Ambush Magazine Volume 37 Issue 25

THE OFFICIAL GAY MAGAZINE OF THE GULF SOUTHâ„¢

A Biweekly Publication Celebrating LGBTQ Life, Music & Culture Since 1982 VOLUME 37 ISSUE 25

TUESDAY, December 3, 2019

www.AMBUSHMAG.com

Holiday Shopping Guide

Our Favorite Things

Staff Holiday Gift Ideas on Page 20

Holiday Party December 17 7-11 p.m.

Free Buffet Festive Cocktails Christmas Music & Videos

Private Party 6-7 p.m.

Doors Open 7 p.m.

www.crossingnola.Com

Ugly Sweater Contest

Toy Drive

Bring an unwrapped gift for a child Our gift to you is a free well drink December 10 - 17

EveryDay Happy Hour $3 Wells & Domestic Beer $1 Off Everything Else 7AM - 9PM

Sunday Sinful Sunday Three Hours of Well Drinks $15 or Top Shelf/Beer for $25 5PM - 8PM

TUESDAY Monday $3 Martini Monday $5 Tequila Tuesday Tito's Handmade Vodka Classic or Creations 7am - 1:30 a.m.

Salt Optional Deep Eddy All Day All Day (504) 523-4517

Saints Watch Party Free Snacks & Saints TD Shots Game Time

THE “OFFICIAL” DISH

by TJ ACOSTA, PUBLISHER

Dear Ambush Nation, Holiday Season is upon us and we at Ambush are so excited for all of the holiday parties and events that are coming up in the next few weeks. If you’re looking for something fun to do during the holidays, be sure to check out our “Hot Happening” section!

During the holidays, there is always something fun to do in New Orleans and along the Gulf South.

This is a great time of year to celebrate with friends and family. It’s also an opportunity to reach out to members in our community who many not have family in town or who live alone. If you know someone who fits that description, please reach out to them and invite them to be part of your celebration.

Even if you’re not hosting a party of your own, there are several bars in the French Quarter, Marigny and Bywater who host holiday parties that are open to the public. This is a great way to support local LGBTQ establishments and make new friends. We should always remember, but even more so during the holidays, that a small act of kindness goes a long way. From all of us at Ambush, Happy Holidays!

KING CAKE QUEEN XXVI Every year for the last 25 years,

a King Cake Queen (KCQ) has been chosen to lead the festivities of the Krewe of Queenateenas during Mardi Gras Day with the annual bead toss.

The King Cake Queen of Gay Mardi Gras is announced each year in December. The new queen is introduced to society on the Tuesday before Mardi Gras at the Official KCQ Coronation bash and is joined by other members of the KCQ Royalty Club. Last year, Tiffany Alexander was crowned KCQ XXV, the Silver Anniversary Queen.

We at Ambush are proud to continue the tradition of the King Cake Queen and the Krewe of Queenateenas! Who will be KCQ XXVI? Be sure to check out the next issue of Ambush to find out!

MR RAWHIDE LEATHER 2020 COMPETITION Over the next several months, Rawhide will be hosting its Mr. Rawhide Leather 2020 Competition. The winner receives primary sponsorship to International Mr. Leather 2020 along with an all expenses-paid trip for two to Chicago. Preliminary competitions will be held on December 12, January 9 and February 13. The final competition will be held on March 12, 2020.

Contestants are welcome from across

Inside this Issue of Ambush Magazine Community Announcements

6

Arts & Culture

8

Health & Wellness

24

Hot Happenings Calendar

29

Business & LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory

41

Comics, Puzzles & Horoscopes

46

Sports

48

the entire Gulf Coast Region and only need to enter one of the three preliminary competitions. The 3 preliminary winners will compete in the Final Competition in March. For more information visit Rawhide2010.com and for information on the International Mr. Leather competition, visit imrl.com.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOAGE will host its December coffee talk on Saturday, December 14, from 10 am to 11:30 am. This will be both a coffee talk and holiday celebration. At this coffee talk they will discuss strategies for handling holiday stress.

The event takes place in the 2nd floor conference room at CrescentCare located at 1631 Elysian Fields Ave. For more information about NOAGE and their programs, please visit NoageNola.org.

Stonewall Sports will host its 2019 Holiday Talent Show on Saturday, December 14, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Bourbon Pub and Parade. The talent show is designed to celebrate community members and raise much-needed funds for local organizations who support the LGBTQ community. 100% of the proceeds from this event will be donated to organizations that support the LGBTQ community and align with the mission of Stonewall Sports.

Yvie Oddly and Silky N. Ganache from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11 will be performing at B-Bob’s in Mobile, Alabama, on Saturday, December 28. Admission is $20 which includes the performance and a meet and greet after the show! B-Bob’s is located at 213 Conti Street in Mobile Alabama.

For more information follow B-Bob’s on Facebook!

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

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Gulf South Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 • Texas-Florida ANNUAL READERSHIP OVER 1M+ 260,000+ Print & 780,000+ Online Official Gay Easter Parade Guide™ Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide™ Official Gay New Orleans Guide™ Official Pride Guide™ Official Southern Decadence Guide™

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR info@ambushpublishing.com

PRINT CIRCULATION

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

PUBLISHER TJ Acosta

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Reed Wendorf

SENIOR EDITOR Brian Sands

OPERATIONS & EVENTS Chris Leonard CONTRIBUTORS Adam Radd, Andrew Watley, Brian Sands, Catherine Roland, Charles Pizzo, Dorian-gray Alexander, Frank Perez, Jim Meadows, Kevin Assam, Lynn Stevens, Rev. Bill Terry, 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

LOCAL ADVERTISING sales@ambushpublishing.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Ambush Magazine is published on alternate Tuesdays of each month by Ambush Publishing. Advertising, Copy & Photo DEADLINE is alternate Tuesdays, 5pm, prior to publication week, accepted via e-mail only: info@ambushpublishing.com. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for the claims of advertisers and has the right to reject any advertising. The inclusion of an individual’s name or photograph in this publication implies nothing about that individual’s sexual orientation. Letters, stories, etc. appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of the Publisher or Staff of Ambush Magazine. ©1982-2019 AMBUSH PUBLISHING LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOTHING HEREIN MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER INCLUDING AD LAYOUTS, MAPS & PHOTOS.

4 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Trash Disco Sunday

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Karaoke Wednesday 9pm

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Beyond Clover Burger www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 5

NEWS & COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS Spotlight on Saints and Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival Speakers

Deb Jannerson

In this series, we introduce you to some of the writers in the all-star lineup for #SAS20 this March in the heart of the French Quarter.

Deb Jannerson is an award-winning, Pushcart-nominated author. Her YA debut, The Women of Dauphine (NineStar Press, 2019), a New Orleanian lesbian ghost story, received praise from Kirkus Reviews, LoveBytes, and Ambush. She also has two collections of poetry, Rabbit Rabbit (Finishing Line Press, 2016) and Thanks for Nothing (Finishing Line Press, 2018);

Mike McClelland

the latter was a finalist for the Golden Crown Award. Her work has been widely published in magazines, including viral articles for Bitch. She lives in New Orleans with her wife.

Like Sharon Stone and the zipper, Mike McClelland is originally from Meadville, Pennsylvania. He has lived on five different continents but now resides in Georgia with his husband, their two sons, and a menagerie of rescue dogs. He is the author of the short fiction collection Gay Zoo Day (Beautiful Dreamer Press, 2017) and his

Carter Sickels

work has appeared in a variety of anthologies and in publications such as the Boston Review, Entropy, Queen Mob’s Tea House, Permafrost, and others. Keep up with him at magicmikewrites.com.

Carter Sickels’s novel The Prettiest Star is forthcoming from Hub City Press in 2020. He is the author of the novel The Evening Hour (Bloomsbury 2012), an Oregon Book Award finalist and a Lambda Literary Award finalist.

His essays and fiction have appeared or are forthcoming in various publica-

tions, including Guernica, Bellevue Literary Review, Green Mountains Review, and BuzzFeed. Carter is the recipient of the 2013 Lambda Literary Emerging Writer Award. He is Assistant Professor of English at Eastern Kentucky University.

The annual Saints and Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival will take place in New Orleans March 27-29. For registration information: Sasfest.org Ambush readers can register with a 20% discount by using the code Ambush20 when registering.

6 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Tittie Toulouse returns in Different Strokes for Different Folks On December 14, Tittie Toulouse will triumphantly return to the stage to headline Different Strokes for Different Folks. On Facebook, she announced that she is celebrating her “First Re-Birthday” following a stroke one year ago on the same date.

Her partner, Electra City, serves as emcee.

Joining Tittie and Electra are Tiffany Alexander, Aubrey Synclaire, Johnny Passion, and Felicia Phillips (as of press time). More performers are expected to join the cast.

Tittie started her career in drag in the mid-’90s. Her first foray was at a club in the Marigny called “2601.” She said she got the inspiration for her stage name from a straight couple who were drinking at the Golden Lantern.

She confided in them that she was competing in a pageant but didn’t yet have an alter ego. At the time, it was trendy to use street names.

When she chose Toulouse, the couple quipped, “Tittie!”

Later, at the Hooker Pageant, she saw the duo in the crowd cheering her on as she was crowned Miss Hooker Queen 2001. That same year, she also reigned as Queen of the Krewe of Amon-Ra. She has served on the Board of Directors of both the Gay Appreciation Awards and the Gay Easter Parade.

Tittie was Easter Grand Marshal XI and Southern Decadence Grand Marshal XXXV. Looking back, she said her first real show took place at the Four Seasons in Metairie about 2003. The Chicken & Dumpster Review became her calling card; the show later ran at The Corner Pocket.

Turning serious for a moment, Tittie—born Gary—said she had a brain clot nearly one year ago. She has experienced some paralysis on the right, but has fought against it with a combination of physical rehabilitation and hard work. The desire to perform again gave her the strength and motivation.

Different Strokes for Different Folks takes place at The Corner Pocket on Saturday, December 14, from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. In addition to performances, there will be “boys dancin’ on the bar.”

Tittie told Ambush that she “wants all my friends who helped me stay positive this past year to join me for a night of fun!!!”

Charles Pizzo has only done drag once in his life, and reportedly looked like an overweight Judy Garland. When a carload of men offered to pick him up and take him to Popeyes, he fled.

Cyndi Lauper to be Honored on Human Rights Day Award-winning recording artist, composer, lyricist, and advocate Cyndi Lauper has been named the first recipient of The High Note Global Prize, an award honoring and celebrating major recording artists for outstanding achievement in using their music and celebrity platform to advocate for social justice worldwide.

On UN Human Rights Day, which is December 10, The High Note Global Prize will be presented to the iconic pop star by UN Human Rights along with international recording artist and social activist Kesha at Cyndi Lauper’s “Home for the Holidays” benefit concert in Los Angeles at The Novo.

Lauper is being recognized for her lifelong advocacy for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) people, as well as the significant achievements made by True Colors United, a nonprofit organization she co-founded in 2008 to prevent and end youth homelessness among LGBTQ youth.

In May 2015, her testimony to the U.S. Senate Sub-Appropriations Committee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development played a leading role in securing approximately $250 million in new annual federal

funding over the past four years to invest in preventing and end youth homelessness in over 70 communities across America.

Each year, 4.2 million youth and young adults experience some form of homelessness in the United States and up to 40% are LGBTQ. True Colors United develops and implements innovative solutions to youth homelessness that focus on the unique experiences of LGBTQ young people through a wide array of training & education, technical assistance, advocacy, and youth collaboration programs. The organization has impacted the lives of millions of LGBTQ youth and brought the critical issue of youth homelessness to the forefront of government, public, and media awareness.

“We are proud to support The High Note Global Initiative in an effort to galvanize global mobilization for human rights, and at the same time honor artists who passionately use their work to promote and protect the rights of others,” said Laurent Sauveur, Chief External Outreach, UN Human Rights.

Along with Kesha, celebrities paying tribute to Lauper and True Colors United on UN Human Rights Day will include Lily Tomlin, Billy Porter, Brandi

Carlile, Belinda Carlisle, Charlie Musselwhite, Henry Rollins, Margaret Cho, and Carson Kressley, among others.

Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, Dolly Parton, Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Kacey Musgraves, RuPaul, and Tegan & Sara are among the artists who have donated items and experiences for a charity auction with 100% proceeds supporting True Colors United programs.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) has a unique mandate to promote and protect all human rights for all people. Under the leadership of the High Commissioner, with a staff of 1,300 working in more than 70 countries, it aims to make human rights a reality in the lives of people everywhere. Its flagship campaign “Free and Equal” is a call to stand up for the rights of LGBTI people across the globe. For more information, visit: ohchr.org and unfe.org.

Cyndi Lauper is a Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning songwriter and performing artist with global record sales in excess of 50 million. Lauper won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist with her first album, She’s So Unusual, and became the first woman

in history to have four top-five singles from a debut album. Since then, Lauper has released ten additional studio albums, yielding timeless classics like Time After Time and True Colors, and the anthemic Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. She’s been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, seven American Video Awards, and 18 MTV Awards.

In 2013, Cyndi Lauper became the first solo woman to win Best Original Score (music and lyrics) for Kinky Boots. Lauper was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015, released a New York Times best-selling memoir, and continues to collect impressive accolades across the music industry and beyond. In addition, Lauper is tireless in her advocacy work, always fighting for the underdog, especially women, people living with HIV/ AIDS, and LGBTQ people. Her commitment runs so deep that she started her own charity, the True Colors United in 2008 to bring an end to homelessness amongst LGBTQ youth.

For more information, visit: highnoteglobal.org

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 7

Dating App Scam A Grindr scam that has been reported in other parts of the country has recently been reported by Grindr users in the New Orleans area. This latest scam follows some variation of the following: You are chatting with someone who claims to be a young man 18-21 years old. After chatting on Grindr for a few minutes, he will give you his phone number and ask if you can continue the chat via text. He may say that Grindr burns up his battery, the Grindr app doesn’t work well on his phone, or some other excuse. Once you start chatting via text, he will ask you to send nude pictures. After a few more texts and picture exchanges, he will tell you that he will be in touch later to set a time to meet.

In reality, this “young man” is a scammer who now has your phone number. With a few clicks on google, the scammer easily learns your full name, address, birthdate, where you work, and relatives’ names. If you’ve never tried it, google your phone num-

ber and see what comes up. You may have to pay a few dollars for full details, but the scammer doesn’t mind this.

A few days or maybe a week later, you will receive a call stating that the person you were chatting with was actually a minor posing as an adult, and his parents or teacher discovered the texts on his phone, including the nude pictures that you sent. The caller may state that he or she is an “investigator” or one of the minor’s parents. They will tell you of their plans to go to the authorities and press charges for sending pornography to a minor.

After you are sufficiently worried, they will tell you that they are willing to forget the whole thing if you pay some amount of money. In one version of the scam, they state that they are going to take the minor’s phone away and ask you to pay the termination fee in exchange for not going to the authorities.

When you agree, they will instruct you to buy a prepaid money card at WalMart, CVS, etc. and text them a picture of the card and PIN number. This is all

they need to obtain the cash value of the card, and it is completely untraceable.

