 11 p.m. Brought to you by Vinsantos, LadyBEAST, and Le Petit Theatre - this heartwarming show gives a window into the history of New Orleans cabaret from the 1890’s through the 1950s. A dynamic cast of characters from drag,

burlesque, vaudeville and circus pay homage to the colorful history of this well know, but less understood cultural staple of American theatre. This playful performance lends tribute to the trailblazers of New Orleans cabaret such as Nita and Zita, Barbette, Josephine Baker, Lilly Christine aka The Cat Girl, Gypsy Rose Lee and more... There will be a mini museum on display in the lobby of the theatre of historical artifacts for the audience to experience prior to seeing the show. Come see Marquee! April 25th-28th @ 9pm; May 3rd-5th @ 9pm. Tickets: lepetittheatre. com/marquee

THURSDAY 4/25

Flamboyant: The Allways Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Avenue; 11 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. The New Revolution of Boylesque continues! Come see the flamBOYs bare it all as they dance and twirl in the most flamboyant of fashions. Featuring flamBOYs Danny Girl (Daniel Mark) and Expecta Patrone (Dane Baxter). Hosted by the always outrageous Atomyc Adonis (Daniel Dean.) Doors at 10pm, Show at 11pm, $5 cover.

SATURDAY 4/27

Drag For A Cause: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 8 - 10 p.m.

Watch as Drag Queens from across the city come together to help raise money for New Orleans’ Covenant

House. Join in with music, drinks, a Drag Makeover competition and Amateur Drag Queen competition to close out the night! Admission fee: $10. All proceeds go to benefiting the local branch of The Covenant House. Buy your tickets at the door @ Oz New Orleans the night of the event! Contact jonathanu@vanguard.paulmitchell.edu for inquiries.

SUNDAY 4/28

Flashback Through The Decades 3 for NOAGE: The Twilight Room at The Allways Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Avenue; 6 - 8 p.m. It’s Misti and Cat’s 3rd year hosting Flashback Thru the Decades for a great non-profit NOAGE - New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders. Lisa Reyes will be our musical guest again this year! Then our entertainers will start in the present and FLASHBACK thru the decades until the 1950s. Door $10.00. 50/50 raffle. (All monies collected will go to NOAGE).

TUESDAY 4/30

NOAGE Potluck; St. Anna’s Episcopal Church; 1313 Esplanade Avenue; 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Note: We are starting a little later than usual (7:30), but we’ll be back to the normal 6:30 time next month. Join NOAGE for its monthly potluck at St. Anna’s. Come eat, network, and make new friends! If you are able, please bring a dish (main

dishes, meats, sides, soups, salads or vegan/vegetarian dishes, desserts, and beverages). Please also consider bringing non-perishable food items for St. Anna’s Food Pantry. All ages welcome!

WEDNESDAY 5/1

Crescent City Leathermen Monthly Board Meeting: The New Orleans Eagle, upstairs at The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Avenue; 7:30 - 9 p.m.

Meeting open to the public

FRIDAY 5/3

Stonewall First Friday Happy Hour; Phillips Bar and Restaurant; 733 Cherokee Street; 5 - 8 p.m. Join fellow Stonewallers and their supporters for a monthly happy hour on the first Friday of every month at Phillip’s Bar, one of our Stonewall Sports New Orleans Sponsors.

Trax Only Presents Massimiliano Pagliara: Poor Boys Bar; 1328 St. Bernard Avenue; 10 p.m. - 4 a.m.

Massimiliano Pagliara, resident at infamous Panorama Bar/Berghain in Berlin will swoop down to Poor Boys to bless our bodies this May. Stemming from Lecce, Massimilano Pagliara has been based in Berlin for several years where he’s been one of the main forces behind recombining the city’s hardboiled techno scene with an often overlooked sensibility for the soft and tender. Local Support: Quickweave and Bouffant

38 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Bouffant. Cover: $10

SATURDAY 5/4

Kentucky Derby Party: Mags 940; 940 Elysian Fields Avenue; 2 - 5 p.m.

Join the Krewe of Narcissus for a Derby Day Party and become a Thoroughbred Horse owner in our simulated Live Horse Auction with Auctioneer Bradley Arsenaux. Don your best Derby Hat for a chance to win a $100 cash prize, and drink up the Mint Juleps to your heart’s content. This is a fundraiser for the Krewe of Narcissus and all proceeds will go toward our fifth Gay Carnival Ball on Saturday January 25, 2020.

