Ambush Magazine Volume 37 Issue 13

THE OFFICIAL GAY MAGAZINE OF THE GULF SOUTHâ„¢

A Biweekly Publication Celebrating LGBTQ Life, Music & Culture Since 1982 VOLUME 37 ISSUE 13

TUESDAY, June 18, 2019

www.AMBUSHMAG.com

Gay Appreciation Award Voting & Pride Highlights

THE “OFFICIAL” DISH

by TJ ACOSTA, PUBLISHER

Dear Ambush Nation, Another Pride Weekend in New Orleans is in the books and from the amount of glitter and rainbow confetti along the streets of the French Quarter, it appears to have been a smashing success! There were plenty of activities for people to enjoy throughout the weekend. The highlights of Pride were the Pride Parade on Saturday night and the performance by Big Freedia, The Queen Diva, at Pride Fest.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was part of the Pride festivities. Whether you rode or marched in the parade, were a spectator on the parade route or took the time to enjoy Pride Fest and Big Freedia’s performance, it is the participation by everyone in our community and allies that make Pride weekend a success.

Pride in New Orleans has continued to expand, and we expect that to continue each and every year. Also, it is encouraging to see Pride events all along the Gulf South. If you have the opportunity, please support our friends at their Pride events in other cities.

Once again this year, Ambush had a float in the Pride Parade. As we rode along the parade route, it was great to see all the families participating in Pride weekend. The parade has grown each and every year, and this one was the biggest ever.

With 26 floats and multiple marching groups, over 3,000 people were part

of the parade. Special thanks to the Pride Committee and countless volunteers who coordinate the parade each year. It takes untold hours of work to pull off a parade of that size and we thank you for your efforts. Over the last few years, Pride in New Orleans has grown from a very small event to one of the premier event weekends in the city. Again, to the Pride Committee and volunteers, job well done!

THE 31ST ANNUAL GAY APPRECIATION AWARDS The 31st Annual Gay Appreciation Awards will be held at Oz on Saturday, July 20th at 7 pm. Nominations are closed but now the fun begins.

Voting is live and will continue thru July 9th at which time the Top 5 will be announced in each category. We are super excited for this year’s GAA and expect it to be one of the best yet. We’ve added some new categories and hope you will take the time to vote for your favorites.

Be on the lookout on our Facebook page and in the next issue of Ambush for the announcement of the winner of the coveted GAA Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is given each year

by Ambush and the GAA Board of Directors to someone in the community who has spent a lifetime advocating for members of the LGBTQ community.

VIP tickets will be available for $100 and tickets to the event will be

Inside this Issue of Ambush Community Announcements

6-9

New to New Orleans: Ama-gay-us

10

Phil Fricano Receives Kevin Donahugh Community Leader Award

10

Everybody’s Talking About Bianca

12-13

Trodding the Boards

14-16

Viewing LGBTQ History Through Stage and Film

16-17

Top Five Reasons You Should Join the NOAGE Walking Group

18

Like A Good Neighbor… Part 2

19

Guns and Toxic Masculinity

22-23

Michael Tonello Is Bringing Home the Birkins and Respoke Espadrilles

23

“FUCK PRIDE” continuing the conversation

24

Acting Up in New Orleans

25

Kara Coley from Sipps in Gulfport, MS

28

Book Review: Brown White Black

29

How to Be a Smart Home Buyer in A Seller’s Market

34

Educating Healthcare Providers in the Fight Against HIV

36

Party Down

38-39

Hot Happenings

40-49

LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory

50-53

Puzzle & Comic Sports

54 57-58

Gulf South LGBTQ Entertainment & Travel Guide Since 1982 New Orleans, Louisiana | info@ambushpublishing.com | (504) 522-8049

$10. To reserve a VIP table, email us at info@ambushpublishing.com. Again this year, part of the proceeds from this event will be donated to Southern Decadence 2019.

GRAND ILLUSIONS AT THE LOUISIANA STATE MUSEUM On June 6, I had the privilege of attending the opening of Grand Illusions: The History & Artistry of Gay Carnival at the Louisiana State Museum in the French Quarter. If I had to describe the exhibition in one word, it would be AMAZING! There are so many wonderful costumes, sketches, posters, pictures and history, all under one roof. The event was well attended and I look forward to going back to the exhibition when I can take more time to enjoy all the displays. The exhibit will be open until December 2020 so you have plenty of time to check it out. I would highly encourage you to see the show for yourself to appreciate the history and splendor of all that is Gay Mardi Gras. Also, spread the word to family and friends who may be visiting from out of town as this is a must see exhibition that you wouldn’t want to miss! A special thanks to Wayne Phillips, Curator of Costumes & Textiles and Curator of Carnival Collections at the Louisiana State Museum for putting together this fantastic exhibition.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS Johnny Passion’s 6th Annual Snatch Game, a fundraiser for Southern Decadence 2019 is on Saturday, July 13 at 10:15 pm at The Allways Lounge & Cabaret. This event is always a sell-out so contact Misti Gaither via Facebook for reserved seating.

The charity for Southern Decadence 2019 is Odyssey House Louisiana.

The Oracle Gala, an annual event of The LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, will be held on Sunday, September 15 from 6 to 9 pm. This year’s Gala will honor Valda Lewis and the Amistad Research Center. There will be an open bar and hors d’oeuvres will be served. For more information, please follow the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana on Facebook or visit their website at lgbtarchiveslouisiana.org Equality Fest 2019, presented by the Gulf Coast Equality Council, will take place on Saturday, October 19 from 11 am to 6 pm at Harrah’s Gulf Coast in Biloxi, MS. The day will be filled with music, food, activities for kids, shopping and drag entertainers.

For more information please visit gulfcoastequalitycouncil.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 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 5

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Stonewall Commemoration in Baton Rouge Set for June 28 A commemoration acknowledging the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising will be held in Baton Rouge on June 28. The event will take place at a venue yet to be determined from 7:00pm to 8:30pm and is being spon-

sored by Stonewall Still Rising, the Metropolitan Community Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Trans Advocates, University Presbyterian Church, and the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge.

The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the LGBT+ community that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 and the ensuing days at the Stonewall Inn

in New York City’s Greenwich Village.

They are widely considered to constitute the most important event that ignited the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBT rights in the United States.

LGBT+ Archives Project Holds Annual Meeting The LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, a local non-profit organization dedicated to preserving queer history, held its annual membership meeting on Wednesday, June 12, at the newly renovated Hotel Peter and Paul.

About 75 people gathered to hear keynote speaker Wayne Phillips give a presentation on the new exhibit he curated at the Presbytere, Grand Illusions: The History and Artistry of Gay Carnival in New Orleans. Phillips serves as the Curator of the Carnival Collection and Costumes and Textiles for the Louisiana State Museum. He is

also on the Board of Directors for the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana.

Grand Illusions brings together more than two hundred artifacts including posters and poster artwork, ball invitations and favors, costume designs, and a dozen amazing gay Mardi Gras costumes. In addition, the exhibit features newly digitized films of gay balls from the 1960s and 1970s. The exhibit will run through December 2020.

A short business meeting preceded Phillips’ talk. Frank Perez, co-founder and long-time President of the Archives Project, updated the membership on its achievements in

the last year. This update was followed by several announcements and then Officer elections. Frank Perez was reelected President, Kathleen Conlon was reelected Vice-President, Jim Meadows was reelected Secretary, and Jessica Troske was reelected Treasurer. The remainder of the Board of Directors, who are elected every two years by the membership, were not up for reelection.

The mission of the LGBT+ Archives Project is promoting and encouraging the protection and preservation of materials that chronicle the culture and history of the Lesbian, Gay,

Bisexual, and Transgender community in Louisiana.

The Archives Project’s purpose is educating the community on the importance of archiving LGBT+ historical materials and making them available for future generations to access, research, and study. By developing financial resources to assist in the preservation and availability of certain LGBT+ collections, the Archives Project helps promote the proper maintenance and preservation of historical LGBT+ material.

For more information, please visit https://www.lgbtarchiveslouisiana.org/

Events on LGBT+ History During Pride Month June 19—“The Rainbow Fleur de Lis: A History of LGBT+ New Orleans.”

Lecture by Frank Perez. 6:00pm, Alvar Branch of the New Orleans Public

Library, 913 Alvar St. Perez is President of the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana.

June 23—Author Robert Fiesel-

er speaks at St. George’s Episcopal Church about the Up Stairs Lounge Fire. Noon, 4600, St. Charles Ave., New Orleans. Fieseler is the author Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation.

June 26—“The Rainbow Fleur de Lis: A History of LGBT+ New Orleans.”

Lecture by Frank Perez. Noon, National Park Service, 419 Decatur St., New Orleans.

June 26—Author Robert Fieseler speaks about his book, Tinderbox, at

the main branch of the New Orleans Public Library. 6:00pm, 219 Loyola Ave. June 27—Historian Roberts Batson premiers “Strange Bedfellows Make Politics: New Orleans LGBTQ Political History,” a new multimedia, one-man show. 6:00pm, Café Istanbul, 2372 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans.

June 29—”Gay Mardi Gras Celebration of Stonewall.” 3:00pm, Grand Pre’s Bar, 834 N. Rampart St., New Orleans.

Grand Reveler Conclave Set for June 20 The Mystik Krewe de Rue Royale Revelers’ inaugural Conclave of Grand Revelers will be held on the evening of June 20 at the home of Krewe founder and Lord of Misrule Frank Perez.

Jeff Palmquist (GR I), Will Antill (GR II), Felicia Phillips (GR IV), and Frank Perez (GR V) (Rip Naquin, GR III, passed away in 2017) will cloister to deliberate the selection of Grand Reveler VI. After the conclave is concluded, the Lord of Misrule and the previous Grand Revelers will emerge on Perez’s corner balcony overlooking Royal and St. Ann Streets to release either black or white smoke. Black smoke indicates a Grand Reveler has not been selected. White smoke indicates a Grand Reveler has been selected. The Conclave of Revelers will meet monthly until a new Grand Revel-

er is chosen.

Carnival enthusiasts, interested parties, hopeful revelers, and the general public are invited to gather at the corner of St. Ann and Royal Streets during the conclave to await the decision of the Conclave. Anticipants should expect the smoke to be released between 7:45pm and 8:00pm.

The revelation of the Grand Reveler is the highlight of krewe’s near-legendary 12th Night Party, which kicks off the Carnival Season each year. The Mistik Krewe de Rue Royale Revelers was founded in 2013 and held its first 12th Night Party in 2014 at Perez’s home. The first Grand Reveler was crowned in 2015. By 2018, the party had outgrown its humble origins and is now held at various venues in the French Quarter.

6 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 7

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

“Strange Bedfellows Make Politics: New Orleans LGBTQ Political History” premieres June 27

Lynn Miller (center front) came to New Orleans in 1970 to start the New Orleans Gay Liberation Front. She served as a founding co-chair of the group. (Photo credit Lynn Miller)

The 1991 committee that lobbied the City Council to enact the nondiscrimination ordinance were (left to right) Randy Evans, Susan Clade, Judy Montz, Sandra Paillet, Jim Wiltberger, Joan Ladnier, Stewart Butler, and Rich Magillade, Judy Montz, Sandra Paillet, Jim Wiltberger, Joan Ladnier, Stewart Butler and Rich Magill. (Photo credit Stewart Butler)

The New Orleans Coalition has announced the premiere of “Strange Bedfellows Make Politics: New Orleans LGBTQ Political History” on Thursday, June 27. The production is a multimedia, one-man show written and performed by Roberts Batson. Curtain is at 6:30 pm at Café Istanbul Theater, 2372 St. Claude Avenue, There is no admission charge, but seating is limited, so reservations are required at neworleanscoalition1967@ gmail.com. Doors and bar will be open at 6 pm.

Coalition Board member Gayle Gagliano, Event Coordinator for this project, notes the date was chosen to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, the “Boston Tea Party” of the LGBTQ rights movement. “On the night of June 2728, 1969,” she explains, “New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. Police actions of this sort were frequent in cit-

ies throughout the country at the time.

Blackmailing homosexuals – and bar owners - was widely viewed as a monetary perk that came with the badge.”

But that night was different. Instead of quietly loading into the paddy wagons, the Stonewall customers fought back. They were joined by others on the street. The melee continued for several nights afterwards.

Batson explains the show’s title is a sly play on the proverbial “Politics makes strange bedfellows.” Shakespeare originated the phrase “strange bedfellows,” in “The Tempest,” and variations of the term developed over the centuries.

Batson brings to this theatrical project a wide experience as a LGBTQ political activist and historian. In the 1970s he provided the leadership to build the foundations of gay politics in Louisiana, initiating the creation of the Louisiana Gay Political Action Caucus (LAGPAC) in 1980. As the AIDS pan-

demic exploded, he was a founder of the NO/AIDS Task Force in 1983. He was elected as an openly gay member to the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee and to three State Democratic Conventions.

Honors and awards he received include receiving the Outstanding Service in Politics Award from the Louisiana Council for Equal Rights in1991, the LAGPAC Commendation in 1995, the Spirit Award in 2006 and the Trailblazers Award in 2016 from the New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE.) In 1997 he was chosen Grand Marshal for the Pride parade and was voted Man of the Year by the Gay Appreciation Awards.

In 1994 he began the project to collect and preserve local LGBTQ history, writing over 300 articles on the subject.

This expertise also provided the basis for his acclaimed Gay Heritage Tour, a French Quarter walking tour he has conducted since 1994.

Roberts Batson has conducted his Gay Heritage Tour since 1994. It is a French Quarter walking tour that covers New Orleans LGBTQ history.

(Photo credit Roberts Batson)

Roberts Batson is the author of “Amazing Place, this New Orleans,” a light-hearted look at local history. It became New Orleans’ longest-running one-man show. (Photo credit Roberts Batson)

Batson earned Bachelor of Fine Arts and master’s degrees in theater from the University Of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His theatrical credits number over a hundred productions as actor, director, writer, producer, and designer. His play, “Amazing Place, this New Orleans,” a lighthearted view of New Orleans history, holds the record as the city’s longest-running one-man show.

The New Orleans Coalition, founded in 1967, was the first multiracial political organization in the city. It is dedicated to achieving social justice through political action and policy reforms at all levels of government.

Coalition president Anita Zervigon-Hakes says commemorating the Stonewall Rebellion is “an example of the organization’s mission to develop, advance and sustain freedom, equality and justice.”

8 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Crescent City Leathermen Support Dining Out for Life on June 6th & Attend Pride Fest & Parade in New Orleans on June 8th

Dining Out for Life on June 6th CCL participated in Dining Out for Life on June 6th by having a club social and inviting friends to join in as we dined at Jack Dempsey’s in the Bywater. The gathering included several members of the Lords of Leather. It was an enjoyable dinner where all could contribute to this worthwhile cause.

Pridefest & Pride Parade on June 8th - CCL had a table at Pridefest to help spread the word about the work the club is doing. In the evening, CCL joined with other leather, kink, and fetish groups to present a larger fetish contingent to the watchers along the parade route. The large contingent consisted of CCL, the Lords, Nola PaHs, the Girls of Leather, LA Noble, and others. As always, a festive time was had by all.

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

Photographer Credits: The Crescent City Leathermen

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 9

NEW TO NEW ORLEANS

Ama-gay-us

Robert W Fiesler wordbobby@gmail.com I grew up wanting to kill the thing inside me. Through religion, through self-brainwashing, through various substances and sexual encounters with young ladies my age, I devoted the bulk of my youth towards willing an act of self-conversion that would enable me to walk free of my secret burden: the fact that I yearned for and actively masturbated about other dudes.

Looking at my senior class photos, you’d see a late-90s twink with clipper-cropped hair and frosted blond tips. He’s a dead ringer for Brian Littrell from the Backstreet Boys. It’s virtually impossible to see that young man and not think, “We’ve got a homo here!”

Though I was desperately trying to be someone, anyone, other than a twink, my acts of self-rejection were (with the gift of hindsight) ironic acts of self-definition that pulled me closer and closer to the orbit of cock.

That was teenage-dom, for me: Five-knuckle-shuffling in my bedroom and then crying and promising the Lord it would be the last time and then getting hard because I’m 17 and the wind touched my arm and then praying over my dick and five-knuckle-shuffling again. I look back and shudder. I wasted so many years not being a prime cut of meat on the male marketplace.

Even when I moved to New Orleans,

I suppose a part of me still presumed that my Midwestern, late-90s, teenage oppression was the overarching experience for teens everywhere. (I know, messed up.)

So when my husband Ryan told me that the youngest member of his gay Mardi Gras krewe, an 18-yearold piano prodigy, was hosting a drag salon where his parents would also tend bar, I was suddenly, overwhelmingly, jealous. I couldn’t help remembering my dad hating my frosted blond tips the day I came home with them.

They were, in his words, “pushing it.”

He wouldn’t let me stay out past 10pm or see an R-rated film, much less sling drinks at a function in which I’d glide down a staircase with such unabashed queerness that I had to wear women’s clothing.

When we arrived at the venue early to help Ben, the piano prodigy, and his family set up for the salon, I was immediately taken by how his parents were fretting over all the details – the seating, the king cake, etc. – getting them just so to be in line with their son’s vision of a drag piano function.

They beamed Pride in their laser-like focus. They acted like they were hosting a high school graduation. And it was a graduation, I suppose, for a brave young man whose heart and tal-

ents merited celebration.

Their child was not only “out” to his peers but also making his “out-ness” an example for the city he adored. His Mom and Dad were so delightful it hurt me, a 38-year-old queen, especially when I considered what my parents hadn’t given or couldn’t have given a son that same age in another decade when I only tasted such queerness behind a locked bedroom door—alone and naked and crying and afraid.

Sometimes it’s tough to reckon with the reality that for some queer kids, in some queer havens of the world, we’ve won. Our efforts flourish. Our hopes live in every smile and pucker of their bratty little faces. They were babies when we fought to open the world for them. But open it we did, and they toddled through, eventually strutting, never quite knowing or understanding the past that would have crushed their spirits.

