Ambush Magazine Volume 38 Issue 02

THE OFFICIAL GAY MAGAZINE OF THE GULF SOUTH™

A Biweekly Publication Celebrating LGBTQ Life, Music & Culture Since 1982 VOLUME 38 ISSUE 02

TUESDAY, January 28, 2020

Pre-Valentine’s Day

www.AMBUSHMAG.com

THE “OFFICIAL” DISH

by TJ ACOSTA, PUBLISHER

Dear Ambush Nation, Carnival season is here and we are now in the midst of Gay Mardi Gras!

There are several balls still on the calendar so please think about supporting the community by attending one (or more) of them. Each Krewe spends countless hours deciding on a theme, creating the costumes, and putting up the decorations for their ball-it is without a doubt a sight to behold.

The skill and time it takes to make some of these costumes is impressive.

They are truly works of art. Inside this copy of Ambush is a listing of all the Gay Krewes’ balls and other events.

Speaking of Gay Mardi Gras, the State Museum still has open its exhibit on Gay Carnival, Grand Illusions: The History and Artistry of Gay Carnival in New Orleans, which will be on display through December 2020. I would highly encourage everyone to take the time to check it out and bring a friend. This exhibit is a great way to educate your friends from out of town on the culture, history and tradition of Gay Carnival in New Orleans.

THE OFFICIAL GAY MARDI GRAS GUIDE As always, this year Ambush will produce its Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide. The guide will feature places

to eat, balls to see, and special events that highlight Gay Carnival along the Gulf South. We will also have information about all the special parties and events that many of the bars have planned for Mardi Gras weekend. We hope everyone has a safe Mardi Gras and from all of us at Ambush, Happy Carnival!

If you or your business is interested in advertising in The Official Gay Mardi Gras Guilde, please reach out to our sales team at sales@ambushpublishing.com. Our Gay Mardi Gras issue is easily one of the larger issues of the year. Ambush is the only place to find all things Gay Mardi Gras in one place.

FAMILY AND FRIENDS MATTER As some of you know, my mom Betty suffered a massive heart attack on January 16th. It is by the grace of God and her doctors at Kenner Regional that she is still alive. Her widowmaker had a 100% blockage. They were able to put in a stent to clear the blockage; with some medicine and cardiac rehab we expect her to make a full recovery. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reached out with thoughts, prayers and well wishes for my family and my Mom. It truly means more than you’ll know.

Inside this Issue of Ambush Magazine Community Announcements

6

Arts & Culture

10

Health & Wellness

24

Hot Happenings Calendar

30

Business & LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory

41

Comics, Puzzles & Horoscopes

47

Sports

49

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

Having gone through this experience, I just want to remind everyone that we should never take our loved ones and close friends for granted.

While none of us will live forever, some of us are taken way too soon or completely unexpectedly. It makes me think of my friend Jon Robicheaux who died both unexpectedly and way too soon. I think of him often and wish we had more time on this Earth together.

I’m sure you all know someone you were close to who is no longer with us but who should be. While I know my Mom won’t live forever, I’m not ready for her to be gone just yet. I am blessed to have a wonderful relationship with my Mom and Dad; now more than ever I’ll try to cherish each and every moment I spend with them and with all my friends. With that being said, we should cherish each other every day of our lives.

Let this be a reminder of how precious life is. Let us try to take the time to reach out to friends and family, and let them know how much they mean to us. Also, let us take the time to reach out to members of our community who may not have family to support them.

Unfortunately, there are still way too many people in our community who don’t have the support of their family.

You never know what someone may be going through. I’ve always believed that if we aren’t here to help each other, then why are we here? Let this be a reminder to love and help each other!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS If you love a parade and you love dogs, you will love the Mystic Krewe of Barkus Parade. This year’s parade is on Sunday, February 16 at 2:00 pm and rolls through the French Quarter.

This is a family and dog friendly event so be sure to bring your kids and your 4 legged friends.

Join King Cake Queen XXVI Felicia Phillips for the 33rd Annual Gay Mardi Gras Bead Toss at 2 pm on Mardi Gras Day. The location will be announced soon! The event is the highlight of the Krewe of Queenateenans Mardi Gras events. Congratulations to Felicia Phillips, the Ruby Queen--may you have a wonderful reign over Gay Carnival!

This year’s New Orleans Pride Festival will be the weekend of June 12th. It will be a weekend full of activities with the highlight being the Pride Parade on Saturday night. There will be a kick-off event on Friday night and a block party on Sunday. For more information check out NewOrleansPrideFestival.com

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 · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Beyond Burger Beyond Clover

G N I V R E S NOW

Beyond Clover Burger www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 5

NEWS & COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS Spotlight on Saints and Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival Speakers The annual Saints and Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival will take place in New Orleans March 27-29. 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.

Elliott Foster is the author of two novels, Panic River (Calumet Editions, 2019) and Whispering Pines (Wise Ink, 2015) which was an Indie Book Award national finalist. He also co-authored the memoir, Retrieving Isaac & Jason (Calumet Editions, 2019), the story of the adoption of Elliott’s two sons from Southeast Asia as told through the voice of the family dog. In addition to his books, Elliott’s short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in the Green Blade literary journal, the Huffington Post, and the Daily Journal of Southern California.

He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota with a dog named Louie to whom he reads excerpts from his forthcoming novel, a sequel to Panic River.

Freesia McKee is author of the chapbook How Distant the City (Headmistress Press, 2018). Her words have appeared in Flyway, Bone Bouquet, So

Elliot Foster

Freesia McKee

Gar McVey-Russell

to Speak, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, Virga, Painted Bride Quarterly, CALYX, About Place Journal, South Dakota Review, New Mexico Review, and the Ms. Magazine Blog. Freesia is a staff book reviewer for South Florida Poetry Journal. She works as a writing coach and freelance editor. Find Freesia online at freesiamckee.com or on

Twitter at @freesiamckee.

Gar McVey-Russell’s first novel, Sin Against the Race (gamr books, 2017) was listed on The Advocate’s Best Books We Read in 2018: LGBTQ Novels. His fiction has also appeared in Sojourner: Black Gay Voices in the Age of AIDS (1993) and Harrington Gay Men’s Fiction Quarterly

(vol. 7, Num. 3, 2005). Non-fiction has appeared in Chill Magazine and The Good Men Project. Gar is married and lives in Oakland, California, where he listens to a lot of jazz.

For registration information: Sasfest.org Any Ambush reader 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 · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Voodoo Bone Lady Shoots Boyfriend on Royal Street April Caldwell, alias Onassys Bloomberg, also known publicly as the “Voodoo Bone Lady,” a local tour guide who offers Voodoo tours, was arrested on the evening of January 14 and charged with aggravated battery after shooting her boyfriend just after 7:30pm. The incident took place in the 600 block of Royal Street.

A local Tarot card reader, posted on social media: “I just did readings for a couple who were IN the store at the time! . . . They told me the whole story . . . Apparently she just walked in all calm, they began arguing, and she just pulled out a pistol and shot him. It was an in/out to his side. He bent over, and was talking the whole time, asking her, ‘Why’d you shoot me??’ She stayed and waited for the police, saying she had acted in self defense because he had threatened to kill her.”

This is not the first time Caldwell

has been the subject of controversy. In October 2019, Caldwell and her boyfriend verbally assaulted Brian Webber, a former employee of Caldwell, inside Rouses at the corner of St. Peter and Royal Streets. That incident resulted in Caldwell’s boyfriend punching Webber in the face. The next day, he physically assaulted Webber again at the corner of Bourbon and St. Ann. Webber was hospitalized as a result of the attack.

The incident enraged the local French Quarter tour guide community, who lit up social media with numerous accounts of negative experiences with Caldwell. On October 10, several tour guides showed up at the city’s Ground Transportation Bureau (which issues tour guide licenses) and demanded Caldwell’s license be revoked. Having heard of the protest, Caldwell also showed up at the Ground Transportation Bureau and video recorded the

affair. Caldwell’s license was not revoked.