When you refuse, the scammer will threaten to go to the authorities and/or to post your nude pictures online. They may text you screen shots of the photos you sent as proof that they have them. In one case reported in Dallas, a woman even showed up outside the victim’s workplace claiming to be the minor’s mother and demanding payment.

If you google the scammer’s phone number, you will find that it is not registered to any name, because the scammer is using a “ghost” phone number.

There are many scams on all dating apps, and you should always be alert. Protect yourself from scams by observing the following: NEVER give your phone number or last name to anyone on a dating app. This is all they need to find out your personal details. Keep the conversation on the app and give only your first name. If someone you are chat-

ting with insists on texting directly, end the conversation and block him—it’s probably a scam.

NEVER give money to anyone as a result of a conversation on any dating app.

If a scammer does obtain your personal information and contacts you directly, consult an attorney and have the attorney talk to the scammer.

Consider getting a “ghost” phone number of your own. There are several free apps for both Android and iOS that put a second phone number on your cell phone. This is a VOIP number that is not registered to your name and not traceable to you. You can use this number if you want to exchange phone numbers with someone you don’t know well (for example, someone you meet in a bar), and it prevents them from obtaining your personal information online.

Follow your instinct—if something seems not quite right, it probably isn’t.

ARTS & CULTURE

Trodding the Boards Brian Sands bsnola2@hotmail.com

A Christmas Carol at Le Petit Theatre thru Dec. 23

[A Christmas Carol returns to Le Petit through Dec. 23. The following is my review from December 2018 of the original production. All of the actors mentioned below will be part of this year’s show.]

Christmas arrived early at Le Petit this year with a smashing new production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

To be honest, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to this holiday classic. I’ve read it. I’ve seen it on stage and screen.

“Been there, done that,” I thought.

But from the electrifying start, this new adaptation by Maxwell Williams, Le Petit’s Artistic Director, and Curtis Billings, completely engrossed me. I can’t tell you exactly why because, in terms of the script, there’s nothing radical about it.

All the major plot points and characters--Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present & Future, Bob Cratchit and, of course, Tiny Tim--are still there. Williams/Billings haven’t transposed the setting to the French Quarter or modern day NYC or LA. What they have done, however, is to find the perfect balance between

humor, seriousness and supernatural wizardry, while keeping any sentimentality from creeping in, so as to blow Carol’s accumulated cobwebs away and thus reveal its eternal truths.

As director, Williams has, unlike previous productions of his, cast the show perfectly and elicited just-right performances from all of his actors.

Each segment proceeds at a finely calibrated pace, never lingering too long as we meet the moneylender Scrooge and see how youthful hardships and disappointments caused him to become this bitter miser.

Aided by Evan F. Adamson’s beautiful set, Kathleen Van Horn’s spot-on costumes, and Andrew F. Griffin’s perfect lighting, Williams has created a Carol that’s visually stunning. Perhaps best of all are Nicholas Hussong’s ingenious projections which effectively deliver otherworldliness without any cliches.

Of course, any Christmas Carol can only be as good as its Scrooge and Le Petit is fortunate to have do-nowrong Bob Edes, Jr. whose commanding performance could stand with the greatest of Scrooges past, present or future. Edes brings an almost Shakespearean complexity to the initially frosty man and then slowly melts--

Bob Edes, Jr. and Zeb Hollins III in A Christmas Carol (Photo by Brittney Werner)

watch how his body transforms--as warmth enters his heart.

Other stand-outs in the cast include Julia DeLois (Xmas Past), Zeb Hollins III (Xmas Present), Kate Kuen (Mrs. Cratchit), John Neisler (Marley), Michael A. Newcomer (Nephew Fred), Sean Patterson (Mr. Fezziwig), and Billings as Bob Cratchit.

In an interview in the playbill, Williams states that Le Petit intends to remount this production annually, so if you can’t see it this year do plan on

catching it next. Until then, let’s hope some of the folks in Washington, DC, might go through such a wondrous transformation as Ebenezer Scrooge does.

[Next up at Le Petit is Something Rotten! Set in 1595, this musical tells how musicals came to be. Hint: A certain “Bard” puts in an appearance.

When I saw it on Broadway in 2015, I described it as “pure entertainment, two-and-a-half hours of blissfully sophisticated silliness.”]

8 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

LPO’s Holiday Spectacular with The 610 Stompers at the Mahalia Jackson Theater on December 14

[The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) presents its annual Holiday Spectacular with The 610 Stompers on December 14 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Following are excerpts from my reviews of the past few years. This year’s theme is “A Stomper Christmas Carol”. I suspect this will be an Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim unlike any Charles Dickens ever imagined!]

(From 2016:) I had heard that the LPO’s Holiday Spectacular with The 610 Stompers last year was a blast and I resolved not to miss it this year.

Accustomed to seeing the Stompers boogeying along in Carnival parades, I wasn’t sure what to expect. How many “extraordinary moves” could these “ordinary men” make at the Orpheum Theater? Quite a few, all fabulous, as it turned out.

This year’s script, straightforward but laced with sly humor by Ryan Murphy and intoned in a steady voice by Mark Laforet, had the Stompers helping Santa (wearing shrimp boots, of course) to deliver toys to kids around the world. As they made various stops along the way, the different locales occasioned appropriate orchestral, vocal or dance numbers.

There were touch-downs in Russia for some ballet; in Scotland for a Highland dance in kilts; and in Hawaii for a hula dance with grass skirts and leis.

Anyone who has seen these bearded, tattooed and bear-bellied naturally N’awleanians will understand a note I made in my program that “they leave you speechless.”

Yet what made this program great, among other things, was that the Stompers take themselves, or at least their dancing, seriously and don’t camp things up; well, no more than the basic gag of guys in wife-beaters and pale blue polyester shorts doing jetés. They may not be Nureyevs, but it’s clear they have mastered a variety of styles in their inimitable polished-but-not-toopolished way.

Making the Spectacular spectacular, however, were a number of other local performers representing other cultures as well. Holding all this together was guest conductor Lucas Waldin who elicited a lush full sound and crisp playing from the LPO, particularly the expert percussion section, throughout the evening.

But it was the Stompers’ triumphant night. Whether doing a June Taylor-esque routine to the Charleston or proving they’re our own hairy-chested Rockettes as the Babes in Toyland soldiers, they were all ineffably precious, an “Only in NOLA” phenom-

enon. As one of them said to me after the show, “They don’t get us anywhere else.” Pity.

(From 2017:) I had missed the LPO’s first Holiday Spectacular featuring the 610 Stompers in 2015 and resolved to see last year’s edition which turned out to be fabulous. Could they top themselves this year? Indeed they did.

Whereas last year’s Spectacular had a “round the world” theme and included a diverse variety of local cultural groups, for 2017 the Stompers, following the lead of the LPO which will be performing at Carnegie Hall in February, vowed to return to New York to follow up their Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade triumph of a few years ago, thus explaining the title’s subheading From the Big Easy to the Big Apple.

This prompted the LPO and the Stompers to use an assortment of show tunes for the program. In their red jacket/white shirt/blue shorts outfits, and despite some prodigious guts overhanging certain Stompers’ waistlines, they displayed supreme confidence and impeccable style as they launched into such challenging numbers as Fiddler on the Roof’s Bottle Dance (wearing no kneepads!) and All That Jazz from Chicago. One wishes Jerome Robbins or Bob Fosse could have seen such breathtaking terpsichorean mastery.

Constantine Kitsopoulos lovingly conducted throughout, especially the more traditional Christmas numbers that alternated with the Stompers such as Silent Night, White Christmas and Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride. Every section of the LPO played superbly as always.

For some reason, the show’s title, Holiday Spectacular?, ended with a question mark. That might be the only inappropriate thing about this special holiday event as it unquestionably deserved a “!”

(From 2018:) Anything that goes on for more than two years here can claim to be a tradition. Now in its fourth year, the LPO’s Holiday Spectacular featuring the 610 Stompers has now apparently become as much a part of the season as Scrooges and Sugarplum Fairies. Of course, this LPO tradition is as unique to our region as the Bonfires on the Levee that light the way for Papa Noël!

Having traveled around the world in 2016 and “from the Big Easy to the Big Apple” last year, 2018’s mission for these “Ordinary Men with Extraordinary Moves” was no less than to save Christmas after Santa had gone astray.

And save it they did with the help of some fairy princesses and one towering drag queen [The gorgeous and supremely talented Varla Jean Merman.]

Alternating with the purely musical numbers, the Stompers displayed their June Taylor-esque moves, expertly choreographed by Karen Hebert with

Henry Patron (aka Mr. Sunshine) and Ted Dunaway (aka Erratica) outside the Orpheum Theater after 2017’s Spectacular

loving humor, as they headed to the North Pole. Led by the fearless, if ever-bepuzzled, Slab (aka Brett Patron), the Stompers battled Quarter Rats (to the Mambo of West Side Story); reprised their precise March of the Toy Soldiers as they got entangled with some Canadian Mounties; and performed their own version of The Nutcracker’s Russian Dance that would have left George Balanchine confused but probably grinning.

As fabulously amusing as the Stompers & Friends were, this remained an LPO concert and conductor Raúl Gómez-Rojas did a fine job of leading the orchestra and shaping all the numbers with beautiful sculptural precision. And he’s quite the cutie too.

The LPO and the 610 Stompers provided another joyful mix of serious music-making and only-in-New Orleans fun for both Spectacular virgins

and veterans alike. May this tradition flourish for as long as there’s a Big Easy!

Coming Up

The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans (TWTC) presents the seldom seen Period of Adjustment which opened on Broadway in 1960. In it, two couples are smashed together in one house on Christmas Eve...and nobody’s getting what they want for Christmas, it seems.

It’s one of Williams’ few, if only, comedies, albeit a dark one, and demonstrates that he had the same kind of feelings about Christmas get-togethers as most of us do--complicated.

TWTC brings in some new (at least to me) faces for this production. Husband’n’wife Ryan and Lizzie Bruce will direct a cast that includes John Lavin, Sonia Rose Arredondo, Mia Frost, and

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 9

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

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

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

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

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

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

• take dofetilide.

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

• have kidney problems.

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

©2019 ViiV Healthcare or licensor.

DLLADVT190009 June 2019 Produced in USA.

Learn more about Leo and DOVATO at DOVATO.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SO MUCH GOES INTO WHO I AM HIV MEDICINE IS ONE PART OF IT. Reasons to ask your doctor about DOVATO: DOVATO can help you reach and then stay undetectable* with just 2 medicines in 1 pill.

That means fewer medicines† in your body while taking DOVATO

You can take it any time of day with or without food (around the same time each day)—giving you flexibility

DOVATO is a once-a-day complete treatment for adults who are new to HIV-1 medicine.

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

LEO‡ Living with HIV

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

• Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines.

Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having new symptoms after you start taking DOVATO. • The most common side effects of DOVATO include: headache; diarrhea; nausea; trouble sleeping; and tiredness.

These are not all the possible side effects of DOVATO. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Where Can I Find More Information?

• Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

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

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

Compensated by ViiV Healthcare

‡

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

John Wettermark. Rounding out the ensemble are two local favorites, Tracey Collins and Matt Story. The set is by Kenneth Thompson who created the imposingly eerie design for TWTC’s Suddenly Last Summer earlier this year.

Period of Adjustment runs December 6-21 at the Lower Depths Theatre on the campus of Loyola University. Should provide lots of Ho-hoho’s and Ha-ha-ha’s.

The Radical Buffoon(s) open their third season with the regional premiere of RAP Unzel by Jeremy Ra-

shad Brown which was commissioned

by Austin Scottish Rite Theatre and premiered there this past February.

A 60-minute exploration of identity, empowerment, and awareness, RAP Unzel uses hip-hop, music, and dance, to tell the story of Reginald “RAP” Unzel III, a young man with big hair and even bigger dreams of musical stardom. Recently relocated to New Orleans after the loss of his father, RAP is hidden away by his mother who worries that his big personality will get him hurt, or worse.

Torey Hayward directs Brian Eg-

land, Zondra Howard, Alexandria Miles, Alex Frosch, Justin Davis, and Olivia Ros. RAP Unzel plays daytimes at Southern Rep’s Sanctuary Stage (2541 Bayou Rd.) December 14 through 29.

On Sunday, December 22, Murray & Peter will present A Drag Queen Christmas - The Naughty Tour at The Fillmore (6 Canal St.), a magical (and hilarious) evening of holiday performances featuring contestants

from RuPaul’s Drag Race on VH1. It’s sure to be an evening of festive songs and outstanding drag with your favorite queens rocking the catwalk and doing their thing live on stage. Doors at 7pm, show at 8pm. For more information or tickets, go to www. fillmorenola.com.

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

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Pride New Orleans AT THE PRIDE PUB CRAWL | PHOTOS BY PRIDE

12 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

INTERVIEWS FROM KEY WEST Art Has Arrived at the 3rd Annual COAST Is Clear Music & Arts Festival Kevin Assam kevin-assam@hotmail.com Billy Kearins is the founder of Coast Projects (COAST). What started as an experimental artist collective flourished into a lifestyle brand and concert promoting outfit. On the eve of his 3rd Annual COAST Is Clear Music & Arts Festival - December 5-7th in Key West’s Bahama Village – Billy talks beards, his relationship with musician Rayland Baxter, and debuting the art component of this year’s festivities.

Just how many glorious beards have you cycled through at this point?

Billy: Wow, hitting me with the beard right off the bat. Bold. I was pretty late to the facial hair game. I was one of those kids who didn’t grow until late in high school and really didn’t have facial hair until my mid-20s.

Ever since it was an option, it’s been almost a constant in my wardrobe. Throughout the past 15 years, I usually do an annual shearing where I get it down pretty short and let it go until I need to clean up my act. I don’t trim or tidy it. It’s all or nothing because I hate shaving. I actually think I look better without it.

Are beards underutilized as an accessory to strengthen less prominent jaw lines?

Billy: I suppose beards could serve that purpose, especially when cleverly sculpted to accomplish such a cosmetic goal, but I haven’t really thought about using mine that way. When I trim it way down and look at myself in the mirror, it is a big difference and definitely changes the shape of my face.

What was your take on the financial landscape of Key West as it related to your ability to sustain a livelihood where you would be your own boss?

Billy: Within a year or so of moving here, I quickly made my way up the ladder at Fury Catamarans, which at the time only had two boats. I started sailing their big “cats” in my early 20s.

That’s coming from essentially zero prior boating experience. Remember that I said that I go all-in on things that interest me?

I was fried a few years into that.

Long days at the wheel got me thinking of other things I wanted to do. I got into boat building on my days off and had a hand in building some of the biggest boats with a couple of friends at Robbie’s Marina on Stock Island that still run out of Key West — the Reef Express and later the Sunset Party Cat to name two.

That experience led to me wanting to physically create things as a way to support myself. I started a small skateboard building company and taught

myself to design and screenprint shirts.

That ultimately was the basis for the COAST brand. There are huge gaps in there, but this is already a long-winded attempt at condensing it. Let your imagination wander. The true story is stranger than any fiction.

Why create the COAST Is Clear Music & Arts Festival three years ago?

Billy: At the core of the festival is a celebration of the end of hurricane season — when the “coast is clear.”

Officially, that day is November 30 or December 1, but wanting to keep it on a weekend, we decided it will always be held the weekend following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which this year is December 5–7.