They’ll probably never learn the names of the ones whose bodies and minds paved the way. And here’s what’s hardest to fathom in a world of uneven advancement: they don’t have to. We must not blame the ones who taste the lives we merely fantasized.

I leaned against the john door as the DJ announced the prodigy over the speakers. I pulled my husband to

my waist as the crowd inhaled. And we watched a young wunderkind emerge down the staircase in a pink Mozart wig, flesh-colored corset, and white stiletto heels. He looked like a gay Amadeus, a reference his generation likely wouldn’t get. Amagayus. He hadn’t even learned to walk in those heels yet.

Toe first, I hissed into my husband’s ear, toe first. He clomped his way up to the piano as the room cheered.

Then he kicked his lithe legs over the seat and stretched out his elongated fingers. I turned my head as he pressed the keys and felt the air tremor and vibrate with the notes of Debussy, Verdi. I honestly don’t even remember the composer.

It was behind the bar that I found them holding hands, his parents, their mouths agape. They were staring in veneration at the person they’d created. There s/he is, their faces seemed to say.

Robert W. Fieseler is the author of Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation, which just won the 2019 Edgar Award in Best Fact Crime.

He lives with his husband and dog in New Orleans.

PRIDE SPOTLIGHT

Phil Fricano Receives Kevin Donahugh Community Leader Award Chris Leonard Director of Operations & Special Events, Ambush Publishing, chris@ambushpublishing.com Each year since 2011, New Orleans Pride has given out the “Starfish Award” to someone in the community for their leadership and charity work. In 2017, New Orleans Pride’s Co-founder, Kevin Donahugh, passed away. At that time, the Pride Board renamed the award in Kevin’s honor. Anyone who knew Kevin, knows he spent his life helping others and raising funds and awareness for several charities here in New Orleans.

Phil Fricano is one of the most selfless individuals one will ever met.

He has worked behind the scenes to ensure that the Pride Parade is a success for the past 8 years, and also uses his platform in the community to

help local charities such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Fricano has worked to promote diversity and inclusion as well as anti-bullying and suicide prevention in many of his endeavors including the Krewe of King Arthur, where he is Captain and Founder. Fricano is also the owner of PFJ Floats, which helps create many parades and events in New Orleans, including the New Orleans Pride Parade, The Knights of Decadence Parade, Nyx, St. Patrick’s Day and many others across South Louisiana.

Chris Leonard presenting Phil Fricano with the Kevin Donahugh Community Leader Award

10 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 11

PERFORMER SPOTLIGHT

Everybody’s Talking About Bianca Brian Sands bsnola2@hotmail.com

Surreal.

That’s how it felt sitting in one of the most historic West End theaters and watching New Orleans’ own Roy Haylock perform in a hit musical. And when he entered in drag and got huge applause from the adoring sold-out house--even more surreal. Anyone who remembers when Bianca Del Rio hosted Drag Bingo at Oz would probably feel the same way.

It’s also a word Haylock himself uses to describe his improbable path from Gretna to international superstar.

Currently, Bianca Del Rio/Roy Haylock, as he’s billed, is starring in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, a based-on-a-true-story musical now playing its second year at the Apollo Theatre in London. At the beginning of May, Haylock took over the role of Hugo, the owner of a shop for drag queen attire, and his drag alter ego, Loco Chanelle. Haylock became the first drag performer to appear in the part. (It’s just been announced that Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant will play the role in the film version.)

In Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, set in the northern industrial

city of Sheffield, Jamie’s about to graduate from high school and wants to wear a dress to his prom. His mother supports him unconditionally, but the school says he can’t. Complications ensue, Hugo becomes Jamie’s mentor, and everything turns out pretty much alright in the end.

Inspired by Jamie Campbell’s life and a BBC documentary about him, Tom MacRae’s book and lyrics deliver equal measures of sweet (Jamie’s Mom and his best friend, a Muslim girl) and sassy (Mom’s best friend and Jamie himself). Jamie comes off as so resilient that his self-doubt, stemming from daddy issues, seems a bit trumped up but it adds the necessary dramatic tension.

Dan Gillespie Sells’ music furnishes a catchy electropop score with the up-tempo numbers being just a bit more engaging than the ballads; the exuberant first act finale set in a drag club is terrific.

Director Jonathan Butterell fills up the stage with action yet allows each character, even the smaller ones, room to breathe and the audience to become invested in all of them. Kate

Roy Haylock in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Prince’s choreography combines hip hop moves with Broadway razzmatazz to excellent effect.

I saw Luke Latchman as Jamie, so fabulous that I didn’t realize till afterwards that he’s the understudy. A triple threat actor/singer/dancer I hope Latchman has more such rewarding roles in his future. The rest of the cast were all topnotch with the hardworking multicultural chorus kids who play Jamie’s high school classmates wonderful individually and as a group.

If Miss Del Rio makes her living as an insult comedienne, Haylock has nothing but nice things to say about Jamie’s cast and crew whom he described as “beyond kind.”

“Everybody’s been so giving and they’re all such generous performers,” he added. “I’m very spoiled.”

When he was approached earlier this year about doing Jamie, Haylock said, “The idea of it sounded amazing but I hadn’t done theater since New Orleans and I wondered ‘Can I do it, hit the notes, do someone else’s dialog?’”

After Haylock accepted the role, the first thing he was told is that there’s no template for playing Hugo, no singular approach he had to follow slavishly.

“I give huge credit to the director and writer,” he said. “They’ve been great.

They even added two lines for Hugo to be American.”

As Hugo, it’s to Haylock’s credit that he takes dialog that has an avuncular-sounding quality and infuses it with a more youthful energy. Not surprisingly, in his scene as Loco Chanelle, he sounds completely natural in a way, I suspect, that his straight predecessors didn’t.

While Haylock commented that “over the years, being in drag has become normal for me,” he still grouses

that, to go on as Loco, “it takes 19 minutes to get ready for a nine minute scene.”

That’s about the only thing Haylock complains about.

“It’s so nice to be in the same hotel and one dressing room,” he said. “I’ve been shlepping around the world and it’s a huge treat to be in one particular room for two months. I love the schedule of it.”

Part of the production’s schedule is to install a new Hugo and Miss Hedge, Jamie’s teacher, every 9-10 weeks to breathe new life into the show and help increase ticket sales. Coming in at the same time as Haylock was Faye Tozer, best known for her part in the award-winning pop band Steps which sold over 20 million records throughout a five-year period in the 1990s.

After seeing Jamie, I went out with Haylock, Tozer and some other members of the cast and crew for dinner.

Haylock and Tozer’s camaraderie was palpable with Haylock observing that as the show’s new kids on the block they leaned on each other as they became comfortable with Jamie’s routines and rhythms.

Although she plays the meanie in the show, Tozer could not have been more lovely and down-to-earth. After we had chatted for a while, I admitted I had not yet had a chance to read the program so didn’t know why she was famous. She took no umbrage, casually filled me in and we continued chatting about her family. No wonder Haylock is so fond of her.

In a different vein, I wondered if he was fond of the applause that greets him when he enters the stage. Asked what goes through his mind when that happens, he replied “Please shut up because I can’t think of my lines.”

12 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Haylock better get used to such receptions. After he finishes his run in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie on June 30, he’ll continue his “It’s Jester Joke” tour in Provincetown, Canada, South Africa, Europe and the United Kingdom leading up to a September 21 performance at The SSE Arena, Wembley, the biggest ever solo drag show in the UK. “It’s been a wild ride. This is my fourth tour, each year it gets bigger.

Wembley has 12,000 seats. It’s pretty surreal.”

It gets surrealer. On October 6, as part of the biggest solo drag show tour in North America, Bianca Del Rio will play NYC’s legendary Carnegie Hall where performers have to be approved. “I didn’t think I’d be approved,” he said.

“We’re gonna test the waters and see how it goes. It probably won’t be the same after I leave.”

The West End. Wembley. Carnegie Hall. I asked Haylock if in his wildest dreams when he was performing at Le Petit (Cabaret, Rent) or Tulane (Gypsy) he ever imagined he’d be in any of those places. “Absolutely not,” was his immediate response. “That’s what’s been so amazing. And I can appreciate it a lot more now. If I were 20 [when this happened], it would be a nightmare.”

“I ask myself ‘How did all of this fucking happen?’ I’m grateful for everything that led up to it, performing with

Faye Tozer and Roy Haylock backstage at the Apollo Theatre

Bianca Del Rio/Roy Haylock outside the Apollo Theatre

Ricky [Graham] and Becky [Allen], at Tulane and Le Petit. It’s surreal.”

If you can’t make it to Wembley or Carnegie Hall, then plan to see Bianca on November 10 at The Orpheum Theater when she comes back to New Orleans. “I’m always excited to return home. The past few years I’ve missed Mardi Gras which is very sucky.

in Jamie, having known him for over twenty years, I know he’s allergic to complements. So, with a little coaching from him to get it just right, we left it at “It was terrible seeing you and I hated every minute of it.”

His response? “That’s your headline.” Surreal.

I always take time off the day after [an appearance in NOLA] just to catch up with everybody.” Haylock pauses in his rapid fire delivery for a second. “After Drag Bingo, to be in a theater with everyone seated is insane.”

Haylock probably had more to say but he had a matinee to do. Though I wanted to tell him how great he was

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Trodding the Boards Brian Sands bsnola2@hotmail.com

Graham Burk and Jes Podewell in Much Ado About Nothing

Gabriela Mesa and Fabian Morales in Cinderella (photo by Lori Gordillo)

Much Ado About Nothing at Tulane’s Lupin Theater through June 30

unexpectedly discovering love. One wishes there had been more chemistry between her and her Benedick, Graham Burk. He’s successfully played clowns, villains and clownish villains, but the suavity and romantic sparkle needed to capture and bond with Podewell’s Beatrice escapes him.

Leicester Landon, unlike other Don Johns I’ve seen, forsakes snarly outward shows of this villain’s evilness but, rather, imbues every word he utters with a subtle malignity. It’s a tremendously intelligent approach, one that augurs well for an Iago in his future.

Whether in love-struck, indignant, or repentant mode, Nate Jones speaks Claudio’s lines very well, but moves stiffly throughout, his body rarely matching what he is saying. Tirol Palmer, as Hero, the object of Claudio’s affection, does well overall but one wonders why she takes him back in the end.

Tedesco has cast women in a number of men’s roles, reversing their

If you’ve never seen Much Ado About Nothing, you might want to head to Tulane’s Lupin Theater for the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival’s opening production of their 26th season. As is often the case at NOSF, Director Burton Tedesco gives us a mostly straightforward rendering of one of the Bard’s most sophisticated comedies. You’ll certainly get the basic plot of two star-crossed pairs of lovers for whom everything, by and large, works out in the end.

Tedesco has reset the story in some middle American town of the 1950s, using songs of that early rock era to establish the mood and comment on the action. For a play in which the sexes are in a constant battle, however, there’s little interpretive relevance for our #MeToo times.

Tedesco, an actor and fight director, here helms a show for the first time,

so we might want to overlook some of his production’s shortcomings. Still, enough of them add up to prevent this show from being wholly satisfying. By coarsening things up, he takes much of the charm and lightness out of this most airy of scripts. Slapstick is favored in scenes that would benefit from a more subtle approach.

While his cast always conveys the script’s proper meaning, no small achievement, the readings tend to be superficial without plumbing the psychological depths of Shakespeare’s complex characters. Scenes featuring the bumbling constable Dogberry and his hare-brained associates, which can be hysterically funny, here come off as merely tedious, their humor blanched out. And actors arbitrarily break the fourth wall, addressing the audience directly for no good reason.

Despite this, some actors give affecting performances.

Jes Podewell not only displays Beatrice’s requisite wit and intelligence, but also a disarming joyfulness upon

gender, which is fine. Yet when one man says “I think this is your daughter,” indicating a young woman he hasn’t met, and the response becomes “Her father [rather than ‘mother’] hath many times told me so,” the sting is taken out of one of Shakespeare’s most brilliant lines, an appropriate metaphor for this Much Ado.

Cinderella at The Orpheum

Seeing the New Orleans Ballet Theatre’s glorious production of Cinderella at a recent matinee made me realize how much I’ve missed classical ballet as, due to some technical glitch when NOBT updated its email list a while ago, I apparently stopped getting their notifications; unfortunately, this vital company then somehow slipped off my radar. I can only imagine how much wonderful ballet I lost out on.

With new choreography by Gregory Schramel, Carlos Guerra, and Marjorie Schramel to Sergei Prokofiev’s gorgeous music, Cinderella was consistently beautiful to look at and, in its retelling of this classic fairy tale, even touching as we observed its heroine’s liberation from her oppressive home life. The choreographers employed clear staging to advance the story while filling it out with elegant dance.

Gabriela Mesa, as Cinderella, seemed lighter than air; her amazing extensions only added to her innate gracefulness. Partnered with Marjorie Schramel as her dignified but sadistic Stepmother, the two sizzled in a thrilling duet.

As the princess-seeking Prince, Fabian Morales, engaged to Mesa in real life, proved a sensitive partner and provided some awesome leaps of his own. With his boyish mien, Kevin Her-

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nandez’s Squire, however, nearly stole the show as his scissor-like legs displayed outstanding technique.

You have to be very talented to dance “badly”; as the Stepsisters, Gregory Schramel and Carlos Guerra made it clear that they are, as they brought comical ugliness to their roles and made each Sister funny in her own way. Despite the instruction of Trey Mauldwin’s superb Dance Master, these “ladies” remained magnificently klutzy.

Felicia McPhee marvelously metamorphosed from a mysterious old crone into the Fairy Godmother and then led a dance of the Fairies with apt choreography for each season. Shayna Skal’s coltish Spring Fairy contrasted with Mei-Ling Murray’s more refined Summer one. Lisa Keller McCurdy was an exquisite Autumn Fairy while Claudia Lezcano’s Winter Fairy epitomized joyous holiday celebrations. These five dancers then came together for a ravishing finale.

Sophie Coudrain, Mazzy Hansel, Victoria Nelson and Giselle “Gigi” Thomas were adorable as the Mice who would soon be transformed into Coachmen. Summer Fairy Attendants Lucy Brown, Simone Brown, Grace Crain, and Anna Gordillo demonstrated clearly budding talents. And Sunny Benziger shined in her few moments as the lead Firefly. It truly was heartwarming to see these and all the other youngsters perform at such a high level. The Schramels deserve our appreciation for training so wonderfully, through their Conservatory of Dance, the next generation.

Alas, due to a wedding I was attending on the North Shore that evening, just as Cinderella had to leave the Prince’s Ball early, I had to depart right before the ballet’s brief final act.

I wish I could’ve stayed, but I had a pretty good idea how things would turn out. And now that I’m back on NOBT’s e-list, I hope not to miss any future presentations (next up, The Nutcracker in December) of this prime company.

New (and Old) in London

Though I recently went to London to see our own Bianca Del Rio in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (see interview elsewhere in this issue), as well as to visit friends and family, there were many other things I enjoyed on the other side of the pond. And that’s in addition to the performance art event known as the Trump Protest.

Elsewhere in the West End, an extraordinary revival of Henrik Ibsen’s complex drama Rosmersholm is playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre thru July 20 starring Tom Burke, Hayley Atwell and Giles Terera. With its talk of divisive elections, the power of the press, and extremism, as well as a psychologically knotty romance, it seems like it was written yesterday instead of 130+ years ago.

I also saw two other big hits, Six (Arts Theatre thru Jan. 5, 2020) and The Lehman Trilogy (Piccadilly Theatre thru Aug. 31). The former reimagines the six wives of Henry VIII as a girl group (à la The Spice Girls) in friendly competition to see who had it worst; in 75 minutes, each wife gets her own song in the style of a pop diva (Beyoncé, Adele, Rihanna, etc.). The latter charts the rise and fall of the Lehman banking dynasty from the arrival of the original three brothers from Bavaria in the U.S. in the mid-1800s to the spectacular 2008 collapse of the company they founded. I liked both; I loved neither.

I did love Van Gogh and Britain at Tate Britain (thru Aug. 11). This exhibit first reveals how England inspired the Dutch artist when he lived there for a few years in the 1870s and then how van Gogh influenced generations of British artists. In addition to his renowned talents, what comes through in this show is van Gogh’s empathy for poor and working class people; his painting of prisoners exercising in a small courtyard is a jaw dropper.

Alas, the Tate Modern’s Dorothea Tanning exhibition has since closed, but it provided a terrific overview of her career. I preferred her earlier figurative surrealist works; a friend favored her later more abstract ones. It made for lively debate.

After seeing Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing at The Queen’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace (thru Oct. 13), there can be little debate that da Vinci was one of the, if not the, most brilliant person who ever lived. Not only are there beautiful portraits on display, but also his anatomical and botanical drawings, maps, designs for weapons and much more, all done without aid of computer or even electricity. His discoveries about how the body works would alone place him in the pantheon of greats!

While I missed the Sorolla: Spanish Master of Light exhibit at the National Gallery (thru July 7), I was able, courtesy of a last minute switch to an earlier-arriving flight, to spend two fabulous hours going through this revered museum’s permanent collection which ranges from the 1200s to about 1900.

Highlights included not only works by van Eyck, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Velázquez, Turner, Klimt, Manet, Degas, Seurat, and da Vinci’s The Virgin of the Rocks, but also those by lesser known artists; a quartet of canvases from the mid-1320s documenting Christ’s death and resurrection by Ugolino di Nerio were each stunning. And a Man of Sorrows from about 1260 seemed utterly modern.

As worthy as these august institutions are, I had a lovely time with a friend just walking around Mayfair and popping into some shops that have received royal warrants. Though quite posh, everyone we met was uniformly

Ballet Dancers by Edgar Degas at the National Gallery

The cast of Rosmersholm

Lock and Co. Hatters

Maternity by Dorothea Tanning at Tate Modern

George Goring Jnr. of Ovingdean at The Weiss Gallery

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Trump protest in Parliament Square

Trump protest in Parliament Square

Yours truly in Middle Temple Hall

The Famous Cock in Highbury

friendly and welcoming.

