Ambush Magazine Volume 37 Issue 12

THE OFFICIAL GAY MAGAZINE OF THE GULF SOUTH™

A Biweekly Publication Celebrating LGBTQ Life, Music & Culture Since 1982 VOLUME 37 ISSUE 12

TUESDAY, June 4, 2019

Official Pride Guide™

www.AMBUSHMAG.com

THE “OFFICIAL” DISH

by TJ ACOSTA, PUBLISHER

Dear Ambush Nation, PRIDE IS HERE!!! In New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast, June is pride month, and we are so excited. There are so many events—from Houston to Pensacola and from Birmingham to Baton Rouge—that you don’t want to miss! From pride parades to drag brunches, and from outdoor festivals to drag bingo, there is something for everyone. This issue of Ambush is our Official Pride Guide™, with everything you need to know to have the best pride experience ever—no matter where along the Gulf South you choose to celebrate!

It’s also important to remember that June is pride month in honor of the Stonewall riots that began in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 in New York City. Speaking of New York City, it is the host this year to World Pride as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. And although 50 years have passed, we are still fighting for equality for ALL in the LGBTQ community, especially our brothers and sisters of color and members of the trans community. Let us remember, not only during pride month, but all year long, that we are all in this fight together.

THE 31ST ANNUAL GAY APPRECIATION AWARDS Ambush is excited to once again present the Gay Appreciation Awards (GAA). Through the GAA, we honor members of the LGBTQ com-

munity who are often not recognized for their services and efforts. The 31st Annual GAA will take place on Saturday, July 20th at 7PM at Oz. Part of the proceeds from this year’s event will benefit Southern Decadence 2019.

VIP tables will be available for $100, and regular tickets to the event will be $10. To reserve a VIP table, email us at info@ambushpublishing.com.

Like last year, the GAA will be a two-step process. Nominations are currently live, and will continue through June 14th. Anyone can be nominated, and you can be nominated for multiple awards. After the nomination period, you can vote online from June 18th through July 9th to choose the winners. Once voting is complete, we will announce the top five in each category.

We’ve also added several categories this year, and combined a few others.

To nominate someone for a GAA, or for more information, check out GayAppreciationAwards.com.

In the next few weeks, Ambush will announce the recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest award presented at the GAA. While nominations are accepted for this award, the winner is chosen by Ambush and the GAA Board of Directors.

We are so excited for this year’s GAA gala, and hope you are as well. Please make plans to spend Saturday, July 20th with us at Oz, as we celebrate and recognize the wonderful accomplishments of many individuals, busi-

Inside this Issue of Ambush Community Announcements

6-13

Artist Spotlight: Curating Gay Carnival: An Interview with Wayne Phillips

14-16

Trodding the Boards

18-20

Musings by Catherine: Past and Present: Pride and Freedom for ALL

22-24

THE ROCKFORD FILES: Like A Good Neighbor… Part 1

24-26

Interviews from Key West: Will ‘Making Waves’ be the Queerest Aquatic Romance Yet? Community Voice: Pride is a Process: Overcoming Internalized Stigma

30 32-34

Moments in Gay New Orleans History: 1977: Pageants and Rags and Courts—O My!

34

Book Review: Jimmy Neurosis

36

A Community within Communities: Pride and the Church

36

Health & Wellness: PrEP Privacy - Delivered Straight to Your Door

38

Official Pride Guide™

42-52

Party Down

54-55

Under the GayDar Hot Happenings

56-68

Will You Spend Your Retirement Savings or Leave It Behind? The Answer May Surprise You LGBT Owned & Friendly Business Directory

69 70-72

WordSearch & Comic

74

Sports 77-78

29

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

nesses, and organizations within the LGBTQ community.

GAY EASTER PARADE FUNDRAISING NUMBERS The numbers are in, and this year’s Gay Easter Parade was a huge success. After expenses, we were able to raise a total of $16,007.63 for Food for Friends, a division of CrescentCare. Since 2003, the Gay Easter Parade has raised $315,932.42 for Food for Friends. This would not be possible without the help and dedication of our sponsors and the Gay Easter Parade Board: Tony Leggio, Electra City, Anthony Lala, Jr., Arthur Severio, Henry Marshall, and Darrin Duplissey. A full accounting of revenue and expenses for the parade is located in this issue of Ambush. Again, thank you to everyone who made this year’s parade such a wonderful event and fundraising success.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE) will have their next potluck dinner on Tuesday, June 25th at 6:30PM. The event will be held at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, located at 1313 Esplanade Ave. If you are able to attend, please consider bringing a dish (although not required), and a non-perishable food item for St. Anna’s Food Pantry. All ages are welcome to this event! Come eat, network and make new friends!

Winter Wonderland VIII will hold its Royalty & Sponsorship Party on Wednesday, July 24th at 6PM at the Golden Lantern. The King and Queen of this year’s Winter Wonderland, along with the two official charities will be announced. The recipient of the ICON Tribute award will also be announced.

There will be food and a mini show at this event. The King and Queen of last year’s Winter Wonderland were Rodney Thoulion and Desirée Marie Chevalier.

The New Orleans Track Club is once again hosting the New Orleans Pride Run & Walk on Saturday, August 31st. This is a family-friendly event, and will be in Crescent Park, along the Mississippi River. Members, allies, and supporters of the LGBTQ community are encouraged to participate and show their pride! Proceeds from this event will benefit the PFLAG New Orleans Scholarship Program, which recognizes outstanding LGBTQ students from Louisiana. To register, or for more information, go to www.runNOTC.org.

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 - Birmingham, 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 Adam Radd, Brian Sands, Catherine Roland, Crescent City Sports, Frank Perez, Jim Meadows, Kevin Assam, Rev. Bill Terry, Rodney Thoulion, Robert Fiesler, Ryan Rockford, Scot Billeaudeau, Tony Leggio, & Tyler Rosebush PHOTOGRAPHERS Andrew Hopkins, Dwain Hertz, Persona Shoulders, 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 · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 5

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

LadyBEAST and Vinsantos present an ode to New Orleans cabaret. June 6-9 NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — June 6 marks the beginning of the final shows of “Marquee” at Le Petit Theatre. A perfect complement to Pride New Orleans, “Marquee” features the best in drag, burlesque and vaudeville.

Indulge yourself on a decadent night of entertainment with “Vinsantos and LadyBEAST Present Marquee: A Night of Burlesque, Circus and Drag Cabaret” at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre, New Orleans’ most historic playhouse.

Cabaret has been deeply infused into the culture of New Orleans since the late 1800s. As many cities nationwide watched their cabaret and burlesque scenes fade away New Orleans has kept the culture alive and is now at the forefront of the movement.

“Marquee” pays homage to and celebrates the cabaret culture that gave rise to legends such as Julian Eltinge, Josephine Baker, Nita and Zita, and Lilly Christine AKA “the Cat Girl.” Inspired by the greats of days’ past, “Marquee,” like a dancer, leads the audience through significant events ranging from the 1890s to the 1950s. From drag to burlesque and vaudeville to circus, the cast of characters will titillate, astound and amaze in this story that only New Orleans’ cabaret could tell.

“This is a full-blown theatre production which includes the best of New Orleans’ performers. This play is an ode to the history of cabaret in New Orleans and, just as importantly, staying true to yourself,” says LadyBEAST. In addition to LadyBEAST and Vinsantos, the cast includes such local luminaries as Titibaby, Franky Canga, Sweet Tooth Simone, Cherry Bombshell and Madame Mystere.

Tickets are $25 to $35 and can be purchased on http://www.lepetittheatre. com/listings/events/. A VIP experience is available for $45 and includes premium seating, an exclusive meet-andgreet with artists and a signed Mar-

Lady Beast and Vinsantos (Photo Credit Colton Clifford Photography)

quee poster. This offer is only available through Le Petit Theatre’s box office by calling (504) 522-2081 (x1). There will be a mini-museum of historical artifacts on display in the lobby of the theatre prior to the show.

Visit https://www.ladybeastproductions.com/marquee for additional details.

About LadyBEAST – From pulling off a Houdini-esque escape out of

a straight jacket suspended over 100 feet above the Burning Man Festival to giving a Ted Talk at LSU, LadyBEAST has led an extraordinary existence that includes producing and touring, nationally and locally, the production “Levity”.

For “Marquee,” LadyBEAST has taken on the roles of co-producer, Director of Movement and Choreography and performer.

About Vinsantos – Described as

the “Queen of New Orleans Queens”

by Vice Magazine and fresh off of a nationwide tour as opening act for the legendary band Bauhaus, Vinsantos (along side Titibaby) tells the story of “Marquee” in an eloquent and heartfelt performance inspired by cabaret legend Julian Eltinge. For “Marquee,” Vinsantos is co-producer, composer of original music and performer.

LGBT+ Archives Project Annual Meeting Set for June 12 The LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana is pleased to announce its annual membership meeting will be held on June 12 at the Hotel Peter and Paul from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

The St. Peter and St. Paul Church in the Marigny has recently undergone an extensive renovation and now serves as a hotel, restaurant, bar, and event venue. The meeting will take place in the beautifully restored sanctuary of the venerable old church.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Wayne Phillips, Curator of the Carnival Collection as well as Costumes and Textiles at the Louisiana State Museum. Phillips will speak about a new

exhibit on the history of Gay Carnival he is curating at the Presbytere called Grand Illusions: The History and Artistry of Gay Carnival in New Orleans. In addition to Phillips’ lecture, Officers of the Archives Project will give updates on the Project’s successes in the last year. The event will be catered

by Martin’s Wine Cellar and wine will be provided by Bacchanal.

Grand Illusions will open at The Presbytere on June 6 and run through December 2020. The LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana recently awarded a $5,000.00 grant to the Louisiana State Museum to help produce the exhibit. The exhibit will be the first ever

to deal with Gay Carnival. The exhibition’s title is inspired by the theme of the 1976 Armeinius Ball, “An Evening of Grand Illusions.”

This pioneering, in-depth look at the intriguing history and extraordinary visual artistry of Gay Carnival will showcase the artists and their work with a wide range of artifacts, and will include costumes and videos from the famous tableau balls of many of the krewes. Over 100 items will be presented, many of which have never before been seen by the public.

Phillips, who has worked over three years preparing the exhibit, will give attendees at the Archives Project

meeting an inside, behind-the-scenes look at the exhibit. Phillips is also a member of the LGBT+ Archives Project Board of Directors.

The mission of the LGBT+ Archives Project is to promote and encourage the protection and preservation of materials that chronicle the culture and history of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community in Louisiana.

The event is free and open to the public. For those who wish to join the Archives Project, annual membership is $10. You can pay your membership dues online at www.lgbtarchiveslouisiana.org/support.

6 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 7

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Condor Lands in New Orleans with Pride and Rainbow Colors

First Flight of the Summer Season Staffed with All-Female Cockpit Crew and All-Male Cabin Crew Who Will March in New Orleans Pride Parade Alongside Condor Float Just in time for New Orleans Pride, our commitment to celebrate each inPride Weekend coincide with their first gage, complimentary beverages and Condor, Germany’s most popular leidividual’s heritage, gender, sexual summer arrival, but they are the first meals and complimentary in-flight ensure airline announces that its first orientation and personal identity by airline to participate in our parade in tertainment included in their base fare. flight of the summer season will arrive participating in the New Orleans Pride the last ten years. We know that the Premium Class passengers receive at Louis Armstrong New Orleans InterParade this year – not only onsite, but flight crew will enjoy the New Orleans seats with added legroom, leg rests national Airport from Frankfurt on June also with a special Pride Crew on Conhospitality and the energetic crowds on and adjustable headrests, a premium 6 at 7:35p. The Boeing 767-300 will be dor’s first nonstop flight from Frankfurt the parade route through the French in-flight, in-seat entertainment system piloted by an all-female cockpit crew this season,” said Christoph Debus, Quarter,” said Darryl Martin, New Orlewith extended programming, USB and serviced by an all-male, gay cabin Chief Airline Officer of the Thomas ans Pride Parade Captain. ports at every seat, premium meals crew. The crew will march in the New Cook Group Airline, Condor’s parent “New Orleans celebrates like no and complimentary beverages and an Orleans Pride Parade on June 8th. company. other place, and we are thrilled to in-flight, well-being amenity kit. ConCondor provides twice- weekly service “Condor is returning to MSY for a welcome Condor Airlines to celebrate dor’s Business Class features reclining from New Orleans to its Frankfurt hub third season with nonstop service to Pride and be embraced by the city’s diseats (170 degrees), a personal inwith connecting service to more than Germany and beyond, and we couldn’t versity,” said Stephen Perry, President seat, premium touch-screen (15 inch250 destinations throughout Europe be more thrilled. This flight brings more and CEO of New Orleans & Company es) entertainment system, power and and beyond. With an extensive air and and more international visitors to expeand 2017 Grand Marshal of New OrleUSB ports at every seat and gourmet, rail partner network, Condor makes rience the unique spirit and vibrancy ans Pride. “Everyone is welcome to be five-course meals with complimentary traveling from New Orleans to Pride of New Orleans. We are grateful for their true selves in New Orleans, and wine, beer and cocktails and an inevents across Germany and Europe Condor’s commitment to this commuwe are honored to have the men and flight, well-being amenity kit. Business easy this summer. Fares from New nity and hope to see the relationship women of Condor airlines walk alongClass passengers also have access Orleans to Frankfurt start as low as continue to grow,” said Kevin Dolliole, side us in solidarity of tolerance and to priority check-in and business class $299.99.* Director of Aviation for Louis Armstrong acceptance for all.” lounges at most airports.

“As an international airline, we’re New Orleans International Airport.

Condor Airlines features three *Fares are sample fares, are subbuilding bridges between people, cul“We are excited to welcome Conclasses (Business, Premium and Econject to availability and restrictions do tures and traditions around the globe. It dor Airlines’ participation in the New omy). All Condor long-haul passengers apply. Visit www.condorairlines.com. is therefore Condor’s pleasure to show Orleans Pride Parade. Not only does receive complimentary checked bag-

SLVHCS Director receives VA Diversity & Inclusion Excellence Award Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS) Director Fernando O. Rivera has accepted the seventh annual VA Secretary’s Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Award. This honor is awarded to individuals and teams who grow a diverse, high-performing workforce that reflects all segments of our society and values all aspects of our human diversity; cultivate an inclusive work environment and create an engaged organization that leverages diversity and empowers all contributors; and facilitate outstanding, responsive public service.

Putting our Veterans at the center of everything we do at SLVHCS is how we provide the world-class health care that our Veterans have earned and deserve. Mr. Rivera’s team consists of a hard-working group of senior executives, Minority Veterans Program, LGBTQ and Women’s Health Program Directors, Diversity & Inclusion Office team members and Special Emphasis Program Managers (SEPM) who support trust and open communication to foster a diverse workforce and an inclusive environment for employees and Veterans. As health care professionals, it is essential that we are sensitive, aware and understand the unique health care needs of all our Veterans. We believe that by being an inclusive health care environment, our Veterans will have trust and confidence in us, and increased satisfaction with their health care.

Mr. Rivera demonstrates a 24/7,

Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS) Director Fernando O. Rivera sitting with his award, surrounded by coworkers

100 percent commitment to diversity and inclusion, resulting in the creation of Cultural Competency training for staff. Due to the demand and popularity of this training by managers, it became a part of the facility’s supervisor curricula. This training supports engagement and provides supervisors the tools to mentor employees who communicate, operate, and reflect an environment that encourages diversity and inclusion.

Our SEPMs and the Diversity and Inclusion staff play an integral role in creating an inclusive work environment through continued ethnic, cultural and special observances planned and executed at the New Orleans Veterans medical center. These observances promote learning and foster an envi-

ronment that highlights cultural diversity and inclusion throughout the health care system, to include our geographically separated community-based outpatient clinics. Each year they research new and creative ways to educate our staff, Veterans and their families.

Our LGBTQ Special Emphasis Program Sub-Committee also participates in the New Orleans PRIDE Parades and provides outreach materials, such as brochures on health care benefits and services, from a decorated VA vehicle and a new float that roll in the parade. Additionally, through their efforts, the health care system was designated as a leader in the LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) for the last two years. The HEI is a national LGBTQ benchmarking tool that evalu-

ates health care facilities’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of LGBTQ patients, visitors and employees.

Under Mr. Rivera’s leadership, we have worked together to make tremendous impacts on the quality of life of our Veterans, no matter their race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. Because our staff believe in a diverse and inclusive workforce that understands and appreciates the differences between people, we will continue to make great strides in meeting the needs of the diverse population we proudly serve.

8 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dine Out on June 6 to support HIV and cancer services; Extra donation gets you an entry to win Antigua vacation Join local food sensation and local Dining Out For Life spokesperson Poppy Tooker and national Dining Out spokesperson Mondo Guerra for the 25th Annual Dining Out For Life benefitting CrescentCare-NO/AIDS Task Force. All proceeds stay local and support Food For Friends with a pantry service and home delivered meals.

“All you have to do is do what we do best in New Orleans – EAT!,” Tooker said. By eating in one of the participat-

ing restaurants, a portion the proceeds will goi back to the agency to support its clients in need.

“The demand for Food For Friends continues to remain strong,” said Donald Gardner, Food For Friends manager. “This is one of the few programs (of CrescentCare-NO/AIDS Task Force) that is not underwritten by grant funding. Nutrition has been proven to be an important part of a medication regimen. Nutrition aids people in becom-

ing stable and places them on a path to recovery.”

By the numbers here is the breakdown of the program: • 27,000 meals delivered annually • 185,000 pounds of food is distributed • 540 unduplicated clients of the pantry • 72 unduplicated clients of home delivered meals • 45 clients per week for home delivered meals

• $500 a month to feed one client on home delivered meals • 4153 pantry visits in a year The program generally raises between $40 and $50,000 annually for food services.

Donate an extra five dollars or more at the restaurant through available envelopes and become eligible to win a trip to Antigua.

Participating 2019 Dining Out for Life Restaurants* Restaurant

Phone

Donation

Meals

Adolfo’s

(504) 948-3800

Donating $250

Dinner

Avery’s on Tulane

(504) 821-4110

Donating 20%

Lunch

Banana Blossom

(504) 392-7530

Donating 50%

Dinner, Lunch

Donating 20%

Dinner

Bayou Market Buffet at Boomtown Casino and Hotel Bistro Orleans

(504) 304-1469

Donating 50%

Dinner, Lunch

Brennan’s

(504) 525-9711

Donating $Gay Pride Happy Hour

Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Happy Hour, Lunch

Buffa’s Bar & Restaurant

(504) 628-3640

Donating 20%

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Cafe Amelie

(504) 412-8965

Donating 100%

Brunch, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch

Cafe Dauphine

(504) 309-6391

Donating 20%

Dinner, Lunch

Cafe Degas

(504) 945-5635

Donating 20%

Dinner, Lunch

Cafe Minh

(504) 482-6266

Donating 25%

Dinner, Lunch

Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop

(504) 835-2022

Donating 25%

Dinner, Lunch

The Country Club

(504) 945-0742

Donating 25%

Dinner, Lunch

Cru by Marlon Alexander

(504) 266-2856

Donating 25%

Dinner

Cunada Taqueria

(504) 319-8116

Donating 25%

Dinner

EAT

(504) 522-7222

Donating 50%

Brunch, Dinner, Lunch

Faubourg Bistro/700 Club

(504) 561-1095

Donating 20%

Dinner, Lunch

The Grill Room at Windsor Court

(504) 596-4798

Donating 20%

Dinner

High Hat Cafe

(504) 754-1336

Donating 25%

Dinner, Lunch

Jack Dempsey’s

(504) 512-1397

Donating 20%

Dinner, Lunch

Katie’s

(504) 488-6582

Donating 50%

Dinner, Lunch

La Crêpe Nanou

(504) 899-2670

Donating 75%

Dinner

Louisiana Pizza Kitchen – Uptown

(504) 866-5900

Donating 25%

Dinner, Lunch

Mark Twain’s Pizza

(504) 832-8032

Donating 20%

Dinner, Lunch

Maypop

(504) 518-6345

Donating 75%

Dinner, Lunch

Meauxbar

(504) 569-9979

Donating 25%

Dinner

Mona Lisa Restaurant

(504) 522-6746

Donating 25%

Dinner, Lunch

Mopho

(504) 810-1645

Donating 75%

Dinner, Lunch

Muriel’s Jackson Square

(504) 568-1885

Donating 100%

Dinner, Lunch

Nacho Mama’s

(504) 736-1188

Donating 20%

Dinner, Lunch

Pagoda Cafe

(504) 908-9384

Donating 20%

Breakfast, Lunch

Petite Amelie

(504) 412-8065

Donating 100%

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Polly’s Bywater Cafe

(504) 459-4571

Donating 25%

Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch

Restaurant des Familles

(504) 689-7834

Donating 25%

Dinner, Lunch

Saba

(504) 324-7770

Donating 20%

Dinner

Santa Fe

(504) 948-0077

Donating 25%

Dinner, Lunch

SoBou

Donating $Drag Brunch Donation

Spudly’s Super Spuds

(504) 261-7783

Donating 25%

Tableau

(504) 934-3463

Donating $Hendrick's Gay Pride Happy Hour

Dinner, Lunch

*as of printing time For complete, up-to-date list, visit: https://www.diningoutforlife.com/city/new-orleans/ www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 9

Important Facts About DOVATO This is only a brief summary of important information about DOVATO and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and treatment.

What is the Most Important Information I Should Know about DOVATO? If you have both human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, DOVATO can cause serious side effects, including: • Resistant HBV infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV infection before you start treatment with DOVATO. If you have HIV-1 and hepatitis B, the hepatitis B virus can change (mutate) during your treatment with DOVATO and become harder to treat (resistant). It is not known if DOVATO is safe and effective in people who have HIV-1 and HBV infection.

• Worsening of HBV infection. If you have HIV-1 and HBV infection, your HBV may get worse (flare-up) if you stop taking DOVATO. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before. Worsening liver disease can be serious and may lead to death. ° Do not run out of DOVATO. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your DOVATO is all gone. ° Do not stop DOVATO without first talking to your healthcare provider. If you stop taking DOVATO, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your liver.

What is DOVATO? DOVATO is a prescription medicine that is used without other antiretroviral medicines to treat HIV-1 infection in adults: who have not received antiretroviral medicines in the past, and without known resistance to the medicines dolutegravir or lamivudine.

HIV-1 is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It is not known if DOVATO is safe and effective in children.

Who should not take DOVATO? Do Not Take DOVATO if You: • have ever had an allergic reaction to a medicine that contains dolutegravir or lamivudine.

• take dofetilide.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before using DOVATO? Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you: • have or have had liver problems, including hepatitis B or C infection.

• have kidney problems.

• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. One of the medicines in DOVATO (dolutegravir) may harm your unborn baby. ° You should not take DOVATO if you are planning to become pregnant or during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Your healthcare provider may prescribe a different medicine if you are planning to become pregnant or become pregnant during treatment with DOVATO. ° If you can become pregnant, your healthcare provider will perform a pregnancy test before you start treatment with DOVATO. ° If you can become pregnant, you should consistently use effective birth control (contraception) during treatment with DOVATO. ° Tell your healthcare provider right away if you are planning to become pregnant, you become pregnant, or think you may be pregnant during treatment with DOVATO.

©2019 ViiV Healthcare or licensor.

DLLADVT190005 May 2019 Produced in USA.

Learn more about Alphonso and DOVATO at DOVATO.com

Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you: (cont’d) • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take DOVATO. ° You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. ° One of the medicines in DOVATO (lamivudine) passes into your breastmilk. ° Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Some medicines interact with DOVATO. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

• You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with DOVATO. • Do not start taking a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take DOVATO with other medicines.

What are Possible Side Effects of DOVATO? DOVATO can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “What is the Most Important Information I Should Know about DOVATO?” section.

• Allergic reactions. Call your healthcare provider right away if you develop a rash with DOVATO. Stop taking DOVATO and get medical help right away if you develop a rash with any of the following signs or symptoms: fever; generally ill feeling; tiredness; muscle or joint aches; blisters or sores in mouth; blisters or peeling of the skin; redness or swelling of the eyes; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; problems breathing.

• Liver problems. People with a history of hepatitis B or C virus may have an increased risk of developing new or worsening changes in certain liver tests during treatment with DOVATO. Liver problems, including liver failure, have also happened in people without a history of liver disease or other risk factors. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your liver.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms of liver problems: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark or “tea-colored” urine; light-colored stools (bowel movements); nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area.

• Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis). Lactic acidosis is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms that could be signs of lactic acidosis: feel very weak or tired; unusual (not normal) muscle pain; trouble breathing; stomach pain with nausea and vomiting; feel cold, especially in your arms and legs; feel dizzy or lightheaded; and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

• Lactic acidosis can also lead to severe liver problems, which can lead to death. Your liver may become large (hepatomegaly) and you may develop fat in your liver (steatosis). Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the signs or symptoms of liver problems which are listed above under “Liver problems.” You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female or very overweight (obese).

SO MUCH GOES INTO WHO I AM HIV MEDICINE SHOULD BE THE LEAST OF IT. Reasons to ask your doctor about DOVATO: DOVATO can help you reach and then stay undetectable* with just 2 medicines in 1 pill. That means fewer medicines† in your body while taking DOVATO You can take it any time of day with or without food (around the same time each day)—giving you flexibility DOVATO is a once-a-day complete treatment for adults who are new to HIV-1 medicine.