The impetus for starting it in 2017 was Hurricane Irma and wanting to raise funds for relief in the Lower Keys.

I didn’t want to do something right away because there wasn’t much to celebrate. But waiting a few months and being confident another hurricane wasn’t heading our way, we felt better about getting folks together to celebrate in the wake of a disaster.

We still use the festival to raise funds. This year we will have donation boxes at most events raising money for Key West Cares, which has been at the forefront of the relief effort in the Bahamas since Dorian hit in September.

Tell me more about the musicians and strong beards that will be part of the lineup. Will we discover any tracks to add to our Lizzo and Sufjan Stevens inspired playlists?

Billy: I’m really stoked to get Justin (SUSTO) down here to play a couple of solo sets. SUSTO’s an indie-folk rock band playing huge stages and festivals around the country including Newport Folk Fest this summer and previously opening for The Lumineers and Band of Horses. I met him at Songwriters in 2018. He is good buds with Rayland.

They seem excited to share the small stage down here. No big beard for Justin but some punk rock knuckle tattoos that say ACID BOYS. Beyond SUSTO, Tim Reynolds and TR3 are playing Thursday at Green Parrot. I grew up listening to him with Dave Matthews so that’s another one I’m looking forward to. Electric Blue Yonder has rad sound that I always enjoy listening to — trippy space folk with a cool aesthetic to boot.

And then, Chris Kasper is a fantastic songwriter who has toured with Amos Lee, The Wood Brothers, and my buddy G. Love. We’ll round it out with a bunch of my favorite local performers and their bands --Jerrod Isaman, Cayman Smith-Martin, Turner

Billy Kearins

Harrison, and Sam Carlson. It’s always cool to see them play in a proper concert rather than in the corner of a bar.

What brings Rayland to the 3rd Annual COAST Is Clear Music & Arts Festival?

Billy: I met Rayland when he played the Songwriters Festival in 2017. He was playing a show at San Carlos with another friend of mine, Langhorne Slim. We all met up around the corner at Green Parrot. One thing led to the next and I got in touch with him — and Slim — after Irma to see if they could come down to play the first COAST Is Clear Festival. They both agreed and since then Rayland has played a couple of other shows at COAST. Last year, we spent Christmas together in Key West. He helped me move out of our old space on Stock Island during that last week of 2018. I count Ray as a good friend. It’s a huge bonus that he’s an amazing artist with his heart in the right place. That’s really why he’s down here for the festival.

How will the festival be breaking new ground art wise? It’s not going to be just roosters on surfboards on oil, right?

Billy: [Laughs] Hope not. We are tiptoeing into the arts end of the pool as this is the first year we added “Arts” to the title.

We have a curated local arts

market taking place at the Key West Lighthouse on Friday and Saturday (December 6&7). We have a Bahama Village art walk on Saturday and [long pause] I’m slated to have my own photo exhibition at our shop opening on Thursday.

I’ve been experimenting with photography for the past few years and recently Billy Currington — who played the huge Dorian benefit at Sunset Pier in September — gifted me a really nice camera. He prefaced this by saying I should do more with my photos. So, for the past couple of months, I’ve been teaching myself to use this insane piece of equipment and I’m hoping to have 10 new images to show at the exhibition. I’ll have some of my older photos on display as well. The series is called “Edge of Old Town” and it’s mostly street photography exclusively taken in Bahama Village. I’ve been trying to shoot in the mornings and around sunset because the lighting is better.

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

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 13

THE HERE AND THE NOW

Tweaking Traditions: Celebrating the Good Times Catherine Roland catherineroland12@gmail.com

If a quick and dirty poll were conducted about one thing you remembered about food around the holiday season, most of us would come up with at least one favorite recipe, a beloved dish that was served every year.

And then many of us would also recall something that may have occurred during that meal.

Granted, not all people have entirely positive feelings when they recall certain holidays. Whatever your experience, try to recall some traditions around holiday season that were enjoyable. It doesn’t matter what or how you celebrate, there will always be some memory -- a feeling, a smell -- something that jars a pleasant memory.

I was thinking about that, and considering how food-oriented (some might say food-obsessed) we are here in the Greater New Orleans area, and really all of Louisiana as well. I searched my own memory, from childhood on, and made a list of what seemed like favorite foods, with a focus on desserts. And the most important part of the exercise was the memories that emerged, many of which I hadn’t thought about in years. Food is traditional for many,

especially around holidays. You could make some new traditions, while still loving the old.

I searched for 30 minutes for the cherished small wooden file box that held the most important recipes from my family; I’ve had it for many years.

Each recipe has its own white 3 x 5 card, all handwritten, some yellowing from age. I pulled the cards filed in “C” and “D”, cookies and desserts. It took a long time to read every one of them, and choose just a few to share.

Please keep in mind that these are non-Louisiana-based recipes. Although food around here is sacred, with anchored traditions, I think there are some different creations we can consider. And so we begin with…

Italian Sesame Seeds Cookies, AKA Anisette Cookies

Preheat oven to 400. Here’s what you’ll need: 2 cups of flour; 2.5 teaspoons baking powder; 2 eggs; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ cup sugar; ½ butter; 2 tablespoons vanilla extract; ¼ cup Anisette liqueur; sesame seeds (un-

toasted). Mix all ingredients together, by hand is best. Roll by hand into long logs, then cut into 1.5 inch pieces. Put sesame seeds on a flat surface or board, roll each cookie thoroughly in sesame seeds, covering the entire cookie. Place on cookie sheet, bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until well browned.

Why this recipe? My grandmother made these cookies every year, and allowed me to ‘help’ at a very young age.

The best part was rolling the cookies in the sesame seeds, and placing them on the cookie sheet, where I always made some kind of pattern on the pan. Those were wonderful times with my paternal grandmother, who was a fantastic cook, and an outstanding baker. I always got to sample the very first cookies, since I was the very first grandchild.

Aunt Ann’s Sour Cream Spice Cake

Preheat oven to 350. Here’s what you’ll need: 2 cups flour; 1.5 cups brown sugar; 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons cinnamon; ¾ teaspoon cloves; ¼ cup softened butter; ¼ cup shortening; 2 large eggs; I cup sour cream; ½ cup water. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, blend one minute on medium speed. Pour into 2 small pans, or one larger pan, greased.

Bake for 40-50 minutes. Check for a bit of a golden top. Make it festive by placing a few cherries or two quartered strawberries on top, and either parsley or green icing next to the red. Instant holly!

Why this recipe? My Aunt Ann taught me to make this in high school, and I loved to bake with her, even as a child. She and my mother would make a long list of all the things they needed for the cakes and cookies they were to make for the holidays, and we would all go shopping. I loved all the pretty spices, the cookie decorations and food colors, but mostly I loved being with the two of them as they talked and laughed. My Aunt Ann loved this spice cake, so we named it for her.

Easy-Peezy Almond Cookies

Preheat oven to 300. Here’s what you’ll need: 1 cup rice flour; ½ cup light brown sugar; 2 cups very finely ground almonds; 6 tablespoons softened butter; 1 tablespoon ice water; 30 whole almonds. Put rice flour and sugar in a bowl, mix in ground almonds, and fold in butter by hand. Stir in ice water, mix.

Break off tablespoon-sized dough and shape into balls. Arrange on greased cookie sheet about an inch apart, and flatten slightly with spoon. Then place one whole almond in center of each cookie, bake about 12 minutes, until golden on top. Makes 30 cookies. For a variation, lightly sprinkle either cinnamon or powdered sugar on top, according to taste.

Why this recipe? Only reason is that I love them the best!

Figure out how to make something in a food group that you love, and do it. As you’re setting up, shopping for ingredients, assessing your bakeware (love that), plan what you want to make by thinking of a story that may go with it, a memory or two that comes up.

Holidays can be difficult. I know there have been some holidays that were not all that great for me. We move on, we reframe, and we create our own traditions. Food is something vital here. It has a life of its own and we have the ability to create something fun, tasty and meaningful, like cookies that connect you to a happy past.

I don’t bake much, and certainly don’t cook anything fancy except vegetarian dishes with lots of protein, but I dearly love holiday cookies and cakes, and the memories that they generate.

Food is always a way to connect, and sharing food, bringing food to others, trading recipes or new restaurant ideas, can be a powerful link to one or more individuals. What an excellent time to connect around food, planning meals, deciding where to have brunch in an area of the city that is traditionally decorated for holiday time. They say once you find good people, never let them go. I say once you find good food, and good connections over food, never let that go.

I wish all of you a season filled with peace, quiet, joy and reflection. Throw in a cup of gratitude, a big pinch of fun, and a tablespoon of wonder. Let it bake a while in your heart, and serve. That’s a recipe to hold onto all year long.

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.

14 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

AMERICAN THINGS Stay in touch with your representatives Lynn Stevens Trumpette, Eddie Rispone, lost in the gubernatorial runoff election; four more years of John Bel Edwards.

Edwards has said he will stay the course, making the economy as good as it can be and working to increase teachers’ wages.

In an earlier column, I said maybe Edwards would move further left in his second term but, as was pointed out on WWL-TV’s election night coverage, Edwards is pro-gun & pro-life and while he is the only Democrat governor in the Deep South, anywhere else in the country he would probably be a Republican.

Of course, compared to former governor Bobby Jindal, Edwards’ moves toward inclusivity have been incredible.

In March of 2016 The Advocate reported that Edwards would rescind Jindal’s “Marriage and Conscience Order” which Jindal issued after similar legislation failed to pass. The order

barred “the state from taking punitive action against an individual, business, or nonprofit group,” with the, “religious belief that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman.” Edwards did so even though he personally opposes marriage equality; when he first ran for governor he said, “Now that it’s the law of the land...for me the issue is settled going forward.”

The next month, Edwards signed an executive order to provide, “employment protections for state employees and employees of state contractors on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, political affiliation, disability, or age.”

Edwards states on the governor’s office website, “While this executive order respects the religious beliefs of our people, it also signals to the rest of the country that discrimination is not a Louisiana value, but rather, that Loui-

siana is a state that is respectful and inclusive of everyone around us.”

The Governor’s attempts towards making the state more inclusive are respectable. It’s unfortunate that he doesn’t feel the same way about a woman’s right to an abortion but that comes as little surprise. Edwards is a religious man, and he knows that he must strike some balance between the left pull in places like New Orleans and the right pull in most of the rest of the state.

In this climate, it may seem surprising that a moderate Democrat like Edwards would sign an executive order like the one he did, one which, as a bill, failed in the legislature. Shreveport and New Orleans have passed anti-discrimination laws but that hasn’t edged into many other parts of the state.

Edwards’ actions were called “unconstitutional” for signing the order but that’s not really true. Executive orders have a constitutional basis by giving heads of state broad administrative powers. Such executive orders are used to declare States of Emergency during hurricanes, for instance. I doubt any Louisianan would call Edwards a fascist for enacting one when such a time comes.

So, while signing an executive order is totally legal and allowable, it is the type of thing that makes Edwards look good to a certain portion of his constituency but does little to actually advance the discourse on anti-discrimination.

We need to focus our attention, not only on the governor’s office, but also on our State Senate and House from which comes the bills that make their way to the governor’s desk.

We should contact those legislators to make sure they know what we want. As un-sexy as it might seem, write letters, make phone calls. Do it everyday. Do it twice a day.

I would love to publish a list of all of Louisiana’s legislators’ names, addresses and phone numbers, however that might constitute a separate issue of Ambush altogether.

You can find who represents you at the website below. They want to hear from you and if they don’t listen to you...vote for someone else. http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/FindMyLegislators.aspx

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at NOAGE AT NOAGE’S THANKSGIVING POTLUCK | PHOTOS BY CATHERINE ROLAND

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 15

COMMUNITY VOICE The Best Christmas Albums of All Time Jim Meadows Executive Director, NOAGE info@noagenola.org OK, I admit it. I’m a sucker for Christmas music. I can’t stand those tacky Hallmark Channel made-for-TV Christmas movies they’ve been torturing us with since July, and I definitely disapprove of Yuletide decorations before December. But during the couple

of weeks leading up to the main event, nothing gets me in the holiday spirit like Christmas music. Every year, we add at least a couple more albums to the Christmas collection at my house, and many of these have become essential.

Here are my favorites for every mood

and taste.

Trimming the Tree Putting up a Christmas tree is risky business. You’re almost guaranteed to make some kind of mistake; the question is whether you’re just going to break an ornament or knock the

whole thing over. I don’t recommend listening to music while you’re getting the tree screwed into the base or making sure it’s all “even” (it never will be), but once you’re ready to decorate, cue up the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas (Vince Guaraldi, 1965). The first track (O Tannenbaum) couldn’t be more fitting, and once you get to Linus and Lucy, you will have found your groove. Keep the childhood memories coming with the soundtrack to How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Various Artists, 1966), and settle down with some eggnog and Bette Midler’s Cool Yule (2006) to admire your work.

If you haven’t heard this one yet, you’re in for a treat. At my house, we listen to the Divine Miss M’s holiday album throughout the season.

Christmas Cocktail Party Throwing a holiday party, and want it to be on the classy side, but not too stuffy? Look no further than the Ultra-Lounge Christmas Cocktails series (Various Artists, 1996-2004). Put all three of those on, and Don Draper himself wouldn’t be out of place as a guest. If the party’s still going strong after three martinis, throw on Ella Wishes You a Swingin’ Christmas (Ella Fitzgerald, 1960). It’s the ultimate jazzy Christmas album from the First Lady of Song.

Country Christmas If you like a little twang in your music, I recommend these three albums from singers who were at the vanguard of the New Traditionalist movement a few decades ago: Merry Christmas Strait to You (George Strait, 1986), Merry Christmas to You (Reba McEntire, 1987), and Light of the Stable (Emmylou Harris, 1979).

R&B Christmas The most popular R&B-flavored Christmas album of all time has got to be Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas (1994). Incidentally, it’s also the album whose music is most likely to trigger gay gasps, especially when All I Want for Christmas Is You comes on in the bars. For something a little more old school, the Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970) is one of the best to come out in Motown’s heyday. The arrangements on that one still sound fresh today, and it’s pure fun.

Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll Speaking of old school…If you remember when rock was young, you’ll love these: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree: The Decca Christmas Recordings (Brenda Lee, 1999), Elvis’ Christmas Album (Elvis Presley, 1957), The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album (The Beach Boys, 1964), and A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (Various, 1963). That last one has been described as the best Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas album of all time, and I can’t argue with that. If you think you’ve never heard it, think again.

The Crystals, the Ronettes, Darlene Love, and others blast through the best

16 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

secular holiday songs with arrangements that turned traditionalism on its head. Brian Wilson has named it as his favorite album of all time, and I’m actually going to put it on right now.

Music for Christmas Morning On December 25, I like to start the day with the old hymns, and nobody does them better than the King’s College Choir. The first thing we listen to on Christmas morning at my house is NPR’s broadcast of their Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a program that has been performed annually since

1918. The most widely-known compilation of this music is O Come All Ye Faithful: Favorite Christmas Carols (1984). To keep the classical/traditional vibe going, we usually follow it up with Joan Baez’s Nöel (1966), which remains in the top three of my absolute favorite Christmas albums of all time.

Also on that list is Sarah McLachlan’s bittersweet and devastatingly beautiful Wintersong (2006).