There will be food, drink specials, mint juleps, a 50 / 50 Derby Hat Draw, a WIN THE PURSE Horse Auction Action, and a Best Derby Hat Contest.

Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Available from any Krewe Member.

OUTclimb | LGBT+ Climb Night: New Orleans Boulder Lounge; 2360 St. Claude Ave.; starts at 7 p.m. OUTclimb is a New Orleans based LGBT+ climbing club dedicated to providing a safe and welcoming space for queer & trans people to climb. With support from the New Orleans Boulder Lounge on St. Claude, they are able to offer a night of climbing FREE to the LGBT+ community of New Orleans and surrounding areas. Allies are welcome to attend and should donate $5-$15 as you are able. Donations will go to a lo-

cal LGBT+ organization.

It’s Showtime on Rampart Street; GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart St.; 10 p.m. Come out and catch this exciting drag show starring Moanalot Fontaine and special guests.

Erika Clash Takeover: The Allways Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Avenue; 10 p.m. - midnight. Eureeka Media Presents ERIKA KLASH TAKEOVER! Season 2 Contestant of Dragula’s Amazing Harajuku Gore and Gamer Geek Queen ERIKA KLASH is coming to New Orleans for the First time and she is ready to TAKE OVER! Hosted by Eureeka Starfish with very Special Guests: Luna Rei, Auda Beaux Di and Ant Zelda. Door at 10 p.m.

Show at 11 p.m. Cover is $15.

SUNDAY 5/5

Crawfish Boil: Crossing NOLA; 439 Dauphine Street; 1 - 4 p.m. Come join the Krewe of Amon-Ra for their fundraising crawfish boil.

WEDNESDAY 5/8

The Transiberian Nightmare Meme Queens: Siberia Lounge; 2227 St. Claude Avenue; 8:30 p.m. - midnight. Come jump on the Transiberian Nightmare. Featuring FATSY CLINE, NICKI NICOLAI, SEDUSAH, and SELENE! And as always, hosted by ST!NK and Carina von Tuna.

Crescent City Leathermen Monthly General Membership Meeting: The

New Orleans Eagle, upstairs at The Phoenix,;941 Elysian Fields Avenue; 7:30 -9 p.m. Meeting Open to the Public and all are welcome to attend.

THURSDAY 5/9

Femme Night - Music, Comedy, Burlesque & Pop-up Market; The Allways Lounge; 2240 bSt. Claude Avenue; 7 p.m. - 2 a.m. Join your Host Tsarina Magalena Hellfire for an evening celebrating all things Femme! $7 at the Door; Doors @ 7p.m. / Show @ 9p.m.

FRIDAY 5/10

Project Lazarus Annual Guardian Angel Award Gala 2019: Ace Hotel New Orleans; 600 Carondelet; 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Join Project Lazarus as they honor and celebrate our newest Guardian Angels: Laura Fine and the group of Michael McIntosh, Robert Lucky, Jason Allen and Khanh Ho. We will also celebrate our co-founder, Fr. Paul Desrosiers. The elegant event at the Ace Hotel New Orleans features a cocktail hour, a three-course dinner, an award ceremony, and a high-end silent and live auction. All proceeds benefit our mission of housing and supporting people living with HIV/AIDS. Black tie optional. For tickets, go to www.projectlazarus.net.

The Graduates: The Allways Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Avenue; 10 p.m. A monthly show featuring stu-

dents and graduates of The New Orleans School of Burlesque!! Each show will feature a rotating cast of current and past students who have studied extensively and developed new acts!

Doors at 10 p.m.. Show at 11 p.m.; $10 cover.

SATURDAY 5/11

Dykes Do Deadlifts: Vitality by Kristin; 4304 Firestone Road; 11 a.m.

They’re back at it again with another fun workout for a good cause! We’re partnering with the creators of Dykes Do again to bring you Dykes Do Deadlifts! A space for queer women to get our pump on in a judgement-free zone. This event’s proceeds will benefit BreakOUT! “BreakOUT! builds the power of LGBTQ youth most impacted by the criminal justice system to affect concrete policy change to fight the criminalization of LGBTQ youth in New Orleans.” Don’t let the words “deadlift” freak you out. Dykes Do Deadlifts, and all programming at Vitality, is first-timer friendly.