Results may vary. *Undetectable means reducing the HIV in your blood to very low levels (less than 50 copies per mL). † As compared with 3-drug regimens.

ALPHONSO‡ Living with HIV

What are Possible Side Effects of DOVATO (cont’d)?

• Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having new symptoms after you start taking DOVATO. • The most common side effects of DOVATO include: headache; diarrhea; nausea; trouble sleeping; and tiredness.

These are not all the possible side effects of DOVATO. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Where Can I Find More Information?

• Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

• Go to DOVATO.com or call 1-877-844-8872, where you can also get FDA-approved labeling.

Trademark is owned by or licensed to the ViiV Healthcare group of companies.

Compensated by ViiV Healthcare

‡

Could DOVATO be right for you? Ask your doctor today.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sales from Pride Poster by David McPherson Benefit Food for Friends Local artist David McPherson has created an original Pride Poster.

McPherson says his inspiration for his creation is New Orleans and French Quarter architecture combined with Pride and the colors of the rainbow flag.

Prints of the this poster may be purchased online at crescentcare.org/donate or at Bourbon Pride. McPherson will also have a booth a Pride Fest. All proceeds of the print will benefit Food For Friends, a food program for those living with HIV of CrescentCare-NO/ AIDS Task Force. Poster are $20. Online purchase incurs a $5 shipping fee.

The Food For Friends (FFF) Program of NO/AIDS Task Force has been supplying groceries, household/ personal care products, and Home Delivered Meals to clients and their families in the greater New Orleans area for over two decades. FFF is one of the 38 programs that NO/AIDS Task Force offers to the HIV and AIDS infected and affected community. NO/ AIDS has been serving the community for over 30 years.

Pride Poster benefiting Food for Friends

New Orleans Minister Was First U.S. Gay Activist New Discovery Documents First U.S. Gay Rights Activist: The Reverend Carl Schlegel Jonathan Ned Katz OutHistory.org outhistory@gmail.com As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Resistance for initiating a new era of LGBT militant activism, we can now also honor the pioneering activism of a Presbyterian minister 62 years earlier.

Newly discovered evidence shows that the Reverend Carl Schlegel, a German immigrant to the U.S., publicly defended homosexuals’ desires and acts in New Orleans, in 1906 and 1907. This makes him the earliest known U.S. homosexual emancipation activist, one of a dozen-or-so known pre-Stonewall politicos.

Schlegel advocated for homosexuals within his church and distributed the publications of a Berlin-based, German homosexual emancipation organization, the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee. A later pioneering activist, Henry Gerber, was inspired by that same German organization to found the Society for Human Rights in Chicago, in 1924, the first U.S. homosexual liberation organization. News of German homosexual organizing traveled internationally with these two pioneers.

The new evidence, published on OutHistory.org on June 1, 2019, appears in the Minutes of the Presbytery of New Orleans for January 29, 1907.

These Minutes report the members of the Presbytery judging Rev. Schlegel guilty of defending “the lawfulness

and naturalness of the condition, and in some cases of the actual practice of homo-sexualism, Sodomy, or Uranism. . . .”

“Uranism” was an awkward adaptation of the German “Urning,” a nineteenth-century term for a biological male understood to be born with the psyche of a female, meaning at the time, a man whose sexual desire was for men.

Schlegel’s own words were quoted. He advocated “the same laws” for “homosexuals, heterosexuals, bisexuals, [and] asexuals.” Asserting the legal equality of homosexuals and heterosexuals was a daring stance at the time. It would become a major tactic of U.S. LGBT activists later in the century. Schlegel’s including bisexuals and asexual persons in his proselytizing is the earliest-known U.S. bid for these groups’ legal equality.

This minister was also quoted as urging the same punishment for all persons who committed the following acts: “First, if they use compulsion. Second, if they are found to offend publicly.

Third, if they use or misuse children.”

On January 29, 1907, members of Presbytery of New Orleans voted to find Schlegel guilty of “sin” and fired him. Earlier, in 1905, Schlegel had also been fired from the ministry of a prominent New York church, probably

for promoting the same homosexual emancipation ideas and literature.

After Schlegel’s demotion, a New Orleans newspaper reported: to those accustomed to the proper conduct of Presbyterian ministers “Mr. Schlegel was always queer.”

I discovered the new evidence of Schlegel’s pioneering activism in the archive of the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia. Relevant pages of the major document, The Minutes of the Presbytery of New Orleans, is republished on OutHistory.

Though Schlegel’s activism appears to have had no lasting effect, his daring was remarkable. Perhaps the documentation of his activism will lead to the discovery of other lost, LGBT activist pioneers.

Carl Schlegel’s life and all the known documentation of his homosexual emancipation activities are detailed in the following new feature on OutHistory.org: The Reverend Carl Schlegel

by Jonathan Ned Katz (http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/schlegel/contents)

Carl Schlegel. Photo from a microfilm of a booklet published by the German Reformed Church, New York City, 1898. No clearer, printed copy has been discovered.

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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

New Orleanian Leather Groups Travel to Chicago for International Mr. Leather Contest Weekend

Folks from New Orleans’ leather groups, including the Crescent City Leathermen, Lords of Leather, and NOLA PaH, flocked to Chicago this past weekend for the International Mr. Leather contest weekend.

The group made sure to have a group gathering on Saturday, May 25th, at 4pm at the Congress Hotel bar.

While not everyone in town from New Orleans was able to make it, there was a very nice turnout for the get together.

Here are some pics from the weekend and the get together.

Learn more about the Crescent City Leathermen by visiting their website at https://crescentcityleathermen. org/.

Photographer Credits: The Crescent City Leathermen

SNAP PAPARAZZI NO/AGE AT THE NO/AGE MONTHLY POTLUCK ON MAY 21, 2019 | PHOTOS COURTESY OF CATHERINE ROLAND New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, was created from a steering committee of concerned residents and older adult service providers to address the challenges facing LGBT older adults in the New Orleans area.

LGBT older adults often face discrimination when seeking medical treatment, have a higher rate of poverty, are sometimes isolated after the loss of a significant other, and often feel the need to go back into the closet when living in a long-term care facility.

The unique challenges faced by LGBT older adults require a unique response. NOAGE hosts socialization/ educational events for LGBT older adults, and works to increase the cultural competency of providers through trainings and workshops.

As advocates on behalf of the LGBT older adult community, NOAGE is committed to ensuring that all LGBT older adults can live their best lives with the dignity, respect, and good health that they deserve.

Learn more about the NO/AGE by visiting their website at https://www.noagenola.org/. www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 13

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Curating Gay Carnival: An Interview with Wayne Phillips Tyler Rosebush tyrosebush@gmail.com

The pomp and splendor that awaits the public in the Louisiana State Museum’s upcoming exhibit, Grand Illusions: The History and Artistry of Gay Carnival in New Orleans, is the result of a curatorial endeavor that has spanned well over half a decade collecting the memorabilia of gay Carnival. Wayne Phillips, the museum’s Curator of Costumes and Carnival Collections, has led this effort over the years with his notably empathetic approach, making countless visits to the homes of krewe members to hear their stories. In our interview, Wayne invites us behind the scenes to recount the making of this long-awaited exhibition.

How long exactly has the curation of this show been in the works?

Actually, the first thing I brought into the collection that I envisioned using in this exhibit was seven years ago.

So I’ve been working on this in some way since 2012. At the time, we didn’t really have an exhibit firmly planned. I was just collecting with the hope to one day put it into an exhibit, but officially the exhibit has been on the calendar now for the last two or three years.

After so many years of curating, did it just finally feel like time to do an exhibit on gay Carnival?

It just kind of aligned perfectly to do it this year, which is the best it could possibly be because this is also the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. There’s a lot of attention to what cultural institutions are doing around the country to commemorate Stonewall and this could be our observation of the 50th anniversary. It will open in June which of course is when Pride is.

What are some of the issues you’ve encountered in your endeavor to curate this exhibit over so many years?

Collecting materials to document gay history is very different because of the history of great loss within the

gay community, both of people and their memorabilia. The majority of gay men and women don’t have children so whatever they collected over the years– the photographs, the paintings, whatever their valuables, there’s not a secure second life for them. You may have a second generation niece or nephew, a property manager, or even a neighbor who ends up with your stuff after you die. They don’t know how important it is, and they put it out on the street. Or even worse are the family members who want to cover up their family member’s past life, and will deliberately throw things away. That is the worst case scenario.

You also deal with an unfortunate amount of self-esteem issues. A lot of the people that I’ve collected memorabilia from have said to me, “I didn’t think anybody would want this,” or ,“I didn’t think what I was doing was really that special.” Then I say to them, “Hell, yes it is! What you did was really special!”

Those must be very comforting words to hear after having lived through so much.

I’m really looking forward to the opening because there are going to be a lot of people coming through whose donations are in the exhibit, and I think it’s going to mean a lot to them. I visited them, recorded their stories, and they have trusted me to take care of their materials– things these people are really emotionally attached to.

Especially New Orleanians!

We love our stuff! We are all collectors. In fact, I look at myself as a curator and I’m just a professional collector.

I love stuff. I go to someone’s house, I see their photo albums and my eyes just bug out. I want to see every picture, I want them to tell a story about every single picture in this album. Even if it doesn’t result in them donating memorabilia I still care about them and

Bill Woolley, Returning Queen of Petronius, 1966.

their stories.

Were you the first curator to obtain gay Carnival memorabilia?

Right around 1979 the first gay Carnival materials were brought into the collection. All of the curators before me were women, and the very first donation of anything from gay Carnival was something that the curator herself got when she attended a gay ball.

She started the collection literally from personal experience. As a curator you build upon what your predecessors have done, and I’m so glad that they brought gay Carnival into the collection.

Has gay Carnival memorabilia been part of shows in the past?

We’ve always had a permanent Carnival exhibit going back at least to the 1950s. Since my predecessor started collecting from the gay krewes, there has always been some representation in the larger permanent show.

It’s frustrating sometimes because you can’t understand the whole picture of a gay carnival from one or two costumes.

At some point, there had to be an exhibit done so you can really fully flesh out the whole story.

The balls seem to be a main focal point in how you are telling the story of gay Carnival.

For most krewes everything you

work towards all year is for the ball.

Aside from the charitable fundraising, all the funds they collect throughout the year at the bars, the barbecues, and the cookouts, is all for the ball. It’s very expensive to put these on. Not just the expense of your costume but renting a hall, decorating it, and just the million other costs associated with putting one of these on.

From experience, I know the symbolism and metaphors can be very rich at these balls too.

One of the costumes I am really excited about borrowing is from a costume designer, John Zeringue, who has been a captain and king of Amon-Ra. For the 15th anniversary, his costume was the ancient Egyptian god [Anubis] who weighs your heart at the door of the afterlife. If your heart weighs more than a feather, then you are considered to have had a selfish life, but if your heart weighs less than a feather, then you are considered to have been a pure soul and can enter heaven. So John’s costume is of this Egyptian god with a scale hanging on each side of it, one with a heart and one with a feather.

Of course you have some krewes that prefer satire and overt humor.

Years ago– and this frustrated me so much–but Armeinius did a ball called “There’s Something About Mary.” I use

14 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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the ball programs a lot because they have a list of the costumes and when I opened the program for this ball, every costume listed was Mary. It was like “Mary, Mary, Mary...That doesn’t tell me anything!” Of course when I learned more about it I understood it was Mary, i.e. Marie Antoinette, or Mary from Gilligan’s Island, or Mary from Mary Kay Cosmetics.

The possibilities are endless with that theme!

When you go to one of these balls, you’re always kind of slightly hoping that something goes wrong - not that anybody gets hurt - but there are always these moments of potential disaster. The theme of the Armeinius Ball three or four years ago was “Beauty and the Beast,” and all the costumes were pairs of fairytale couples. One of the couples was Little Miss Muffet and the spider, and Fatsy Cline comes out in this pink dress, sitting on a tuffet held up by these really gorgeous men.

She gets down and is sassing around on the floor when this really terrifying spider with black and silver fur chases her around. At some point they get too close, and one of the spider’s legs pulls the wig off of her head. Of course, it was a total accident, but it added something to that presentation that you’ll never forget.

What do you think the future holds for the tradition of gay Carnival balls? Will it be carried on?

It’s really on the back of a small group of people who are going to keep these krewes going. The Krewe of Armeinius had their 50th anniversary last year, which makes them older than Stonewall, and their captain, Barrett Delong Church, said in an interview that the reason these gay krewes exist today is not the same reason that they existed 50 years ago. If you belonged to one of these krewes a long time ago, you were very close to the other members of the krewe. They were your family because, in a lot of cases, their families had given them up and tossed them aside. There was a sense of brotherhood or sisterhood in these groups, but a lot of that has faded. In a sense, these krewes are almost like historical societies kept alive for the sake of keeping them alive. However, the very essence of Carnival to me is the artistry, and that’s what keeps it from losing its appeal and relevance.

There may not ever be 13 all at the same time like there were in the 80’s, but there’s always going to be a core group of artists who will always keep gay krewes alive.

Grand Illusions: The History & Artistry of Gay Carnival in New Orleans opens with a free reception on Thursday, June 6th, from 5-8pm at the Presbytère (751 Chartres), where it will be on display until December 2020.

MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT Old Ursuline Convent The old Ursuline Convent in the French Quarter is the oldest surviving structure in the Mississippi River Valley. No longer used as a residence, the Convent now serves as a museum, not only of the Ursuline order, but also of Catholicism in New Orleans.

The Ursuline nuns first arrived in New Orleans from Rouen, France, in 1727 at the invitation of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the founder of New Orleans. Their two-fold mission was to operate a hospital and to educate the young girls of the fledgling colony. The original Ursuline Convent was on the corner of Chartres and Bienville Streets. Construction on the historic convent that is today a museum began in 1745.

The convent was relocated to Dauphine Street in the Bywater in 1824.

The austere building on Chartres was then used by the Archbishop of New Orleans, thus earning the moniker, “The Archbishop’s Palace.” In 1912, the convent was moved from Bywater to State Street in Uptown New Orleans. In 1899, the old Convent became the office for the Archdiocese. In 1845, St. Mary’s Church, which is attached

to the old convent, was constructed.

The old Ursuline Convent is part of the Archdiocese of New Orleans Catholic Cultural Heritage Center, and now serves as a museum. Currently, the museum features a Tricentennial Exhibit called The Church in the Crescent: Three Hundred Years of Catholicism in New Orleans.

Highlights at the exhibit include the earliest surviving sacramental records of baptisms and marriages from the St. Louis Cathedral, a 1745 drawing of the St. Louis Church, the 1788 General Census records of the Providence of New Orleans (prior to becoming a diocese), architectural and historic drawings of the church and its renovations, and artifacts from archeological digs at the Old Ursuline Convent, and the Saint Louis Cathedral Garden.

The museum is open for self-guided tours Monday through Friday, 10:00 am—4:00 pm, the last admission being at 3:15 pm, and Saturday 9:00 am— 3:00 pm, the last admission is at 2:15 pm.

Marsha Robert as King Ishtar III, 1984

OBITUARY Shay de St. Germain

Shay de St. Germain

Shay Camille de St. Germain’s life was tragically cut short on May 16, 2019. She was a native of New Orleans, born on September 30, 1985. She was a beloved server at Clover Grill in New Orleans where her friends became her second family. She had a vibrant personality, a radiant smile, and never met a stranger.

She is survived by her parents, Alvin Camille de St. Germain, Jr., and Cheryl Smith (Brian); her siblings, Sheri Johnston (Gene), Shandy Arguelles

(Jason), Shad de St. Germain (Kendi); and nieces and nephews: Christopher Gioe (Nicole), Robyn Gioe, Bella Johnston, Reece and Mela Arguelles, and Braylon de St. Germain.

Services were held at Greenwood Funeral Home in New Orleans on Wednesday, May 22, 2019. After a Catholic Funeral Mass, butterflies were released to honor Shay’s life. A Celebration of Life was also held on May 22 at Café Lafitte in Exile, which is across the street from the Clover Grill.

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Trodding the Boards Brian Sands bsnola2@hotmail.com

How to Kill a Diva at Westwego Performing Arts Theatre through June 9

Chris Wecklein starred as Max Bialystok in The Producers for the Jefferson Performing Arts Society (JPAS) nearly 10 years ago, winning an Ambie Award as Best Actor in a Musical for his performance. If Max Bialystok were around today he might consider presenting How to Kill a Diva, in which Wecklein is currently appearing, as this world premiere by JPAS is almost as good as Springtime for Hitler. Or is that “as bad?”

How to Kill a Diva asks the question: “What happens when a diabolical diva terrorizes the homicidal chorus of a financially failing opera house?” And not just any opera house, but one outside Zurich on a cold winter’s day in 1950.

Why 1950? I’m not sure. Why Zurich? Apparently, in a nod to Switzerland’s multiculturalism, so that characters can flaunt accents from all over Europe’s map--German, French, Italian--though with only occasional success.

Now, of course, any plot, no mat-

ter how preposterous, if done well, can allow an audience to have a good time (see my Shear Madness review below). The problem with Diva’s book by Glyn Bailey, Wesley Payne, and Ricki Holmes is that not only is it not funny (I counted maybe three genuine laughs in the entire show, and that’s being kind), but the writers seem to know it and regularly call attention to how bad the jokes are. We must put up with a character named Gustav Dreyer, which leads to mix-ups between “Herr Dreyer” and “hair dryer” that go on ad nauseam throughout the show.

There’s talk of constipation and hemorrhoid cream, someone has to pee all the time, and another has irritable bowel syndrome, leading to more (unfunny) fart jokes than anyone should have to put up with (cast, audience, etc.). Judging by the photos in the program, the writers appear to be middle-aged men; from their wouldbe humor, you’d assume they were pre-pubescent boys.

Bailey, Payne, and Holmes fail to realize that something silly like this needs to whoosh by; two hours would’ve been more than sufficient, and 90 minutes would be ideal. Instead,

Becky Gulsvig, as Beverley Bass, and the other women of Come From Away (photo by Matthew Murphy)

their musical (yup, it’s a musical with a number of unnecessary songs) clocks in at over 2 ½ hours, over-stuffed with murder plots, attempted comic bits, and even a straightforward romance.

You need brilliant writers to negotiate such hairpin changes of tone. Bailey, Payne, and Holmes are not, and when the script switches to that sincere love story, it just comes off as cheesy.

Director Steve Scott does not aid matters. His staging is sloppy, he allows all manner of overacting, never gives the production any stylistic coherence, and hasn’t reined in the authors’ worst instincts, such as unfunny gay stereotypes. And while two Mafioso hitmen are clearly supposed to be bumbling, in a scene that stretches suspension of disbelief in unreality beyond the limit, they need to have some degree of menace for their presence to make any sense. While I’m all for diversity, to cast a little person as one of the bumblers, and then stage the scene so that his short stature is somewhat played for laughs, is cringe-inducing.

Bailey composed the music and serves as lyricist. While his words tend towards the banal and obvious, many of his tunes are quite pretty; they simply seem out of place among the operatic parodies. The finale, a kinda cross between God Bless America and There’s No Business Like Show Business, has the entire cast swinging their arms and marching in step as though it was the final reel of an MGM musical. Bizarre.

The cast acquits themselves as well as can be expected.

As the prima donna Lucia Fartoli, Claire Shackleton deliciously plays up her diva nature without overdoing it. Her Italian accent convinces and, when she sings, she displays a beautiful mezzo-soprano voice. Loyola is fortunate to have her on their faculty.

Rachel Looney, as the ingenue Abelinda, sings with equal purity of

tone in a lovely performance.

Shackleton and Looney have the two best-written roles. The others, including Jennifer De Latte, Elizabeth Ulloa Lowry, Enrico Cannella, Jake Wynn-Wilson, and Wecklein do the best they can, going for the laughs and singing admirably.

Though, ultimately, everything ends on a happy note, the mystery here is not the relationship between Lucia and Abelinda, which you should be able to figure out long before they do, but why JPAS chose to spend its time, effort, and especially money on producing How to Kill a Diva. Maybe the detectives in Shear Madness will be able to come up with an answer.

Come From Away/Kinky Boots (June 14-16) at the Saenger Theatre Come From Away opened in 2017 on Broadway, and has played to steadily full houses since. Having seen it in New York nearly two years ago, and again during its recent run at the Saenger, I don’t quite understand its success. I do like it, but it seems an odd duck to have met with such widespread commercial appeal. Seeing it a second time, I can at least better make sense of my muted reaction to it.

Come From Away tells the true story of the small Canadian town that welcomed 7,000 stranded passengers from over 200 diverted planes on 9/11, and then went on to house, feed and comfort them until the skies opened again a few days later. It’s certainly a heartwarming tale.

The authors, husband & wife Irene Sankoff & David Hein, distill the events to their essence, interweaving the differing perspectives of the locals and their unintentional visitors from around the world. They further narrow their focus to four individual groupings of pas-

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sengers plus a pilot, a groundbreaking (airbreaking?) woman, American Airlines’ first female Captain, Beverley Bass, as well as assorted locals.

Sankoff & Hein’s music reflects Newfoundland’s Celtic roots. You can even hear strains of Appalachia and a bit of Cajun in it. Hot-blooded and rousing, it’s easy to listen to.

The problem is that virtually the entire score sounds the same. Plus, most numbers feature the entire company, so with the exception of Bass, who gets the best and only character-revealing song, we never get to know the main characters musically. Ain’t that kinda one of the purposes of musical comedies? (Think of the songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, Sondheim, or even last year’s Tony winner, The Band’s Visit, which also dealt with stranded people, only with a brilliant idiosyncratic score).

I realize that if each character got his or her own song it would vastly inflate the show’s 100-minute running time but, as it is, I never felt I got to know these people except in a cursory way. This is especially troublesome for the pissy gay couple who, as presented with a certain glibness, I’d happily avoid.

That aside, I enjoyed Come From Away more at the Saenger, perhaps because I went in with lower expectations. Certainly the cast, all of whom play multiple characters, instantaneously changing among them, was as good, if not better, than Broadway, particularly Becky Gulsvig as Beverley Bass. Christopher Ashley’s Tony Award-winning direction, aided by the oftentimes stylized musical staging of Kelly Devine, is lovely and keeps clear the many strands of the plot.

If, at times, the passengers come off as a bit whiny, their subsequent generosity towards their Canadian hosts restores your faith in humanity. (I’ve enjoyed reading about reunions that have been held in Gander, the town where the show takes place.) Ironically, as horrific as the events of that tragic day were, Come From Away does engender a certain nostalgia for that time when the world came together instead of turning on others, as too often seems to be the case now.

Coming to the Saenger June 14-16 is the Cyndi Lauper/Harvey Fierstein Tony-winner Kinky Boots. Boots, in which drag queens help save a British shoe factory from closing, is another instance where I enjoyed the touring version more than Broadway’s. Coming just after New Orleans’ Pride Festival, it offers the perfect opportunity to keep the celebrations going.

Shear Madness at Le Petit, June 14-30

[JPAS’ production of Shear Madness transfers to Le Petit this month.

Here are excerpts from my October

The cast of How to Kill a Diva (photo by John B. Barrois)

2018 review.]

Having somehow never seen Shear Madness anywhere in the last four decades, I approached its New Orleans metro area debut, courtesy of the Jefferson Performing Arts Society, knowing little more than that this “comedy-whodunit takes place in the ‘Shear Madness’ hairstyling salon, and during the course of the action, a murder is committed, and the audience gets to spot the clues, question the suspects, and solve the mystery.”

I expected it to be silly, and it was.

But it was also very entertaining, quite involving, and extremely well-done. I can see why it’s been sooo popular.

Part of the genius of Shear Madness is that it mutates into virtually a new play with each different production, as local references get put in (Morris Bart, Ochsner Hospital, The Times-Picayune, Chris Owens) and others are updated (Uber, Tinder, Stormy Daniels), keeping the material super fresh. [I suspect there’ll be some new references for the Le Petit run.]

Apparently, Director Kris Shaw and the cast had free rein to fine-tune the script, and they went at it with wicked glee, adding their own terrible puns and naughty wordplay. Whether good or bad, these just keep coming and coming, including some funny jibes at Mitch Landrieu’s expense, and the worst Viagra joke ever.

Shear Madness gets off to a wacky start involving mistaken identities. After a while, however, it begins to bog down into a daffy episode of NCIS: New Orleans. Never fear, as just then, the cast breaks the fourth wall, the audience becomes involved, and the murder eventually gets solved with a Perry Mason-like ending. Whether it’s the absolute “funniest mystery in the annals of crime,” I’ll leave to you to decide, but it certainly delivers lotsa laughs.

Shaw wisely has his cast invest Madness with as much real emotion as possible; to camp it up would simply be too much. All six actors (Glenn Boyer, Jonathan Damaré, John Detty, Casey Groves, Alison Logan, Janet Shea), playing various suspects and investigators, hit just the right level of

tomfoolery.

As ridiculous as the show is, I now appreciate how it can run and run, as each performance is unique, thus encouraging repeat visits. JPAS has done itself proud with this Madness.

Curtain Up

As we enter the relatively quiet month of June, there seems to be fairly few theatrical offerings on the horizon.