An Old-Fashioned Christmas The best Christmas album of all time is the Carpenters’ Christ-

THE ROCKFORD FILES

#Me(n) Too

Ryan Rockford RyanRockfordNYC@gmail.com It’s estimated that 1 in 6 men have experienced sexual abuse at some point in their lives, and often are unable to talk about it. I believe that we have to talk about it. Despite what society has groomed us to believe, boys are not immune to sexual abuse just because we’re boys. I should know.

The first time it happened is one of my clearest memories from childhood.

I was five years old Mel quietly pried open the double doors just enough for us to slide through before they closed, as if on their own, with a solid ‘thud’. The room was pitch black, except for slivers of sunlight piercing through gaps in the heavy velvet drapes that billowed within picture windows that were two stories tall.

“Where are we?” I asked. “Shh...” she said.

The air was stagnant, thick and smelled of dust. Within seconds, my skin became shiny with perspiration.

Slowly, images began to reveal themselves from the darkness: a chair; a dresser; a night light peeking through a half-opened bathroom door; a bed with a large headboard of fancy brass swirls. It was obvious that this bedroom was rarely, if ever used.

Hand in hand, she led me across the room. The carpeting was especially plush and white--even at that age I remember thinking that white was a terrible color for carpet.

She placed my back against the array of small brass swirls that comprised the bed’s footboard. The metal was cold to the touch and felt good pressing into my skin. She crouched down in front of me. The look on her face suddenly became very serious and she began to whisper. The details of which I cannot recall but it only took a few moments and together, we took an oath, a vow of secrecy. We agreed never to discuss what was about to happen, with anyone, ever.

“I won’t. I promise.” I said.

On her knees in front of me, face to face -- so close that I could read her lips, even in the darkness: “Be quiet.”

She tugged and released the drawstring of my bathing suit. Her long hair smelled like candy as it brushed against my chin. She leaned in closer, her lips to my neck. I stood motionless and in one choreographed move, she guided my bathing suit down, over my butt, past my knees, behind my heels and under my feet, then tossed it aside.

The warmth of her breath felt good sliding down my chest, across my tummy and past my belly button before settling on my genitals.

It was the middle of the afternoon and summer sun was showing no mercy. The air in this bedroom was heating up. Her skin was shiny now, too. How had I not noticed before how beautiful she was? It was in that moment that I surrendered. I wasn’t sure exactly where I was or what we were doing, but it didn’t matter. I had resigned myself to do whatever she asked me to do. I wanted to please her. I was lonely and I wanted her to be my friend.

In the 1970’s, the Crescent City still had plenty of room for expansion, so my parents opted to leave the hustle and bustle of Mid-City and raise their children in a new residential development nestled on the outlying bayous of New Orleans. Our house was one of the first to build in this new neighborhood. There weren’t very many people at first, and there certainly weren’t very many young couples with children my age. There were a few other kids of varying ages scattered among the subdivision and Mel was one of them.

Melanie was her name but everyone called her “Mel”, for short. With no other kids living on our street at the time, we became friends by default. I don’t remember how old she was but she was old enough for my parents to trust her to look after me. And she did.

She was a baby-sitter/big sister/best

mas Portrait (1978). Sacred songs?

Check. Secular favorites? Check. The greatest female pop vocalist who ever lived? Yes indeed. It just isn’t Christmas without the Carpenters’ music. But neither would it be without Bing Crosby, and you can hear all his best seasonal favorites on the White Christmas album (1955). Since the title track of that album is the best-selling single of all time (over 50 million copies worldwide), Crosby has been called the King of Christmas. Others might argue that that title really belongs to

Nat King Cole. To decide for yourself, check out his 1963 collection, The Christmas Song. No one would argue that Ray Conniff’s easy listening music could compete with any of these, but it definitely evokes that old-fashioned, Norman Rockwell, American sound of Christmas. Listen to his 1965 album, Here We Come A-Caroling, and you’ll see what I mean.

I’d love to hear your holiday music recommendations! Email me at info@ noagenola.org, and let me know what I’m leaving out. Happy Holidays!

friend all in one. Mel was a bit of a tomboy and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. She cleaned up well for Sunday mass but she was most comfortable in cut-off jeans, tennis shoes and tank top.

You wouldn’t know it to look at them, but Mel’s family had money.

They lived in a mansion that stretchedovertheentireculldesacatthedeadendofmystreet. Maybeitwasn’tamansion, but it was certainly grander than the few other modest homes in the area, including mine. It was a very large two story Plantation-style house of red brick, surrounded by an intricate wall of wrought iron and mortar. Six tall white columns evenly spaced across the front porch were offset on the right by a sweeping driveway leading to a four-car garage. Opposite the garage, to the left of the main structure was a large veranda and pool, to balance off and complete what was quite a majestic impression.

I spent a lot of time at Mel’s house.

And if she ever grew tired of having me around, she never let me know it. She dutifully kept an eye on me, always making me wait thirty minutes after lunch before swimming and she always had ice cream. Lots of it. And she had ice cream toppings too, like the ones you would get at real ice cream shops.

Every so often, when there were no adults around, we would sneak off to have one of our ‘secret’ playdates. It was always in the same place – that dark musty, bedroom, tucked away at the back end of the property. After a few visits, I learned that the room was intended for Mel’s aging grandfather but he died while the house was under construction. Now the only people who went in there were the cleaning ladies.

The cleaning ladies and us.

I don’t know exactly how many trips we made to the clubhouse, it was more than a few but none are as vividly recalled as the first. I’ve done a respectable job of keeping most of the experiences locked away, but there are several that I cannot keep down.

In one instance, I remember being on the bed, in nothing but my birthday suit. Mel was there, lying back in her bikini top and cut-off jeans. At one point her hand disappeared behind her back and like magic, the top of her bikini fell

apart, leaving her bare chested.

“Take off my jeans,’’ she whispered.

I did. We had been swimming and there was a distinct smell of chlorine and girl sweat that I can’t quite describe but can never forget. It wasn’t the sweat of a woman, it was the smell of adolescence.

She positioned me between her legs, coaxing me to insert my penis into her vagina. I couldn’t, there was no erection, but the moment was strangely enticing and exciting.

“I have to pee.” I said, a bit too loudly. “Shh... Go ahead, pee in me.`` she said. “What?” I laughed.

“Try.” “No.” I jumped off the bed and raced into the bathroom, making sure to shut the

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

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 17

door behind me. The look of disappointment on her face is etched in my memory.

I believe that moment was the catalyst for what would develop into a ‘gratification complex’. I disappointed Mel. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone else. I had an obsessive need to sexually satisfy my partners. I honed my skills to the professional level, literally.

Becoming an escort was my way of satisfying that obsession. Having people pay for my services was validation that I knew what I was doing.

On what would be our last trip to the clubhouse, Mel brought someone new. Her name was Lily. I recognized her from church and knew she lived a few streets away. I don’t know how Lily ended up at Mel’s house that day, but there we stood, in the dark, naked as jaybirds, exploring each other’s genitals under Mel’s direction, cloaked under the playful guise of ‘Simon Says’.

Then, one day, Mel was gone. Just like that. I was told that she decided to live with her biological father and I never saw her again. No more swimming, no more ice cream toppings and no more clubhouse. Almost like it never happened. But it did happen.

As an adult, I now recognize that what happened at the mansion is not Okay. Clinically speaking, what I experienced was ‘sexual abuse’. I have

always struggled with the term “abuse” because at the time, I was having fun.

I didn’t have many friends and I liked the attention. I was never harmed, and it felt good. By definition I was a victim of ‘sexual violence’, but by experience, I wasn’t. There was nothing the least bit violent between Mel and me. I was never harmed, threatened or felt like I was in danger at any point. In fact, with Mel, I always felt safe. She would never let anything happen to me.

That’s where things get complicated. The concepts of sexual abuse and violence are beyond the spectrum of what a young mind can comprehend or understand. Regardless of how I was feeling at the time, a child cannot consent to any form of sexual activity. Period. Even if it feels good in the moment. At the end of the day, I was a boy vulnerable to manipulation. I was betrayed by someone who selfishly exploited my needs for attention and affection to use me sexually. It’s taken me a long time to admit that.

Many boys and men who have been sexually abused either don’t report it, don’t talk about it or don’t believe it actually happened. The masculine image that young boys are given to aspire to, supports an idea that males cannot be sexually abused. We’re taught that for boys, any type of sexual experience is a feather in his cap, or

a notch on his belt on the way to becoming a ‘real man’. Focusing on the sexual aspect rather than the abusive one--the exploitation and betrayal by a trusted and admired person--only compounds the confusion of an already complicated situation. The reality is that premature, coerced or otherwise abusive experiences are exploitative and never positive.

The #MeToo movement, which began in 2006, was intended to empower young, vulnerable women through empathy. Used as a hashtag, Alyssa Milano encouraged using the #MeToo phrase as a way of revealing the extent of how many women were experiencing problems with sexual harassment and assault.

Since then, the #MeToo movement has grown beyond its original purpose to include women of all colors and ages, especially marginalized women in marginalized communities.

Our country is at a turning point on so many levels. And as thrilled as I am to see women finally getting some of the respect and equality they have unjustly been denied for so long, I don’t want to see the young men of this country brushed aside or discounted as victims of sexual abuse.

That’s why men HAVE to talk about it. The best way to make sure that the young men and boys of our community

stay represented is to speak up. If it’s happened to you, talk about it. Talk to a friend, to a therapist, hell, talk to that well-worn Billy Doll you keep hidden in your nightstand, but just get the conversation going. The more men speak out about their unwanted or unprovoked sexual experiences, the more likely it is that other young, terrified boys will discover that they are not alone, they are not bad people and it is not their fault.

Almost 45 years later, I still wrestle with abandonment, intimacy and trust issues, linked to Mel and the clubhouse. But by identifying and acknowledging their existence, and finding out what triggers them, gives me the chance to make different choices than the ones I’ve made before. Choices that will work for me instead of against me. I cannot let the past define my future. I can’t erase it either. I’ve forgiven Mel and I’ve forgiven myself for the guilt and shame I carried around for so long.

What’s done is done. But now that I know better, I can do better. Every day offers me the opportunity to live my life and make my decisions, based not on who I was, but on who I am. And who I am today – is completely up to me. #Me(n)Too Thanks for reading. Until next time...

MOMENTS IN GAY NEW ORLEANS HISTORY Remembering the Legacy of Chris Daigle Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com Christopher Daigle was a banker before he became a gay activist in the early 1990s. Educated at Loyola University, Fairfield University and Dartmouth College, Daigle settled in New Orleans and took a job as the Director of the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Life at Tulane University, Daigle became involved in LAGPAC and led the organization for roughly ten years. He joined the Board of Directors in 1993 and became CoChair in 1994.

LAGPAC was a political action group that had been founded in 1980

by Roberts Batson and Alan Robinson to advocate for LGBT+ rights. It was the first significant organization in Louisiana dedicated to LGBT+ political advocacy.

Daigle brought to LAGPAC an impressive array of experience: he cochaired the 1993 Louisiana March on Washington Committee, was the principal organizer of the 1993 March on Mississippi, was the former Director of the Lesbian and Gay Community Center in New Orleans, was a member of the HRC Steering Committee, was a member of the Gender Bias Study Group, was a member of May-

or Morial’s transition team on HIV and AIDS issues, was a member of the New Orleans Regional AIDS Planning Council, and worked on numerous political campaigns. And in 2005, he ran, unsuccessfully, for the State House of Representatives.

Daigle was no stranger to Baton Rouge. He spent countless hours lobbying state legislators not only on behalf of LGBT+ rights, but also for victims of domestic violence.

Daigle and his partner, Rick Cosgriff, lived on Esplanade Avenue just a block and a half away from the Faerie Playhouse—the home of Stewart Butler and Alfred Doolittle, and the meeting place of much LGBT+ organizing.

Cosgriff, who was originally from North Dakota, worked on political campaigns in California, including Harvey Milk’s race for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1978, before moving to New Orleans in 1990, where he became involved in AIDS activism as well as LAGPAC, serving on its board for much of the 1990s. In 2002, he served as the Director of a homeless youth shelter.

Friends remember Daigle’s keen sense of humor, his commitment to so-

cial justice, and the dignity with which he lived his life at a time when living with HIV was anything but easy.

A few months after his passing, Daigle’s good friend Carrie Evans, who served with Daigle as co-chair of LAGPAC from 1999-2001, remembered him this way: “I think of Chris on many occasions—when I’m sitting on Bayou Lafourche watching the white swamp birds take over the trees for the night, as Mardi Gras season is in full swing,

as I walk by Lafitte’s in the Quarter, as I sit in each room of my house and admire a piece of art he had given me, and especially when we make tremendous strides in LGBT equality in our country. There are many nameless or forgotten people who have helped make the lives of LGBT people better in Louisiana. Chris Daigle should not become one of those people. Let us remember Chris’ name, his deeds, and his spirit today and always.”

Daigle died on October 23, 2012.

18 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

BOOK REVIEW

Gay Zoo Day: Tales of Seeking and Discovery Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com Gay Zoo Day: Tales of Seeking and Discovery. Mike McClelland.

Beautiful Dreamer Press, 2017. 274 pages.

Every now and then, I stumble upon a book I didn’t know I was looking for. Gay Zoo Day by Mike McClelland is one such book. Imminently satisfying, this debut collection of short stories is breathtaking in its warmth and scope.

Before becoming a writer, Mike McClelland worked as a gravedigger, wedding singer, antique salesman, and as a marketing strategy director for clients like Toyota, MillerCoors, and Buffalo Wild Wings.His stories resonate and much of that resonance, indeed the collection’s creative energy, stems from the plethora of settings McClelland deploys—space stations, London, Hong Kong, South Africa, etc.

The central characters in Gay Zoo Day: Tales of Seeking and Discovery are all searching for something more than what life has handed them.

They trace their paths through landscapes of love, death, violence, ambition, and sex. Some seek deliberately, some stumble blindly, but all find more than what they were looking for. Each story takes a queer approach to a familiar genre: an adventure in space, a

A COMMUNITY WITHIN COMMUNITIES

Some Advent Gifts

The Very Rev. Bill Terry+ Rector St Anna’s Episcopal Church fr.bill@stannanola.org The following was originally printed in a previous issue. Yet, when re-reading it, I believe it is something that I hope I can share with you again. I also hope that I will see you at one of the many social gatherings that this season offers.

Thanksgiving <BURP!> was great.

The Saints, “We go’n to da Supa Bowl!”

Rain, cold, warm, cold, rain. What a

week! Now the fun really begins with Advent, Christmas, Epiphany (12th Night), then the great season of Mardi Gras with Kings, Queens, Monarchs, Matrons, and merriment. It is that time of year.

As the shadows get longer, the days shorter, and our weather changes daily, it is also a time when so many people start to feel left alone, left out,

on the side lines. I am always concerned about the lonely during this time of year.

Seasonal shifts have a subversive way of changing our moods. In the Fall, the cool air is a lift, and for others the long shadows invite introspection, even depression. Brothers and sisters, Kings and Queens, Bears and Otters, be mindful of each other. Estrange-

cowboy romance in Panama, a ghost story in upstate New York, a revenge drama in colonial Kenya. Gay Zoo Day uses the map of the world to explore the map of the heart.