Our stops included Lock and Co. Hatters (6 St. James’s St.) where, in its small museum, you can see Winston Churchill’s ledger for his purchases, the Queen’s head-block, and a letter settling Oscar Wilde’s outstanding bill; Floris parfumerie (89 Jermyn St.) where Ian Fleming and Marilyn Monroe shopped (you can sample their scents); and Paxton & Whitfield cheesemongers (93 Jermyn St.) where, in addition to offering various samples, though I purchased a mere $2.25 sausage roll, the counterman treated me like a lord.

Also on Jermyn St., at #59, is The Weiss Gallery which drew us in with its flabbergastingly splendid Tudor, Stuart & Northern European old master portraits, all museum quality. Hot guys are well-hung on the gallery’s walls, wearing outfits that make Billy Porter’s

red carpet ensembles look demure.

Nearby, at St James’s Church, Piccadilly, you can partake of its free Monday, Wednesday and Friday 50-minute lunchtime recitals that generally begin at 1:10pm. I heard Michael Poll, an excellent classical guitarist, who did two pieces by Bach, which he had adapted for guitar, and then his own Variations on the Theme Vltava/ Hatikva. The recitals offer a refreshing escape from the outside hustle’n’bustle in a Christopher Wren designed building hosted by a congregation that explicitly welcomes “straight, gay and transgendered people.”

For lunch itself, head to Middle Temple Hall, not far from the Thames (make an online reservation in advance), to dine in an ornate 16th-century venue with a carved, oak beam ceiling and stained glass windows that

Queen Elizabeth THE FIRST officially opened in 1576. Plus, Twelfth Night had its world premiere there on February 2, 1602 with Bill Shakespeare himself probably in attendance. The menus look scrumptious though I’d happily eat there even if they only served gruel.

As for nighttime fun, on Saturdays head to XXL for its weekly dance party (1 Invicta Plaza; its website says go to the Southwark Underground station but opting for the Blackfriars one and then crossing the bridge is just as easy). One room has techno music, another features ’70s/’80s/’90s pop, and another, well, doesn’t have any music but does offer a maze. It’s a diverse friendly crowd with guys from all over the world. I had been there in 2016 and the only disappointment this time was that, unlike three years ago, a fantastic gratis array of donuts was lacking.

Only going to be in London during the week? Then you might want to visit Vault 139 (139 Whitfield St.) in the residential Fitzrovia neighborhood. Monday nights offer an atmosphere redolent of Southern Decadence; I hear Thursday nights are even wilder--let me know if that’s indeed true.

Whatever you do, however, do remember that London is a phenomenal walking city. As you amble about, you never know what you’ll see from a school named after Charles Dickens (wonder if Nicholas Nickleby or Oliver Twist go there?) to a famous cock (the name of a pub in Highbury). Or, you just might unexpectedly bump into someone from New Orleans.

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

MUSINGS BY CATHERINE Viewing LGBTQ History Through Stage and Film Catherine Roland catherineroland12@gmail.com

Gay Pride is celebrated throughout the world on different weekends during the month of June. World PRIDE, in New York City, will be celebrated June 26-30, and that should be a ball!

New Orleans PRIDE, which we celebrated June 7-9, was superb! In our great city, anyone who could view our flag flying and rainbows draped around doorways & windows in the French Quarter, as well as rainbow bunting hanging on many LGBT-owned businesses downtown, Uptown and in Metairie, had a smile on their face and hope in their heart.

As we celebrate Stonewall and PRIDE during the remainder of the month, I’ve noticed a focus in the media, especially TV and other outlets, on how the LGBT community is portrayed in films. Never before had I been aware of so many gay-themed plots and biographies; it’s quite wonderful. In my counseling practice I’ve often, especially lately, been asked for recommendations for movies that might enlighten, inform, or simply describe our past. Looking through another’s eyes is a good, albeit simple, definition of empathy. And we all could benefit from empathy leading to loving others.

I began paying attention to what was being offered that was pertinent to our history, and did what seemed logical to me which was to start making lists of films and plays that seemed important in different ways for our community. I’m dedicating this article to the very special and often brave authors of these works.

While I majored in English and American lit in college, one thing I learned about literature is that just because something is about a topic of interest, doesn’t mean that the writing is fair, or free from bias, or even truthful.

The works mentioned here are supportive and not exploitative of our community. I’m sure there are many more films and plays/musicals; if you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear from you. Listed in no particular order, many of these entertainments are timeless, and should be required watching for anyone who would like to experience the history/perceptions/politics of the LGBTQ community. And while you view, please keep an open mind as to the author’s vision and the framework of the experience according to the generation and politics at the time.

Let’s start with film. We all have ac-

cess to some movies; most of us have access to many through TV, YouTube, Netflix, Prime, and other options. An important note is that often plays become movies, and I’ve pointed a few of those out. It might be enjoyable to sit with a friend or two and play the “Have You Ever Seen” game. See how many you can list, make your own notes about what you want to watch next. My personal favorites are indicated with **.

Movies: • The Normal Heart ** • Boys Don’t Cry ** • Boys in the Band ** • And the Band Played On ** • Milk (about Harvey Milk) ** • Moonlight • Better than Chocolate • In the Gloaming • The Danish Girl ** • Booksmart • High Art • Bound • Philadelphia** • Brokeback Mountain • Personal Best • Paris is Burning (documentary) ** • Parting Glances • The Birdcage • The Matthew Shepard Story

• The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert • Midnight Cowboy • Aimee and Jaguar • Tipping the Velvet • Longtime Companion • Gods and Monsters • Torch Song Trilogy** • Transamerica • Cabaret • Maurice • Desert Hearts ** • Claire of the Moon • The Crying Game ** • Wilde • Angels in America ** • The Laramie Project Some of these are well-known and seen on premium channels or any classic movie channel. Most of the others are hard to find, but may be for sale On Demand, or found by chance.

Of course, if really interested, many of the classics are available to pay to download. I was pleased to see that on this year’s PRIDE Saturday and Sunday, Turner Classic Movies played gay-themed films all day. They didn’t announce they were going to do that, but I was excited to hear about it so I was able to DVR movies like Maurice,

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Cabaret, And The Band Played On, The Birdcage, and The Normal Heart, to mention a few. Some I have never seen on mainstream TV, or Prime or Netflix, and a number of those I listed are important. They are, however, very hard to locate, such as The Boys in the Band, Claire of the Moon, Desert Hearts, Personal Best, Torch Song Trilogy, and The Matthew Shepard Story.

For movies and books, I often have to remind myself about the gender-bound language used, or the negative perspective depicted in the movies about our community, or the homophobic or hate-filled language I read or hear, mostly according to the year of publication. Let’s face it, there’s going to be a difference in recent movies, for example, The Danish Girl (2015), a wonderful depiction of the true story of a transgender artist and his struggles with identity and his brilliance, and The Boys in the Band (1970), which is considered to be one of the first mainstream films to be entirely about gay relationships, and which had many gay cast members. That simply wasn’t

done in 1970. On a rainy day, or a quiet evening, give yourself a treat, and watch a movie!

Now let’s talk theater. Plays are important, and sometimes not very accessible due to where you live. Here in NOLA, however, we have a number of theater companies, including Southern Rep, Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre, The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company, and various others.

You’ll notice a number of titles below that I also listed as movies; for various reasons, don’t assume the two versions of the same work are very similar. The list of plays, is in no way comprehensive nor in any specific order: The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer was first produced in 1985 and returned in 2014, one of the best Broadway plays I’ve ever seen.

A Chorus Line (1976), one of its key storylines features a young gay man.

Angels in America (1993), twopart play by Tony Kushner about the AIDS crisis and the LGBT world in the 1980’s. Brilliant, it was also adapted for

TV.

Bent (1979), inspired by reality, is about the persecution of gays in Nazi Germany, and two men who are imprisoned and fall in love. Touching and heart wrenching.

The Boys in the Band (1968) was revived on Broadway last year. The 1968 run explored how gays perceived themselves and were treated in America, in an uncompromising and groundbreaking manner. The 2018 revival, which I was privileged to see, stayed true to the original, and was more than anyone could have hoped for. And still, there were people who came to see it only because it had gotten lots of press and featured openly gay celebrity actors, knowing nothing about the content. They left the theater informed.

Torch Song Trilogy (1982) by Harvey Fierstein. This is a picture of LGBT life in the 1970’s and ‘80’s in Greenwich Village.

M. Butterfly (1988), loosely entwined with the opera Madame Butterfly, won the Tony Award and is hailed as one of the first plays with a major transgender theme.

The Laramie Project (2000), about the reaction to the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming in 1998, which rocked the LGBT world.

Rent (1996), the story of a close group of struggling artists in New York City during the early AIDS crisis. Quite wonderful music.

Three Tall Women (1994, and 2018 on Broadway). This intergenerational play involves three women, one 92, one 52 and one 26, and a gay son.

Many outstanding plays indeed.

As we celebrate the remainder of June 2019, in our acknowledgement of Stonewall and PRIDE, it may be fitting to tune in to some of those movies listed, or read a play or two. As mentioned, I am certain you have movies and plays to add, and I would welcome that. My email is at the top of the column if so inclined. And soon I’ll tackle the literature that has taught us so well about the significance of the events of our past and the hope for the future.

SNAP PAPARAZZI Condor & MSY Celebrate Pride in NOLA AT NEW ORLEANS PRIDE & MSY | PHOTOS COURTESY OF CONDOR & MSY

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COMMUNITY VOICE

Top Five Reasons You Should Join the NOAGE Walking Group Jim Meadows Executive Director, NOAGE info@noagenola.org Last September, New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE), in collaboration with Stonewall Sports New Orleans, launched a walking group. I’d been running with the Stonewall Prancers group each Monday, but I never could quite keep up with them. I got to thinking that a walking group for people who are new to fitness (or just trying to get back in shape) would be a great new program for NOAGE. This walking group is for ALL fitness levels, ALL ages, ALL genders, and ALL body types. 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. Someone will walk with you. If you are the fastest person there, we’ll see you at the finish line.

Since the launch last fall, we’ve met every Monday, and have built a core group of participants who show up each week. As with every NOAGE program I’ve been involved with, it’s given me the opportunity to meet and get to know some truly wonderful people. We meet on Mondays at 6:40pm in the parking area off the Magazine

Street entrance to Audubon Park (6500 Magazine St.). Kenn Mitchell, a member of the NOAGE Board of Directors, leads the group, and I’m usually there too. Every few weeks, the Stonewall Prancers join us. If you’ve never walked with us before, or if you haven’t been in a while, I hope to see you there very soon. Here’s why: 1) You Will Improve Your Physical Health According to Dr. Thomas Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the best thing you can do for your physical health is increase your physical activity. Frieden wrote, “Even if you don’t lose an ounce, you’ll live longer, feel healthier, and be less likely to get cancer, heart disease, stroke, and arthritis.

It’s the closest thing we have to a wonder drug.” In particular, walking can counteract the effects of genes that predispose you to being overweight, and it has been shown to reduce cravings for sugary snacks. It also reduces joint pain and boosts immune function.

2) You Will Improve Your Mental Health The National Institute of Health (NIH) recommends aerobic exercise to “improve mental health by

NOAGE Walking Group in Audubon Park

reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function.”

Just thirty minutes of regular brisk walking can help you achieve these long-term benefits. But there are more immediate benefits. A 2017 study published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise found that even one 30-minute session of moderate exercise can almost immediately improve body image, self-perception, and mood.

3) You Will Make New Friends Our walking group is a fantastic way to meet new people. A 1988 review of research literature found that “social isolation is on par with high blood pressure, obesity, lack of exercise or smoking as a risk factor for illness and early death.” This is especially true for LGBT older adults, whose social networks tend to shrink as they age. That’s why NOAGE has made it a priority to build community by providing opportunities for socialization, including coffee talks, movie nights, potlucks, and more.

Adults of all ages are welcome at our events, and our attendees range in age from college students to people in their 80s. You’d be hard pressed to find a more diverse group of amazing people. I consider NOAGE to be more than just an organization. It’s a family. And if you think that sounds corny, you’re right! But it’s true, and I hope that, in addition to joining the walking group, you will check out some of our other events. (For more information on all upcoming NOAGE events and services, visit www.noagenola.org/events.)

4) You Can Get Conditioned for More Vigorous Exercise Stonewall Sports New Orleans has a great variety of different sports leagues you can join: bowling, volleyball, dodgeball, kickball, and yoga. (They also started a trivia league earlier this year, and the next season will be coming up soon.)

And, as I mentioned above, the Stonewall Prancers running group joins our walking group every few weeks. If you’re not quite ready for more vigorous exercise, our group can give you a great jump start, and improve your

motivation to get into better physical condition. For more information about Stonewall Sports New Orleans, visit stonewallneworleans.leagueapps. com.

5) You Can Join Us at Other Walks & Races The New Orleans Pride Run and Walk is sponsored by the New Orleans Track Club. This year, it will be at Crescent Park on Saturday, August 31, and the NOAGE walking group will be participating. You can register for that now at www.runnotc.org. Be sure to join the NOAGE group when you register! Funds raised at this event will benefit PFLAG New Orleans. The 2019 Walk to End HIV (formerly known as the NO/AIDS Walk) will be on Sunday, September 29, and NOAGE will have a walking team for that event as well. (It’s still too early to register for that just yet, but the event website is at noaidswalk.com).

Be sure to consult with a physician before beginning any new fitness regimen, especially if you are not used to regular exercise.

If you’re still not yet sure you want to join the walking group, and would like to learn more about NOAGE first, check out our website at www.noagenola.org. Better yet, come to our next potluck on Tuesday, June 25, 6:308:30 at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church (1313 Esplanade). We meet in the Parish House (the building to the right of the church itself, at the corner of Esplanade Ave. and Marais St.). If you’re able, please bring a dish, but it’s not required. You can also bring nonperishable items for St. Anna’s food drive.

There is an accessible ramp on the Marais Street side of the building, but the parking is limited, so be sure to arrive early if you can.

These monthly potlucks are probably our most popular recurring event, and we always get a great crowd of people. If you don’t know whom to talk to, come sit at my table. But believe me, after the great meal we have, we’re gonna need to walk it off sooner than later!

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THE ROCKFORD FILES Like A Good Neighbor… Part 2 Ryan Rockford RyanRockfordNYC@gmail.com To re-cap, in the last issue of Ambush, I had decided to commit a random act of kindness I reached to give her a hand with one of the gigantic Bed Bath & Beyond bags she was clinging to and she said; “Oh, I got these. I need you to carry that.”

Here is the continuation and conclusion of Like a Good Neighbor…

Sitting on the curb, looking as if someone left it out for the trash was a large window unit air conditioner. No wonder this girl was so exasperated by the time I came along. There’s no telling how many people before me considered being a Good Samaritan, until they saw the size of this air conditioner and kept on truckin’. Looks like my gym workout came to me on this day.

In a true act of coincidence, I hadn’t noticed until that very minute that the building that Katie was moving into was the same building that I lived in fifteen years ago, with my then-boyfriend, C.J. I know this building very well.

It has no stoop or landing or clearly defined markings, except for the street address, haphazardly stuck to the door in self-adhesive, mismatched numbers.

The entrance is a bit unusual, and a bit precarious for passersby. The front door of the building opens right onto Ninth Avenue directly into pedestrian traffic. Over the years I’ve seen countless pedestrians smash themselves into this random, metal door that opens out of nowhere.

This residential brownstone is over a hundred years old and has become wedged in between commercially rented spaces. The structures surrounding the building have changed over the years but this brick and mortar pre-War relic hasn’t changed much at all. There was no elevator and I distinctly remember, from my own experience moving into this building, that the staircase was extremely steep and narrow. So narrow that carrying two bags of groceries was a tight squeeze. The thought of hauling this massive window unit up those stairs brought back my own moving day nightmares.

What if I just said, “Fuck it” and ran? Chances are I’d never see her again and if I did, so what? New York is a rough town, deal with it.

But that’s not who I am.

Like a steam engine barreling down the track, I knew that once I lifted this thing there would be no stopping.

“Which apartment?” I asked.

“2D”, she said.

“It’s the first apartment on the right at the top of the stairs,” she added.

I knew exactly where it was since it was the very same apartment I shared

with my first real boyfriend. I also knew that the apartment numbers in this building are misleading. The first flight of stairs is actually two flights of stairs, so apartment 2D, was really on the third floor. Fuckers!!

Walking through the door into 2D was like walking into a time capsule.

Little had changed since then. The same narrow kitchen, a bathroom that went from ‘cozy’ to ‘coffin’ once you added a few towels and amenities, and two cute itty-bitty “French doors” that looked so appealing in the apartment listing but underwhelmed in reality.

This A/C could fit into only one window, so I went directly to it and put down what felt, at that point, like a refrigerator.

Meanwhile Katie was on the phone arguing with her boyfriend. It was impossible not to overhear their conversation. Not wanting to interrupt, I took a few minutes to catch my breath.

Standing in the bedroom, looking out over Ninth Avenue brought back a flood of feelings and emotions I hadn’t expected. Probably because I’ve purposefully put this apartment and what happened there out of my mind. Until now.

Now this space is almost empty, except for a few piles of boxes and several assorted baskets of clothes hangers and everyday appliances, There was a time in my life, however, when it was filled with my worldly possessions, combined with those of a man I loved.

And for a moment, things were perfect.

Unfortunately, what I remember most about this apartment is my thirtieth birthday In an effort to make up for his lack of sentimentality over several years of missed anniversaries, holidays and forgotten birthdays, CJ and our high-rise neighbors had arranged a casual, intimate birthday dinner, to be held on the terrace of their penthouse apartment. A rather sweet and unexpected gesture on C.J.’s part, I looked forward to it.

I was standing then in the exact place I was standing now. It was summertime and our A/C was running full blast. I remember putting on my shirt and glancing out the window. Standing on Ninth Avenue was a growing crowd of people looking back at me. Some were waving their hands in the air,

some were just staring. It looked as if some were shouting but the roar of the A/C, combined with the steady stream of fire and ambulance sirens made it impossible to hear what they might be saying.