On her website, Caldwell claims

to be “a God-Gifted Psychic, Voodoo Priestess, Holistic Healer, Medium and Success/Life Coach.”

Armeinius Royalty Announced The Krewe of Armeinius recently announced its 2020 royalty—Kevin Hemenger and Fatsy Cline will reign as King and Queen Armeinius LII. This year’s ball will be held at Mardi Gras World on Friday, February

21. Serving as MCs for the ball will be Varla Jean Merman and Ryan Landry.

The Krewes’s Co-Captains are Barrett Delong-Church and Chad Brickley.

The theme of the 2020 Ball is “Time.” Hemenger, Krewe President

and incoming King, says, “The 18 costumes all represent some aspect of time. Varla Jean Merman and Ryan Landry will be mad scientists who take the audience on a journey through time.”

Doors will open at 6:00pm for the President’s Party which lasts until 8:00pm. The President’s Party will feature food as well as the Shotgun Jazz Band. The tableau will then begin at 8:30pm.

Murder Believed to be Motivated by Racism and Homophobia Ja’Quarius Taylor, 17, was recently found tied to a tree and shot in a swamp near Angie, Louisiana, in Washington Parish. Authorities believe Taylor was murdered on January 12.

On January 16, a dive team from the Washington Parish Sheriff’s office “made a significant discovery” at the bottom of a lake near where the body was found. Authorities would not describe the nature of the evidence, saying only “it was being processed by a Federal law enforcement agency.”

“We have reached out to our law enforcement partners on the local, state and federal levels,” stated Sheriff Randy Seal. “Our intent is to leave no stone unturned as all agencies work together to solve this senseless murder. We want justice for Ja’Quarius and his family and are working diligently to discover the identity of the coward who took this amazing young man from our community. Please be patient with us as we take the necessary investigative steps to ensure evidence is properly collected and processed so that the murderer, whoever he or she might be, can be successfully prosecuted. Meanwhile, I ask everyone to keep this family, our community and our investigative team in your prayers.”

CrimestoppersGNO is offering a reward of $2,500. The Washington

Parish Sheriff’s Office is also offering a reward of $2,500, bringing the total reward sum to $5,000. In announcing the reward, Sheriff Seal said, “By partnering with CrimestoppersGNO, we are able to offer a significant incentive for someone to come forward with valid information we can use to solve this tragic murder. We desperately want to bring closure to this family by identifying and arresting the murderer. If you know anything at all, please contact Crimestoppers and help us solve this crime and provide justice for Ja’Quarius.”

Tipsters must contact Crimestoppers directly to be eligible for the cash reward and do not have to provide their name or be a witness. Any person who has information is asked to call Crimestoppers anonymously at (504) 822-1111, or go online at www.crimestoppersgno.org to post a tip.

The Bogalusa Daily News ran an obituary and local media covered the murder, but curiously left out possible motives. Taylor’s family suspects he was murdered for being black and/or gay. Trans-activist Dylan Waguespack posted on Facebook: “Ja’Quarius Taylor was 17 years old and set to graduate high school this year and then be the first in his family to attend college this fall. Ja’Quarius

Ja’Quarius Taylor

was murdered last weekend in Washington Parish, Louisiana. Some of his family believe he was killed for being Black and gay. He was found tied up and shot in the swamp in Angie. You won’t see this on the news because law enforcement is keeping it close to the vest. His family wants the world to know what happened to their child and for everyone to join them in calling for justice.

I want to add for clarity that as best we understand, this young man was in the very early stages of coming out and introducing his authentic self to

his loved ones and community. That can be a difficult thing for families to process under any circumstance, and there are differing opinions at this time about whether this young man was gay or not. I cannot imagine a more difficult way to be presented with this information. I want to be clear that family members, whether they were aware of this or not, whether they would have been supportive or not, must be treated with compassion and respect. We all want the same thing here, which is justice for Ja’Quarius.”

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 7

Mallory Whitfield Launches #TowardsTogether Movement for a Kinder, More Inclusive World Artist & Keynote Speaker Aims To Decrease Bullying & Divisiveness with New Campaign Artist and diversity & inclusion keynote speaker Mallory Whitfield is spearheading a new social movement that aims to decrease the amount of bullying, violence, and divisiveness plaguing our world. The week of January 27-31, she will lead a campaign to flood Instagram and social media in a collective movement called #TowardsTogether. The week-long celebration will kick off with a performance of Mallory’s one-person show, Towards Together: A Vision for a Kinder, More Inclusive World, on Sunday, January 26, in New Orleans.

“Our country and our world has become increasingly divided, and it can be easy to look at the news and feel hopeless,” said Mallory. “An over-

whelming number of students have seen or experienced bullying, and according to the Workplace Bullying Institute, more than 60 million U.S. workers are affected by workplace bullying. But I believe that despite all of our differences, there are things that connect us all as human beings. I believe that curiosity, vulnerability, and sharing our stories can bring us closer together, so that we can stop bullying and start working towards solving the world’s most pressing problems.”

Participants of the #TowardsTogether social media campaign will share photos or videos of themselves online along with stories of feeling like they didn’t belong or feeling judged by other people. Those interested in participating can find more information and RSVP at: https://TowardsTogether. com

The upcoming public performance of Towards Together in New Orleans will take place on Sunday, January 26 at The Twilight Room at The AllWays Lounge & Cabaret (2240 Saint Claude Ave.). Doors open at 7:30pm and the show will start at 8:00pm. Tickets are $15 general admission and can be purchased in advance at: https://www. eventbrite.com/e/towards-togethera-vision-for-a-kinder-more-inclusiveworld-tickets-86334363405 The weeklong celebration will also feature a Towards Together meetup at The Domino (3044 St. Claude Ave.) on Thursday, January 30 from 5:007:00pm. More information about this event can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1282925691905212/ Drawing on decades of experience on stage and more than 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur and

digital marketer, Whitfield premiered Towards Together in July 2019. Last fall, she performed it as the keynote for Diversity Week at West Texas A&M University, and she plans to take her performance to more audiences in 2020, including conferences, associations, colleges and universities. Later this year, she is scheduled to speak at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin and the International Association of Business Communicators World Conference in Chicago.

Whitfield, a New Orleans-based artist, performer, and keynote speaker, has spoken at numerous conferences and events. In 2016, she was named one of Gambit’s 40 Under 40, which salutes innovators, artists, and professionals in New Orleans.

Meatball Séance at Southern Rep Southern Rep Theatre will host Meatball Séance, created and performed by John Michael, January 31 February 2 in the Sanctuary Stage at 2541 Bayou Road.

In this interactive comedy, John Michael has a new boyfriend who’s been invited to meet John’s mom. But she’s deceased. So John Michael is gonna

summon her from the dead by cooking her famous meatballs onstage for the new beau and the entire audience.

The show tackles the oftentimes delicate subjects of grief and loss but is leavened by John Michael’s puckish spirit.

“When people found out my mother had died, they would often express

their sympathies by apologizing, which caused me to change the subject,” says John Michael. “For the longest time, their discomfort made me stop talking about her. Meatball Séance makes a case for celebratory grieving.

We can’t ignore loss because our loved ones live on through us.”

Meatball Séance includes option-

al audience participation as there are roles for 5 audience members to play.

The only way to avoid participating is to cross your arms.

John Michael has toured Meatball Séance around the world. Notable stops include Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater, Orlando Fringe, the Norway Fringe, and the Edinburgh Fringe Fes-

8 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

tival.

This will not be John Michael’s first visit to New Orleans. In 2013, his Harry Potter-themed John Michael & The Order of the Penix which attacked reckless behavior using elements from the landmark saga, was part of the New Orleans Fringe Festival. Not being terribly conversant with all things Potter, I was afraid I wouldn’t entirely get it but decided to go anyway.

As it turned out, the HP elements, introduced about halfway through the hour-long monolog, elevated a solid

show into the realm of wacky fun and real, insightful humor. With cheeky wit, John Michael Colgin (as he was billed then) fashioned a cautionary tale from his own youthful exploits, including getting kicked out of his parents’ house for being messy (“So lame.”).

