Ambush Magazine Volume 37 Issue 22 by Ambush Publishing

THE OFFICIAL GAY MAGAZINE OF THE GULF SOUTH™

A Biweekly Publication Celebrating LGBTQ Life, Music & Culture Since 1982 VOLUME 37 ISSUE 22

TUESDAY, October 22, 2019

www.AMBUSHMAG.com

Official Gay Halloween Guide™

HALLOWEEN EVENT GUIDE

THE “OFFICIAL” DISH by TJ ACOSTA, PUBLISHER

Dear Ambush Nation, On behalf of everyone at Ambush, Happy Halloween! New Orleans is a town known for parties and elaborate costumes, and Halloween brings out the best of both. Check out the pages of this issue of Ambush for a list of all the “Hot Happenings” this Halloween weekend. And of course, this time of year features the big Halloween New Orleans (HNO) fundraiser for Project Lazarus. October’s final weekend will have 3 events hosted by HNO for you to enjoy. For more information on the HNO festivities, you can visit HalloweenNewOrleans.com. AMBUSH ENDORSES JOHN BEL EDWARDS FOR GOVERNOR Incumbent Governor John Bel Edwards garnered 47% of the vote in the primary election sending him into a runoff versus a Republican opponent whose name I can’t bear to mention. Not only has Gov. Edwards taken the budget deficit he inherited from Bobby Jindal and turn it into a surplus, but he’s also worked to provide protections for members of the LGBT community. His opponent is built in the mold of President Trump and is in no way a friend to the LGBT community. The runoff

election for Governor in Louisiana is scheduled for Saturday, November 16, 2019. Early voting takes place from November 2nd thru 9th (except Sunday). Runoff elections usually have a lower turnout than a primary meaning every single vote counts. Please vote as if your life, rights and protections depend on it … because they do! MR & MISS NATIONAL APOLLO 2020 The Mr. and Miss National Apollo 2020 competition will take place at Oz New Orleans on Saturday, November 16. The event is being hosted by the Mystic Krewe of Apollo de New Orleans along with their sister Krewes in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Birmingham. Contestants for all Apollo cities will compete in Mardi Gras presentation, formal wear and talent categories. A cover charge of only $5 will be charged for entrance to the event. For more information or to buy a VIP table please visit MKANola.com. MARK YOUR CALENDARS New Orleans native Bianca Del Rio will be taking her It’s Jester Joke comedy tour to the Big Easy on Sunday, November 10 at 8 pm. The show is at the Orpheum Theater and is guaranteed to be filled with laughs and audible gasps from the audience. Del Rio has taken her tour all over the world and most recently performed at Carnegie Hall in New York. For ticket information visit TheBiancaDelRio.

com. NOAGE will hold their 5th annual gala “NOAGE in the Enchanted Wood” on Friday, November 22nd from 7 to 10 pm in the Cajun Ballroom at the Louisiana Swamp Exhibit within Audubon Zoo. The event will feature live entertainment, an open bar, delicious food, a silent auction and the presentation of the 2019 NOAGE Trailblazer Awards to Dr. Jody Gates and Marilyn McConnell. Suggested attire for the event is fairy tale fabulous. All proceeds from the event benefit NOAGE and tickets can be purchased at NoageNola.org. Winter Wonderland VIII, a benefit for PFLAG of New Orleans and St. Anna’s Episcopal Church of New Orleans, will be held at Capulet on Sunday, December 1 from 5 to 8 pm. Please join Winter Queen and King III, Andrea Halstead and Jeffrey Palmquist, in helping to raise money for these wonderful causes. The event features a silent auction and several drag performances for your entertainment. For tickets contact Misti Ates at mistimichelleates@gmail.com. Always a highlight of the holiday season, the New Orleans Gay Men’s Chorus will hold their annual holiday concert “Sounds of the Season” on Sunday, December 15th from 7:30 to 9:30 pm at the University of New Orleans. For more information please visit the New Orleans Gay Men’s Chorus website at nogmc.com.

Inside this Issue of Ambush

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

Community Announcements

Arts & Culture

Health & Wellness

Hot Happenings Calendar

Business & LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory

Comics, Puzzles & Horoscopes

Sports

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

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™

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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, Charles Pizzo, Frank Perez, Jim Meadows, Kevin Assam, Rev. Bill Terry, Robert Fiesler, Ryan Rockford, Scot Billeaudeau, Tony Leggio & Crescent City Sports PHOTOGRAPHERS Andrew Hopkins, Charles Pizzo, Doug Adams, Dwain Hertz, Glenn Melancon, Persona Shoulders, TJ Boudreaux, Tony Leggio

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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 We host regular social events for individual’s name or photograph in this pubLGBT older adults and their allies, lication implies nothing about that individual’s sexual orientation. Letters, stories, etc. and we provide cultural competency appearing herein are not necessarily the trainings for healthcare and other opinion of the Publisher or Staff of Ambush service providers. Magazine. ©1982-2019 AMBUSH PUBLISHING LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOTHING To learn more, visit HEREIN MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE www.noagenola.org, or call PUBLISHER INCLUDING AD LAYOUTS, (504) 517-2345 MAPS & PHOTOS. 4 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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NEWS & COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

Frenchmen Art and Books, the Young Fellaz Brass Band, and Colonization Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com It’s been over three months now since a firestorm erupted over the arrest of musician Eugene Grant in front of the Frenchmen Art and Books shop on Frenchmen Street. Many were shocked at a video of NOPD officers arresting Grant in front of the store and soon a narrative developed in the local and national media that vilified bookstore owner David Zalkind for calling the police on a brass band. The basic gist on social media and in the press was that Zalkind, who bought the store last year, was a gentrifying newcomer who didn’t understand Frenchmen Street. And worse still, he’s white. The headline in the Washington Post (July 12) captured the general spirit of the emerging narrative: “A white store owner’s call led to a black street musician’s ‘outrageous’ arrest, roiling New Orleans.” People were pissed off. A boycott was organized. A protest was held in front of the bookshop. Months later, people are still calling the store and leaving nasty messages, one even threatening to blow up the store. Some people are even entering the store and running off potential customers by creating loud scenes. One young millennial woman barged into the bookstore recently and chastised Zalkind for thinking he could open a bookstore on a “music street.” Zalkind attempted to explain to her that the bookstore had been there for over 40 years, but the young social justice warrior would not listen to anything he had to say and stormed out. In the days following the incident, I myself fielded several calls and messages from a variety of people wanting to know what the deal was. One person who did not know that the previous owner Otis had sold the store even asked me if Otis, a beloved, longtime fixture on Frenchmen Street, had lost his mind. At the time, I really didn’t know much about the incident. When I started digging, I found headlines like this one on Instagram: “Don’t Mute New Orleans! Colonizers Call the Cops on a Black Man for Playing the Trumpet.” With headlines like these, it’s no wonder people are so upset. But are the headlines accurate? An investigation into the incident, and the events that led up to it, suggests the headlines are not accurate at all, but rather

a classic example of “yellow journalism.” There is much more to the story of Grant’s arrest than the easy racist gentrification narrative that has been promulgated in the media. Sadly, the adverse effects of the narrative that have emerged include not only a lot of misinformation, but also pose an existential threat to an important part of local LGBT+ history.

THE BACKGROUND

The bookstore first opened in 1978. Its founder was a retired Episcopal priest named Tom Horner, who had resigned his ministry after coming to terms with his homosexuality. FM Books was the first gay and lesbian bookstore in the South. At the time it opened, the music strip we think of today did not exist. For much of its history, this area of Frenchmen Street was retail and commercial. It was pretty run down by the early 1970s and even described as a “slum.” There were only two bars at that time—The Cabaret Bar and Pool Room and the Fairway Bar and Restaurant. According to historian Scott Ellis, the Fairway eventually became Cord’s Underground, which burned down in 1976 and remained vacant until 2014. The Dream Palace opened in 1976, Snug Harbor in 1982. The space that became Café Brasil opened first as a coffee shop in 1985. By the 1990s, the music strip we know today was taking shape. The point of all this history is that the bookstore predates the music strip. Horner owned the bookstore for ten years before retiring to California. Alan Robinson (and, for a while, Jamie Temple) then owned the bookstore for 16 years. By the early 2000s, Robinson was not in the best of health and moved to Texas to be with his family. In 2003, M. K. Wegmann, the owner of the building which housed FM Books, realizing the historical significance and cultural importance of the bookstore, approached Otis Fennell and asked him to help her find someone willing to run the store. Fennell took over the lease in July of 2003. Fennell changed the name of the store to FAB: Faubourg Marigny Art and Books. In addition to bringing in art, he also began stocking books about New Orleans and creating window displays. When he took over the

Entrance to Frenchmen Art and Books shop at the corner of Chartres St & Frenchmen St in New Orleans’ Marigny Neighborhood (Photo: Chris Leonard, Ambush Magazine)

store, Fennell had no experience in bookselling. “I had no experience, but I wanted to save the institution. Six months later I asked myself what the fuck have I done?” Fennell began having health issues in 2017. Consequently, the bookstore’s hours became sporadic and it eventually remained closed for several months. Fennell, recognizing the bookstore’s culturally significant legacy, approached David Zalkind about purchasing the business in order to keep the store open. Fennell and Zalkind had known each other since the mid-1970s and had been friends since 1985. Zalkind bought the bookstore in September 2018, which reopened in March 2019. The Young Fellaz Brass Band was founded in New Orleans in 2005 with three members. By 2011, the band had grown to eight members, recorded three studio albums, and traveled the country playing at various festivals. By the time Zalkind bought the bookstore, the band was a fixture on Frenchmen Street. Originally they

played on the downriver, lakeside corner of Frenchmen and Chartres Streets where a vacant lot that now houses Dat Dog was. The lot had been vacant for years and played host to various brass bands. It was a good spot, right in the center of all the action on Frenchmen, and, because it was a lot, no streets, sidewalks, or doorways were blocked (although neighboring businesses and residents did complain about noise levels). When Dat Dog opened, the band moved across the street to the downriver, riverside corner. That corner was occupied by a vacant building that formerly housed the shuttered Café Brasil. When Favela Chic opened in the building, the band moved yet again to the upriver, lakeside corner of the intersection where the bookstore is located. This was when the bookstore was closed and in limbo because of Fennell’s health situation. The band was fortunate in that for a while three of the four corners at Chartres and Frenchmen were either vacant or had closed businesses. The problem arose when

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all four corners had operating businesses. During the six months Zalkind was renovating the store and processing the inventory he inherited from Otis, the band continued to play in front of the bookstore with permission from Zalkind. When the store reopened in March, Zalkind met with the band’s leader, Sam A. Jackson, and told him they would have to find a new place to play. At issue was the fact that the band was blocking the entrance to the bookstore and therefore adversely affecting its business. Jackson pleaded with Zalkind to let them continue to use the corner. Zalkind suggested they use the side of the building so as not to obstruct the front entrance. Jackson refused the offer and insisted on the corner. Zalkind then agreed to let them play in front of the store for 45 minutes. Jackson protested saying that wasn’t enough time. Zalkind, somewhat shocked, told Jackson it was 45 minutes or nothing at all. Jackson reluctantly agreed to the deal. But the band refused to stop playing after 45 minutes. It was a classic case of taking a mile after being given an inch. Thus ensued a four-month struggle between Zalkind and the band. On multiple occasions, Zalkind explained to Jackson that the band was hurting his business, not only by obstructing the entrance but also because the decibel level was so loud

people in the store could not hear each other talk. When these repeated pleas continued to fall on deaf ears, Zalkind attempted to explain to Jackson the concept of rent payments—an attempt that Jackson interpreted as a demand for money to play on the corner. When Zalkind threatened to call the police, Jackson laughed at him, figuring the police would do nothing. On July 8, Zalkind called the police on the band hoping they would just tell them to move someplace else. NOPD did just that. Upon arriving at the scene, an officer informed the band that obstructing a passageway is illegal and that they needed to move along. The band dispersed. But after initially complying with the police order, the band returned to the corner several minutes later. The cops, who were still in the neighborhood, saw that the band had returned. The second time the police approached the band, they all fled on foot with the exception of Eugene Grant, also known as “Lil Gene.” Grant, who is autistic, became defensive when the police approached him. Police claim Grant struck one officer with his instrument, at which point Grant was restrained and subsequently arrested. Grant, aged 27, was charged with obstructing a passage and resisting an officer. He was released the next day. Grant denies

striking the officer. A video, which went viral, shows Grant being arrested, and the crowd that had gathered to witness the incident. At one point, the narrator of the video identifies Zalkind as the reason for incident, saying, “All because this bitch ass niggah wanna sell books on Frenchmen Street.” This spin on the incident immediately found a receptive audience. An anchor on the African Diaspora News Channel seized upon this talking point saying in a news segment “Aint nobody trying to go in there an get no books.”

THE TIMELINE

September 2018—Otis Fennel sells bookstore to David Zalkind, who gives permission to the Young Fellaz Brass Band to continue playing on the corner while the store remains closed. September 2018—March 2019— The bookstore remains closed while the inventory is processed, and renovations are made. March 1, 2019—The bookstore reopens. May 30, 2019—Zalkind sends the following email to Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer’s Chief of Staff Andrew Sullivan: “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me this morning. I am hoping that sidewalk corner in front of my business will not continue to be obstructed every night by brass bands. There is a police surveillance camera on the corner of Frenchmen & Chartres that can easily verify my point. In addition, any conversations with my customers are almost impossible to be heard inside the store when the brass band is playing. It is very discouraging that the police do not respond after repeated calls. Please let me know of the 8th District Commander’s response to your inquiry as it relates to my present situation.” June 8, 2019—Zalkind sends the following email to NOPD Community Liaison Officer Aldeane Valentino: “I just had a conversation with Ethan Ellestad of MaCCNO who suggested I contact you as soon as possible. For the record, a street poet and our street sweeper are threatening each other, with one egging the other to hit him and causing a public disturbance, all this in the past few nights on the corner of Frenchmen and Chartres, in front of my store. It seems innocuous but it is much more complicated. I am afraid this will escalate into a serious assault and battery on each side, perhaps this evening. Please help and defuse this matter in the interest of public safety on a very busy, busy corner. I am hoping to hear from you, however, I am a little less confident having had no response from you after two phone calls, May 29th and June 3rd, as well as texting you regarding another matter.” June 26, 2019—Zalkind sends the following email to Mary Howell, an attorney who has represented musi-

cians: “It was good to see you at the bookstore a few weeks ago! I enjoyed our conversation. I am writing to you about the continuing issue of the brass band playing without limits in front of my business. I understand that you have been representing some of the street musicians and I was hoping to have a conversation with you with the ultimate goal of crafting a workable solution to the competing interests. I have allowed brass bands to play as long as they do not go past 45 minutes per day as long as I am open for business. As of last night, the gentlemen’s agreement I had with the brass band was broken with impunity. This means, as of tonight, I will join the other 3 corner businesses in prohibiting the brass band for playing any set in front of my bookstore. The bands feel they can play as long as they want in front of any business. At this point they have chosen my bookstore as the only place on Frenchmen to play their music. I said that if they do play past 45 minutes, that I would ask the police to prohibit them from blocking my business and the sidewalk going forward on a permanent basis. I gave them an alternative - go past 45 minutes, compensate my business at $10 a minute - and yes that is unlikely but that was meant for them to understand that while they make money - I don’t - the longer they are playing. I feel that I have been reasonable - I am tired of being told that I am racist and that I am harassing them. I do not feel that my rights, as I know it, are recognized in any way, - it doesn’t feel worth it to run a bookstore with small margins and to be bullied to submit to whatever the brass bands feel like doing in front of my business. They actually question why I remain open so late - that no bookstore in the city stays open that late - really, now. Mary, would you be willing to shed any light on whether I have any rights at all relating to my situation described above?” In her reply to this email, Howell suggests Zalkind contact MaCCNO, the Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans. July 8, 2019—Police order the Young Fellas Brass Band, who is playing directly in front of the bookstore, to disperse. The band initially disperses but quickly returns. Eugene Grant is arrested. July 9, 2019— Charges against Grant are dropped. A demonstration is held outside the bookstore. July 21—A rally for New Orleans musicians is held in Washington Artillery Park followed by a Second Line to Frenchmen Street. July 19, 2019—Several emails are exchanged between Zalkind and NOPD. 2:03pm— Zalkind sends the following email to NOPD Community Liaison Officer Aldeane M. Valentino, requesting police protection: “Thank

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you for all your assistance the past few weeks in trying to help enforce the ordinance that prevents any person or persons blocking the public right of way, to vehicular and pedestrian traffic and in particular the front corner entrance of my bookshop, Frenchmen Art & Books. As you can know, the band led by Sam A. Jackson continues to return almost every night fronting the bookshop corner on Frenchmen & Chartres. I am not able to open my doors, customers find it difficult to navigate to the store, the extremely high sound decibel makes it impossible to have any dialogue with our customers, if any come through at all. The band plays as long as they want, will not respond to my concerns and apparently does not respect the law - How is it they repeatedly flaunt the law every night knowing full well that NOPD will usually respond to my call. How can we stop this madness? May I suggest that you as, a community liaison officer, have a conversation with the band leader and other members of the band sometime prior to them showing up on Frenchmen & Chartres. Otherwise, as you can see from the attached screenshots, my wife and I are feeling quite threatened to the point that my wife is reluctant to come work with me. We hear similar threats from people on the street as well. We would like to formally request that the police be present every night on the corner between 7:30 and mid-

night at the corner of Frenchmen and Chartres until this particular group of brass band led by Sam A. Jackson finally realizes that they are not allowed to continue playing front and center of an operating business, particularly at the sound level of a brass band (usually 8-12 members). Please let us know if we can expect police presence this evening to start.” 3:29pm—Officer Valentino replies to Zalkind: “Thank you for reaching out to us with your concerns regarding the Band which generally perform near the intersection of Frenchmen and Chartres. We have made accommodations to have 8th District Officers make directive patrols in the area for as long as this problem persists. 8th District Officers have a priority to respond to emergency calls for service. If you would prefer to have a New Orleans Police Officer to remain on site I will direct you the Office of Police Secondary Employment. OPSE can be reached at 504-906-9992. Please feel free to reach out if there is any assistance I can offer.” 3:54pm—Zalkind replies to Valentino: “We are concerned about our personal safety and the protection of our bookstore, particularly on the day of the Protest/Support March for Musicians which we believe is this coming Sunday. We are shocked at the number of hourly threats from all over social media to shut down our store and

the incredible misinformation about who we are as individuals. This simply because we are protecting our rights to operate our business that the CITY granted us through an extensive approval process. Would you mind providing us information with the planned route of the March. Please let us know if the intention is to stop in front of our bookstore as well.” 5:01pm—Valentino replies to Zalkind: “I’ve made contact with Ms. Jennifer Cecil, the Director of One Stop Permits. Here is the route sheet she provided for Sunday’s Rally. Please feel free to reach out if there is any additional assistance I can offer.” 5:55pm—Zalkind replies to Valentino: “Thank you for forwarding the description of the route. Attached is the Facebook page of the Organizer of the March - it appears that 600 Frenchmen, our bookstore, is the rallying point and destination of the March. The focus of the Organizers’ posts is to shut down the bookstore. The City’s silence seems to be abetting the uninformed doesn’t look good on the national front - long-standing bookstore gets no support from the Mayor and City Council. And the brass band says, We Don’t Want No Bookstore - on Frenchmen St.” August 8, 2019—Zalkind sends the following email to Mayor Cantrell: “I am following up on our discussion regarding a proposed meeting with you

and the Office of Cultural Economy re ways of urban environment can co-exist with street artists, brick & mortar businesses, vehicular and pedestrian traffic. I have received tremendous ‘pushback’ from parts of the local community and national social media as a result of the ‘incident’ on Frenchmen & Chartres - this involving world press reporting. I understand that the City has other pressing matters but since the ‘incident,’ neither my City Councilperson, the Health Dept (sound check) or the office of Cultural Economy has responded with more than ‘we are working on it.’ I think it would help to involve me in the ‘working on it’ portion. I look forward to hearing from you.” August 14, 2019—Zalkind sends the following email to Andrew Sullivan, Councilwoman Palmer’s Chief of Staff: “I am reaching my limit of constant harassment from certain members of the public and non-action from City Hall. See plastering and graffiti of my premises and surrounding corner. [3 photos attached] Please let me know if I can expect a credible response from the Health Dept no later than this Friday. Our location is being plastered with stickers and graffiti.” September 6, 2019—Zalkind meets with Mayor Cantrell, Superintendent of Police Shaun Ferguson, Lisa Alexis, director of the Office of Cultural Economy, Clifton Davis III, Cantrell’s executive counsel. Mayor Cantrell

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is sympathetic to Zalkind’s case and questions Superintendent Ferguson regarding NOPD’s lack of enforcement regarding the obstruction of a passageway law. The Mayor instructs Ferguson to enforce the law. September 27, 2019—Workers Unity Rally is held in Congo Square to protest ICE and the NOPD’s treatment of street musicians

FRENCHMEN STREET & AUTHENTIC CULTURE

For several years now, social observers and self-appointed guardians of “authentic” culture have bemoaned the tourist-ification of Frenchmen Street. Ironically, many of the people leading the crusade to defend street brass bands and shut down the bookstore fail to realize that the brass bands are a contributing factor to the loss of Frenchmen’s “authenticity.” Consider the following facts. One, most of the people who stop to hear the street bands are tourists. Two, most, if not all, of the business owners on Frenchmen don’t want brass bands playing in the street. (In fact, Zalkind was the only business owner to allow the band to play in front of his business.) This sentiment is also shared by the bands who play in the establishments on Frenchmen Street. The business owners argue the bands obstruct their entrances and that their noise levels make it virtually impossible

to transact business. Sound checks have recorded decibel levels over 100, far exceeding the legal limit of 80 decibels. Three, the brass bands have driven out local residents and businesses. One resident who lives a block away from Frenchmen and who wishes to remain anonymous states, “I am staying elsewhere this week so that I do not have to take any more sick-leave. Our tenants notified us that [name redacted] returned last night and stayed until 3AM causing them to be unable to sleep. Their lease is up for renewal soon and we are concerned that we may be unable to find tenants willing to deal with the noise violations if we lose them. We are growing very concerned. My next door neighbor is selling his home due to the noise. He is a war veteran and is highly affected by the amplified bass, so he has resorted to staying elsewhere while he sells his home.” Four, many residents, business owners, other musicians, and regulars at the clubs feel the brass bands who play in the street don’t respect the neighborhood and have generally bad attitudes, but are reluctant to speak on the record because they fear a backlash similar to what the bookstore is currently experiencing. Five, the proliferation of AirBnBs and other short-term rentals in the area is doing more harm to the neighbor-

hood’s authenticity than the bookstore, which was on Frenchmen Street long before the strip became a music destination. Six, the Praline Connection, a long-time, family-owned staple on the street, has been replaced with a Willie’s Chicken Shack. (Did anyone protest that?)

ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION

Zalkind has been called a carpetbagger, a racist, and a colonizer. Are these accusations fair? A contingent of people are actively boycotting/protesting the bookstore in the hopes it will close. Are their efforts justified? A bit of biographical background on Zalkind, who is Jewish, may shed some light on these questions. Zalkind moved to New Orleans in 1971 at the age of 17 to attend Tulane University. While majoring in history, Zalkind became involved with the Mushroom Record Store, which was a student coop begun on campus in 1969. When the store moved slightly off campus to Broadway, a Board of Directors was formed to govern the co-op and Zalkind served as its first Chairperson until 1975. In 1989, Zalkind was a founding member and the first President of the New Orleans Film and Video Fest. Zalkind lived in California from 1994 to 2009, where he studied dispute resolution and received course certificates from Loyola University, Pepperdine University, and University of Santa Barbara. He was a mediator on the Mediator Panel for Los Angeles Superior Court and the State Appellate Court. He also worked as a commercial real estate agent and was employed by the Los Angeles Unified School System Real Estate Department as a Project Manager to help locate and purchase suitable land to build schools. During his time in California, Zalkind returned to New Orleans often, at least once a year. Upon moving back to New Orleans, Zalkind went on the Board of Community Mediation Services (a non-profit that helps resolve disputes) and eventually became an interim Executive Director of the organization. In an interview with Jan Ramsey for Offbeat Magazine, Zalkind stated, “I did everything right, and I bought the business in good faith. I had my permits, pay my taxes, rent, etc. If I had known that the city couldn’t make a decision on whether or not it was legal for me to ask the band to move so we could operate, I would have never done it. But no one will tell me anything and the band will not move at all and won’t cooperate. So I got fed up and called the NOPD.” Zalkind says he has nothing against Eugene or even the band, really; he just wants to be able to operate his business. Zalkind respects the bookstore’s place in history—not only the history of Frenchmen Street, but

also its place local LGBT+ history. One of the first calls Zalkind made after purchasing the store was to the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, a local non-profit collective that preserves queer history. Zalkind invited the Archives Project to comb through the inventory he had inherited and select items of historical importance, which he subsequently donated—not exactly the act of an insensitive privileged “colonizer.” These are polarized times and issues of race, especially when it comes to police, are particularly charged with emotion, and understandably so. After all, a white supremacist occupies the White House and police officers are still shooting innocent black people, two in their own homes recently in Texas. In addition, issues of gentrification are real and have been amplified recently by the loss of Gene’s Po-Boys and the opening of a Starbucks on Elysian Fields, both just a few blocks away from Frenchmen Street. What happened to Eugene Grant was ugly and unfortunate. But is it fair to blame Zalkind for what happened to Grant? The evidence suggests no. Zalkind went far beyond what most would say are reasonable means to resolve the conflict without involving the police. And the inconvenient fact remains, the Young Fellaz Brass Band was not only breaking the law, they also directly and defiantly ignored a police order to move off the corner. How can Zalkind be blamed for that? From the moment he bought the store, Zalkind was far kinder to the band than any other business owner on Frenchmen Street. He let them charge their phones in the store and even struck up something of a friendship with Eugene Grant. Instead of being grateful, the band took advantage of that kindness. Legally, the band was in no position to negotiate, but Zalkind extended that courtesy to them. Had they appreciated that and respected the compromise agreement they reached with Zalkind, the police would never have been called. And if the band had not disobeyed the police orders, Grant would have never been arrested. Regarding the whole incident, Otis Fennell, the epitome of “authentic” Frenchmen Street, remarked, “It’s unfortunate the store is being deprived of business and it’s unfortunate the band is not respecting its elders.” The more people boycott and harass Frenchmen Art and Books, the more endangered a significant slice of authentic neighborhood and LGBT+ history becomes. If the bookstore closes, who knows what will then occupy that corner of Frenchmen. Another Starbucks? Another Mango Mango daiquiri shop? More AirBnB’s? Or perhaps a Hard Rock Hotel? Any of those options would be true colonization.

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MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT

Ogden Museum of Southern Art Located in the vibrant Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art holds the largest and most comprehensive collection of Southern art. It has been recognized for its original exhibitions, public events and educational programs which examine the development of visual art alongside Southern traditions of music, literature and culinary heritage to provide a comprehensive story of the South.

Established in 1999, and in Stephen Goldring Hall at 925 Camp Street since 2003, the Museum welcomes almost 85,000 visitors annually, and attracts diverse audiences through its broad range of programming including exhibitions, lectures, film screenings, and concerts which are all part of its mission to broaden the knowledge, understanding, interpretation and appreciation of the visual arts and culture of the American South.

Entrance to Ogden Museum of Southern Art, 925 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA (Photo by Infrogmation of New Orleans -- Follow him on Flickr & Wikipedia!)

The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is open daily from 10:00am

to 5:00pm, with extended hours to 8:00pm on Thursday.

New Class Explores French Quarter Underbelly Did Governor Earl Long really live in an apartment on Bourbon Street with a stripper? Did the Sicilian Mafia in America start in the French Quarter? Did Tennessee Williams regularly play with his dick in open view at Café Lafitte in Exile? Did a gay porn pioneer leprechaun really live on Saint Peter Street? Did Walt Whitman cruise the French Market looking for anonymous gay pig sex? Did hookers really transact business on the sidewalk with roll-up mats

on Gallatin Street? Did Pere Antoine really try to establish the Spanish Inquisition in New Orleans? Did World Chess Champion Paul Morphy really beat people at random with his walking cane? Did Louisiana really start as a Ponzi scheme? Did Mardi Gras really start in Mobile? Did Voodoo Priestess Marie Laveau really stick pins in dolls? Was Madam John a real Madam? Was Napoleon’s bronze death

mask really rescued from a garbage cart? Why was a drunken man hung at the Old U.S. Mint? Why are there so many hookers on Iberville and St. Louis Streets? How sadomasochistic was Delphine La Laurie? Is St. Louis Cemetery #1 the best place to drop acid? Are Dumaine and Toulouse Streets really named after Louis XIV’s bastard sons? What is the connection between jazz and jizz?

And why did Bienville live into his 80s and never marry? The answers to all these questions, and many more, may be found at Loyola University on Tuesday nights beginning November 5 in a new class on French Quarter History. The course, designed and taught by longtime French Quarter resident and raconteur Frank Perez, lasts for seven weeks and concludes with a guided tour of the French Quarter. The course is non-credit and tuition is $245.00.

12 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at Night Out Against Crime AT NATIONAL NIGHT OUT AGAINST CRIME UPPER FRENCH QUARTER HOSTED BY CROSSING | PHOTOS BY CHARLES PIZZO

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 13

ARTS & CULTURE

Trodding the Boards Brian Sands bsnola2@hotmail.com

The Sound of Music at Jefferson Performing Arts Center through Oct. 27 The Sound of Music??? “Been there, done that, seen the movie version,” you might respond. In these topsy-turvy times, however, a trip out to Metairie for JPAS’ highly satisfying revival of this enduring classic might be a welcome respite from the daily headlines. In case you’ve been in the desert for the last 60 years or, for you young’uns, gaming on your Xbox to the exclusion of all else, Sound of Music relates the true story of Maria, a young Austrian novitiate, who, in the 1930s, is sent to be the governess for the 7 children of Georg von Trapp, a widower naval captain. Spoiler alert--they fall in love and manage a daring escape from the Nazis. Richard Rodgers’ glorious music is as gorgeous as ever, his score featuring song after hummable song (Do-ReMi, My Favorite Things, Maria, Edelweiss, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, etc.). Oscar Hammerstein’s lyrics shine with warmth and brilliant wit. Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse’s sturdy book, while taking some extreme liberties with the facts of the von Trapps’ life (according to Wikipedia, they met in the 1920s; Maria didn’t fall in love with the Captain till after they were married (her love of the children brought them together); their escape from the Nazis wasn’t all that daring, etc.), adroitly shows the coming together and maturation of two very different people while holding the schmaltz to the minimum. The big news in Metry is that opera singer and native New Orleanian Sar-

ah Jane McMahon stars as Maria. Her rich soprano voice adds an extra layer of beauty to the music; seldom will you hear this role better sung. After a perhaps too stately start with the title song, McMahon, a 2005 Best Actress in a Musical Ambie Award winner for portraying another Maria (in West Side Story), relaxes into the role and a dewy innocence naturally emerges that well-suits the would-be nun. As the Captain, Richard Arnold may not be the most Teutonic of Barons nor does he quite conjure up the image of an experienced naval commander, his youthful mien better suited for his utterly charming turn in Tulane Summer Lyric’s She Loves Me earlier this year, but he brings a thorough emotional honesty to this rather thankless role. As you watch him and McMahon first gingerly avoid and, then, give in to the Captain and Maria’s romantic attraction to each other, there just might be a lump in your throat. At least there was in mine. Kenneth Beck directs with brisk efficiency. This may not be the most imaginative production, but Music doesn’t really allow much room for auteurial flourishes. Still, Beck captures the simple grandeur of the wedding scene in Nonnberg Abbey and creates the proper tension for the story’s final moments. His choreography is pleasing and appropriate. Conducting the JPAS Symphony Orchestra, Dennis G. Assaf successfully brings out the score’s various colorations, never overpowering the singers. With a powerful, lustrous voice, Kathleen Halm makes Climb Ev’ry Mountain properly inspirational (tho

Sarah Jane McMahon and Richard Arnold in The Sound of Music

this was the first time I realized that, in the stage version, its subtext is “You go, gurl, and get your man”) and nicely emphasizes the humanity of the Mother Abbess. The rest of the cast all do well by their roles with those playing the children forming a believable family unit with a winning naturalness. Five-yearold Caroline Briscoe as the youngest von Trapp proves to be an accomplished trouper and seeing her play opposite McMahon, her real life mother, was an especial delight (tho you may not see her as the kids have been double cast). Other than Sing-Along Sound of Music, this last of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s collaborations doesn’t lend itself to radical reinterpretation (it might be interesting to see it with an all-black or completely color-blind cast, however). But even if not revolutionary, when done as well as JPAS’ presentation is, Sound of Music makes for a most heartwarming treat.

Higgins: The Man, The Boat, The War at the WWII Museum’s Stage Door Canteen through Nov. 10 Most people have only the dim-

mest awareness as to whom Andrew Higgins was even though Dwight D. Eisenhower said of him “No Higgins, no D-Day” and Hitler called him “the new Noah.” The WWII Museum hopes to enlighten visitors to its Stage Door Canteen about him and his vital contribution to the war effort with Higgins: The Man, The Boat, The War. What could’ve been just a dry Wikipedia entry come to life is, instead, a fascinating play-with-music that keeps you wondering “What happened next?” Ron Gural’s script employs cadenced lines as well as more naturalistic dialog to create a portrait of a man who, if he hadn’t been born, could have been a character in a novel by Mark Twain or Horatio Alger or Jack London. Andrew Jackson Higgins (18861952) began as a youthful entrepreneur. He made and lost a fortune or two in lumber and shipping (“Forest and boats--the two things I loved the most till I met my wife.”) as America dealt with WWI and the Depression. He wound up in New Orleans and went on to develop the amphibious LCVP (“Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel”) boats that were partly based on Japanese ones (long story), inspired by a cigar box (another story) and were crucial to our triumph over the Axis Forc-

14 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

The cast of Higgins: The Man, The Boat, The War

es.

Gural has period songs alternating with interesting biographical bits, portraying Higgins as a smart, if somewhat sly, man who was willing to wheel’n’deal to obtain what he wanted. He could be tough (especially when confronted by unions) but treated (and paid) men and women, blacks and whites equally long before that was fashionable, especially in the South. I can’t say I fully understood (or cared about) all the shipbuilding talk (which the cast miraculously brings to vibrant life), but I got the general idea of how brilliant Higgins was, both as a designer and businessman. During the second act, some of the chronology jumps around a bit from 1937 to 1941 to 1944, but Gural makes it clear that Higgins knew how to get his way. Shane LeCocq provides smooth, unobtrusive direction that well-utilizes the Canteen’s space along with apt choreography that illustrates changing dance styles. Harry Mayronne ably furnishes onstage piano accompaniment. Robert Pavlovich astutely conveys Higgins’ can-do spirit. Making a welcome return to a NOLA stage, this actor’s innate affability tones down Higgins’ less appealing moments, keeping the audience always firmly on his side. The five other cast members, which include Kaleb Babb and Sean Riley, effortlessly slip in and out of various roles. Bessie Smith’s Backwater Blues shows off Kathleen Moore’s smoky voice to great effect. Chloe Vallot does a cute job with Swingin’ on a Star while, during a passage as Higgins’ youngest daughter, Haley Bowden fetchingly expresses reflections of what it was like when the family lived on Prytania Street. Despite its clunky title, Higgins: The Man, The Boat, The War ought to be seen by all our local schoolchildren (I don’t suppose a Higgins boat could transport the cast to schools in the area) as well as anyone interested in how we won World War II and the New Orleans connection to our victory. Before the show, I enjoyed a terrific brunch from the American Sector’s kitchen. It began with a tangy Caesar

Salad; if the dressing was lacking (I prefer a heavy pour), that was quickly remedied by the ever-efficient staff. My Crispy Boneless Fried Chicken Breast was slightly tough but otherwise, with its andouille gravy, excellent; its accompanying sweet potato hash had a subtle kick, the roasted Roma tomato bestowed a nice touch, and the entire dish served up delicious country heartiness. The praline pecan creme brulee dessert was absolutely scrumptious. And harpist Ashley Toman’s playing of music from the great American songbook during the brunch equaled the tastiness of the meal.

keep an audience fully involved for Legend’s nearly two-and-a-half hour running time. Instead, McElligott offers a strange combination of Story Theatre and Monty Python that plays like an off-putting dream in which you go to a NOLA Project show that’s bizarre in ways you wouldn’t expect. There’s a Slovenian housekeeper, middling slapstick, references to the Hi-Ho Lounge and other local sites, and a running gag involving Sheena Easton whose fifteen minutes of fame passed many, many years ago. McElligott seems to acknowledge his script’s lack of clarity by having one character ask “I’m sorry, what’s going on?” and, later, another baldly declaim “We’re all a bit confused.” Even a kid, brought on stage as part of a demonic dream ballet (don’t ask) was heard to say “This is a little weird.” Act Two offers less silly, pulled-inby-the-seat-of-its-pants shtik and more straightforward, properly ghoulish storytelling and, as a result, is much more enjoyable. Part of the blame for this overall muddle must go to Leslie Claverie who directed. Claverie is one of this town’s most talented actresses but, as a director, she’s relatively inexperienced. As such, she would have been well-advised to have gotten McElligott to trim his script down to 90 minutes which seems like a more suitable running time for such light-hearted fare.

The cast works overtime to keep this folderol afloat. By turns worried and impatient, Keith Claverie is marvelous as always as he locates the character-based humor of his various roles. Natalie Boyd employs a gleefully wry approach even as she’s just a head in a wheelbarrow. Anna Toujas, portraying a shy understudy who’s gotten involved with the production “for therapy”, comes into her own in the second act when she relates The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with the help of three of her dearly departed castmates’ heads. Maryam Fatima Foye and Matthew Rigdon as the evening’s putative producer and stage manager, respectively, each add to the ridiculousness, while Trina Beck, as the lone surviving member of the LPO, displays yet another talent of hers by playing the flute to comedic effect. Admittedly, youngsters in the audience laughed throughout the performance at fart jokes and similarly jejune bits, but virtually the only moment that elicited a big smile from me was when one character spoke of “conjuring a devil” and, with perfect timing, a racoon entered upstage, lingered and, finally, moved on. Leave it to Mother Nature’s trickery to supply the perfect treat. Please send press releases and notices of your upcoming shows to Brian Sands at bsnola2@hotmail.com.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden through Nov. 10

The NOLA Project and playwright Pete McElligott have gifted this city with two of the finest, most memorable productions it has ever seen with Adventures in Wonderland and The Three Musketeers, his adaptations of classic novels. Alas, while thoroughly appropriate for the Halloween season, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, McElligott’s retelling of four short Washington Irving stories now playing in City Park, doesn’t provide as much pleasure as his previous efforts. Unlike with Wonderland and Musketeers, McElligott doesn’t seem to trust his source material which includes Rip Van Winkle, The Spectre Bridegroom and The Devil and Tom Walker as well as the title tale. So instead of giving us his take on Irving, he opts to frame the vignettes as a NOLA Project production that has been haunted by an evil spirit that’s been on a killing spree. That might have been fine, but after an overlong general introduction, during which we’re repeatedly told “not to panic”, we get more talk about Irving himself. Even that might have been okay, but McElligott’s script is neither funny enough nor scary enough to

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 15

THE HERE AND THE NOW Fight or Flight: The Impact of Chaos Catherine Roland catherineroland12@gmail.com For those of you, who may be tired of the political ads from all sides, spewing negativity and inaccuracy every day, I offer empathy and join you in your probable annoyance. Sadly, for the next few weeks, our area will be inundated with partisan politicos, stumping rallies, group grousing, and mailings to convince us to give support to…whomever. During the past two months, it has almost seemed as though the only thing that was chaotic was the local election buzz, and the world was calm (NOT!). Looking out now, however, I see chaos at every level, local, state, regional, national, and of course, international. It appears that we could be on the brink of at least one war (yet again). Our government is back-pedaling, an impeachment procedure is mounting, and climate change is burning homes and placing fear in our hearts. Between Turkey’s assault on the Kurds (our former allies!), and continuing immigration issues here even the most positive of us could feel down, angry and frustrated. So how do we stay positive and remain open to all, and accepting of those not like us? Do we stay where we are and work to change things, or

leave for what is never really “a better place”? That’s the question: Fight or flight? Do we hang out with a few friends, stay inside, and generally tune out, OR do we fight? Governmental and transitional life chaos does affect us all in various ways. Many of us would like to steer clear of ‘news,’ however, that’s sometimes impossible. Our friends, family, and others we deal with can be affected, and thus confusion affects our trying to live life. Once a month, I facilitate CoffeeTalk for NOAGE on a Saturday morning in the CrescentCare building on Elysian Fields. This past Saturday, October 12, a building partially collapsed in downtown New Orleans; three people didn’t make it out alive, and many were injured. As I write this, the building is still being examined to see if it might collapse any further. This got a bit too close for our guest speaker that morning, a dear friend of mine, who was supposed to meet me at CrescentCare before the group began, about 9:20 am. At 9:10 am, she texted a photo of the collapse as it was occurring that she took from her condo. She wasn’t

able to get out of the area as they had cordoned it off for safety. It sobered me, and when I shared the news with the group members as they came in, it sobered all of us. We paused a minute, and those who wanted to offer a prayer or positive thoughts to those personally affected did so within themselves. That trauma, and the chaos that followed, was a shock to me. Just that morning, I had tried to vote to no avail because the line was really long and I couldn’t be late to CoffeeTalk. That was about as stressed as I thought I’d be last Saturday. Surprise! The massive Hard Rock collapse stayed in my mind all weekend, especially since my friend continued to keep in touch, informing me that she and other neighbors were being mandatorily evacuated from their homes. On a larger level, several people in the past few days have remarked that they were contemplating relocating to a farm or rural area for ‘safety’, some looking at where else in the world they could live without fear, and then others have stayed kind of stuck in the past – thinking that still, we’re all pretty much safe, so let’s hang out together, relax. It will calm down eventually; I’ve heard that a lot this last week. Again, fight or flight? If the answer is stay and fight, what does that actually mean? My choice is that I’m staying here where, during the next few weeks, I plan to work for the candidate I favor in the Gubernatorial race; contact congressmen and -women to maintain and create more benefits for Medicare; continue to voice my opposition to our seemingly helter-skelter foreign policies as they are pulled back or shifted forward with precious little wise oversight; and try to convince everyone I know to vote and use her/his voice to help make a positive difference. Another way in which chaos affects us could be that our confidence

becomes shaky, or that we question our own self-efficacy concerning our place in society. To use ‘chaos’ and ‘self-efficacy’ in the same sentence might seem diametrically opposed. It’s difficult to capture the confidence necessary to sit in the middle of a chaotic state of affairs, perhaps similar to the current state of affairs as seen in the news every day, because the vulnerability increases as soon as there is less order. And without order, there is chaos of some kind. Thus there is little safety or security, and being able to depend on long-standing tacit agreements of gentility and respect simply do not always work as protection. Again, we have a choice. Will we stay and fight against the apparent new norm of incivility and non-acceptance? We will insist on returning compassion and understanding to our sense of living every day? And what is the alternative? Leaving, which doesn’t necessarily mean physically leaving, but choosing not to react, allowing the hurtful actions around us to blend into the atmosphere, and to not react or acknowledge them. But we DO react, we DO acknowledge, every single time we try to ignore or push back. Those feelings do not evaporate into thin air, and feelings of confusion, fear, revulsion, even disbelief remain with us. Those are the feelings--of chaos and trauma, and of fear and trepidation--we can’t escape, and we cannot run from them because they are part of us. Let’s grab hold of some strength, some certainty about our personal plan for peace, or serenity, or even plain quiet. Stay. Fight. Vote. One more runoff election to go, don’t miss it. Don’t run. Use your influence because you have it – and with that influence, we have power and fortitude. FIGHT or FLIGHT? I fight. And you? Dr. Catherine Roland, LPC, is a therapist in private practice, specializing in our LGBTQ+ community for 25 years. Catherine is a member of the Board of Directors of both CrescentCare-NO/AIDS Task Force, and NOAGE - New Orleans Advocates for LGBTQ+ Elders.