All the more reason to take advantage of NOLA’s (temporary) social calm and go see all of them.

The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane will open its 26th summer season by presenting Much Ado About Nothing from June 14-30.

This has been one of my favorites of Shakespeare’s comedies since seeing it on Broadway, and then again on TV with Sam Waterston and Kathleen Widdoes as the battling lovers, Beatrice and Benedick. That production reset the play after the Spanish-American War in a middle American town.

Will Director Burton Tedesco keep the original 16th century Sicilian port setting? Or relocate it elsewhere? Head to the Lupin Theater on Tulane’s Uptown campus to find out.

On the same campus, at Dixon Hall, the Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane opens its season with the Tony Award-winning tap dance extravaganza 42nd Street (June 20-23), directed and choreographed by Diane Lala.

Featuring such songs as Shuffle Off to Buffalo, We’re in the Money, I Only Have Eyes for You, Lullaby of Broadway and the title tune, and inspired by Busby Berkeley’s iconic 1933 movie musical, 42nd Street tells the story of famed director Julian Marsh mounting a musical during the height of the Great Depression. When he loses his leading lady just before opening, Marsh looks to a chorus girl to save the day, giving us the classic line “You’re going out a youngster, but you’ve got to come back a star!”

Elizabeth Argus and Chris Carey head the cast, which also includes Sean Patterson and Keith & Leslie Claverie.

On the North Shore, Playmakers

of Covington (19106 Playmakers Rd.) will give a new twist to 1776 (June 21–July 7), the Tony-winning musical about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The cast, founding fathers and all, will be played by men and women. I greatly admired NOCCA’s 2016 production in which the entire cast was female. I look forward to seeing how a co-ed company will turn out.

In Mandeville, 30 by Ninety Theatre brings back the Stephen Sondheim/Larry Gelbart/Burt Shevelove classic, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which marries Plautus to vaudeville. Mistaken identities, slamming doors, and a showgirl or two all combine to furnish “comedy tonight!” Forum runs June 15-30 at 880 Lafayette Street in Mandeville.

“Weird Al” Yankovic (yup, he’s still around, with four Grammys and a recent #1 album on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart) brings his Strings Attached tour to the Saenger on June 13 for an evening of hits and classics, backed by a full symphony orchestra.

Background singers too. As he said, “We’re pulling out all the stops for this one.” Expect to hear his hit parodies of hit songs including Eat It, Like A Surgeon, and Smells Like Nirvana.

And sounding almost as wild as “Weird Al”, if not wilder, Vagabond Inventions will be hosting A Kingdom, A CAR WASH, an evening of zany entertainment and actual car washes, to benefit the company’s upcoming national tour, at the Allways Lounge’s Twilight Room (1040 Marigny St.) on June 16.

What qualifies as “zany entertainment?” “Interpretive ballets, live music, photo opportunities, a junk garden gallery, a kiddie pool, and an array of other shenanigans” as well as “car washes in evening gowns.” It promises to be a Sunday evening (and afternoon; the car washes and ballets start at 4pm) of “unforgettable nonsense.” It sounds like it will live up to its promise!

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

20 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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MUSINGS BY CATHERINE Past and Present: Pride and Freedom for ALL Catherine Roland catherineroland12@gmail.com

In 2019, we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall, Woodstock Nation, Women’s Liberation, and Gay Pride. And so much more in our brave community of LGBTQ individuals, groups, and organizations. I’ve included Woodstock Nation and Women’s Liberation in order to give background and context to where we are now, and why we can actually celebrate Pride as we do.

This week, we will be celebrating New Orleans Pride. Between parties, the Pride Parade on Saturday evening in the Quarter, and multiple celebrations in every bar or lounge in the area.

There will be time to reflect and reboot your energy and awareness of the essence of this holiday. We are fortunate to experience the openness that typically exists in our LGBTQ community, and the celebratory loudness and joyful chants that will be heard from Thursday through Sunday this week. Happy sounds, excited feelings, heightened emotions, and a feeling of awe for the specialness surrounding us.

I’ve had the amazing good fortune to have watched and/or participated in a number of different Pride parades

through the years: in Philadelphia, PA; Cincinnati, OH; Washington DC; Augusta, GA; Fayetteville, AR; Provincetown, MA, and New York City. The parades are alive, colorful, edgy, and an open demonstration of how we value our LGBTQ sisters and brothers. The New Orleans Pride Parade has always been unique and energizing, and an acknowledgement of our people in this city.

Pride 2019 is a very special year because it’s the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which began the international Gay Rights Movement. There will likely be a lot written on this issue on the importance of Stonewall and that time in our history, as there has been in the last two issues. We rightfully celebrate and pay homage to those who came before us, and have been so courageous and humble at the same time. The Stonewall Riots occurred as a frustrated response to a series of violent confrontations that began early on June 28, 1969, between gay rights activists and New York City Police. The confrontation took place at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village area of New York City.

As we anticipate this year’s Pride, let’s see if we can recall and reflect on some other events that were taking place around that time in history. If we look at the history of the Gay Rights Movement, we should be informed of what actually bought us to the place where we can celebrate our Pride as members of the LGBTQ community, along with our friends who continue to fight as allies or activists of other movements for the equality of all people.

The late ‘60s were a time of great tension. That’s the best word I can use, and within that small word, I must consider how divided this nation was about the Vietnam War, inequality for women and people of color, and lastly, LGBTQ people. Why last? We were still invisible. While LGBTQ people were slightly visible in a few select areas, we were rarely accepted by others, or even shown “tolerance” (I hate that particular word and concept). Stonewall occurred in June 1969. What happened prior to Stonewall that helped set the angry stage for those riots? Working back only a year, in order to shine a light on some of the events that would have affected our community perhaps more than the rest of the US (given the invisibility of LGBTQ people), let’s reflect on 1968, because we lived through unthinkable things.

There are times when we should value the years we’ve lived, and our experiences throughout those years. I was a young college student in 1968, proud to have lived in that era, and to have seen and reacted to these horrific events. I have included my personal reactions to a number of these events, so I hope you will indulge me. No doubt they influenced my political and social agenda, and my values and passions.

They still do.

The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968 blew the remainder of our hope for a more fair and equal existence, and tore our fragile innocence into a million pieces (only five short years before, the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy began the assault to our innocence).

Campuses in many parts of the US rioted, including mine. Some southern schools ran the Confederate flag—the “Rebel” flag that I hated—up and over the United States flag. My school did that. Born and raised in the Northeast, everyone I knew and loved despised that flag and what it represented. I remember the sickness I felt in my stomach as we marched. The hated flag was taken down that next day, as were most, by request of the governor and president. That did little to dull the pain of violently losing the man who had

embodied hope.

Just two months later, as my family and I watched the California Presidential primary acceptance speech by the would-be candidate for President, we witnessed the horror of Senator and former Attorney General of the US, Robert F. Kennedy assassinated live on television in June 1968. To hear the shots, watch as his bodyguard James Brown pulled Senator Kennedy to the ground after being shot, lying on the floor...The panic, tears, and outrage only fueled the great fire building within us. Sadness was quickly masked by anger. That loss was a different kind of loss, and the hope that had built within the hearts of many who were committed to seeing equality and goodness return to our world was dashed.

Much of that outrange and despair felt by marginalized people culminated on the streets of Chicago in August of 1968, outside the Democratic National Convention. We watched that event on television for days as well, witnessing police brutality at its worst. Somehow the Chicago police took a minute to realize they were being televised live.

Chants of “The whole world is watching” are used in many protests and confrontations to this day. That’s where it was born. The blood running down the faces of the young men and women of all races and genders have been seen many times since in the media.

This type of brutality had been largely undocumented before that convention, but it was recorded live, and is thus available for people to see for all time.

Unfortunately, as we know all too well as LGBTQ people, that still hasn’t ended the brutality. And for some, it has increased of late, as with our trans community and the murders that are taking place daily. The countless LGBTQ people who died at the hands of evil and heartless people, or by their own hand out of depression and despair, remains uncounted. And ongoing.

In a more victorious event that year, 100 women protested the Miss American Pageant in New Jersey. That might be called the beginning of the open Women’s Liberation Movement, or “Women’s Lib” as it was called then.

We were just gearing up because our freedom came last, and in many ways our experience paralleled that of the LGBTQ community. We were ready for Stonewall, indeed we were. In some ways, it could have been the beginning of the last straw. But there was competition for attention in 1969. So much transition, violence, hate language. So much mistrust and fear, and rightly so.

Given all of the above, talk about whiplash! In July 1969, there was a

22 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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moon landing. We watched our small televisions or listened to the radio, and held our collective breath. Many thought it was a stunt, not real, trumped up to deflect attention from the growing unrest around us, but I believe that it happened. In August of 1969, Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music, took place in the small town of Bethel, New York. Sometimes I think everyone knows the story, and understands the importance, of those summers of 1968

and 1969. Woodstock emerged from a small town in the Northeast, bringing huge waves of awareness for all people who were different, looked different, dressed differently, and most important, thought in a unique and open way about other people. And behaved as such, there for all to see, on television. Woodstock seemed to solidify a movement born of frustration, the need for celebration, and the misunderstanding and disappointment felt by

THE ROCKFORD FILES Like A Good Neighbor… Part 1 Ryan Rockford RyanRockfordNYC@gmail.com Recently, in Manhattan, there was a day; one day that was absolutely perfect. It was the first of its kind this year.

It was as if Mother Nature had spritzed the entire city with Windex and wiped away the dull, gray grime of recent months to reveal a clean, sparkling look into what summer might bring.

In recent years, midtown Manhattan has become what Chelsea used to be: the unofficial gay hub of New York.

Nestled on the West Side in what’s commonly known as Hell’s Kitchen, there are a plethora of gay and

gay-friendly establishments to choose from. When visiting New York, Hell’s Kitchen is, hands down, the best place to observe gays in their natural habitat.

This area of town (which might more accurately be labeled “straight-friendly”) is contained, roughly, from 43rd street to 57th street, between Broadway and 10th Avenue.

On this perfect day, the energy on Ninth Avenue was palpable as gaggles of homos zipped along the sidewalks, frantically searching for the nearest (and cutest) place to perch themselves

all who were diverse. Seemingly a fun, disorganized, meaningless event with arguably 450,000 hippies and leftists, it took a while for some to understand its greatness. In reality, whether you attended or not, Woodstock allowed us freedom, openness, and time for a collective deep breath; a moment of relief from the hellishness of that era.

Surrounded by the Vietnam War, the Gay Rights Movement paralleled the Women’s Movement, and provided

for many changes, and for many deaths (of both spirit and people), while at the same time uplifting celebrations no one had dreamed of before. Some say we began with Stonewall. I think we became visible and strong with Stonewall, and we are still fighting and growing. As we celebrate Pride, Stonewall, and our greater New Orleans community, take pride in who you are, where you come from, and how you’ve been able to live your life thus far. PRIDE!

for a little kiki and a few cocktails, al fresco.

Ninth Avenue is the nerve center, running right through the heart of Hell’s Kitchen; specifically, the strip of asphalt between 45th and 55th streets.

There are so many Broadway dancers and actors strutting their stuff down this small stretch of Ninth Avenue that we’ve dubbed it “The Dance Belt.” No need for Google Maps: the plumes of fairy dust and clouds of Dolce & Gabbana permeating the air let you know that you’ve arrived at Homo Central.

Never is that more evident than during the summer. If the barometer threatens to go anywhere near the 70 degree mark, Ninth Avenue inexplicably explodes into a dazzling, twirling, sashaying array of tank tops, crop tops, booty shorts, rompers, and shirtless men whizzing by in their freshly greased roller blades. Like moths to a flame, the bright sun draws people out of their apartments and into the streets, reminding us that summer will soon be here.

It also reminds us to get our fat asses to the gym, and use that monthly membership we’ve been paying for since January 2. That’s exactly what I was doing on that recent perfect day in Manhattan. I was walking through the Dance Belt on my way to the gym.

While it’s true that day was lovely and hovering around 72 degrees, it was and is - still a bit early in the season for me to be sporting any crop, booty or romper wear. It was impossible not to notice the near perfect physiques of the twenty-something chorus boys posing/not posing on every corner, which convinced me that it was time to get to the gym. Now, with my Bluetooth headphones in place, and Anto Briones’ Carnival podcast cranking up my motivation, I began to power walk my way Uptown, and ready myself to get back to the grind. The energy on the streets was infectious, and I remember thinking, “This is why I live in New York.”

When you compare the actual size of Manhattan to the number of people cramming themselves into it, there isn’t enough room. People are everywhere.

There is nowhere to hide. And everyone wants something from you. Someone may be asking you for spare change.

Maybe a tourist is turned around and in

need of directions. Creepy shag carpet knock-offs of Sesame Street characters taunt you to take a picture, while yet another person conducting a survey wants to know how global warming is affecting your sleep pattern. If you were to stop and give your time and energy to every person who approached you or tried to get your attention on a daily basis, you wouldn’t get anything accomplished. You would fall victim to giving away money phony homeless people, buying tickets to bullshit comedy shows, filling out bogus surveys for identify thieves, or ending up with arms full of knock-off perfumes and Gucci purses.

New York is where you perfect the ultimate Resting Bitch Face. If you live here long enough, you develop a certain look for walking the streets, taking the subway, etc. The look is like a mask that you would put on in public and remove in comfortable surroundings.

Once you develop it, it’s quite empowering. It’s a look that conveys the message, without saying a word: “Don’t ask me for shit.”

My second line of defense should my RBF fail to deter a drunken patron, panhandler, or sidewalk barker, is the word “No.” I’ve used it so often, it’s become an unconscious reflex. If a person approaches me uninvited, before they can finish their sentence, regardless of what that sentence might be, I reflexively blurt out, “No.” And keep moving. It works like a charm.

However. On this day. This one perfect day in question, I was caught with my defenses down.

“Excuse me, Sir. Can you help me?”

Out of nowhere, right in front of me, stood a beautiful young girl who looked like she had been tossed into the tumble cycle of a clothes dryer. Half of her hair was in a ponytail, while the other Recently, in Manhattan, there was a day; one day that was absolutely perfect. It was the first of its kind this year.

It was as if Mother Nature had spritzed the entire city with Windex and wiped away the dull, gray grime of recent months to reveal a clean, sparkling look into what summer might bring.

In recent years, midtown Manhattan has become what Chelsea used to be: the unofficial gay hub of New York.

Nestled on the West Side in what’s

24 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

A LWAYS O P E N . A LWAYS W E L C O M E

O B UNCE Saturday, June 8, noon-6 p.m.

9 4 1 E LY S I A N F I E L D S

PHOENIXBARNOLA.COM

WITH

@PHOENIXBARNOLA

PRIDE

Headline performance at 4 p.m.

We close Rampart and the back parking lot of Robért for the biggest, best block party

PRIDE FEST 2019

celebrating our fantastic LGBTQ+ community. With New Orleans Pride, Absolut Vodka, and Robért Fresh Market, we have a huge celebration planned with vendors, food + drink, and pet adoptions + givewaways with Metairie Small Animal Hospital and Tito’s Vodka. The party all builds up to an amazing, pride-filled performance from The Queen Diva Big Freedia!

#absolutplanet #allflavorswelcome

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 25

commonly known as Hell’s Kitchen, there are a plethora of gay and gay-friendly establishments to choose from. When visiting New York, Hell’s Kitchen is, hands down, the best place to observe gays in their natural habitat.

This area of town (which might more accurately be labeled “straight-friendly”) is contained, roughly, from 43rd street to 57th street, between Broadway and 10th Avenue.

On this perfect day, the energy on Ninth Avenue was palpable as gaggles of homos zipped along the sidewalks, frantically searching for the nearest (and cutest) place to perch themselves for a little kiki and a few cocktails, al fresco.

Ninth Avenue is the nerve center, running right through the heart of Hell’s Kitchen; specifically, the strip of asphalt between 45th and 55th streets.

There are so many Broadway dancers and actors strutting their stuff down this small stretch of Ninth Avenue that we’ve dubbed it “The Dance Belt.” No need for Google Maps: the plumes of fairy dust and clouds of Dolce & Gabbana permeating the air let you know that you’ve arrived at Homo Central.

Never is that more evident than during the summer. If the barometer threatens to go anywhere near the 70 degree mark, Ninth Avenue inexplicably explodes into a dazzling, twirling, sashaying array of tank tops, crop

tops, booty shorts, rompers, and shirtless men whizzing by in their freshly greased roller blades. Like moths to a flame, the bright sun draws people out of their apartments and into the streets, reminding us that summer will soon be here.

It also reminds us to get our fat asses to the gym, and use that monthly membership we’ve been paying for since January 2. That’s exactly what I was doing on that recent perfect day in Manhattan. I was walking through the Dance Belt on my way to the gym.

While it’s true that day was lovely and hovering around 72 degrees, it was and is - still a bit early in the season for me to be sporting any crop, booty or romper wear. It was impossible not to notice the near perfect physiques of the twenty-something chorus boys posing/not posing on every corner, which convinced me that it was time to get to the gym. Now, with my Bluetooth headphones in place, and Anto Briones’ Carnival podcast cranking up my motivation, I began to power walk my way Uptown, and ready myself to get back to the grind. The energy on the streets was infectious, and I remember thinking, “This is why I live in New York.”

When you compare the actual size of Manhattan to the number of people cramming themselves into it, there isn’t enough room. People are everywhere.

There is nowhere to hide. And everyone 3) She was wearing flipflops. Flip flops wants something from you. Someone on the streets of New York? Eeeww. may be asking you for spare change.

“What?” I said.

Maybe a tourist is turned around and “I’m moving in today. I’m almost in need of directions. Creepy shag done, but I can’t carry it all by myself. carpet knock-offs of Sesame Street Can you help me? Please?” she asked. characters taunt you to take a picture, The secret to living in New York while yet another person conducting is to always walk with a purpose, as a survey wants to know how global if you’re supposed to be somewhere warming is affecting your sleep patand you’re running 15 minutes late. tern. If you were to stop and give your This helps dissuade the general poptime and energy ulation from trying to every person to engage you in New York is where you perwho approached conversation. But you or tried to fect the ultimate Resting Bitch on this day, I was get your attention dick-tracted by the Face. If you live here long on a daily baeye-candy on dissis, you wouldn’t enough, you develop a certain play throughout look for walking the streets, get anything acthe Dance Belt. complished. You I let my guard taking the subway, etc. would fall victim to down, and Raggiving away mongedy-Ann, with ey phony homeless people, buying her sloppy ponytail and sweaty face, tickets to bullshit comedy shows, filling pierced my armor and the cold and out bogus surveys for identify thieves, stoic New York façade I usually wear or ending up with arms full of knock-off fell to pieces. perfumes and Gucci purses.

“We can do it in one trip, I promNew York is where you perfect the ise. I’m by myself. My mom was here ultimate Resting Bitch Face. If you live double-parked, until the cops made her here long enough, you develop a cermove. She’s supposed to be circling tain look for walking the streets, taking the block while my dad returns the the subway, etc. The look is like a mask U-Haul. That was an hour ago. He’s that you would put on in public and renot answering, and I haven’t seen my move in comfortable surroundings. mom since. She’s never been to New Once you develop it, it’s quite empowYork. She’s not a very good driver to ering. It’s a look that conveys the mesbegin with…She could be halfway to sage, without saying a word: “Don’t ask Pennsylvania by now.” me for shit.”

“Ok. I’ll help you.” I said.

My second line of defense should “Thank you!” she cried. my RBF fail to deter a drunken patron, I was about to commit a random panhandler, or sidewalk barker, is the act of kindness, something virtualword “No.” I’ve used it so often, it’s bely never experienced on the streets come an unconscious reflex. If a perof Gotham. She was desperate, and son approaches me uninvited, before there was something very endearing they can finish their sentence, regardabout her spirit. In my mind, she was less of what that sentence might be, following her dream; a young chorus I reflexively blurt out, “No.” And keep girl, just arriving in New York, anxious moving. It works like a charm. to take Broadway by storm. I could However. On this day. This one relate to that. This kid was a female perfect day in question, I was caught version of me twenty-five years ago with my defenses down. (minus the flip flops). Suddenly, I was “Excuse me, Sir. Can you help eager to lend a hand. I wanted to help. me?”

Turns out she wasn’t a chorus girl Out of nowhere, right in front of me, at all. Her name was Katie, and she stood a beautiful young girl who looked was in advertising. Here for a summer like she had been tossed into the tuminternship, and couldn’t give wet donble cycle of a clothes dryer. Half of her key’s ass about Broadway. *Womp hair was in a ponytail, while the other womp*. Suddenly, I didn’t want to help half was either flying away uncontrollaany longer, but I’d already said I would, bly or stuck to her neck with perspiraso I was stuck. How bad could it be, tion. I could see the beads of sweat on I thought, just to run a couple of bags her forehead gather together and drip upstairs? down and around her eyebrows. UnI reached to give her a hand with der each arm was an over-stuffed bag one of the gigantic Bed Bath & Beyond from Bed, Bath & Beyond, tripling the bags she was clinging to, and she said; width of space she was occupying on “Oh, I got these. I need you to carry the already narrow sidewalks of Midthat.” town. In a nanosecond, my brain had Check back in the next issue of already ticked off three things I didn’t Ambush Magazine for the conclusion like about her: 1) She was stopped of Like a Good Neighbor... dead in the middle of a busy sidewalk, 2) Her height/width ratio was off due to Until then, her extra-large shopping bags, foreRyanRocfordNYC@gmail. shadowing the inevitable traffic jam she would cause by being so wide, and

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COMMENTARY

Fuck Pride

Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com Pride season has arrived yet again.

Pride parades will roll all over the country throughout the month, and as its 50th Anniversary approaches, Stonewall memes will undoubtedly flood social media. That’s all good and well; however, not everyone in our community is feeling the pride. In fact, some folks are not proud of Pride at all—at least not what it has become.

This discontent will be clearly on display later this month in New York when a group called the Reclaim Pride Coalition stages an alternative march to the “official” parade. The RPC was formed last year within the auspices of Heritage of Pride (HOP), which organizes the New York City Pride Parade. The group argued that HOP should restore the historic march route, drop wristband requirements to march, obtain an apology from the New York Police Department for raiding the Stonewall Inn, and secure an acknowledgement of ongoing oppression and the need for change.

When these demands were not met, the RPC broke away and organized another march—the Queer Liberation March and Rally. In the RPC’s words, “The Queer Liberation March is a people’s political march—no corporate floats and no police in our march.

Our 2019 march is a truly grassroots action that will mobilize the community to address the many social and political battles that continue to be fought locally, nationally, and globally.”

This is just one example of recent challenges to the Pride Establishment.

In 2017, a group calling itself No Justice No Pride (NJNP) disrupted the Capital City Pride Parade in Washington D.C. by targeting floats sponsored by banks, the police, and military contractors. The NJNP’s Mission Statement is “We exist to end the LGBT movement’s complicity with systems of oppression that further marginalize

queer and trans individuals. . . . there can be no pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” Their calls for the removal of police and corporate presences in the Capital City Pride Parade fell mostly on deaf ears.

In 1994, on the 25th anniversary of Stonewall, trans activist Sylvia Rivera led an alternative march in New York to protest the exclusion of trans people in the “official” parade. Rivera was at the Stonewall Inn on the night it was raided. She is credited with throwing the first Molotov Cocktail at the police, but she is quick to correct that claim. “I threw the second one,” she says.

Think about it—transgender people, often of color, including New Orleans’ own Storme Delarverie, throwing makeshift bombs at the police as well as punching them. Trans anger and violence was at the very heart of Stonewall. And that is precisely what has been lost, critics of the Pride Establishment argue.

The chief complaint against Pride Parades is essentially that they have been hijacked by capitalism and conservative goals. More specifically, that they are now dominated by corporate floats and wealthy organizations, and that they represent the LGBT establishment, which is mostly urban and wealthy. Trans people, people of color, rural communities, non-binary folks and others are left out, or shunted aside like red-headed step-children.

Critics of the Pride Establishment have a valid point. Initially, just after Stonewall, there were marches, not parades. These marches were angry and radical. Today’s parades are little more than happy corporate trade shows. The early marches resisted the white supremacist capitalist hetero-patriarchy. Today’s parades seek its approval. Early marchers were desperately declaring “We have a right to exist!” Today’s corporate paraders are

letting us know they want our rainbow dollars. Instead of “Fuck you!” it’s now “Buy from us.”

Sarah Schulman describes the usurpation of Pride Parades by corporate interests as “Pinkwashing.” And Robert Baez writes: “These are not public displays that aid in the collective liberation of marginal [sic] people, but instead drape the imperialist capitalist forces of the U.S. in literal rainbows.”

This division in Pride circles is emblematic of rifts within the larger movement. Again, this is not new. Shortly after the Stonewall uprising, the Gay Liberation Front was formed from a split within the Mattachine Society, the conservative organization that had been formed in 1950. The founders of the GLF did not agree with the Mattachine Society’s philosophy of assimilation. Shortly after its founding, the GLF itself suffered a split when several members broke away and founded the Gay Activist Alliance (GAA).