An assured performer with a malleable voice, Colgin effectively drew audience members into his act in which both cupcake frosting and ice cream become metaphoric representations of cum. He nicely created a variety of locales (a car, a Jacuzzi, the adult enter-

tainment emporium where he worked) and, using a hoodie and some small lights, inventively brought to life his Daniel Radcliffe look-alike boyfriend.

Penix was an engaging and worthy chronicle that I hoped the young’uns of the 20something “let’s-bareback’cause-AIDS-is-a-manageable-disease-like-diabetes” set would pay attention to in the pre-PrEP era. I also suggested that we should pay attention to Colgin who, with his piquant blend of sauciness and gravitas, showed much promise for the future.

With Meatball Séance, which has been described as “silly, subversive and powerful” in The Dallas Observer, it appears that John Michael is fulfilling that promise.

To purchase tickets for Meatball Séance, visit www.southernrep.com or call the box office at 504-522-6545.

The show runs Thursday, January 30 at 10:30pm, Friday, January 31 at 10:30pm, and Sunday, February 2 at 7:00pm.

New Orleans Pride: 10 Years and Beyond The New Orleans Pride Organization is celebrating its 10th Anniversary June 12-14 and has announced the Grand Marshals to lead the festivities.

Frank Perez / LGBT+ Archives Project: Frank Perez serves as President of the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana. He is a columnist for Ambush Magazine and has authored several books on New Orleans history, including In Exile (with Jeffrey Palmquist), Treasures of the Vieux Carre, and Southern Decadence in New Orleans (with Howard P. Smith). He is also the co-editor of the anthology My Gay New Orleans: 28 Personal Reminiscences on LGBT+ Life in New Orleans.

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

Princesse Stephaney: Being the Grand Marshal for Pride should not only consist of being proud of who you are as a person but being equally proud of those who strive to be their own version of a rainbow. Danny Starnes aka Princess Stephaney (bartender Mags 940) embodies that. She represents the community with grace and dignity, while acting as a mentor and friend to those questioning their own existence around her. She loves discussing the City’s uniqueness and helps blast mis-

Princesse Stephaney

Photo from Halloween New Orleans

conceptions of those coming from a more conservative background and lifestyle. In the process she shatters unnecessary stereotypes which leads to a greater understanding of our gay community. Often seen supporting different Gay Krewes and charitable organizations throughout the City, Stephaney selflessly offers her time through humorous prose and style at different fundraising events.

Halloween New Orleans: For 35 years, Halloween New Orleans has been raising money for Project Lazarus, an assisted-living home for

those with HIV/AIDS in New Orleans.

HNO is run with an all-volunteer staff and all the money raised each year goes directly to Project Lazarus. The story of Halloween New Orleans is a story of the New Orleans gay community – a community coming together to share their love and sense of family, a community celebrating its unique culture and love of showmanship, a community coming to the aid of its own in the dark days of the AIDS crisis, and a community triumphing over challenges with a resilient, joyful spirit.

The Pride Organization is excited

Frank Perez

to have a diverse mix of Grand Marshals to celebrate 10 years of New Orleans Pride. For more information on events, fundraisers, and the Pride Organization, visit NewOrleansPrideFestival.com

Yann Cohen Spotted with Copy of Ambush Magazine in Mexico while Cycling from Alaska to Argentina Cyclist traveling from Alaska to Argentina on a bicycle carrying a copy of Ambush in which his photo appeared (top left corner).

Yann Cohen holds up a copy of Ambush Magazine in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. He is a bicyclist from Jerusalem, Israel, on a multi-year solo journey from Alaska to Argentina.

Cohen was in New Orleans over the summer, and appeared in our Southern Decadence recap edition

after our Snap Paparazzi contributor spotted him near the Golden Lantern dressed as one of the Village People.

Cohen started his journey in December 2017. His goal is to reach Tierra del Fuego, in Ushuaia, Argentina—the southernmost point of the world reachable by road—in the next year or two.

And Ambush is along for the ride!

—Charles Pizzo Photo of Cohen with Ambush in Mexico

Photo of Cohen from our Southern Decadence Highlights Issue

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 9

ARTS & CULTURE

Trodding the Boards Brian Sands bsnola2@hotmail.com

The Uninvited at Gallier House through Feb. 14

The Uninvited, Goat in the Road Productions’ new show, adds another chapter of immersive historical drama to its successful The Stranger Disease of 2018. Set and performed in Gallier House, The Uninvited explores with imagination and theatrical flair how a real-life incident might have impacted the actual Gallier family and their household staff members. The time frame may be distant, but the story resonates in our own era.

It is 1874, six years after architect James Gallier, Jr.’s untimely death. His wife and two of his daughters, with the assistance of their cook and housekeeper, are preparing to entertain a gentleman caller, a possible beau for the younger daughter.

A mob of young men passes by outside on Royal Street, seeking to re-segregate the integrated public high school next door in the former LaLaurie Mansion. As the thugs carry out their plot, an uninvited guest disrupts the Gallier household with dire consequences.

As with Stranger Disease, Chris Kaminstein and Kiyoko McCrae serve as lead writers and directors. They have created a phenomenal intimacy between actors & audiences, and, through the script’s language and overall playing style, an excellently evocative atmosphere that takes us back nearly 150 years. Seeing this story of race and class in its actual setting, an important French Quarter locale and popular tourist destination, provides an ineffably powerful authenticity.

After the initial scene, also like Stranger Disease, audience members at The Uninvited can decide

Grace Kennedy, Darci Jens Fulcher and Dylan Hunter in The Uninvited (photo by Josh Brasted)

which character(s) they wish to follow throughout the 1859 home as the action occurs on two floors and in the courtyard. With nine characters, there is a lot to observe; wisely, as with Stranger Disease, the 50-minute performance is played twice so you can take in most, if not all, of the narrative.

One certainly doesn’t want to miss the most dramatic scenes (hint: follow that uninvited guest), but moments featuring one character often have the most delicate writing. Occasionally, you might even have the pleasure of

being the sole observer of a particular figure.

Comparisons may be odious but, much as I enjoyed The Stranger Disease, The Uninvited is a better crafted, more involving show; conflicts have been sharpened, the drama heightened. Not unimportantly, the layout of Gallier House, as opposed to Madame John’s Legacy where Disease played, allows for a better flow of audience traffic.

Kaminstein, McCrae & Co. are at their most affecting when focusing on the personal stories. When they start shoehorning in too much history (i.e., exposition) and generalized philosophy (“All of us deserve fun. None of us get it except sometimes by drinking.”), The Uninvited slackens. This is especially true in the talky first kitchen scene despite the best efforts of the actors.

Whether in the kitchen, parlor, courtyard or bedroom, the entire cast, four of them veterans of Stranger Disease, work flawlessly together as an ensemble and in any combination thereof.

Shannon Flaherty makes Gallier’s widow Aglae tough and somewhat haughty but not unreasonable given the demands of the day. Flaherty combines delicacy with strength, both the

inner positive kind and a less pleasing steeliness, in a finely wrought, complex portrayal.

Faced with a possibly loveless marriage, as daughter Blanche, Grace Kennedy bundles quiet desperation with a keen intellect to create a woman born probably 100 years too soon.

April Louise imbues the cook Charity with quiet dignity and righteous fury.

The image of Tenaj L. Jackson’s Rose, a teacher at that high school and initially full of bubbly joy, forced to hide in a pantry is haunting. Despite Jackson’s accomplished performance, however, in the moment of crisis, Rose goes too much to pieces (there’s even a line stuck in to explain her behavior); the writers/directors could have employed a less melodramatic approach to depict her justifiable fears.

Ian Hoch masterfully oozes subdued evil as a “friend” of the Galliers.

Watch as he flicks his tongue like a snake, devilishly licking his lips with wicked glee and so different from his bon vivant in The Stranger Disease.