The crowd was getting really large now. Something was wrong. There was one, older woman, standing in the street and waving her hands. She seemed determined to get my attention, so I focused on her and read her lips. “FIRE!” In that instant, the New York City Fire Department kicked in our front door, with a resounding; “Fire Department! Evacuate the building now!” The FDNY systematically cleared the building in this manner until all occupants were safely removed.

There was no time to think or speak.

C.J. and I ran out of the building, half dressed, into the street and into the crowd that had been trying to warn us of a fire that had started in the apartment directly above ours.

Fire trucks rolled in from every direction, parting the sea of onlookers that continued to gather. Thick, black, toxic smoke was seeping out of the closed windows as a hook and ladder team hoisted a lone fireman into the smoke.

“What’s he doing?” someone asked.

“The fire needs oxygen. There is too much smoke.” someone replied.

Within arm’s reach of the building, the fireman speared the smoking windows, shattering glass onto the sidewalk below. The bystander was right.

Adding oxygen diminished the black smoke but also fueled the fire causing the entire fourth floor and roof to erupt and explode into a massive inferno.

There was nothing we could do, but watch as hundreds of thousands of

Fire trucks rolled in from every direction, parting the sea of onlookers that continued to gather.

Thick, black, toxic smoke was seeping out of the closed windows as a hook and ladder team hoisted a lone fireman into the smoke.

gallons of water poured onto the building, not only washing away the flames, but also washing away the fourth floor and every floor below it. Water had surged through our apartment, destroying everything in it. I feel like I know the true feeling of helplessness. Standing in the street, among total strangers, and watching everything you own and cherish be destroyed while there isn’t a thing you can do about it, is something no one should experience. And, no, we didn’t have insurance.

Lost in thought I hadn’t realized that Katie had finished her phone conversation and was now standing in the bedroom with me.

“Oh my God! Thank you so much,” she said. “I never could have gotten that up the stairway on my own. Let me give you some money.”

“No. It’s fine. Really,” I said. It felt good to help somebody out who needed it. I’d forgotten the spiritual benefit that performing random acts of kindness can bring. As an added karmic bonus I was able to take another look at a period of my life I’d been avoiding for so many years because it was just too uncomfortable to re-live. But standing in the restored space, and seeing the apartment the way it looked when C.J. and I moved into it, allowed me to remember a few of the moments spent there that were not so horrific. Some were romantic, many were sexual, and a few were perfect.

“Good luck with the internship.”

I said as I made my way to the front door.

“Thank you. And thanks again for helping me. Now I need to track down my parents and hope mom hasn’t driven herself ‘around the corner’ and out to Brooklyn,” she replied. “Got any tips or suggestions for me?’ she asked.

“Yes, since you asked. Get a new boyfriend. You deserve better. But more importantly, get insurance. Men come and go, but if you want to hold onto the things in your life that you really love, get insurance.”

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 19

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Baton Rouge Pride AT BATON ROUGE PRIDE | PHOTOS BY AMBUSH PUBLISHING

20 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with New Orleans Pride AT NEW ORLEANS PRIDE | PHOTOS BY AMBUSH PUBLISHING

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 21

COMMENTARY Guns and Toxic Masculinity Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com Readers outside New Orleans may not be aware that at the start of the recent New Orleans Pride Parade, a young man was arrested near the parade route for carrying a handgun and an assault rifle. The man’s intentions remain unclear but many on social media speculated he intended to shoot up the parade.

Others insist that is not the case, citing he had the guns with him when he checked in to participate in the Naked Bike Run, which preceded the Pride Parade. The man had been stopped before for carrying weapons in public places, which is legal in Louisiana except within 1,000 feet of a parade route, but was let go after citing his Second Amendment rights. For these reasons, some people have claimed he wasn’t a danger to parade spectators or participants, that he was just another run-ofthe-mill gun nut. Oh, okay.

Just a man and his gun. Even if (and that’s a big “IF”) he intended no harm, why in the hell would he want to consistently pack heat in public?

Answer: Toxic Masculinity—an extreme and irrational need to assert power stemming from insecurity and

a warped sense of “manhood” arising from the lingering aggressive instincts of our primitive, beastly origins. In other words, a failure to evolve. Think of a caveman grunting and lumbering about with a big wooden club in his hand.

Now put a wifebeater and a MAGA hat on him and replace the club with a AR15. Voila! The modern American gun enthusiast.

It’s impossible to determine how many guns, legal or otherwise, are on the streets of the French Quarter at any given time. The figure is probably high, given the fact that every couple of months, someone is shot in the sacred enclave. Most recently, a server at the Clover Grill was shot by her ex-boyfriend and, prior to that, an innocent bystander was killed when a man took a security guard’s gun at Willie’s Chicken Shack. In both cases, each victim was not the intended target. In the latter case, a good guy with a gun not only failed to prevent the tragedy, but his own weapon was the instrument of death. And he was trained to use a gun.

The epidemic of gun violence is not unique to New Orleans. By June

6, the 75th anniversary of D-Day, more Americans had died in 2019 of gun violence than had died on the beaches of Normandy (2,501). The statistics are shocking when broken down. According to BradyUnited.org: EVERY DAY Children Ages: 1 - 17 • 21 children and teens (1-17) are shot every day.

• 4 die from gun violence • 2 are murdered • 17 children and teens survive gun injuries • 8 are injured in an attack • 2 children and teens either die from suicide or survive a suicide attempt • 8 children and teens are shot due to instances of family fire - a shooting involving an improperly stored or misused gun found in the home resulting in injury or death All Ages • 310 people are shot every day.

• 100 people are shot and killed • 210 survive gun injuries • 95 are injured in an attack • 61 die from suicide • 10 survive a suicide attempt • 1 is killed unintentionally • 90 are shot unintentionally • 1 is killed by legal intervention • 4 are shot by legal intervention • 1 died but the intent was unknown • 12 are shot but the intent was unknown EVERY YEAR Children Ages: 1 - 17 • 7,782 children and teens 1-17 are shot every year.

• 1,488 children and teens die from gun violence • 772 are murdered • 6,294 children and teens survive gun injuries • 2,788 injured in an attack • 590 die from suicide • 166 survive a suicide attempt • 86 are killed unintentionally • 2,893 are shot unintentionally • 30 die but the intent was unknown • 380 are shot but the intent is unknown All Ages • 113,108 people are shot every year.

• 36,383 people die from gun violence • 12,830 are murdered • 76,725 people survive gun injuries • 34,566 are injured in an attack • 22,274 die from suicide • 3,554 survive a suicide attempt • 496 are killed by legal intervention • 1,376 are shot by legal intervention • 295 die but the intent was unknown • 4,471 are shot but the intent is unknown • 509 women are killed by their husband or male dating partner Americans kill each other with guns at 25x the rate of other high income countries. Gun violence is estimated to cost the American economy at least $229 billion annually. 90% of guns

used in crimes come from 5% of gun dealers. And 97% of Americans want expanded background checks and a ban on military style assault weapons, but Congress refuses to take action.

Why? Follow the money.

The NRA owns more than half of Congress. In the 2018 election cycle alone, the NRA gave over $600 billion to Congressional candidates. By comparison, gun control groups spent a mere $14,000. According to CNN, “Among the 535 current members of Congress in both the House and the Senate, 307 have received either direct campaign contributions from the NRA and its affiliates or benefited from independent NRA spending like advertising supporting their campaigns.

Along with the eight current lawmakers who were on the receiving end of at least $1 million over their careers, 39 saw $100,000 or more in NRA money flow their way, while 128 lawmakers saw $25,000 or more.”

The NRA is outspending its competition 40 to 1. Why would they do that? Because the NRA is the lobbying arm of the $30 billion a year gun industry. And the figure of $30 billion just includes manufacturing and retail sales; it does not include attendant industries such as security services, for example.

The NRA is so committed to protecting the gun industry that it has blocked legislation most of its own members support, namely a ban on military style assault weapons. The NRA has even passed legislation that forbids federally funded studies of gun violence. Read that last sentence again. The NRA has even passed legislation that forbids federally funded studies of gun violence.

The NRA and its gun cult members are quick to point to the Second Amendment, but that’s bullshit. The “right to bear arms” does not include your right to own a nuclear bomb, does it? No, the Second Amendment is a smokescreen to protect the gun industry’s profits. The sad thing is that most rank-and-file members of the NRA are clueless to the fact that they are being used and manipulated by an industry that doesn’t give a damn about their rights. Money talks, bullshit walks, people die, and cash registers ring. ‘murica!

The Second Amendment reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” The key to understanding the Second Amendment is in its first four words—”A well regulated Militia.” Many have made a convincing argument that the Second Amendment is no longer necessary because we have a standing army (and four other branches of the military and a National Guard in every state). It was for this reason that former Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger, a conservative appointed by Richard Nixon, de-

22 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

clared in 1991 the idea that there was an individual right to bear arms was “a fraud.”

But even if we grant that the Second Amendment is necessary or even valid, we still have to deal with that pesky phrase “well regulated.” REGULATED! The Constitution clearly favors gun regulation. The NRA does not.

Exploiting ignorant people is easy, especially so when the exploiter can appeal to the victim’s insecurity. Guns are the ultimate phallic symbol, which is why most men who drive big pick-up trucks also own guns. Cultural notions

of masculinity are socially constructed and the society which manufactured America’s definition of masculinity was very fucked up—white, male, homophobic, patriarchal, and racist; in other words, the epitome of arrogance and privilege. And the patriarchal capitalist forces that control the gun industry have done an excellent job of draping men’s insecurities in the flag by linking the Second Amendment to the misguided notion of American exceptionalism.

In some ways America is exceptional, but in just as many ways it is not.

Among the world’s nations, the United States is not ranked first in education, happiness, healthcare, literacy, environmental protection, socio-economic equality and a dozen other categories.

We are, however, ranked first in the world when it comes to incarceration rates and gun violence. Acknowledging that is not unpatriotic. It is realistic.

Reality. That’s what much of our society has lost contact with. Alternative facts, the moon is a part of Mars, Trump is a Christian, and covfefe.

People actually believe this shit. They even believe that any attempt at sensi-

ble gun regulation is an assault on their rights. The stupid is strong with these people. Their insecurity (a black President, threatened patriarchy, gay visibility, rape culture challenged, a changing world, tiny penises, you name it) abounds, which is why too many white men in this country have such a bizarre obsession with guns. If America is ever truly to be “great again,” it must first come back to reality. And that means ending our toxic relationship with guns.

INTERVIEWS FROM KEY WEST

Michael Tonello Is Bringing Home the Birkins and Respoke Espadrilles Kevin Assam kevin-assam@hotmail.com Michael Tonello is a former luxury leather liaison and Birkin aficionado.

He authored the delightfully wicked and bestselling memoir Bringing Home the Birkin. After years of amassing high end scarves, he now repurposes their silk designs into comfortable footwear through his recently launched brand, Respoke.com, based in Provincetown. Let’s see if his cat approves.

Do you recall your first homoerotic experience with a luxury brand growing up as a child?

Michael: Absolutely! It was mid1970s, an advertisement I think was in GQ, for the short sleeve Polo Ralph Lauren polo shirt.

What about that polo shirt stimulated you and did you immediately relay your feelings to your mother?

Michael: Duh! It had nothing to do with the shirt. It was all about the stud wearing it. I told my mother that I wanted a subscription to GQ for Christmas.

Does that mean that a stud holding a Birkin bag would provide enough stimuli to carry you to the moon?

Michael: Over the moon!

What’s the origin story of the Birkin bag and what do you think fell out of Jane Birkin’s bag that left Jean-Louis Dumas electrified?

Michael: Jean-Louis invited Jane to visit Hermès and create a bag that would work for her. The Birkin bag is actually based on a couple of bags that Hermès already had in its repertoire — reconfigured. As Parisians began seeing Jane trotting around Paris with her new bag a demand was created for the Jane Birkin bag. Jane agreed to Hermès’ request to allow the production and sale of the bag to the general public. A star was born. As for what fell out of Jane’s straw bag on the airplane we can only imagine. Perhaps the answer is hidden in her smash hit song, Je T’aime?

I’m considering throwing my college pursuits away in anticipa-

tion of moving in with my financially stable “daddy” and launching the world’s most in depth study of socialite night time behavior. What should my wardrobe comprise?

Michael: A great fitting pair of selvedge denim jeans, a white tee, and a pair of Respoke espadrilles, of course.

How much does one’s romantic life get shaken to its core when launching a luxury brand like Respoke? Is there salvation in using an attractive realtor to negotiate the commercial space lease?

Michael: My husband is hugely supportive of Respoke. My cat is another question. When I first moved to Barcelona I had a super model type real estate broker who took me to see apartments on the back of his Vespa.

Let’s just say I looked at numerous apartments. For Respoke the entire search and deal was done online. No Vespa.

Is it true that espadrilles are quickly outpacing “socks in the bed” as the hottest fetish? Is that why you launched Respoke?

Michael: Shocking as it may seem, socks are as out as RuPaul. Why do you think it is that American men love to visit Spain?!

How do you expect me to browse and inspect the designs of Respoke when both of my hands will be occupied holding on to my man as he struggles to resist the delicious otters and cubs of Bear Week?

Michael: Handcuffs and a leash?

A Make America Great Again hat walks into Respoke. What happens next?

Michael: Did you know that Donald Trump was just in and bought one of our Respoke linen bucket hats?

Donald Trump doesn’t have an exclusive on lying.

Provincetown is notoriously expensive and seasonal. The daddies have money. And the lesbians spend. So that’s good. But how did

Michael Tonello

you give yourself the final push to start a brick and mortar store?

Michael: You sort of answered your own question. To elaborate, last year Respoke had a retail partner in Provincetown, the Captain’s Daughters, and they did extremely well with Respoke. We thought long and hard about that and decided to open our own brick and mortar, and also move our ecommerce fulfillment to Provincetown. At the same time, we collaborated with the Captain’s Daughters to do fun ready-to-wear and espadrilles unique to their store for this upcoming season. Win win.

I’m tempted to beat time and just publish a book — any book — while youth is still on my side. Should I rush to have that crossed off my bucket list and let the reviews and sales be what they may?

Michael: No! A shitty book could ruin your career. Baby diarrhea splatter. That bad! You lose all credibility.

You lose the trust of the public. No publisher wants anything to do with you again. When’s the last time you heard anyone say “that book was such shit, can’t wait for the next one”?

My favorite stationery is on sale.

I’m considering writing lavender scented letters to various CEOs admonishing them for never being involved with the LGBTQ community outside of June. And by “involved” I mean slapping rainbows on shitty products. Should I save the paper?

Michael: Send the letters and coordinate it with a strong social media campaign. There’s major strength in numbers. There are certainly two strong sides to this argument.

Da’Shaun Harrison has written extensively on the subject for BET. I’ve never attended a Pride event. I’m gay, happy, out and proud. I do think however that many of these large corporations play both ends against the middle.

Are our mistakes what make our fate?

Michael: Indeed. www.Respoke.com 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.

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 23

A COMMUNITY WITHIN COMMUNITIES

“FUCK PRIDE” continuing the conversation.

The Very Rev. Bill Terry+ fr.bill@stannanola.org I saw Frank Perez the other day and said, “Frank, if you wanted to get people to take notice and read your piece “Fuck PRIDE” was the way to do it.”

It certainly got my attention. I’ve read his well-written column a couple of times now. As always, his prose is precise, on point, and well-written. He makes a strong point which interestingly coalesces with the idea of “A Community within Communities.”

The word “assimilation” seems to be a key word in his article. Let’s circle back, however, to the history that’s outlined in it. I don’t disagree with the major theme of the text . Also, I like Frank and consider him a friend and am very happy that he wrote this article. It asks some very important questions.

The historic record that Frank laid out was fascinating. I was unfamiliar with some of it, but the lament and history sounded oh-so-familiar to me. Yes, Stonewall has become a touchstone, like Rosa Parks or the Selma to Montgomery March, and has lost, perhaps, some of its rebellious nature.

In some ways, perhaps commercialization is an inevitable outcome of movements that seem to radicalize its constituency. Yet, within that process of “assimilation” there is still an edge.

The edge is found in the moment.

Two years ago, as the Pride Parade marched down Bourbon Street, some “Christian” haters started yelling their usual hate-inspired epithets. In response, a gaggle of clergy and supporters of “the movement” shouted them down with “Love wins.” No, that is not throwing hot coffee in a cop’s face, but the end result is the same, pushing back against errant authority and hate.

I was born in 1951 [keep your comments to yourself] so I’ve lived during much of what this discussion is about.

I stood outside of many of the radicalized movements and inside some of them as well, like the anti-war movement (until I joined the Navy; yea, I know, right). It seems to me that while radicalization and forcefulness serve a purpose in time and place, “assimilation” is a goal and not a bad word.

Assimilation means to join a larger context. In our case, perhaps assimilation might mean to understand that being same-gender parents, like my friends Doug and Erik, results in a social yawn instead of social resistance.

Perhaps assimilation might mean that corporate sponsors (yes, those evil capitalists) not only want rainbow dollars, but unintentionally make way for LGBTQ+ persons to move from the margins to the center. If “assimilation” means that drag queens can do story

Fatsy Cline (aka Zak Gillespie) a member of St. Anna’s Vestry; Bishop Morris Thompson, Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana; Allison Reid, Seminary Student from St. Anna’s, at PRIDE 2019

hour in a public library, then perhaps assimilation means a celebration of diversity within a larger context.

There is still an edge. Ask people like Fatsy Cline aka Zak who makes several posts that often start off with “This fag is proud and loud. I’m calling out the priest and Bishop! You better show up for PRIDE.” Oh, by the way, they did. “Assimilation” in some cases means that an institution that once was notorious for its homophobia is now fighting homophobia within a larger community that accepts all because, “Y’all means All.” It means that, yes, an apology was made It means that anyone seeking Holy Orders is invited to do so in an equal way. It does not mean that the struggle is over because there is still resistance. But at least some battles are won.