The GLF had one goal—sexual liberation. Its underlying philosophy was essentially Marxist, if not anarchist. The GLF had no interest in working within the system to bring about change. In its view, the system itself was the problem. The GAA adopted a more pragmatic approach. It would work within the system, primarily in the form of political lobbying, to affect change. Ultimately, the single-issue/ lobbying model of the GAA won out and was carried on by groups such as the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Lambda Legal (LL).

To their credit, the HRC and LL can point to milestone victories like the legalization of same-sex marriage and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” but some would argue these are fairly conservative victories. The Gay Liberators of the early 1970s would certainly have thought so. After all, gay liberation arose out of the anti-patriarchal, radical, Marxist-infused milieu of the

counter-culture. Many of the early gay libers were also heavily involved in the anti-war movement, as were many lesbian feminists, who correctly pointed out that marriage was a tool of the hetero-normative patriarchy, which, of course, was maintained and perpetuated by an oppressive hierarchical capitalistic system.

The nature of Pride Parades today demonstrates that the debate between assimilation and non-assimilation has been settled, but critics of assimilation—people who are trans, non-binary, asexual, queer, pansexual, etc.— are attempting to reopen that debate.

All of this brings us back to Stonewall. Opponents of assimilation point to Stonewall (and more specifically the symbol it has become) as an example of the danger of romanticizing the past.

Some commentators have suggested that the fetishization of Stonewall has effectively erased other history.

In some ways, it has. How many people are familiar with the uprisings and marches before Stonewall? The East Coast Homophile Organization held annual marches on July 4th in Philadelphia beginning in 1963. And who can name the trans woman who started the Compton Cafeteria Riot in San Francisco in 1966 when she resisted arrest by throwing hot coffee in a cop’s face?

Or who remembers the “Sip In” at Julius’ bar in New York in 1966? And what about the police raid of the bar, Trip, in Chicago in 1968?

Not only does the laser focus on Stonewall diminish other important historical events, it also gives rise to incomplete and misleading “progress narratives,” all of which inevitably start at the Stonewall Inn. For these reasons, Yasmin Nair has suggested we should “Forget Stonewall.”

Pride marches were born of anger and there is still much to be angry about—transphobic violence, socioeconomic inequality, cuts in HIV/AIDS funding, lack of adequate access to healthcare, police brutality, employment discrimination, a hostile presidential administration, etc. Critics of the Pride Establishment are absolutely correct to point out its shortcomings for in so doing, they are also highlighting significant failures in the Gay Liberation movement.

Richard Schneider, Jr. Editor of the Gay & Lesbian Review, sums it up well when he writes of the assimilation issue: “The fact that the LGBT community can mount a gigantic parade with major corporations endorsing our cause is a testament to that strategy’s effectiveness. But it’s also fair to ask the question: is this what the struggle was all about?”

28 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Happy Trails Happy Endings AT HAPPY TRAILS HAPPY ENDINGS ST. CHARLES STREETCAR PUB CRAWL #16 STARTING AT LPK UPTOWN | PHOTOS BY AMBUSH PUBLISHING Happy Trails Happy Endings St. Charles Streetcar Pub Crawl #16 (Organized by Matt Malkin) What started with a simple idea and about 20 friends back in the summer of 2008 has quickly grown over the years to the point where we don’t fit on a streetcar anymore. This annual event, due to the success and support of participants, is now used to raise money for various charities & causes. Previous crawls have contributed to gulf coast restoration efforts after the oil spill, and also the Red Thread Promise.

Saturday, June 01, 2019 Route: LPK-UPTOWN | PHILLIP’S RESTAURANT AND BAR | FAT HARRY’S | THE COLUMNS HOTEL | MAYFAIR | PRYTANIA BAR | IGORS | ST. CHARLES BAR & BILLIARDS...THE QUARTER Learn more about the Happy Trails Happy Endings St. Charles Streetcar Pub Crawl by visiting their website at http://happytrailshappyendings.com.

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INTERVIEWS FROM KEY WEST

Will ‘Making Waves’ be the Queerest Aquatic Romance Yet? Kevin Assam kevin-assam@hotmail.com Drew Larimore is a Brooklyn-based writer. His plays have been produced internationally as well as Off Broadway.

His film and TV work stream online. He makes killer pumpkin bread, and alternates between black t-shirts and plaid.

Since Drew is about to gear up for his new short, Making Waves, let’s make a splash in his queer mind with some questions on the eve of Pride.

What on God’s deep blue sea is Making Waves, and is it true that for the price of my monthly Scruff subscription I can receive a small credit?

Drew: Making Waves is a short film about a young man who lives with his mother in coastal Maine and encounters a merman. The two strike up an unlikely summertime tryst, forcing him to question himself and the way he will live his life moving forward. Quincy Perkins is directing the movie, and Cathy Curtin from Stranger Things and Orange is the New Black is starring in it. We’re shooting in Maine in late August, and I couldn’t be more excited to get this film out into the world.

Yes, for your monthly Scruff fee you could be a backer, which you can include in your stats the next time you update your profile!

I’ve been having homoerotic dreams about mermen lately. They keep dragging me under the sea and tempting me to stay there in their affordable housing soggy bottom communities. Is this the era of merpeople?

Drew: Look, you’ve got to be judicious about which mermen you let drag you underwater and which ones you keep at bay. The oceans are getting warmer, so you’re more likely to encounter them since they’ve taken to cruising near the shore. Let’s be compassionate — these poor folks have been scraping the bottom of the ocean floor for thousands of years. Thankfully, I hear Gilead has extended its patient assistance program for PreP to underwater inhabitants, too.

A lot of queers from up north seem to be jumping on the merpeople bandwagon with illustrious Broadway performers. Are you one of them?

Drew: It’s no coincidence that Ursula in The Little Mermaid is one of the greatest musical theatre archetypes ever written. At the end of the day, I’m not hanging with the merfolk in hopes of getting one of my shows produced underwater. But like any playwright in New York, I’m very open to workshopping new work out of town.

Is it wrong to undertake a short film in order to catch the eye of my former acting mentor and secret crush? Should I accept a role in Making Waves to fulfill this?

Drew: While you’d make an excellent addition to the film, don’t overlook the value of good old-fashioned stalking. Have you tried casually spilling coffee on him after a spontaneous chance encounter at his local coffee shop? What about sending him illicit nude photos from a throwaway cell phone until he gives in? Being in a movie is hard, watching him after hours through his living room window isn’t.

Remember, you’ve got options here.

I’m tired of throwing money at my agent to support his second house in Provincetown. How can I cut through the middlemen to connect with filmmakers like yourself, who appreciate talented twinks with beer bellies and the voice of an agent?

Drew: That’s a good question.

Most of the collaborators I’ve met, I’ve had to seek myself. Watch their work, read their work, buy a ticket to see their work, and then try to connect with them in person. You know? Like people used to do in the last century. Begin with subtle ways of letting them know you’re not crazy, and then initiate a meaningful conversation about their aesthetic.

Life is short. It’s important to collaborate with people you admire. Also, is your agent with the second home in

Drew Larimore

P-town single? Asking for a friend.

What’s a non-creepy way to connect with them? And how long before I pump up the tactics should I not hear anything back?

Drew: Yes, non-creepy. That’s crucial. Well, it’s a lot like dating — find out if you have friends or collaborators in common. Word-of-mouth referrals or introductions always reduce the psycho serial killer suspicions. Follow-up emails are crucial, but I wouldn’t exceed three over a three-month period of time. Trust who you meet, but also trust who you don’t meet. Like dating, if you don’t connect or they aren’t interested in connecting, move on. There are lots of other mermen in the sea.

Why film in Maine? Don’t your exes and boy toys have way more connections and makeup in places like NYC and Key West?

Drew: Thankfully, my exes have nothing to do with this movie. Last time I checked, they were still quarantined.

Look, Maine is beautiful, but it’s also suffocating. It’s stunning, but also drab.

There’s a Norman Rockwell-esque

vibe to it that’s just as oppressive as it is quaint.

Is it true that if I invest in your merman gay debacle, and it goes on to win an Independent Spirit Award, I can make more than $100?

Drew: Yes, it’s absolutely true.

And wait, there’s more. Along with that $100, you are personally merman-escorted on a customized tour of the Atlantic with three free nights in a new clothing-optional underwater men’s hotel. Who thought investing in a short film would open up so many doors?

In life, is it better to ask for permission or forgiveness?

Drew: I think it’s best to ask for nachos first.

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

Pride is a Process: Overcoming Internalized Stigma Jim Meadows Executive Director, NOAGE info@noagenola.org June is Pride Month, and many of us are gearing up to celebrate, and also to remember the pioneers who got us where we are today. But what does “pride” mean to you? Is it something you feel to the deepest core of your being? Or is it still a personal goal you are working toward? Maybe you are still struggling to find it. If so, you’re not alone. In this article, I will examine the concept of internalized stigma, explore its causes and effects, and suggest some ways you can work to overcome it. Some of this information may be difficult to read about, and could even be triggering if your struggle has been particularly difficult. If that is the case, I’d advise skipping to the last section of this piece, “How to Overcome Internalized Stigma.”

What is Internalized Stigma?

Internalized stigma is a form of self-hatred experienced by individuals in marginalized communities who internalize society’s negative stereotypes and perceptions of those communities.

For people in the LGBT community, it takes the form of internalized homophobia, bi-phobia, transphobia, etc.

Causes of Internalized Stigma in

the LGBT Community What causes an LGBT person to experience internalized stigma? A wide variety of experiences, including rejection by peers and family, bullying, messages from the media, religious intolerance, pathologizing by medical and mental health professionals, hate crimes, and criminalization.

For some of us, our earliest experiences with stigmatization involved our nuclear and extended family members.

Maybe our siblings and cousins teased us for behaviors that didn’t conform to the hyper-masculine and hyper-feminine demands of the gender binary (e.g., “You throw like a girl,” or “It’s time to stop acting like a tomboy”). Maybe our parents expressed similar disapproval: “We’re not buying you this toy, and you can’t have anything else from the pink aisle.” Sometimes the disapproval was less overt. We learned to interpret our parents’ body language from very early on, and even disapproving looks tended to be loud and clear: “You shouldn’t be doing this/acting this way/embarrassing me like this, etc.”

You don’t have to tell most of us

how cruel kids can be, especially during the middle school years, when subgroups and pecking orders begin to emerge. In second grade, everyone seemed to be equal, but by sixth grade, we learned that kids who “acted gay” were not accepted, and were fair game for any and all bullies. We knew we were different, so we did our best to comport ourselves in ways that wouldn’t end up getting us ostracized, but there were always a few kids who never seemed to be fooled, and who made it their mission to intimidate and humiliate us as often as possible. This went on for years for many of us, and over time we may have even said to ourselves: “You know what? They’re right. I am this awful thing they are saying.”

Those of us who grew up in religious families learned that our sexual orientation or gender identity was “sinful.” We heard that we were “an abomination in the eyes of the Lord,” and that we were destined for abandonment by God and eternal damnation in hell. And most of us in that situation believed it, to one degree or another. Especially if we were forced to participate in “prayer

circles,” or to attend “pray the gay away” camps.

Until 1973, “homosexuality” was defined as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The same was true of “gender identity disorder” until 2013. For most of the history of psychiatry, LGBT people were looked upon as being mentally ill, and the unsuccessful “treatments” usually left us much worse off than before.

And while the consensus of the broader medical and psychiatric communities has changed drastically over the years, there are still individual healthcare professionals who hold deeply hostile views against us, and that can be manifest by from denial of care in emergency rooms to outright physical abuse in nursing homes.

One of the more insidious causes of internalized stigma is mass media: television, movies, radio, etc. Most LGBT characters in films have been portrayed as mentally ill, objects of ridicule, destined to die young and tragically, or all of the above. We’ve been fair game for comedians for as long as

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we can remember, and we’ve heard every tired “gay joke” that’s ever been told.

We’ve been physically assaulted, and we’ve known countless friends who’ve gotten bashed. We’ve heard the stories of our brothers and sisters who have been murdered for being like us. And after the deep sorrow and rage we feel over these murders comes the sobering realization: “That could have been me.”

Some of us have been criminalized. Consensual gay sex between adults was not acknowledged as a constitutional right until 2003, and countless people were arrested and jailed over the years, even for appearing to be gay (holding hands in public sometimes resulted in arrests for “obstructing the sidewalk”). People living with HIV are still subject to worse criminal penalties than other people, and trans folks are still living in fear of being taken to jail simply for using the bathroom.

The Effects of Internalized Stigma on LGBT People These experiences can potentially have effects in all areas of our lives: physical and mental health, family ties, social life, career, spirituality, romantic and sexual relationships, and even the most basic forms of self-expression.

LGBT people are at greater risk for a variety of physical ailments, addictions, mental problems like depression and anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and at-

tempts. Some of us become alienated from family members. We may conceal our sexual orientation and/or gender identity from colleagues at work (and in many places that fear is not irrational; it’s still legal in many places to fire someone for being LGBT). If we grew up belonging to anti-LGBT religious groups, we may now feel incapable of experiencing a healthy spiritual life.

Our romantic and sexual relationships, already difficult enough if treated as “abnormal” by society, can become further damaged by fears of emotional and sexual intimacy. We may still find ourselves being self-conscious about the way we walk, talk, sit, stand, dance, etc., etc., etc., because “what if I seem too gay?”

How to Overcome Internalized Stigma I realize that I may have thoroughly depressed you at this point, but that is not my intention. I believe that the only way to overcome a problem is to acknowledge that it exists, examine it, and then figure out the best way to get beyond it. Below are some suggestions on how you can work to overcome any lingering internalized stigma that you might be experiencing. Not every suggestion will work for everyone. It’s up to each of us to figure out our own path, but I hope some of this will be helpful to you.

Acknowledge and Plan: It may be useful to think about how some ex-

periences from your past are influencing your thoughts and behaviors today.

Some examples: Are you drinking that fifth cocktail because it tastes good, or because you still have trouble feeling comfortable in a bar with other LGBT people? Are you not mentioning your spouse or romantic partner because it’s not relevant to the conversation at hand, or are you shielding yourself from the possibility that the person you’re speaking with will judge you in a negative way, just like those kids in middle school did? Those are just a couple of possible examples; this will be different for everyone. The important point is to become conscious of the ways your self-perception may be affecting various areas of your life.

Once you’ve identified the areas you’re struggling with, form an action plan. Ask yourself, “What am I willing to do in order to be relieved of this pain?”

Maybe it’s drinking less, overcoming the fear of intimacy, or just practicing self-acceptance (PSA: Your value as a human being has nothing to do with how you look. Let me repeat that: Your value as a human being has NOTHING to do with how you look.) Write down your long- and short-term goals and the steps you will take in order to meet each of them. Keep your written plan somewhere you will see it often: a bathroom mirror, your purse or wallet, your pocket, etc.

Find a group of supportive

friends: What better way to overcome the effects of prejudice than to make friends with people who reject it? If the people you’re hanging out with now are bringing you down, it’s time to find some friends who will lift you up and cherish you for who you are. And when it comes to friends, quality always trumps quantity. It’s much better to have a couple of people you can count on than hordes of acquaintances who are nowhere to be found when you need them the most.

Identify your LGBT heroes: Too often, I hear LGBT people complaining about the negative things they perceive among one another. Finding the bad is incredibly easy, but it can ultimately make you feel out of place and more critical of your own identify as an LGBT person. I’ve found many of my greatest LGBT heroes by reading books by or about the people in our community who inspire me the most. One quote from Paul Monette’s Becoming a Man has been permanently carved in my mind: “When you finally come out, there’s a pain that stops, and you know it will never hurt like that again, no matter how much you lose or how bad you die.”

Come out: If you haven’t already done so, come out of the closet to the degree that you are able. Coming out isn’t something that just happens all at once for most people. It’s a journey, not an event. But people who aren’t

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out tend to have a lot more anxiety about their sexuality or gender identity than those who are. And the more people who come out, the greater the likelihood that future generations won’t have to struggle as much with doing so. Coming out is an act of heroism. If you have done it to any degree, please know that you are part of the reason we have come as far as we have, and that I and others are deeply grateful to you.

Read: One of the most helpful books for me, as a gay man, has been The Velvet Rage, by the psychologist, Alan Downs. But there are oth-

er great books that can help improve your sense of self-worth as an LGBT person, including Becoming Gay by Richard Isay, Coming Out of Shame

by Gershon Kaufman and Lev Raphael, Making Gay History by Eric Marcus, and countless others.

Get involved: Become an advocate for yourself. It’s not over; we got marriage equality in 2015, but there are still many LGBT people who are being fired, losing their jobs and homes, and facing a variety of other major obstructions and challenges. You don’t have to spend every moment of your life working as an activist to make a difference.

But you can make it a point to reach out and voice your opinion to political leaders by email or phone when bills are introduced that will affect our community. You can also make a big difference for yourself and others by volunteering for organizations that support our community.

Find a therapist: If you find yourself struggling with your mental health, don’t be afraid to reach out for help.

The important thing is that you find a licensed professional who is either a member of the LGBT community or well-versed in LGBT issues. Ask around for recommendations, or find

a listing of LGBT-friendly therapists.

NOAGE will soon have a resource guide that includes some of them, but the Louisiana Trans Advocates website has a very helpful list of referrals.

Check that out at www.latransadvocates.org/resources.

I’d love to hear from you. If you have other suggestions for people who are struggling with internalized stigma, or if you need help finding a therapist who works with LGBT people, you can always reach me at info@noagenola. org.

MOMENTS IN GAY NEW ORLEANS HISTORY 1977: Pageants and Rags and Courts—O My! Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com In 1983, Valda Lewis moved to New Orleans and began working at a Randall’s Record Shop on Toulouse Street importing and selling British punk rock music. Here in New Orleans, she found the freedom to be her true self, a lesbian, that proved so elusive in her hometown of Rayleigh in Essex County back in England.

After Randall’s, she took a job bartending and met her first partner, Loretta Mims. The lesbian bar scene was vibrant in those years, and one of its

luminaries was Charlene Schneider, owner of the legendary Charlene’s.

Charlene and Valda became friends and in 1986, Charlene “dragged” Valda to a meeting of the New Orleans City Council. The Council was considering a non-discrimination ordinance to protect lesbian and gay city employees.

The ordinance did not pass that day, and it would be a long fight before finally being adopted in 1991. Before the ordinance was voted down, the Council heard testimony from the pub-

lic. Many spoke in support of the measure but even more testified against it.

One woman, a Christian, testified that God had revealed to her that militant, radical homosexuals had met secretly in San Francisco and, for reasons she did not explain, the wicked conclave chose New Orleans as the first city to implement their diabolical plan to usher in the downfall of Western Civilization.

Valda was astounded at the misinformation and downright ignorance on display at the Council meeting as the ordinance was being debated.

Resolved to do something to clear up the prevalent misunderstanding of homosexuality, she and Loretta began producing a television show called Just for the Record. She recalls: “We needed a better image.”

Just for the Record was a weekly cable access television show produced on cable channel 49 from 1987—1993, and was New Orleans’ first LGBT television show. It covered both local and national topics of interest to the gay and lesbian community. The shows ranged from 30—60 minutes. In addition, Lewis and Mims also published a monthly newsletter of the same title from 1989 to 1993. After the show’s run, they produced another show called Queer Street Live, which ran for thirteen weeks.

Valda fell in love with the camera while producing these shows, and began recording other events relating to the LGBT+ community. A sampling of what she recorded includes four annual conferences of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute, the second HIV/AIDS Regional Summit, the thirteenth National Lesbian and Gay Health Conference, the National Commission on AIDS “Sex, Society, and HIV” Hearings, several Bourbon Street Awards contests, Armeinius and Amon Ra Carnival Balls, and just about anything else queer related that was happening in New Orleans.

After her relationship with Loretta ended, Valda began dating Shelley Hamilton, who served as Pastor of the New Orleans Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). The couple left New Orleans in 1993 when Hamilton took a position as Pastor of the MCC in Dallas. In Texas, Valda encountered the same type of homophobia she found in New Orleans. When the MCC there tried to purchase a building for their 1,600+ strong congregation, one church official told them he would rather “burn the building” than sell to gays and lesbians.

In 1995, they moved to Wichita to take over the MCC there. While in Kansas, Valda earned a Master’s Degree in Women’s Studies and Communication. During her course of study, she fell in love with Dr. Dorothy Miller, a member of the Women’s Studies faculty (the two never had a class together). She would later obtain another Masters Degree in Media Studies from the New School for Social Research.

Since 2002, Valda and Dorothy have lived in Cleveland, Ohio.

Lewis and Mims’ pioneering television show, Just for the Record, will be honored later this year at the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana’s annual Oracle Gala. Last year, the Archives Project awarded a grant to the Amistad Research Center to digitize Just for the Record. Each year at the Oracle Gala, the LGBT+ Archives Project recognizes an individual or organization that has made a substantial donation of material that chronicles LGBT+ history to an area library, museum, or archival repository. In addition to remarks by Valda Lewis herself, clips of the show will be featured at the Gala.

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BOOK REVIEW

Jimmy Neurosis Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com

Jimmy Neurosis. James Oseland. Ecco, 2019. ISBN: 978-0062267368. 293 pages.

Long before James Oseland was a judge on Top Chef Masters, he was a teenage rebel growing up in the pre– Silicon Valley suburbs, yearning for a taste of something wild. Diving headfirst into the churning mayhem of the punk movement, he renamed himself Jimmy Neurosis and embarked on a journey into a vibrant underground world populated by visionary musicians and artists.

In a quest that led him from the mosh pits of San Francisco to the pop world of Andy Warhol’s Manhattan, he learned firsthand about friendship of all stripes, and what comes from testing

the limits; both the joyous glories and the unanticipated, dangerous consequences.

With humor and verve, Oseland brings to life the effervescent cocktail of music, art, drugs, and sexual adventure that characterized the end of the seventies. Through his account of how discovering his own creativity saved his life, he tells a thrilling and uniquely American coming-of-age story.

Jimmy Neurosis is essentially about anti-social queerness and resilience. Narrated in an irreverent yet vulnerable voice, the book recalls all the angst of coming of age as a queer person. Echoes of James Dean and Sal Mineo reverberate on every page. Think Portrait of the Artist as a Young Punk. Perspective, that great gift of time, clarifies all the confusion

and loneliness of adolescence and in so doing offers hope as well as inspiration.

This book is a brilliantly written bildungsroman and will be enjoyed by any introspective reader.

James Oseland is the editor-in-chief of World Food, a book series launching from Penguin Random House in 2019. Prior to that, he was the editor-in-chief of Saveur, America’s most critically acclaimed food magazine. He has won multiple National Magazine and James Beard Foundation Awards and has been a judge on Celebrity Apprentice, Iron Chef America, and all five seasons of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. He is also the author of Cradle of Flavor, which was named one of the best books of 2006 by the New York Times and Good Morning America. He lives in New York City.

Cover of Jimmy Neurosis

A COMMUNITY WITHIN COMMUNITIES

Pride and the Church The Very Rev. Bill Terry+ fr.bill@stannanola.org As I mentioned the last time that we visited, I had the honor of doing a Benediction for a Pride event several years ago. It was very modest by today’s standards. By the time you read this in the air-conditioned place of your choice, I will likely have lost ten pounds of water weight marching in the New Orleans Pride Parade this year. I will be following a float and a truck, and will likely find myself among 20 or 30 Episcopal clergy. (Nothing like shorts, a hat, and clergy collar to make a fashion statement!) I imagine that most will be in the always elegant black, while some will wear t-shirts. (About five years ago, the Bishop of Louisiana marched with us.)

Things have changed so completely since those early days. I am proud of how the Church has shifted, but I am

embarrassed that it took us so long to be rightfully where we should have been all along. It is a joy to march in Pride. It is a statement about what we believe: Love Wins, All of us are children of God, we are each a blessing to each other. Those are important ideas.

These beliefs have meaning and substance. When we look at those who oppose us–knowingly or unknowingly– the bitter fruits are rejection, homophobia, and social animus. Pride provides an opportunity for people of all types and orientations to stand in solidarity, and to march it all out to the world. This community can’t be shoved back into the closet! We are out there; glitter, bangles, beads, dance, music, wigs, makeup, and yes, a gaggle of clergy collars strolling–sometimes running–in a public statement that says: WE ARE

HERE, WE HAVE OUR PLACE, WE ARE PROUD OF WHO GOD MADE US TO BE...AND WE ARE FABULOUS! For centuries, the church has had so many of its clergy in the closet. My time as priest has allowed me to bear witness to some clergy whom I think are great. But in order to be ordained they had to fly under the radar by staying in the closet. One of those men will be marching with us in the parade this year. He came out when he was finally ordained priest in California. It’s been a difficult road for him. I remember another clergy person who whispered, “I am so upset with the Bishop for allowing _____ to go through seminary. We all know he’s gay.” My what a scandal!

I thought to myself, “So?!” He, the gay priest, went on to do wonderful things.

He’s back home and doing wonderful things again. He is a GREAT PRIEST. As a denomination, we struggled with human sexuality for about 30 years or more. Some of “The Church” decided to leave our communion. That was both sad...but also not so much so. Leave if you must; if you can’t understand that all humans are made in the image and likeness of God. And if it’s not about love, then it’s not about God (that last bit I stole from our presiding bishop.) So we worked through our own internal issues, and we came out with vigor and enthusiasm on the other side. Love triumphs. That is not to say that we don’t still have a lot of work to do, or that everyone one who is Episcopalian agrees with the National Church, but most do. So we march with Pride with the community.