2nd Annual Halfway to Halloween New Orleans Bar Crawl; 2 - 5 p.m. For the route & more info, go to https://togetherwenola.com/halloween/ events/2nd-annual-halfway-to-hnobar-crawl. Missing Halloween? Here’s your chance to wear that costume from the back of your closet. Come celebrate Halloween a little early with our 2nd Annual Halfway to HNO Bar Crawl.

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 39

We’ll make our way through the Quarter hitting all the favorite spots, stopping for sips & drinks every few blocks, and raffling off a HOST pass at our last stop. Costumes are not mandatory but highly encouraged. We’re having a

costume contest & will announce the winners at the crawl’s end. The fee is $20 until May 10; $25 day of the event.

Everyone will receive a special Halfway to HNO cup that will allow you to get all the drink specials along the route. Ev-

eryone 21+ is welcome to join.

Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch: Artisan Cafe; 2514 St. Claude Avenue; 11 a.m. Vanessa Carr presents Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch at Artisan Cafe featuring an amazing menu and awe-

some entertainment! Come celebrate with the phenomenal talents of Vanessa Carr Kennedy and Friends! Make your reservation at www.eventbrite. com.

FINANCIAL & BUSINESS Making a Smart Move in Retirement Scot I. Billeaudeau, JD, LL.M. ADPA® s.billeaudeau@ampf.com Searching for warmer weather, moving closer to adult children and grandkids or pursuing a change in scenery are just a few reasons why many Americans choose to move in retirement. These retirees often relocate for emotional reasons, but it’s important to consider the financial impacts, too. If you have a desire to pull up roots in retirement, pause to think about the following financial items.

Consider the costs to sell your home. Even if you’re downsizing, trading spaces comes with a price tag.

Staging, finding a realtor, hiring a moving company and cleaning services are all expenses that may be key to putting your home on the market. You may need to be prepared to manage two mortgages for some time or be ready for a quick closing timeframe depending on the housing market in your area.

Be strategic about the long-term financial effects. If you make a profit on the sale of your current home, use

the money to fund one of your financial goals. Adding it to your retirement fund, investing it to pay for your grandkids’ college education, or putting it into a trust are some of the many ways the windfall can accelerate achieving a financial milestone. If you acquire a higher mortgage to purchase your new home, map out how the additional debt impacts your retirement long-term.

Ideally, you’ll be able to absorb the increased cost without compromising your retirement lifestyle.

Know the potential tax impacts.

Moving across state lines can change how much you pay in taxes. This is particularly true for retirees because there’s wide variation in whether and how much states tax retirement income. Property and income taxes can also vary, which may be important if you plan to work or own a business in retirement. Check with your tax professional to assess the tax impact of your new locale. If you sell your current

home and it has appreciated in value, discuss whether you owe a capital gains tax.

Research health care services in your new location. Ask your medical insurance provider if your plan covers the services, specialists, prescription drugs and medical clinics that you need near your new home. The quality of care and cost may be different than what you’re used to, so it’s important to do your research. Additionally, it’s worth thinking about the long-term care and assisted living facilities that are nearby. Even if you hope to age in your new home, knowing your options can be crucial in case you or your spouse experience an unexpected medical event.

Account for your retirement lifestyle. The reason many retirees move in retirement is to live out a lifestyle they have dreamed about for years. As you decide whether you want to move, be prepared for additional expenses

to travel, invest in a hobby or start a business. Your food and entertainment spending may also increase as you fill your newfound time and explore your new city.

Moving to pursue your retirement dreams is exciting, but there can be a lot of factors to consider in deciding when and where to purchase your new home. For help reviewing your options, connect with a realtor, financial advisor and tax professional.

Scot I. Billeaudeau, JD, LL.M. ADPA®, is a Financial Advisor with Waterfront Wealth Management, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. He specializes in addressing the unique needs of the diverse LGBTQ community, fee-based financial planning and asset management strategies, and has been in practice for 11 years.