I am sure that Frank and I agree, “assimilation” aside, that whatever the societal goals of the Community are, the war is not won until it is won for everyone. Perhaps that means some sort of economic upheaval or at least reworking of current systems. Perhaps it does mean more militant steps to retain and secure individual freedoms and radical inclusion of all peoples free from governmental insanity. Perhaps it means to unify into a Congress of Mar-

ginalized Peoples which would represent diverse populations like brown, Asian, black, trans, queer, questioning, etc. Perhaps it is the economically marginalized and, yes, that includes all of the communities that need to shake things up. No, Frank, I don’t disagree with your article at all.

But, I thought that PRIDE was terrific. No, I do not think it was a sellout to corporate America or “the man.” I do think that this year is a pivot point on the gaydar. That a societal shift took place. That less hate and resistance is evident at least during our walk together.

Sometimes what was radical is a victim of its own success. Sometimes even institutionalized radicalism loses its mission in its successes not as envisioned, not totally, but essentially. That is not to say that we forget or obscure our history; that is why we have people like Frank to remind us of that history.

That is not to say that any of us in “the struggle” have reached “the promised land.” No, far from that, but we are also far from homophobia being normative and socially acceptable, far from racism being completely acceptable and just part of it all, far from misogyny being allowed to have free rein.

No, at least today, when these things are identified they are called out.

In the current political climate, like biblical prophets of old, we have an obligation to keep calling “it” out whenever we run into “it.” “It” is hate, fear, and injustice that is slowly losing ground.

“It” will push back and herald voices that remind us of old dictators, haters, and violence seekers and then WE will push back.

It is almost impossible to put back into the closet the voices that now stand against “it.” Ask Zak and Zach (another friend of mine) what they think of homophobes. Both are young men with bright futures. Both will push back with a fever that might make even Stormé DeLarverie, the butch lesbian from New Orleans whose scuffle with the police was the spark that ignited the Stonewall riots, at least crack a smile.

There is work to be done. There is work that has been done. Pride was a success by most measures. Perhaps not the Marxist Anarchist success envisioned by some, but far beyond the vision of so many that remember the days when electro-shock therapy was used to fix people.

The times they are a-changin’. Do you think that you would have seen this ten years ago? Never forget. Never give up.

24 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

MOMENTS IN GAY NEW ORLEANS HISTORY Acting Up in New Orleans Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com As the 50th anniversary of Stonewall approaches, my mind is not so much on the gay liberation movement of the 1970s, but rather on the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. How did the disease affect the movement? How might LGBT+ history have unfolded if there had been no epidemic? And what was happening in New Orleans at the time?

In some ways, AIDS had the inadvertent effect of humanizing the gay community. As more and more people became sick, straight people began to have epiphanies—”Oh, I didn’t realize my neighbor, co-worker, etc. was gay.”

In this regard, AIDS, to some degree, put a face—humanized—gay men.

For the truly closed-minded, however, it had the opposite effect. Religious leaders consistently preached that the dreaded disease was God’s judgment on a wicked lifestyle. In the minds of many, AIDS reinforced deeply entrenched, negative societal stereotypes about gay men, namely that they were promiscuous and sick and perverted and worthy of whatever punishment God or Nature might mete out.

By 1988, there was a local chapter of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in New Orleans. ACT UP had been founded in New York City in 1987 as a direct action group to raise awareness about the epidemic, and more specifically, the lack of adequate funding allocated by the government to fight the disease. New Orleans ACT UP met weekly at the NO/AIDS Task Force headquarters. In New Orleans, as elsewhere, there was much about which to act up.

New Orleans ACT UP staged a protest at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans in 1988.

Specifically, the group protested the fact that state funding for AZT, the only FDA-approved drug for the treatment of AIDS at the time, which was about to run out. Protesters formed what they called a “human billboard” at the entrance to the convention. Protesters held signs and panels from the

national AIDS Memorial Quilt and distributed leaflets indignantly questioning why the state and city should spend $800,000 hosting the Republican Convention and not spend a dime on AIDS. ACT UP New York sent a delegation to assist with the protest, but the outof-towners did not get along well with local ACT UP members. In a 1992 interview Doug Robertson remembered, “ACT UP New York came down for the Republican convention and destroyed us.” The tactics of the New York group turned off the locals and membership dropped dramatically.

The local chapter also called attention to discrimination within the criminal justice system against people living with AIDS. There was a 1991 class action lawsuit against Sherriff Charles Foti alleging maltreatment of inmates in the parish prison and in 1992, ACT UP held a press conference in front of the criminal courthouse to call attention to police brutality. Specifically, the press conference recounted the case of an incarcerated man who had been beaten by police during an arrest at his home on minor charges. In the course of the beating, the man, who was HIV positive, bled on one of the officer’s shirts. The man was charged with attempted murder and booked into Orleans Parish Prison, where he was denied medical treatment.

This homophobic attitude permeated the criminal justice system. The District Attorney’s office had a policy of charging persons arrested for prostitution with the crime of knowingly transmitting HIV. Attorney Mark Gonzalez, who was a member of ACT UP, testified to the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Lesbian and Gay Issues in 1989 about a client of his who was the victim this policy. Several police officers had barged into this man’s French Quarter apartment, without a warrant, and arrested him on drug possession charges, even though police found no drugs at the scene. During the arrest, the police noticed a bottle of AZT and told him as they were taking him to jail,

“not to worry about the charges—you’ll probably die of AIDS in jail.”

In 1990, ACT UP, which then consisted of only half a dozen members, managed to stage a protest at City Hall in which 500 people participated.

Several people were arrested, including City Councilman Johnny Jackson.

The group was protesting inadequate funding. ACT UP also waged letter writing and petition campaigns to be sent to Governor Buddy Roemer and Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary David Ramsey demanding $3 million worth of funding for Charity Hospital’s C-100 Outpatient Clinic. In addition to letters, the group also flooded the Governor’s Office with postcards depicting a coffin with the succinct message: “This is the alternative to C-100 full funding!”

Funding for research and treatment was not the only thing lacking. Ignorance of the disease and the lack of effective treatments created a real need for education and outreach in the early 1980s. Led by Ted Wisniewski, who while doing his residency at Charity Hospital saw the need first-hand, several medical professionals and others in New Orleans began meeting to dis-

cuss ways to address the crisis. Some of these people included Rue Morrison, Thomas Norman, Robert Kremitzki, Louise McFarland, Harlee Kutezen, Leonard Doty, Richard Devlin, Craig Henry, Henry Schmidt, Carole Pindaro, Jim Kellogg, Brobson Lutz, Jonathan Clemmer, and Father Bob Pawell. Out of these meetings, the NO/AIDS Task Force (now Crescent Care) was born in 1983.

Eventually, medical research led to the development of effective treatments that no longer rendered a positive diagnosis as a death sentence.

And gradually, as celebrities like Rock Hudson, Liberace, Greg Louganis, and Magic Johnson, were publicly identified as HIV positive, fear and ignorance regarding the disease began to subside. By 1995, New Orleans would have three living facilities for those living with HIV / AIDS--Project Lazarus, Trinity House, and Belle Reve.

Although a cure remains elusive, one wonders not only how HIV/AIDS changed the course of LGBT+ history, but also how different the history of HIV/AIDS would have been without ACT UP.

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 25

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Pauly Cajun AT THE NEW ORLEANS PRIDE PARADE

26 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with New Orleans Pride AT NEW ORLEANS PRIDE | PHOTOS BY AMBUSH PUBLISHING

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BARTENDER OF THE MONTH Kara Coley from Sipps in Gulfport, MS Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com I love traveling and meeting new people especially bartenders. They are always the nicest and coolest kids at the party. Recently I spent a long weekend in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and discovered my bartender for the month of June. I especially think this choice is fitting seeing that it’s Pride month and this person personifies that feeling of community. I am talking about none other than Kara Coley from Sipps.

Coley was born and raised in Gulfport and has worked at Sipps for just under four years. Previously, she worked 14 years as a bartender at the Just Us Lounge in Biloxi. Kara is funny, personable and an excellent ambassa-

dor for her community and city. She recently made headlines when a woman called the bar and explained to her that her child had just come out. She wanted advice on what to do. Kara’s compassionate and genuine answers made the news.

Kara is like that with her customers which makes her popular behind the bar. One of her specialties is the Kara Surprise Shot which is a fruity concoction (that changes each time) which is rum based. I tasted one and it was a passion fruit delight. Although this shot may be her forte, when she goes out, she is a Jameson Neat type of girl. Although she does confess that she enjoys Ciroc Cranberry with chilled water

MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT New Orleans Jazz Museum Located in the old U.S. Mint at 400 Esplanade Avenue where the French Quarter meets the Frenchmen Street corridor, the New Orleans Jazz Museum is one of five Louisiana State Mu-

seum properties in New Orleans. The Jazz Museum promotes a global understanding of jazz as one of the most innovative, historically pivotal art forms in world history.

as well.

I asked her what she liked about working at Sipps and her answer was great. “You never know what you are going to get at Sipps. For locals, it is a place of community and for tourists it is a safe haven to be themselves. I meet so many different walks of life here and all are welcome. People feel comfortable here, and the way our staff and patrons intermingle is amazing.”

Well, I think both Kara and Sipps are amazing. Just over an hour out of New Orleans, Sipps has an array of fun things happening every night. You can check them out at Sippsbar on Facebook. Sipps is located at 2218 25th Avenue in Gulfport.

Through dynamic interactive exhibits, multigenerational educational programming, research facilities and engaging musical performances, the New Orleans Jazz Museum explores the music New Orleans made famous in all its forms.

The New Orleans Jazz Museum’s collection is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the world. The Jazz Collection chronicles the music and careers of the men and women who created, enhanced and continue in the tradition of New Orleans jazz at the local, national and international levels. It consists of instruments, pictorial sheet music, photographs, records, tapes, manuscripts and other items ranging from Louis Armstrong’s first cornet to a 1917 disc of the first jazz recording ever made. It includes the world’s largest collection of instruments owned and played by important figures

Kara Coley of Sipps

in jazz-- trumpets, cornets, trombones, clarinets and saxophones played by jazz greats such as Bix Beiderbecke, Edward “Kid” Ory, George Lewis, Sidney Bechet and Dizzy Gillespie.

In addition to its permanent collection, the museum is currently featuring a temporary exhibition on Louis Prima—The Wildest: Louis Prima Comes Home. As a trumpeter, singer, songwriter, and performer, Prima’s swinging persona conquered New York, Las Vegas, Hollywood, and points in between. The exhibit features photographs, recordings, instruments, and stage wear. This exhibit will run through May 15, 2020.

The New Orleans Jazz Museum is open Tuesday—Sunday, 10:00am to 4:30pm. Admission is $8.00. Admission for Students, senior citizens, and active military is $6.00. There is no charge for children under six years old.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Year One: Chronicles of the One Book 1 Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com I love discovering new authors, especially best-selling ones I have never had the opportunity to read before. I still cannot get over the fact that I had never read anything by New York Times best-selling author Nora Roberts. Not necessarily a romance fiction fan, I tended to shy away from her stuff. But my mom (I know, right) said her new books are pretty fascinating.

So that’s been rectified now that I’ve read her fantasy/thriller/romance Year

One: Chronicles of the One Book 1.

This book is the first in her new trilogy.

Year One blends Roberts’ signature romance writing style wonderfully into this fantasy thriller about the end of the world. Who doesn’t like a good apocalyptic novel? The novel begins on New Year’s Eve. A virus comes on suddenly, and spreads quickly without mercy. Within weeks, chaos erupts with the law and government collapsing.

Magic begins to rise up through

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the horror. Some of it is good, like the witchcraft worked by main character Lana Bingham, practicing in the loft apartment she shares with her boyfriend, Max. Then there is some magic that is unimaginably evil and dark.

As word spreads that neither the immune nor the gifted are safe from

the authorities who patrol the ravaged streets, and with nothing left to count on but each other, Lana and Max make their way out of a wrecked New York City.

At the same time, other travelers are heading west too, into a new frontier. In a world of survivors where every

stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, no one knows exactly where they are heading.

I devoured this book finishing it up in a few days. Roberts weaves a wonderfully rich story with lots of twists and interesting characters. Ever since reading Stephen King’s The Stand,

I have always enjoyed this type of book. Roberts, however, has created a unique new universe inhabited by witches, elves and seers. This is the ultimate summer escapist read. I cannot wait to read her next book in the series.

For more information on Roberts, go to www.noraroberts.com.

AMBUSH AT THE MOVIES Men in Black: International Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com I love a good summer blockbuster movie and everything it entails, lots of car chases, great fights, edge-of-yourseat thrills and, yes, even the romance.

So I was very excited to see the newest installment of the Men In Black franchise, Men in Black: International.

And while this movie is great summer escapist fun, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessors.

In this outing, a young woman played by Tessa Thompson joins the team after she infiltrates their headquarters in New York. Plot hole number one, seriously, they are one of the most secret organizations and she just waltzes right in. But the movie has aliens so you need to suspend your disbelief.

Rejoining the cast is Emma Thompson who is reprising her role from the third film. E. Thompson sends T. Thompson, now called Agent M, to the London office where she is paired with Agent H played by Chris Hemsworth playing basically the same character we have seen him play many, many times before, the wisecracking, sexy,

fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants agent who is headstrong and stubborn and who also beds a bevy of female characters both human and alien. Soon the agents become embroiled in a series of alien attacks that send them traveling around the globe.

That’s this movie’s strongest suit.

I loved the beautiful locations which were filmed in New York, Italy, London and Morocco. Directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Art Marcum & Matt Holloway, I’m not saying that Men in Black: International, loosely based on Lowell Cunningham’s Malibu/Marvel comics of the same name, is a bad film, far from it; it’s just not that memorable. I so fondly remember the 1997 original starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Where that one excelled and what this one lacks is the chemistry between the two main characters.

They’re both great actors and play their roles very well, but it seems they were trying to create a romantic vibe which just wasn’t there.

The special effects for the fight and chase sequences are excellent

Em (Tessa Thompson) and H (Chris Hemsworth) in Columbia Pictures’ MEN IN BLACK INTERNATIONAL. (Photo by Giles Keyte © 2018 CTMG, Inc.)

as well as the array of alien life. Ultimately, though, I wanted more from the storyline which tended to drag. If you are a MIB fan or looking to escape

reality for two hours, this definitely fills the bill. If you are looking for a movie equal to the first, you may be slightly disappointed.

derstanding of identity and family.

The book is a collection of twelve essays and is part memoir, part cultural commentary. Each essay is self-contained and urges the reader to move on to the next one. The writing is accessible and truthful and gracefully treats pain and poignancy. The exploration into intersectionality is incredibly insightful. Mehra writes, “I was born brown in a city divided into black and white. Throughout my childhood, Memphis was a shockingly segregated place, a city full of shorthand codes about who belonged where. The rules were never explicitly stated, but I grew up with an internal map where boundaries were clearly delineated.”

In a sense, Brown White Black

is a highly personal meditation on the complexities of identity. It is a reflective study on how one negotiates the nuances of race, sexual orientation, social expectations, and the shifting roles of wife, mother, lover, self.

There is something in this highly provocative book to make everyone question their assumptions about, well, everything—socially constructed gender roles, notions of privilege (white, straight, male, etc.), attitudes toward immigrants, family dynamics, parenthood, religion, resentment, love.

Mehra has written a beautifully insightful book filled with truth and questions and introspection. Brown White Black is well worth the read.

BOOK REVIEW

Brown White Black Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com

Brown White Black: An American Family at the Intersection of Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Religion. Nishta J. Mehra.

Picador, 2019. 224 pages.

Brown White Black is a portrait of Nishta J. Mehra’s family: her wife, who is white; her adopted child, Shiv, who is black; and their experiences dealing with America’s rigid ideas of race, gender, and sexuality. Her clear-eyed and incisive writing on her family’s daily struggle to make space for themselves amid racial intolerance and stereotypes personalizes some of America’s most fraught issues.

Mehra, an English teacher with

over a decade of experience in middle and high school classrooms, writes candidly about her efforts to protect and shelter Shiv from racial slurs on the playground and from intrusive questions by strangers while educating her child on the realities and dangers of being black in America.

In other essays, she discusses growing up in the racially polarized city of Memphis where she was raised in a tight-knit network of Indian immigrants; coming out as queer; being an adoptive mother who is brown; and what it’s like to be constantly confronted by people’s confusion, concern, and expectations about her child and her family. Above all, Mehra argues passionately for a more nuanced and compassionate un-

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SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with New Orleans Pride PHOTOS BY DOUGLAS ADAMS

30 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Saturday, June 22

Salad Tossing: 101 The Crossing - 439 Duphine St. 6:00 PM “To toss the perfect salad you need the right tools, toys and techniques...”