Jessica Lozano brings a perfectly calibrated, subtly comic bearing to the dutiful housekeeper Rene; her tale of an overactive chicken is priceless.

Brian Egland as a journalist, Darci Jens Fulcher as Blanche’s older sis-

10 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

ter, and Dylan Hunter as a clerk who’s Blanche’s suitor all contribute exemplary work as well. Kaci Thomassie’s exquisite period costumes, all made from scratch, seem as though they emerged from the Gallier House’s closets, untouched since the 19th century.

With The Uninvited, Goat in the Road has provided another wonderful miniature entertainment of New Orleanians in extremis. While ideally it should be presented year-round, it runs only until February 14 and apparently tickets are going fast. Consider this your invitation.

Something Rotten! at Le Petit Theatre through Feb. 9 A nunnery? Nay, get thee to Le Petit! Go, forsooth, for to see that most pleasingly hilarious musical Something Rotten!

Penned (quilled?) by Baton Rouge natives and brothers Wayne & Karey Kirkpatrick (along with John O’Farrell), Rotten takes place in London’s Elizabethan times as the Bottom brothers try to find theatrical success equal to their rival, Shakespeare; in so doing, they create the template for the modern musical comedy.

The book provides a sturdy, and hysterical, structure from which hangs all sorts of jokes (many of them deliciously knowing theater ones), some romance, and songs--many boisterous, others simple and lovely--that recall the scores of Broadway’s golden era. (I had made a note in my program wondering what these authors were up to; turns out their adaptation of Mrs. Doubtfire opens on Broadway in April.)

As we have come to expect, Director Michael McKelvey provides a first class production, one of the most gorgeously looking shows New Orleans has seen in a long time featuring Glenn Avery Breed’s sumptuous costumes and Steve Schepker’s fabulous Renaissance-inspired set.

Choreographer Jaune Buisson’s grand dances bring out all the winking humor and sly sexiness in the numbers, never relying on just the same old, same old routines. If A Musical, a glorious paean to the form, was just as much of a showstopper here as it was on Broadway, the finale (Make an Omelette) had me laughing so hard it hurt.

Our three resident comic geniuses Keith Claverie, Sean Patterson and Kyle Daigrepont all furnish marvelous, uproarious turns as, respectively, a Puritan (who may not be that pure), a soothsayer (whose vision is a bit cloudy), and two dissimilar types of theater backers. Daigrepont especially shines in this dual role which, on Broadway, was played by two different actors.

Leslie Claverie, as the put-upon wife of one of the Bottom brothers, gives us not only the spot-on timing of

The cast of Something Rotten! (photo by Brittney Werner)

a master comedienne, but sings with clarion voice and tempers it all with a touching tenderness. Zounds, why isn’t she on Broadway?

Maggie Windler has done much outstanding work previously in such shows as Reefer Madness, Urinetown, and Ragtime, but as the younger Bottom’s love interest, she gets to display her entire range of talent and is charming, deadpan, sexy, slapsticky, and utterly delightful.

Brian DeMond brings the requisite peacockiness and sexy appeal to the preening (and double-dealing) Shakespeare. Missing, however, is the pinch of churlishness that Tony winner Christian Borle added to the role to make the Bard seem self-pityingly overburdened which added an additional layer of humor to his swagger.

As for the Bottoms, Matthew Michael Janisse’s alpha Nick and Richard Spitaletta, adorable as Nigel, I couldn’t help but wonder why some of our local actors (e.g., Kevin Murphy and Rich Arnold, both award winners) hadn’t been cast in these starring roles rather than this duo who had already toured nationally with the show. That said, they were both topnotch and I hope they’ll return to NOLA. Mention must also be made of Ensemble member Eric Shawn who fashions a small wordless role (no spoiler here) into something unforgettable.

Not surprisingly, he’s currently attending NOCCA; other NOCCA students and alums in the cast include Chrissy Bowen, Emma Fagin (dazzling in NOCCA’s recent A Wrinkle in Time), Knox Van Horn, and Polanco Jones, Jr. who made for a most sonorous Minstrel.

If, at the show’s start, there was a little sloppiness involving props and sound levels that needed adjusting, everything soon settled down to allow for unalloyed entertainment in its purest form. Extra points for what I imagine is a joke unique to New Orleans (hint: it

rhymes with Mardi Gras).

Something Rotten! has already been extended. To insure that all will end well, prithee book seats now. You’ll be laughing your Coriolanus off.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at Playmakers Theater through Feb. 2 It had been a while since I last saw You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (like, um, college), Clark Gesner’s classic musical based on Charles M. Schulz’s timeless comic strip. A trip to Covington reminded me why it continues to be one of the most beloved works in the canon.

In a series of short scenes and blackouts, punctuated by vibrant musical numbers, the Peanuts universe gets well-conveyed. Deep philosophical questions are asked. Personal foibles get revealed. And, ultimately, happiness is found, to some degree, by these characters.

Employing dayglo colors for the set, Director Justin Lapeyrouse wisely keeps things straightforward and focused on the Peanuts gang. If the pacing is occasionally a bit off, it’s likely due to the use of unyielding prerecorded musical tracks and, more importantly, set pieces that take time getting on and off stage.

Michael D. Graves touchingly finds the pathos in Charlie Brown. He endows this rather nebbishy sad sack with almost Don Quixote-esque qualities as he continually hopes that the little red-headed girl of his dreams will notice him. Graves does well by not overdoing it, wonderfully drawing us in to celebrate Charlie Brown’s occasional triumphs. If he only semi-successfully hits all the proper notes, that seems appropriate for Charlie Brown.

As the bitchy Lucy Van Pelt, Jennifer Patterson is absolute perfection.

With her ruffled socks and raspy voice, she wholly embodies this self-centered

petite bully. So assured is she of her Little Known Facts (still a great song, and newly relevant in our “fake news” times) that she might have you convinced that you can tell how old a tree is “by counting its leaves.” Whether wooing Schroeder or dispensing advice (for 5 cents), Patterson’s embodiment of Lucy is definitive.

Lisa Keiffer’s Snoopy is suitably oblivious to that “round-headed kid”... except at suppertime. If Keiffer brings out the beagle’s sass and idiosyncrattiness, there could have been a little more devil-may-care in her portrayal and, in The Red Baron, a soupçon more shaping of its dramatic contours.

Robert Fielding as the blanket-toting Linus and Alan Talbott as the Beethoven-obsessed Schroeder both offer proficient performances with Talbott’s beautiful baritone standing out.

Unfortunately, as Sally, Erin Kate Young, whom I’ve previously admired in 1776 and 5 Women Wearing the Same Dress, seems to be in a different production. Whereas all the other actors approach their characters as adults, or kids who act like adults, Young plays at “being” a child, scrunching up her face in a parody of how kids behave rather than finding the essence of Charlie Brown’s sister and translating it into appropriate behavior. Having guided the rest of the cast to such apt performances, Lapeyrouse must share some of the blame for this misfire. It’s a shame as Young has a great voice, well-suited to Sally’s songs.

While I don’t think Schulz ever produced It’s Mardi Gras, Charlie Brown, if you visit Playmakers Theater on the North Shore, you just might catch some pre-Carnival happiness.

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

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 11

THE ROCKFORD FILES

Daydream Believer & The Importance of Being Bored Ryan Rockford RyanRockfordNYC@gmail.com I’m a daydreamer, always have been.

In school, I would often catch myself staring out the window into some far off Neverland or mindlessly doodling in the margins of my notebook letting my mind wander away from the predictable confinement of the classroom and into the uncharted pockets of my imagination. Much to my embarrassment, and the delight of everyone else, teachers seemed to relish the opportunity to call my name and yank me from wherever my imagination had taken me and back into the prison of my combination molded plastic chair and laminate desk.

Daydreaming is becoming a lost art and is frequently subcategorized under “Boredom”, a state of being that we have recently been conditioned to avoid. But science is now showing that a certain degree of boredom and daydreaming is necessary. Denying ourselves a few minutes to disconnect and let our minds drift can have damaging consequences.