Thank you for giving us the chance to love you. Thank you for taking the risk to allow us to express our sincere apologies for things done and left undone. Thank you for embracing us and providing us with the opportunity to be loved by you. What a tribute it is to have a community open its arms to a past oppressor and say, “love me if you can.” We do. Thank you, and God bless you. May the face of God smile upon you. Never be ashamed. Let Jesus’ final commandment become the commandment that we all strive to live by: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

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Theme: Fruit Salad: Come Toss a Good Time Official Color: Polka Dots and Stripes in any color Grand Marshals: Countess C Alice (Daryl Dunaway) w/ “Glitterati” Entourage & Will Antill w/ “Will’s Pills” Entourage Charity: Odyssey House Louisiana

us n i o J de a r a he P y, t r o f a Sund er 1 mb e t p Se PM 0 0 : 2 To become a sponsor: email Daryl & Will at SDGMXLV@outlook.com Official Website: SouthernDecadence.com

Odyssey House Louisiana (OHL) is a nonprofit behavioral healthcare facility with an emphasis on addiction treatment.

Established in 1973, the mission of OHL is to provide holistic and client-centered services in a safe environment that address the full continuum of special care needs for the state of Louisiana. Through its services, OHL empowers individuals to become

active participants in their treatment and recovery to reclaim functional, productive lives.

OHL upholds values to ensure its programs are nondiscriminatory and that services are provided fairly to all.

OHL has developed programs, protocols, and ongoing trainings to ensure that we continue to provide culturally humble and LGBTQIA+ inclusive services to clients and community mem-

bers throughout our various programs.

OHL’s Community Health Center addresses most adult primary and behavioral healthcare needs, including women’s health, HIV/Hep C testing & counseling, STI screening, PrEP, trans care, & hormone replacement therapy. iPrevent OHL is an innovative and interactive program focused on HIV/ Hep C prevention programming to New Orleans Youth. iPrevent prioritizes

serving marginalized youth in New Orleans including but not limited to LGTBQIA+, refugee, immigrant, African/ American, Latinx New Orleans youth.

It is a community effort to increase awareness and mobilize our community to address various complex issues to which our youth are exposed.

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

PrEP Privacy - Delivered Straight to Your Door Chenier Reynolds-Montz Director of Outreach & Development for Access Health Louisiana CReynolds@accesshealthla.org The scary thing about healthcare for many people these days is not knowing how much you will pay out of pocket for you care, even if you have insurance. Access Health Louisiana (AHL), a nonprofit organization, makes healthcare affordable for everyone – insured, underinsured, and uninsured.

One of the biggest expenses for many people is the cost of prescription drugs.

As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), AHL wanted to make sure that all patients could get the medications they need without having to sacrifice a utility bill or food.

We opened our own pharmacy in 2018 to offer deep discounts on highpriced medications.

Pharmacist Michael Simmons, PharmD, and his staff handle hundreds of prescriptions daily for patients. After 19 years in the business, Simmons says he always strives to find the best deals for his patients, even if it means getting on the phone with the pharmaceutical companies themselves.

“If patients have a hard time finding medication, or their medication is out

of their budget, I will call their doctor for a temporary or permanent alternative,” says Simmons. “I can also search for financial solutions such as manufacturer coupons.” This is particularly helpful for HIV patients or patients with other critical illnesses.

Michelle, a Pharmacy tech at Access Health Louisiana Pharmacy, says another reason patients should consider sending their prescriptions over is because AHL offers free home delivery.

“A courier service delivers free to your home if you live in the New Orleans, Metairie and Kenner areas. If you live outside the area, you can have your medications delivered free to your door through the U.S. Postal Service.” The same goes for PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis). “If your doctor sends over a prescription for PrEP, we can have it filled and delivered straight to your door within one to two days depending on where you live. If you live in the area, you can pick it up from our pharmacy as well.” This is extremely convenient for busy millennials and hospitality workers who don’t work the

typical 9am to 5pm work day.

Your doctor calls in the prescription, and the prescription gets delivered straight to your door.

Access Health Louisiana Pharmacy staff is trained to use all available resources to help their patients obtain their medications at affordable prices. “The process for getting approved for discounted medications through AHL is simple,” says Michelle. “First, I highly recommend seeing one of our prescribers, then your cost is based off your household size and income.”

Staying within network isn’t required, but it does simplify the process if you have a critical illness. “An in-house pharmacy can often better assist patients and meet their healthcare needs because we have direct access to their physicians and medical records, since everything is within the same network,” adds Pharmacist Simmons. “As part of the patient’s care team, I share information with their primary care physician to help find the best treatment for each patient that meets their financial and medical needs. This requires a

more personal involvement in the patient’s care on my part.”

Access Health Louisiana is a proud supporter of the LGBTQ community, and hopes that patients will continue to entrust all aspects of their healthcare needs to them. “We look at each one of our patients as if they are a part of our family and we try to assist them as much as possible in a caring manner,” adds Michelle. To take advantage of the free home delivery service, or to see if your medications can be filled at a lower rate through the Access Health Louisiana Pharmacy, call (985)785-5826, or their toll-free number, (833)556-6290.

Chenier Reynolds-Montz is Director of Outreach & Development for Access Health Louisiana, a registered 501(c)3 organization. She can be reached at creynolds@accesshealthla.org. For information about our services, log onto our website at accesshealthla.org

EMS PRIDE

New Orleans EMS Appoints LGBTQ Liaison The City of New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS) has named Tracy “TJ” Boyd, Jr. as the agency’s newly created liaison officer between the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (or questioning) communities.

As the LGBTQ+ Liaison Officer, Boyd will be promoting equality and inclusion in the workplace, and educating our first responders on LGBTQ+ related emergency healthcare conditions and respectful practices when caring for these individuals. Boyd will also be working with the New Orleans Police Department and other City of New Orleans LGBTQ+ Liaisons to help build mutual trust, respect and understanding between the LGBTQ+ community and our public safety team, while working with local partners to ensure that LGBTQ+ patients have positive prehospital healthcare experiences.

“As a member of the gay community, I am honored to be chosen for this position,” Boyd comments. “My main goal is to continue nurturing and developing a strong relationship between the LGBTQ+ community and the City of New Orleans Public Safety Team.

Together, we will accomplish great things for our community.”

An LGBTQ+ liaison is just one of many commitments made by NOEMS

after announcing a commemorative badge in anticipation of Pride Month.

To contact the New Orleans EMS LGBTQ+ Liaison Officer, call/text (504) 224-9100 or tboyd@nola.gov TJ Boyd, Jr., is from the town of Bay Springs, Mississippi. He grew up around emergency services; his dad is now a retired Mississippi State Trooper, and his three older brothers were also Mississippi State Troopers. TJ started in the Emergency Medical Services field in 2010, and decided to make the big move to New Orleans in 2016.

He joined New Orleans EMS in September of 2016 after volunteering with them since 2014.There, he worked his way up from an EMT, to now, a Field Training Officer and the newly appointed LGBTQ+ Liaison.

New Orleans EMS is excited to join Mayor Cantrell’s initiative in promoting equity and inclusion. They are working with the Office of Human Rights & Equity to develop educational materials for medics so that everyone feels respected when receiving pre-hospital care.

A huge milestone for NOEMS is the addition of Pride Badges and a pride-wrapped vehicle for the month of June. TJ says “there are a lot of changes, and we reiterate our commitment of inclusion, acceptance, and equality

Tracy “TJ” Boyd, Jr

to NOEMS staff as well as the citizens and visitors of New Orleans.

At New Orleans EMS, we embrace human dignity and diversity.” This is the first time that an NOEMS vehicle has been placed in the New Orleans Pride Parade. Normally NOEMS only has a vehicle following the parade for medical coverage. Be sure to look for

NOEMS employees, along with Boyd who are walking and are extremely excited to be able to show their pride and commitment to the City!

Captain Keeley Williams-Johnson will be driving the Tahoe in the New Orleans Pride Parade.

38 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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chairs or blankets and enjoy a full day of live entertainment by Christina Alconcel, Cody Copeland, McDean, Boys Who Cry, Corey Harvard, and WayWard Sister, plus the Red Carpet Drag Show, and shopping at more than 60 arts, crafts, and information vendors. NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK ALLOWED. This is a family event.

Leashed pets allowed.

Pride month is here! Each year in June, cities all across the World host Pride Celebrations which include festivals, resource fairs, parades, and parties. Pride is a time to remember the past, celebrate how far we have come, and vow to continue the fight for equality for all.

Fifteen events take place over the week-long Central Alabama Pride Festival that kicks off on May 31 with “Out At the Field- Equality Night,” with the Birmingham Barons. Other events include a Red Dress Party, “Celebrity” Softball games, Family Day at the Zoo, Bingo, Bowling, and more. The festival week concludes with Pridefest at Sloss Furnaces on June 9.

This year, Central Alabama Pride is packed with events and celebrity entertainment including Damien D’Luxe, Candi Stratton, Geneva Convention, Spikey Van Dikey, and Ada Vox from American Idol. RuPaul’s Drag Race will be well represented with Pandora Boxx, Ongina, Trinity K Bonet, and Manila Luzon. Headliner this year is Love and Hip-Hop’s TRINA. Central Alabama Pride is 100% free, with donations at the door to cover the cost of entertainment. For more information on all of the Pride events taking place, visit facebook.com/centralalabamaprideinc.

Oxford Pride - April 28-May 5 CENLA Pride - May 31-June 2 World Pride - June 1-30 (NYC) Central Alabama Pride - June 1-10

Key West Pride is June 5-9 and lists more than 30 events taking place.

The Key West Stoli Championship kicks off the festivities on June 5, with the Champion being named on Saturday, June 8.

This tropical island’s Pride truly has something for everyone including theater, wine tastings, distillery tours, and pool parties.

Pride week entertainment includes Steve Grand, Miss Stachaa and “The Love,” Debby Holiday, and LaTonya London.

The Key West Pride Parade rolls at 5PM on Sunday, June 9.

More information on Key West Pride can be found at gaykeywestfl. com.

Pride Galveston began in 2017 as Pride Galveston Beach Bash & Block Party. Pride Galveston has now ballooned into a three-day celebration taking place June 7-9.

This year’s events include the Mister & Miss Pride Galveston Pageant, Beach Bash and a Pool Party. Check out all of their events at pridegalveston. com.

Sunday, June 16 Tea Dance; The Vineyard at 12th Ave @ 3pm-7pm.

For more information on all of their upcoming events, visit facebook.com/ pensacolapride.

Houston Pride: “SUMMER OF ‘69 Moving Mankind Forward! It was a summer of small steps and giant leaps.

A summer of love in the midst of great trials. And it was the summer our story began-- when Marsha P. Johnson and others stood firm against oppression, and began the now infamous Stonewall Riots.”

Eden | Official Pride Girl + Party; 9:00 pm - June 22 @ 2:00 am; Pearl Bar, 4216 Washington Avenue 2019 Houston Pride Festival; 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm; Downtown Houston, 901 Bagby Street. This event is ADMISSION FREE 2019 Houston Pride Parade; 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm; Downtown Houston, 901 Bagby Street; This event is ADMISSION FREE Official Pride Afterparty; 9:00 pm June 23 @ 3:00 am; Rich’s Houston, 2401 San Jacinto

Key West Pride - June 5-9 New Orleans Pride - June 7-9 Galveston Pride - June 7-9 Pensacola Pride - June 15-16 Baton Rouge Pride - June 15 Houston Pride - June 22 Gulf Coast Pride - June 29 The Woodlands Pride - September 28 Druid City Pride - October 2019 Mobile Pride - October 5 Pine Belt Pride - October 10-13

Biloxi Pride returns on June 28 at Point Cadet Park.

Gay Grassroots of Northwest Florida will hold its 10th Annual Pensacola Pride in June. Three events take place over Pride weekend, but there are a total of 11 events during Pride Month.

Friday, June 14 Ladies Night ft. Wayward Sister; 7pm-10pm, Kingfisher 1500 Barrancas Ave.

Friday, June 28 Official Gay Pride Kick Off Party; 9:00 PM Sipps Gulfport; 2218 25th Ave Saturday, June 29 Biloxi PrideFest; 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM Point Cadet Park & Splash Pad; 228 Beach Blvd.

Swiss Navy Presents Lube Wrestling; 10:00 PM Sipps Gulfport.

Saturday, June 15 10th Annual Festival in the Park; 11am-6pm, Seville Park; Bring your

42 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

PRIDE SPOTLIGHT

Pepper Mashay at Baton Rouge Pride Robyn Vie Carpenter-Brisco, Vice-Chair of Baton Rouge Pride

Celebrate Pride in the Capital City!

The 13th Annual Baton Rouge Pride Week is June 14-23.

Monday, June 17 Mexi Monday Pride Edition; 5:00PM The Park Pub & Patio

Friday, June 14 Ladies Night Pride Edition; 9:00PM Splash Nightclub

Tuesday, June 18 Fat Tuesday Pride Edition; 9:00PM The Park Pub & Patio

Saturday, June 15 Freedom Dance Party - 3rd Annual; 9:00PM Splash Nightclub Baton Rouge Pride Fest; 12:00PM - 7:00PM Raising Cane’s River Center Arena. This year’s entertainment lineup features Grammy Nominated Vocalist, Frenchie Davis, along with Hot Dance Chart Topper Pepper MaShay and many more.

Wednesday, June 19 Pride Open Mic; 9:00PM The Park Pub & Patio

Sunday, June 16 The Sunday Social Pride ; 12:00PM The Park Pub & Patio

Thursday, June 20 Ladies in Red - Benefit for Apollo AIDS Crisis Fund; 9:00PM Splash Friday, June 21 Celebrity Drag Star 9:00PM Splash

Willam;

Saturday, June 22 Pride Finale: Blue Dance Party 16th Annual; 9:00PM Splash

What does Pride sound like? I think that the answer really depends on who you ask, and when you’re asking.

When I first came out 25 years ago, the sound of my first Pride was the exuberant anthem from the divine Miss Ross, “I’m Coming Out.” That’s also the year I learned about the NYC rock band, BETTY!, who sang the theme song to The L Word drama series. Another year when I had to plan the Pride service at church without my friend I’d lost to AIDS-related pneumonia, it was Miss Jackson’s “Together Again”.

Then, as my career in fashion integrated with my queerness, it was the drag anthem “Supermodel (You Better Work), by RuPaul.

In the early 2000’s, a show called Queer as Folk was on the air, and a song took hold of every Pride celebration. Every DJ played it at the height of their set. And if you heard it, you just couldn’t help it; you had to dance.

It’s always kind of like that with what I call “Pride songs”. They always get you moving, throwing your arms in the air, feeling the joyful exuberance of a day spent celebrating your authentic expression of Self. The song is called

“Dive in the Pool,” or as you may call it, “Let’s Get Soaking Wet!” Written by a jazz musician named Barry Harris, it was famously performed by Pepper Mashay, along with her other “Pride song” from the QAF era called “I Got My Pride,” which of course says it all.

This year, Pepper Mashay will be bringing those songs and others to perform at Baton Rouge Pride on Saturday, June 15. I recently sat down to talk with her about Pride, performing, and living an authentic life.

RVC: We’re so excited to have you coming to BR Pride. It’s probably different than what you’re used to. We’re full of families, and we’re indoors.

PM: I was excited when I got the call from Chris [Bradford, President of BR Pride] that my appearance was being sponsored by Reverend Tommy Dillon and his church [St Margaret’s Episcopal Church of Baton Rouge].

He and I go way back. He’s one of the only clergymen I’ve ever met that could hang [with musicians].

RVC: Tommy definitely has the energy! We’re all excited to have you perform.

PM: I mainly sing the blues these

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Pepper Mashay

days because I’m finally old enough.

When I’m booked [for Pride], it’s mainly having to do with the two songs from Queer as Folk. On one [“Dive in the Pool”], I only talk. And to this day, I still can’t believe it did as well as it did.

That’s why I didn’t take the publishing, which I should have. Then, “I Got My Pride.” A famous songwriter told me it was one of the best lyrics he’s ever heard, which I also didn’t write or take publishing on...Because when these two songs were blowing up, we were in the midst of fighting for the right to be a human. In the beginning of the 2000’s, I was so new to the community with performing - let alone preaching the gospel about us as a community being human and being able to be with other people of the same sex. You have to understand, during that time [I was] coming out of a divorce from the father of my two sons, being married for 27 years.

RVC: Wow! That’s a lot to contend with.

PM: I was being introduced into a community that welcomed everybody.

So, I just took it upon myself after 9/11 to go full onslaught for gay rights, having the right to marry who you want, and being accepting of a community who accepted me for who I was.

RVC: Yes! It feels like a rebirth when you finally love as your true Self.

PM: Yes. Then coming up on 2011 when I met my wife, because I had fallen in love with a woman, I finally felt comfortable belonging to a community that was so welcoming. She has two children from a previous marriage, and we’re a blended family now.

RVC: I love that. That story was perfect and wonderful, particularly since we’re talking about Pride. I was wondering, have you been to Baton Rouge before?

PM: I have, but it’s been years.

When “Dive Into the Pool” and “Let’s Get Soaking Wet” came out, I was in a whilrwind.

RVC: When that song came out, it blew up. I remember it was everywhere. I understand what you’re saying about there not being a lot to the song. I kind of feel like for some songs they don’t need a lot because the music is so good that you get the lift anyway, and if there are too many words, you don’t know what they are because you’re dancing too much.

PM: Right. Even when Barry Harris, the producer, did it, he was one half of a producing team called Thunderpuss 2000 at the time. They were huge. They were remixing everything.

So when he called me saying he has this idea, I was like, “Now what?” He said, “I need you to come into the studio tonight. I’ve got something for you.”

The rest is history.

PRIDE SPOTLIGHT The Voice Known as Frenchie Davis: Broadway - Cabaret - World Stage - Baton Rouge Robyn Vie Carpenter-Brisco, Vice-Chair of Baton Rouge Pride Songbird Frenchie Davis is a world-renowned vocalist from Los Angeles, California, and a graduate of Howard University. Her theatrical credits include the Broadway cast of RENT, Dreamgirls, Cinderella Enchanted, Jesus Christ Superstar, and the National Tour of Ain’t Misbehavin’, for which she earned a Grammy nomination. She was also a top-five finalist on the first season of NBC’s The Voice, and a featured performer in Wanda Sykes’ Herlarious. An outspoken advocate for artists, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of color, Frenchie continues to wow audiences with her unique and versatile talent. She sits on the national advisory council for the Human Rights Campaign’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities project. She also recently completed an incredible world tour, and I got to sit down with her once she had finally returned stateside. We talked about reconnecting to the love of singing, the pursuit of other people’s definitions of success, and taking one day at a time.

RVC: How are you? Tell me again where you were for the last three months. Didn’t you go to Dubai?

Frenchie: I was in Abu Dhabi for a week. The three-month trip was Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Camboia, Malaysia...I’m forgetting a couple of places. It was like 10 different countries in three months.

RVC: I’m tired just listening to that list. What a wonderful blessing. I’m glad you got to experience it.

Frenchie: Yeah I’m still very jetlagged. It was much needed. Just to take a break from America, and the music industry in America. It was really great just taking that break. This trip was transformative for me in a lot of ways. It reminded me of why I started singing in the first place. It’s so easy for all of that to get diluted when other people project onto you because of their own perceptions of the industry, their own definitions of success. I remember people coming up to me after the show talking about, “Oh my God, it was amazing! You should be the next Whitney Houston.” I’m like, “Actually, no.”

When I think about women like Whitney and Phyllis Hyman and Vesta, all of these amazing women with amazing talent, who really in the pursuit of other people’s definition of success in this industry, completely lost the love that they had for singing.

RVC: Right. I get you.

Frenchie: I mean for me, after this trip, I’m not devoting any more energy to the machine that sucks all of the joy and all of the passion out of music to begin with. I think people have to be clear on what they want for themselves. A lot of people get into this business because they want to be rich and famous. Don’t get me wrong. I want to make my money. Ain’t nothing wrong with being rich. But that wasn’t my motivation for starting to be a performer. I started singing because I love to sing.

And I know I’m really fucking great at it.

RVC: Yes, Sister! You are!

Frenchie: That was the reason I

Frenchie Davis

started doing this. This trip made me ask myself, why are you doing work that sucks all of the love out of it, when there’s a whole world out there. You can do it because you love it and still make good money, and actually have a life full of joy!

RVC: YAAAS! [Side note: Joy is my favorite topic, so she had me hollering].

Frenchie: That’s really my focus these days. If it’s not joyful, I ain’t got time.

RVC: You know you’re speaking my language, friend. I love it! Have you been to Baton Rouge before?

Frenchie: Not since I was a kid.

RVC: When’s the last time you were down here in Louisiana at all?

Frenchie: I performed at an event at the House of Blues in New Orleans several years ago. I also did Essence Festival a couple of years ago.

RVC: We’re very excited to have you performing. I found out the other day that you are the first non-Louisiana-born headliner that has performed at Baton Rouge Pride. I had no idea when I suggested you. I just wanted my friend to come. I’m just grateful you said yes. Haha!

Frenchie: Wow. That’s amazing.

Thank you for thinking of me. I’m honored that you guys asked me to come. I

didn’t even realize that you had moved to Baton Rouge.

RVC: I love it! I’m getting to contribute in big and small ways. I love being my big haired, black lesbian Self in the middle of the room. It allows people to realize that they don’t have to be afraid. They can be friends with a black lesbian.

Frenchie: I think it’s great that you’re there. It goes back to what I was saying earlier. A lot of times we inadvertently allow ourselves to get sucked into other people’s projections, perceptions, and expectations, and they’re afraid to live in a new place or try something different. They’re afraid to be someplace where they actually have to stand out.

RVC: Exactly. So, what new big thing is on the horizon? Anything fun and exciting?

Frenchie: Well honestly, right now I’m resting and recovering from my last adventure. I feel like when people ask “What are you working on now?” it just creates anxiety. It’s okay for the answer to be: “A better me.” That’s what I’m always working on.

Aren’t we all? Don’t miss Frenchie Davis when she performs at Baton Rouge Pride on Saturday, June 15, 2019.

44 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

NEW ORLEANS PRIDE

June 7-9, 2019 More than 20 events will take place over three days at many area bars and venues for New Orleans Pride 2019.

THURSDAY, JUNE 6

“Grand Illusions” Exhibit Opening 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Louisiana State Museum Free to Public

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 2nd Annual LGBT Night with the Baby Cakes 7:00 PM The Shrine on Airline FrayLife // Pool Party 7:00 PM The Drifter Hotel Dancing/Queen Concert by the New Orleans Gay Men’s Chorus 7:30 PM UNO Theater of Performing Arts Nola Dance United: Bollywood, Latin & Afrobeats Night 9:00 PM Cafe Istanbul

Grrlspot Jngl 9:00 PM Santos Bar PURPLE TAKEOVER: A PRINCE Celebration 10:00 PM One Eyed Jacks Fusion: New Orleans Pride Edition 9:00 PM Santos Bar (Downstairs) This month we will be bringing some NOLA heat with our friends Bouffant Bouffant & Tristan Dufrene. We will also have drag performances by Franky, Tarah Cards, and Fabigail Tchoupitoulas! Our host for the evening will be Hexxorsis. We’re working along with our friends at GrrlSpot to create an inclusive vibe for all members of the LGBT+ community.

Function Presents: ~GASSED~ Pride Weekend Liftoff 10:00 PM Poor Boys

SATURDAY, JUNE 8

PrideFest 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM 941 North Rampart Street (Between the Phoenix Bar and Robert Grocery) Absolut, and The Phoenix Bar Present PrideFest 2019 with headliner, Big Freedia! Join us for an afternoon of entertainment by DJ Matt Consola, Synes, Miss New Orleans Pride: Giselle Trivianni, Mr. New Orleans Pride: Blaine Bextor, and many other local acts. Free health screenings provided

by Access Health Louisiana, Pet costume contest, animal adoptions, plus lots of vendors, food, and drinks! This event is all inclusive and family friendly. Pets must be on a leash. (PrideFest takes place just 3 blocks from the starting location of the Pride Parade) Big Easy Sisters Dunk Tank 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM PrideFest (941 Elysian Fields) Come throw balls and get a sister wet!

GrrlSpot | BLOQ Pride Parade Party 12:00 PM Coyote Ugly Our big queer Pride parade party starts when you do on the Saturday of Pride weekend! As always, we’ll be on the route with a pack of Coyotes serving up drink specials before, during, and after the Pride Parade.

Girlbar New Orleans Pride “T” Dance 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM The Bourbon Pub (Upstairs) The Official Girls T-Dance on the Parade route. Balcony viewing of the New Orleans Pride Parade with special guest DJ Missy Hall (Biloxi) The New Orleans Pride Parade 7:30 PM The Largest LGBT+ Parade on the Gulf Coast will roll through the Marigny and French Quarter, led by local and celebrity grand marshals and Pride titleholders. The Pride Parade is an all inclusive event with a recommended family viewing area at Jackson Square. Metropolitan Human Services District will have a “safe zone” viewing area at St. Jude’s Church on Rampart Street. The 2019 Parade will feature 26 Mardi Gras style floats and more than 70 groups, making this year’s parade the largest to date, with nearly 4,000 registered participants. The parade is made possible with the support of Presenting Sponsors: Walgreens and Access Health Louisiana, and Supporting Sponsors: Bell’s Brewery (Parade Line Up Sponsor) and Shell Oil. New Orleans Pride Ball 10:30 PM The Joy Theater

For a complete list of events, visit NewOrleansPrideFestival.com!