40 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

UNDER THE GAYDAR

Along the Gulf South BATON ROUGE MONDAY

Game Night: George’s Place; 860 St. Louis St; 10p.m. Hosted by Chance

WEDNESDAY

Queens Karaoke: George’s Place; 860 St Louis St; 10p.m. Hosted by Alvin McGee Free Cover Wednesdays: Splash Nightclub; 2183 Highland Rd; 9pm

THURSDAY

Double Trouble Thursday: George’s Place; 860 St Louis St; 7pm. $6 Double Wells and $10 Double Calls Show Night: Splash Nightclub; 2183 Highland Rd; 11:30pm. Featuring the Bombshells of Baton Rouge

FRIDAY

Upstairs Karaoke: Splash Nightclub; 2183 Highland Rd; 9pm $1 Martinis 9-10pm

LAFAYETTE BOLT BAR & PATIO 114 McKinley St

THURSDAY

Thirsty Thursday; No Cover. $4 Double Wells and $2 wine

FRIDAY

The Ladies of Bolt; 11:30pm. $5 cover

SATURDAY

Dance Night; No Cover. Happy Hour 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

LAKE CHARLES CRYSTAL’S DOWNTOWN 720 Ryan Street

TUESDAY

Anything But Techno Tuesdays; 10 p.m. No Cover. Ladies drink half off

WEDNESDAY Drag Bingo & Show

THURSDAY

Drink & Drown Karaoke; $10 selective alcohol with $1 refill

THE ROUNDUP 560 E Heinberg St

TUESDAY

Karaoke; 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.

THURSDAY

Speed Quizzing Trivia; 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

FRIDAY

Drag Bingo with Monica Heart; 6 p.m.

- 8 p.m. Win cash and prizes

GALVESTON 23RD ST. STATION 1706 23rd Street

UNDER THE GAYDAR

Mobile Hot Happenings WEEKLY AT FLIP SIDE

WEEKLY AT B-BOB’S

SUNDAY Funday with Karaoke MONDAY Service Industry Night TUESDAY Karaoke WEDNESDAY Rock n Roll Bingo 8PM THURSDAY Karaoke SATURDAY SEC Football

TUESDAY Gay Bar BINGO 9:30 & 11PM THURSDAY Amateur Drag Night 11PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY Midnight Drag Show

54 S. Conception St., Mobile, AL (251) 431-8819

213 Conti St., Mobile, AL (251) 433-2262

Happy Hour every day until 7 p.m.

MONDAY

Texas Hold ‘Em 7pm

TUESDAY

Tube-ular Tuesday with Jim 8pm

ARE WE MISSING YOUR EVENTS? Email info@ambushpublishing.com

WEDNESDAY

Ladies Night w/ Piano 6pm

THURSDAY

Movie Night with Chris 8pm

FRIDAY

Live Entertainment 6pm

SATURDAY

Live Entertainment 9pm

SUNDAY

Sing Along Sundays w/ Piano 4pm7pm

RUMORS

3102 Seawall Blvd.

Happy Hour every day until 7 p.m.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY Show Nights 11 p.m. & 12:30 a.m.

SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY Karaoke 8 p.m.

SUNDAY

The Sunday T with Carly & Kymber 4:30 p.m.

PENSACOLA www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 41

LGBT Owned & Friendly Business Directory

bars

Ambush Magazine is growing!

Join Our Team!

Freelance & Contributing Writers Photographers Distribution Ad Sales

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. Café Lafitte in Exile is the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the United States.

CORNER POCKET, 940 St. Louis, 568.9829, CornerPocket.NET COUNTRY CLUB, 634 Louisa St., TheCountryClubNewOrleans.COM, 945.0742 CUTTER’S, 706 Franklin, 948.4200 CROSSING (formerly 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. Designed for a casual night out or a quiet evening with that special someone, we offer a wide selection of liquor, beer, and the world renowned Separator.

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 NAPOLEON’S ITCH, 734 Bourbon St., 237-4144 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. Leather, Dark Rooms, & Bears All Around. You can feel the throb of excitement and smell it in the air. This isn’t just a bar. This is an experience!

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. More than just a hardware store, Mary’s Ace French Quarter Hardware also features an extensive selection of kitchen and bath items upstairs.

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

42 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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, P.O. Box 2587, LaPlace, LA 70069, 522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; email: info@ambushpublishing.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, 433 N Broad St, New Orleans, LA 70119, www. armeinius.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 Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans (MCCNO), 5401 S. Claiborne Ave — Pastor Alisan Rowland: New Orleans first LGBTQ church welcomes you to join us for our weekly Sunday worship services at 10:00 AM, where we celebrate God’s Love for everyone.