It’s been my experience that if you were born in the late-’80s, chances are that you are a highly functioning, yet

needy multi-tasker who is creatively stagnant, socially awkward and boring as shit. That rather drab personality and dead look behind the eyes seems to be the resting bitch face of today’s “digital natives”.

It’s generally accepted that the dawn of the Digital Age began somewhere around the year 1985. In most technological circles, those born after that date are considered to be “digital natives” as opposed to those of us born before then (Digital Hybrids). As a Hybrid, one of the most obvious differences between ‘then’ and ‘now’ is an element that digital natives might find hardest to grasp: we don’t mind being bored.

Boredom is being erased from our consciousness. Society, both native and hybrid, is doing its best to avoid boredom by attempting to fill every moment of every day with new content.

This 7-Eleven/We Never Close mentality and our FOMO has our brains working overtime in the constant search of new and stimulating information. That non-stop, always on-the-go mindset is robbing us of the things that make us special.

Being bored and allowing our minds to wander leads us to more associative and creative ways of thinking.

Boredom can actually make us more goal-oriented. Being bored lets us know that something is missing.

Without it, we might remain trapped in an unfulfilling situation.

Being bored can be a warning that we’re not doing what we want to do and may provide the push we need to switch projects or change our goals.

When we’re bored we often aren’t thinking about what’s going on around us. Rather, we’re thinking about the future.

Isn’t the anticipation and planning of our future one of daydreaming’s gifts?

Boredom can also make us more productive. Believe it or not, research shows that boredom stimulates regions of the brain responsible for ‘thought controlling’ mechanisms and ‘thought freeing’ activity. Therefore, daydreaming doesn’t inhibit our ability to succeed at a task at hand, but rather improves it.

It can also make you a better person. When we’re bored we are signaling to ourselves that we may be unhappy in our current activities and circumstances, leading us to look for new ways to reinvent ourselves and re-establish our self-meaning. Researchers have found that boredom makes people more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors which can often lead to a more varied and culturally rich life than before.

The problem facing society today is that we’ve been groomed to avoid boredom at all costs, literally. We consider boredom so unpleasant that we expend considerable resources on preventing or reducing it. The value of the global entertainment industry is in excess of $2 trillion as of 2019.

Yes, we have the luxury of an endless stream of entertainment at our fingertips but, paradoxically, having the world and everyone in it at our disposal is only removing us further from reality. Rather than being satiated, we become desensitized and find ourselves in need of even more stimulation, more action, more gore, more extreme.

It’s not only the younger generation that is suffering the consequences of constantly being connected. Everyone with a computer or smartphone is suffering to some degree the effects of a boring-free life. Where digital hybrids, like myself, can help is by raising awareness as well as encouraging and demonstrating how boredom can be not only beneficial, but can be a stim-

ulus for change. Science has proven that boredom can lead us to have better ideas, have higher ambitions and greater opportunities. It’s worth considering that most of man’s greatest achievements have been born during periods of boredom. Those magical moments when our dreams are born, inventions imagined and destiny’s fulfilled.

It’s not surprising that for these reasons, many Eastern traditions embrace and encourage boredom as a pathway towards a higher consciousness.

Our smartphones are an insurance policy against boredom. The reality is, most of us reach for our phones whenever there is a moment to spare. What we’re craving is Fresh and stimulating social content; using our phones to find it, however, is robbing us of having to do it ourselves thereby lessening our creative insights. It may not sound so detrimental but under the umbrella of ‘creative insights’, general creativity, independence, resilience and personal motivation also suffer.

As for me, I am not a ‘phone person’. Of course, I use it for all of the usual smartphone perks but you won’t find me tied to it at dinner or constantly checking social media or playing Candy Crush during a movie. I enjoy being bored sometimes and I challenge you to give it a shot. The next time your find yourself in a state of boredom, embrace it. If your resolution for 2020 is to be more social and make new friends, then for God’s sake, stop being so fcking boring. Everyone’s brain needs some down time in order for our higher cognitive functions to work. Turn off the phone for a few minutes and let your brain expand and rest and focus on whatever your subconscious brings to light. Think about the things that YOU want to think about. Dream the dreams that YOU want to make a reality.

You might be surprised how much more of an interesting person you become by unplugging from technology a few minutes a day. What have you got to lose?

If you’re interested in expanding your potential and becoming someone other than just another Homo-bot off the assembly line, give yourself the gift of boredom and dream.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

12 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

The 23rd New Orleans French Film Festival debuts February 27 at the Prytania Theatre The New Orleans Film Society (NOFS) announced that the 23rd New Orleans French Film Festival will be held February 27 - March 4 at the Prytania Theatre. The festival traditionally showcases 20+ feature-length and short French-language films from Belgium, Canada, the Carribean, France, Haiti, North Africa, and Francophone communities here in Louisiana. As always, all films will be screened with English subtitles. The French Film Festival is also known for its eclectic music

performances by local musicians prior to film screenings.

The New Orleans French Film Festival is one of the longest-running foreign language festivals in the U.S. and it is no coincidence that it takes place at The Prytania Theatre, the oldest continuously running single-screen theater in New Orleans.

The Opening Night feature will be French director Justine Triet’s Sibyl.

Premiered at the most recent Cannes Film Festival, Sibyl brings together an

all-star cast -- Virgine Effira (Elle, Victoria), Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Color), Sandra Hüller (Toni Erdmann) -- in a sultry and stylish psychodrama which follows a psychotherapist who begins to use a patient’s life as source material for her novel. The complete festival lineup and schedule will be announced at the end of January.

A French Film Festival Pass gives free access to all screenings. It also allows holders to skip the lines with pri-

ority entrance, keep their seats without having to leave the theater between screenings, and book their tickets a week before tickets go on sale for the public. Festival passes are now on sale at neworleansfilmsociety.org Founded in 1989, the New Orleans Film Society discovers, cultivates, and amplifies diverse voices of filmmakers. NOFS annually produces the Oscar®-qualifying New Orleans Film Festival and invests year-round in building a vibrant film culture in the South.

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at Oz AT OZ NEW ORLEANS | PHOTOS BY DWAIN HERTZ

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 13

COMMUNITY VOICE The Masks We Wear Jim Meadows Executive Director, NOAGE info@noagenola.org I’ve been thinking about masks lately. We’re just a few weeks away from Mardi Gras, and our streets will soon be teeming with vibrantly costumed revelers and their audiences.

In the meantime, I’ve been attending a weekly group called “The Masks We Wear.”

A collaboration between NOAGE, Southern Rep, and the Friends of the Cabildo, and led by AJ Durand and Hannah Tadevich, “The Masks We Wear” is a weekly interactive workshop that encourages participants to think about how LGBT people have used literal and figurative masks, either as a form of disguise or as a means of self-expression. So for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking about what all of this means, starting with the basics.

What exactly IS a mask? It’s the part of the costume you wear on your face. Right. But why do we mask to begin with? What does it do for us?

A mask is a piece of art that is worn to project, visually, a set of ideas to an audience. We wear masks because we have a message that we want to send about ourselves. We want to be understood in a certain way by other people,

and masks help us do that in a symbolic, performative way.

Human beings have been wearing masks for longer than anyone knows.

The oldest known mask in existence is 9000 years old, but we have almost certainly been wearing masks for tens of thousands of years. They’ve been used, primarily, in the contexts of religious ceremony, warfare, festivals/ celebrations, and theater. The unifying theme in all of those contexts is performance.

What does that have to do with the LGBT community? Quite a bit, if you think about it. Before we were part of this community, we were in the closet.

To one degree or another, most areas of our lives involved some degree of censoring ourselves. The way we walked, the way we talked, the way we dressed. The people, places, and things that we allowed, or didn’t allow, ourselves to be associated with.

Stigma hurts. If we experienced (or witnessed others experiencing) stigma when we were very young, it probably left a deep impression. I know it did for me. From elementary school through high school, I was bullied pretty frequently, and it was almost always be-

cause I was perceived by some of the other boys as gay. (As for the question of why those particular boys became so deeply fixated on my sexuality, I’ve left that for them to work out for themselves.)