McClelland’s work has appeared in a variety of anthologies and literary journals, and he frequently collaborates with his brother Casey, an abstract artist.

ment, even self-imposed estrangement, is a sad and lonely thing. Reach out and simply acknowledge someone who may be alone or lonely. It will be a GIFT. We are busy in our shopping frenzy. We are so busy in our frenzy to set the table just so. We are so busy and frenzied in those fundraisers, and cocktail parties, and the mandatory well-wishing. The insanity that comes with this season is like universal A.D.D. There seems to be an endless need to move about and to rush. How many folks seem wiped out after “The Holiday Season”? Too many I think.

So, take a friend or two and offer

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20 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

a quiet evening in the middle of it all.

Just some unpretentious time set aside to reflect. Take a moment to say “No” to an event and rest a bit. If you are that concerned with being correct and everyone getting those gifts and cheer, remember that Christmas is not a day.

It is a season and lasts for 12 days.

Spread your joy out for the Season, not just the day.

That does not mean buy more stuff; it means don’t try to get every thought, card, cocktail, or dinner done

by December 25th. Spread it out and pace yourself. It will be a GIFT. Can non-profits ask you in any more aggressive ways to share your wealth? We are surrounded. Yes, it might be a tax benefit. Maybe not. ‘Tis the Season for giving and we non-profits are like sharks in the water. We smell blood. Relax, like the 12 Days of Christmas, you have a whole year to give. There used to be a group called Christmas in July that would go around and do rebuilding projects.

Don’t let guilt or competition wear you down. Paul actually said a good thing when he said: “You must each

decide in your heart how much to give.

And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

Be modest in your personal purchases and give cheerfully. If there is no joy in giving then do not give. Find balance and don’t let the mass marketing of non-profits guilt you into anything. If you are so inclined, fine; if not. that is good too. Your real gift is yourself and how you treat one another. So, be kind, show courtesy, remain modest in your expenditures. It will be a GIFT. If estrangement is the shadow of this Season then discord is the roiling seas. There is a very old passage that said, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other.”

Such is the standard of real believers.

One of the hardest things to do is to forgive a trespass by family or friends or lovers. Yet forgiving or asking forgiveness is not just a Holy thing to do but it is heroic and therapeutic.

Perhaps you may want to consider this “giving season”, a time of for-giving.

A time to release yourself from an old wound, a time to heal and be healed.

Doing so will, yes, be a GIFT. For our faith tradition, i.e. Christian, this is currently the Season of Advent; Christmas will come soon enough. Advent is a powerful season. It is about hope and expectations in the midst of turmoil and darkness.

One of the larger symbols of Advent is not that cute calendar with all the little doors (though I do love them) but rather the candle. There are four Advent candles in a stand and one more is “The Christ Light”. The four are lit one at a time over the four Sundays of Advent. Each candle is a symbol of the increased hope and light of holiness. Each candle stands, respectively, for Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. An Advent litany for Hope might look like this: When I look around, I see shadows of hunger. So many people in this city and around the world will go to bed hungry tonight…

When I look around, I see shadows of injustice, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, everyone saying, “Buy, buy, buy!” and someone somewhere will fall asleep under a

bridge tonight….

In the face of hunger, we light a candle of hope…

In the face of injustice, in the face of despair, we light a candle of hope…

(Light the first candle in your Advent wreath.)

Let the light from this candle say to all that God’s hope is coming on earth as it already is in heaven.

Friends, be not afraid, God’s hope is at hand!

Brothers, sisters, bears, otters, Queens and Kings THE Hope, God’s Hope, is in our own hands and if we hold to it tightly it becomes a reality.

Hope for what is pure and good and true and that which respects the dignity of all human beings.

Hope for yourself that you will know in absolute terms that you are a pleasing and sacred vessel.

Hope for the person next to you that they too will know that they are lovable and that such does not depend on appearances but on the heart.

HOPE LOUDLY! It will be the greatest gift of all.

MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT Backstreet Cultural Museum Located in the heart of Treme, the Backstreet Cultural Museum is a New Orleans treasure. Technically opened in 1999, the museum had its origins years earlier in 1988 when Sylvester Francis, who used to march with the Gentlemen of Leisure Social Aid & Pleasure Club, began displaying photographs and other memorabilia in his two-car garage. Mardi Gras Indian tribes then began donating costumes and before long, tour groups started showing up.

Today, the Backstreet Cultural Museum holds the world’s most comprehensive collection related to New Orleans’ African-American community-based masking and processional traditions, including Mardi Gras Indians, jazz funerals, social aid and pleasure clubs, Baby Dolls, and Skull & Bone gangs. The museum’s filmed records of over 500 events constitute the most cohesive archive documenting these cultural traditions.

In addition to its permanent exhibits, the Backstreet Cultural Museum hosts public performances of music and dance, provides outreach programs, and creates an annual book, Keeping Jazz Funerals Alive, that chronicles the year’s jazz funerals.

The Backstreet Cultural Museum collaborates with other institutions to share New Orleans’ culture with a wide audience. The museum provides

annual exhibitions at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Essence Festival. Backstreet’s collections were featured in the Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s exhibition, “Mardi Gras Indians, Jazz Funerals and Second-Line Parades: Works from the Backstreet Cultural Museum.” As part of Prospect.1 New Orleans, the largest biennial of international contemporary art in the United States, the New Orleans Museum of Art’s exhibition showcased Chief Victor Harris’ Mardi Gras Indian suits as well as Sylvester Francis’ photographs and films from the Backstreet Cultural Museum.

The Backstreet Cultural Museum is a pillar in the Treme community. Second-line parades begin and end there.

The North Side Skull & Bone Gang and Mardi Gras Indians congregate there on Mardi Gras day. And schoolchildren identify family members in the photographs on its wall. The museum is active in Treme and promotes art & culture as important to the neighborhood’s identity and future.

The Backstreet Cultural Museum is located at 1116 Henriette Delille Street.

The museum is open Monday through Friday, 10:00am—3:00pm, Saturday, 10:00am—4:00pm, and closed on Sunday.

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 21

22 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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HEALTH & WELLNESS HEALTH & WELLNESS Flu Shots: Better Late than Never Chenier Reynolds-Montz Director of Outreach & Development for Access Health Louisiana CReynolds@accesshealthla.org “You can get the flu anytime during the flu season so it’s important to get the flu vaccine even late in the season,” says Nurse Practitioner Lauren Ellis. Southeast Louisiana is getting hit hard by some of the highest rates of flu in the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Louisiana is currently categorized as having widespread flu as opposed to just weeks ago when that level was considered minimal.

“The flu is contagious so unfortunately, we are infecting each other,” says Ellis. “The incubation period for the flu (time from exposure to when people get sick) is 1-4 days. People with the flu can shed the virus and infect other people 1-2 days before they have symptoms. The average time people with the flu can infect each other is 5 days. Most people stop shedding the flu virus after 7 days, but this can be longer in certain groups such as children, older adults and people with compromised immune systems.”

The more people who have the flu, the higher the risk that more and more people will get the flu.

After a person receives a flu shot, it typically takes about two weeks for the person to process the vaccine. People who get the flu shot and then later contract the flu are still better off than those who don’t get the shot at all. People who are vaccinated against flu and get the flu, typically get a milder case that lasts a shorter amount of time.

If you do feel flu symptoms coming on such as fever, chills, congestion, it’s important to see a doctor right away.

“Flu can move into the lungs and make people more susceptible to bacterial pneumonia,” warns Ellis. “If someone’s symptoms are persisting, they continue to have fever and are coughing up sputum/have respiratory symptoms, they should follow up with their healthcare provider to be evaluated for pneumonia.” Pneumonia is diagnosed with an X-ray and usually treated with antibiotics.

There is a prescription drug that helps those diagnosed with flu strains A or B this season. Ellis says, “Tamiflu can shorten the duration of the flu if given early enough in the course of the flu. Tamiflu is usually only indicated for contacts of people with flu if those people have chronic medical conditions, are over age 65, pregnant or postpartum, or have a BMI >40.” Tamiflu is a pill given twice daily for five days. If someone in your household tests positive for flu, Tamiflu can also be prescribed as a preventive measure for getting the flu.

Flu season in Louisiana typically peaks in December and lasts until February. If you get the flu, be prepared to take it easy for a couple of days, drink plenty of fluids and get rest. “The flu usually lasts 5-7 days, but people can have some symptoms like fatigue that persist for a few weeks,” says Ellis.

“Hopefully more people will get the flu vaccine and stay home while sick so we can prevent more cases in the future.”

It’s not too late to get a flu shot.

Flu shots are available at any Access Health Louisiana community health center location and are covered by commercial insurances, Medicaid and Medicare. If you’re uninsured, flu shots are available for as little as $20. To find the location nearest you, call 1-866530-6111 or go to accesshealthla.org 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

24 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with NOAGE AT THE NOAGE GALA | PHOTOS BY MELINDA SHELTON

Jim Meadows 2019 Trailblazer recipients Marilyn McConnell and Dr. Jody Gates and back board president Jason Waguespack and Jason Tudor

NOAGE 2019 Trailblazers Dr. Jody Gates left and Marilyn McConnell have worked for their personal and LGBTQ rights for 43 years

NOAGE Community Impact Award recipient Jason Tudor and Jennifer Adams

LGBTQ living legends Dr. Jody Gates, historian Roberts Batson, and Marilyn McConnell

Allie Acacio, Madison Gilbreth, and Alessandra Tucker

Annie Gingrich, Cody McLain, and Blake Robertson

Billy Henry and Grant Freeman

Blenda Miles and Amy Perry

Bonnie Arton and Vicki Weeks

Christian Rogers and Lisa Guillory

Costume contest winner Rein Perez

Costume contest winner Steve Sciortino

Costume contest winners Kala Hinbi and Dereck Alexander

Costume winners Yakima Black and Tiffany Johnlouis

Countess C. Alice and David Aranda

Dan Goodman and Baily Ward

Derrin Bergeron, Jeff Morgan, Marshall Watson, Tony Cangelosi

Frank Perez and Robert Fieseler

Jake Rickoll, Jason Schayot, and Shawn King

Judy Moser, co-NOAGE Trailblazer award recipients Marilyn McConnell and partner Jody Gates, and Linda Dublin

Jonathan Jordan and NOAGE secretary Kenneth Mitchell

John Clark

Julie Laurent and Angela Etheredge

Kidder Brian

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 25

MR. RAWHIDE LEATHER

2020 Competition

Winner receives Primary Sponsorship to International Mr. Leather 2020 and All Expenses paid trip to Chicago for two.

Contestants welcome from across Gulf Coast Region and need only to enter one of the three preliminary competitions.

The 3 preliminary winners will compete in the Final Competition.

1st Preliminary Competition - Dec. 12 2nd Preliminary Competition - January 9 3rd Preliminary Competition - Feb 13 Final Competition - March 12

For more information Rawhide2010.com

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732 N. Rampart Street, New Orleans

WELLNESS

Surviving Thanksgiving Dr. Andrew Watley Professional Counselor in the State of Louisiana Thanksgiving is a time when we come together with our families to celebrate the wonderful things that we are thankful for. My family sits down over a table covered with turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, and many other dishes. Before eating, we stand around the table holding hands while my father, the religious patriarch of the family, says a blessing. We begin eating course after course before watching football for hours and saying our goodbyes.

If only, that was the whole story. That short snippet of my family Thanksgiving does not include the sly comments, the thousands of eye rolls, and the constant checking of the clock to when the day will be over, and that’s all just from me!

If your family is like mine, it may be hard to survive the Thanksgiving festivities. My family loves to talk about things that are not their business. I

can’t get through my salad without someone commenting on how much weight I have gained.

In previous years, I would get the common, “When are you going to get a girlfriend?” comment. I cannot wait to hear what they are going to say this year when I walk in with my boyfriend on my arm.

Thanksgiving is a time for people that you barely speak to, can make comments that can be offensive. What can we do about it? Here are a few helpful tips to survive holiday family time: Remember that it is temporary! We hype up holidays so much and for so long that we tend to turn the sprint into a marathon. The day does not last forever. Remember that you have been through hard times before and you can get through this one. Keep your head!

Be prepared! One of the biggest

ways to fight anxiety is to be prepared for it. You already know how your family is. Prepare yourself to be around them. We all have things that trigger us. Give yourself time to acknowledge the things that your family may do that will cause a reaction from you. When you realize what they are, they will be easier to handle.

Start the conversations! I don’t like talking about my weight gain or being the only out gay person in the family, so this year we won’t talk about it. By starting the conversation on other topics, you can keep it where you want it to go. It will help you avoid all of the things that you don’t want to hear.

Take breaks! There is nothing wrong with excusing yourself if things are getting a little uncomfortable. Step outside for a bit of cool air or into the bathroom to give yourself a pep talk.

Closing my eyes and counting to 10 helps me to get through those moments when I really want to tell my overzealous uncle exactly how I feel.

Be Thankful! Although this holiday may be stressful, let’s not forget that it is still a time to be thankful. My family drives me crazy at times, but I am very happy and consider myself blessed to still have them with me. They aren’t

always as bad as I make them out to be. I am thankful that we have finally reached a point in my family dynamic where I can openly bring my boyfriend to holiday celebrations, and I am beyond thankful for that.

Following these few tips may help you to keep a smile on your face despite what you may be feeling inside.

Try them out not only for Thanksgiving, but for other times that requires you to be around people who are difficult.

As mentioned before, the holidays are always a good time to get in contact with your therapist to take preventative measures with dealing with the stressors of the seasons. Good luck!

And this year, I am thankful for all of my readers! Thank you!

in the streets with a group of ordinary men with extraordinary moves who help people smile. I host a radio show despite a stutter. And I’m convinced a major health event makes you a bit of an expert on living with a chronic manageable condition. After a few years of adjustment and clamor, you wake up one day and ask “Who am I and what am I doing?”.

Life is full of experiences of amplitudes and you ride the waves as long as you can. And there are resonating emotions that will pull you along. I’ve met so many people in the field of HIV and am honored to know them. Some I call my friends and some whose work provides a better world for those of us with HIV. And there are some, the few, you might avoid. Still, others possess a real natural passion along with an understanding and compassion to help.

HIV has made me an activist and it reminds me to put people first. Sometimes when I remind others, they look puzzled. Not only are there many monikers for PLWH--consumers, patients, and clients--but also there are identifiers such as HIV+, HIV-infected or HIV positives. These ignore our humanity.

In me, you will have someone who may not get points across in the right way, but in a genuine way that may even piss you off. I share one voice, not all voices. It’s a fantasy to think of a monolithic voice or a universal tone. I

trust you are ready.

The plan is to bring science and information to the forefront about HIV, as much as you can stomach. We can cover all the nice things like HIV treatment, U=U, prevention, inspirational stories, events, and more. We will also reveal the nastier things like HIV stigma, the viral divide, serosorting from LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ. There is so much we never talk about or never want to say that affect people we know and love, and contribute to feelings of isolation and fear. We will change narratives and avoid words and phrases that cause alienation, isolation, and mistrust. Let’s learn together. There are so many stories waiting to be told. Oh, the places we’ll go.