Sunday, June 23

Leather and Lace The Society Page - 542 N Rampart 6:00 PM

Thursday, June 27

Will & Daryl Bartending The Crossing - 439 Dauphine 7:00 PM - 1:30 AM (donating tips)

Sunday, July 7

Wine...Just Add Fruit 2459 Burgundy Street 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM $25 donation (limited tickets)

Thursday, July 11

Southern Meets Decadence Soirée PalmMesa Mansion 7:00 PM $125 ( limited number of tickets)

Saturday, July 13

Johnny Passion’s 6th annual Snatch Game: All Star Edition The Always Lounge and Cabaret 2240 St Claude 10:15 PM $10 donation at the door

Sunday, July 14

2nd Annual BBQ Chicken Cook Off with Willie Mackie from the Page and Will The Crossing - 439 Dauphine 4:00 PM 439 $10 donation per plate

Friday, June 19

Drag Show Just Us Lounge in Biloxi

Saturday, July 20

Gay Appreciation Awards Oz New Orleans - 800 Bourbon Street 7:00 PM $10 at the door, $100 tables

Saturday, July 27

Nearly Naked Pool Party 2215 Joseph St 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM $25 entry donation link for tickets: SD2019.ticketleap.com/nearly-naked-pool-party/

Saturday, July 27

Boozy Basket Raffle The Balcony Bar - 3201 Magazine St 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Raffle tickets are $5 donation each

Friday, August 2

Decadence Gets Dirty The Phoenix - 941 Elysian Fields 9:00 PM

Sunday, August 4

Gay History Tour in the French Quarter with Frank Perez and Quinn Laroux 6:00 PM $75 donation (limited tickets)

Friday, August 16

Circus of Heathens: Down the Rabbit Hole hosted by New Orleans Louisiana Pups and Handlers The Always Lounge and Cabaret 2240 St Claude Ave 10:30 PM $10 donation

Saturday, August 17

Buy a Boy Auction:Dinners on Us Oz New Orleans - 800 Bourbon Street More info: persanashoulders.com

Friday, August 30

Former Grand Marshal Drag Show The Golden Lantern - 1239 Royal St 8:00 PM

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SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with New Orleans Pride PHOTOS BY DOUGLAS ADAMS

32 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with New Orleans Pride PHOTOS BY DOUGLAS ADAMS

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FINANCIAL & BUSINESS How to Be a Smart Home Buyer in A Seller’s Market Scot I. Billeaudeau, JD, LL.M. ADPA® s.billeaudeau@ampf.com Buying a home for the first time in some U.S. markets – including in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast – is becoming increasingly challenging. In competitive housing markets, the supply of available homes is tight, which means sellers often have the upper hand and home prices are rising above what is typically considered their fair value. If you are contending with a seller’s market, here are four tips to help avoid overpaying for your first home: Tip #1 – Do your homework. Before you are ready to become a homebuyer, study the market. Check out the neighborhoods you like and attend open houses. Get a feel for what’s currently available and price ranges for various types of homes. Pay attention to the cost your list of must haves – whether it’s a finished deck, a certain

type of hardware or hardwood floors throughout. Getting every item on your list may not be realistic for your price range, so be prepared to re-evaluate after seeing a few options.

Tip #2 – Set a budget and stick with it. It can be tempting to go over budget in a highly competitive market.

However, doing so can have ripple effects on your cash flow. Be realistic about the price range that works for you. Review your monthly budget and figure out what you can afford in terms of monthly payments (for principal, interest, property taxes and insurance) on the home. Know what you have available for a down payment and determine the price range of houses that fits your budget.

Tip #3 – Find a reputable realtor.

Look for a quality realtor who can help

you feel confident throughout the process. A good realtor should take the time to truly understand what you are looking for in a home, the neighborhoods you prefer and your price range.

He or she should also be familiar with the current state of the housing market where you want to live and suggest strategies to make your offer attractive.

Tip #4 – Find ways to appeal to sellers. To keep the price within your reach, consider ways to sweeten your offer. This could include agreeing to a faster closing period, offering to pay closing costs, or, if you are able, making a cash purchase (no mortgage process required). Even writing a letter to the sellers detailing why you want the home could make your offer stand out.

As you prepare to purchase a home, consult with your financial ad-

visor as well. He or she can help you plan the financial side of your home buying strategy so you can make a reasonable offer with confidence that doing so is aligned with your other financial goals.

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.

Want to see your business, organization, or event in our next issue?

Business Listings Starting at $45 per Month Event Listings Starting at $20 per Issue Print Advertisements Starting at $96 per Issue

Email Ambush

sales@ambushpublishing.com

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SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Trent Bender AT AMON-RA PROM AT GRANDPRE’S BAR

AT THE LORDS OF LEATHER DADDY CONTEST

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Educating Healthcare Providers in the Fight Against HIV Chenier Reynolds-Montz Director of Outreach & Development for Access Health Louisiana CReynolds@accesshealthla.org “When it comes to HIV rates nationwide, New Orleans and Baton Rouge typically rank in the top three,” says Graham Patterson, Manager of the AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) in New Orleans.

“Louisiana ranks in the top five of all states nationwide. This is something we would like to change.” The AETC’s mission is to educate healthcare providers in infectious disease medicine, particularly HIV, Hepatitis-C and sexually transmitted infections (STI’s).

Patterson says, “We do this through a combination of in-person and online training, as well as through clinical consultations and preceptorships.”

All the AETC’s services are offered on a cost-free basis. The AETC program is federally-funded and is comprised of eight regions across the United States.

New Orleans is part of the South-Central region which encompasses Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The local site is responsible for expanding HIV education for healthcare providers across Louisiana.

In 2018, the local AETC office joined forces with Access Health

Louisiana (AHL). Patterson says the move not only helped to further the AETC’s mission of education, but it has helped the agency become more adept at tracking the outcomes of its efforts.

AHL is the largest Federally Qualified Health Center system in Louisiana with 29 community health center and school-based health center locations in eleven parishes and growing.

“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,” says MarkAlain Déry, DO, MPH, FACOI. “My positions as Chief Innovation Officer with Access Health Louisiana and as Medical Director for the AETC 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.”

Over the past three years, the New Orleans AETC site has helped to educate more than 1,500 healthcare pro-

viders about HIV. Many of those physicians, nurse practitioners and mental health providers have attended more than one training.

Dr. Déry’s personal goal as a physician is to ensure that every person living with HIV in Louisiana has easy access to high-quality care which is delivered by caring healthcare professionals. He currently cares for more than 130 HIV patients locally. He works to help every patient get to an “undetectable” stage which means that the viral load is so low that blood tests cannot detect HIV. It also means that HIV can no longer be transmitted to one’s partner, effectively helping patients live longer. Dr. Déry says this is why the U=U movement is so critical.

“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.”

“HIV medications are now simple (often one pill a day), effective and relatively easy to prescribe and manage,” states Patterson. “We are at a point where we could see an HIV-free generation in our lifetimes! The challenges now are identifying everyone who is living with HIV through increased testing, and then getting them into care and keeping them there.”

Education to increase the number of healthcare providers who are testing and treating, along with efforts to decrease stigma around HIV are therefore at the forefront of the work being conducted through the AETC/Access Health Louisiana partnership. All AHL locations offer free, private HIV testing regardless of insurance or income, and walk-ins are always welcome.

The New Orleans AETC office is located inside the Contemporary Arts Center at 900 Camp Street. If you are a healthcare provider interested in getting more training on HIV or know someone who is, please visit www. aetc.online. There you can find information on upcoming training, as well as contact Access Health Louisiana AETC staff who can help you tailor training to your needs.

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

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Party Down Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com I hope everyone had an enjoyable Pride. It is hard to believe the year is halfway over. I mean seriously, where does the time go? I believe it is all the events and parties that fill our time that speeds up this process. Anyway, my two weeks leading up to Pride included theatrical fun, bar hopping (a lot of that), art openings, cuisine for a cause, festivals, pools, a parade and Stonewall. There is plenty to cover so let’s get started.

I jumped right into things the day after Memorial Day when I attended the opening of the musical Come From Away at the Saenger Theatre.

This show is the true story of the small town that welcomed the world when, in the aftermath of 9/11, 7,000 passengers found themselves stranded in Newfoundland.

I loved this show and I admit that on several occasions I found myself welling up. You see the story from the points of view of the passengers as well as the people who live on the island and how, for five days, they took care of each other.

The story brought everything bad about 9/11 back to life, but somehow still made you laugh. From the fear and anxiety of the passengers to the compassion of the islanders, Come From Away showed that hope and kindness will always endure in the face of evil. If you have a chance to see this show, definitely put it on your list.

On Thursday, I did something out of character for me--bar-hopping on a school night. I started by having a few cocktails at Oz and watched the season finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Seriously, I cannot believe people are still watching this after Season Six. Just kidding, that was the only season I actually watched. I never got invested with the show, but that night the bar was crowded with lots of people cheering on their favorite constant.

Then I went to The Crossing to see Countess C Alice and William Antil, Southern Decadence Grand Marshals, work as celebrity bartenders, although William was just working since that is his home bar. There was food and cocktail specials as well as many supporters. After hanging there for a few hours and seeing so many friends, a few of us went down to the Corner Pocket for a nightcap and to hang out.

The boys dancing on the bar are just as lively midweek as they are on the weekend.

I worked most of the weekend, but managed to stop by the opening of a new exhibition at Oleander, an art gallery on Royal Street, which had some new amazing (and affordable) works by

Joel Ganucheau, Kristen Albright, Kat Dilonno, Chad Robin, Austyn Sullivan and Linka Odom. If you are looking for some pieces to add to your collection, I would check this place out.

On Sunday, I went to see How To Kill A Diva at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Westwego. And, yes, there is culture on the Westbank, in fact, the world premier of this hysterical romp. With music and lyrics by Glyn Bailey, and a book by Wesley Payne, Bailey and Ricki Holmes, the play tells the story of an insufferable soprano nearing the end of her career as she battles a young rival, an old lover and the homicidal chorus of a financially failing opera house, ultimately confronting the ghosts of her past. The cast was excellent, the songs were creative and catchy and the show, in general, is just a good time.

I began my Pride week celebrations with NOAGE‘s movie night. The New Orleans Advocates of GLBT Elders showed Before Stonewall at Chalmette Movies. This organization does free movie screenings throughout the year for their supporters that are always LGBT in nature. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, Before Stonewall, a 1984 American documentary film, was a perfect choice.

Narrated by author Rita Mae Brown, directed by Greta Schiller, co-directed by Robert Rosenberg, it premiered at the 1984 Toronto Festival of Festivals and was released in the U.S. on June 27, 1985.

This was an impressive film that detailed the hidden lives of most LGBT people. The downright disgusting treatment of our community was at times unbearable and gave me a deeper appreciation of what the people before us went through. Never take anything for granted because so many people fought long and hard for you to be who you are today. And, you need to continue to take up the baton, because if you do not think that rights can be taken away, you are, unfortunately, sadly mistaken. We are seeing it today in the current political atmosphere. This powerful movie should be watched by everyone in the LGBT community!

The following evening was one of my progressive evenings beginning with the opening of a 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 was amazing and I urge people to see this monumental show. The costumes, sketches and history gathered by Wayne Phillips and his team at the Louisiana

38 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

State Museum is incredible. The histoset. If you have not gone to MCM and ry of the krewes both past and present checked out their luxury backpacks brings this flamboyant art form to life. and bags, check them out; they are The reception also served as the kickpretty flawless. off party for New My final stop Orleans Pride of the night was 2019. There were One Friday, I went to the dinner at Jack Absolute cocktails Dempsey’s in the for sampling and Pride Happy Hour at Bren- Bywater.

They delicious noshes. were participatnan’s Restaurant. This Next I went to ing in Dining Out event was not on my ra- For Life benefitthe MCM grand opening party at dar and was quite the fun ing the NO/AIDS their new store Task Force/Creslocation in Ca- surprise. They had cham- cent Care. I love nal Place. They pagne specials, my favor- their food and joined with the there were lots of ite cocktail. amazing non-proffriends on hand it Son of A Saint that night in supheaded up by port of the cause.

Sonny Lee for the event. There were It was a perfect end to a busy evening passed appetizers, Sazeracs and and it was only Thursday.

French 75’s flowing. 20% of all the One Friday, I went to the Pride evening’s sales was donated to Son Happy Hour at Brennan’s Restauof A Saint. Each year, this worthwhile rant. This event was not on my radar organization selects a group of boys and was quite the fun surprise. They ages 10-13 who are fatherless due to had champagne specials, my favortheir father’s death or incarceration ite cocktail. The world is a much hapand they join the existing kids in the pier place whenever you are drinking program. Each boy remains an official champagne. Present and looking fabSon of a Saint mentee until he is 18. ulous were fashion designer & Project Their goal is to graduate self-sufficient, Runway star Mondo Guerra as well independent thinkers who are leaders as local drag queens including Coca and give back to their community. Boys Mesa, Laveau Contraire and Debbie must maintain a minimum 2.7 GPA, With a D. Laveau and Mondo even got complete eight hours of community the chance to saber the champagne. service each month and maintain good That’s when you pop the cork off the conduct at home, school and within champagne bottle with a sword, a very the Son of a Saint organization. It is awesome stunt. Poppy Tooker was great to see new businesses coming to also on hand talking up her new book the city and giving back right at the onDrag Queen Brunch. Champagne,

drag queens and fashion, a gay man’s dream start to the weekend.

I was up early on Saturday morning because I was one of the esteemed judges of the Bloody Mary Contest at the Creole Tomato Festival. I was able to delight in seven of those delectable cocktails before noon--talk about starting your morning right. Stingray’s Restaurant won Best Garnish for their Crabby Mary, a house-made cocktail topped with a fried soft shell crab.

Winning for Most Creative was Lady Rollers Social and Pleasure Club present Miss Linda Green for the Yakamary, with tomato juice and Miss Linda’s seasoning, garnished with pickles, peppers, seasoning bean, and a hard-boiled egg. All the entries were delicious especially my fourth choice a Bourbon Bloody Mary. As always, the Creole Tomato Festival was one of the best ways to spend my Saturday morning.

Next, I went to The Phoenix/Robert’s on Elysian Fields for the PrideFest Block Party. What a great set-up.

There was music, food, lots of booths with information as well as great items for purchase. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence got wet for a good cause and had a dunking booth which is a great way to raise money. I think I will offer my services next year; they would make a fortune on people who want to take a chance of pushing me underwater.

Lots of musical and drag performances culminated with Big Freedia as the day’s finale. It wasn’t soon after the festival that I grabbed my throws

and hopped on the Ambush float for the Pride Parade. I love that it started in the evening with lighted floats.

I was also overjoyed to see so many people along the route as well as participating in the parade showing their pride. I also love the fact that our city has become a destination for visitors who want to celebrate Pride in New Orleans. Congratulations should go out to the organizers of Pride this year for putting on this noteworthy event.

I ended Pride weekend with two relaxing pool events. The first was the Lords of Leather Luau and Pool Party at a private home on France Street in the Bywater. This event was like a tropical paradise with exquisite men all in various states of undress, flowing cocktails, a live auction, barbecue, and a $1K raffle. The Lords did it right creating an enjoyable and safe place for men (and women) to have fun, meet and play.

The next pool I splashed in was at former Southern Decadence Grand Marshal Adikus Sulpizi’s home. He invited a few friends over for a tranquil end to the pride weekend also with a barbecue and cocktails. Good friends coming together to enjoy each other’s company, I cannot think of a more ideal way to close out the weekend of celebrating our independence. Until next issue, stay proud and keep the party going!

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

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with NOPD AT THE NEW ORLEANS PRIDE PARADE | PHOTOS COURTESY OF NOPD

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UNDER THE GAYDAR

New Orleans Hot Happenings

Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com

Pride was a huge success in the city, but the summer fun is not over.

There are lots of events to keep you occupied in these dog days of summer.

Here is just a sample of some exciting happenings. (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 days a week from open until 9pm (7AM to 9PM). It’s $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.; 7 days a week from 8 a.m - 8 p.m.

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

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

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; 6:15 p.m.

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

Meet for the walk/run at Audubon Park by the Magazine Street entrance parking lot. The Stonewall Run Club joins every 3 weeks. This group is for ALL fitness levels, and you can go at your own pace. Whether that’s running, jogging, leisurely walking, or using a wheelchair or walker, this group is for you. If you are worried that you’ll be left behind, don’t worry; someone will walk with you. If you are the fastest person there, we’ll see you at the finish line.

If you need assistance or have questions, call Jim at (504) 228-6778.

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

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

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

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 $5.

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

40 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Tony Leggio AT A SOUTHERN DECADENCE FUNDRAISER AT THE CROSSING

AT THE PRESBYTERE’S NEW EXHIBIT ON LGBT CARNIVAL

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 41

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 There’s no cover for this grown-up game show where everyone’s a winner! Just buy a drink from the bar & Tsarina Hellfire will give you a Bingo card. Each round winner gets a bucket of prizes including exclusive prints & a grand finale prize from Abita Brewing Company! Just for showing up you get to enjoy the free burlesque side of this unique game.

Between every round, Lefty Lucy performs an improvised striptease to a song the crowd selects, removing only one item per round—don’t miss your chance to win the finale prize, and to see the tassels twirl!

Trivia: Cutter’s; 706 Franklin 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.

Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras: Buffa’s Bar and Restaurant; 1001 Esplanade Ave.; 8 p.m. Tacos, Tequila, and Tiaras is one of New Orleans’ only family friendly drag shows! Join hostess Vanessa Carr Kennedy every Tuesday, have a taco or two, and learn a little bit about the art of drag.

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

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 & Givea-ways with Happy Hour All Day. Oz Show Night: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 10:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; ChiChi Rodriquez and Dominique DeLorean.

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.

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

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 PM $1.50, 6 PM - 7 PM $2.00, 7 PM - 8 PM $2.50, 8 PM - 9 PM $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: 7:00pm; Show: 8:00pm; 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.

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

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

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

- 2 a.m. Executive Chef Marlon Alexander and sushi & vegan Chef Kelseay Dukae serve 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 LGBTIQ+ people, and all folks interested in holding and sharing an intentionally queer-centering mindful space. Join for a sit, breathe, notice, rest; to cultivate presence and kindness together. Free/by donation.

Burlesque Brunch: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin Ave.; Join the incomparable Angie Z and friends for a boozy, burlesque brunch every Saturday from 11-3pm. 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

42 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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

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

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

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 43

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 talented piano player Trey Ming.

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 and goes till 8 pm 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.

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

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

- 2 a.m. Executive Chef Marlon Alexander and sushi & vegan Chef Kelseay Dukae serve delicious drink specials and amazing food during late night happy hours. Come chill out in the iconic courtyard.

SUNDAY

Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin St.; 11 a.m. Vanessa Carr presents Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch featuring Chef Marlon Alexander’s amazing menu and the phenomenal talents of Vanessa Carr Kennedy and Friends! For tickets, go to www.crunola.com 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.

Divas at the Dive: Kajun’s Pub;

2256 St. Claude Ave; 5 p.m. Vanessa Carr LIve. 6:30 p.m. Drag Karaoke. 8 p.m. Audience Karaoke Drink and Drown: 700 Club; 700 Burgundy 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 – 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 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.

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

SPECIAL EVENTS WEDNESDAY 6/19

LGBT+ History of New Orleans: Alvar Library; 913 Alvar St.; 6 - 8 p.m.

Learn about the rich history of LGBT+ community in New Orleans with local author and LGBT+ Archives Project President, Frank Perez.