16 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Nola Softball AT THE BOURBON STREET CLASSIC | PHOTOS BY DOUG ADAMS, AMBUSH

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 17

THE ROCKFORD FILES

Holding Out for a Hero Ryan Rockford RyanRockfordNYC@gmail.com Last weekend, Comic-Con descended upon Gotham City. The visitors and residents of midtown Manhattan never felt safer as there seemed to be a superhero on every corner. Comic-Con is an event that I think everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. It’s one weekend of the year where comic book fans of all ages can geek out and let their freak flag fly. Even if you’re not a huge fan of the genre, the spectacle that emerges in and around the walls of Comic-Con is worth a visit. Scores of comic book heroes and villains come to life, to appear and parade around to the delight of wide-eyed children and adults, like myself. I’ve been a Superman fan for as long as I can remember. I gravitated to Superman in particular for several reasons. As a child, who doesn’t want to fly, and Superman could fly. As I got older, I physically looked a lot like Clark Kent, Superman’s alter ego. We both had black hair, blue eyes, similar features and build. Although I didn’t actually need glasses, I saved up to buy

a pair of fake ones, in the thick, black signature style of Clark Kent. Wearing fake eyeglasses, pastel colored sport coats and parachute pants were popular, and regrettable, fashion mistakes of the 80’s that I wish I could take back. Thank God there was no internet or YouTube videos to document the offenses. With adolescence, the parallels between me and Superman seemed to intensify. Superman had a secret, a hidden identity that he didn’t want anyone else to know about. I soon came to realize that I did too. The world needs heroes. Heroes inspire us to improve our lives. They elevate us from the mundane, encourage us to be a better person, and help us calibrate our moral compass. There is no question in my mind that the world needs heroes, but, why? Because a hero expands our sense of what is possible for a human being. The word “hero” comes from the ancient Greeks. A hero, for them, was a mortal who had done something so far beyond what would be considered the normal human experience that he

would leave an indelible memory and can find within ourselves. If the primalegacy behind when he died. That ry qualification of being a hero is being legacy would then receive the same extraordinary – then each of us has the worship and adoration as that of the capacity to be so. We are all extraorGods. Heroes came from vastly differdinary beings, and our power comes ent backgrounds with vastly different from recognizing that. talents, but they were all extraordinary, If we look beyond the supernatural reinforcing that the biggest contribution aspects of our superheroes, they aren’t heroes offer society is a reminder of much different than we are. Don’t we the expansion of possibility. all stand for hope? The hope of peace, What is it about heroes that we of a better life, of a better world? find so fascinating? It has to be more Instead of holding out for a hero than a mask and a brightly colored and waiting for someone else to save costume. Heroes the day, why not offer us an ideal to be the hero yourwork toward. They self? The day will The world needs heroes. show us qualities come when life that we’re missing Heroes inspire us to improve will ask you, “Are and educate us on you ready?” our lives. They elevate what is considered Are you ready right and wrong. to be a hero? Beus from the mundane, They rescue us a hero means encourage us to be a better ing when we are in living a life where need. They can person, and help us calibrate you can identimagically make fy and embrace our moral compass. danger disappear your faults, realand make everyizing that weakthing OK. Heroes ness is not only a give us hope. Heroes strengthen our strength, but also a gift that teaches us morality by reminding us of our morhumility. A hero understands the temptality. They prefer to solve problems tation of power and the desire to feed through intellect, rather than relying on the ego is a constant battle that rages muscle or destruction. We depend on on in everyone and must be contained. heroes to deliver justice. To be a hero means having compasIt’s essential that our society besion for those less fortunate, for the lieves that good things happen to good vulnerable and the defenseless while people and bad things happen to bad also possessing the traits of bravery, people. It’s a simple equation that is courage and teamwork. Heroes know rooted in our country’s belief system that some things, like overcoming opand cemented in place by the Superpression and brutality or protecting man television series of the 1950’s, the wellbeing of family or loved ones, which demonstrated the Caped Crumay include great sacrifice, even to the sader’s unending quest for “truth, juspoint of death. tice and the American way.” Just like the ‘societal misfits’ enPerhaps the most important thing rolled in Professor X’s Xavier’s School that heroes offer us is hope. It’s no for Gifted Youngsters, we are each coincidence that the popularity of suborn with a unique set of gifts. Someperheroes surged in the 1940’s and times our gifts are not readily seen as the WWII era. Heroes offered hope to valuable or worthy. Maybe our gifts are our country during a time when hope deemed by others to be expendable or was at its lowest. Given today’s current inconsequential. As the students at X political climate, inequality issues and Mansion come to realize, and as suconsequences of our country’s healthperheroes remind us, each individual care system and uneven distribution of has an innate responsibility to perfect wealth, we certainly need hope today. their gifts and use them for the greater Perhaps more than ever. good, regardless of another’s opinion. Fortunately, heroes don’t disapHeroes, of both fact and fiction, pear with the last page turn of a graphtend to discover that using one’s gifts ic novel, or the closing ceremony of a towards a self-serving end can have Comic-Con convention. Real life hedisastrous consequences. It’s through roes walk among us, living as everythese mistakes that we define our day people. My number one hero is character, strengthen our integrity my mother. Kind of a cliché thing for and hone our skills and gifts that will a gay boy to say, but in this instance, ultimately define our destiny. A hero’s it’s true. I also consider single parents, power is strongest and best used in the and parents of special needs children servitude of others. A hero resides in all to be heroes. Nurses are heroes as of us, but first we have to believe it. are first responders of any kind. AnyThe next time life beats you down, one running into the fire while everywhen hope seems lost or you’ve fallone else is running out, is a hero in my en onto a dark and dangerous path, book. The men and women who willinstead of being a damsel in distress, ingly serve in our military and volunteer looking to others, waiting to be saved, for the armed forces are heroes. look inside. And when life asks you Heroism isn’t something we can “Are you ready?” only find in others; it is something we Say “Yes.”

18 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Nola Softball AT THE BOURBON STREET CLASSIC | PHOTOS BY DOUG ADAMS, AMBUSH

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 19

Wembley Arena! Carnegie Hall! NOLA at the Orpheum! Brian Sands bsnola2@hotmail.com

Bianca’s October 2019 Performance at Carnegie Hall (Photo Courtesy of Bianca Del Rio)

One night Bianca Del Rio was performing in storied Carnegie Hall. The next night she was in Pittsburgh at a venue with folding chairs. But rather than complaining, Roy Haylock, Bianca’s alter ego, said in a recent interview, “It keeps me real.” Recalling her sold-out evening on NYC’s 57th Street and 7th Avenue, Haylock stated “It’s insane on so many levels. Being a little theater fag, it was a kinda surreal experience.” The evening’s introduction by uber-power couple Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka certainly added to the surreality (“Doogie meets Bianca!”), especially with their joking mention of multiple blow-jobs. Coming out to a standing ovation, Haylock acknowledged how satisfying it was “seeing all these people who’ve seen me when I was performing for free in all the clubs in Hell’s Kitchen,” but after a second of letting that sink in “now you have to take them where you want to go.” Asked about what it was like to be on a stage where Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra and so many other legends have performed, Haylock responded “In the moment, I was a 7-year-old boy going “Oh, my god! Oh, my god!”, but then I just piled into it and went into beast mode.” That beast started off by stating that she was “filling in for Placido Domingo who got fired for using Renee Fleming as a finger puppet.” Bianca then went from one Renee to another as Renee Zellweger’s film Judy had just opened. Standing where Ms. Garland had once stood she pronounced that the singer’s popularity endures because “guys like to cum to the Man Who Got Away.” The RuPaul’s Drag Race winner continued to get big laughs after every

joke even on seemingly verboten topics. Not too many other comics can get away with a line like “Cancer is funny if you don’t have it.” “I love not knowing what’s going to happen, to float without a net,” the Gretna native said with a kind of wicked glee. “And if you’re floating at Carnegie Hall, it’s not too fucking bad.” Yet I wondered how Haylock puts together It’s Jester Joke, his current tour which is coming to the Orpheum Theater here. To get a solid hour of guffaws from hundreds of people can’t be easy. “It comes from a place of just writing things down,” the four-time Ambie Award winner said. “I start with thoughts and themes, and adapt as I go to different countries. What works in Australia may not work at Carnegie Hall. The trick is to have more than you need in your head.” Haylock had notes on a table on stage at Carnegie Hall but that alone provided much humor as he discovered that, unlike at his other venues, absolutely nothing gets done at Carnegie Hall except by union people. That includes moving a table even slightly. A threat to make them the butt of his rapier wit got the union rules relaxed a bit. If Haylock doesn’t cover all of his notes at any given performance, he doesn’t seem to care. “Each night is different,” he said adding, “the trick is to create 10 jokes and hope 9 hit. I like to create hit-and-run comedy. That’s why the topics are so random, you have to maneuver your way through the show’s cycle touching on politics, straight people, Drag Race. It’s basically about being alive in the moment.” What makes Bianca such a brilliant comic creation is that every tilt of her head enhances the words that just came out of her mouth and sus-

Neil Patrick Harris, Bianca Del Rio, and David Burtka (Photo by Sam Kinken)

tains the humor. She knows just how to build a joke whether it’s about conjoined twins or Justin Trudeau. I wish I could give you her bon mots verbatim but they were coming too thick and fast for me to write them down with the precision that such perfectly sculpted lines require for full effect. And I was laughing too hard. In June, I had the pleasure of seeing Haylock in London’s West End production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie when he was getting ready for his Wembley Arena debut, the first time a solo drag queen headlined there. How did it go (besides being a sell-out)? “It was wild, a little--completely--overwhelming.” Despite his having been in the venue before the show, “I didn’t realize how many people would be there [about 14,000] till the lights went on and then went “What the fuck?!” He continued, “But then you just go out and do what you have to do.” Haylock’s innate modesty came out when he then stated with complete sincerity, “I was just flattered that that many people in the United Kingdom know who I am.” He may be flattered but I’m not surprised. With each new show, Haylock has refined his humor and how he delivers it. He’s clearly learned from the late, great Joan Rivers how to construct an act. For Jester Joke, after each new topic, with perfect timing, he would continue with “My best friend who’s a ...” and fill in the blank with whatever group he had just insulted. The result was hilarious, formally brilliant, and allowed him to make fun of

religion, suicide and even people with Down syndrome. One of the other reasons Haylock/ Bianca can get away with so much is that s/he uses a lot of self-deprecating humor and makes it clear that none of it is to be taken too seriously. After his hour-long set, Haylock took questions from the audience and demonstrated the spontaneous wit that’s been honed stiletto-sharp since his days at Oz New Orleans, which got a shout-out of its own at Carnegie Hall. Only the last question seemed to stump him momentarily. Asked which one he’d marry/fuck/kill regarding Trump, Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr, you could sense the wheels in his head spinning for a few seconds before he pronounced “I’d fuck’em all” tho it was clear that he was using “fuck” synonymously with “kill.” Asked about his upcoming appearance in New Orleans on Sunday, November 10, Haylock said he’s “so excited to come home. I’ll make up missing the past few Mardi Gras’s by drinking a lot.” Turning serious, he also stated, “Without New Orleans, I wouldn’t have this career that I have so I look forward to seeing everyone who ever saw me at Oz.” In these days of White House meltdowns and Hard Rock collapses, you don’t want to miss his funnyfunnyfunny show. Trust me. After 90 minutes with Bianca Del Rio at Carnegie Hall, I emerged onto 57th Street with my face hurting from laughing so much. Hope you have a similarly painful experience with Bianca.

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COMMENTARY Louisiana Governor’s Race Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com The results of the Louisiana Govdumpster fire he inherited from his preernor’s race on October 12 were disapdecessor, Bobby Jindal. Edwards has pointing but not surprising. Incumbent managed to turn budget deficits and John Bel Edwards (D) will face Eddie shortfalls into surpluses, improve the Rispone (R) in a run-off election on Nostate’s credit rating, give teachers a vember 16. Primaries in Louisiana are pay raise, restore funding to higher edunique in that if no candidate gets over ucation, increase morale among state 50%, the two top vote-getters, regardworkers (who were demoralized under less of party, face each other in the runJindal), pass criminal justice reform, off. Governor Edwards garnered 46%; reverse Jindal’s anti-LGBT+ Executive Rispone, 27%. Third place finisher Orders, and perhaps most significantRalph Abraham (R), who earned 24%, ly, provide health insurance coverage has endorsed Rispone. That means to millions who had none by accepting Edwards is in trouble. And if Edwards federal money to expand Medicaid. All loses, Louisiana is in trouble. of that will probably be undone if RisMany were hopeful Edwards would pone wins. win in the primary, considering the exRispone is a businessman who has cellent job he has done putting out the never held elected office. During the

COMMUNITY VOICE Halloween Reading: LGBT-Related Horror Fiction Jim Meadows Executive Director, NOAGE info@noagenola.org It’s that time of year again: the temperatures have plunged into the bone-chilling 70s, pumpkin spice has been suffused through all known matter, and Halloween decorations have haunted shelves since August. All you need now is a good, scary book. Come along with me, and I’ll take you on a dark descent through the history of LGBT themes in horror fiction. Late Nineteenth Century: The gothic impulse was still going strong at the end of the nineteenth century when Joseph Sheridan LeFanu’s novella, Carmilla (1872) gave us literature’s first lesbian vampire. The narrator describes a typical encounter with the titular tormentor: “Her hot lips traveled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, ‘You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one forever.’ Then she had thrown herself back in her chair, with her small hands over her eyes, leaving me trembling.” Pretty racy stuff for the Victorian age. The antihero of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) is a beautiful, conceited, hedonistic young man who makes a wish that his portrait should age while he should remain eternally young. (What could go wrong?) The homoerotic content in Wilde’s original manuscript was removed from its initial publication in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in 1890, and was further censored the next year with its first publication in book form. In fact, the original, uncensored manuscript was first published in 2011, by Harvard University Press. And even

that version (edited and annotated by Nicholas Frankel) is only easily accessible now as an e-book. Early Twentieth Century: Ghost stories have been around since the emergence of human sentience, but reached their apotheosis around the turn of the twentieth century in the works of Montague Rhodes James. James was a scholar of medievalism whose ghost stories began as a hobby, originally written to entertain his friends on Christmas Eve. His first collection, Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, was published in 1904, and was followed by three others. If you want to experience supernatural terror in its highest form ever set in ink, read them all. The subject of M.R. James’ sexuality has been debated, but I’ll just put it this way: He was a “confirmed bachelor” who served as provost at King’s College, and then at Eton, for decades. There is less debate about Edward Frederick Benson, who competed as a figure skater, wrote in his diaries about falling in love with his fellow male students at Cambridge, and shared an Italian villa with an associate of Somerset Maugham. A contemporary of M.R. James (though not his equal), he published dozens of supernatural tales between 1912 and 1934. The best of them are available in the 2012 collection, Night Terrors: The Ghost Stories of E.F. Benson. Mid- to Late-Twentieth Century: I only include one author for this era, but while I’m certainly omitting some well-deserving LGBT authors of macabre stories, Patricia Highsmith is truly

primary, he wrapped himself around Trump and accused Abraham, a Republican Congressman, of not supporting Trump enough. Edwards enjoys widespread bipartisan support as an effective leader with a record of accomplishments. An overwhelming number of Republican elected officials, including many Sheriffs and District Attorneys, endorsed Edwards. The problem is that uneducated voters, which is to say most voters in Louisiana, are susceptible to being exploited by partisan smear tactics. In addition to proclaiming his fealty to Donald Trump incessantly in television commercials, Rispone took a page right out of the GOP playbook and based his appeal to rural voters on god, guns, and gays—three “issues” which have absolutely no bearing on the quality of Republican voters’ lives, but which do trigger emotional responses. Can Edwards win? The answer

depends upon voter turnout. Roughly 46% of registered voters voted in the primary. That may seem low but it’s much higher than the 39% turnout in the same race four years ago. Nevertheless, the fact that less than half of registered voters actually bothered to vote is pretty depressing. Given the lack of a red-hot, radioactive issue that motivates voters to turn out, voter apathy is always a problem. The only truly controversial issue in this race was Governor Edwards anti-choice position with regard to women’s reproductive rights. By coming out as “pro-life,” and having no prochoice candidates in the race, many pro-choice proponents may have chosen to just stay home on election day. Much is at stake. A Rispone administration would essentially be a return to the failed policies of Bobby Jindal. That would be tragic for Louisiana.

in a class of her own. Her first novel, Strangers on a Train (1950), was adapted for the screen by Alfred Hitchcock, but she is perhaps best known for the creation of that irrepressible psychopath, The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955). There are homoerotic undertones in these and other works by Highsmith, who was never publicly open about her sexuality. She wrote, pseudonymously, what has been described as the first lesbian novel with a happy ending; originally entitled The Price of Salt (1952), it was the basis of Todd Haynes’ 2015 film, Carol. She continued to publish until her death in 1995. Late Twentieth Century to the Present: Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (1976) cannot be excluded here. Even though it was the first and last book of The Vampire Chronicles I was able to get through, there’s no question that it has had a profound influence on our culture, and is one of the most homoerotic popular novels ever published. Clive Barker is probably more well-known for his work as a director and screenwriter; Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hell-Bound Heart, was his directorial debut, and is a classic of horror cinema. He first rose to prominence as a writer with The Books of Blood (1984-85), and has continued to horrify us with his books, films, and visual art to the present day. Many of these works featured LGBT-related themes long before he came out as gay in the 1990s. William Hopfrog Pugmire described himself as “the Queen of Eldritch Horror,” and was described by S.T. Joshi as “the prose-poet of the horror/fantasy field.” Pugmire’s works were heavily influenced by the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft. His first collection, Tales of Sesqua Valley, was published in 1997. He died in March of

this year. Poppy Z. Brite is the pen name of Billy Martin, who has been quoted as identifying as “a gay man that happens to have been born in a female body.” His best-known novel, Lost Souls (1992), features a trio of vampires on a road trip to New Orleans. Martin has lived in New Orleans since the early 1990s, but retired from writing about ten years ago. Speaking of New Orleans-based authors, Greg Herren and Jean Redmann (who are both more well-known for their mystery and crime fiction) co-edited Night Shadows: Queer Horror in 2012. Herren also edited Shadows of the Night: Queer Tales of the Uncanny and Unusual (2004). Both of those collections were nominated for Lambda Literary Awards. The works of Caitlín R. Kiernan cannot be easily categorized, but tend to be - very broadly speaking - within the genres of dark fantasy, science fiction, and horror. She has published, prolifically, since the late 1990s. Her best-known novel is probably The Drowning Girl (2012), which features lesbian and transgender characters. (Kiernan herself identifies as both lesbian and trans). Kiernan’s short stories have been widely anthologized, and her collection, The Very Best of Caitlín R. Kiernan, was published in February of this year. This has, by no means, been an exhaustive history or list. Some of the earliest gothic novelists (Matthew Gregory Lewis, William Thomas Beckford, Francis Lathom, etc.) are believed by some to have been homosexual. There has even been speculation that Bram Stoker wrote Dracula (1897) to explore his “fear and anxiety as a closeted homosexual man during Oscar Wilde’s trial.” Suffice to say, however, that the history of horror is very gay. Happy Halloween!