Give me a kiss before you leave me And my imagination will feed my hungry heart Leave me one thing before we part A kiss to build a dream on Louis Armstrong.

(Lyrics to A Kiss To Build A Dream On by Oscar Hammerstein II, Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby)

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.

A NEW COLUMN

Untitled Introductions Dorian-gray Alexander proofpoz@gmail.com Give me a kiss to build a dream on And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss Sweetheart, I ask no more than this A kiss to build a dream on Sometimes we have dreams and expectations. Sometimes we achieve them. Sometimes we only dream of doing one thing, then do something entirely different with no expectations.

Live long enough and you go down many paths.

A new path for me is writing for Ambush as a person living with HIV (PLWH). In New Orleans, I hope to fill a silence of a particular voice, one of somebody who is LIVING with HIV. I emphasize the living because that is what we do. This is an awesome time to be thriving with HIV. There are new advances in treatment, a body of new research, and resurgent efforts to end the HIV epidemic with tools, old and new.

Regardless of how I landed here or where things fit, I am here to provide another platform for perspectives not locally expressed. There’s much we need to share.

A bit of my story: In 2006, it was the

early days of Spring and a few months after Hurricane Katrina, the biggest event New Orleans ever experienced.

I had recently moved back home after six months as a refugee in Atlanta. Like others, my life was in turmoil along with family and friends. We had our first post-K Carnival season and a poignant Mardi Gras. We were anxious to rebuild and uncertain how best to do this for ourselves.

It was a surreal time of seeing people and watching parts of the city slowly being revitalized and repopulated. Running into connections that we lost touch with and fearing the worst were constants. And there was the joy of seeing a familiar face and getting an update about someone who knows someone who knows someone we know. Six months passed with longing and determination to return home.

After a few months of being back full-time, not only did I learn I was living with HIV but also a diagnosis of AIDS. I’ll fill in some blanks at another time. Fast-forward some thirteen years ahead to 2019, I now see myself as a policy wonk and an HIV activist. A few circles in life lead me to writing here.

So what’s happening now? I frolic

Dorian-gray Alexander is an opinionated person living with HIV and activist who hosts a regular talk show, the Proof Positive Show, on 102.3 FM WHIV-LP. Send topics of interests on HIV proofpoz@gmail.com

28 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

HOT HAPPENINGS UNDER THE GAYDAR New Orleans Hot Happenings Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com With Thanksgiving behind us, that means the Christmas holidays have arrived in the Big Easy. NOLA has so many fabulously decorated presents for you to experience. So come out and enjoy a Southern holiday season.

Here are just a few of the things 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: Bacchanal 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 Night) card from Ashlee to unlock Hap-

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 29

py 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!

Queens Against RuManity: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave.; 7:30 - 9 p.m. Welcome to Queens Against Rumanity, a new game night at Kajuns Pub with Laveau Contraire and some of her fabulous friends for a RuPaul’s Drag Race themed game of Cards Against Humanity! If you’ve never played, it’s a fill in the blank game where each player tries to come up with answers using cards with iconic drag race quotes on them. Join them for Queens Against Rumanity featuring live drag performances, fun prizes and drink specials.

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

6th Annual

Week of HIV Awareness December 1 - 7

December 1: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

The New Orleans Museum of Art is proud to partner with Visual AIDS for the thirtieth annual Day With(out) Art by presenting STILL BEGINNING, a program of seven newly commissioned videos responding to the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic.

December 5: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

St. George Episcopal Church’s Prayer Breakfast is open to all faith leaders in the New Orleans Area.

December 5: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

AIDS Memorial Quilt Reception at The Contemporary Art Museum

December 6: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Washington Square Park AIDS Memorial December 7: 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Art Against AIDS at Club XLIV

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 Vanessa 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 Ro-

driquez 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. Join us every Thursday for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 1 Viewing Party at Kajun’s Pub! Laveau Contraire has invited some of her best squirrel friends to come give insightful commentary, sickening drag numbers, and a healthy dose of SHADE. 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. 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.

30 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 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 · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 31

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 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 - 10:00PM - The Bourbon Pub The Queens of Illuisons offer up superstar female impersonation Showtime on Rampart - 10PM - GrandPre's 1st, 3rd & 5th Saturday,.Hosted by Moanalot Fountaine & Sable Starr

SUNDAY SUND

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SATURDAY

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

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

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

Beer Bash: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. $10 pitchers of beer, $9 pitchers of Miller Light draft (upstairs only) Piano Bar with Trey Ming; Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine St.; 4-7 p.m. Sing along with your favorite songs with talented piano player Trey Ming.

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

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

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

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

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

SUNDAY

Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin St.; 11 a.m. Vanessa Carr presents Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch featuring Chef Marlon Alexander’s amazing menu and the phenomenal talents of Vanessa Carr Kennedy and Friends! For tickets, go to www.crunola.com Bottomless Mimosas: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 1 - 4 p.m.

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

Happy Hour: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine St.; 1 p.m. - 11 p.m. $3.75 well drinks and domestic beer.

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

Beer Bash: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. $10 pitchers of beer, $9 pitchers of Miller Light draft (upstairs only) Happy Hour/ Drink Til You Drop: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; Happy Hour 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. and Drink Til You Drop $12 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

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

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

Divas at the Dive: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave; 5 p.m. Vanessa Carr LIve. 6:30 p.m. Drag Karaoke. 8 p.m. Audience Karaoke Drink and Drown: 700 Club; 700 Burgundy St.; 5 - 8 p.m. Unlimited well drinks, Bud Light and Miller Lite draft $10 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

32 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 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 · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 33

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; 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 FRIDAY 11/29 – SATURDAY 12/28

Miracle on Fulton Street; Harrah’s New Orleans; 228 Poydras St. Starts at 5:30 p.m each evening. Guests will enter through an exciting new illuminated entryway into a beautiful canopy of holiday lights and trees. Experience a winter wonderland with daily “snow” fall every hour. Strike a pose in front of the new 30-foot Christmas Tree in the Fulton Street circle and the elaborate gingerbread display in Harrah’s Hotel Lobby.

FRIDAY 11/29 – MONDAY 12/30

Audubon Zoo Lights: Audubon Zoo; 6500 Magazine St.; For the second year, Audubon Nature Institute and Children’s Hospital New Orleans have partnered to create a holiday tradition that transforms Audubon Zoo into a WILD, glowing wonderland! The whole family will enjoy an exciting array of animal-themed light displays, and nightly live entertainment. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on Audubon’s website or at the Zoo Front Gate. For more information, please visit https://www.audubonzoolights. org/ Dates and Time: November 29-30;

December 1, 6-8, 12-15, 19-23, 26-30 - 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

WEDNESDAY 12/4

2020 Miss Gay New Orleans USofA: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 7 - 11:30 p.m. Miss Gay New Orleans USofA, an official preliminary pageant to Miss Gay Louisiana USofA. Louisiana USofA preliminary pageants are open to all. This means anyone that does not live in Louisiana may enter as long as they meet the requirements of USofA regulations. When they qualify at a city/area preliminary they must attend and compete at Miss Gay Louisiana USofA. Hosted by Persana Shoulders. For more information, go to www. persanashoulders.com.

NOAGE Movie Night: Chalmette Movies; 8700 W. Judge Perez Dr.: 7 p.m. NOAGE presents the free movie Giant Little Ones. Come enjoy this complex and refreshingly nuanced spin on the traditional coming-of-age drama. Tickets are free. For tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com.

Crescent City Leathermen Board Meeting: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 7:30 - 9 p.m. Meeting is open to the Public.

THURSDAY 12/5

Queer Root - Carol: The LGBT Community Center; 2727 S. Broad Ave.; 7 - 9 p.m. Join Queer Root Films for the lesbian period-romance Carol, based on Patricia Highsmith’s legendary novel The Price of Salt. Refreshments available. Flagging encouraged.

Discussion and interaction with the film is welcome. Subtitles will be used if available.

Fashion Battle Royale The Sequel: The Goat; 1301 St. Bernard Ave.; 9 p.m. - midnight. Fashion Battle Royale THE SEQUEL! Is hosted by Eureeka Starfish and Olive It and DJ Faeriegothmother. Come EARLY to sign up for the Fashion Battle Competition. and Dance the Night away and show off your looks. Photo Booth will be available provided by Casa Luna.

Categories: Spirit of The Forest: GIve us Fae Faries Tree Ent, Forrest Fantasy Earthly spirit. Dark Crystal .Green Green Greeeens Cyber Punk: Futuristic, Hologram, Electric, Neon Lights, Borg, Blade Runner Death Horror Master: Blood , Gore, Zombie, Guts, Hell Raiser. Cover $10.

FRIDAY 12/6

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.

SATURDAY 12/7

Krewe of Jingle Parade: Starts at Lee Circle; Starts at 1 p.m. Presented by the DDD & The Roosevelt New Orleans, Downtown NOLA’s Christmas Parade will roll Saturday, December 7! View the route here: http://bit. ly/33vE3P1 Running of the Santas: Apres and Generations Hall; 3 p.m. - 1 a.m. Running of the Santas returns to the Warehouse District for an unbelievable day of events! VIP gets Open Bar at Generations Hall/The Metropolitan! Outdoor party with drink specials and music!

Doors open at 3PM at Apres Lounge at 7pm the Santas will “RUN”(stumble) a few short blocks down Fulton from the “South Pole” (Apres) to the “North Pole” (Generations Hall), costume contest at 8pm! Live music by CATEGORY 6 at Generations Hall starting at 6pm! You can avoid ticketing fees. Purchase your tickets (cash only) at The Corporation. 931 S. Peters Street. Tickets are available on www.eventbrite.com.

We Can Hear U - The LGBTQ Holiday Edition: Magnolia Yoga Studio; 301 Basin St. #2; 4 - 7 p.m. When you think of the holiday season do you feel anxious, overwhelmed, lonely or sad?

Join We Can Hear U - LGBTQ Holiday Edition, an interactive art experience that will help you to center, ground and prepare for a season of joy and peace.

(4:00 pm and 5:30 pm slots available).

Stay after for complimentary refreshments and community connection. NO COST: the cost is covered by our generous sponsors, but you must RSVP to confirm your spot. Share your story in a recap interview (optional). Learn more about the We Can Hear U project at www.WeCanHearU.com. For tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com.

Krewe of Krampus Nola Parade: Starts at Parleuax Beer Lab; 634 Lesseps St.; Starts at 7 p.m. Krampus knows when you’ve been naughty.

He doesn’t care if you’ve been nice.

For information and parade route, go to www.kreweofkrampus.com.

Queer Bar Shopping Network: Grandpre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 - 9:30 p.m. The Krewe of Amon-Ra hosts their holiday show.

Queer Dance Swing: The LGBT Community Center; 2727 S. Broad Ave.; 7 - 9 p.m. FREE! 101 Basic Swing Lesson. NO Partner Required.

Beginners Welcome. Swing dancing is a partnered dance that originated in Harlem in the early 20s and 30s. We will delve into some basic steps and concepts in order to learn how to dance with one another to big band swing and traditional New Orleans jazz.

Mystery Science Theatre Live 300: Mahalia Jackson Theatre; 1419 Basin Street; 8 p.m. The Peabody Award-winning TV comedy comes to NOLA with an all-new Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live: The Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour! Join show creator & original host, Joel Hodgson, and the world’s greatest – and only – movie-riffing ro-

34 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 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 · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 35

bots, Tom Servo, Crow, and Gypsy, as they take you on a roller coaster ride through some of the cheesiest films ever made. Last chance to see Joel as he celebrates his final live tour. For tickets, go to www.ticketmaster.com.

Art Against Aids - The Red Ribbon Gala: Club 44; 101 Lasalle St.: 7 - 11 p.m. Come to Art Against AIDS, the kickoff to the holiday season. It’s a chance for you to come decked out in red attire to support those living with HIV and AIDS. An open bar and food is included in the price. For tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com.

Beer and 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. December’s gear theme is a HATS & GLOVES. Wear your best hat & glove 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 12/8

Drag Diva Sunday Brunch: - The Holiday Edition: The Fillmore; 6 Canal St.; 10:30 a.m. 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.

MAKE UP Presents Auntie Holiday: Southern Rep; 2541 Bayou Road; 7 - 10 p.m. MAKE UP is bringing their secret sauce to Southern Rep! MAKE UP is the world’s first and only improv show starring an entire cast of drag performers. The Queens of Improvs will bring you some glad tidings of games, lip-a-syncs, and puns. Gift yourself: $10 advance online; $15 at door $50 VIP Table (seats 4 & comes with super secret sexy surprises!). Tickets: www.southernrep.com/auntie-holiday.

Doors 7pm, showtime 8pm Featuring: Daniel Mark, Cate Swan, Chris Tiberio, Cheryl Manley, Quinn Laroux, Mosquito Valentine, Precious Ephemera, Price Provenzano & Laveau Contraire.

WEDNESDAY 12/11

Criss Angel Raw - The Mindfreak Unplugged: The Saenger Theatre; 1111 Canal St.; 8 p.m.

THURSDAY 12/12

Holiday Drag Bingo: 700 Club; 700 Burgnudy St.; 7 - 9 p.m. The holidays can be such a DRAG, so let’s play BINGO! Come join Lil Debbie SnatchCake as she hosts a few rousing rounds of Bingo at 700 Club. Whether you are a Grinch or decked to the halls, everyone is welcome to this holiday party! They will have $1 Bingo Cards for some marvelous prizes and gift certificates.

All proceeds will benefit Forum for Equality!

FRIDAY 12/13

Barn Again Holiday Beer Bust: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 9 p.m. - midnight. It’s the holiday season which means Carnival season is close and the Lords of Leather need your help raising donations for their Bal Masque XXXVII to be held in JEFFERSON PARISH on Sunday, February 23, 2020! A $5 buy-in gets all-youcan-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 featuring 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 12/14

Nola Ho Ho Holiday Drag Brunch: Nole Restaurant; 2001 St. Charles Ave.; 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Grab your ugly holiday sweater and join us for our Ho,Ho Holiday Drag Brunch! $55 all inclusive includes Brunch Buffet starting at 10:00am, performance at 11:30am, Bottomless mimosas and margaritas and Free Valet. Limited Seating! No refunds unless event cancelled or rescheduled! For tickets, go to www. eventbrite.com.

Rockin’ Christmas Party and Silent Auction: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; 5 - 8 p.m.

Biennial Christmas Social & Fundraiser hosted by the Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans. Enjoy great food and fellowship. Silent auction featuring beautifully decorated Christmas Trees, wreaths and delicious desserts.

2019 Holiday Talent Show: Oz New Orleans; 801 Bourbon St.; 5 - 8 p.m. The Stonewall New Orleans Holiday Talent Show is an event designed to celebrate community members and raise funds for local organizations supportive of the local LGBTQIA+ population. Contestants will perform their talent of choice to impress the judges and raise funds via cash tips. 100% of the proceeds will support local LGBTQIA+ organization that align with the mission of Stonewall Sports New Orleans.

Event registration is required for this event. Find more information on the

36 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 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 · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 37

event and register here: https://stonewallneworleans.leagueapps.com/ events/1401760-stonewall-sportsnew-orleans-2019-holiday-talent-show Beer Bust Fundraiser; The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 10 p.m.