I quickly became hyper-conscious of the idea that aspects of my behavior came off as “too gay.” I wanted to be accepted by my peers, but the input from my peers, and pretty much the whole world around me, seemed to be that “gay” was something very negative. It was at best a joke, and at worst a just cause for being scorned and shunned for life, and damned eternally in the hereafter.

So I wore a kind of figurative mask.

I stopped looking at the toys in the pink aisle. I tried to dress, walk, and talk more like the other boys, probably with a lot less success than I was hoping for. I dated girls. In another era, I’d have probably married one. Thankfully for me – and for that unfortunate hypothetical wife – it never came to that.

Because, at 17, I left my little hometown in St. Helena Parish, and moved to New Orleans, where the tragic and flimsy mask of straightness would just no longer do.

And speaking of New Orleans, people have been subverting gender expectations here for centuries. If you think that’s an exaggeration, consider the fact that the first known account of a Mardi Gras masquerade in New Orleans was written by a Frenchman (Marc-Antoine Caillot) who, in 1730, cross-dressed as a shepherdess “with plenty of beauty marks, too, and even on my breasts, which I had plumped up.”

The birth of Gay Carnival in New Orleans was in 1958, when the Krewe of Yuga held a mock ball. In Unveiling the Muse, author Howard Philips Smith writes that although there had been loosely organized Mardi Gras

parties hosted and attended by gay men for years, this one was a “more formalized costume ball with a captain, queen and king, maids, and debutantes, mimicking and at the same time mocking the traditional old-line krewes and their presentation of royalty.” The spirit of that event is still alive and well today. (By the way, if you haven’t been to see Grand Illusions, curator Wayne Philips’ exceptional exhibit at the Cabildo, you should definitely make plans to do so, and soon.)

Our forebears traded the mindless submission to traditional ideals of sex and gender for the deliberate and joyful subversion of those ideals. And then they brought it into the streets, with both playful celebration and unapologetic confrontation. No longer would they suppress themselves for the sake of someone else’s status quo.

They taught us that we could set aside the burdensome old masks for something new. Maybe it was drag, in some form or another. Or maybe it was something else altogether. Maybe we saw in these new and brighter performances, honed for so many years by the brave ones who came before us, that it was okay to celebrate all that we are and all that we might become.

This past month, a British writer and activist named Alexander Leon shared a post on Twitter that went viral: “Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves. We grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimize humiliation & prejudice.

The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us & which part we’ve created to protect us.”

LGBT people have come to New Orleans for help with that task for many years. And we have found something real in this masquerade.

Happy Carnival.

COMMENTARY

American Things Lynn Stevens

On a recent episode of CBS’s Face the Nation Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said, regarding the killing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Major General Qasem Soleimani, that he was told American embassies could be under an imminent threat but evidence of that was doubtful.

On a recent episode of CBS’s Face the Nation Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said, regarding the killing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Major General Qasem Soleimani, that he was told American embassies could be under an imminent threat but evidence of that was doubtful.

“Is that threat gone?” he was asked

by the host, Margaret Brennan “That threat has been disrupted,” he answered.

And so goes American foreign policy regarding problematic foreign actors.

The United States has been involved in one armed conflict or another, whether officially or by proxy, since the Revolutionary War. The Secretary of Defense is second only to the Commander in Chief, the President of the United States, in authority over the armed forces.

For instance, no conversation about Kennedy or Johnson’s position on Vietnam is complete without dis-

14 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

cussing then Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.

In that same sense, the conversation about Iran cannot be complete without looking at Donald Trump’s Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.

Before he was Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper worked for the defense contractor Raytheon as vice president of government relations.

The Hill named him the top corporate lobbyist two years in a row.

Raytheon makes radars and other detection components for fighter jets & bombers, missile defense systems, and at least 19 different missiles including those Javelins the US gave to the Ukraine.

Raytheon has also been the subject of a number of lawsuits regarding environmental issues.

From 1996 to 1998, Esper was the chief of staff for the Heritage Foundation. Heritage was founded in 1973, funded primarily by a member of the Coors family, to advocate for anti-communism, neo-conservatism, and the Christian Right. It’s influenced each Republican president from Reagan through to the current administration and opposed all Democrat presidents.

Reagan said at one point that the Heritage Foundation was “vital” to his administration. It helped develop his foreign policy of anti-communism in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Nicaragua among others.

It supported Desert Storm under

George H.W. Bush and the Afghanistan & Iraq wars during George W. Bush’s presidency and defended the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” used at Guantanamo Bay. Mark Esper also served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense from 2002-2004 under Bush II. The Heritage Foundation aided Trump in his presidential transition staff so much that CNN reported “no other Washington institution has that kind of footprint.”

Heritage put together a list of people they felt were fit for office. 66 Foundation members and hundreds of others all received jobs.

In the summer of 2019 Esper became the Secretary of Defense. He was Donald Trump’s third choice after the other two dropped out.

After his nomination, Esper said he was not concerned about transgender service people, going so far as to say he had met some of them and, as ABC News reported, “found their perspectives ‘helpful’ as he thinks through the issue.”

But later he came out in support of Directive-Type Memorandum 19004 (also known as the Military Service Transgender Ban) saying anyone should be able to serve in the armed forces as long as they didn’t need “special accommodations” and will serve as their biological sex.

Also of note, is Esper and Trump’s interest in Eddie Gallagher, the Navy

SEAL who was charged and acquitted of war crimes.

Among other charges, Gallagher was suspected of the murder of a prisoner of war after he was photographed holding his hunting knife with a dead member of the Islamic State. He sent the photo to friends with the caption, “Good story behind this one, got him with my hunting knife.” Some witnesses claimed he had killed the individual, while others said he was dead when Gallagher found him.

During the trial of Gallagher, Donald Trump intervened and requested that he be placed in “less restrictive confinement.”

In turn, Gallagher was placed on house arrest.

He was acquitted of most of the charges but was convicted of “wrongfully pos(ing) for an unofficial picture with a human casualty.”

Gallagher was also demoted.

Trump stepped in again with the help of Mark Esper and the demotion was reversed as well.

Esper also supports the border wall on the US/Mexico border. While he has published two memos which spoke to the need for the Pentagon to shift money around to more important aspects of national security, he still plans to use $7.2 billion for building more Southwestern border barriers.

Recently Eric Chewing, Esper’s Chief of Staff announced he would be stepping down at the end of the month.

Chewing has worked for a historic amount of Secretaries of Defense for this administration, Shenehan, Mattis, Spencer, and now, Esper.

The administration has been tightlipped as to why Chewing is leaving but Politico reported that some of his emails had been unredacted in a batch regarding “concern” from top Pentagon officials about the aid held from Ukraine.

An independent Washington watchdog agency found that the aid being withheld from Ukraine to be unlawful says the Associated Press.

Chewing is just one of the more recent departures from the administration. In December, at least four other officials at the Pentagon also left.

Like so much in the Trump administration, it’s hard to make out the forest for the trees which may be his strategy.

It’s hard to pull back and see the whole picture, and like those administrations of the past, it may be decades before we can see the whole game.

What is clear is that Mr. Trump may well be trying to ratchet up a situation in Iran shortly before an election.

As a recent episode of The Intercept podcast pointed out, this is a common incumbent strategy. It is statistically uncommon for a war-time president to be voted out.

Don’t wait for the smoke to clear.

These guys are playing for keeps.

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 15

THE HERE AND THE NOW

Navigating the Political Climate, MLK, and Staying Positive: Just ADD ON! Catherine Roland catherineroland12@gmail.com I’m writing this on Monday, January 20, the day this country celebrates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year, it is also the Monday before the Tuesday that the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump is to begin. And in a few days, it will be February 1, and February is known as Black History Month.

I see these commemorative days as blending this year, perhaps into a confluence of events from the past, present and future as we know them.