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SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with New Orleans Pride AT NEW ORLEANS PRIDE CORONATION | PHOTOS BY DOUG ADAMS, AMBUSH

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CHOP CHOP Elevated Bar Food from the Streets of Brazil Charles Pizzo pizzocharles@gmail.com

In my youth, bar food meant nachos, burgers, and pizza—usually greasy. I was young, drunk, and stupid. Now, older yet no wiser, I was intrigued to try what is described as Comida de Rua (Brazilian style street food) at Carnaval Lounge (formerly Siberia). How times have changed. Carnaval offers elevated bar food from Chef Gustavo Naar that could be served in any fine dining establishment. It’s prepared fresh, and the seasonings and sauces are gourmet caliber. With a menu of small plates that run from $4 to $15, it’s affordable. Order as little or as much as you want, and feel free to mix and match. Food is available late night, so skip the drive thru. The vegetarian and vegan options are many and outstanding. Order at the bar. Grab a Brazilian beer or cocktail such as a Caipirinha, then sit and relax. If you time it right, you’ll be treated to live music. When your food is ready, a buzzer alerts you to grab it from the cozinha—Portuguese for kitchen. Cogumelos, sautéed mushrooms with shallots, garlic, rosemary, and demi-glace, were a revelation. They’re

fresh and bathed in a delicious broth, then topped with micro greens. I could see flames rising in the kitchen. Carnaval uses a grill to char the food, giving it caramelization that adds another layer of taste. Vegetais are grilled fresh vegetables served with serrano lemon aioli. What elevates it is the grill, and the sauce, which has a terrific balance of acid and heat. It’s deftly cooked, not overly done. But that sauce, like all of the chef’s sauces and seasonings, had me yearning for more. Picanha is marinated top sirloin, generally neither a tender nor flavorful cut due to its leanness. But the young chef has coaxed every imaginable nuance out of it, and the marinade succeeds in rendering it steak-like even over an open flame. There is no visible fat. A native Brazilian I spoke with in advance told me that it’s authentic. The picanha, like many of the grilled items, are either dipped in or accompanied by molho, a Brazilian vinaigrette. It’s chunky, with bits of onion, peppers, tomato and other goodies swimming in a beautifully balanced sauce.

Chef Gustavo Naar with tender pork spare ribs and fantastic black beans.

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During Southern Decadence, I had heard a hot tip about the Coração De Frango, chicken hearts with fresh sage, rosemary, garlic, and lemon. Before you scream “oh no!,” hear me out. These were luscious, well-seasoned, and nowhere near as strong as liver. The heart is a muscle, so it helps to have good choppers. It comes with a side of farofa, toasted cava root, to mix in with the drippings. The five-ounce gourmet Hamburguer Leo (obligatory bar food and a safe bet for plain eaters) is topped with arugula, tomato, mayo, and pickled red onion on a brioche bun. This is a sophisticated combination. It may look petite, but was filling. It’s served with batatas fritas and garlic aioli dipping sauce. The fries are medium-sized shoestring and crisp. The flavored mayo is subtle and pairs perfectly. Spare Ribs are from pork and dusted with farofa. They are served with black beans, rice, and topped with that same molho. I was stunned by the black beans, a dish I have never liked. They were tender and rich, and the rice was good too. The molho elevated them to another realm. I could not stop eating it (and joked I would take a bath in it). It’s available a la carte, without the ribs. They’re vegan too, which is remarkable given the level of flavor. The ribs are served simply. Gustavo and his crew slow cooks them

Picanha, grilled sirloin steak with molho, a flavor-packed Brazilian vinaigette

Carnaval has a real grill. Even vegetables are elevated thanks to the open flame.

for several hours. Forget fork tender, I could pick the very generous portion apart with just my finger. In the Brazilian style, there is no BBQ sauce or dry rub to which Americans are accustomed. It doesn’t need it (though I might be tempted to order extra molho). If you have the munchies for something sweet, the Creme de Papaia, fresh papaya blended with vanilla cream and topped with Creme de Cassis and a sprig of mint, also shows the sophistication of this kitchen. A shot

over dessert makes perfect sense in a lounge—a refreshing treat for adults. The attention to culinary detail at Carnaval is remarkable, which adds a welcome international addition to the area. Bar food? No, great food. While I ate, David Roe was tickling the ivories in the background. He played Sweet Dreams. As I left, I smiled knowing I would have sweet dreams about this meal. Carnaval Lounge, 2227 St. Claude Avenue near Elysian Fields,

kitchen: Sun – Thurs 5-11 p.m., Fri – Sat 5 – Midnight, all major credit cards, (504) 265-8855, www.carnavallounge. com. Charles Pizzo is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a lifelong foodie. He writes about food that he would recommend to the readers of Ambush. Restaurateurs: fancy the spotlight? There is no charge for editorial coverage; simply email the author to offer a tasting.

COMMENTARY Hard Rock Hotel was Controversial from Start Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com The dramatic collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans re-opens a can of worms. The proposed development was controversial from its inception. 1031 Canal Street for decades was the site of Woolworths, a five’n’dime department store whose lunch counter was ground zero for civil rights protesters in 1960. When it was proposed the Woolworths building be demolished to make room for a new development, historical preservationists and neighborhood activists went ballistic. Despite their objections, however, the Woolworths building was demolished in 2015. Kailas Bros. bought the lot in 2007 and proposed developing a mixed use retail/residential design. At issue was the height of the development. Zoning laws limited new construction to 70 feet. The Kailas proposal was a 200 foot high rise. In 2011, the City Council, over the objections of many who argued the building was too tall and

therefore out of scale for the French Quarter, voted to allow the highrise to go up. A year and a half later, Praveen Kailas pled guilty in Federal Court to overbilling the state’s Road Home program after Katrina in another residential development. Construction on the structure that recently collapsed began in early 2018 after it was announced that the site would house a Hard Rock hotel. The investigation into what caused the collapse is just getting underway. NOLA.com reports that the General Contractor, Metairie-based Citadel Builders has employed 50 different subcontractors on the project. Reporter Jeff Adelson reports, “Workers on the site this weekend said they were with the King Company, listed as working on drywall, and RMS Masonry. RMS Masonry was not on the Citadel list.” A former structural engineer with the development project, Walter Zeh-

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ner, stated: “The one thing I find hard to understand is the collapse started at the rear of the building (by Rampart and Iberville streets) but it wound up, you had collapsed slabs all the way on the front end of the build which is 300 feet away (on Canal Street). So I don’t know how that progression worked like that. I guess that’s part of what the investigation is going to reveal. Logically

it doesn’t make sense it would happen that way. There’s got to be a reason for that to happen, and that’s going to be part of the investigation.” Two questions the investigation will have to answer are whether the site was properly inspected and up to date on all permits. And looming over the investigation of the building collapse is an ongoing, unrelated Federal investigation into corruption at the city’s De-

NEW TO NEW ORLEANS

The Cat Cracks

Robert W Fieseler wordbobby@gmail.com A crack formed in the porcelain of the Cat Lady’s mind as she drank in Johnny White’s. Or maybe it had been there for years, laying dormant—waiting for the right word from the right lips to birth the tectonic tremor that broke the dish. (But let’s also be real, the Lady’s blood type was and is psilocybin; the Pangaea of her consciousness had long split into drifting continents.) Regardless, the Cat Lady sat alone in the bar on her 58th birthday, tabby on her shoulder, drinking a glass of house Chardonnay when a palm reader approached. She wore her typical black slip. Her hair frizzed into a natural fro, and her face gleamed with aquamarine makeup. Per usual, no

shoes concealed the soles of her hobbity feet, which she bounced playfully from a high bar stool as she bopped along to the music. As the bar was dark, and the street cat upon her shoulders had fallen asleep like a shawl, the psychic couldn’t read from a mere glance that this aged Merry Prankster might be possessed by the souls of the thousand dead hippies she’d fucked to death. She absolutely was the worst mark you could pick. However, hearing it was her birthday from the bartender, the psychic grasped her upturned hand and offered a free reading, which the Cat Lady accepted. He examined its crags and theatrically said “ooh” and

partment of Safety and Permits. According to the Lafayette Daily Advertiser, “One city inspector was indicted two months ago after being accused of accepting bribes for favorable inspection reports between 2012 and 2019, and in September, two from the office were suspended in conjunction with the probe, according to media reports.” In addition to possible corruption,

others are questioning the competence of those working on the project. Not long ago, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union protested the construction site because of its use of unlicensed electricians. Whatever the investigation reveals, the city should rethink the whole project.

“uh-oh” in response to topographic elements, no doubt zigzagged with cat claw scratches. Finally, the man spoke: “You’ll live to be 115.” Hearing this pronouncement, the Cat Lady screamed, and the cat on her shoulders, awakening to its owner in a panic, lunged and attacked the reader, who was forced to toss the feline to the floor. (Unsurprisingly, the cat landed perfectly.) It must have been something for the psychic to realize he’d been attacked not by this woman but by a creature she’d been wearing. The bar went silent as the psychic ran bleeding to the john, and the Cat Lady shrieked and shrieked until the bartender refilled her Chardonnay. She downed it with a gulp, wiped her hand across her face and proclaimed, “Man, if I’m gonna live to be 115, I really better start taking care of business.” ~~~~~ I caught up with her the next morning as I walked my dog past her un-

mistakable abode, with the “SUPPORT THE ARTS, HELP KEEP CRAZY PERSONS OFF THE STREETS” sign and the flaking pink paint. “Good morning,” I said. “How are you?” “Fine, well, except for this nervous breakdown,” she answered. “Did you see all the glass?” She pointed to the sidewalk in front of her house, where no glass presently shimmered. “No,” I responded, and knew better than to inquire further. I meant to cut the Cat Lady off before she strolled through one of her emotional hellgates, but she leapt soles-first into the flames before I could impede the story. She apprised me of what happened with the palm reader the previous evening. “You know what it was? It was one last straw on this camel’s back,” she elucidated, pointing a thumb past her bony shoulders. “And a single word took over my head: Purge.” For months, the Cat Lady had been

26 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

gathering antique windows to paint into faux stained-glass mosaics. Word got out, and people began bringing what amounted to a deluge of free windowpanes to her place. “I’d been asking the universe for years,” she laughed madly. “And of course, there’s God going, ‘Well here’s your order!’” Soon, the stacks of panes overwhelmed her hallway, her side porch with the cat dishes, and the kitchen table where she painted. Rushing home from Johnny White’s on her birthday, laden with the knowledge that she’d live to see 115 with all of those windows, those

fucking un-manifested hallucinations, those “partial-birth abortions,” she began weepily, noisily throwing all of her art and art supplies through her front door onto the street. It was as if all of her lights had become weights, and all of the treasures in her porcelain mind had cracked like eggs and surrendered their gleam. Three next-door neighbors, alerted to the showering cascade of glass but loath to call the police on a friend (this is New Orleans), sprinted outside to find the Cat Lady weeping and apoplectically staring at her mess. Snapping their fingers and ringing a cat bell

COMMENTARY

American Things Lynn Stevens Before Trump was even elected there was talk that something funny was going on with Russia. Bob Woodward writes about it in his book, Fear: Trump in the White House. It’s first mentioned almost in passing as some far-off threat that might not be anything serious. But as soon as James Comey began his investigation, people on the left started making allusions to the Watergate scandal. In a way it makes perfect sense, aside from the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal in the late 90’s we don’t have many other instances where talk of “impeachable offenses” has been taken seriously. In retrospect we know Nixon was guilty of covering up the Watergate break-in at the D.N.C. We know that when he said, “People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I am not a crook,” that he was telling half-truths and whole fantasy to the American public. We know Trump has fibbed and lied and has been boisterous and “un-presidential,” but the jury is still out, so to speak, on impeachment. However, there does appear to be hard evidence of campaign finance violations. According to an article by the Associated Press it is “a violation of federal campaign laws to solicit anything from a foreign government to help a campaign.” The “quid pro quo” is hinted at in text messages between Trump aides and Ukraine diplomats released last week. There’s also that interview with George Stephanopolous earlier this year, where the president stated that he would “want to hear” information from a foreign country about an opponent during a campaign before notifying the F.B.I. In 1972, many Americans, if they cared about Watergate at all, took it as a certainty that this was just how politics worked. Maybe on a subconscious level the public understood that

the people in power are just people who, like all of us, can give in to the lure of power and corruption and do great feats of generosity and service. Currently, Nancy Pelosi continues to claim that public support still doesn’t exist for impeachment proceedings although recent polls show that might be changing. One thing that we have now that they didn’t have then is a framework for how to impeach a president. In the 70’s the last president to be impeached was Andrew Johnson more than a hundred years before. No one knew exactly what “high crimes and misdemeanors” meant. An obscure book called Impeachment: The Constitutional Problems written by Raoul Berger and coincidentally published only months before the Watergate break-in helped the 38 House members who would vote on whether to impeach the president or not understand how the process should work. They came to the conclusion that “high crimes” did not mean breaking the law, especially since a criminal code didn’t even exist when the constitution was written. A “high crime” could be just an abuse of power, a political crime. To some in Washington, the Ukraine affair is a clear overstep of presidential power yet, to others it has already been written off as more liberal overreaching now that the Russia investigation has amounted to little. Trump at one point said all this impeachment talk would help him in the next election and Democrats have admitted that talk of impeachment is politically risky. Risky because the election is just over a year away and no president has ever been removed from office by impeachment. Nixon resigned before the impeachment vote. Clinton and Andrew Johnson were impeached by the House but not the Senate. Put simply, it’s a mess. In some ways, President Trump is

to attract her attention, they distracted her with questions about her youngest tabby while one of them peeled off, snuck into her house, and hid the rest of her art behind a sofa. The others alternately took turns hugging her and sweeping up the shards. Eventually, they lifted her in her slip (she was paper-thin, and they worried she’d cut her bare feet), carried her to a nearby porch and poured her another Chardonnay. Sip by sip, she said, she’d glued her head back together—and regrasped the thread of her birthday. I let her finish her story and ran, I admit. It was fucking 8:30 in the morn-

ing. The next time I saw her, a drizzle set in above just as the sun set pink, refracting what the Cat Lady called “popsicle colors” across the grey. I ran on my way to the river and waved just as she stood dancing, eyes closed, in the rain.

a reflection of the so called millennial generation. He shirks customs and tradition. He laughs in the face of “polite culture” and brags about it on Twitter. Yet, he’s polarizing in a time where most things in the mass consciousness are middle-of-the-road by design. As much as millennials might want to deride American policy or the presidency or traditions as a whole, whether that be Christmas or gender, the majority of the public still expects a president to act “presidential”, whatever that means. Much like Christmas: We still want to celebrate it even though we know the truth about Ol’ Saint Nick. One of the slogans Ronald Reagan used during the 1980 presidential campaign was: “Make America Great Again.” Trump has hung his hat, pun intended, on MAGA and many have poked holes in this idea. They ask, “When was America great? During the genocide of indigenous people? Slavery?” and so on. The writer, economist, political scientist, Francis Fukiyama claimed that the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki marked the high point of history and we have been in steady decline since. The callous will point to the repackaging of culture and fashion from previous decades sold again to the masses as evidence of this devolution but nostalgia is good business (Stranger Things anyone?). It’s no great surprise that Trump would re-use a well loved president’s slogan just as it’s no great surprise that some on the left wanted so badly for The Russia probe to be their Watergate. In the long view America has had 230 years of American presidents. Even if he’s reelected Trump will only be commander in chief for 3% of the country’s history. Fortunately we live in a democracy where we vote and representatives in the Electoral College make their votes based on our votes. Still, we focus so much attention on the presidency that we lose the forest for the trees. We listen to politicians give us stump speeches on the things they will do and we forget that

they can’t just write policies and make them laws. That’s why we have Congress and we hardly pay attention to them at all, except to whine about how they don’t get anything done because they can’t agree. Since 1932 only about half of American’s, on average, vote in presidential elections and even less in local elections which have a much greater bearing on our daily lives. In a sense we’ve resigned ourselves to a fate of “people ruled” rather than staking a claim in our elected officials. We all have a voice and we should start using it because at this point it appears that Donald J. Trump might not be the president we want, but he’s the president we deserve.

Robert W. Fieseler is the author of Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation, which won the 2019 Edgar Award in Best Fact Crime. He lives with his husband and dog in New Orleans.

Our legacy is yours. New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE) provides services and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender older adults in the New orleans metro area. We host regular social events for LGBT older adults and their allies, and we provide cultural competency trainings for healthcare and other service providers. To learn more, visit www.noagenola.org, or call (504) 517-2345

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INTERVIEWS FROM KEY WEST Your Guide to Fantasy Fest 2019: The Second Half Kevin Assam kevin-assam@hotmail.com Key West’s wildly popular festival celebrates its 40th year of creative masterpieces and whimsical debauchery. This year’s theme, “In Tune But Off Key,” ushers in a season full of musical jaunts and genre bending displays. Here is your guide to the second half of this costumed extravaganza. Masquerade March Oldtown Oct 25th | 5.30PM It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No. It’s actually your bicurious neighborhood doctor in platform heels and an Elton John Rocketman get up. The locals take over for this feet first, automobile free version of Saturday’s theatrical displays. Come make your way through the historical sites of Key West starting at Oldtown Cemetery on this costume-fueled self-guided walking tour you never could quite imagine back in the Midwest or wherever you fled. Colloquially known as the Locals Parade, it carries all the pomp and costuming of the following day’s debauchery, just on foot. Grab free drinks and unsolicited advice along the way from cheering residents and businesses that are kind enough to quench your thirst but not so kind as to allow you bathroom privileges. It’s delicious mayhem that shows the island’s creativity at its finest. Naturally, there’s a super secret infamous pre-party happening somewhere in the vicinity. Best of luck finding it! What to look for: Egyptian gods

on stilts and pimped out tricycles with surround sound boom boxes. They signal the funnest groups and the fastest ways to cut through the crowds. The Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade Whitehead St & Duval St Oct. 26th | 7PM Crowds stretch from the Gulf to the Atlantic in a frenzied bid to catch beads that cost 1/1000th the price of your VIP seating. It’s the shorter version of Mardi Gras! The 40th anniversary’s theme “In Tune But Off Key” will empty Amazon warehouses across the country of shiny disco wear and mauve synthetic wigs. If you’re lucky enough to know someone who knows someone who owns a house big enough to park a flatbed, getting onto a spectacular float can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not keen on roving the street in front of news reporters? Stay above the masses with all-inclusive balcony and patio parties across the strip at restaurants and bars ready to gouge last-minute purchasers. We recommend grabbing a view closer to Front Street, long before intoxicated revelers become exasperated. Since it all concludes within an hour or so, you won’t be held captive too long on this marquee night of the festival. What to look for: That one guy who thinks this is the best time to propose to his partner. Entries by WeBeFit and the Mystick Krewe of Key West.

The Rocky Horror Show 310 Wall St | Waterfront Playhouse Oct. 19th – 25th Why not? You’ve seen it just about everywhere else. Come view the theatrical version put on by one of the weirdest cities in the continental US. The sharp-tongued and delightfully wicked local performer Christopher Peterson leads the key weird crew of misfits for this intimate and bizarre retelling. No word yet on whether a motorcycle will barrel through the audience, but on this island of misfit toys, you can expect some hilarious spins on this iconic tale. What to look for: All the locals you won’t run into for another year.

Too

Surfers and Sirens Party 610 Greene St | Breakfast Club,

Oct 25th | 8PM One of the newest restaurants and the recently debuted Key West Mermaid Festival team up to present their first annual post-parade shindig. The ecstasy of the Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade can disorient even the most seasoned revelers. The addition of this Surfers and Sirens ball keeps the momentum going at a time when scattered partiers may want to wind down. Given its infancy we’re not quite sure what to expect, but mermaid aficionado Kristi Mills has a knack for setting the bar high. We’re curious to see how one maneuvers thirty pound of pros-

thetic tails on the dancefloor. What to look for: That one soul who comes dressed as Ursula not knowing the 1989 version was based off of infamous drag queen Divine. That puts you on the rainbow spectrum, darling. Fat Lady Sings Tea Dance 1125 Duval | La Te Da Oct 27th | 4PM The last official event of Fantasy Fest 2019! This is your final - and possibly best - shot to reach out and connect with that cute queer before they return to whatever frozen tundra they call home. This is an all-inclusive dance fest with historical ties to the LGBTQ+ community. While you may not hear to latest remix of Lizzo, you will undoubtedly get to relive such illustrious divas as Donna Summer, Madonna, Tina Turner, and Cher. Above all, a tea dance is a feel good celebration with a nod to less turbulent times. What to look for: Bourgeois queens who think mother’s pearls elevate them above the peasants. Your future partner! 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.