- 1 a.m. Come support the New Orleans Rougaroux Rugby Team at their December beer bust fundraiser.

SUNDAY 12/15

Drag Diva Sunday Brunch: - The Holiday Edition: The Fillmore; 6 Canal St.; 10:30 a.m. 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.

Celebration of the Spokes: The Arbor Room at City Park; 1 Palm Dr.; 3 - 9 p.m. BYOBikes have been working all year spreading the word and donating bikes to kids at small events throughout the city. Their goal is to donate 450+ bikes to at risk and underprivileged kids in the Greater New Orleans Area for Christmas. Please come to their 1st Annual Celebration of

the Spokes event where we will build bikes for kids and celebrate together as a community, the New Orleans way!

The Spokes Bike Build - 3pm- 6pm.

The Celebration - 6pm - 9pm. Tickets starting @ $25 each! Be a Bike Hero for $150 and purchase a bike for a kid!

Learn more about this event and register @ www.byobikes.org Oh Crap, It’s Christmas 2019: Cafe Istanbul; 2372 St. Claude Ave.; 7 - 9:30 p.m. The Oh Crap Cavalcade of Christmas capers returns for one night to spread enough tidings of comfort and joy to make the Grinch’s old heart grow 3 sizes! Special guests include Meschiya Lake, Dayna Kurtz, Susan Cowsill, Jonathan Pretus, Beth Patterson, Darwin Prophet, Barbara Smith-Davis, Ben Perrine and more. Tickets are on sale now at www.ohcrapitschristmas. net.

Sounds of the Season: University of New Orleans; 2000 Lakeshore Dr.; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Come out and enjoy the New Orleans Gay Men’s Chorus annual holiday concert! For tickets, go to www.nogmc.com.

MONDAY 12/16

Drag Queen Bingo: Mimi’s in the Marigny; 2601 Royal St.; 7:30 p.m.

Vanessa Carr presents Drag Queen Bingo at Mimi’s in the Marigny! Join in for some fun and excitement with bingo and prizes and, to top it all off, some

outrageous Drag!

TUESDAY 12/17 – SUNDAY 12/22

A Christmas Story - The Musical: The Saenger Theatre; 1111 Canal St. A Christmas Story, The Musical brings the classic 1983 movie to hilarious life on stage Dec. 17-22. The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday – Thursday: 7:30 p.m.; Friday: 8 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday: 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets for A Christmas Story, The Musical start at $30 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at BroadwayInNewOrleans.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling (800) 9822787 or at the Saenger Theatre Box Office located at 1111 Canal St., New Orleans, LA, 70112.

TUESDAY 12/17

PFLAG and St. Anna’s Painting with A Purpose: Painting with A Twist:

4931 W. Esplanade Ave. Suite D; 7 - 10 p.m. Paint.Sip.Support.Repeat! That’s what you will be doing when you attend this Painting with a Purpose fundraiser! The artists will help you create a characteristic New Orleans “Glowing Shotgun” on the surface (wood or canvas) of your choice! It’s BYOB and snacks are definitely welcomed!

Winter Queen III of New Orleans Andrea Sabillon Halstead is hosting this fundraiser as part of her reign for Winter Wonderland 8. To register and for more information, go to https://www. paintingwithatwist.com/studio/metairie/ event/2173339/.

THURSDAY 12/19

Talk To The Hand! 3rd Thursdays Totally ‘90s/00’s: GrandPre’s 834 N. Rampart St.; 10 p.m. Join the fun at GrandPre’s for their monthly Third Thursday Totally ‘90s (and early ‘00s) Dance Party! It’s gonna be a retrolicious rewind. No cover!

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

38 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 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

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 · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 39

Party Down Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com

As I write this, heading into the Thanksgiving weekend, I am grateful for so many things.

Earlier this year, I had to go to a luncheon on the floor of the Superdome. I was busy at work and rushing around and I just wanted the event to be over. Then I stopped myself and looked around. I was having lunch on the floor of the friggin’ Superdome--how cool was that?! I was acting jaded like it was nothing. It was one of those cometo-Jesus moments when I realized that everyday is truly a gift and we should be happy for every second, no matter how crazy the world around us gets.

I know everyone gets sentimental at the holidays, but this year was unique since I knew 27 people who died. They were a mixture of friends, family, business associates and casual acquaintances. Their ages ranged from people in their twenties to others in their eighties. When I was telling this to my mom, she casually explained that the more people you know, the more people you know who are going to die. Simplistic and accurate. So my transformation began and I relish every event I get invited to, take more time with my family & friends, and most of all, give myself time to just relax. To me that is the best present I could have ever given myself.

Now that being said, let’s talk about my two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. I attended a plethora of events from venue openings and TV watch parties to theatrical offerings and fundraisers.

The finale of American Horror Story aired on Wednesday and my friend Matt Dow hosted the final watch party for the season. Normally there are four of us, but this week, the party grew into the double digits. We held a pseudo-potluck with everyone bringing or making a dish. I brought wine. Hey, it’s smashed grapes!

No spoilers, but AHS had an unusually happy ending which never happens. Although in true ‘80s horror movie form, there was a final girl (or two) and they beat the killer to live happily ever after. I know this season had its critics, but I loved every scary, campy moment of the show and cannot wait until next season!

On Thursday, I went to the first of three venue openings. Famed Blue Dog artist George Rodrigue may have passed away in 2013, but his legacy and art live on. His Rodrigue Studio at 730 Royal Street just opened up its new second floor event space. This two-story, multi-use venue features artworks by Louisiana native Rodrigue

and sits adjacent to St. Louis Cathedral with wrap-around balcony views of both Royal Street and the Cathedral’s Botanical Gardens. It’s a very cool venue with lots of charm. Rodrigue’s son and Executive Director of the George Rodrigue Foundation for the Arts, Jacques Rodrigue was on hand to greet guests. There was plenty of food and drink as guests enjoyed the beautiful evening on the balcony.

The following day, the wonderful antique store MS Rau opened its newest gallery space at 630 Royal Street.

There seems to be a sudden resurgence of new spaces on this street.

If you have been to MS Rau before, you may know it as one of the premier antique dealers in this city. From rare furniture to works of art by Old Masters to stunning jewelry, a person can lose themselves (and their money) in awe of these pieces. This new space is gorgeous, with some of the best things that money can buy. OMG, the Pope’s bejeweled ring and cross is just awe-inspiring.

After the event, I went to dinner at one of my favorite French Quarter dining spots, Eat. Owned by Jarred Zeringue, who’s quite the hot dish himself, Eat boasts local dishes with farm-fresh ingredients, serving the best versions of family favorites. They use local seafood and seasonal produce whenever possible to help support the fishing and farming ways of life that are integral to Louisiana culture. The restaurant is also BYOB, so my friend and I brought a few bottles of lovely red wine to complement our dinner which was delicious. We started with their Boudin Eggrolls which were scrumptious and the incredible Butterbeans with Shrimp soup. Everything was absolutely delectable, including the filet mignon, and the service was wonderful. I love a neighborhood place that appeals to both locals and tourists alike.

On Sunday, I saw the first of my two theatrical productions. Cabaret was staged by See Em On Stage Productions at the New Orleans Art Center. The show was fantastic with a cast who gave it their all. The production was based on the 1998 version and directed by Christopher Bentivegna. 53 years after its premiere, Cabaret’s themes have never more strongly resonated than they do today. An art exhibit, called “neVertheless” exploring Cabaret‘s themes and curated by Christina Juran was part of the experience. Cabaret starred Clint Johnson as the Emcee and he was fabulous, Kali Russell shined as Sally Bowles, and Josiah Rogers was sexy as hell as

Cliff Bradshaw.

My third unveiling was on the following Thursday when I attended a soiree to show off the new renovations at the Westin Canal Place. They had a 30 million dollar overhaul of all their guest rooms, event spaces and public spaces. One noteworthy space is their new lobby which is a peaceful New Orleans escape overlooking the French Quarter. Experience iconic river views from their stunning new cocktail bar Observatory Eleven. It was a great party and a nice way to start the night.

Afterwards, I went to GrandPre’s for a fundraising cookout between William Antil and Felicia Philips. It was Italian against Latin fare as guests enjoyed everything from lasagna to chimichangas. All the proceeds this evening went to the LGBT+ Archives which is doing some amazing work to save our LGBT history.

On Friday, I had a marathon day.

It started with an office baby shower for my co-worker Cat Damare at Ernst Cafe. I’m not a baby sort of person (well, kids in general), but I can get into a baby shower with a full bar.

Next, I jetted off to the Audubon Zoo to get things ready for the New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders gala fundraiser at the Cajun Ballroom in the Swamp Exhibit. The event was a huge success with a sold-out crowd.

Guests were greeted at the entrance to the zoo and given a Smirnoff Moscow Mule, then were whisked away by train to the Swamp Exhibit. The Zoo Lights were on this evening so guests re-

ceived an extra treat by getting a sneak peek at the holiday light display before it opened to the public.

In the Swamp Exhibit, guests enjoyed food, music, a silent auction and an opportunity to see some wildlife like bears and otters. There was also a costume contest for those guests who dressed in the theme which was “Enchanted Wood.” I personally had three costume changes during the night. Two awards were also given out. The Trailblazer Award winners were Dr. Jody Gates and Marilyn McConnell; Jason Tudor won the Community Recognition Award. Guests danced the night away to Israel followed by DJ Kerem. If you did not have an opportunity to come to this year’s event, make sure you get your tickets early next year before they sell out.

I ended my two weeks by catching the show Trans Scripts at the AllWays Lounge & Cabaret. It starred two very wonderful friends of mine Teryl Lynn Foxx and Joann Guidos who were both (like the rest of the cast) superb. The show was poignant, funny and gut-wrenching at different times, but most of all it is a show that everyone needs to see. Very powerful stuff.

That ends my two weeks. I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and let’s get ready to Ho-Ho-Ho this holiday season!

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

40 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

BUSINESS FINANCIAL & BUSINESS Planning to Build Your Dream Home? Here Are Some Steps to Prepare.

Scot I. Billeaudeau, JD, LL.M. ADPA® s.billeaudeau@ampf.com As a financial advisor, I’ve worked with many clients as they plan for their dream home and gleaned insights on the process along the way. Building a home can be an exciting, but challenging time. It takes a plan with realistic timelines, budgets and expectations to stay on track and keep your sanity through what can feel like an overwhelming process. If building a home is on your bucket list, here are some considerations before you start.

Set a budget. Have a clear idea of what you want to spend on your dream home before you pick your lot or select your builder. Set an upper and lower limit to work within. With a dollar amount in mind, you have guardrails for spending. You will be able to enjoy the process more when you know you’re not going to overextend yourself.

Explore financing options early.

Builders prefer to work with pre-qualified borrowers. When you make the effort to pre-qualify, you show the build-

er you are serious about your project.

New home construction loans are different than conventional home mortgages. These loans tend to be harder to obtain because they require borrowers to have a low debt-to-income ratio.

Some provide funds during the construction phase and then convert to a permanent mortgage once the home is built. Some end when the building phase is done, which may require you to take out a conventional loan to repay the full amount.

Crystalize your priorities. When you build, you determine nearly every aspect of the final product. You choose the lot, the builder, the plans and the materials. Save time by identifying your wish list of must-have features before you talk to a builder. You’ll be prepared to negotiate for what you really want and be more comfortable if things that are lower on your list don’t make the cut. With your wish list in one hand and a budget in the other, you’re ready

to find a builder.

Your builder should be a good match. Interview builders and ask for referrals to find the best fit. Price is important, but so are attributes such as work ethic, quality, compatibility, and schedule. It’s always good to have choices. You might have your heart set on a builder, only to find out they are not available.

Plan for contingencies. It’s common for construction projects to hit snags and veer off schedule. What’s your plan if your current home sells before your new home is ready for you?

Can you tolerate a delay if your current home takes longer than expected to sell?

Building a home is a big commitment. A lack of dedication or shortage of cash can quickly derail your project.

Make sure you’re prepared to devote the needed time and resources to build your dream home. Do you have the flexibility in your schedule to meet with

the builder on a regular basis? Can you be involved as much as you’d like? Are you prepared to take on an expense of this size? The answers to these questions will reveal if you’re ready to move forward.

Allow your dreams to benefit from financial planning. Building a home is probably one of the largest single investments you’ll make during your lifetime. A financial advisor can help you plan for this day and work toward other important financial goals in your life.

Content is King Instagram is all about the visual aesthetic. Put a lot of effort into the photographs or graphics you post.

The app includes a bevy of filters to help your images pop on the small screen. Use them wisely. If one enhances your photo, by all means use it. But there’s no reason to filter every photo just because you can.

There are myriad photo editing apps to help you polish your pictures.

Some allow you to add text onto photos, or even create mini-ad layouts that are quite sophisticated. It takes time to find, select, and learn how to use them, but they will enhance your marketing effort tenfold.

Show some personality in captions. Does your brand have a voice?

Is it informational, sassy, funny, irreverent, butch, or refined? Lots of styles work on Instagram. Pick one and stick close to it.

Hash it Out Instagram search relies on hashtags, which are words preceded with the “#” sign. When you add a hashtag, people can find your post (Instagram captions are not search-

able). Thus, if I were selling something and wanted to reach the LGBTQ+ community, I might append a caption with hashtags such as #gay, #lgbt, or #pride. Other examples include #giftsforher, #holigay, or #donwenowourgayapparel.

Take a look at what similar businesses are using as a starting point (competitive intel), and don’t be afraid to string a lot of hashtags together.

The included screenshots provide a window into what others are doing.

There’s more to the story, but these simple tips will help you get started quickly.

Ready? Whip out your camera and get to work. Sell yourself silly this holiday season.

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.

SOCIAL SALES ’Tis the Season for Instagram Charles Pizzo pizzocharles@gmail.com

Businesses make bank during the busy holiday season. It doesn’t matter what you’re selling—the key to success is to focus on sales. Among social media platforms, the format of Instagram lends itself to visual marketing.

That’s because Instagram requires a photo or advertising graphic to post.

Millennials have flocked to Instagram since it does not lend itself to people sharing news articles, political rants, or engaging in heated arguments. Most Instagram users are under 35—a prime shopping audience.

Facebook must have spotted this trend when they plunked down $1 billion to buy it. What started out as simple photo sharing has evolved into a sophisticated marketplace for memories and marketing writ large in pictures.

Download the App Instagram functions as an app installed on your smartphone. If you access it on a computer, you can’t create a post. This confounds new users. There are some websites that will publish to Instagram for you, but they tend to have a learning curve or fee involved.

Set up Instagram as a business account. This will unlock features to help you track your success—metrics that measure how many users your posts are reaching. These analytics can also help you determine whether or not you are hitting your target market.

If you accidentally set up Instagram as a personal account, it can be converted.

On Instagram, image matters Users scroll fast, so the images that work best are arresting. Captions tend to be pithy and creative. It’s a visual medium, a trait it shares with traditional advertising.

That’s why it is an especially good tool for businesses to use during the holidays. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a bar, restaurant, or retailer—a picture is worth a thousand words.

Photos should be shot (or cropped) into a square, the native format of Instagram. It will allow you to add photos cropped to a ratio of 4 by 5, but square shapes work best. If the photo you want to use is outside of that range, there are apps and tools online that will add a blurred or colored background so that the image appears square.