While they are each quite different, the blending I see is this: We will be watching and reading about a ‘trial’ of a sitting President, through a current process and its many preceding months, that has in itself been divisive, argumentative and, at times, engendering violence and negativity.

As we commemorate the birthday of Dr. King, there are often reminders of his deeds, his philosophy of how to treat people, and deep beliefs about social justice for all people. That often lasts all through the month of February, and I hope this February will be just like that. We will need that what with the ‘trial’ and ensuing media onslaught.

The great speeches of Dr. King have held important messages for ages, beginning for me with the August 1963 speech he made during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The United State was a very different place then, and any of the strides we have accomplished dealing with civil rights and social justice are directly related to Dr. King.

As a 15-year-old in a fairly conservative Italian Catholic family, born and raised on Long Island and in Brooklyn, NY, I had the great benefit of seeing, being with, and befriending all types of people, cultures and experiences. I knew then that Dr. King’s speech was important. It made me cry as I watched on our TV in the living room with both

parents watching with me.

I vividly recall watching and marveling at the huge crowd assembled in Washington DC. It was summer, a difficult time in our society, and I think my fascination was also piqued by the performers who were there and graced the stage with what we called protest songs, freedom songs and a sprinkling of folk music. Performers standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial included some of the best and most radical musicians of that time--Mahalia Jackson, Marion Anderson, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter Paul and Mary, and a number of gospel groups--touched my soul that day.

It was an amazing assemblage of important voices during a time of riots in the streets, protests around every turn, and hatred spreading in many areas. No voice was more important than that of Dr. King. Probably many who will read this article were little kids or not yet born during that time, but certainly all have heard and read about MLK. I feel compelled to include segments of the “I Have a Dream Speech” here to remind you, edify you, and send positivity going forward. The issues for some of us are different (although not really). There is no mention of LGBTQ populations. The references are not gender-balanced from the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, or this speech.

Please do not read into that anything of gender bias; it was all biased, women just weren’t mentioned back then. Bypass that, get to its heart and soul so you can conceptualize what Dr. King is saying, and his quest for freedom for all (yes, you and me too).

Here are a few select parts (it is actually a pretty lengthy speech) that have been meaningful for me, both as a teenager in 1963 and right now.

These are about race. They’re also about gender, socioeconomic status,

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

identity, fairness and hope.

“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

“I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of ‘interposition’ and ‘nullification’ -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

“And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

“And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’”

As we watch (or not) the impeachment trial of President Trump, I urge you to decide just how much you want to know first-hand, how long you will

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watch, how often you will participate in the sad, angry, hopeless comments all around you. It is indeed a sad time in the USA, a divisive time, and one that seems antithetical to Dr. King’s words about respect, civil rights, dreams of freedom and equality for all.

The ADD ON part of this article’s title references your ability to look at life as you know it right now, new decade as it is, and see what’s missing in your life. Perhaps instead of watching everything there is to see on the trial, or listening to all the political pundits who seem to think they know what’s going to happen (they kind of missed it in 2016, didn’t they?) make an effort to read other points of view, watch different media outlets. So you might know as much as they do...and add a few things on.

Add-ons to consider might include people, as in friends, maybe a new person to date, an individual you’d like to get to know better, or go to dinner with. Another add-on might be some different activities, isn’t it time? Adding on to the good things you love in your life would be excellent, and doable.

Join that walking group, since you walk every day anyway. Check out the photography class or group you’ve seen out in City Park. Just try it once.

It may not be for you, but how will you know? Look at websites of organizations that list activities. Did you know NOAGE has a website with many types of activities listed – try one! As ‘winter’ rages on, know that spring is just around the corner. Look for things that feel like spring, full of warmth and growth.

And the most important add-on would be for you to find one thing that makes you smile. It can be a restaurant, a kind of ice cream, a nap with your cat or dog, a favorite park and water pond, a favorite move to re-watch, a favorite sweatshirt, ordering your favorite pizza…just make certain it helps to put a smile on your face. We can navigate this trying and unbelievable political world we seem to be in, but we must protect ourselves from the negativity we hear spewed every day, and reach for what we know to be the goodness of our lives. Choose you, choose your life and your happiness, and just add it on!

Dr. Catherine Roland, LPC, is a therapist in private practice, specializing in our LGBTQ+ community for 25 years. Catherine is a member of the Board of Directors of both CrescentCare-NO/AIDS Task Force, and NOAGE - New Orleans Advocates for LGBTQ+ Elders.

16 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at Rawhide 2010 AT RAWHIDE 2010 | PHOTOS BY AMBUSH TEAM

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BOOK REVIEW Bosom Friends

Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King. Thomas J. Balcerski. Oxford UP, 2019. 337 pages. $34.95.

This dual biography of two national politicians in the antebellum era is especially timely given our current political climate.

There has been widespread speculation that James Buchanan and Rufus King were lovers. The two men were close friends and virtually inseparable. Andrew Jackson used to call them “Miss Nancy” and “Aunt Fancy,” a reference to not only their effemi-

nate natures, but also to the fact that presidential historians regard James Buchanan as our nation’s best dressed president.

But Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King is much more than an exploration of their possibly sexual relationship. Balcerski goes far beyond the “were they or weren’t they” question to reveal the social conventions of male friendship in the decades leading up to the Civil War. In Bosom Friends, Balcerski explores the lives of these two politicians and discovers one of the most signif-

icant collaborations in American political history. He traces the parallels in the men’s personal and professional lives before elected office, including their failed romantic courtships and the stories they told about them. Unlikely companions from the start, they lived together as congressional messmates in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse and became close confidantes.

Around the nation’s capital, the men were mocked for their effeminacy and perhaps their sexuality, and they were likened to Siamese twins.

Over time, their intimate friendship blossomed into a significant cross-sectional political partnership. Balcerski examines Buchanan’s and King’s contributions to the Jacksonian political agenda, manifest destiny, and the increasingly divisive debates over slavery, while contesting interpretations that the men lacked political principles

and deserved blame for the breakdown of the union. He closely narrates each man’s rise to national prominence, as King was elected vice-president in 1852 and Buchanan the nation’s fifteenth president in 1856, despite the political gossip that circulated about them.

Ultimately, Balcerski, an assistant professor of early American history at Eastern Connecticut State University, is inconclusive on the question of whether or not Buchanan and King were romantically involved. Yet Bosom Friends demonstrates, while exploring a same-sex relationship that powerfully shaped national events in the antebellum era, that intimate male friendships among politicians were—and continue to be—an important part of success in American politics.

BARTENDER OF THE MONTH

Katie Myers

Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com I am a big believer in cosmic vibes and how things in the universe are just meant to be. I found my Bartender of the Month for January quite by accident.

I was going to another bar entirely to choose my Bartender of the Month, but when I walked in, the person behind the bar was so rude, I turned around without placing an order, walked across

Katie Myers

the street and discovered my bartender for January.

Katie Myers has only worked at Kajun’s Pub for three months, but one would never have guessed it. Her professionalism and persona exude a seasoned pro behind the bar. Born in New Hampshire, Katie has lived off and on in our city for the last 16 years. When her disaster relief job in Houston was coming to an end, she asked a friend who happened to work at Kajun’s to keep an eye out for any jobs in NOLA and the rest is history as they say.

She jokes that before she worked at Kajun’s she spent at least three to four days a week on the other side of the bar enjoying their drinks, so it is very interesting she has jumped the bar to see the other side of life. Getting this job is was a mixture of “having the right skill set and dumb luck.” she quipped.

Katie has a winning demeanor and pleasant attitude, both needed features in this line of work. Her friendly disposition make her a popular new addition to this neighborhood bar that

specializes in karaoke seven days a week. But being nice is only half the battle in becoming a good bartender; knowing your job and making fabulous (and strong) drinks are also key. I can attest that Katie makes a hell of a cocktail.