BOOK OF THE MONTH The Fourth Courier Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com Current affairs aside, I love a good political thriller. And my book of the month for October delivers some perfect escapism from our present reality. The Fourth Courier written by Timothy Jay Smith is a fabulous read. The action takes place in post-Cold War Warsaw circa 1992 after the Communist era has ended. Smith does a wonderful job in setting the scene; his description of the Polish city is mesmerizing. His intricate and detailed storytelling places the reader in the midst of all the action. There has been a series of grisly murders that has brought international attention because the victims may have been couriers smuggling nuclear material out of the defunct Soviet Union. The FBI sends agent Jay Porter to help with the investigation. With the

death of the fourth courier, Jay learns that a portable atomic bomb has disappeared and the action intensifies. After teaming up with Kurt Crawford, a CIA official, the race is on to find the bomb before it ends up in the wrong hands. The unique twist in this spy thriller is that Porter is straight and white and Crawford is gay and black. Like a good Bond novel, the agents sexual dealings play an integral part of the storyline. And there is one very enjoyably homoerotic chapter in the weight room that has me hoping for them to turn this book into a movie. All kidding aside, The Fourth Courier is an exciting thriller that will have readers voraciously devouring the pages from start to finish. I love discovering writers whose works I have never had the chance to enjoy. After reading

this novel, I will definitely be looking into Smith’s other books. Smith has won top honors for his novels, screenplays and stage plays in numerous prestigious competitions. Fire on the Island won the Gold Medal in the 2017 Faulkner-Wisdom Competition for the Novel. Previously, he won the Paris Prize for Fiction (now the Paris Literary Prize) for his novel, A Vision of Angels. His stage play, How High the Moon, won the prestigious Stanley Drama Award, and his screenplays have won competitions sponsored by the American Screenwriters Association, WriteMovies, Houston WorldFest, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Fresh Voices, StoryPros, and the Hollywood Screenwriting Institute. He is the founder of the Smith Prize for Political Theater. For more information on Timothy Jay Smith and his work, go to www. timothyjaysmith.com.

Cover of The Fourth Courier written by Timothy Jay Smith

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BOOK REVIEW Orange Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com

Oranges. Gary Eldon Peter. New Rivers Press, 2018. 157 pgs. $18.00. Oranges is Gary Eldon Peter’s debut collection of short stories and traverses, in linked tales, the life of Michael, a gay man from the Midwest who must find his own confusing path to adulthood after personal loss. Michael is confronted with a number of challenges, including coming to terms with his sexuality in the age of AIDS,

facing his family’s difficulties accepting him, dealing with the death of his mother and the aging of his father, and starting over after losing a partner. Novelistic in scope, Oranges is about the never-ending search for connection, validation, intimacy, and, above all, love. Gary Eldon Peter’s short stories have appeared in Water~Stone Review, Great River Review, Queer Voices, and other publications. His linked short story collection, Oranges, won the 2016 New Rivers Press Many Voic-

es Project competition in Prose, the 2019 Midwest Book Award, and was a finalist for the 2019 Minnesota Book Award and the 2015 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. It was also shortlisted for the 2019 Adult Literature Award sponsored by the Friends of American Writers Chicago. His story, “Wedding,” was performed on Selected Shorts, the long running and distinguished National Public Radio series featuring short fiction read by distinguished actors from film, television, and the Broadway stage. Gary’s other awards include a McKnight Artist Fellowship for Writers/ Loft Award in Creative Prose as well as two Minnesota State Arts Board grants. He has been awarded artist residencies to the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, the Millay Colony for the Arts, the Ragdale Foundation, the Virginia Center for the Creative

Arts, the Golden Apple Art Residency, the Tofte Lake Center, the American Academy in Rome, the Hawthornden Castle International Retreat for Writers, and the Anderson Center. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College as well as a JD from William Mitchell College of Law. He has worked as a judicial law clerk and as a lawyer in private law practice, and spent many years working in the legal publishing industry. He is currently a faculty member in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota, where he teaches courses in writing, law and popular culture, and the future of work and technology to both undergraduate and graduate students. Gary’s current writing projects include a new collection of short stories and a novel.

MOMENTS IN GAY NEW ORLEANS HISTORY The Gentlemanly Last Years of George Dureau Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com I recently had an especially memorable and quite perfect lunch with Katie Nachod. Although Katie is a longtime reference librarian with a career’s worth of experience at Tulane Univer-

sity and the Louisiana Supreme Court Law Library, and although I serve as President of the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, and although we both have degrees in English, and although

we have several mutual friends, we did not meet to discuss anything regarding library sciences, the glories of literature, or mutual-friend gossip. Rather, our luncheon meeting was all about the late, great George Dureau. While Friends of Dorothy and Quarterites of a certain age will surely remember Dureau, young readers may not be familiar with him. Dureau died in 2014 after a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Born in 1930 and raised in New Orleans, Dureau was a classically-trained artist and photographer who enjoyed international acclaim. He was also a bona fide French Quarter character—an eccentric, larger than life, gay man whose personality radiated charm and quirkiness. He threw fabulous parties. Katie met George near the end of his life. The two became fast friends and ultimately Katie became his caretaker, of sorts. On a beautiful day, over a leisurely lunch at Café Degas (appropriately enough), Katie regaled me with the enchanting tale of how she became a part of George’s life. It is a case study in serendipity. The lunch was a long time coming. We had met via email over a year earlier through a mutual friend, Peta Mni, who had taken one of my Rainbow Fleur de Lis walking tours on the city’s queer history. After the tour, Peta asked a few questions about George Dureau, whom I had mentioned on the tour, and then told me he had a friend I just had to meet—Katie. The plan was for all three of us to have lunch and listen to Katie reminisce about George. Despite several attempts, our schedules never aligned and Peta, to the

surprise of all who knew him, died suddenly not long after our failed attempts to get together. Fast forward to this summer. Theater critic extraordinaire Brian Sands was having a few people over to watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July and Chris & I graciously accepted his invitation. Among the eclectic assemblage of guests was Katie, who had brought along George Dureau’s half-brother, Don. At the conclusion of a brilliant conversation, Katie and I resurrected our lunch plans. After twenty-something years of working at the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library at Tulane University, Katie took a job at the law library at the Louisiana Supreme Court building in the French Quarter. Each morning, after parking in a lot adjacent to the river, she would walk up Bienville Street before turning on Chartres Street on her way to the courthouse. Each morning, as she walked up Bienville, she noticed George Dureau’s studio/residence. Eventually, George introduced himself and the two developed a morning ritual. She would stop at the studio where George would serve her a pastry. The two would chat for a bit and then, stepping out onto the sidewalk, George would extend his elbow and escort Katie on her one-and-a-half block walk to work. He did the same in the evening when she finished work. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. George’s health gradually declined as he slowly succumbed to Alzheimer’s Disease. In the beginning stages, he could still function although he would sometimes get confused or forget to bathe. Katie accompanied him

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on his wanderings around the Quarter and on regular visits to La Boucherie, one of many French Quarter coffee shops that are no more. Sometimes they would wave toward Canal Street and say hello to Miss Clara, George’s mother. And when the police kept giving George tickets for riding his bicycle the wrong way down Royal Street,

Katie went to the 8th District Police Precinct and explained to them who George was and that he didn’t understand why he was getting citations and they should stop harassing him. They did. When his dementia worsened, Katie organized a group called the “Friends of George,” which consist-

ed of over a 100 people whose lives George had touched. When George was no longer able to live by himself, Katie and the “Friends” raised money and had him placed in an assisted living facility, where he lived until his death on April 7, 2014. After lunch, Katie drove me back to the Quarter. Before she dropped me

off, she left me with one last anecdote that seems to sum up George’s life. She told me that even at the end, in the days before he died, George would occasionally burst forth into song. His musical selection? Nina Simone’s I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl.

BARTENDER OF THE MONTH Joseph Visconti at Good Friends Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com

There are several key skills it takes shay by. He describes Good Friends to be a bartender, but there is one skill as one of the major hubs for the queer I believe is a differentiating factor becommunity. tween a good bartender and a great What he really likes is when a cusone, and that is creativity. My bartendtomer comes in and tells him to make er for the month of October exudes this them something. He gets their flavor in many ways. I am speaking about style like sour or sweet and what alnone other than Joseph Visconti at cohol base they want. Then his creGood Friends. ative juices start flowing and he creJoseph makes six years at this ates a customized cocktail to quench popular LGBT their thirst. And cocktail spot this we all know there Halloween. Hailare lots of thirsty Joseph is one of those ing from Detroit, men who come to he moved to people who excels behind these bars. NOLA eight years When I asked the bar because he loves Joseph ago and like many what he his job which you can tell. loves most about people fell in love with the city. We New Orleans, He told me that it doesn’t are lucky to have his answer did feel like work because he surprise me. It him. I mentioned he was creative, was the humidity. considers his co-workers but that means stays among his friends and he Everyone so much more in moist and we alhis line of work enjoys meeting new people. ways look young, then making preno wrinkles, he mium libations. muses. Cannot His uniqueness argue with that. and charm shine in the way he interNext time you are out and about acts with his guests. He has a bold, in the Quarter, go to Good Friends stand-out personality that spotlights his and see Joseph and try a Fruit Loop. endearing drive. He is professional in You can find him normally working his approach with customers. Wednesday and Thursday starting at 5 Now let’s discuss his cocktail prowp.m. and Friday and Saturday starting ess. He has created one of this city’s at 9 p.m. Good Friends is located at most playfully named drinks, the Fruit 740 Dauphine Street. Loops, using the same slang name as the French Quarter area where most of the gay bars are located. This tasty treat is a combination of spiced rum with melon liquor and fruit juices topped with a little whipped cream. It is just as yummy as it sounds. When he does go out and about, his favorite drink of choice is a Greyhound. Joseph is one of those people who excels behind the bar because he loves his job which you can tell. He told me that it doesn’t feel like work because he considers his co-workers among his friends and he enjoys meeting new people. It is a good thing, because Good Friends is one of the top LGBT bars in the city for locals and visitors alike. It also boasts one of the Apply best balconies to watch the world sa-

Joseph Visconti at Good Friends

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A COMMUNITY WITHIN COMMUNITIES

Gretchen’s Essay

The Very Rev. Bill Terry+ Rector St Anna’s Episcopal Church fr.bill@stannanola.org

Because I have a free rein to write what I want I generally try to honor this by offering thoughts and reflections on our community. This article will expand our community to include our pets. During our last pet blessing a couple of weeks ago we so enjoyed this community of furry barks, howls, and hounds. In each case as the “owner” approached with their friend one could easily see a kinship between pet and “owner.” I say owner but really they are simply friends. Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (11101167, English) said, “Friendship is that virtue by which spirits are bound by ties of love and sweetness and out of many are made one.” I cannot think of any truer statement than this to reflect furry friendship. Meeting Gretchen It was a bright and cool day about six years ago at a pet blessing. Amongst the gathered was a remarkable dog. Long fur, elegant to the eye. She was a long-haired German Shepherd in tow with a rescue lady named Keane. She was brought for a blessing before receiving heartworm treatment. Such treatment is hard on any dog

because it is essentially arsenic injections. As Keane walked out, Gretchen showed an abundance of playful affection towards me. It was astounding to see such a magnificent animal. I told Keane that I’d be interested in being a forever home. After which I promptly forgot about it. About eight weeks later I got a phone call. “Well Fr. Terry, Gretchen is ready to meet you and for me to see if you’d make a good home for her. Can I bring her up to church?” I jumped at the opportunity but I kind of forgot to tell my wife Vicki about all of this. So, in a few short days, Luigi my friend and parish administrator called Vicki up saying “You have got to come to church to meet a German visitor.” Vicki promptly came over. With wagging tail and deep affection, Gretchen found her forever home in just a moment of time. In a recent email exchange, Keane wrote, “She touched me in such a special way. She is THE sweetest, most gentle dog. Everyone from St. Anna’s knew and loved her, she is famous at your church. As you know, she had been so mistreated and had basically given up when she was found. Took a

bit to get her physically up to strength but she never lost her faith in people. That is something always amazing to me about dogs, their ability to forgive. However, as much as she loved all people, she had such a special bond with you. It was love at first sight and she never looked back. “ Gretchen the Church Dog It is true that Gretchen is a very special dog. It is also true that she became “the church dog.” Gretchen would join us for noon day mass settling in behind the altar. If it was a Wednesday evening mass, she would lay down on the side after greeting everyone with her presence. She spent many days with me in my office and as we walked out at the end of the day she was at her best! Her best was to wander among about thirty very high strung, very loud, very jumpy inner-city kids. It is Anna’s Place and the kids are always tuned up. Yet, as she walked through the crowd she would slow and let these kids run up to her and pet her. Some were nervous others simply gleeful. Several of the kids called out “Is she a wolf-dog?” By the time she and I reached the kitchen exit, however, the kids were noticeably quieted and felt a sense of kinship with the dog and a sense of peace. That is Gretchen, “THE sweetest most gentle dog.” So, yes, Gretchen is the church dog. I don’t want you to think, however, that she is a church lady that looks down on our festive city. No, Gretchen has frequented The Pub, The Golden Lantern (of Stanley fame), Mags, and The Phoenix. Gretchen always found a quiet spot, usually in a main walkway, and settled down. She is very fond of the cold cement floors in most of our bars. She is always up for a sniff and “kiss.” Yes, she usually sniffs inappropriately but hey, then she knows you and loves you all the more. Do dogs have a soul? Beyond her social engagement, Gretchen was a soulful source of contemplative expressions. I was once asked during a TV interview if dogs had a soul? St. Augustine said, “the eyes are the windows of the soul.” When I look into Gretchen’s deep

dark brown eyes I see life, a soul that is rich with gratitude and love. Scientifically, it is believed that, every time a dog sees its human friend, its neurotransmitters fire off in the same way as when two people in love look at each other. Both science and intuition say, yes, dogs have a soul. This dog, this friend of mine, is deep and rich in her companionship. Every time I sit on the porch she curls up next to my chair. When I use the sink in the morning, she curls up at my feet; when I dress she is curled up under the dresser; when I am due to come home she stands by the gate or a window waiting for her friend to return. As St. Aelred said, “out of many are one.” Such is the sweet spiritual friendship that I have found in Gretchen. But not only me, she has freely given her love and affection to the patrons of all those bars. She has readily given her peace to rowdy children who have found her peace. She has so often given her quiet confidence to people who worship on weekdays. That is Gretchen the Church Dog. It has been a rough Fall for us. We have helped two of our friends, Betsey the Shih Tzu and Heidi the Shepherd, cross the rainbow bridge. Now it will soon be Gretchen’s time because she was just diagnosed with Canine Osteosarcoma which is an aggressive cancer of the bone that spreads quickly. So, soon she and I and all of those that she has touched will part company but we will always remember her. Comfort measures are being aggressively given because when she still looks up it is not in pain but in the pleasure of the company that surrounds her. But soon it will be time. This article is an essay not just about Gretchen but about our human condition. Should we not all behave like Gretchen, free to love freely? This essay is a reflection of all of the people who have furry friends. Each fur baby adopts her people. Yes, they will look at you and in them you will see true unconditional love. So, to all of the people and all of the furry friends, “God saw all that he had made and it was good.” More than good it was perfection (at least in a dog’s life).

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SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at Gulf Coast Equality Fest AT GULF COAST EQUALITY FEST | PHOTOS BY DWAIN HERTZ, AMBUSH

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HEALTH & WELLNESS HEALTH & WELLNESS Free Patient Program Helps Battle Chronic Illnesses Chenier Reynolds-Montz Director of Outreach & Development for Access Health Louisiana CReynolds@accesshealthla.org Millions of Americans suffer from chronic illnesses that impact how they live, work and play in their daily life. While some health problems are genetic, experts believe that a lot of illnesses are influenced by poor diets, work stress, trauma or lack of exercise. Currently in the United States, more than 30 million Americans have diabetes. 1.5 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed annually according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). One out of three Americans have high blood pressure according to the American Heart Association and another 40 million adults in the U.S. suffer from anxiety disorders according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Many people not only battle one illness, but have two or more chronic illnesses impacting their lives. Physicians across the country are working to find safe, proven methods of helping patients set health goals and

achieve them. One of those proven methods include Chronic Care Management or CCM. You can ask your healthcare provider what types of CCM programs they offer if you suffer from diabetes, anxiety, high blood pressure or even arthritis. In 2018, Access Health Louisiana (AHL) initiated a CCM program for its patients. Within the first 10 months of enrollment, 53% of patients saw a decrease in their weight, 55% decreased their body mass index (BMI), 71% lowered their A1C levels, and 92% saw a decrease in the PHQ-9 score. PHQ stands for Patient Health Questionnaire. The PHQ-9 test scores for depression. AHL’s program pairs patients who enroll with a personalized health coach. The health coach helps the patient set attainable health goals and shows them ways to achieve and maintain those goals. “The patient starts to build

more of a one-on-one relationship and you can see over time how that builds,” says Chatrian Kanger, Vice President of Population Health at Access Health Louisiana. “The CCM program allows us to provide a little more support outside of the doctor’s office for patients. The health coach helps build on your visit with your Primary Care Physician by creating a care plan.” The CCM health coaches also coordinate your care between specialists, testing centers, hospitals and even your pharmacy. “They do a great job reminding me when my medications are due for refills, as well as finding me the best prices on my medications,” says a patient of the Washington Community Health Center. As an added patient benefit, the Access Health Louisiana Pharmacy offers free delivery of your medication to your home.

To enroll in AHL’s CCM program, you must be an AHL patient and have two or more chronic illnesses. All participants receive emergency access to healthcare professionals 24 hours a day/7 days a week. For more information on how to become an AHL patient and enroll in CCM, call toll-free 1-866530-6111. You must have a Medicare Health Insurance card (red, white & blue card) to participate in the CCM program. 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

WELLNESS

I’m a Ghost! Can you see me?

Dr. Andrew Watley Professional Counselor in the State of Louisiana www.drandrewwatley.com Halloween is almost here! It is by far my favorite holiday. It’s the one time of the year that we can be someone completely different than our everyday selves and no one judges you. If you’re like me, you spend months preparing your costume, making sure that this year’s Halloween look is better than the last. But sometimes, there is a beauty in the simplicity of a costume.

I am a huge fan of the ghost costume that consists of an old sheet with two holes cut out for eyes. It is easy, but more importantly, it is cheap! It doesn’t take much effort to become a ghost for Halloween. In fact, some of us are already ghosts at other times during the year, not because we are dressed in a holey sheet, but because other people refuse to see us.

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I enjoy hanging out with gentlemen who are older than I am. One of my best friends is 60 years old. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful our conversations are simply because of the differences, not only in our age, but our race, religious background, and places of birth. One of our last conversations shed a familiar light on an uncomfortable realization. As we celebrated the end of a work week at a local bar with our favorite vodka sodas with a splash of cranberry, we begin to discuss how he feels invisible as an older gentleman in today’s gay society. Although I never thought of my friend as invisible, our conversation did help me to realize that I sometimes make other people “ghosts”. How many times have I completely ignored people who I’m not physically or emotionally interested in? People will message me on Facebook Messenger with a simple compliment and instead of being appreciative of their boldness and sincerity, I typically don’t respond.

I could give a plethora of reasons for my lack of communication that would make me sound good, but in all honesty, it’s the lack of attraction. I have never considered the emotional damage that a simple rejection may have caused to the person on the other side of Messenger. Our conversation led me to think about times where I may have related as a “ghost”. I’m a black man living in a predominantly white, gay New Orleans. The segregation that still exists within our gay community is obvious when you pay attention, but that is a topic for another article. I’ve been overlooked and ignored similar to my friend mentioned above. Despite the reasoning behind it, it doesn’t make me feel good. Shame on me for any time I have made someone feel a similar way. The term “ghosting” is one that is used a lot these days. According to Urban Dictionary, my source for all new phrases that keeps me abreast of the terminology of the younger genera-

tions, ghosting is “when a person cuts off all communication with their friends or the person they’re dating, with zero warning or notice beforehand”. I have been both the perpetrator, shamefully, and the victim of ghosting situations. As the one who “ghosts”, I felt like I was above the other person but as the one who was “ghosted”, I experienced feelings of being degraded. My mind began to be plagued with ideas that I was not worthy of a conversation or explanation to why things would not work between myself and a love interest. Don’t get me wrong, people shouldn’t have to communicate with people who are insulting or threatening. There are some moments when I believe “ghosting” is appropriate, but I think for most cases, we may need to communicate more. Let’s work harder to pull the sheet off of those whom we make to feel invisible. We need to consider the age old lesson “treat others the way that you

want to be treated”. One day, we may be the older ladies and gentlemen at the bars who are having our own problems with invisibility. A smile or a hello can go a long way. We need to eliminate the stigma that is associated with couples who experience an age difference. We preach that “love is love” but we need to start living it! Finally, if you aren’t interested in a person, don’t ignore them. Have the respect to tell them that you’re flattered, but not interested. Kindness is always a choice. Let’s start making it a habit. Dr. Andrew Watley is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Louisiana. His practice is geared toward helping adolescents, members of the LGBTQ+ community and men who experience concerns with their masculinity and body image. More information about Dr. Watley and his practice can be found on his website, www. drandrewwatley.com.