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 Va-

44 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 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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nessa 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.; starts at 6 p.m. “To toss the perfect salad you need the right tools, toys and techniques…”.

Come join the Southern Decadence Grand Marshals XLV for a night of fun. Leave the troubles of the day behind you and venture into the world of Jell-O Shots, Raffles, great friends and a grown-up Toy Party. This is sure to be an interesting night filled with presentations, giggles, libations and some decadent innuendos! The Crossings Bar has graciously provided the space for this fun event. All are welcome as there will be all types of fun and interesting things to see and buy. Portions from the sale will be donated to Southern Decadence.

2nd Annual Evening of Blue Roses Fundraiser: NOLA Craft Culture; 127 S. Solomon St.; 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Join Tennessee Williams Theatre Company

Friends & Family for an evening under the stars as it honors Tennessee Williams Editor and Scholar, Thomas Keith. This annual TWTC fundraiser includes: a delicious chef-prepared picnic dinner, signature TWTC drinks, interactive entertainment from some of your favorite Tennessee Williams characters, a silent auction, and mix & mingle with stars from TWTC productions, co-Artistic Directors Nick & Augustin & the TWTC Board of Directors! There will also be special Blue Rose Awards given to artists for their contributions to the New Orleans cultural landscape plus you’ll get a sneak peek visit with stars of the upcoming TWTC production of The Glass Menagerie. Tickets are at: www.twtheatrenola.com

SUNDAY 6/23

FestiGals Drag Queen Brunch: The Jung Hotel; 1500 Canal St.; 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sunday won’t exactly be a “drag” with the FestiGals and Reba Douglas produced Drag Queen Brunch at the Jung Hotel. Bottomless bloodies, delicious cuisine, eye-popping performances at this fabulous brunch where every woman is a Queen! For tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com.

History talk; St. George’s Episcopal Church; 4600 St. Charles Ave.; 12 p.m. The Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Legacy of Bill Larson. A spiritual exploration of the 1973 Up Stairs Lounge tragedy through the life and legacy

of MCC pastor Bill Larson. We’ll also explore Larson’s close friendship with former St. George’s pastor Father Bill Richardson.

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.

MONDAY 6/24

Drag Queen Bingo: Mimi’s in the Marigny; 2601 Royal St.; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Vanessa Carr Presents Drag Queen Bingo at Mimi’s in the Marigny.

Join them for some fun and excitement with bingo and prizes and, to top it all off, some outrageous Drag!

Disco Ball Variety review: The Drifter Hotel; 3522 Tulane Ave.; 8 - 10 p.m. A very open-minded mic night. All are welcome to express themselves

in front of other awesome humans.

At the end of the evening, Sunshine Edae and guest judges will choose the most captivating, eccentric, and compelling performer who will win a swim club membership. $5 entry, but FREE for performers! Be sure to email eventsandsales@thedrifterhotel.com to sign up in advance if you plan on performing. 21+

TUESDAY 6/25

NOAGE Potluck Dinner; St. Anna’s Episcopal Church; 1313 Esplanade Ave.; 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Come to eat, network, and make new friends! If you are able, please bring a dish (main dishes, meats, sides, soups, salads or vegan/vegetarian dishes, desserts, and beverages). Please also consider bringing non-perishable food items for St. Anna’s Food Pantry. Adults of all ages welcome! The potluck is in the back of the Parish House (the building to the right of the church itself, located at the corner of Esplanade Ave. and Marais St.) Please call Jim at (504)228-6778 if you have any trouble.

WEDNESDAY 6/26

Book event; New Orleans Public Library, Main Branch; 219 Loyola Ave.; 6 p.m. Tinderbox--An Evening with Robert W. Fieseler and Skylar Fein who will discuss the commemoration of the 46th anniversary of the Upstairs Lounge Fire and the 50th an-

46 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 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 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 47

niversary of the Stonewall Riots.

THURSDAY 6/27

Strange Bedfellows Make Politics - New Orleans LGBT Political History: Cafe Istanbul; 2372 St. Claude Ave.; 6 - 8:30 p.m. To RSVP, email neworleanscoalition1967@gmail.com. In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, Roberts Batson will perform a one-man multimedia show focusing on LGBTQ activism in New Orleans.

FRIDAY 6/28

LGBT Film Festival: LGBT Community Center of New Orleans; 2727 S. Broad St.; 6:30 - 10:30 p.m. Louisi-

ana LGBT Film Festival which will look through the lens of LGBTQIA filmmakers, musicians and writers. For tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com.

SATURDAY 6/29

A-List Tea Dance: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 3 - 6 p.m. Gay Mardi Gras Celebration of Stonewall 50. Tea dance, piano bar, drink specials.

Johnny Passion’s Risque: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 10:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m. $5 cover. Starring Johnny Passion, Monique Michaels-Alexander, Pussy Hertz and Ava Gina with guest stars Theresa Addams, Willow Faith and

Ginger LongBottom.

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.

WEDNESDAY 7/3

Crescent City Leathermen Monthly Board Meeting: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields; 7:30 - 9 p.m. This meeting is open to the public.

FRIDAY 7/5

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.

MAKE Up Presents Road Trip: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 9:30 - 11 p.m. MAKE UP is the world’s first and only improv show starring an entire cast of drag performers. Every moment of this road trip, from the games to the drag numbers, is drunk-driven by their audience.

There will be laughs, joy, and gas station snacks.

Strip Roulette: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 11 p.. - 1 a.m. Strip Roulette consists of 2 teams of burlesque performers who will have to strip for the lives of their g-strings! They will have to improv a burlesque act to music that they have not picked out and will be carefully curated by DJ Ajent O to be as awkward and hilarious as possible! And they will be given an uncomfortably obscure prop that they will have to incorporate into their striptease. Fun, games, prizes, stripping and more! Doors at 10pm.

Show at 11pm. $15 cover per person.

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

48 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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. www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 49

LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory NEW ORLEANS

ACCOMMODATIONS

The Burgundy Bed and Breakfast, 2513 Burgundy St, (504) 261-9477, theburgundy.com Aaron Ingram Haus, 1012 Elysian Fields Ave, (504) 949-3110, ingramhaus.com Blues60 Guest House, 1008 Elysian Fields Ave, (504) 324-4311, blues60guesthouse.com The BEARigny Suites, 2226 N Rampart St, (504) 309-0062, thebearignysuite.com

BARS & CLUBS

Four Seasons & Patio Stage Bar, 3229 N. Causeway Blvd, (504) 8320659

Friendly Bar, 2301 Chartres St, (504) 943-8929

700 Club, 700 Burgundy St, (504) 5611095, 700nola.com

FiFi Mahony’s, 934 Royal St, (504) 525-4343, fifimahonys.com

Golden Lantern, 1239 Royal St, (504) 529-2860

Black Penny, 700 N Rampart St, (504) 304-4779, facebook.com/ blackpennynola

Head Quarters Hair Salon, 906 Bourbon St, (504) 522-2666

GrandPre’s, 834 N Rampart St, (504) 267-3615 Kajun’s Pub, 2256 St Claude Ave, (504) 947-3735 Mags 940, 940 Elysian Fields Ave, (504) 948-1888 Oz New Orleans, 800 Bourbon St, (504) 593-9491, ozneworleans.com Phoenix Bar, 941 Elysian Fields Ave, (504) 945-9264, phoenixbarnola.com Rawhide 2010, 740 Burgundy St, (504) 525-8106, rawhide2010.com

Bourbon Pub/Parade, 801 Bourbon St, (504) 529-2107, bourbonpub.com

The Page Bar, 542 N Rampart St, (504) 875-4976

Café Lafitte in Exile, 901 Bourbon St, (504) 522-8397, www.lafittes.com

VooDoo Lounge, 718 N Rampart St, (504) 265-0953

Corner Pocket, 940 St Louis St, (504) 568-9829, www.cornerpocket.net

The Country Club, 634 Louisa St, (504) 945-0742, thecountryclubneworleans. com

Cutter’s Bar, 706 Franklin Ave, (504) 948-4200 Crossing NOLA, 439 Dauphine St,

HAIR SALONS

Bourbon St, (504) 593-9761

(504) 523-4517

Phillips Bar, 733 phillipsbar.com Lafitte’s

Blacksmith

Cherokee

St,

Shop,

941

Big Daddy’s, 2513 Royal street, (504) 948-6288 Big Easy Daiquiris, Several locations throughout the French Quarter Good Friends Bar, 740 Dauphine Street, (504) 566-7191, goodfriendsbar.com Napoleon’s Itch, 734 Bourbon St, (504) 237-4144

Micky Nolan Salon, 717 Toulouse St, (504) 587-7782, mickeynolansalon. com Two Guys Cutting Hair, 2372 St Claude Ave #125, 215.519.5030, (504) 239-2397

HARDWARE

Mary’s Ace Hardware, 732 N Rampart St, (504) 529-4465, acehardware.com

HEALTHCARE

Tropical Isle, 721 Bourbon St, (504) 529-4109, tropicalisle.com

Odyssey House, 1125 North Tonti Street, ohlinc.org

Allways Lounge and Cabaret, 2240 St. Claude Ave

Access Health Louisiana, 3300 South Broad Street, 234 Loyola Ave. Ste 300B, accesshealthla.org

BOOKSTORES

Faubourg Marigny Art and Books, 600 Frenchmen St

CIRCUIT / EVENT

Gay Easter Parade, Easter Sunday, gayeasterparade.com Gay Mardi Gras, gaymardigras.com New Orleans Pride, June 7-9, 2019, NewOrleansPrideFestival.com Southern Decadence, Labor Day Weekend, SouthernDecadence.com Halloween New Orleans, October 25-27, 2019, HalloweenNewOrleans. com Gay Appreciation ambushpublishing.com

Awards,

UMC - HIV Outpatient Program, 2000 Canal Street, 4th Floor, 4C Clinic, (504) 702-4344, umcno.org/ infectiousdisease CrescentCare, 1631 Elysian FIelds Ave, (504) 821-2601, crescentcare. org

MUSEUMS

Mardi Gras Museum, 813 Bienville St, (504) 523-5433

ORGANIZATIONS

Louisiana Trans Advocates, (877) 565-8860, latransadvocates.org NOLA Softball League, nolasoftball. org

GALLERIES

Crescent City rougarouxrugby.org

GROCERIES

Krewe of Petronius, PO Box 1102, kreweofpetronius.net

Casell Bergen Gallery, 1305 Decatur St, (504) 478-6744, casellbergengallery.com Matassa’s Market, 1001 Dauphine St, (504) 412-8700, https://www. matassas.com Quartermaster Deli, 1100 Bourbon St, www.quartermasterdeli.net Robert’s Fresh Market, 2222 St. Claude Ave, (504) 207-0162, robertfreshmarket.com

GUIDES

Official Gay Easter Parade Guide, gayeasterparade.com Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide, gaymardigras.com Official Gay New Orleans Guide, gayneworleans.com Official Pride Guide, neworleanspridefestival.com Official Southern Decadence Guide, southerndecadence.com

Rougaroux,

Stonewall Sports, facebook.com/ groups/stonewallneworleans

Krewe of Amon- Ra, PO Box 7033, kreweofamonra.com Krewe of Armenius, 433 N. Broad St, armenius.org Krewe of Mwindo, PO Box 51031, (504) 913-5791 Krewe of Stars, 1010 Conti St, kreweofstars.com Krewe of Narcissus, PO Box 3832, (504) 228-9441 Mystic Krewe of Lords of Leater, 1000 Bourbon Street #B415, lordsofleather.org Renegade Bears of Louisiana, PO Box 3083, renegadebearsoflouisiana@ gmail.com CrescentCity Leathermen, 941 Elysian Fields Ave, crescentcityleatherment.org

50 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory NOAGE, noagenola.org

Blvd, 985.652-1195

eatnola.com

The Krewe of King kreweofkingarthur.com

Arthur,

LGBT Community Center, 2727 S Broad Ave, (504) 333-5412 Gulf South Chamber of Commerce, (504) 754-5279, gulfsouthchamber. com Friday Night Before Mardi Gras, fridaynightbeforemardigras.com Krewe of Queenateenas/ King Cake Queen Royalty Club, gaymardigras. com P-Flag New Orleans, (504) 617-5987, alberto.oliver@cox.com Mystic Krewe of Apollo de New Orleans, mkaneworleans.com

PHARMACY

Mumfrey’s Pharmacy, 1021 W. Judge Perez Dr., (504) 279-6312, mumfreyspharmacy.com Avita Pharmacy, 2601 Tulane Ave Ste 445, (504) 822-8013

PHOTOGRAPHY

G Douglas Photography, LLC, Wedding and Portriat Photography, By Appointment Only, gdouglasadamsphotography.com Craig Fremin Photography, By Appointment Only, craigfremin.com Graham/ Studio One, By Appointment Only, grahamstudioone.com Parker Studios, By Appointment Only, halle.parker15@outlook.com

REAL ESTATE

Steve Richards Properties Latter & Blum, 712 Orleans Ave, (504) 2581800 Michael Styles Realtor,Engel & Volkers, (504) 777-1773, nolastyles. com, Michael specializes in helping first-time homebuyers and real estate investors find the perfect New Orleans properties.

RELIGION

St. Anna’s Espicopal Church, 1313 Esplanade Ave, (504) 947-2121, stannanola.org Metropolitan Community Church New Orleans, 5401 S Claiborne Ave, mccneworleans.com

RESTAURANTS

Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop , 2309 N. Causeway Blvd, (504) 835-2022, gumbostop.com Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St, (504) 598-1010, www.clovergrill.com Dat Dog on Frenchmen, 601 Frenchmen St, (504) 309-3362, datdog.com EAT, 900 Dumaine St, (504) 522-7222,

Envie Espresso Bar & Cafe, 1241 Decatur St, (504) 524-3689, cafeenvie.com Cru, 535 Franklin Ave, (504) 446-0040, crunola.com Gene’s Po-Boys, 1040 Elysian Fields Ave, (504) 943-3861, genespoboys. com ILYS BISTRO LLC, 2128 St Claude Ave, (504) 947-8341 Lousiana Pizza Kitchen, 615 S. Carrollton Ave, (504) 237-0050, louisianapizzakitchenuptown.com Mona Lisa, 1212 Royal St, (504) 5226746, monalisaneworleans.com,

2519, jrsbarandgrill.com

Washing Well Laundryteria, 841 Bourbon St, (504) 523-9955

Eagle Houston, 611 Hyde Park Blvd, (713) 523-2473, houstoneagle.com

Bear Hebert Yoga and Life Coach, bearteachesyoga.com

Guava Lamp, 570 Waugh Drive, (713) 524-3359, guavalamphouston.com

NOLA Healer: Lawrence Gobble, nolahealer.com , Massage Therapy

Pearl Houston, 4216 Washington Ave281.757-3229, facebook.com/ pearlbarhouston/

A&B Errand Services, (504) 3197227, aandberrandservices.com Flambeaux CrossFit, 505 N Causeway Blvd, Metairie, flambeauxcrossfit.com

THEATERS

Cafe Istanbul, 2372 St. Claude Ave #140, (504) 974-0786, cafeistanbulnola.com

Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon, 11410 Hempstead Rd, (713) 6770828, neonbootsclub.com Ripcord, 715 Fairview St, (713) 5212792, theripcord.com The Ranch Hill Saloon, 24704 Interstate 45 Ste 103, (281) 298-9035, ranchhill.com

NOLA Poboys, 908 Bourbon, (504) 655-3312, nolapoboys.com

Southern Rep Theater, 2541 Bayou Road, (504) 522-6545, southernrep. com

Santa Fe Restaurant, 3201 Esplanade, (504) 948-0077, santafenola.com

TOURS

Poison Girl Cocktail Lounge, 1641 Westheimer Rd. Ste B, (713) 5279929, poisongirlbar.com

HOUSTON

Houston Pride, June 22, pridehouston. org

The Ruby Slipper Café, 2001 Burgundy St, (504) 525-9355, therubyslippercafe.net The Bombay Club, 830 Rue Conti, (504) 577-2237, bombayclubneworleans. com Broussard’s Restaurant & Courtyard,

819 Rue Conti, (504) 581-3866, broussards.com

Crescent City Tours, 638 St. Ann, (504) 568-0717, Gay New Orleans Walking Tours

BARS & CLUBS

Rich’s, 2401 San Jacinto Street, www. facebook.com/richshouston JR’s, 808 Pacific Street, (713) 521-

Axelrad, 1517 Alabama St, (713) 5978800, alexradbeergarden.com

CIRCUIT / EVENT

The Woodlands Pride, September, thewoodlandstxpride.wordpress.com QFEST, Houston Gay & Lesbian Film

Cafe Sbisa, 1011 Decatur Street, (504) 522-5565, cafesbisanola.com Country Club Restaurant, 634 Louisa Street, (504) 945-0742, thecountryclubnreorleans.com Kingfish Kitchen & Cocktails, 337 Chartres Street, (504) 598-5005, kingfishneworleans.com Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro, 720 Orleans Ave, (504) 5231930, Orleansgrapevine.com Royal House Oyster Bar, 441 Royal Street, royalhouserestaurant.com 801 Royal, 801 Royal Street, (504) 581-0801, 801royal.com

RETAIL

Mr. Binky’s Boutique, 107 Chartres St, (504) 302-2095 QT Pie Boutique, 241 Dauphine St, (504) 581-6633 Skully’z Recordz, 907 Bourbon St, (504) 592-4666 Bourbon Pride, 909 Bourbon Street, (504) 566-1570 COK (Clothing or Kink), 941 Elysian FIelds, Located inside the Phoenix Bar XXX Shop, 1835 N. Rampart St, (504) 232-3063

SERVICES

Formal Connection, 299 Belle Terre

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 51

LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory Festival, q-fest.com

ORGANIZATIONS

UH LGBTQ Resource Center, 4465 University Drive, (832) 842-6191, www.uh.edu/lgbtq The Montrose Center, 401 Branard Street, (713) 529-0037, montrosecenter.org AIDS Foundation of Houston, 6260 Westpark Dr. Suite 100, (713) 6236796, aidshelp.org

PHARMACY

Avita Pharmacy, 6800 West Loop South Ste 225, (713) 592-0211, avitapharmacy.com

SOUTH LOUISIANA ACCOMMODATIONS

Apartments Available for Rent in Baton Rouge. Friendly, quiet, small apartment complex with one and two bedroom apartments available now.