CRESCENT CITY LEATHERMEN, c/o The Phoenix Bar Complex, 941 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70117, ccl@crescentcityleathermen.com, www. crescentcityleathermen.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.

photography

New Orleans, LA [504] GRAHAM/STUDIO ONE NEW ORLEANS, by appointment, grahamstudioone. com

restaurants

op.com New Orleans, LA [504] The Bombay Club, 830 Rue Conti, 577.2237, www.bombayclubneworleans. com Broussard’s Restaurant & Courtyard, 819 Rue Conti, 581.3866, http://broussards.com 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. Since 1939, our quirky, cozy, unique diner has been home to the best breakfasts & burgers on Bourbon Street–maybe even the whole French Quarter!

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 Louisiana Pizza Kitchen Uptown, 615 S Carrollton Ave, 866-5900, www.louisianapizzakitchenuptown.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.RoyalHouseRestau-

rant.com

real estate

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 Realtor, 504.258.1800, SteveRichardsProperties.com

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

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

LGBT+ Archives Project OF LOUISIANA

Getting Our History Out of the Closet www.lgbtarchiveslouisiana.org

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Metairie, LA [504] Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop & Pub, 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., 835.2022, GumboSt-

1040 ELYSIAN FIELDS AVE. NEW ORLEANS, LA 70117

GENE’S: 504-943-3861 ILY’S: 504-947-8341

Get Listed for $10 per Issue Want to see your business, organization, or event in our next issue?

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www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com 43 Untitled-6 1 6/1/18 12:49·PM

WORD SEARCH

Gay Easter Parade Platinum, Gold, Silver & Bronze Sponsors Locate the given words in the grid, running in one of eight possible directions horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

CHALLENGE: How many can you find? Tag us and your completed puzzle on Facebook @AmbushMag

Our legacy is yours.

New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE) provides services and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender older adults in the New Orleans metro area.

We host regular social events for LGBT older adults and their allies, and we provide cultural competency trainings for healthcare and other service providers.

To learn more, visit www.noagenola.org, or call (504)517-2345.

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Want More Puzzles?

Email us at info@ ambushpublishing. com with ideas, suggestions, feedback, etc. on content for the comic/puzzle section.

44 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Sipps Bar Gulfport, MS PHOTOS BY DWAIN HERTZ

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 www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 45

Saints 2019 schedule features plenty of national spotlight games CCS Staff, Crescent City Sports The complete New Orleans Saints schedule for the 2019 regular season has been released. The reigning NFC South champions will play at least seven games in the national spotlight including the first four of the season.

New Orleans hosts the Houston Texans in the first game of the ESPN Monday Night Football doubleheader on Week 1. What follows are two tough games away against NFC West powers Los Angeles and Seattle on backto-back Sunday afternoons in the featured late game time slot.

The Saints have four primetime games in 2019 – the opener, a Week 4 home game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, a Thanksgiving night meeting with the Atlanta Falcons for a second straight season (this time in Atlanta) and a Monday night game on Dec. 16 against the Indianapolis Colts.

While we will learn more after the official announcement, it’s possible the Saints requested the Rams and Seahawks games back-to-back and will stay on the west coast between games, as several NFL teams have done in recent years.

Saints 2019 Schedule SAINTS OFFICIAL RELEASE: The New Orleans Saints an-

nounced today their 2019 regular season schedule, which kicks off at home on Monday night, September 9 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome against the Houston Texans and features four prime time games.

The Saints will open their season at home for the second consecutive season, when they play the Texans on Monday Night Football (6:10 p.m.

CT), marking the first time they open at home on Monday night since 1990 (September 10, 1990 vs. San Francisco).

After opening at home, the Saints will take play at a pair of NFC West rivals for the next two contests, starting in Week 2 when they play the Los Angeles Rams on September 15 and then go up the coast to face the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on September 22, both contests with a 3:25 p.m. CT kickoff. New Orleans will return home for a Sunday Night Football contest against the Dallas Cowboys on September 29 (7:20 p.m. CT). New Orleans’ first four games of the season are against 2018 playoff qualifiers. The Dallas tilt will be followed by their first NFC South matchup and noon kickoff contest of the season, when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (October 6).

After the Week 4 Buccaneers go). matchup, the Saints will move into a New Orleans’s eight road games in stretch of two consecutive road games 2019 will have the team travel 16,960 at Jacksonville (October 13; noon) and miles (roundtrip) away from home afa matchup at 2018 NFC North chamter they traveled a total of 13,734 miles pion Chicago (October 20), which will (roundtrip) in 2018. The longest trip will have a 3:25 p.m. CT kickoff. New Orbe the Week 3 trek to Seattle (5,428 leans will close out the month of Octomiles roundtrip). In 2017, the Saints ber by returning to the Mercedes-Benz traveled 24,004 miles with the longest Superdome, where they will host the trip being a Week 4 contest against Arizona Cardinals on October 27 with Miami in London’s Wembley Stadia noon kickoff. um (9,274 miles The Saints have four prime- roundtrip).