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with CrescentCare AT THE WALK TO END HIV | PHOTOS BY DOUG ADAMS, AMBUSH

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SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with CrescentCare AT THE WALK TO END HIV | PHOTOS BY DOUG ADAMS, AMBUSH

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HOT HAPPENINGS UNDER THE GAYDAR New Orleans Hot Happenings Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com It is my favorite time of the year Fall! Call me a basic bitch, but I love me some pumpkin spice. I also love the entire month of October, the best month of the year and not just because it’s my birthday month, although that helps. But there are so many fun things to do in NOLA. Here are just a few to keep your days (and nights) busy. (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) Happy Hour: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; bargain prices starting with draft beer or Schnapps for only $1.50—plus six more specials. Weekdays: Noon - 7 p.m., Weekends: 10 a.m, - 6 p.m. | Boys dancin’ on the bar nightly 9 p.m. till close.

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: Lafitte Greenway; 6:15 p.m. Join Stonewall Sports New Orleans and NOAGE starting at 6:30 p.m.. Meet for the walk/run at Bayou Beer

Garden. 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. 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. Night of S.I.N.: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; from 9 p.m. till close. Get your S.I.N. (Service Industry

40 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 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 CHARLES PIZZO

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 · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 41

Night) card from Ashlee to unlock Happy Hour prices every Monday night. | Boys dancin’ on the bar 9 p.m. till close. 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. 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 Wednesday Night Karaoke: Cru; 535 Franklin Ave.; 8 - 10 p.m. Join Va-

H N S A R C A E RA T X E

nessa Carr Kennedy and the krewe at Cru NOLA - Raw & Bubble Bar for Wednesday night karaoke in the treehouse. Sing your heart out, enjoy some amazing cocktails, and get some food from the kitchen. 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. Drag Race UK Viewing Party: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave.; 7 p.m. Mama Ru’s in search of the UK’s very first drag race superstar. Prepare for the ride of your life! Join us every Thursday for Rupaul’s Drag Race UK Season 1 Viewing Party at Kajun’s Pub! Laveau Contraire has nvited some of her best squirrel friends to come give insightful commentary, sickening drag numbers, and a healthy dose of SHADE. Don’t get left at the starting line! See you every Thursday at Kajuns Pub for Rupaul’s Drag Race viewing on all 5 TV screens at 7pm! 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.; from 9 p.m. till close. The Hits of the 80’s and 90’s. $3 well vodka drinks and $4 Long Island iced teas. | Boys dancin’ on the bar 9 p.m.

Seeking Self-Starters with Reliable Transportation for Magazine Distribution and Ad Sales

If you are looking for additional income, Apply Now! Send your CV to info@ambushpublishing.com

till close. 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 Dance Contest: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; 10 p.m. Amateurs and pros compete to win cash prizes ($100 winner, $200 if on the first attempt). Open call; guys register with ID (21+) by 9 p.m. | Boys dancin’ on the bar 9 p.m. till close. 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

42 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 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 CHARLES PIZZO

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 · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 43

ALL THAT DRAG Weekly Drag Shows in New Orleans

TUESDAY

Tacos, Tequila, & Tiaras - 8PM - Buffa’s Bar & Restaurant Hosted by Vanessa Carr Kennedy

WEDNESDAY

Show Night - 10:30PM - Oz New Orleans Persana Shoulders presents this production featuring the fabulous ladies of Oz and music by DJ Tim Pflueger. Hello Gorgeous - Every third Wednesday - Southern Rep Theater DeDe Onassis hosts this circus cabaret alongside aerialist Liza Rose that includes contortion, music, drag, and more.

THURSDAY

Turnin’ Da Page - Every other Thursday - 9PM - The Page Serenity L. Lord emcees this bi-weekly marvel

FRIDAY FRID

Misc4Misc - 9PM - Oz New Orleans A weird and wonderful show presented by Apostrophe & Slenderella and featuring a new cast every week. Play Girlz - 10PM - Golden Lantern Hosted by Gia Giavanni Illusions - 10:30PM - The Bourbon Pub The Queens of Illuisons offer up superstar female impersonation

SATURDAY

Drag Brunch - 11AM & 1PM - The Country Club Enjoy bottomless mimosas at one of the most popular drag events in the city. Reservations are recommended. Drag Brunch - 11AM & 1PM - Trinity Swing by Trinity in the French Quarter for a Saturday morning show starring the Ladies of Trinity. Divas R Us - 10PM - Golden Lantern Hosted by Monica Synclaire Kennedy Illusions - 10:30PM - The Bourbon Pub The Queens of Illuisons offer up superstar female impersonation

SUNDAY

Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch - 11AM & 1PM - Cru Bottomless beverages, a decadent brunch prepared by Chef Marlon Alexander, and the talents of Vanessa Carr. Diva Drag Brunch at the Fillmore - 11:30 AM Weekly drag brunch featuring some of New Orleans best drag queens and fun themed shows. The Reba Douglas Jubilee - 5PM - Golden Lantern Hosted by Reba Douglas Divas at the Dive - 5PM - Kajun’s Kajun Pub Hosted by Vanessa Carr Lipstixx - 8PM - The Bourbon Pub Oz Show Night - 9:30PM - Oz New Orleans Hosted by Persana Shoulders Are we missing your show? Email us at info@ambushpublishing.com

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 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 up-

stairs 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 Sinful Sunday: Crossing; 439 Dauphine St.; 5 - 8 p.m. Drink & Drown, $15 well drinks or top shelf & bottled beer $25 - includes free burger cookout. 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!: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; 6 p.m. Play for free to win prizes or bar tabs. Late night: The Barry Bareass Booty Contest, $50 cash prize. | Boys dancin’ on the bar 9 p.m. till close. 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;

44 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 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

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 45

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 TUESDAY 10/22

The Showgirl Adventures of Sabrina: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 10 p.m. m- 1 a.m. Life’s hard for a teenage girl. Some days, you’re worried about passing a math test. Others, you’re compelled to do The Dark Lord’s bidding. At least that’s the case for Sabrina Spellman. She’s got a lot on her plate, but can she handle being a showgirl as well? Let the residents of Greendale cast a different kind of spell on you! Featuring the talents of: Danny Girl, Jake Yster, Juno Juno, Laveau Contraire, Amber Alert and more. Doors: 10 p.m. Show: 10:30 p.m. $10 COVER

THURSDAY 10/24

Hoppy Halloween Party: Port Orleans Brewing Company; 4124 Tchoupitoulas St.; 6 - 10 p.m. Join Port Orleans and Krewe of Tucks for our Hoppy Halloween Costume Party on October 24 for a spook-tacular event. Costumes are highly encouraged and

every donation at the door will automatically enter you into the costume contest to WIN prizes. Optional $5 donation for the party; 50/50 raffle: $1 per ticket or $5 for 10 tickets. Donations, raffle, and a portion of beer proceeds go towards the Tucks Charitable Foundation benefiting the Louisiana-Mississippi ALS Foundation & Krewe de Camp. The Very Exciting Dead Rodent Parade: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 10 p.m. - 1 a.m. The (very exciting!) Dead Rodent Parade is a collaborative showcase of experimental drag and performance art that seeks to challenge the notion of what a drag show can and should be. Each iteration features a cast of five performers in multiple configurations; solos, duets, and group numbers should be expected, culminating in a single original collaborative piece that is created by and unique to the particular cast. THE DEAD RODENT PARADE IS: Velma Blair, Nebula Omega, Daisy Konfused, Maryboy and Saint S. 10 p.m. door, 11 p.m. show. $15 cover. Full Moon Contest: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; 10 p.m. 1 a.m. Join the Corner Pocket for a Booty Contest like only they can stage. Their boys will strut their assets under the moonlight. Bottoms up! Tails form the Crypt - A Pussycat Purrlesque Horror Stripshow; Cafe Istanbul; 2372 St. Claude Ave.; 10:30

p.m. - midnight. Tails from the Crypt is a late night horror stripshow inspired by your favorite scream queens and devilish dames. Featuring Kitten Rose Ramirez, Sheila Strange, Hazel Leigh, Minou Jolie, Dawn DrapeHer, Salem Sin, Dani Libido , Roxy Del Rez, Gigi Envie. Doors open at 10:30, Show at 11 p.m. General Admission: $15 for 1; VIP Table for 2 - $40. Tickets available on www.eventbrite.com. Hush: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. Dubbed as the coolest queer weird dance party!

FRIDAY 10/25 – SUNDAY 10/27

The Color Purple: The Mahalia Jackson Theatre; 1419 Basin St.; tickets start at $49. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 982-2787. The Color Purple will play five performances Friday, Oct. 25 through Sunday, Oct. 27. The performance schedule is as follows: Friday: 7:30 p.m.; Saturday: 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and Sunday: 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. Based on the Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this production won two 2016 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical. 2019 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience: City Park; 4 Golf Dr.; Gather your krewe, get your costumes ready and join the ritual this Halloween weekend in New Orleans. Be sure to get on the Voodoo Tribe E-List for all the latest information: https://www.voodoofestival.com/connect/. For tickets go to www.voodoofestival.com.

FRIDAY 10/25 – SATURDAY 10/26

Dede Onassis is Patti Lupone at Les Mouches: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 10 p.m. both days. Drag Queen Chanteuse, Dede Onassis, recreates the iconic cabaret act - Patti LuPone at Les Mouches. Catch this exciting show in its World Premier before the show goes on the road! In 1979, Evita was the hit of Broadway. For 27 weeks, its 30-year-old star, Patti LuPone had another project in the works. After the Saturday night show, she would don a white tuxedo and run across town to the nightclub Les Mouches. There, she would work a 70-minute cabaret act starting around 12:30 am, featuring Broadway belting, original compositions, and covers of Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Dusty Springfield, and more. Fans of the show included Andy Warhol and Stephen Sondheim, and Les Mouches’ showroom was consistently packed. Directed by Kate Kuen. For tickets, go to www.neworleans.boldtypetickets.com.

FRIDAY 10/25

Halloween Drag Brunch: Brous-

sard’s Restaurant; 819 Conti St.; First seating 11 a.m. On Friday we are featuring: Miss Moanalot Fontaine, Miss Gia Giavanni, & Miss Coca Mesa (MC). These ladies will be strutting their stuff and giving the crowd the spooky treatment while our guests sip on bottomless mimosas ($14!) and dine on our Prix Fixe brunch menu ($49++) - view the menu here: http://bit.ly/2motTPu. SHOW #1 - 11:00AM (Reservations 10:30am, 10:45am, 11:00am). SHOW #2 - 1:30PM (Reservations - 1:00pm, 1:15pm, 1:30pm). Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant at 504.581.3866 or on OpenTable: http:// bit.ly/2XS6ebj Halloween New Orleans The Lazarus Ball: The Board of Trade; 316 Magazine St.; 7:30 - 10:30 p.m. Kickoff HNO36 weekend with The Lazarus Ball. The black tie-preferred gala features open bar, food, entertainment and an amazing silent auction. More information on all our events, tickets and more: http://halloweenneworleans. com. Open Bar • Ages 21+ Big Easy Sister Halloween Beer Bust: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 9 p.m. - midnight. Come out for the Beer Bust with the BIG EASY SISTERS. $5 buy in with $1 refills + Jello Shots. Costume contest with prizes. Boo at the Zoo: Audubon Zoo; This annual extravaganza is a safe, fun-filled Halloween event for children up to 12, featuring trick-or-treat houses with candy, a Ghost train, haunted house, activities and entertainment.

SATURDAY 10/26

Becky Allen’s Halloween Costume Birthday Party; The Marshall Manor; 4314 Bancroft Dr.; 7 p.m. - midnight. Join the Krewe of Stars as we celebrate Becky Allen’s birthday with a Halloween Costume Birthday Bash. Halloween New Orleans presents Hallowdays The Main Event: The Fillmore; 6 Canal St.; 10 p.m. - 3 a.m. It’s HNO’s 36th Anniversary and we are so excited to be at the Fillmore New Orleans. This brand new venue is the perfect location for us to bring you “Hallowdays”. The main event will feature an open bar and the music of DJ Ben Bakson and International DJ/Producer DJ Grind. Costumes are required. Guests parade their costumes on stage as they arrive for the crowd and judges hosted by Persana Shoulders. More information on all our events, tickets and more: http://halloweenneworleans.com. Hit It Haunted House: 7th Ward (Location disclosed after ticket purchase); 10 p.m. - 4 a.m. HIT IT returns Halloween Weekend for one spooky night of whore-ors. Clothes check will be at the door. Advanced tickets available at hit-it.ticketleap.com/hit-it-haunted-house/ A Haunting Affair: New Orleans Women’s Opera Guild House; 2504

46 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 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 · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 47

Prytania St; 7 p.m. Costumes are preferred at this black tie optional affair. $125/$150 tickets

SUNDAY 10/27

Drag Diva Sunday Brunch: - Disney Villains Edition The Fillmore; 6 Canal St.; 10:30 a.m. This event is all ages, but please keep in mind that this is a DRAG SHOW. NO REFUNDS UNLESS THE EVENT IS CANCELLED/ POSTPONED. For tickets, go to http:// www.fillmorenola.com/. It is always best for your group to purchase tickets together to ensure that you’ll be seated together. Large groups, please call 504.872.3303 or email FillmoreNOLABoxOffice@livenation.com for accommodations. Halloween New Orleans Pier Dance: Crescent Park Mandeville Wharf; 2300 N. Peters St.; 1 - 6 p.m. Sunday’s tea dance begins at 1 p.m. at Crescent Park on the side of the park that backs up to the French Quarter. The event is in a covered area and will take place rain or shine! For tickets, go to www.togetherwenola.com. Trans Theology on Tap: Kajun’s

Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave; 7 - 9 p.m. Theology on Tap events have been a national trend for quite some time now—a group of not-your-averagechurch-folks get together to talk about theology and faith over drinks. Whether you’re an active member of a church, a “cradle Christian” who’s fallen out of the church habit, or someone who’s been wounded by toxic fundamentalism and seeks to heal those scars, there’s community to be found at Trans Theology on Tap. This event is not sponsored by any specific church, and you will not be asked to make any kind of commitment or donation. The door that leads outside is to the left of the bar, past the gaming machines. Hostess: Janae Havard-Hammett

MONDAY 10/28

Vinsantos - Living with the Undead: Hotel Peter and Paul; 2317 Burgundy St.; 7 - 10 p.m. Vinsantos celebrates 10 years of living and performing in New Orleans with his latest solo show “Living With The Undead”. DOORS FOR THIS EVENT ARE AT 6PM AND THE SHOW STARTS PROMPTLY AT

7PM. High Priestess Kook Teflon will lead an opening ceremony to enhance the voices of Grandmothers, Transmothers, and Fem’men. For tickets, go to www.galerievinsantos.com. Be Gay & Do True Crime - A Drag Show: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 9 p.m. In the criminal justice system, true crime themed drag shows are considered especially heinous. In the city of New Orleans, a dedicated group of drag performers who put on these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Be Gay & Do True Crime cast. This is their drag show. Calling all true crime fanatics, web sleuths, cult leaders, Jane Does, investigative reporters, small foreign factions, and lovers of filthy drag! Featuring a cast of allegedly talented drag performers The Darling , Virginia Slim Jim, Hexxorsis , Gayle King Kong, Daisy Konfused, Prytania Wrexx, Pablo Picante , Velma Blair, Quinn LaRoux, stage kitten Versula Bottom and hosted by Maryboy. Doors @ 8 with show at 9 p.m. $10 cover; $5 if you come in costume.

THURSDAY 10/31

Halloween Costume Contest: The Country Club; 634 Louisa St.; 6 - 10 p.m. Join the Country Club early in the eve before a night out on the town. Dress your best and enter in the costume contest (8pm) to win Saints Tickets and other prizes. Happy hour specials from 4-7pm include $3.00 well drinks. Wine-O-Ween: Patrick’s Bar Vin; 730 Bienville sSt.; 7 - 10 p.m. it’s time for Patrick’s Bar Vin’s annual Wine-OWeen party! There will be a DJ and costume contest. Receive a complimentary glass of wine for participating in the costume contest! Halloween Night Spooky Witches: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 9 p.m. - 1 a.m. Take every Halloween cliche and throw it in a cauldron, add a shake of lip liner, a pinch of live singing, the guts of a slayed lipsynch, a song from Cher, exactly one sequin, stir in a dvd of Hocus Pocus and bring to a boil while blowing a fog machine full blast and you have Spooky Witches, featuring our beloved ladies of toil and trouble: Tarah Cards, Dede Onassis, Laveau Contraire and

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at Night Out Against Crime AT NATIONAL NIGHT OUT AGAINST CRIME UPPER FRENCH QUARTER HOSTED BY CROSSING | PHOTOS BY CHARLES PIZZO

48 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with NOAGE AT NOAGE HALLOWEEN POTLUCK AT ST. ANNA’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH | PHOTOS BY BRYANT MCLAFFERTY

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 49

Siren. Doors at 9 show at 10 p.m. General admission $10; Reserved seating $20; VIP seating $40 includes meet and greet, a signed headshot of the performers and front row seats. For tickets go to www.neworleans. boldtyeptickets.com. Hexxed: The Santos Bar; 1135 Decatur St.; 10 p.m. - 4 a.m. Come out and dance your Halloween night away! Fusion and Subject matter are teaming up with our drag hostess Hexxorsis to bring you Hexxed! Bring your best Hexxed inspired looks as we keep your blood flowing late into the morning hours. Music selects by George Monson, Nick Figueroa, Tristan Dufrene and Carmine P Filthy

FRIDAY 11/1

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. Big Easy Sisters Mobile Altar of Remembrance: Mags 940; 940 Elysian Fields Ave.; 5:30 p.m. Join the BIG EASY SISTERS and others for the annual All Souls Mobile Altar of Remembrance to honor those who have passed. Processioners gather at Mag’s on Elysian Fields at 5:30 p.m. Wear Black & White attire, bring a memento to remember anyone who has passed. They shall begin walking PROMPTLY at 6 p.m.

SATURDAY 11/2

Krewe of Narcissus 2019 Hookers Ball: Crossing NOLA; 439 Dauphine St.; 5 - 8 p.m. The Krewe of Narcissus will be hosting our 3rd annual Hookers Ball at Crossing NOLA. Their current Queen of the Hookers Ball 2018, Angel Chalet ,will relinquish her title (Crown, Sash and Trophy are hers to keep) as we select and crown the Queen of the Hookers Ball 2019 after an evening of entertainment directed by none other than Master & Mistress of Ceremonies, Bradley Arcenaux and Monica Synclaire-Kennedy. Scheduled to perform are Queen of the Hookers Ball 2017 Wilma Do a.k.a. Mr. William Antill, our current reigning SDGM, Queen of the Hookers Ball 2018 Angel Chalet a.k.a. Jon Schmidt, and special guest

performances by Rikki Redd, Anita Rich-Goodman and Featuring Mistress Monica Synclaire-Kennedy. Food, Fun, and 50/50 Raffle with a bunch of Hookers, Pimps and Heauxs! A Dress your part costume affair. Single admission is $15 in advance from any Krewe member. Glamarama Glitters; Bamboula’s Frenchman Theatre; 516 Frenchman St.; 8:30 p.m. Seventies tribute band Glamarama beams you back in time to the early, influential glam rock era with the music of David Bowie, T-Rex, Roxy Music, Alice Cooper, Sweet, and others during a “double feature” show at Bamboula’s Frenchmen Theatre. One price includes two different sets. There will be a one-hour intermission for food & drinks. Saturday, November 2, 2019 at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Beer & Gear Night: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 9 p.m. - midnight. Hosted by Crescent City Leathermen on the patio. Keg Beer - $5 buy in, $1 refills; Jell-o Shots - $1 ea/6 for $5. Gear themed nights – appropriate gear encouraged. Second cup or jello shot free if wearing the gear theme. November’s gear theme is a LEATHER & LEVI. Wear your best leather & levi outfit and come have a drink! 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.

SUNDAY 11/3

Drag Diva Sunday Brunch: - The Spice Girls Edition The Fillmore; 6 Canal St.; 10:30 a.m. This event is all ages, but please keep in mind that this is a DRAG SHOW. We ask that you use your best judgement when bringing children. Anyone under the age of 21 is welcome to attend, but they must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. NO REFUNDS UNLESS THE EVENT IS CANCELLED/POSTPONED. For tickets, go to http://www.fillmorenola. com/. It is always best for your group to purchase tickets together to ensure that you’ll be seated together. Large groups, please call 504.872.3303 or email FillmoreNOLABoxOffice@livenation.com for accommodations. Buffet Includes: Scrambled Eggs, Country Potatoes, Bacon, Sausage, Baked Chicken, Fried Catfish, Baked Macaroni, Asparagus Salad w/ Grape Toma-

toes, Spring Mix Salad w/ Honey Basil Vinaigrette, and an Assortment of Pastries and Desserts. **MENU ITEMS SUBJECT TO CHANGE** New Orleans Kidney Walk: Audubon Park Shelter #10; The National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana walk begins at 8:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY 11/6

Bobbie Yan Lecture in Social Media & Change: Lavin-Bernick Center, Kendall Cram Room, Tulane University; 6823 St. Charles Ave.; 6 p.m. The inaugural Bobby Yan Lectureship in Media and Social Change will feature Christine Vachon, producer of the film Boys Don’t Cry, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Vachon has produced films including Carol, Far From Heaven, Still Alice, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Crescent City Leathermen Board Meeting: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 7:30 - 9 p.m. Meeting is open to the Public.