Charles Pizzo is an award-winning PR person who offers creative solutions to help businesses reach their audience more effectively. He is a former Chair of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 41

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

42 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 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 · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 43

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

44 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 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

Date

TBA,

HEALTHCARE

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

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

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

ORGANIZATIONS de

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

S,

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

CAMPING

CIRCUIT / EVENT

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

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 45

ACROSS

COMICS, PUZZLES & HOROSCOPES CROSSWORD & WORD SEARCH

5) This long loved cartoon is feeling blue during the season. _________ takes his friend Lucy’s advice and directs a Christmas play with a very sad, small nevergreen tree.

7) This film is perfect for November; a mix between Halloween and Holiday. The _________ Before Christmas.

9) Buddy takes the move to the Big Apple.

10) A man gets awakened by reindeer on his roof, and now has to take on the role of Santa Claus.

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and has to protect his home.

8) Rudolph the Red Nosed______________ is a Christmas favorite has something that is different about one special character that separates him from the rest.

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1) After a man makes a wish that 10 he was never born in this movie, an angel comes down and makes his dream a reality. This movie then shows the impact he has had on so many people.

2) The iconic leg lamp is featured in this movie.

3) The one and only Christmas hater of Whoville 4) A young boy wakes up in the middle of the night, gets on a train and ends up all the way in the North Pole via The______________.

6) A young boy is mistakenly left behind for Christmas, while the rest of his family goes to Paris. He is then faced with two burglars

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PUZZLE WORD BANK SNOW LIGHTS REINDEER ELF HOLLY CHRISTMAS GRINCH SANTA CAROLS SCROOGE BELLS CANDYCANE SNOWFLAKE

Want More Puzzles?

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

46 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 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 Astrology was originally understood as omens, prophecies, and oracles. Whenever you go to a psychic, tarot reader, or 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!

Right as you’re reading this column, Jupiter is shifting into the sign of Capricorn. You’ve no doubt heard about the signs—Aries, Virgo, etc.— and the various planets, but what does it mean for a planet to be in a sign?

It means that that planet takes on the energy of that sign, or as I like to say, takes on its garb. For readers of this magazine, it would be assuming a specific drag persona. Grand, expansive, jovial Jupiter, as his name derives from the Roman God, Jove, falls or is not in as strong a position, right as you pick up this magazine. This is a different energy than what has transpired over the past year which has seen massive growth in each of your lives in various sectors.

But uncontrolled growth and expansion comes to a halt; now the challenge is to place appropriate structures, a trellis in a garden, to harness those gains and adjust for more moderate growth. This will take a bit of juggling, but once you wrap your brain around this, you’ll experience even greater gains than what you thought possible.

Interestingly, in Hindu astrology, Jupiter will be in a very spiritual, expansive place as Indian astrology places more emphasis on metaphysics. The message is the same—have faith but have discipline as well.

of hope. A sweet relationship at work helps you out for the next couple of weeks, and though it takes some plodding, you’ll experience the best year of your career for the next decade.

simply you yourself can have good fortune without plunging to the depths of your soul to find the answers you so desperately seek.

TAURUS

September 23 - October 22 If you need to make a change in your finances, now is the time to act.

You have a good window to do this through the end of the year into the beginning of the next. You might have to make some tough choices, but you’ll know the moves you have to make when you dig deep. Keeping your checkbook balanced means putting on a blindfold, assuming the role of Lady Justice, and letting the scales drop whichever way they fall.

ARIES

August 23 - September 22 Your thinking has taken on a dark, intense tone over the past couple of months. This has been important for personal transformation, and you can act powerfully on these thoughts, but remember, just showing up can be enough for you to make progress. Yes,

March 21 - April 19 You’ve had to get real about your career since late 2017. You began to feel this most acutely in late 2018. This will continue until summer 2020, but you’re starting to see some glimmer

April 20 - May 20 I would not recommend taking any big trips over the next six months. However, I would recommend planning one over the next year. Shoot for the second half of 2020. You’ll be happy you didn’t jump the gun on a New Year’s Eve whim.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 20 This next year sees you restructuring joint finances related to wills, inheritances, and all other contracts.

You have a good couple of weeks at the end of this year to revisit this. This relates to your family. While it’s important to take care of the cold, dry realities related to money, the most important thing for this year is to take into consideration how everybody feels about those decisions. Difficult conversations lead to better outcomes in this case.

CANCER

June 21 - July 22 The possibilities of relationships and partnerships fall to ambition and goals. It is not romantic or esoteric but structure demands this. Love this climb, even if it depletes you spiritually. You will make progress yourself and make gains psychically.

LEO

July 23 - August 22 Be open to fated encounters. Spirit can really help if you step back and allow magic to happen. This happens in either romance, creativity, or with your kids. Creativity comes from an intuitive, irrational place, so be inspired and make gains through the soul’s expression. We are like the universe, and the universe is like us as the universe is endowed with soul.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

October 23 - November 21 The end of this year through the beginning of 2020 is the most powerful for you into the next couple of years.

If there are things on which you have been waiting to act, do it now. Be careful not to overexert yourself, though— power in reserve is far more powerful than power that is spilled easily. The application of power prudently is true power.

SAGITTARIUS

November 22 - December 21 Happy birthday! This might be the best year in a decade for your finances, but you have to play it conservatively.

Do not risk, rather make the right decisions that will set you up for success in the coming years. Success doesn’t have to be or feel exuberant. Love the stoic approach that will leave you giddy down the road.

CAPRICORN

December 22 - January 19 You will expand mightily over the next year, with Jupiter moving into your sign. These next couple of weeks through the end of the year also finds you in a loving mood. The year ahead looks good, as long as you allow yourself to transform and grow into the person you’re becoming. It’s a new year and a new you. You can go with this change or resist it. But change is the only constant in the universe so you’re advised to go with it!

AQUARIUS

January 20 - February 18 You may have had a financial loss recently, and you do best to let this one go. Cut your losses and move on. You’ll find that letting go provides you with psychic relief. A couple weeks later you’ll find yourself in a much more relaxed state and focusing on the things that really matter, like love and family.

PISCES

February 19 - March 20 These next couple of weeks finds you letting go of a part of yourself that no longer serves your higher purpose.

This is confusing but you’re ultimately able to handle this. After you do this you’ll find yourself turning to love either through family or a relationship. Either way you realize that focusing less on the self can give you greater gains than if you go on the spiritual path alone.

I’m Dan Beck, #1 Astrologer in New Orleans. Contact me for readings, parties, events, corporate trainings, and more at dan@innermakeup.net or by calling 504-313-8706. Visit http:// www.innermakeup.net

VIRGO

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 47

SPORTS LSU exacts revenge on Texas A&M with most complete effort of season Ken Trahan, Crescent City Sports Texas A&M hired the coach LSU tried to hire in Jimbo Fisher. Then, the other Texas school hired the other guy LSU wanted to hire in Tom Herman.

Then, LSU hired Ed Orgeron. How did all of that turn out?

Most recently, LSU hired Scott Woodward away from A&M as its athletic director.

LSU and Texas A&M is a white hot rivalry, especially after the Aggies stole the seven overtime 74-72 win in College Station a year ago. It was a gift, the perfect storm of questionable to bad calls and opportunity meeting.

Texas A&M was playing the third No. 1 team in the nation on the season, having faced Clemson and Alabama as No. 1 teams previously. Clemson defeated the Aggies 24-10. Alabama handled Texas A&M 47-28.

This game would not compare to either of those.

To say the Aggies walked into a Tiger Den would be a vast understatement.

LSU was a hungry tiger that did not stop eating until he had devoured every piece of meat of the Aggies in a

50-7 demolition at Tiger Stadium.

Joe Burrow was the last player introduced and he came out with a jersey spelled Cajun style, as in Burreaux.

He changed back into his game jersey with the correct spelling before the game began.

Texas A&M opened in five and sixman fronts with two high safeties to combat the LSU passing game.

It did not matter. Burrow hit Ja’Marr Chase for 30 yards and Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran five yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 with 12:50 to play in the first quarter. The drive covered 75 yards in six plays and took just 2:10.

The drive began on the first play of the game with a horse-collar tackle on Burrow, giving LSU 15 yards.

Ray Thornton was helped off the field injured on the ensuing kickoff. Damone Clark took snaps in his place on defense. Clark played well, including a sack in the second quarter.

Tyler Shelvin jumped offside on the first offensive play for Texas A&M to give the Aggies five yards.

Still, LSU got a stop, got the ball

and promptly drove 80 yards in 11 plays with Burrow hitting a wide-open Justin Jefferson on a 12-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0 with seven minutes to play in the opening quarter.

Burrow had a pair of key runs for first downs on the drive.

K’lavon Chaisson sacked Kellen Mond on the next series to force a punt.

LSU promptly went 91 yards in three plays with Burrow connecting with Chase on a 78-yard touchdown bomb to give LSU a 21-0 lead with 1:47 to play in the opening quarter. It was the longest completion of Burrow’s LSU career and the longest touchdown pass reception for Chase.

Chaisson then got his second sack to thwart another A&M possession.

LSU finished the first quarter with 240 yards and 21 points. A&M had 18 yards and went scoreless.

The Tigers made it four touchdowns in four possessions, driving 55 yards in 11 plays with Tyrion Davis-Price scoring on a 4-yard run to make it 28-0 with 10:46 to play in the first half.

The Aggies finally slowed LSU on the next Tiger possession but Cade York booted a 51-yard field goal, his longest, to give LSU a 31-0 lead with 5:58 to play in the first half. The drive covered 53 yards in nine plays.

It was the best half of the season for the Tigers. LSU finished the first half with 324 yards to just 40 for A&M. It was by far the best defensive half of the season for LSU. The deepest penetration for the Aggies in the half was the LSU 46-yard line.

Burrow established the SEC record for most passing yards in a single season on a completion early in the third quarter to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, breaking the previous record of Tim Couch of Kentucky.

Grant Delpit, who missed last week’s game with Arkansas, picked off a Mond pass at the A&M 40-yard line.

That set up a 50-yard field goal by York to make it 34-0 with 7:25 to play in the third quarter. In the process, York became the first kicker in LSU history to kick two field goals of 50 yards or more in a game.

The Aggies finally made a play when Mond hit Isaiah Spiller for 46 yards to the LSU 21-yard line.

That led to a 1-yard touchdown

by Spiller with 4:13 to play in the third quarter to make it 34-7. The drive covered 75 yards in six plays.

Burrow now has 15 straight games with at least 20 completions.

Burrow then hit Chase on an 18yard touchdown pass to make it 41-7 with 1:31 to play in the third quarter. It was the 44th passing touchdown of the season by Burrow, tying Drew Lock’s SEC record set in 2017 when he was at Missouri. The drive was 85 yards in seven plays.

LSU led 41-7 going to the final quarter and the Tigers amassed 455 yards in the three quarters.

Early in the fourth quarter, Ed Orgeron called timeout to get Burrow a curtain call in his final game at Tiger Stadium. It was a brilliant move by Orgeron and a special moment for Burrow.

It was well deserved.

Myles Brennan came on and completed a 58-yard touchdown pass to Racey McMath to extend the lead to 48-7 with 10:36 to play. McMath broke a tackle and raced down the right sideline for the score. Brennan completed a 15-yard pass to Derrick Dillon prior to the scoring toss. ...Read the rest on CCS’s website: https://crescentcitysports.com/lsu-exacts-revenge-with-most-complete-effort-of-season/ This article was originally published

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

Saints by the Numbers: Sack records fall in Atlanta Lenny Vangilder, Crescent City Sports The Saints will end the decade with a third consecutive NFC South title, thanks in large part to a defensive performance that tied a pair of franchise records.

New Orleans had nine sacks of Matt Ryan and three takeaways in a 26-18 win at Atlanta Thursday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Besides the division title, the mile-

stones were plenty: *The nine sacks tied a team single-game record, last achieved in 2001 – which also was at Atlanta. New Orleans also had nine sacks in 1985 at home against the Los Angeles Rams. *Cameron Jordan had four of the Saints’ sacks, tying a Saints single-game record last set in 1997. Rickey Jackson, Pat Swilling and Wayne

48 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 49

Martin are the only other Saints with four-sack games.

The Saints are the second team this year to have at least nine sacks and three takeaways in a game, joining the Philadelphia Eagles against the New York Jets on Oct. 6.

According to the website database Pro Football Reference, teams with nine sacks and three takeaways are an astounding 83-0-1 all-time.

Seeing Yellow: New Orleans continues to commit penalties at an alarming rate. The Saints finished with nine penalties for 121 yards to just four penalties for 18 yards for Atlanta.

Combined with Sunday’s 12 penalties for 123 yards against Carolina, it’s the first time in Saints history they have

had back-to-back games with at least 120 penalty yards.

The only other time the Saints have had two non-consecutive games in the same season with 120+ penalty yards was 1969.

While it seems like those penalties would hurt the chances of winning, the Saints have won six of the last seven games, dating back to 2004, in which it has been hit with 120 or more yards in penalties.

Moving the Chains … Or Not: One of the first stats that Sean Payton looks to each week is third-down conversions, a stat the Saints offense is generally among the best in the NFL. Not Thursday.

The Saints converted only 2-of-10

third downs against the Falcons. It’s only the seventh time since Payton and Brees arrived in New Orleans, and the first time since October 2017, that the Saints have had a third-down conversion rate of 20 percent or less.

On the Field Too Long: Combine the third-down inefficiency with the “hands team” breakdowns at the end of the game, and the Saints defense spent a lot of time on the field Thursday night.

The Falcons had 26 runs, 50 passes and nine sacks allowed for a total of 85 official snaps. That doesn’t even include another eight plays that were nullified by penalty.

It’s the most snaps taken by a Saints defense in a game that ended in regulation since 1986 against San Francisco.

Of the seven times in franchise history New Orleans has allowed its opponent to take 85 snaps, only twice has it left the field a winner – Thursday night and in 2011, both in Atlanta.

Taysom Time: It started with a deflected punt (not blocked since it crossed the line of scrimmage). It ended with a pair of touchdowns.

Taysom Hill had a 3-yard touchdown reception and a 31-yard touchdown run Thursday night, joining a short list of players in Saints history with rushing and receiving touchdowns in the same game.

According to Pro Football Refer-

ence, Hill is only the second player listed as a quarterback to have rushing and receiving TDs in the same game.

The other: Jim McMahon of the Bears in 1983 against the Rams.

Hill and McMahon are both BYU graduates.

Bell Rings Again: Safety Vonn Bell recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter, his league-leading fifth recovery of the season.

The five fumble recoveries are tied for second-most in a season in franchise history. Rickey Jackson holds the franchise record of 7, set in 1990.

Bell is the sixth player to join the logjam with five recoveries and the first to reach the mark since Sammy Knight in 2001.

Drew Reaches 10K: Drew Brees attempted his 10,000th career pass Thursday, becoming the second player in NFL history to reach the mark.

Brett Favre holds the NFL career record at 10,169. Brees holds the NFL career marks for completions and passing yards, and both Brees and Tom Brady, with 532, are closing in on Peyton Manning’s mark for career touchdowns (539).

This article was originally published

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

50 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · December 3 – 16, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com