Following a Week 9 bye, New Thanks to time games in 2019 – the Orleans will play opener, a Week 4 home game an away schedfour consecutive ule that includes NFC South con- against the Dallas Cowboys on road contests at tests in the month Sunday night, a Thanksgiving NFC South foes of November. In night meeting with the Atlanta Carolina, Tampa Week 10, New Bay and Atlanta Falcons for a second straight and at the Rams, Orleans will host season (this time in Atlanta) Seahawks, Jagthe Atlanta Falcons (November and a Monday night game on uars, Bears and 10), followed by the Saints Dec. 16 against the Indianapo- Titans, the road matchup will leave the Cenlis Colts. to close out the tral Time Zone 2019 slate against six times over the Tampa Bay (November 17). The Saints course of the season to play four conwill host the Carolina Panthers on Notests in the Eastern Time Zone and two vember 24. The Saints will then play on in the Western Time Zone.

Thanksgiving night for the second conAll New Orleans Saints games can secutive season when they play Atlanbe heard on WWL Radio (870 AM and ta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 105.3 FM). PRIMESPORT, the Official 13 (November 28, 7:20 p.m. CT). The Fan Travel and Hospitality Partner of NFC South rivalry game will be nationthe New Orleans Saints, has exclually televised on NBC. This will be the sive home and away game packages fourth time in franchise history that the for Saints fans. For more information, Saints will play four consecutive diviplease visit PRIMESPORT.com. sion games, joining October, 1976 as A look at the Saints’ 2019 regular only the other time they have occurred season opponents, and dates: in the same month. vs. Houston Texans (September The Saints will begin the month 9): The series is tied 2-2, with Housof December with a home matchup ton having won the last meeting at against an old NFC West rival when NRG Stadium on November 29, 2015, they host the San Francisco 49ers 24-6…New Orleans has won both (December 8). In Week 15, New Orlehome meetings against the Texans… ans will host the Indianapolis Colts in With New Orleans’ first inter-confertheir final home regular season contest ence matchup of 2019, the Saints will of the season (Monday, December 17, look to have the same success they 7:15 p.m. CT). The Saints will close out had in 2018 when they swept their their regular season with two straight AFC North slate…New Orleans has road games for the first time since won their last seven inter-conference 1996 and for only the fourth time in matchups…It will be the first time that franchise history. The Saints will play the Saints have opened the season at the Tennessee Titans on December hosting a team on Monday Night Foot22 and will close out the 2019 regular ball since a 13-12 loss to San Franseason with a Week 17 home contest cisco on September 10, 1990…New at Carolina (December 29), with both Orleans will be looking to break a fivecontests having noon kickoffs. game losing streak in season openers.

Seven of the Saints’ 16 games will at Los Angeles Rams (September be against teams that finished with a 15): The Rams lead the regular season winning percentage of .500 or better in series 41-33 after a 45-35 Saints win 2018, with contests against six 2018 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on playoff clubs – Chicago, Dallas, HousNovember 4, 2018…In that contest, ton, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and wide receiver Michael Thomas had Seattle. New Orleans will play each of a fourth quarter 72-yard touchdown their NFC South rivals twice, one game reception on a day where he finished each against each of the NFC West with 12 receptions for a franchise-reand AFC South teams and will play the cord 211 yards… New Orleans has an 2018 first place teams in the NFC East 11-15 record in contests against the (vs. Dallas) and NFC North (at ChicaRams played in Southern California…

46 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · April 23 – May 6, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

The Saints and Rams have split their two postseason matchups, including a 26-23 Saints overtime loss in the NFC Championship game on January 20…