Pool, free parking, gated property, centrally located, owners live on site.

Please contact us today for a tour: (225) 505-6531, @ChateauJacques, facebook.com/chateaujacques

BARS & CLUBS

Splash, 2183 Highland Rd, Baton

Rouge, (225) 242-949, splashbr.com George’s Place, 860 St. Louis St, Baton Rouge, (225) 387-9798, georgesplacebr.com The Park Pub & Bar, 4619 Benningotn Ave, Baton Rouge, Facebook @ theparkbr Bolt, 114 McKinley St, Lafayette, (337) 534-4913, facebook.com/boltlaffy Crystals, 112 W. Broad St, Lake Charles, (337) 433-5457

CIRCUIT / EVENT

Baton Rouge Pride, June 15, brpride. org Acadiana Pride, acadianapride.org

Date

TBA,

Pride of SWLA, Date TBA, prideofswla. org, info@prideofswla.org

HEALTHCARE

HAART (HIV AIDS Alliance Region Two, Inc), 4550 North Blvd. Ste 250, Baton Rouge, (225) 927-1269, haartinc.org

ORGANIZATIONS

Krewe of Apollo de Baton Rouge, apollobatonrouge.com Krewe of Apollo kreweofapollo.com

de

Lafayette,

PHARMACY

chapelbarinfo@gmail.com

Avita Pharmacy, 5551 Corporate Blvd, Baton Rouge, avitapharmacy. com

NORTHERN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI & ALABAMA BARS & CLUBS

Club 322, 322 N Lawrence Street, Montgomery, club322.business.site Icon, 516 Greensboro Ave, Tuscaloosa

CIRCUIT / EVENT

CENLA Pride, May 31 - June 2, Alexandria, LA, facebook.com/ cenlaclasspride

Club Pink, 1914 Roselawn Avenue, Monroe, myclubpink.com

Oxford Pride, April 28-May 5, Oxford MS, oxfordmspride.rocks

Central Station, 1025 Marshall St, Shreveport, (318) 222-2216

Central Alabama Pride, June 1-10, 2019, Birmingham, AL, facebook. com/centralalabamaprideinc

The Korner Lounge, 800 Louisiana Ave, Shreveport, thekornerlounge. com Wonderlust, 3911 Drive, Jackson, (337) wonderlustjackson.com

Northview 378-9003,

Our Place, 2115 7th Ave Birmingham, (205) 715-0077

S,

Al’s on 7th Street, 2627 7th Ave S, Birmingham, (205) 422-4218 Quest Bar, 416 24th Street S, Birmingham, (205) 251-4313, info@ quest-club.com Chapel Bar, 620 27th Street S, Brirmingham, (205) 703-9778,

Druid City Pride, October 2019, Tuscaloosa, AL, druidcitypride.org

ORGANIZATIONS

The Spectrum Center, 210 S 25th Ave, Hattiesburg, (601) 909-5338 Krewe of Apollo mkabirmingham.com

Birminham,

RELIGION

Safe Harbor Family Church, safeharborfamilychurch.org Joshua Generation joshuageneration.rocks

GULF COAST BARS & CLUBS

52 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

MCC,

LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory The Midtown Pub, 153 Foorida Street, Mobile, (251) 450-1555

Memorial Weekend Pensacola, Pensacola, FL, johnnychisholm.com

Gabriel’s Downtown, 55 South Joachmin Street, Mobile, (251) 4324900

Pensacola Pride, June 15-16, facebook.com/pensacolapride

B-Bob’s, 213 Conti Street, Mobile (251) 433-2262, b-bobs.com

Oasis Florida, 25 E Wright Street, (850) 429-7551, oasisflorida.org

Flip Side Bar & Patio, 545 S. Conception Street, Mobile, (251) 4318819, flipsidebarpatio.com

Coastal Family Health Care, 1046 Division St, Biloxi, coastalfamilyhealth. org

The Roundup 560 East Heinberg Street, Pensacola, (850) 433-8482 Cabaret, 101 S Jefferson Street E, Pensacola, (850) 607-2020 Rumors Biloxi, 3540 Bienville Blvd, Biloxi, (228) 875-4131 Just Us Lounge, 906 Division Street, Biloxi, (228) 374-1007 Sipps Bar Gulfport, 2218 25th Ave, Gulfport, (228) 206-7717, sippsgulfport.com

HEALTHCARE

HIV CARE AND SERVICES

My Brothers Keeper, 407 Orchard Park, Ridgeland, MS, (769) 257-7721, mbkinc.org

ORGANIZATIONS

Order of Osiris, PO Box 1991, Mobile, AL, orderofosiris.com Order of DinoysusD’Iberville, MS, https://www.facebook.com/Order-OfDionysus

CIRCUIT / EVENT

Gulf Coast Transgender Alliance, (850) 332-8416, gulfcoasttransgenderalliance.com, gctransgenderalliance@gmail.com

Gulf Coast Pride, June 29, 2019, Biloxi, MA, gcpride.org

Gay Grassroots, 6847 N. 9th Avenue, Ste A, Box 317, Pensacola, ggnwfl. com

Mobile Pride, October 5, 2019, Mobile, AL, mobpride.org

Sexacola, May 23, Pensacola, FL, sexacolabeach.com

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www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 53

WORD SEARCH

Primary Ambush Distribution Cities & States 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 Alabama Alexandria Baton Rouge Bay St. Louis Biloxi Birmingham Florida Houston Jackson Lafayette Lake Charles Louisiana Metairie Mississippi Mobile Monroe New Orleans Pensacola Texas

by Adam Radd

Want More Puzzles?

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54 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 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 18 – July 1, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 55

SNAP PAPARAZZI Sipps Bar Gulfport, MS PHOTOS BY DWAIN HERTZ

56 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · June 18 – July 1, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Davis trade results for Pelicans hinge on health, attitude of players acquired Ken Trahan, Crescent City Sports From trade to trader. From tampering to pampering. From hero to zero.

From artist to not the smartest. From adored to abhorred.

The descriptions of the Anthony Davis saga in New Orleans are chocked full of apt analogies and words that could fill these pages for weeks.

What matters is the matter at hand.

Davis is no longer a Pelican and that is a good thing.

The former number one overall pick was a good thing, even a great thing at times in a New Orleans uniform. From the baby-faced brow wearing teal as a Hornet to the facial hair, more mature force wearing blue, red, and even purple, green and gold, Davis was pure gold in a New Orleans uniform for six seasons.

Unfortunately for New Orleans, the number seven was not a lucky one for Pelicans fans, who endured the worst season in franchise history in 20182019.

While the record does not indicate it being the worst season ever, it easily filled that bill, given the promise of October which led to the pessimism of January, due the persistent demands and ultimate petulance Davis displayed In the final analysis, Alvin Gentry got it right. Davis is a good kid who got bad advice. Now he gets his wish as Rich Paul and LeBron James have pulled his puppet strings to the other LA, where Davis will make less money in salary and take home far less after California taxes.

If Davis wins a championship, the strategy employed by the trio of Paul, James and Davis will pay off. Anything less will leave him wanting and will leave critics open to liberal dissecting of what Davis and his handlers perpetrated and about Davis and his abilities as a player.

The personality of Davis will fit of 32.9 over three seasons is certainly perfectly with the Lakers. He not only nothing to get excited about. The Pelacquiesces to James as “the man” but icans would like to have a wing player bows to LeBron by switching numbers or two to open the floor for Zion Wilas he switches addresses. liamson to work around the painted As for the deal itself, the Pelicans area. got many assets but failed to land Kyle As for Ball, he has missed 65 Kuzma, a preferred option over either games in two seasons in which he Brandon Ingram could have played or Lonzo Ball. in. He will also be LaVar Ball has stated pre- 22 when the seaBye-bye La La Land: Meet the viously that he did not want son begins. new Pelicans Ball has exBye-bye La his son to play in New Orle- cellent ball skills, La Land: Meet the ans. His son is under con- vision and is a new Pelicans on the ball tract through the 2021-22 good The long exdefender. He and season. pected trade AnJrue Holiday could thony Davis has fiprove to be an nally been agreed outstanding deupon. What are the Pelicans getting fensive tandem on the perimeter. back for their troubles?

We know Ball cannot shoot. He Crescent City Sports CRESCENT may never develop a decent shot unCITY SPORTS less he dramatically changes his meIngram is a good player, a long chanics. small forward who has improved his That said, he can be a good playgame annually since entering the er for several years if he can remain league in 2016. He has a huge wing healthy and continue to develop his span, can get his own shot and can imgame. How good, based on his offenpact the shots of opponents. sive limitations, remains to be seen.

He will be 22 when the season Then, there is the distraction of his starts. His future is in front of him, profather. vided the blood clot issue with his arm LaVar Ball has stated previously is history. that he did not want his son to play in You have to have a bit of conNew Orleans. His son is under contract sternation when evaluating Ingram, through the 2021-22 season. considering he has missed 53 games No one seems to have a problem combined over the last two seasons. with the son. Many seem to have isPelicans fans become antsy when you sues with the father. start talking about key players who Perhaps David Griffin will turn Ball spend as much time in rehab as they into another substantive asset. do rebounding the ball.

Josh Hart is a 24-year-old shooting When on the floor, Ingram averguard who has shot 43.5 percent from aged 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3-point range in his two seasons in the three assists per game last season. league and you have to like that. He is He can score it and he can pass the a nice piece to the puzzle. ball. His 3-point field goal percentage As for the draft picks acquired,

they could turn into a bounty.

The fourth overall pick in next Thursday’s draft is a real chip on the table being dangled by Griffin. If the right offer comes along, do not be surprised to see that pick moved for a proven player. Perhaps Ball could be part of that deal as well.

As for Davis, he is the best player to ever wear a New Orleans Hornets or New Orleans Pelicans jersey and that includes Chris Paul.

While many were disappointed when Paul departed New Orleans, he did so on professional, good terms.

The same cannot be said for Davis, whose marvelous legacy here will forever remain tarnished by the garnish he placed on his exit.

There will be no No. 23 hanging from the rafters at Smoothie King Center. Davis took care of that.

Now, he will go about the business of trying to win a championship in the other LA while Griffin, Gentry and the Pelicans go about the business of building a team the right way, with a younger, talented roster that you can grow with, a concept that was lost on Dell Demps.

As for analyzing the trade, as in any of these blockbuster deals, only time will tell. Everyone will have their “take” at first blush as to who was on the take and who got fleeced. So much will depend on the health and attitudes of Ingram, Hart and Ball.

The initial reactions of Ingram and Hart to the trade were positive. That is a good sign.

As for the overall deal, let the debate begin.

This article was originally published

by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

Saints still seeking more wide receiver options, depth Al Dupuy, Crescent City Sports At the New Orleans Saints minicamp practices this week, 97 players participated. That’s seven over the 90man limit because the coaches and front office are still seeking the best possible collection of talent to bring into training camp.

There will be cuts but the Saints are pulling out all the stops to add quality depth to their training camp roster.

Even a rugby star Tristan Blewett, a NOLA Gold player who had never put on a football helmet until the first camp practice, was given a chance to shine.

The 22-year old from South Africa is the longest of long shots to make it on the Saints roster even as a practice squad player but NFL teams leave no

stone unturned in search of talent.

Overall, New Orleans has a deep and impressive roster. However, one position at which the Saints need depth is wide receiver. The latest beneficiary of that search is veteran Rishard Matthews, who was successful in earning a contract after his minicamp tryout.

After proven star Michael Thomas, what do the Saints have to work with at wideout? Who is the second, third and fourth wide receiver for this time?

The coaches are surely hoping former third round selection Tre’Quan Smith will step up his game and be that guy. The UCF product showed flashes last season but dropped off greatly late in the season. He will have to show

more consistency.

Ted Ginn looks like the guy who will see the most snaps outside of Thomas but he is 34 years old. His blazing speed is still there, however.

Among other returnees, Austin Carr is a third year player from Northwestern who is super smart if not overly talented physically. He has football savvy and always lines up in the right place and rarely makes a mental mistake but lacks the physical tools Tre’Quan Smith has.

Keith Kirkwood, entering his a second year out of Temple, adds good size at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds. He made some plays last season.

As for a potential surprise, there

has been praise from the media for former Rummel High School wide out Cyrie Grayson. He attended LSU as a track sprinter and did not play football.

His blazing speed has been noticed in the offseason practices, but his best bet would be to end up on the practice squad.

Others who has flashed among receivers in the fold are Emmanuel Butler from Northern Arizona and Simmie Cobbs (6-3 220), a physical receiver out of Indiana who was cut by the Redskins last season. There is still some hope for Cam Meredith, the restricted free agent picked up last season from the Bears. However, his knee injury lingers, and he missed all

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the minicamp. Counting on him at this point is not something I believe the Saints are inclined to do but he cannot be counted out just yet.

ROOKIE REPORT As for the 2019 draft class, I still think second round pick Eric McCoy will be the starting center. His time with the first unit in minicamp is telling. You can’t learn much from workouts without pads but he has the talent.

A player who has made plays this week in the practices, according Saints head coach Payton, is fourth round se-

lection Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.

Payton says he can line up at safety, nickel corner and even as an outside corner if needed. That kind of versatility in an NFL secondary is invaluable.

Round six selection Saquan Hampton, the safety out of Rutgers, looks like he will have to make it on special teams.

I like seventh round pick Alize’ Mack (6-4, 250), a big man with fine speed in the 4.6 range and more than capable hands at the tight end spot. I had him rated the No. 8 tight end in my

Draft Day Report but he nearly went undrafted due to some questions about his work ethic and past academic problems. Mack can cause mismatches at the NFL level.

The other New Orleans seventh round pick, Idaho’s Kaden Elliss, has lined up at Mike Linebacker in camp, but the talk is that he is versatile enough to play several positions. He will need to shine on special teams to ensure his spot on the active roster at a position where the Saints have not been this stable and deep since the

Jim Mora era.

The Saints really need to improve when it comes to returning punts and kicks, and veteran free agent return specialist Marcus Sherels from the Vikings should really help. But don’t be surprised if he is pressed by a rookie free agent, Assumption College wide receiver Deonte Harris.

This article was originally published

by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

Saints less dependent on Brees, more dependent on Kamara Les East, Crescent City Sports METAIRIE – The New Orleans Saints showed last season the value in being less dependent on Drew Brees.

And this year they could be even more dependent on Alvin Kamara.

The Saints went 13-3 last season and missed the Super Bowl by a hair even as Brees passed for fewer than 4,000 yards for the first time in his 13 seasons in New Orleans.

Brees wasn’t less productive; he just wasn’t called on to pass as often.

His 489 attempts were his fewest as a Saint, but he broke his own NFL record by completing 74.4 percent of his passes. His touchdown-to-interception ratio of 32-5 was the best of his New Orle-

ans career.

In addition to the Saints having an improved defense and generally playing with a lead more often, the productivity of Kamara contributed to the lessened dependence on Brees.

Kamara, who was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2017, took on a heavier work load last season. He had more carries, more rushing yards, more total yards and more touchdowns, though his pass receptions were the same and his pass receiving yardage was slightly lower.

The other half of the halfback tandem – Mark Ingram II – signed as a free agent with Baltimore. Though

the Saints moved quickly to replace Ingram by signing former Vikings and Raiders running back Latavius Murray to replace Ingram as a complement to Kamara, it wouldn’t be surprising if Kamara’s workload increases again.

“We’ll have packages for both those guys and probably a third,” head coach Sean Payton said. “We will balance what we try to do and be mindful of the tendencies so that they’re not so steep for either of those players.”

Backfield Quarterbacks: Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, Taysom Hill, J.T. Barrett IV Departures: None Returning: Brees, Bridgewater, Hill, Barrett Arrivals: None Projected starter: Brees Training camp storyline: No other position on the team is as close to being set as this one is. For the 14th consecutive training camp, Brees is the unquestioned starter as well as the player with the strongest impact on the team’s fortunes.

Bridgewater is the clear-cut No. 2 who is farther along after having a full off-season of preparation in the wake of his acquisition in trade with the New York Jets at the end of last preseason.

Hill is the No. 3 quarterback, but is projected to see much more playing time than Bridgewater because of his ability to return kickoffs, perform as the up-back on punts, participate on coverage teams and line up as a running back, wide receiver or tight end.

Barrett was on and off of the practice roster last season and that appears to be the only avenue for him to stick around this season.

Quotable: Head coach Sean Payton on Bridgewater – “It’s his second year in what we’re doing, and he understands what we’re trying to do offensively. You see it when he’s going

through his progressions, getting in and out of the huddle. He’s a quick study. He’s extremely bright. I think he has really good arm talent. He has a demeanor about him that suits the position well and I think he’s a good leader.”

Running backs: Alvin Kamara, Zach Line (FB), Latavius Murray, Dwayne Washington, Javorius Allen, Matthew Dayes, Devine Ozigbo, Michael Burton (FB) Departures: Mark Ingram II, Daniel Lasco Returning: Kamara, Line, Washington Arrivals: Murray, Allen, Burton, Dayes, Ozigbo Projected starters: Kamara, Line Training camp storyline: Kamara and Murray are the top two halfbacks and Line figures to be the fullback again, so the primary battle in training camp will be for the third halfback spot. Washington has a leg up because of his experience, but whoever prevails will have to be a special teams contributor who can handle a limited role in the backfield.

Quotable: QB Drew Brees on Kamara/Murray tandem – “Thunder and lightning. Look around the league. You have that running back room that typically brings different skillsets and you are able to mix and match. I think our offense has proven that we do a lot of things with two backs in the game. It just gives us a lot of flexibility and gives a lot for the defense to have to worry about and game plan for.”

Bridgewater is the clearcut No. 2 who is farther along after having a full off-season of preparation in the wake of his acquisition in trade with the New York Jets at the end of last preseason.

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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