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Bearded Lady Productions and the Krewe of Armenius Present the official Parade After Party featuring Detroit Swindle, Jank Setup and much more!

Hosted by FatsyCline Drag. Tickets available at http://bit.ly/PrideBall19 Queer as F▼CK :: Pride Dance Party 9:00 PM One Eyed Jacks GrrlSpot ROUGE 9:00 PM 209 Decatur Street Pride Parade After Party Free Mom Hugs at New Orleans Pride Parade 7:30 PM Watch for this amazing group in the New Orleans Pride Parade and get some hugs!

Gloria: Gay/Disco pt1 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM Santos Bar Not only will you be able to disco down to the finest selects by our resident NANA, HONEY B (Bryant Wilms) and guest DJ XIVIX (David Yaconi) but we also secured the hottest balcony along the parade route upstairs at Santos Bar for you to view the gayest of gay parading down Decatur st.

SUNDAY, JUNE 9

Participating Parade Groups The Big Easy Sisters Dykes Who Ride Gulf Coast Voodoo Scoots Scooter Club Lyft New Orleans EMS & First Responders B97 WDSU Parade Tracker Crescent City Fae Krewe of Goddesses Krewe of King Arthur Unite Here Local 23 Hyatt Regency LGBT Archives Project Krewe of the Rolling Elvi French Quarter Business Association The Sirens of New Orleans Shimmy Shakti Belly Dance Troupe Dames de Perlage Touro Synagogue Cox Communications Odyssey House Access Health Louisiana Crescent Care SEA Shell Tom Harang Law House of Ballz Krewe du Moon Krewe des Fleurs Reconciling Ministires Radical Faeries Disco Amigos NOLAPAH Care with Pride Johnson and Johnson Forum for Equality JC Penny Roux LaLa T Mobile Krewe of Mwindo

4th Annual Family Equality Day 10:00AM - 1:00PM Longue Vue House and Gardens 7 Bamboo Road, New Orleans Gloria Gay/Day Disco pt2 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM The Phoenix Bar Join New Orleans disco daddy boy Bouffant Bouffant to groove us out of the pride weekend and into the thick of summer. This is a mid-gay/day disco happy hour(s) for you to let it all hang out!

New Orleans Pride Closing Party with Elysian Brewing 5:00 PM Oz New Orleans Performance by Synes and more!

Miss Gay Southern Elegance America 2019 Pageant 8:00 PM Mags on Elysian Fields What better way to end New Orleans Pride Weekend than with a battle of the best in female impersonation?

Lipstixx Ladies on Parade: Pride Edition 8:00 PM The Bourbon Pub Sunday Funday Pride Edition with Ladies of Oz 9:00 PM Oz New Orleans

HISTORY

History of Pride in New Orleans New Orleans Gay Pride began in February 1971, when the newly formed Gay Liberation Front of New Orleans presented a “Gay In” picnic in City Park. This was the very first such event in the entire state of Louisiana.

Throughout the 1980s, several organizations spearheaded the annual events. The first street parade was held in 1980. In 1981, the event moved to Armstrong Park, and was emceed by New Orleans native Ellen DeGeneres.

In 1988 “Gay Fest” was changed to “Gay Pride.”

By the 1990s, “Pridefest” was being sponsored by the New Orleans Alliance of Pride.

In 2005, Gay Pride was presented by the LGBT Community Center of New Orleans. In 2011, The LGBT Community Center decided to no longer produce the Pridefest event and gave all rights for PrideFest to the 2010 and 2011 local Grand Marshals.

In 2011, The New Orleans Pride Organization was formed as its own organization and acquired a 501(c) (3) status. The 2011 “New Orleans Gay Pride Festival” consisted only of a parade, pageant, and block party on Bourbon Street with 80’s pop star, Tiffany. In 2012, the festival officially be-

came “New Orleans Pride.”

Since then, The New Orleans Pride Board has restructured the organization to foster positive relationships between all communities in New Orleans.

The 2018 New Orleans Pride Festival was the largest Pride Festival to ever take place in Louisiana. More than 35 events took place over a threeday weekend, attracting people from all walks of life. The Festival brought in more than 82,000 participants, 3,000 of which were in the New Orleans Pride Parade, Louisiana’s Largest LGBT+ Parade.

Rachael Harris, Kelly Ripa, and Jake Shears leading the 2017 Parade

Accruent The New Orleans Pride Parade Route Lucid LOFT/ Ann Taylor New Covenant Parade viewing on Royal Street @ Washington Square Park Le Stepford Wives “Safe Zone” Sponsored by MHSD at Rampart St. & Conti St. Orange Theory gayNOLA Best Balcony Viewing: Santon Bar, Good Friends, Meauxbar The Bourbon Pub, Oz New Orleans Tulane Health Systems Gap Best Street Viewing: Coyote Ugly, Marriott Canal Street, Krewe deGEneres The Page, The Black Penny, Rawhide, 801 Royal The Country Club Juli Aucion & Friends Bayou Babes GE Best Family Viewing is at Jackson Square, on the French Quarter Side Dow New Orleans Girls of Leather St. Charles Ave. Bapt. Church Mystic Krewe of PUEWC Lords of LEather NOLA Gay Families Detroit Dancing Dynasty NOLA Night Lights Walgreens Bell’s Brewery Entergy Ambush Sleep Number Planned Parenthood The Episcopal Church Oz New Orleans Condor Airlines Stonewall Sports LynnTroy Absolut Woods Enterprises VA Hospital PFJ Floats Ochsner Microsoft Rikki Redd & Friends

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MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT Big Freedia Interview Q: You are headlining at New Orleans Pridefest on June 8th, and you will be the Celebrity Grand Marshal of the Pride Parade. What does it mean to you, to headline your hometown Pride?

A: I’m humbled to be doing this for my city of New Orleans, and for Bounce music as a whole. I’m sure it’s going to be a great experience, very exciting, and fun for me and the city.

Q: What can fans expect from a

Big Freedia Pride Show?

A: A lot of ass-shaking, great Bounce music, and fun times.

Q: Can you tell me about your partnership with Absolut Vodka?

A: Absolut is a sponsor of New Orleans Pride, and I’m excited to partner with them. I really appreciate their new Pride bottle and package for Pride season, which is wonderful. So, I’m excited to partner up.

PRIDE SPOTLIGHT Dr. Dery Interview New Orleans Pride is excited to have Dr. MarkAlain Dery as Local Grand Marshal for Pride 2019. Dr. Dery is the Chief Innovation Officer with Access Health Louisiana and the Medical Director for the AIDS Education & Training Center Program (AETC).

We recently caught up with Dr. Dery to discuss Pride, and HIV in New Orleans.

Ordinary is not a word that would be used to describe you; from your tattoos, three- piece suits, and skate-

boarding, you are unlike most other physicians.

On the surface, I am an anomaly compared to other physicians.

Among those things listed, I am also a musician obsessed with enjoying great music, too. This individuality provides me a unique privilege with my patients.

The tattoos, music, three-piece suits, and skateboarding is how my patients connect with me, and vice versa. I’m a strong advocate for peo-

Q: What new projects can we look forward to in the near future?

A: Fans can expect new music, new videos, and new content in general. I’m just keeping the music going, and hopefully will have a new TV show in the works. I’m steady working, grinding for the culture, and for Bounce music.

Q: New Orleans ranks number three in the nation for highest rate of new HIV diagnoses. New Orleans Pride is using this year’s festival to promote HIV awareness. What are your thoughts on this statistic, and on the need for HIV education in New Orleans?

A: HIV awareness is very important. I’ve partnered with organizations in the city to increase awareness of HIV and the PrEP pill. It’s important to let the community know there is help out there. There are resources available, and it’s important to keep spreading the word.

Q: What advice would you give to someone struggling with their identity, or with coming out?

A: Don’t be afraid. Be who you are.

Stand firm, and believe in yourself.

Continue to take it step by step. I would encourage finding great supporters who embrace you as you find yourself.

ple living with HIV, social equity, racial equality, amongst other things.

All my facets are on display for patients; which creates an unbeatable relationship of trust, resulting in effective treatment and care.

You have quite an extensive resume related to HIV/ AIDS services.

What made you decide to go into this field?

I often make the comment, “Never say Never.” When the HIV epidemic occurred in the 1980s, I watched my father, an optometrist, care for men who were directly affected by HIV. It inspired me to become an infectious disease physician. I’ve always been sure of what I wanted. At the time, I never wanted to specialize in HIV. Instead, I wanted to chase and cure health epidemics globally.

Once I made it to New Orleans, my love for the music, culture, and people, transformed my desire to pursue healthcare on a global level. Not only did I decide to stay in New Orleans, but to champion HIV research and create effective treatments for my people in the city. Honestly, it was my love for New Orleans that crystallized the idea that I could simultaneously focus my energy and passion on everything I love in a place I’ve always cherished.

Studies show that New Orleans is 3rd in the nation for highest new HIV diagnosis and nearly 70% of New Orleans’ new infections are among young African American Men. Why do you think these numbers are so high for us?

We can’t address this issue until we bluntly discuss - and rectify - society’s systemic injustices within black and brown communities.

When we become an anti-racist society that provides communities of color with social, economic, and racial equity and equality, we will see a drastic decrease in HIV diagnoses in African American men.

There is a direct correlation between the populations of people living with HIV and the lack of legislative rights and opportunities. Cities with the highest rates of socioeco-

nomic barriers such as poverty, illiteracy, unsafe, unaffordable housing and incarceration, also have higher rates of HIV. These barriers are set in place to keep black and brown communities physically and socially oppressed How is Access Health working to lower these numbers?

My positions as Chief Innovation Officer with Access Health Louisiana and the Medical Director for the AIDS Education & Training Center Program gives me access to communicate with medical and non-medical professionals about effective treatment options for patients. This state-wide pipeline of communication is essential to eradicating inefficient care for HIV patients. AHL has been supportive of implementing advanced educational programming meant to specifically prevent HIV and more effectively treat people living with HIV and Hep C. What sets Access Health apart from all of the other HIV clinics in New Orleans?

First, let me say all the HIV clinics in New Orleans are doing a phenomenal job at providing care for HIV patients. No matter where you are treated in the city, you will receive world class care. What sets Access Health Louisiana apart from our partners in HIV prevention and care is that we are state-wide. With over 29 locations in the state Louisiana, AHL provides free HIV and STI testing for all patients—regardless of insurance and income. Our statewide care visibility in places where access to health is difficult, allows for continuity of patient care.

Why is it so important to get the U=U [Undetectable Equals Untransmittable] message out there?

The U=U message is so essential to promoting social and sexual equity. For the first time ever, HIV positive people are fully liberated from the social stigmas of HIV. People living with HIV and in partnership with those who are, now have an effective tool that releases

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the shackles of society stigma. The U=U message is revolutionary in its ability to free people living with HIV by empowering them to have active, healthy sex lives, without fear of transmitting the virus to their partners.

New Orleans Pride is quickly approaching, and you are named local Grand Marshal. What was your reaction when you received the news?

I was deeply honored to be selected as the local Grand Marshal.

Let’s revisit the Stonewall Uprising in 1969. We’re now celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. My work in public health as a physician, an advocate and activist in the community, the work being done at WHIV is rooted in moving social, racial and economic justice forward. While great strides have been made for equity in these areas by all people, but specifically my brothers and sisters who fought at Stonewall, there’s great work to be done by us who remain. I’ll be riding in the parade with the spirit of the Stonewall activist and global activist around the world that are fighting for sexual equality and equity.

This year’s focus for New Orleans Pride is HIV awareness. PrideFest will offer Free health screenings by Access Health. In addition, Walgreens, Ochsner, and Avita Pharmacy are also playing parts in Pride. HIV Activist, Mondo

Guerra is Celebrity Grand Marshal, and Big Freedia, who has been vocal on HIV Awareness and the importance of testing, is headlining PrideFest. What are your thoughts on the importance of using Pride as an outlet to raise awareness of HIV and educate on the importance of getting tested?

The community and healthcare professionals are devoted to creating a world for the generations after us to thrive, freely and healthy.

Events like Pride are so super important because not only are we celebrating the vibrancy of our community, but we are giving kids and young adults a glimpse into how vivacious and prosperous their future will be because of the dedication to fairness and liberation for all.

Truthfully, that’s the most important factor: the youth. We are witnessing an alarming rate of suicides and murders in gay young people and those that identify as transgender. Pride is not only an event to celebrate our beautiful lives, but to educate others about who we are, boldly declare our presence, and demand our protection.

If you were to sum up a speech on HIV Awareness and education, what few sentences would you say to get your message across?

I would hit 3 major points to start: HIV and most infectious dis-

eases are found in communities of color. Until we generate and implement policies that create equity and equality for them, we will continue to see an increase in new cases.

The most important thing we can do is demand and expect polices that promote inclusive protection and wellness for LGBT community.

There should be transparency in awareness and education for the prevention and treatment of HIV in teenagers. Also, protection and resources for those who identify as transgender or nonbinary. President Obama’s 2010 project, “ It Gets Better”, shared his message of hope and support for LGBT youth and low tolerance for bullying. Fully embracing intersectional diversity and sexuality at the youth academic level will encourage a generation of full social equity and empowerment.

There is justice and protection for the LGBT community beyond liberation and social, racial, and economic equity. The equity for LGBT community is the expectation that society will provide the same opportunities for all people, including housing, healthcare, and education, from which communities of color have been excluded traditionally.

However, when speaking of sexual equity, it’s beyond having the right to love who and how you want, but also having the policies in place to protect the love life and identify of an individual. Basically, people need to mind their business, and laws need to be created that allow people to express themselves with full control over their bodies. I would love to speak more about exploring the concept of sexual equity because there’s so much to reveal.

LORDS OF LEATHER Lords’ Pride Weekend Pool Party Come out and cool off on Sunday June 9 with the Lords of Leather at their annual Pool Party. Splashing starts at 2 pm and goes until 5 pm.

Enjoy burgers, hot dogs, beverages and all the fixins’ as the Lords put a lid on Pride 2019. Address is 714 France Street in the Bywater- a private residence.

You not only can have a great time but you may win $1000 cash during the afternoon! Members have been selling raffle tickets for the cash drawing give-

away for just $10 a chance. Winner need not be present to win.

Tickets for the Pool Party are $15 in advance from any member or $20 at the door. Both Pool Party tickets and raffle tickets are also available online at www.ticketleap.com/ events/?q=lords+of+leather&page_ size=10 Enjoy the end of Pride 2019 with good food, cold drinks, a cool dip in the pool and sun and fun!!

GAY EASTER PARADE Accounting of Funds Raised Income Sponsorships $10,403.50 Spring Fever $2784 Eggstravangaza $1020 Star Studded Drag $1396.72 Purple Party $2517 Bunnies in BE $4390.90 LPK fundraiser $300 Phoenix Bar Sales $200 Cash collected @ parade $100 Elektra Cosmetics $81.89 Parade Proceeds $3580 Total Income $27,314.01

Expenses Awards/Pins $224.97 Advertisement $270.37 Bunnies in BE - DJ/cleanup/ photos $1220 Official GM Photos $150 Honorary GM Expenses $488.92 Insurance $1179.29 Parade banner and misc fundraiser expenses $701.79 Parade units/bands $3275 Permit/Parking $104.75 NOPD $2251.32 Cleanup $840 Parade video $400 Parade photographer $200 Total Expenses $11,306.38 Total Donated to Food for Friends $16,007.63

50 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

PRIDE GALVESTON

June 7-9, 2019 Pride Galveston began in 2017 as Pride Galveston Beach Bash & Block Party. Pride Galveston has now ballooned into a three day celebration.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 Piano Lounge 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM 23rd Street Station

Mister & Miss Pride Galveston Pageant 9:00 PM The Miss title is open to all female impersonators, transgender who identify as female, as well as Bio Queens.

The Mister title is open to all gay men, transgender who identify as male, as well as straight men who wish to compete.

The Scored categories will be Presentation (Pride themed), Gown for Miss (Club Wear for Mr.), on stage Q/A, and Talent. More information at pridegalveston.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 8

Beach Bash 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM RA Apffel East Beach Park Grab your flag and towel and head down to Pride Galveston’s Beach Bash! Enjoy live DJ’s, snacks, and free goodies. We’re partying rain or shine!

Piano Lounge 9:00 PM – 12:00 AM 23rd Street Station Drag Show 10:30 PM – 12:00 AM Robert’s Lafitte

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 Pool Party 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM Robert’s Lafitte

Sing-A-Long Sundays with Sean 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM 23rd Street Station

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COMMUNITY VOICE

Feeling Heard

Chris Leonard Director of Operations & Special Events, Ambush Publishing, chris@ambushpublishing.com One random evening, while scrolling through Instagram, I came across a post with a link to a news story. I clicked on the link and watched the video, which revealed my “social media friend” has a disability. The news story was about Chase, a 26-year-old guy in New Orleans who has Becker Muscular Dystrophy. With the help of a group called Ainsley’s Angels, Chase was able to participate in the Crescent City Classic. He was pushed in the race by a local fireman, who wore full gear during the 10k.

After watching the story several times over a week or so, I reached out to Chase and asked him to meet me to discuss Ainsley’s Angels and how I could help the New Orleans Chapter.

Chase agreed and we soon headed out for a coffee. Due to our timing, we actually met up about a half a block down from the venue, so we greeted each other and proceeded to head to our destination. Chase was using his cane and had to maneuver around a bike rack and uneven cement on the sidewalk. This is normally not a problem for most of us, but I couldn’t help but think it must be a challenge for him.

Chase has Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). “BMD is one of nine types of muscular dystrophy, a group of genetic, degenerative diseases primarily affecting voluntary muscles.

BMD’s onset is usually in late childhood or adolescence, and the course is slower and less predictable than that of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.” (mda.org) I asked Chase, “What would you most like to get from this discussion?”

And to my surprise, his response was, “to feel heard.” At first, I wasn’t entirely sure of what he meant, but the conversation quickly shifted gears as he elaborated on this statement. Though he met me for coffee using a cane, he often needs to use his wheelchair to get around. He explained that, due to

the BMD, he can no longer drive like he used to, and even going out to socialize poses a challenge sometimes.

Chase said that he recently attempted to enter a French Quarter bar but it has a step that he couldn’t get up in his chair. The bartenders saw his struggle, and no one offered to assist him, so he stayed on the sidewalk then eventually left. As he told me this story, I first got angry, and then sad. Most of us are privileged in the fact that we can easily walk into any bar on Bourbon Street and have no issues. We are greeted, many times with a hello or a hug, yet when someone in a wheelchair tried to enter, he was simply stared at.

There are so many things most of us take for granted, such as walking in a French Quarter bar, sitting on a Bourbon Street balcony, enjoying the Pride Parade, or even simply going out for Decadence or Mardi Gras. We take these things for granted because we can maneuver around groups of people, we have become experts at navigating potholes and failing sidewalks, we have no trouble walking into the bathroom, or even squeezing into a spot at the bar. It is nothing for us to trek through the mud at Jazz Fest or Voodoo. However people in Chase’s position sometimes would rather stay home than navigate an inaccessible environment. He says people with disabilities don’t mind doing things in a wheelchair; the difficulty is in contending with environmental factors such as curbs, step ups, etc.

People with disabilities are often looked upon with trepidation, and some people are not sure how to approach a person using a wheelchair or other accessibility device. People in the disability community want to be looked at like any other person, abled-bodied or not; and like any other person, they want to be afforded the same social courtesies, the same happy greetings and hugs. Let’s face it, we are all self-

ish and mainly think about ourselves.

Chase began to talk about the Pride Parade, how he once enjoyed attending it, but is less likely to go because people will ignore that there’s a person with a wheelchair who can’t see the parade if someone is standing in front of them. He cited that it also doesn’t help that the French Quarter streets and sidewalks are difficult to navigate in a wheelchair. This year, the New Orleans Pride Parade has two designated spaces for people with disabilities: 2110 Royal St., around the Christopher Inn Apartments, is a great spot to catch the parade early. Or head over to 400 N. Rampart St. to the “Safe Space” provided by the Metropolitan Human Services District at St. Jude’s Community Center.

This brought us back to the reason I wanted to meet with Chase. His face would light up every time he talked about Ainsley’s Angels, a national organization that helps people with disabilities participate in endurance events. In 2003, Ainsley, was diagnosed with Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (INAD) just before turning four years of age.

INAD is an extremely rare terminal illness that slowly causes global paralysis. In 2008, Ainsley went for her first jog during a local road race, where she gave a radiant wind-induced smile that anyone would envy. In an instant, running provided the family with a therapeutic means to fight the devastation associated with trying to live with the fact that Ainsley had a terminal illness.

Ainsley passed away in February of 2016.

Ainsley’s Angels mission states, “In addition to ensuring everyone can experience endurance events, Ainsley’s Angels of America aims to build awareness about America’s special needs community through inclusion in all aspects of life, by promoting aware-

ness, providing education, and participating as active members in local communities.” Founders Kim Rossiter and his wife Lori are from Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Chase told me stories about the inclusivity of the organization and their LGBT presence, as well as his goals for the New Orleans Chapter. Chase has a goal of officially being a part of an upcoming 2019 road race in New Orleans, and this is where he needs your help. Unfortunately, the wheelchairs are expensive and Chase needs nearly $1,000 to $8000 per chair. These are chairs that are specially made for road races. They are designed to be lightweight for the runner while still being comfortable for the person in the chair.

If you take nothing else from this article, I hope that next time you see someone with a disability, you are a little more mindful of their needs so they can be awarded the same pleasures you are experiencing. For more information on Ainsley’s Angels, their need for wheelchairs, or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit ainsleysangels. org or www.crowdrise.com/aainneworleans for the New Orleans based page.

According to ldh.la.gov, In Orleans Parish, it is estimated that 102,122 people ages 5 and older have a disability. That averages 23 percent of the Orleans Parish population. Under the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA), “a person with a disability is someone with a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more activities of daily living (ADL), or someone with a history of such impairment.”

People with disabilities tend to socialize less, participate in fewer community activities, and are less likely to be employed.

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Party Down Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com Ever since I was a child, I have always loved summers in New Orleans.

And as I have grown older, I still enjoy them, but I’ve married that with the much-needed love of air conditioning.

During the summer months, I always feel like I am stepping into a Tennessee Williams play each time I leave my house. I have a new appreciation of hand fans and parasols. I do declare!

But even though the temperature rises, that does not hinder the amount of events that happen. New Orleans embraces the weather, and as the saying goes, if you can’t stand the heat...well, you know the rest.

As we close out May, my last two weeks were filled with theatrical offerings, venue openings, a jaunt on the Gulf Coast, a few mixers, and the roar of the king of the jungle. I began my week on Monday by meeting up with the NOAGE walking group. NOAGE stands for New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders. Each Monday they meet at Audubon Park to walk the track, beginning promptly at 6:45 p.m. You need not be an elder to participate. This organization welcomes all ages, and the Stonewall Prancers running group joins them every few weeks. These Monday walks are a great way to meet new people and do something healthy at the same time. For more information on this group and their many events, go to www.noagenola.org.

On Wednesday, I attended the opening of a new venue right outside of the French Quarter called the Rooftop on Basin. Located in the historic Basin Street Station, with a rooftop terrace overlooking the French Quarter and Downtown New Orleans, this venue is an excellent space to have your private events. We began our evening with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the first floor Museum before taking the elevator to the Rooftop. There you will enter the glass-enclosed Salon that showcases lavish décor and modern seating. The Rooftop Terrace offers a panoramic view of the New Orleans city skyline, featuring gas-burning lanterns, stone tile flooring, and outdoor seating. The entertainment that evening was Flow Tribe, and the food was outstanding. I love any party that serves lobster. If you ever have an opportunity to be a tourist in your own city, check out Basin Street Station. This place stands in what was once the transportation crossroads of the city of New Orleans, embodying the rare vestige of five railway stations and their associated buildings that served downtown New Orleans in the early 20th century.

Welcoming thousands of visitors into New Orleans every day, Basin Street

Station provides an authentic and exciting introduction to our richly diverse and historic city. It also serves as the City of New Orleans’ Welcome Center.

The first floor contains a staffed visitor information center featuring educational community exhibits, a performance venue, a walking tour kiosk, and a New Orleans and Louisiana gift shop.

The fourth floor is a special function venue featuring a kitchen, stage, banquet space, and rooftop terrace with breathtaking views of downtown New Orleans. For more information on this venue, visit www.basinststation.com.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I went to three theatrical performances.

The classic musical, Me and My Gal, was showing at Rivertown Repertory Theatre, located in the quaint Rivertown neighborhood in Kenner. This area is quite the entertainment destination, with restaurants and one of the best theaters in the metropolitan area.

Someone told me that the show has become dated, and it is, but you still have to appreciate wonderful classic theatre. With an outstanding cast and a great set, this was another successful production for this award winning organization.

The next evening I saw Flowers for Halie at Southern Rep Theatre.