Including that matchup, the Saints and Rams will meet for the eighth time in the last 10 years…The contest is the first of four matchups against NFC West opponents at Seattle Seahawks (September 22): The Saints will face the Seahawks for the 14th time in the regular season, with New Orleans leading the series 7-6 and Seattle having captured both playoff contests…The Saints have a 3-4 record in regular season contests played in Seattle…New Orleans will be looking for their first win in Seattle since a 28-17 victory on October 14, 2007. vs. Dallas Cowboys (September 29): Dallas owns a 17-12 advantage in the series, but the Saints have won five of eight meetings since Sean Payton, who served on the Cowboys coaching staff from 2003-05, became head coach in 2006…New Orleans has a 7-3 record against the Cowboys in contests played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome…The last time the clubs met in New Orleans was October 4, 2015 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in a 26-20 Saints win where Brees tossed an 80-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage of overtime…The last three Saints-Cowboys matchups have all been on prime time…New Orleans has a 20-14 record on Sunday Night Football, including 10-1 under Payton.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. October 6, at November 17): New Orleans holds a 33-21 edge in the all-time series against the Buccaneers, the club’s best winning percentage (.611) versus an NFL opponent that they have played more than 11 times…New Orleans is 18-12 all-time at home against Tampa Bay and 15-9 in contests played at Tampa, including a 28-14 win on December 9, 2018, with which they clinched the NFC South for the second consecutive season…In 2018, the Saints and Buccaneers split the season series for the fourth consecutive season with each club winning the road contest. at Jacksonville Jaguars (October 13): The Saints lead the all-time series 4-2, following a 38-27 win at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 27, 2015…New Orleans has won the last three contests over Jacksonville, all under Payton…Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone served as offensive coordinator/offensive line on Payton’s coaching staff in New Orleans from 2006-08…Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles, who both attended Austin (Texas) Westlake High School, joining Peyton and Eli Manning (Newman High School-New Orleans) as the only two Super Bowl-winning quarterback duos from the same high school…

Brees has posted a 2-0 record against Foles in two playoff contests when

he was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, including last season’s 20-14 NFC Divisional Playoff win. at Chicago Bears (October 20): Chicago has a 15-13 edge in the regular season series and 2-0 in the postseason, but New Orleans rides a four-game winning streak against the Bears…New Orleans has an 8-8 regular season record against the Bears. vs. Arizona Cardinals (October 27): The Saints have a 14-15 regular season record against the Cardinals and captured the playoff meeting between the two clubs…New Orleans has a 6-3 regular season record against the Cardinals in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and also have a 45-14 win in the NFC Divisional Playoff on January 16, 2010…Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury spent the 2004 season on the Saints practice squad at quarterback and went to training camp with the club in 2005 Atlanta Falcons (vs. November 10, at November 28): The Saints and Falcons will face off on Thanksgiving night for the second consecutive season, following a 31-17 Saints win on November 22 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome…New Orleans swept the season series against the Falcons for the 15thtime in the series in 2018, the seventh time under Payton as head coach…It will be the 13th time in 15 years that

the Saints and Falcons will play on prime time after the two clubs did so only three times between 1967-2004, with New Orleans holding an 9-6 edge in the 15 prime time contests between the two clubs…It marks the third consecutive year and the fourth time in five seasons that the Saints and Falcons play each other on Thursday night…

Atlanta holds a 51-48 regular-season advantage in the all-time series against the Saints, although New Orleans has won 18 of 26 meetings since 2006…

The Saints have played the Falcons 99 times in the regular season, more than any other opponent…The November 10 meeting will be the 100th regular season matchup between the clubs…

The Saints are 25-24 all-time against the Falcons at home…New Orleans is 23-27 all-time in games played at Atlanta.

Carolina Panthers (vs. November 24, at December 29): The Panthers lead the regular season series 25-23 with the Saints capturing the only playoff meeting between the two clubs….

The Saints are 12-12 all-time on the road against the Panthers and 11-13 at home in the regular season…This will be the second consecutive time the Saints and Panthers close out the regular season and the tenth time since Carolina entered the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1995.

vs. San Francisco (December 8): The 49ers hold a 47-26-2 edge in the all-time series, but Payton has a 6-1 regular season record against San Francisco… As members of the NFC West from 1970-2001, the club’s played two times a season during that period. vs. Indianapolis Colts (December 16): New Orleans has posted a 7-5 record against the Colts in the regular season and also defeated Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLIV, 31-17 on February 7, 2010 in South Florida…The Saints have a 4-1 edge over the Colts in contests at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome…New Orleans will play on Monday Night Football in Week 15 for the second consecutive season, following up on a 12-9 victory at Carolina on December 17, 2018. at Tennessee Titans (December 22): The Titans lead the all-time series 8-5-1…New Orleans had a 2-1-1 record at the Astrodome when the franchise was the Houston Oilers and have split two meetings in Tennessee since the club relocated to Nashville.

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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