THURSDAY 11/7

Drag Bingo Benefitting Dress For Success: The Cannery; 3803 Toulouse St.; 6 - 9 p.m. Drag BINGO fundraiser with 100% of proceeds going directly to Dress for Success New Orleans to empower women towards economic independence. Sequin attire encouraged!VIP tables $500 • Table of 8 $350 • Individual tickets $40. Bingo begins promptly at 7pm. Cash bar, food trucks, raffles & more. Don’t forget your dollar bills to tip the Queens! For tickets go to www.one.bidpal.net. RuPaul’s Drag Race - Werq the World 2019: Orpheum Theatre; 129 Roosevelt Way; 8 p.m. The Official RuPauls Drag Race World Tour returns with an all new production for 2019! Mission leader Asia OHara is on a journey to save the universe with the help of her intergalactic queens including Aquaria, Detox, Monet Exchange, Naomi Smalls, Plastique, Violet Chachki, Yvie Oddly! Presented by Voss Events in collaboration with World of Wonder and VH1. VIP Option: Enjoy a private meet and greet with the queens before the show! Includes a customized VIP Galaxy Pass and a seat in the first few rows. Guests must arrive by 6PM. For tickets, go to www. ticketmaster.com.

FRIDAY 11/8

Nothing To See Here Beer Bust: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 9 p.m. - midnight. Enjoy the Lords of Leather Beer Bust for a $5 buy-in gets all-you-can-drink from 9 - 10 pm, then $1 refills from 10 - midnight. The Graduates: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; starts at 10 p.m. A monthly show featuring students and graduates of The New Orleans School of Burlesque. Each show will feature a rotating cast of current and past students who have studied extensively perfecting their craft and developing new acts! Doors at 10 p.m. Show at 11 p.m. $10 cover.

SATURDAY 11/9

The Wishbone Show with Varla Jean Merman: Cafe Istanbul; 2372 St. Claude Ave.; 8 - 11 p.m. Varla Jean, Deven Green and Handsome Ned talk turkey, sing food songs and break the wishbone! Tickets: https://thewishboneshow.brownpapertickets.com/

SUNDAY 11/10

Drag Diva Sunday Brunch: - The Golden Girls Edition The Fillmore; 6 Canal St.; 10:30 a.m. This event is all ages, but please keep in mind that this is a DRAG SHOW. We ask that you use your best judgement when bringing children. Anyone under the age of 21 is welcome to attend, but they must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. NO REFUNDS UNLESS THE EVENT IS CANCELLED/POSTPONED. For tickets, go to http://www.fillmorenola. com/. It is always best for your group to purchase tickets together to ensure that you’ll be seated together. Large groups, please call 504.872.3303 or email FillmoreNOLABoxOffice@livenation.com for accommodations. Buffet Includes: Scrambled Eggs, Country Potatoes, Bacon, Sausage, Baked Chicken, Fried Catfish, Baked Macaroni, Asparagus Salad w/ Grape Tomatoes, Spring Mix Salad w/ Honey Basil Vinaigrette, and an Assortment of Pastries and Desserts. **MENU ITEMS SUBJECT TO CHANGE** Bianca Del Rio “It’s A Jester Joke”: The Orpheum Theatre; 129 Roosevelt Way; 8 p.m. Tickets on sale at www.ticketmaster.com.

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

50 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Mobile Hot Happenings WEEKLY AT B-BOB’S 213 Conti St., Mobile, AL (251) 433-2262

TUESDAY

Gay Bar BINGO 9:30 & 11PM

THURSDAY

MONDAY

Service Industry Night

TUESDAY Karaoke

p.m. No Cover. Ladies drink half off

Ladies Night w/ Piano 6pm

THURSDAY

Movie Night with Chris 8pm

Drag Bingo & Show

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

PENSACOLA THE ROUNDUP

Amateur Drag Night 11PM

WEDNESDAY Rock n Roll Bingo 8PM

FRIDAY & SATURDAY

THURSDAY

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

SATURDAY

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

Midnight Drag Show

WEEKLY AT FLIP SIDE 54 S. Conception St., Mobile, AL (251) 431-8819

Karaoke

SEC Football

SUNDAY

Along the Gulf South BATON ROUGE MON-FRI

Happy Hour: The Park Pub & Patio; 4619 Bennington Avenue; 3-7p.m.

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

SATURDAY

MONDAY

Non-stop Dance Music: Splash Nightclub; 2183 Highland Rd Dancing in the Park: The Park Pub & Patio; 4619 Bennington Avenue;

TUESDAY

Sunday Social Brunch: The Park Pub & Patio; 4619 Bennington Avenue; Noon-3:00p.m. $20 Buffet with Bottomless Mimosas, Bloody Mary’s and Draft Beer

WEDNESDAY

LAFAYETTE BOLT BAR & PATIO

Game Night: George’s Place; 860 St. Louis St; 10p.m. Hosted by Chance SIN Night: The Park Pub & Patio; 4619 Bennington Avenue; 30% Off

Fat Tuesdays & Billiards & Darts Tournaments: The Park Pub & Patio; 4619 Bennington Avenue

Queens Karaoke: George’s Place; 860 St Louis St; 10p.m. Hosted by Alvin McGee Free Cover Wednesdays: Splash Nightclub; 2183 Highland Rd; 9pm Open Mic w/ Ryan Jenkins: The Park Pub & Patio; 4619 Bennington Avenue; 9p.m.

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 Think and Drink Trivia: The Park Pub & Patio; 4619 Bennington Avenue;

FRIDAY

$5 Fridays: The Park Pub & Patio; 4619 Bennington Avenue;

560 E Heinberg St

TUESDAY

THURSDAY FRIDAY

Drag Bingo with Monica Heart; 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Win cash and prizes

Funday with Karaoke

WEDNESDAY

GALVESTON 23RD ST. STATION

1706 23rd Street Happy Hour every day until 7 p.m.

MONDAY

Texas Hold ‘Em 7pm

TUESDAY

THURSDAY 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.

Tube-ular Tuesday with Jim 8pm

SUNDAY

114 McKinley St

THURSDAY

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

FRIDAY

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

SATURDAY

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

LAKE CHARLES CRYSTAL’S DOWNTOWN 720 Ryan Street

TUESDAY

Anything But Techno Tuesdays; 10

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 51

Party Down Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com

At Crescent City Steak House

At Scales & Ales

October is here and we are enjoying those cool fall days in the high 80s. Hey, I’m just happy we are no longer in the 90’s or triple digits. But I am dying for sweater weather. One other thing the Fall season ushers in, other than better temperatures, is lots of parties, fundraisers and the start of many of the cultural organizations’ new seasons. I was able to enjoy all of the above as well as celebrate my birthday which also happens to be National Coming Out Day. So I guess, literally and figuratively, I came out at birth. Started week one doing the New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE) weekly walk at Audubon Park. This was one of the last times it is being held at the Park. Now that daylight savings time is almost gone and the night comes sooner, the time and location have been changed. The walks will now start at 6:10pm at the Lafitte Greenway. The meet-up point is the entrance at Bayou Beer Garden, 326 N. Jefferson Davis Parkway. Go and check out the new location. Wednesdays now are a horror, American Horror that is. Our weekly little American Horror Story watch party is growing in number. I never knew that getting together with friends to watch a show could be so much fun. I binged Game of Thrones. I’m so used to waiting till the season is over and binge-watching all the episodes at once, which can also be fun. If you are not watching this season of AHS 1984, however, you’re missing out. The music alone is worth your time! On Thursday, I got a little Wicked. Before the fabulous show at the Saenger Theatre, tho, I attended a hospitality networking event hosted by New Orleans and Company at the newly renovated Rooftop on Basin. Located at the Basin Street Station, this event space can hold up to 200 people upstairs and boasts incredible views of the cityscape as well as St. Louis Cemetery #1. Messina’s handles the catering for the venue and served some delicious food along with

lots of cocktails. It was a great pregame before going to see Wicked. This was my third time seeing the show (all at the Saenger) and it did not disappoint. From the superb set to the talented performers, especially the actresses playing Elphaba and Glinda, everything was outstanding. This play has one of the best scores as well as a very engrossing storyline. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire which is equally as good but so much darker, the story tells of the land of Oz before Dorothy and Toto landed. It’s quite a story that surprisingly resonates in today’s terrible political climate. Unfortunately, the Hard Rock Hotel disaster cut short their three week run, but with the popularity of the show in this city, I am sure it will be back. On Friday, I attended the 10th anniversary of Scales and Ales, the premier fundraiser for the Audubon Aquarium. Chriss Knight and Lon Nichols were the chairs of this fabulous evening which included entertainment by Flow Tribe, over 40 restaurants serving their top dishes and lots of cocktails. The Aquarium looks great and they are gearing up to open their new shark and ray touchpool named “Shark Discovery.” They also added a great new feature for VIP’s. The Natchez Riverboat was docked alongside the Aquarium so VIP’s can party dockside and enjoy great views of the band and the river. It was a gorgeous night to celebrate one of the top attractions in our city. The Krewe of Armenius was getting into the Halloween spirit on Saturday afternoon with their pumpkin carving social. Guests were given an open beer bar while they glittered and carved pumpkins. Several of the krewe members were on hand to give tips on how to spray paint, glitter and carve. It was a great time creating bedazzled and oh-so-very gay Halloween decorations. After this event, I can never just regularly carve a pumpkin again--I need rhinestones, glitter and metallic spray paint! Martha Stewart back up, there is a new crafting queen in town!

That night was all about the art as a few friends and I made our way down to Magazine Street for Art for Art’s Sake, one of the city’s largest cultural celebrations. Art galleries, museums and boutiques all over the city had special shows, opening events and sales while they served cocktails. That is the best selling tool in the world--give people alcohol and they will buy more, especially art. Things tend to look better through beer (or in my case wine) goggles. Afterwards, since we were on Magazine Street, we tried out a new restaurant for me Del Fuego located at 4518 Magazine Street near the corner of Magazine and Napoleon. I can see how this eatery was named one of the top 31 Mexican Restaurants in America by Thrilllist. The food is exceptional and delicious. The service was amazing and their margaritas are delightful. I highly recommend their muddled jalapeño margarita, spicy! My birthday fell on the following Friday, October 11, which is also coincidentally National Coming Out Day. I was going to write this heartfelt explanation on how I came out to my friends and family, but then decided maybe another time. Suffice to say, I may have come out late, but I am out, proud of who I am and never going back into a closet again. Well, unless it is a walkin one with designer apparel, then well okay. But I digress. I celebrated my birth with a few select friends and Mama Dawn at one of my favorite steakhouses in the city, Crescent City Steakhouse. As always, the meal was delicious but the best part was a special surprise gift from my dear friends Beaux & Barrett Delong-Church and Matt Dow. They had the fabulous artist Freddie Guess paint a portrait of me in drag. The inspiration he used came from my photo shoot for the Armeinius Drag Calendar which will be out this month. The painting is spectacular. Noone has ever given me such a kind and unique gift. The entire restaurant got an eyeful when I unwrapped the gift in full display of the entire dining room. If I was not out before, I am now. After dinner, we followed up with cocktails at an exciting new restaurant

that just opened on North Rampart Street called Palm & Pine. This place is one of my new favorite spots. The atmosphere is modern and airy with Latin and Caribbean accents. They have an incredible original cocktail list as well as some great wines and sparkling. They also serve late night eats. We just had drinks, but when they found out it was my birthday, they sent over a delicious dessert called a Sugar Cane Pie. This dish is literally heaven on a plate. A perfect way to cap off the night. On Saturday, the Krewe of Armeinius had the second of their fundraisers during this period, their highly successful Cocktoberfest at their den. Custom steins emblazoned with a blue rooster filled with beer (or in my case vodka) were hoisted high in the air as there was much signing and merriment. They had lots of bratwurst on hand along with other delicacies to elicit the German in you. The evening also included a silent auction and entertainment. At the last minute, Barrett had called me and said he needed some help, so my sister Antoinette Champagne Chardonnay threw on a frock and came out to entertain (if you can call it that) the guests (and scare the children). She wore a Fifi Mahoney Candy Pink wig and a gold lame jumpsuit. Very understated. The evening was a huge success and both Antoinette and I had a marvelous time. How do you follow up roosters, but with flamingos. I started my Sunday Funday with brunch with friends at Flamingo A Go Go, home of the bottomless rose of which I definitely partook. My friend Daryl Dunaway who is a designer extraordinaire made me a flamingo crown helping me graduate from being basic, at least for a day. Anyway, we ate, drank and watched the Saints’ victory. It was a great start to the day which we followed up by going into the Quarter and enjoying Tea dance at the Pub, then more libations at Good Friends before calling it an early night. That concludes my column as we get ready for a spooky next few weeks. Enjoy October and Happy Halloween! Do you want your party or event covered? Invite me! ledgemgp@gmail.com

52 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

BUSINESS FINANCIAL & BUSINESS Put Your Child on a Path to Building a Solid Credit Score Scot I. Billeaudeau, JD, LL.M. ADPA® s.billeaudeau@ampf.com Parents want good things for their children, and a good credit record is certainly something that falls into that category. To help children achieve one, it’s important to teach them sound financial habits. Among the most fundamental lessons is valuing the money they earn and that they shouldn’t spend what they don’t have. This is the philosophy behind building a strong credit record over time that will help children take responsibility for their own financial lives. Access to credit plays an important role in achieving financial goals and building wealth over time. A good credit score can help make it happen. Here are three ways that you can help your teens and young adult chil-

dren build a good credit record: Make your child an authorized user on one of your credit cards This can be done prior to the time your child can obtain their own card, giving them the ability to use the card for their own purchases. You will still be responsible for paying off credit card bills, but your child’s credit score may benefit from being associated with your strong credit record. It can also serve as an initial test of how your child handles credit. Set expectations that they are responsible for repaying you for any charges they accumulate. Have them build their own credit when possible The time will come when your children will qualify for a credit card. Again, it’s important to

stress the importance of paying bills on time each month. Ideally, they will pay off the entire balance monthly to avoid high interest expenses. They also need to make timely payments on any other debt such as student loans, store credit cards, and even on expenses like utility payments. Note: debit card use does not contribute to building a credit score. Encourage them to exercise caution in how credit is used Achieving a good credit score is a bit of a balancing act for younger people. They need to obtain and use credit in order to accumulate a history that will be reflected in their score. Yet they want to avoid overdoing it. Make sure your child knows not to take risks by using credit to pay large expenses that could

require a long payoff period or taking on more than one or two credit cards at a time. Managing credit is a new experience for most people just entering adulthood. By following these steps, you have an opportunity to set your children on the right track. 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.

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Armenius AT COCKTOBERFEST & PUMPKIN CARVING | PHOTOS BY TONY LEGGIO

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 53

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

Bourbon St, (504) 593-9761

(504) 523-4517 Friendly Bar, 2301 Chartres St, (504) 943-8929

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

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

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

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,

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 Tropical Isle, 721 Bourbon St, (504) 529-4109, tropicalisle.com Allways Lounge and Cabaret, 2240 St. Claude Ave

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,

GALLERIES

Casell Bergen Gallery, 1305 Decatur St, (504) 478-6744, casellbergengallery.com

GROCERIES

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

54 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory Official Gay New Orleans Guide, gayneworleans.com Official Pride Guide, neworleanspridefestival.com Official Southern Decadence Guide, southerndecadence.com

HAIR SALONS

FiFi Mahony’s, 934 Royal St, (504) 525-4343, fifimahonys.com Head Quarters Hair Salon, 906 Bourbon St, (504) 522-2666 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

Odyssey House, 1125 North Tonti Street, ohlinc.org Access Health Louisiana, 3300 South Broad Street, 234 Loyola Ave. Ste 300B, accesshealthla.org 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 Crescent City rougarouxrugby.org

Rougaroux,

Stonewall Sports, facebook.com/ groups/stonewallneworleans Krewe of Petronius, PO Box 1102, kreweofpetronius.net The Mystic Krewe of Amon-Ra, PO Box 57783, kreweofamonra.com Krewe of Apollo de New Orleans, P. O. Box 770973, www.mkaneworleans. 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

The Chamber is a network of LGBT and ally business owners, corporate partners, and community leaders that support business development and equality.

Mystic Krewe of Lords of Leater, 1000 Bourbon Street #B415, lordsofleather.org Renegade Bears of Louisiana, PO Box 3083, renegadebearsoflouisiana@ gmail.com Crescent City Leathermen, 941 Elysian Fields Ave, crescentcityleathermen.org NOAGE, noagenola.org The Krewe of King kreweofkingarthur.com

Mission To promote an inclusive business environment by connecting LGBT-owned/operated and allied businesses in the Gulf South.

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

Vision A society where individuals and businesses have equal rights, equal representation, and equal opportunities.

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

Values Respect Diversity Inclusivity

Equality Knowledge Community

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) 258-

gslgbtchamber.org

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 55

LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory 1800 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

Louisa Street, (504) 945-0742, thecountryclubnreorleans.com Cru, 535 Franklin Ave, (504) 446-0040, crunola.com

The Bombay Club, 830 Rue Conti, (504) 577-2237, bombayclubneworleans. com

Dat Dog on Frenchmen, 601 Frenchmen St, (504) 309-3362, datdog.com

The Ruby Slipper Café, 2001 Burgundy St, (504) 525-9355, therubyslippercafe.net

EAT, 900 Dumaine St, (504) 522-7222, eatnola.com

Who Dat Coffee Cafe, 2401 Burgundy St, (504) 872-0360, whodatcoffee. com

Envie Espresso Bar & Cafe, 1241 Decatur St, (504) 524-3689, cafeenvie.com

RESTAURANTS

Kingfish Kitchen & Cocktails, 337 Chartres Street, (504) 598-5005, kingfishneworleans.com

Broussard’s Restaurant & Courtyard,

Lousiana Pizza Kitchen, 615 S. Carrollton Ave, (504) 237-0050, louisianapizzakitchenuptown.com

801 Royal, 801 Royal Street, (504) 581-0801, 801royal.com 819 Rue Conti, (504) 581-3866, broussards.com

Cafe Sbisa, 1011 Decatur Street, (504) 522-5565, cafesbisanola.com 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 Country

Club

Restaurant,

634

(504) 948-0077, santafenola.com

Mona Lisa, 1212 Royal St, (504) 5226746, monalisaneworleans.com, NOLA Poboys, 908 Bourbon, (504) 655-3312, nolapoboys.com Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro, 720 Orleans Ave, (504) 5231930, Orleansgrapevine.com Royal House Oyster Bar, 441 Royal Street, royalhouserestaurant.com Santa Fe Restaurant, 3201 Esplanade,

Who Dat Coffee Cafe, 9207 W. St. Bernard Hwy, (504) 354-8452

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 Blvd, 985.652-1195 Washing Well Laundryteria, 841 Bourbon St, (504) 523-9955 Bear Hebert Yoga and Life Coach, bearteachesyoga.com NOLA Healer: Lawrence Gobble, nolahealer.com , Massage Therapy 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 Southern Rep Theater, 2541 Bayou Road, (504) 522-6545, southernrep. com

TOURS

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

HOUSTON

BARS & CLUBS

Rich’s, 2401 San Jacinto Street, www. facebook.com/richshouston

56 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory JR’s, 808 Pacific Street, (713) 5212519, jrsbarandgrill.com

Acadiana Pride, acadianapride.org

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

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

Guava Lamp, 570 Waugh Drive, (713) 524-3359, guavalamphouston.com Pearl Houston, 4216 Washington Ave281.757-3229, facebook.com/ pearlbarhouston/

Date

TBA,

HEALTHCARE

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

ORGANIZATIONS

Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon, 11410 Hempstead Rd, (713) 6770828, neonbootsclub.com

Krewe of Apollo de Baton Rouge, apollobatonrouge.com

Ripcord, 715 Fairview St, (713) 5212792, theripcord.com

Krewe of Apollo kreweofapollo.com

The Ranch Hill Saloon, 24704 Interstate 45 Ste 103, (281) 298-9035, ranchhill.com Axelrad, 1517 Alabama St, (713) 5978800, alexradbeergarden.com Poison Girl Cocktail Lounge, 1641 Westheimer Rd. Ste B, (713) 5279929, poisongirlbar.com

CIRCUIT / EVENT

Houston Pride, June 22, pridehouston. org The Woodlands Pride, September, thewoodlandstxpride.wordpress.com QFEST, Houston Gay & Lesbian Film 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 BARS & CLUBS

Splash, 2183 Highland Rd, Baton Rouge, (225) 242-949, splashbr.com

Lafayette,

PHARMACY

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

NORTHERN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI & ALABAMA BARS & CLUBS

Club Pink, 1914 Roselawn Avenue, Monroe, myclubpink.com Central Station, 1025 Marshall St, Shreveport, (318) 222-2216 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