Written by and starring New Orleans’ own Troi Bechet, the show celebrates of 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, Mahalia Jackson journeyed in faith and courage. An evening of story and song illuminated the struggles and triumphs of this home-grown American icon. Beeches nails this role and had me mesmerized from start to end. The play was funny, poignant, and most of all, powerful. The music was uplifting, and helped push the story along. Congrats to all involved in this show.

Speaking of new theatrical productions, on Saturday I went to see The Night Fiona Flawless Went Mad at the Allways Lounge. This is the second production from Slotted Spoon Theatre Company, which is a New Orleans theatre company with a triple focus on LGBT issues, sex positivity, and freedom of expression. The show was cleverly written by Trey Ming, and had a great cast (Dede Onassis, you were amazing). This rather dark comedy had everything a good gay wants: drama, a sexy man who is half-naked for most of the show, and a homicidal drag queen.

They even had a freshly baked cake from one of the cast members as a prop for the show, and it is shared with

54 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

the audience at the end. And it was red soon in upcoming issues of Ambush velvet, one of my favorites. Talk about under my Bartender of the Month colcreating audience satisfaction. umn). For a quick getaway, Gulfport is I also have to add that earliabout an hour and a half from NOLA, er on Saturday, offers so much to my friend Eddie do, and as a boMy Memorial Day weekend treated me to an nus, has a decent afternoon at the started with a bang, and end- LGBT community.

Audubon Zoo to ed with relaxation. On Friday, The next day, I see the brand new enjoyed a recovit was dinner with friends at Lion Exhibit. It was ery day from my Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. opening day, and previous night out I have to admit I Many people shy away from by the pool, and was excited to see enjoyed a deliit because it is a chain, but this new African cious dinner at it is one that started in New Savannah exhibthe steakhouse in it that had a $5 Orleans, I consider it a local the casino, Carter million price tag.

Green, which has restaurant.

There were four a prime rib spelions, one male cial every Monday and three females. Arnold (yes, that night. These quick getaways may not is his name) is a happy camper. The seem like much, but in a stressful world three females are named Nia, Kali and they are very therapeutic, and I even Zuri; very exotic. But seriously, Arnold won a few dollars this time. is not a king of the jungle name, but When I returned to NOLA on Tuesthat is a minor point, considering that day, I jumped right back into going to there have not been lions on display at events, starting that evening with the the zoo since 2013. It has been a long NOAGE Potluck at St. Anna’s Episcowhile since I have actually seen the anpal Church. If you have never attended imals at the zoo. I go there for parties a potluck hosted by this organization all the time, but rarely have the chance before, you are in for a treat. First and to check out the exhibits. I can see why foremost, there are some truly impresthe Audubon Zoo is always rated one sive and delicious dishes. Not a chef? of the top zoos in the country.

No problem. Just bring anything you On Sunday, I was off to Gulfport, want; store-bought food is also appreMississippi for a quick getaway with ciated. Another plus is that the group of Mama Dawn. We stayed at the Island people you will meet at this recurring is Vieux Casino located on the beach remarkable. I have met some fascinatand is one of my favorite gaming housing men and women here, with incredes on the coast. One of the main reaible stories to tell about their life. This sons that I enjoy this casino so much is event always falls during the week, their new smoke-free building. This caso after a rough day at work, it is nice sino is located right on the beach, and to meet people of all ages who bring has floor-to-ceiling windows with pansome light. They are there for nothing oramic views of the beach. They also more than friendship (and great food!). have a killer adults-only pool with a Come out to the next one (6:30PM swim-up bar. After dinner, I met up with on June 25 at St. Anna’s) and see for a fellow New Orleanian who accompayourself. nied me to Sipps, which is the only gay On Wednesday, it was all about bar in Gulfport. They were showing the the networking events, beginning with final episode of Game of Thrones on the New Orleans Chamber of Comthe large screen. We had a blast at this merce mixer at The Fillmore. This fun neighborhood bar. I got to meet lots concert venue, which opened in Februof the locals, and many of the bartendary, was the ideal spot for this business ers who work there. (You will see them gathering. The Chamber always has an

abundance of guests from all industries to meet, and as you might know, I find it fascinating to meet and talk with new people. The Fillmore itself is a state-ofthe-art facility located above Harrah’s Casino, downtown on Canal Street. It has a separate entrance for non-casino people, so you never have to see a slot machine if you don’t wish to.

The venue’s aesthetic is beautiful, and there are some awe-inspiring chandeliers in the main music room. They perfectly meshed New Orleans decor with a hip rock music vibe. To top it off, they have one of the best bathrooms I have ever seen at a venue space. The next event I attended that night was the Hobknobber monthly soiree hosted by New Orleans Magazine at Hotel Peter & Paul, located in the Marigny. It is a pretty space, and ideal for a wedding.

The party area is located in the renovated church, one that I actually went to when I first moved into the neighborhood (I actually live right around the corner from the place). They have kept the stained glass windows intact, illuminating the place in a gorgeous glow.

It was an excellent night of business networking. Hobknobber events are for a good cause; the $5 entry fee goes to a different charity each month.

My Memorial Day weekend started with a bang, and ended with relaxation.

On Friday, it was dinner with friends at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Many people shy away from it because it is a chain, but it is one that started in New Orleans, I consider it a local restaurant.

The food quality is always superior, and the Harrah’s location has an upbeat downtown vibe. I love getting the chance to dine there. And I am a carnivore through and through, so I love a fabulous steakhouse.

On Saturday, I attended the Dating Game fundraiser at The Phoenix.

The evening’s events were emceed by our current Southern Decadence Grand Marshall, Countess C Alice. All proceeds for the night went to the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer. And what a fun night! Two bachelors asked questions to three suitors. The questions (and answers)

were saucy and bawdy. There was a 50/50 raffle, and Danny Girl strutted his stuff. No one wears heels and fishnets like him. With flamingo decor throughout the place, and pink as the color of choice, they raised a lot of money for a great cause.

Opa! I love the Greek Festival. On Sunday, I trotted down to the Lakefront area to attend the 46th annual celebration of Greek culture in our city. The food and beverage selection was superior. I love everything about this festival, from the great food and potent cocktails to the shopping. To add to the festivities on Sundays, it is toga day, so there are lots of hot men wearing very little clothing. God, I love the Greeks! There are booths with greek-inspired jewelry and clothing, as well as great decor pieces.

I especially like shopping for spices, cheese, and olives. I also purchased a to-go box of Greek desserts to take to my next event, which was a pool party hosted by former Southern Decadence Grand Marshal (and one half of Two Guys Cutting Hair) Adikus Sulpizi, and his partner David Chase. It was a laid back afternoon of food and drink (lots of the latter) by their gorgeous pool. Afterwards, some friends and I enjoyed a mini bar crawl through the Marigny, stopping at Mags 940, the Phoenix, and the Friendly Bar before calling it a night.

Memorial Day was a day of catching up on all the household stuff I have neglected throughout the last few weeks because of my work and social commitments. But I still managed to host a few friends over for a relaxed barbecue that evening. Hanging around my courtyard drinking good wine, eating delicious barbecue, and connecting with friends was the perfect culmination to a busy weekend. and the refreshment I needed to face a busy work week. Until next time...stay cool, and keep the party going!

MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT Old Ursuline Convent

“The Archbishop’s Palace.” In 1912, the convent was moved from Bywater to State Street in Uptown New Orleans. In 1899, the old Convent became the office for the Archdiocese. In 1845, St. Mary’s Church, which is attached to the old convent, was constructed.

The old Ursuline Convent is part of the Archdiocese of New Orleans Catholic Cultural Heritage Center, and now serves as a museum. Currently, the museum features a Tricentennial Exhibit called The Church in the Crescent: Three Hundred Years of Catholicism in New Orleans.

Highlights at the exhibit include the earliest surviving sacramental records of baptisms and marriages from the

St. Louis Cathedral, a 1745 drawing of the St. Louis Church, the 1788 General Census records of the Providence of New Orleans (prior to becoming a diocese), architectural and historic drawings of the church and its renovations, and artifacts from archeological digs at the Old Ursuline Convent, and the Saint Louis Cathedral Garden.

The museum is open for self-guided tours Monday through Friday, 10:00 am—4:00 pm, the last admission being at 3:15 pm, and Saturday 9:00 am— 3:00 pm, the last admission is at 2:15 pm.

The old Ursuline Convent in the French Quarter is the oldest surviving structure in the Mississippi River Valley. No longer used as a residence, the Convent now serves as a museum, not only of the Ursuline order, but also of Catholicism in New Orleans.

The Ursuline nuns first arrived in New Orleans from Rouen, France, in 1727 at the invitation of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the founder of New Orleans. Their two-fold mission

was to operate a hospital and to educate the young girls of the fledgling colony. The original Ursuline Convent was on the corner of Chartres and Bienville Streets. Construction on the historic convent that is today a museum began in 1745.

The convent was relocated to Dauphine Street in the Bywater in 1824.

The austere building on Chartres was then used by the Archbishop of New Orleans, thus earning the moniker,

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

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UNDER THE GAYDAR

New Orleans Hot Happenings

Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com What have you done to make yourself feel proud? Pride is here, and this issue’s Hot Happenings is filled with exciting events around the city. So enjoy! Go out and show your Pride! (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: The Crossing; 439 Dauphine St.; 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. $3 domestic beer and well drinks, $1 off everything else.

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

Happy Hour: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 8 a.m - 8 p.m.

Happy Hour: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. (except Mondays) 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.

Kajun’s Karaoke: Kajun’s Pub; 2556 St. Claude Ave.; Karaoke from 5 p.m.

Happy Hour: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. (except Sundays)

WEEKDAYS

Happy Hour: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine St.; 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Happy Hour: The Phoenix Bar; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

MONDAY

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

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.

Happy Hour All Night: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; Open to close.

Well, Domestic, and Wine.

Mexican Monday: The 700 Club; 700 Burgundy St.; Open to close. $3

Coronas, $3 Cuervo Shots, 2 for 1 Margaritas Primal Nights: Bacchannal Wine; 600 Poland Ave.; 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. $20 donation. Guest Chefs grill a personalized menu, and the plate donations go to the charity of their choosing.

NOAGE & Stonewall Sports Walk/ Run Club: Audubon Park; 6:45 p.m.

Join Stonewall Sports New Orleans and NOAGE starting at 6:40 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 few 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, email info@noagenola.org.

Karaoke Monday: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 7 - 9 p.m. Enjoy happy hour prices all night long. Host-

ed 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.

Lazy Susan Karaoke: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 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.

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.

Pool Tournament: Rawhide 2010; 740 Burgundy St.; 9:45 p.m. $2 PBR and $50 gift certificate for Rawhide S.I.N.: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave.; 1 a.m - 4 a.m. 2 for 1 drinks.

TUESDAY

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

56 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Tony Leggio AT THE NOAGE POTLUCK AT ST ANNA’S AND WALKING GROUP AT AUDUBON PARK ON MONDAY

AT THE DATING GAME FUNDRAISER AT THE PHOENIX BAR

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 57

$5.

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

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 and silly game. Just buy a drink from the bar, and Tsarina Hellfire will give you a Bingo Card! Each round winner gets a bucket of prizes, including exclusive prints and 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 Ave.; 7:30 p.m. Join your host, bartender, and local music legend, Johnny Sketch. 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!

Tito’s Tuesday: The Bourbon Pub; 801 St Ann St.; 8 p.m. - close. $5 Tito’s cocktails

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.

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 at MRB, and out of this world trivia.

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.

Happy Hour All day and Night: 700 Club; 700 Burgundy St.; 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Every week on Tuesday from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am the next day.

WEDNESDAY

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.

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.

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

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.

Show Tunes Night: The Bourbon Pub; 801 St Ann St.; 8 p.m. - midnight 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.

Kafe Karaoke: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 9 p.m. – midnight. $25.00 Bar tab and Free Shots and giveaways with Happy Hour All Day.

THURSDAY

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

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.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Viewing Party with Laveau Contraire: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave.; 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! Lots of FREE swag with the purchase of one of our Drink Specials.

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.

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.

58 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 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

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FRIDAY

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

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

Beat The Clock; 700 Club; 700 Burgundy St.; 5 - 9 p.m. Well Drinks: 5 PM - 6 p.m. $1.50, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. $2.00, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. $2.50, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m. $3.00 Take It Off Fridays: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; 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.

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

Music of Senator Ken: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy live music with Senator Ken playing all your favorites.

Bayou Blues Burlesque: The Allways Lounge and Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 8-10 p.m. An intimate night of live blues music accompanied by burlesque and variety acts. Drink specials and comfy seating to enjoy the art of the striptease. Music by The Delta Revues. Burlesque by Andrea Louise Duhe´ (Ooops C.), Cherry Brown,

and special guests. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; Show at 8:00 p.m.; Cover: $10.

Jock Night: The Eagle at the Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave; 9 p.m. Happy Hour prices for wearing a jock or singlet.

Late Night Happy Hour: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin Ave.; 10:30 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Executive Chef Marlon Alexander, and sushi and vegan Chef Kelseay Dukae look forward to serving you some delicious drink specials and amazing food during late night happy hours. Come chill out in the iconic courtyard.

SATURDAY

Queer Meditation: Mid City Zen; 3248 Castiglione St.; 10:30 a.m. A queer and trans centered meditation group meeting regularly on Saturday mornings. Open to all LGBTQI+ people, and all folks interested in holding and sharing an intentionally queer-centering mindful space. Join for a sit, breathe, notice, rest, and to cultivate presence and kindness together. Free/ by donation. 535 Franklin Avenue; Burlesque Brunch: Cru NOLA; Join the incomparable Angie Z and friends for a boozy, burlesque brunch every Saturday from 11-3 p.m. For reservations, go to www.opentable.com.

Happy Hour: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; 3 p.m. - 8 p.m.11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Beer Bash: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. $10

pitchers of beer, $9 pitchers of Miller Light draft (upstairs only) Piano Bar with Trey Ming; Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine St.; 4-7 p.m. Sing along with your favorite songs with the talented pianist,Trey Ming.

Drag Dingo: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 6 - 8 p.m. Catch ChiChi Rodriquez and Persana Shoulders for Drag Bingo! 11 games of Bingo, 11 chances to win prizes! All the fun starts at 6 p.m. and goes till 8 p.m. in the upstairs bar with your favorite bottom, Jake, slinging drinks for you all night long!

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.

Late Night Happy Hour: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin Ave.; 10:30 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Executive Chef Marlon Alexander, and sushi and vegan Chef Kelseay Dukae look forward to serving you some delicious drink specials and amazing food during late night happy hours. Come chill out in the iconic courtyard.

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.

Happy Hour: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine St.; 1 p.m. - 11 p.m.

$3.75 well drinks and domestic beer.

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

Beer Bash: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. $10 pitchers of beer, $9 pitchers of Miller Light draft (upstairs only) 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.

The Original Trash Disco: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 4-10 p.m. Includes the original napkin toss and the best music videos to sing along with.

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

Drink and Drown: 700 Club; 700 Burgundy St.; 5 - 8 p.m. Unlimited well drinks, Bud Light and Miller Lite draft $10 Drag Dingo: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 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 the upstairs bar with your favorite bottom, Jake, slinging drinks for you all night long.

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 –

60 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Oz New Orleans PHOTOS BY DWAIN HERTZ AND 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

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9 p.m. with a star studded drag show starting at 8 p.m.

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

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

Join DJ Dereesha as he plays Karaoke.

Sunday Swing: The Allways Lounge and Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; starts at 8 p.m. Every Sunday, local swing dance instructors offer a community class from 8-9pm.

From 9 p.m. till midnight there is live, local music and social dancing! There is NO cover, but a one drink minimum is required per set.

Jock Night: The Eagle at the Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave; 9 p.m. Happy hour prices for wearing a jock or singlet.

SPECIAL EVENTS WEDNESDAY 6/5

Crescent City Leathermen Monthly Board Meeting: The New Orleans Eagle, upstairs at The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 7:30 -9 p.m. Meeting open to the public and all are welcome.

THURSDAY 6/6

Dining Out For Life: New Orleans Metropolitan Area; All Day event. Dine out on Thursday, June 6 to support HIV and cancer efforts of NO/AIDS Task Force, a division of CrescentCare.

Choose from more than 40 restaurants throughout the metro area. Gather your family and your friends to support those in need. Together we can make HIV and AIDS history! For a listing of restaurants, go to www.diningoutforlife. com/city/new-orleans.

Grand Illusions Exhibition Opening: The Presbytere; 751 Charters St.; 5 8 p.m. The Louisiana State Museum is proud to announce the first-of-its-kind comprehensive exhibition on the history of gay carnival at the Presbytère in Jackson Square. Grand Illusions: The History and Artistry of Gay Carnival in New Orleans brings together more than two hundred artifacts including posters and poster artwork, ball invitations and favors, costume designs and a dozen amazing costumes. In addition, the exhibit features newly digitized films of gay balls from the 1960s and 1970s.

The opening reception serves as the official kick-off party for New Orleans Pride 2019. Event host Absolut Vodka will serve a specialty cocktail called “The Grand Illusion,” and the Friends of the Cabildo will provide an open bar.

The reception on June 6 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. is FREE and open to the public.

Mama Tits Honor Thy Mother Pride Edition: Three Keys in the Ace Hotel;

600 Carondelet Street; 9 - 11 p.m. Kick off Pride Weekend with Mama Tits, Puerto Vallarta’s infamous Drag Legend and your hostess for the evening our very own Laveau Contraire. Mama Tits is at it once again with her raw and witty take on life, sex, relationships and living your truth, this time bringing her one diva show to New Orleans. Mama Tits weaves her soulful live vocals with her stories, and her comedy into one joyride of a show with a strong through line of love, emotion and positive reinforcement, not unlike her trusty underwire bra. Jazz, blues, pop, rock and Broadway round out this eclectic selection of songs. General Admission $20 in advance $25 at the door. VIP Reserved Seating $30 in advance and extremely limited, these seats are up front by the stage!

FRIDAY 6/7 – SUNDAY 6/9

New Orleans Pride: Various Places in New Orleans Metropolitan Area.

For more information, check out our Pride Guide in this issue or visit https:// togetherwenola.com/pride.

FRIDAY 6/7

Stonewall Sports First Friday Happy Hour: Phillip’s Bar and Restaurant; 733 Cherokee St.; 5 - 8 p.m.

Join fellow Stonewallers for a monthly happy hour on the first Friday of every month at Phillip’s Bar, one of our Stonewall Sports New Orleans Sponsors.

Baby Cakes Pride Game: Shrine on Airline; 6000 Airline Highway; 7 10 p.m. Celebrate the kick off of Pride with the New Orleans Baby Cakes vs.

Sacramento River Cats and fireworks.

A perfect event for the entire family!

Price is $10.

Fray Life Pool Party: The Drifter Hotel; 3522 Tulane Ave.; 7 p.m. - midnight. A #FrayLife Pool Party with DJ and 2 drinks included, a combination for kings and queens. Not only will there be a live DJ ready for song suggestions, but all your favorite Fray games provided. The list doesn’t stop there!

There’ll be special gifts and #FrayLife swag, and best of all, 2 drinks are included. This is a 21+ event. Find out more info at: https://www.nolafray.com/ events/nola-pool-party.

Dancing Queen: UNO Theatre of Performing Arts; 2000 Lakeshore Dr.; 7:30 - 10:30 p.m. Come enjoy the music of Abba and Queen as performed by the New Orleans Gay men’s Chorus. For tickets, go to www.nogmc.com.

Dancing Queen - A pride Extravaganza featuring Abbarama; House of Blues; 225 Decatur St.; 8 p.m. For more information and tickets, go to www.houseofblues.com/neworleans.

GrrlSpot Jungle: Santos Bar; 1135 Decatur St.; 9 p.m. The first Girl Party of the weekend will be on the 2nd floor of the former home of the Ruby Fruit

62 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 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 TEAM CROSSING

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 · June 4 – 17, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 63

Jungle, the last lesbian bar in New Orleans. Upstairs will be Grrls only, with a giant balcony, DJ’s, and go-go dancers.

Downstairs we’ll be mixing it up with drag and other outrageous queerness with Bearded Lady Productions. Save on this event by purchasing a GrrlSpot | Triband instead. Tickets are $25. For tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com.

Fusion - NOLA Pride Edition: Santos Bar; 1135 Decatur St.; 9 p.m. - 4 a.m. Bearded Lady Presents: Fusion NOLA Pride Edition. Doors: 9pm Drag Show: 11PM; 21+ - Cash only at the door. Featuring: Bouffant Bouffant, Tristan Dufrene and Bearded Lady Residents Nick Figueroa & George Monson. We’ll also have drag performances by Franky, Tarah Cards, and Fabigail Tchoupitoulas! Our host for the evening will be Hexxorsis.

Drag Queen Death Match: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 10 p.m. - 1 a.m. Prepare yourself for a drag showdown like no other! Eight performers enter the ring, but only ONE will walk away victorious with the $150 cash prize. Each round of competition pits these queens against each other in side by side lip sync battles, where they fight for your applause and high scores from our judges! Expect stunts, expect gags, expect reveals, expect a throwdown! Hosted by: Siren with Ring Girl: Laveau Contraire and Judges: Pinko, Jennifer Jane and Xena Zeit-Geist. Your fierce queen contestants for the night: Versula Bottom, Velma Blair, Auda Beaux Di, Maryboy, Daisy Konfused, Saint Salome, Cucci Licci and Jessica Champagne. Doors open at 10 p.m. - Show @ 11 p.m. $10 Tickets at door. For free seating reservations text (504)656-4595.

SATURDAY 6/8 – SUNDAY 6/9

Creole Tomato Festival; French Market; Starts at 11 a.m. The 33rd annual French Market Creole Tomato Festival, June 8 and 9, 2019 in the French Market District, will host two days of live music on two stages, cooking demonstrations, food booths featuring treasured and unique Creole Tomato dishes, kid’s activities, and the 4th annual Bloody Mary Market in Dutch Alley.

SATURDAY 6/8

The Krewe of Petronius Celebrates Pride: Mags 940; 940 Elysian Fields Ave.; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Celebrate your Pride with the Krewe of Petronius! Step out of the heat and cool down. $8 gets you pulled pork sliders, coleslaw, and dessert in an air-conditioned, family friendly spot close to the park and parade route. $1 Jell-O shots and Cherry Bombs will be sold for the grown-up folks.

2019 PrideFest: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields; 12 - 5 p.m. Celebrate PrideFest outside the Phoenix

from 12 pm – 5 pm. Vendors, food, bar, entertainment featuring Big Freedia, Mr & Miss New Orleans Pride, Synes and more.

Big Easy Sisters Dunk Tank; The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 12 - 5 p.m. Come throw balls and get a sister wet. Look for them at the NOLA PRIDE Block Party. There will be baked goods for sale to benefit the Head Start Program.

Cody Kissing Booth; The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 12 - 5 p.m. A benefit for Southern Decadence GrrlSpot BLOQ Pride Parade Party: Coyote Ugly Saloon; 225 N. Peters St.; starts at 12 p.m. Come enjoy a big queer Pride parade party! The venue is on the route with a pack of Coyotes serving up drink specials before, during, and after the New Orleans Pride Parade. 21+ / $10; $25 Ticket Is the GrrlSpot Pride Pass. It’s Good for Admission To All GrrlSpot Events During Pride Weekend. Get tickets at www.eventbrite.com.

Girlbar Pride “T” Dance: Girlbar; 801 Bourbon Street; 3 - 8 p.m. The Official GIRLS T-DANCE and on the parade route with no cover. There will be prime balcony viewing of the New Orleans Pride Parade. with Special Guest DJ MISSY HALL (Biloxi).

New Orleans Pride Closing Party: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street.

5 - 11:30 p.m. End out 2019 Pride at the official closing party at Oz. Decadently Proud Pool Party: 3808 Tolmas Drive in Metairie; 7 - 11 p.m. Come celebrate Southern Decadence Co-Grand Marshal Daryl’s 40th Birthday at the home of Ronnie and Rich Bloomfield (3808 Tolmas Drive Metairie, LA 70002). Food will be catered by Marcella Merrill from Saucy!!

Everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy the pool and hot tub. Donations will be accepted to go towards parade expenses and the Official Charity- Odyssey House Louisiana. So come cool off, eat some good food and have a couple of adult beverages after a great day of Pride Festivities in the city.

Pride Parade Presented by Walgreens and Access Health: French Quarter; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. The New Orleans Pride Parade, the Largest LGBT+ Parade on the Gulf Coast, will roll through the Marigny and French Quarter on June 8. Led by local and celebrity grand marshals and Pride titleholders. Family viewing area: Jackson Square. Balcony Viewing: Good Friends Bar & Queens Head Pub, Oz New Orleans, Bourbon Pub and Parade. The parade consists of more than 60 groups and 24 Mardi Gras style floats. Anyone can be a part of the New Orleans Pride Parade by registering at neworleanspridefestival.com.

GrrlSpot Rouge Pride Parade After Party: 209 Decatur Street; 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. ROUGE has been the largest Girl Party of New Orleans Pride for the last five years and she’s still growing! Red

64 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

bottoms and tops are encouraged for this one as Rouge returns to its original location, just two blocks from BLOQ and the parade route. Save on this event by purchasing the GrrlSpot Pride Pass.