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

CAMPING

CIRCUIT / EVENT

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

Birminham,

RELIGION

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

MCC,

GULF COAST BARS & CLUBS

Sexacola, May 23, Pensacola, FL, sexacolabeach.com Memorial Weekend Pensacola, Pensacola, FL, johnnychisholm.com Pensacola Pride, June 15-16, facebook.com/pensacolapride

HEALTHCARE

The Midtown Pub, 153 Foorida Street, Mobile, (251) 450-1555

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

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

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

B-Bob’s, 213 Conti Street, Mobile (251) 433-2262, b-bobs.com Flip Side Bar & Patio, 545 S. Conception Street, Mobile, (251) 4318819, flipsidebarpatio.com

HIV CARE AND SERVICES

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

ORGANIZATIONS

The Roundup 560 East Heinberg Street, Pensacola, (850) 433-8482

Order of Osiris, PO Box 1991, Mobile, AL, orderofosiris.com

Cabaret, 101 S Jefferson Street E, Pensacola, (850) 607-2020

Order of Dinoysus D’Iberville, MS, https://www.facebook.com/Order-OfDionysus

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

Gulf Coast Transgender Alliance, (850) 332-8416, gulfcoasttransgenderalliance.com, gctransgenderalliance@gmail.com Gay Grassroots, 6847 N. 9th Avenue, Ste A, Box 317, Pensacola, ggnwfl. com

Chapel Bar, 620 27th Street S, Brirmingham, (205) 703-9778, chapelbarinfo@gmail.com

The Park Pub & Bar, 4619 Benningotn Ave, Baton Rouge, Facebook @ theparkbr

Baton Rouge Pride, June 15, brpride. org

Krewe of Apollo mkabirmingham.com

Quest Bar, 416 24th Street S, Birmingham, (205) 251-4313, info@ quest-club.com

George’s Place, 860 St. Louis St, Baton Rouge, (225) 387-9798, georgesplacebr.com

Crystals, 112 W. Broad St, Lake Charles, (337) 433-5457

CIRCUIT / EVENT

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

Al’s on 7th Street, 2627 7th Ave S, Birmingham, (205) 422-4218

Wildwoods Hideaway, Eutaw, AL, (205) 860-0836, wildwoodshideaway. com

Bolt, 114 McKinley St, Lafayette, (337) 534-4913, facebook.com/boltlaffy

ORGANIZATIONS

The Spectrum Center, 210 S 25th Ave, Hattiesburg, (601) 909-5338

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

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

Email Ambush sales@ambushpublishing.com

Oxford Pride, April 28-May 5, Oxford MS, oxfordmspride.rocks Central Alabama Pride, June 1-10, 2019, Birmingham, AL, facebook. com/centralalabamaprideinc Druid City Pride, October 2019, Tuscaloosa, AL, druidcitypride.org

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COMICS, PUZZLES & HOROSCOPES CROSSWORD & WORD SEARCH ACROSS

or animal body 8) A trick that is done to someone usually as a joke 9) A small winged animal that flies at night 10) A dead body wrapped in long narrow pieces of cloth

3) A woman in stories who has magic powers 5) A large, round vegetable with hard yellow or orange flesh 7) The set of bones that supports a human

DOWN

2 3

6 7 8 9

1) Net that a spider makes out of thin sticky strings 2) A character who appears at night to suck peoples blood 4) When something is believed to be visited by ghosts 6) A set of clothes worn in order to look like someone or something else 7) The bones of the head

Locate the given words in the grid, running in one of eight possible directions horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

PUZZLE WORD BANK DOLLFACE CUJO GHOSTFACE DAMIEN THORN CREEPER SAMARA MORGAN PINHEAD HANNIBAL PENNYWISE CHUCKY DRACULA BILLY LEATHERFACE NORMAN BATES

Want More Puzzles? Email us at info@ambushpublishing.com with ideas, suggestions, feedback, etc. on content for the comic/ puzzle section. 58 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

HOROSCOPES

Messages from the Oracle in New Orleans Dan Beck, #1 Astrologer in New Orleans dan@innermakeup.net If you just want to read your horoscope, skip this paragraph. But I encourage you to pause and consider the nature of astrology. Astrology was originally understood as omens, prophecies, and oracles. Whenever you go to a psychic, tarot reader, or an astrologer like me, you’re engaging with the possibilities of the future. But modern astrology is also the alignment of the heavens at your moment of birth that serves as the signature of your personality. This combination of your star chart and sun sign—Aries, Taurus, etc.—and the usage of that tool to divine the future is here for your taking. Astrology offers the LGBTQ community a chance to reclaim a space lost to modern science and religion. Ancient pagan cultures venerated divination and celebrated what we now recognize as modern gay elements. These horoscopes are for your entertainment, so let’s start the party that will take us to the stars! If you thought things were intense the last couple of weeks, just wait for the next two. We’re headed down the pike towards Halloween and things will be uncharacteristically deep and dark. Other cultures had healthier ways of dealing with daemons, or spirits. The Greeks had Oracles, the Mexicans still have Día de Los Muertos, and hell, my Jewish ancestors in Egypt put lamb’s blood on their doors to keep out the angel of death. In Western society, however, the Gods have been beaten back by religion and science. This only intensifies them, as without acknowledging the Gods, they show up as addictions, delusions, neuroses, and obsessive tendencies. I’ve written over the past several issues that there is the possibility of things going astray around these next few weeks. The phrase “getting in bed” takes on a literal and figurative meaning. Shared resources and transformative, carnal sexuality are one and the same. What are the subconscious motivations that govern your actions? What drives you to one another in business, pain, pleasure or some combination of all of the above? These are the challenging questions that will be explored. This Halloween Night, Mercury will station in the sky, meaning it will appear to stop in its apparent motion before moving retrograde. Mercury, the Sun, and Venus all occupy the sign of Scorpio and take on the energy of this most shrouded, mysterious sign. Whatever happens during the next couple weeks, it will leave you reeling through

the beginning of December, and you’ll have to retrace and review your steps through Mercury Retrograde. You’ve laid the groundwork for the dark knight of your soul to emerge. There is extraordinary treasure to be gained from this. But ask yourself, what is the cost of paying the ferryman two coins to go to the underworld?

ARIES

March 21 - April 19 A partner of yours is being uncharacteristically combative, and this catches you off guard. You’re even more surprised by your lack of response. This partner is looking for the fight you’d normally be willing to give, but your peaceful demeanour is beneficial in the end. There’s an old saying that “you’re never angry about what you say you’re angry about” meaning this is a subconscious lashing out from this partner. It’s probably about money, so once the dust settles, you’ll be ready to have the real conversation.

TAURUS

April 20 - May 20 You’re obsessed with your home right now, and so is your partner. You have an emotional need to create a space that serves you and are willing to use manipulative tactics to get what you want. Your partner is feeling similarly. The best approach is to have an honest, straightforward conversation about what it is you both really want and even if that talk is difficult, it will be far better than passive aggressive attacks.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 20 Your communicative powers which are already considerable take on a magnetic tone. Using this style of speech, one that has intensity as opposed to one that is light and glib, opens up some opportunities for you financially. You must understand, however, that when such a door is opened, be willing to listen to the ones who walk in. This experience will transform your beliefs for the better and leave you in an elevated state of mind.

CANCER

June 21 - July 22 You’re having some obsessive feelings about your money and someone may be engaging in some form of manipulation around your resources. A good strategy is to let those feelings

go and wait and see what is around the corner. Set the clock for a couple of weeks. Most things are revealed in good time if you let them.

LEO

July 23 - August 22 You’re using your charm and charisma to manipulate. While a little bit of this can be helpful when calibrated appropriately, you will end up being played in the end if you continue down this path. One way or another the heavens have you scheduled for a correction. It’s up to you whether you want to learn this lesson the easy way or the hard way. Learning to listen a bit as opposed to always clamoring for attention is where you find a nice sweet spot.

VIRGO

August 23 - September 22 Things have been going well for you on the home front, perhaps the best in years. That will likely change in a few weeks. It’s not that things will get worse, per se, it’s just that the good fortune you’ve had thus far will turn into envisioning what is possible for the future. This will require some work, but rejoice in the fact that you’re starting from a good place.

LIBRA

September 23 - October 22 You’re feeling out of balance, and an uncharacteristically aggressive nature emerges. This coupled with your traditional lack of ego squares off in an internal battle. Face these demons, as this is necessary. The strife lets up around Thanksgiving and the struggle will have left you with a newfound sense of power you didn’t know you had.

SCORPIO

October 23 - November 21 Finding balance is not your forte as your passions run far beneath the surface. The last couple of weeks, love has been on your mind in a deep way. While this will pass come early November, you’ll be forced to reconsider the roots of your feelings. You’re good at getting to the bottom of things with others, but this time around you’ll be required to turn your considerable powers of investigation inward. There is great treasure to be gained here.

pher of the zodiac and one of the most successful. As the season around Halloween is when the spirits spring forth, you’ll be tempted to use your spiritual powers for darker purposes. Actually, this is not altogether a bad thing. You usually have such high-minded ideals for yourself and everyone else that stepping to the bad side will do you some good.

CAPRICORN

December 22 - January 19 Your career has been in overdrive this past month and you’ve suspended your ego to make the gains you so desire. There is a desperation here. You benefit more from working your social networks and investigating what is going on behind the scenes rather than partnering with those directly involved in your work. Be the influencer as opposed to the celebrity.

AQUARIUS

January 20 - February 18 You have a window from now until December to work your social networks for the better. You might be overshadowed by some with whom you encounter, but you make great gains through those connections. This will be a challenge for your scientific and individualistically oriented mind. But expanding your reach far and wide will yield more than focusing on the existing resources you share with others.

PISCES

February 19 - March 20 There is a coworker who is manipulating you. Sadly, this person is acting like a maternal figure. This coworker is jealous of the success you’ve been having. Don’t worry about letting this relationship go as you don’t need the false sense of security this person is offering. By Halloween this person will become undone, hopefully learning the lesson that using dark magic is to one’s own detriment. Dan Beck, #1 Astrologer in New Orleans, is at your service for readings, parties, events, corporate trainings, and more. Contact him at dan@innermakeup.net or call 504-313-8706. Visit http://www.innermakeup.net

SAGITTARIUS

November 22 - December 21 You’re the explorer and philoso-

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 59

SPORTS Free admission for UNO-LSU exhibition baseball October 27 Bill Franques, Crescent City Sports BATON ROUGE, La. – Admission is free for LSU’s baseball exhibition game versus the University of New Orleans on Sunday, October 27, at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. First pitch for the contest is set for 3 p.m. CT. The game is the first of two exhibition contests during the Tigers’ fall practice period, which began on September 29 and has featured several intra-squad scrimmages. LSU will also meet Nicholls at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, November 3, at Ray Didier Field in Thibodaux, La. For the home game versus UNO

on October 27, LSU’s clear bag policy will be in effect at the stadium entrances, and seating will be available in the covered grandstand areas – seating will not be permitted down the outfield lines or in the outfield bleachers. Concessions will be available for sale, and restrooms will be open for the comfort and convenience of fans. Parking is free in the Alex Box Stadium lots, and the gates to the stadium will open at 2 p.m. CT. The game will be modified to allow the teams to best utilize their pitching staffs. Here are the specifications of which fans should be aware:

• The game will consist of 14 full innings – LSU is the home team and will bat in the bottom of the 14th, no matter the score • Each half-inning will either consist of three outs or 20 pitches (with UNO pitching) or 25 pitches (with LSU pitching), whichever comes first … if a pitcher reaches the 20-pitch or 25-pitch mark while an at-bat is still in progress, the at-bat will continue through its completion • LSU plans to throw each of its 14 healthy pitchers for one inning each Fans should also take note of a NCAA rule that will be in effect next

Sunday and during the 2020 regular season: • The 20-second pitch clock now applies for all pitches, including those with runners on base. Previously, the pitch clock was only utilized when the bases were empty. LSU opens its 2020 regular season at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, February 14, versus Indiana in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. This article was originally published by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

Tulane’s Hightower, Ali granted immediate eligibility for 2019-20 men’s basketball season Adam Miller, Crescent City Sports

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane men’s basketball head coach Ron Hunter announced that junior guard Teshaun Hightower and freshman forward Ibrahim Ali have been granted immediate eligibility for the 2019-20 season. Hightower will have two years of eligibility remaining, while Ali will have four years left beginning this fall. “This is great news for our team as we get closer to the start of the season,” Hunter said. “I’m also very excited for Teshaun, Ibby and their families. Both of these young men are important

components on this year’s team and they have something to prove.” Hightower transferred to the Green Wave following two seasons at the University of Georgia where he appeared in 58 games and made 20 starts. Last season, he averaged 6.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 40 percent from the field and making 23 3-pointers. In the classroom, Hightower was a 2018 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll selection. Ali arrived in New Orleans after redshirting last season at the Universi-

ty of Arkansas. The Lagos, Nigeria native averaged 4.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game at Maumelle High School (Ark.) in 2016-17. Tulane hosts Spring Hill College in an exhibition on October 31 at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse before opening the regular season at home November 6 against Southeastern Louisiana at 7 p.m. SEASON TICKETS Fans can get their hands on season tickets starting at just $75 – a $50 reduction from last year. That means

fans can lock up a seat for every home contest for as little as $5 each. Visit TulaneTix.com or call the ticket office at 504-861-9283 to reserve your seats. All sections are available for purchase so you can customize your viewing experience from your favorite seating location. Discounts are also available for Tulane faculty and staff. This article was originally published by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

Saints surprise, impress with dominant effort to drop Bears Ken Trahan, Crescent City Sports When discussions begin about football games, everyone talks about and compares offenses and defenses. Seldom do they discuss the third and

very important aspect of the game. The kicking game was a focal point Sunday at Soldier Field. It was a crazy momentum game for

the New Orleans Saints and its kicking game. New Orleans blocked a punt, resulting in a safety but it could have been a touchdown, losing five points. New Orleans allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown. The Saints tipped another punt. Wil Lutz actually missed a field goal on the road, costing the Saints three points. Deonte Harris had a punt return for a score nullified by a penalty, costing New Orleans another seven points. Lutz then missed another field goal, this time from 52 yards. Then, the Saints allowed the Bears to recover an onside kick. Then, they let it happen again, only to be negated by penalty. By reading this, you would think New Orleans, as an underdog, had lost convincingly at Chicago. Think again. The Saints won convincingly de-

spite playing without Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara, Tre’Quan Smith and Jared Cook. Simply put, the Saints are a very good team. Here are my Quick Takes from the 36-25 win: **C.J. Gardner-Johnson got the start at the nickel corner in place of the suspended P.J. Williams The Saints kicked off and immediately forced a 3-and-out. Pat O’Donnell punted and J.T. Gray broke through up the middle to block the punt. The ball rolled into the end zone and O’Donnell alertly batted out of the end zone for a safety to avoid a Saints touchdown as the Saints grabbed a 2-0 lead. **It was the first punt blocked against O’Donnell this season and the first blocked punt by the Saints since Dec. 11, 2016 against Tampa Bay.

60 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · October 22 - November 4, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 61

New Orleans got good field position at its own 41-yard line on the ensuing free kick but went 3-and-out, wasting the opportunity. **Gray and Patrick Robinson both later went down injured in the first quarter. **A holding call on Erik McCoy and a delay of game penalty killed the second possession for the Saints. **Then, it happened again. Vonn Bell drilled Anthony Miller, who fumbled. Bell scooped it up and scored. The officials ruled Miller down by contact. Sean Payton challenged the call and won the challenge but because the whistle blew, the play was dead upon the spot of the recovery at the Chicago 24-yard line. How many times is this going to happen to the Saints? **Undaunted, the Saints drove 24 yards in five plays with Teddy Bridgewater hitting Josh Hill on a 7-yard touchdown pass to give the Saints a 9-0 lead with 2:09 to play in the first quarter. **It did not last very long. On the ensuing kickoff, Cordarrelle Patterson returned it 102 yards for a touchdown. The coverage was simply awful. The only player to touch Patterson was Marcus Williams, who missed him, and it was 9-7. **Chicago then took the lead, driving 37 yards in 11 plays with Eddy Pineiro connecting on a 46-yard field goal to give the Bears a 10-9 lead with 11:33 to play in the first half. Mitchell Trubisky completed passes of 17 and 14 yards to Allen Robinson II on the drive. **New Orleans recaptured the lead with a 52-yard drive in 12 plays with Lutz connecting on a 39-yard field goal to make it 12-10 with 6:31 to play in the first half. **New Orleans had a chance to extend the lead late in the half but Lutz missed a 42-yard field goal. It broke a streak of 35 consecutive field goals made by Lutz on the road, an incredibly impressive streak. **Prior to the miss, Ted Ginn Jr. dropped a touchdown pass from Bridgewater. Yes, the ball was slightly late and yes, a defender was on him

swiping the arm but that is a ball that you must catch. It cost the Saints seven points. **Then, Deonte Harris returned a punt for a touchdown but a critical holding penalty on Zach Line, at the line-of-scrimmage, negated the score. It was brutal. You could understand the call but watching it, Line was simply hand-fighting with his man. You hardly ever see a call like that but then again, this is the Saints. **The Saints finished the first half with 170 yards to just 81 for Chicago. **New Orleans took the second half kickoff and drove 75 yards in five plays, taking three minutes off the clock. Latavius Murray scored on a 3-yard run to make it 19-10 with 12 minutes to play in the quarter. Murray had a 17-yard run before Bridgewater connected with Ginn on a 45-yard pass to the 3-yard line to set up the score. **Then, Marcus Davenport forced a fumble by Montgomery which A.J. Klein recovered at the Chicago 29 yard-line but the Saints failed to take advantage. Bridgewater was then sacked which forced a 52-yard field goal attempt by Lutz but surprisingly, he was short on it. **New Orleans got a stop and then the offense got it done, driving 76 yards in 11 plays with Bridgewater hitting Taysom Hill on a 4-yard touchdown pass to make it 26-10 with 2:55 to play in the third quarter. Hill earlier ran 23 yards on an option pitch from Line on a brilliant play call. The play-calling on the entire drive was brilliant. **The Saints destroyed the Bears in the third quarter, amassing 169 yards and 14 points while missing a field goal while Chicago had four yards, no first downs and, of course, no points. **It looked like the Saints had put the ball in the end zone again when Murray ran five yards for an apparent score but it was nullified by a holding call against Josh Hill and it cost New Orleans three points. Lutz came on and kicked a 30-yard field goal to make it 29-10 with 12:45 to play in the game. **The carnage continued as New Orleans drove 55 yards in seven plays on its next drive, scoring on a 3-yard

H N S A R C A E RA T X E

Fan holding sign at Saints vs Bears Game (Photo by Crescent City Sports)

run by Murray to make it 36-10 with 4:33 to play in the game. **The Bears finally got a scoring drive, going 75 yards in 10 plays with Trubisky hitting Robinson on a 7-yard touchdown pass and the two-point conversion was good to make it 36-18 with 2:31 to play. **Then, the Bears recovered an onside kick when Michael Thomas tried to go recover the kick despite the fact that it did not go 10 yards and he failed to cover it with Patterson recovered at the Chicago 43-yard line. **Unfortunately, Eli Apple went down with 48 seconds left when Trubisky hit Javon Wims on a touchdown pass to account for the final score of 36-25. It appeared to be a knee injury, though he was able to walk off. Then, Dwayne Washington inexplicably ignored the ball on the ensuing onside kick and the ball hit his foot and leg and Chicago recovered. Fortunately, the player recovering the fumble had stepped out of bounds and the Saints finally got the ball to kneel it out. It was a sour ending to a good evening. The Saints had already lost Robinson earlier in the game to injury and P.J. Williams is out for another game suspended. You cannot make as many mistakes in the kicking game as New Orleans did and expect to win down the road. Fortunately, the Saints were so much better than Chicago on this day that they survived the mistakes.

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The New Orleans defense let up late and Chicago got two scores but the Saints defense has been undeniably very good. The offense is doing its job. Murray was simply superb, rushing 27 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns. He has clearly quieted the “miss Mark Ingram” howls in the past two games. C.J. Gardner-Johnson played outstanding in place of Williams. Then, there is Bridgewater, who has done nothing but win, going 5-0. Various reports have Drew Brees possibly coming back next week against Arizona. While Brees is a tremendous competitor and future Hall of Fame quarterback, there is certainly no sense of urgency for him to return just yet. If he does, great. If he does not, no worries. Bridgewater has seen to that with consistently solid performances. He completed 23-of-38 for 281 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. He ran for a pair of first downs. He is calm, collected and confident. Thomas, despite the onside kick snafu, was superb again with nine catches for 131 yards. New Orleans is an outstanding team. The concern is health, at this point. This team has mitigated a lot of injuries. How many more can they handle? Sean Payton remains one of the top-shelf coaches in the NFL. That is nothing new. Despite the amazing job and numbers his teams have put up, has he ever done a better job that he has done in 2019? Arizona comes calling next week and the Cardinals have won three straight games. It will not be easy. It will be Saints Hall of Fame and Saints Alumni weekend with Marques Colston and Reggie Bush returning to claim their places in the Saints Hall of Fame while up to 60 former players are here to celebrate. With the way the Saints are playing, it could be another huge celebration. This article was originally published by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.

62 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Oct 22 - Nov 4, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com