Queer As F*ck Pride Dance Party: One Eyed Jacks; 615 Toulouse St.: 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. NO LAW and Take ‘Em Down NOLA present your Pride weekend lady, queer, non binary dance party with DJ Swim Team and DJ EDGESLAYER playing music to keep you moving all night. Performances by fabulous drag queens, beaux queens, burlesque dancers and more! Venue is 18+. $10 at the door to take care of our DJ’s and fund long term projects for NO LAW and Take ‘Em Down. NOTAFLOF! Gender neutral bathrooms.

Accessibility note: three stairs to get from front bar to dance floor.

Pride Ball: Joy Theatre; 1200 Canal St.; 10:30 p.m. - 3 a.m. Bearded Lady Productions and Krewe of Armeinius present New Orleans Pride Ball 2019! Come out for the official after-party of the New Orleans Pride Parade. Entertainment for the evening provided by Detroit Swindle, Jank Setup, and your Bearded Lady resident DJs. Hosted by 2019 Bourbon Street Award winner FatsyCline Drag! Doors: 10:30pm; Ticket link: http://bit.ly/PrideBall19.

SUNDAY 6/9

R.U. 1.2: Checkpoint Charlie’s; 501 Esplanade Avenue; starts at 5 a.m. Checkpoint Charlies Debuts A New kinda Show for Gay Pride 2019.

R.U.1.2-ft: DL Broadway Opal Wiley & Hostess Jasmine A. Essex w/Special Guest Maverick Van Wales Winters.

Drag Diva Brunch: The Fillmore; 6 Canal St.; starts at 10:30 a.m. This event is for all ages, but please keep in mind that this is a DRAG SHOW. We ask that you use your best judgement when bringing children. Anyone under the age of 21 is welcome to attend, but they must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. NO REFUNDS UNLESS THE EVENT IS CANCELLED/POSTPONED. It is always best for your group to purchase tickets together to ensure that you’ll be seated together. Large groups, please call 504.872.3303 or email FillmoreNOLABoxOffice@livenation.com for accommodations. Buffet Includes: Scrambled Eggs, Country Potatoes, Bacon, Sausage, Baked Chicken, Fried Catfish, Baked Macaroni, Asparagus Salad w/ Grape Tomatoes, Spring Mix Salad w/ Honey Basil Vinaigrette, and an Assortment of Pastries and Desserts.

Drag Brunch: Pythian Market; 234 Loyola Ave.; 11am-3pm. Join the ladies of VaVaVoom for their monthly Drag Brunch at Pythian Market. This performance will feature Taze-Ya Ballz,

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 65

Gia GiaVanni & Lana O’Day. Coca Mesa will be hosting and it will also feature DJ Senator Ken. No reservations required.

Lords of Leather Pool Luau/Pool Party and Auction; 714 France St.; 2 - 5 p.m. Join the Lords us for their annual “Luau”. There’ll be food, drinks, $1000 Raffle, Auction, and a sunny afternoon of leather love laughter and NO TAN LINES! $15 in advance on Ticketleap or in person hard ticket - nhttps://mystic-krewe-of-lords-of-leather.ticketleap. com/lords-of-leather-pride-luau-andpool-party/ $20 at the door.

WEDNESDAY 6/12

Miss Gay New Orleans America 2019: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 5 p.m. - 1 a.m. Persana Shoulders proudly presents: MISS GAY NEW ORLEANS AMERICA 2019 - BRING IT TO THE RUNWAY. The show starts at 10 p.m. Celebrating 23 years of excellence as the oldest preliminary pageant in the Miss Gay Louisiana America pageantry system. For more information on on MGNOA or to sign up please contact: Persana Shoulders: info@ persanashoulders.com. Miss Gay New Orleans America 2019 Entrance Fee: $100. For more information on the Miss Gay Louisiana America System check go to: http://www.missgaylouisianaamerica.info/. Categories: Male Interview, Presentation, Evening Gown, On Stage Question and Talent. Reg-

istration is between 5:00pm - 5:30 pm contestants must come in their “Male Interview” attire and interview will happen immediately after registration at 6 pm. Once the interview portion is over, you will be free to leave, but MUST be back at the venue for 9:00 PM. The pageant starts promptly at 10 p.m.

LGBT+ Archives Project Annual Membership Meeting: Hotel Peter & Paul; 2317 Burgundy St.; 7 - 9 p.m. The LGBT+ Archives Project is pleased to announce this year’s keynote speaker will be Wayne Phillips, Curator of the Carnival Collection at the Louisiana State Museum. Phillips will speak about a new exhibit on the history of Gay Carnival he is curating at the Presbytere called “Grand Illusions.”

In addition to Phillips’ lecture, Officers of the Archives Project will give updates on the Project’s successes in the last year. The event will be catered by Martin’s Wine Cellar and wine will be provided by Bacchanal. The event is free and open to the public. For those who wish to join the Archives Project, membership is $10.

Crescent City Leathermen Monthly General Membership Meeting; The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 7:30 -9 p.m. Meeting Open to the Public and all are welcome to attend.

Annual Business Pride Networking Event & Trade Show: JW Marriott; 611 Common St.: 6 - 9 p.m. It’s time for our most popular premiere annual event;

Business Pride! Join fellow Gulf South LGBT Chamber of Commerce business & individual members, corporate partners, community & business leaders for the annual networking social and business connector celebrating our LGBT-owned and allied business community. Any business or corporate sponsor who is a member of our Chamber is welcomed to showcase your business in our trade show at your private vendor table.Heavy hors d’oeuvre’s, beer, and wine will be provided

by JW Marriott New Orleans.

FRIDAY 6/14 – SUNDAY 6/16

Kinky Boots: The Saenger Theatre; 1111 Canal Street. TROIKA Entertainment is thrilled to present KINKY BOOTS, the smash-hit musical that brings together four-time Tony® Award-winner Harvey Fierstein (Book) and Grammy® Award-winning rock icon Cyndi Lauper (Tony Award-winner for Best Score for KINKY BOOTS), at Saenger Theatre. KINKY BOOTS will play five performances Friday, June 14th through Sunday, June 16th. Tickets for Kinky Boots will go on sale Friday, September 14th at 10am at the Saenger Theatre Box Office, ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-7453000. The box office, located at 1111 Canal St., is open Monday through Friday 10am to 5pm. Tickets start at just

$39.50! All tickets subject to applicable service charges and fees. The winner of six 2013 Tony® Awards, including Best Musical, KINKY BOOTS features a Tony® Award-winning score by Cyndi Lauper, a book by Tony® Award-winner Harvey Fierstein, and direction and choreography by Tony® Award-winner Jerry Mitchell. KINKY BOOTS tells the uplifting and heartwarming tale of Charlie Price, a young man reluctantly taking over his family’s struggling shoe factory and looking for a fresh idea.

Charlie meets and finds inspiration in Lola, and together they discover that it takes a good friend to make a great pair.

Inspired by true events, KINKY BOOTS takes you from a gentlemen’s shoe factory in Northampton to the glamorous catwalks of Milan. Charlie Price is struggling to live up to his father’s expectations and continue the family business of Price & Son. With the factory’s future hanging in the balance, help arrives in the unlikely but spectacular form of Lola, a fabulous performer in need of some sturdy new stilettos.

FRIDAY 6/14

The Graduates: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; starts at 10 p.m. A monthly show featuring students and graduates of The New Orleans School of Burlesque!

Each show will featuring a rotating cast

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of current and past students who have studied extensively perfecting their craft and developing new acts! These performers are working hard to take the next step in their performances and are ready to show you what they’ve got. Doors at 10 p.m. Show at 11 p.m.; $10 cover.

SATURDAY 6/15

NOAGE Coffee Talk: CrescentCare (2nd Floor Conference Room); 1631 Elysian Fields Ave.; 10 - 11:30 a.m. Join New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE) for Coffee Talk, moderated by Dr. Catherine Roland. PJ’s Coffee and patries will be provided. Adults of all ages welcome.

For more information, email info@noagenola.org.

Not So Skinny Dip - A Plus Sized Pool Party: The Drifter Hotel; 3522 Tulane Ave.; 5 - 10 p.m. Jaci Blue’s annual summer bash is back! Join the Drifter Hotel for our Not So Skinny Dip: A Plus-Size Pool Party!Treat yourself to a day of fun in the sun, new friends, and slaying outfits. This event is more than a fabulous time – it’s a space for plus-size people to feel comfortable and joyous in their bodies. And be sure to say hello to our special guest: the talented spokeswoman, podcaster, and all-around plus-size fashion pio-

neer, Chenese Lewis! Come eat delicious food by Taco Cat and Ice Cream 504, sip yummy cocktails, take tons of selfies and dance the evening away while celebrating in style! Music by hollagraham, Ian Means Dyer, and Tatum Neill.

Prom - Beyond the Yellow Brick Road; GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.: 7 - 10 p.m. Come support AmonRa’s Prom!

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.

The Dirty Dime Peepshow: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave. starts at 11 p.m. The Dirty Dime Peepshow is the most outlandish burlesque show in all of New Orleans, produced by Bella Blue and hosted by the dirtiest motherf*&ker in the south, Ben Wisdom. The corps cast consists of the artistic genius of The Lady Lucerne, Tarah Cards, Bella Blue, and more. The Dirty Dime provides a platform for performers from New Orleans and beyond. Since 2009, the Dirty Dime has been feeding audiences the raw, dirty, and boundary-busting burlesque they crave. This isn’t another classic burlesque show! 11 p.m. doors; Midnight show. $15 cover at the door.

SATURDAY 6/22

Drag Queen Story Hour: New Orleans Public Library Milton H. Latter Branch; 5120 St. Charles Ave.; 1 - 2 p.m. Join a sparkle-tacular Drag Queen Story Hour featuring Atomyc Adonis in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. All are welcome-- and fancy dress is encouraged! For children of all ages with their families and caregivers.

Drag Queen Story Hour: Alvar Library; 913 Alvar St.; 1 - 2 p.m. Come listen to the beautiful and talented Vanessa Carr Kennedy and friends read stories. Open to all families, caregivers, and children of all ages.

27th Annual HRC Louisiana Gala; Hyatt Regency New Orleans; 601 Loyola Ave.: 6 - 10 p.m. The Human Rights Campaign would like to invite you to attend the 2019 HRC Louisiana Dinner. There will be a three course meal with wine, a luxurious silent and live auction and dance the night away at the after party. For tickets, go to https://www.boxofficetickets.com/go/ event?id=336363.

Salad Tossing: 101; The Crossing; 439 Dauphine St.: 6 p.m. To toss the perfect salas you need the right tools, toys, and techniques. A benefit for Southern Decadence

SUNDAY 6/23

Narcissus Drag Brunch Bingo; GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 12 3 p.m. Come enjoy this turnabout show featuring Aida Cockswell and starring Kelly Chiasson, Viagra Fixaflat; Diana Fire and Natasha Sinclair. Tickets are $15.

Spaghetti Sunday Social & Karaoke for B.E.A.R.; Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave.; 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.Join Big Easy Animal rescue for their first ever Sunday Spaghetti Social and Karaoke. For only $5.00, you will enjoy delicious spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread while enjoying karaoke.

There will also be a really cool basket we will raffle off that’s filled with items for and relating to fur babies! Food will be served starting at 4:30 p.m. Karaoke hosted by Vanessa Carr Kennedy.

Leather and Lace; The Page; 542 N. Rampart St.: 6 p.m. A benefit for Southern Decadence

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

SNAP PAPARAZZI MASCARA RACE AT THE 20TH ANNUAL MASCARA RACE | PHOTOS BY AMBUSH PUBLISHING During the Mascara Race, participants start out as “men and finish as women”–simply put, it’s a race from bar to bar where at each stop contestants face a drink challenge and dawn one article of drag attire per stop. They cross the finish line in full drag attire!

The event is a benefit for New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) Foundation. This year, Michael Musa of Wood Enterprises reports the race raised over $7,000!

This year, the Bourbon Pub and Parade took first place in the race and Oz New Orleans raised the most money and placed first runner up!

Learn more about the Mascara Race by visiting their website at https:// www.lafittes.com/mascara-race.

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UNDER THE GAYDAR

Mobile Hot Happenings WEEKLY AT B-BOB’S 213 Conti St., Mobile, AL (251) 433-2262

TUESDAY

Gay Bar BINGO 9:30 & 11PM

THURSDAY

Amateur Drag Night 11PM

FRIDAY & SATURDAY Midnight Drag Show

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.

WEEKLY AT FLIP SIDE 54 S. Conception St., Mobile, AL (251) 431-8819

SUNDAY

Funday with Karaoke

MONDAY

Service Industry Night

WEDNESDAY Rock n Roll Bingo 8PM

THURSDAY Karaoke

SATURDAY SEC Football

TUESDAY Karaoke

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

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

Happy Hour every day until 7 p.m.

MONDAY

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

Texas Hold ‘Em 7pm

PENSACOLA THE ROUNDUP

Tube-ular Tuesday with Jim 8pm

560 E Heinberg St

TUESDAY

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

TUESDAY

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.

68 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

FINANCIAL & BUSINESS

Will You Spend Your Retirement Savings or Leave It Behind?

The Answer May Surprise You Scot I. Billeaudeau, JD, LL.M. ADPA® s.billeaudeau@ampf.com A key financial question for retirees is what to do with their hard-earned retirement savings. For example, some investors may find it more fulfilling to provide a college fund for grandchildren rather than purchase a second home for themselves. The opposite can also be true, and that’s okay.

In my experience working with retirees, I’ve found it’s critically important to identify what each person’s goals are for their nest egg. Do they want to spend down their assets pursuing activities that bring them joy or leave an inheritance to loved ones? If you find yourself wrestling with the same question, read on for some considerations that can help determine the right approach for you.

The rationale for spending down your wealth. On one hand, you may enter retirement with the primary goal of living the lifestyle you’ve worked so hard to earn. Pursuing a hobby, traveling, purchasing a vacation home or fulfilling another retirement dream may be exactly what you envisioned your later years to be. If you fall into this

category, keep in mind that these plans likely come at a price. Spending often goes up in the first few years of retirement as retirees are enthusiastic about all the activities they want to do.

Yet given the realities of longer life expectancies, it’s crucial for all retirees to be prepared for a retirement that could last for several decades. This means your savings will need to cover routine expenses, which are likely to rise due to inflation, as well as the potential for health and long-term care services. Ensure you allocate enough dollars for these purposes before deciding whether or how much money to spend down or leave behind.

The rationale for leaving a legacy. On the other hand, if your primary retirement goal is to leave a legacy to your loved ones, it’s important to start nailing down the details of inheritance plans early. As you do, keep in mind that your legacy includes what you plan to give as an inheritance upon your death, in addition to what you give and value today.

Perhaps you are eager to give your

children and grandchildren a helping hand. Your generosity could make a significant difference in helping them reach key financial milestones, such as achieving a college degree, purchasing a home or paying off a mortgage.

Or, maybe you prefer to contribute funds to a charity, foundation, or alma mater that aligns with your values. Think about donating to causes that are most important to you or have made a significant impact on your life.

Whether you give to your loved ones, philanthropic causes or both, create or update an estate plan to document your wishes. Your plan should include written instructions (e.g. a will or trust) and up-to-date beneficiary designations on all your accounts.

Finding a happy medium. Spending your assets or leaving an inheritance are both great options. Yet many of my clients hope to accomplish both.

If this is you too, know it’s possible to find a middle ground. After all, each person’s retirement dream is unique, so your financial plan to accomplish it should be too.

As you weigh your options on how to allocate your savings, it may be im-

SIGN OF GOOD TASTE

CLOVER GRILL

portant to you to talk with your spouse or partner about what brings each of you the most joy. Once you’re aligned, communicate your intentions with family. Estate planning can be a tough topic to raise with loved ones, no matter how much or little money you plan to pass down. But having the conversation can alleviate tension down the road while giving your children confidence about what to expect.

If you’d like a second opinion on how to achieve your retirement dream, consult a financial advisor and attorney.

These professionals can offer advice and encouragement, helping you to find your own happy medium between spending and providing an inheritance with your assets.

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.

Open 24 Hours Worlds Best Burgers!

HANGRY? 24 HOURS/900 BOURBON STREET

Enjoy 24 hour Breakfast & Burgers at Clover Grill Outdoor TO-GO Grill open Fri. June 7-9 1pm-1am

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LGBT Owned & Friendly Business Directory

bars

Mobile, AL [251] B-Bob’s Downtown, 213 Conti St., 433.2262, B-Bobs.COM Flip Side Bar & Patio, 54 S. Conception St., 431.8819, FlipSideBarPatio.COM GABRIEL’S DOWNTOWN, 55 South Joachim St., 432.4900 The Midtown Pub, 153 Florida St., 450.1555 Pensacola, FL [850] 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

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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, Ba-

ton 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, info@crescentcityleathermen.org, 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

Metairie, LA [504] Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop & Pub, 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., 835.2022, GumboStop.com New Orleans, LA [504] The Bombay Club, 830 Rue Conti, 577.2237, www.bombayclubneworleans. com Broussard’s Restaurant & Courtyard, 819 Rue Conti, 581.3866, http://broussards.com 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.RoyalHouseRestaurant.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

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WORD SEARCH

Gulf South Pride Puzzle 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

Local Gay Bar

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PUZZLE WORD BANK Oxford Central Louisiana Central Alabama Key West New Orleans Galveston Pensacola Baton Rouge Houston Biloxi Woodlands Druid City Mobile Pine Belt

by Adam Radd

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74 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 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 · June 4 – 17, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 75

SNAP PAPARAZZI MASCARA RACE AT THE 20TH ANNUAL MASCARA RACE | PHOTOS BY AMBUSH PUBLISHING Continued from page 67...

76 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Latavius Murray chose Saints for a chance to win a Super Bowl Les East, Crescent City Sports METAIRIE – It didn’t take Latavius Murray to find a new home once he received a call from the New Orleans Saints.

The former Raiders and Vikings running back said he received interest from “several teams” at the start of free agency, but no contract offers.

Then when New Orleans sensed that Mark Ingram was going to accept an offer from Baltimore, it moved quickly to grab Murray as a complement to Alvin Kamara, “After that, there was no more talking that needed to be done,” Murray said Thursday as New Orleans completed its second week of OTs. “I said, ‘I want to be here, let’s get it done.’”

Murray was enticed by the opportunity to join a team that has won two consecutive NFC South championships and narrowly missed a trip to the Super Bowl last season.

“This is a place that’s been competing for a championship the last few years and has come very close,” Murray said. “For me, going into my seventh season, that’s what it’s all about.

I’ve made some good money, I’ve got a family, but I want a ring and at the end of day you’ve got to think about that when choosing a team.”

The departure of Ingram is what

rushing yards, had 141 receiving yards created an opportunity for Murray, but and scored six touchdowns. Cook had he said he doesn’t see himself as In615 rushing yards, 305 receiving yards gram’s replacement exactly. and four touchdowns.

“It’s human nature to compare us “If you look around the league (plabecause a very good running back tooning) has been the trend,” Murray leaves and we obviously have to fill said. “The most important thing as a that void,” Murray said. “I can’t think of back is to focus on the things that you it as replacing someone. They brought bring to the table. me in because they feel like I can “Different The former Raiders and help. guys do different “My job is to Vikings running back said he things and you come in here and have to be who do what I can do, received interest from “sev- you are. Obviousprovide for this eral teams” at the start of ly Alvin is a speteam what I can back, but I can free agency, but no contract cial provide. There’s bring some things offers. no added pressure to the table and I when it comes to have to be confithat. I know what dent in that.”

I’m capable of. I believe they do as well In just two seasons Kamara has established himself as one of the most and that’s why I’m here.” productive and versatile running backs Murray knows what it’s like being in the NFL with the rare quickness and part of a running back tandem. It’s ability to change direction that he utisomething he did last season with Dalvin Cook in Minnesota.

The situation is so familiar to him, in fact, that he accidentally referred to Kamara as “Dalvin” before catching himself.

Murray laughed and said, “That won’t be the last time I do that.”

Last season Murray rushed for 578

lizes as a runner and pass catcher. He rushed for 883 yards and caught 81 passes last season.

“When you have two running backs on the field at the same time, that’s hard to defend,” Murray said. “When you have Alvin out in space against a linebacker and I’m in the backfield, defenses don’t know if we’re going to hand off or throw the ball to one of the guys out there.

“I’m a downhill runner who can get the tough yards between the tackles, protect the quarterback and find the end zone when I’m down there. Those are the things I’ve prided myself on and I just have to get better at the other things as I go along.”

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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Odds better than the numbers say for Pelicans to take advantage of lottery win David Grubb, Crescent City Sports With excitement surrounding the future of the New Orleans Pelicans building towards a crescendo at next month’s NBA Draft, it’s hard not to be swept up in visions of championships, or sustained success at the very least.

The harsh reality is that having the top overall pick doesn’t guarantee anything. The ongoing Anthony Davis saga serves as a harsh reminder of that fact.

Fact is, since the inception of the Draft Lottery in 1985, only three players – San Antonio’s David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997) along with Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving (2011) – have won championships with the teams that drafted them.

Yes, LeBron James also won a title with the Cavs while teamed up with Irving, but that was after he left for Miami to collect a pair of rings first.

So, roughly nine percent of top picks win it all with their original teams.

Does that mean that Pelicans fans should already be preparing for another heartbreak years down the road?

Not at all.

Of those 33 previous number one selections, nine (including Duncan and Robinson) made it to at least one Finals with their original teams.

Three others (Brad Daugherty, Glenn Robinson, and Derrick Rose)

took their teams to a conference final.

That means better than 36 percent of top picks have given their team a realistic chance at a title.

The odds improve even more when you take give some leeway to the last four top overall picks (Karl-Anthony Towns, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz and DeAndre Ayton) for still being in the relative infancy of their careers.

The one thing that each of the players that made it to the promised land have in common is that their organizations were able to create consistency in their front offices and make quality personnel moves either through the draft or free agency to create rosters that complimented the skills of their centerpieces.

That isn’t something that could be said about the Pelicans over the last decade.

Every move made by the front office seemed reactionary or short-sighted. Players were brought in to plug holes in a ship trying to stay afloat rather than set sail.

There weren’t enough guys around to take advantage of what Davis does well or make up for the things he does not.

That all led to last season’s debacle and Davis’ trade demand heard

round the world.

But since hitting the reset button by hiring David Griffin and following up with the additions of Trajan Langdon and Aaron Nelson, the Pelicans find themselves in possession of one of the most respected brain trusts in the association.

This week, Griffin and other representatives of the franchise met with Davis to attempt to convince him that he can become the next player to join that exclusive group. Their pitch is centered around their belief that New Orleans is now capable of doing exactly what it needs to in order to build a longterm winner.

So far, there’s been no indication that Davis has been swayed.

And that’s okay. Griffin and his team will be prepared to act whether AD is all in or not.

With Zion Williamson poised to take the Crescent City and the NBA by storm and Jrue Holiday at the peak

of his powers, Griffin already has his foundation in place.

And whatever assets the Pelicans get if/when (but seriously, it’s when) AD is traded will be brought in with a team concept in mind, not just an assemblage of talent.

While the rest of the pundits and observers may say that New Orleans doesn’t deserve the chance at another possible generational talent, I say simply, “This is not that New Orleans.”

It’s a new day, and I like the odds of the Pelicans getting it right this time a lot more than I did in 2012.

This article was originally published

by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

Kody Hoese named Collegiate Baseball All-American Clyde Verdin, Crescent City Sports NEW ORLEANS, La. – Tulane infielder and 2019 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Kody Hoese has earned his first All-American honor of the year as on Thursday he was named to the first team by Collegiate Baseball the organization announced.

Hoese is the first Tulane player since Brian Bogusevic in 2005 to be named a first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, while becoming just the fifth player in program history to land on the first team joining Bogusevic, Chad Sutter, Brandon Belanger and Michael Aubrey as the only players to do so.

The third baseman was one of three players from The American to be named to the first team, while four total players from the conference were named to one of the three teams.

The Griffith, Indiana, native finished the 2019 season leading the Green Wave with a .391 batting average, producing 92 hits with 61 RBI and 72 runs scored. Hoese slugged .779 to go with a .486 on-base percentage as he started all 58 games for the team this season.

Hoese’s numbers this year has him littered throughout the program record book, as he now ranks fourth in slugging percentage, tied for second alltime in a single season with 23 home runs and fourth with 183 total bases.

Within the conference the home runs,

total bases, slugging percentage and 72 runs scored are all American Athletic Conference records.

In 28 games this year Hoese finished with multiple hits, including having 18 games with two hits, eight games with three hits and a game with four and five hits, respectively. 17 times, Hoese drove in multiple runs with 10 games driving in two, five games driving in three and a pair of games with four.

Hoese had the longest hitting streak on the team this year spanning 19 games, while reaching base safely in 35 consecutive games at one point.

He tied the single-game record for home runs with three against Lamar, while also becoming the first player since 2013 to have five hits in a game coming on the road at New Orleans.

From the beginning of April until midMay, Hoese hit above .400, with his highest mark reaching .417.

This year Hoese was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy, being named the conference’s player of the week twice, along with earning national hitter of the week honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

This article was originally published

by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

78 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 4 – 17, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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