Katie works mornings which she explains is a wonderful way to meet all kinds of people. Many times the people at the bar when she arrives are leftovers for the night before still hanging onto the remnants of the previous evening. But after 9 a.m., her crowd flips to mostly locals who enjoy hanging out. One of her specialty shots is the Vegas Bomb (love the name) which is Crown with a splash of cranberry and Red Bull; sort of a take on a Jager Bomb. When she drinks, her cocktail of choice is normally double vodka with soda and a splash of cranberry.

Kajun’s Pub is located at 2256 St. Claude Avenue. Katie works Thursday, Friday and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. So get a jump start to your day with a Vegas Bomb with Katie. It definitely beats coffee.

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BOOK OF THE MONTH Me Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com My book of the month for January was given to me as a holiday gift from my Mom and I started reading it literally the day after Christmas, I was so excited. Me by Elton John is an indepth biography of the musical icon’s life and career with all its successes, heartbreaks, trials and tribulations.

This candid glimpse in the star’s storied life is funny, poignant and brutally honest; I could not put it down. From page 1, Elton hooked me as he guided us through his life from his humble beginnings through today and the birth

of his children with his husband David Furnish.

If you enjoyed his biopic Rocketman, then you are going to love this novel. But the film was just the beginning, basically ending when John went to rehab. That happens halfway through the book; the movie was wonderful but does not touch on so many things.

Elton’s relationships with family, co-workers, other musicians, friends, lovers and a litany of so many others is dazzling. He mentions lots of people in

his book, most times fondly, others with a very cunning wit about it. He discusses his friendships with everyone from Princess Diana to Gianni Versace.

Sir Elton’s stories are mesmerizing and at times downright laugh out loud funny. On the flip side, there are some extremely sad chapters. When Elton discusses Ryan White, the young man who contracted AIDS and became an activist, I had tears streaming down my face. His frank discussions about the disease and its toll on his world (and the music industry) is disturbing.

Through everything in the book, his music is what is forefront. His road to stardom is fascinating and he details every mile with honesty and humor.

He does not pull any punches even with himself on his battle with addiction; whether it be with food or cocaine,

he tells it like it is.

There are so many stories and names he discusses like the night Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere came to blows over Princess Diana at a dinner party at his house. Or how Michael Jackson showed up for lunch and then disappeared somewhere in his home for hours to be later found playing video games with a staff member’s son.

Elton’s colorful life may have its eccentric qualities, but I found a genuine vulnerability in him. Even though this man lives an opulent and star quality life, you find him and his life relatable on some level. I loved this book and the opportunity it gives to see inside a great musician’s and humanitarian’s life.

MOMENTS IN GAY NEW ORLEANS HISTORY Apollo Rises Again Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com While the rest of the nation is settling back into work after the busy Holiday Season, we here in New Orleans are just gearing up for Mardi Gras.

January 6 marked the beginning of Carnival Season, which culminates on Mardi Gras, this year February 25.

Perry Young perhaps summed up Carnival best in his 1931classic book The Mystick Krewe: The Chronicles of Comus and His Kin, “Carnival is a butterfly of winter, whose last mad flight of Mardi Gras forever ends its glory.

Another season is the glory of another butterfly, and the tattered, scattered fragments of rainbow wings are in turn the record of his day.”

The glory of gay Carnival in New Orleans began in 1958 with the birth of the Krewe of Yuga, although the members of the Steamboat Club might argue the beginning date of gay Carnival should be 1953 when that mysterious and enduring club was formed. Whatever date we use, gay Carnival in New Orleans is in its sixth decade and is as robust as ever.

The oldest krewes--Petronius (1961), Amon Ra (1965), Armeinius (1968), Lords of Leather (1983), Mwin-

do (1998)--are still around and producing traditional balls in the template Yuga established. In recent years, newer krewes—Rue Royale Revelers, Stars, and Narcissus—have emerged on the scene. Lost are the long-gone krewes: Ganymede, Olympus, Celestial Knights, Ishtar, Polyphemus, Satyricon, and until recently, Apollo. This year marks the resurrection of the Krewe of Apollo. On the 50th anniversary of its inaugural tableau, Apollo will present its first ball in 34 years.

The Krewe of Apollo was formed in 1969 by Roland Dobson, Billy Langford, and Joseph Talluto, Jr. Dobson, a successful businessman and Uptown socialite was the driving force behind the krewe. A man of imminent taste and powerful charisma, Dobson embodied the nouveau riche element of early 1970s New Orleans. Originally from Bogalusa on the Northshore, Dobson glided effortlessly between the straight and gay society. He owned a “fashion house” for men on St. Charles Avenue and wrote columns offering sartorial advice. He was also a member of several straight Carnival krewes, even reigning as King of Endymion in

1973.

When Apollo was founded, most gay krewes had their balls in black labor union halls or in venues just outside the city, but because of Dobson’s connections, Apollo’s first two balls were held at the Hotel Monteleone and eventually at the Municipal Auditorium—quite a coup for a gay krewe in those years. The theme of the 1972 ball, the first gay ball ever held at the Municipal Auditorium, was “From Russia with Love.” Carnival historian Howard P. Smith describes the ball in Unveiling the Muse: “The ball re-created Imperial Russia, with Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna holding court for one last evening at the Winter Palace. As the Frankie Mann Orchestra played a jazzy tune to accompany the season’s debutantes, a gigantic three-dimensional Faberge egg slowly descended onto the stage, covered in sequins and glitter. The egg split in half and out jumped Dobson in a white tuxedo. The egg’s interior had been covered in tiny mirrors, creating a blaze of light.”

Under Dobson’s leadership, Apol-

lo’s balls followed the format of the older, more traditional straight krewe balls, but unlike other krewes (gay or straight), Dobson franchised Apollo.

Eventually there were chapters of Apollo in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, Dallas, Memphis, and Mobile.

By the end of 1986, the Krewe of Apollo’s founders—Roland Dobson, Billy Langford, and Joseph Talluto, Jr.—had all passed away and with them, so did Apollo. Until now.

In ancient mythology, Apollo was a beloved god. Classicist Mark Cartwright describes Apollo as “The epitome of youth and beauty, source of life and healing, patron of the civilized arts, and as bright and powerful as the sun itself, Apollo was, arguably, the most loved of all the Greek gods.” And Louis XIV, after whom Louisiana is named, revered Apollo so much he dubbed himself “The Sun King.”

After a long season of night, the sun god will rise again on February 14. In a nod to its origins, the krewe of Apollo will hold its ball this year at the Hotel Monteleone.

A COMMUNITY WITHIN COMMUNITIES

The Pathos of Mardi Gras

The Very Rev. Bill Terry+ Rector St Anna’s Episcopal Church fr.bill@stannanola.org Clowns! I hate clowns! Mimes are on the edge. I like the movement of mimes, but the clown thing is bad, very

bad. I suppose that one might say that I have coulrophobia or an irrational fear of “the evil clown.” As a child, watch-

ing Rex, I always felt a bit uncomfortable with that big float of the clown with those hands outstretched.

Yet I find great joy and humor in the magical and mystical costumes that wander the streets. I absolutely adore

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the Krewe du Vieux. I love the caustic messages wrought out in glitter and papier-mâché. I also enjoy many of the bands that march down the street with the hope that we might enjoy one of their ensemble performances. I really like the Marine Corps band and marching unit. Yes, I was in the Navy but I still like the Marine Corps band and marching unit.

My haunt, away from clowns, is the lower French Quarter. Bourbon and St. Ann is crazy and, if I am bold, I will find my way there. I like Royal Street for costume watching. I don’t care much for Bourbon above Canal with too much drunkenness without humor or craft. So, with all of this going on for weeks on end, what is the message?

We’ve created some lore about it.

“The City That Care Forgot” comes to mind. We try vainly to tie into religious evolutions which include “King Cake.”

But really, isn’t that just lore and good public relations?

It’s about costumes, fun, frivolity, some socializing at a bal masqué, etc. It’s about being drunk, for many, and about what must seem like a never-ending party.

It’s about cultural identity, however, more than anything else really. Our identity as a city runs deeper than our counterparts in other great cities. They don’t have The Skull and Bone Gang.

They don’t have The Half-Fast Marching Club. They don’t have the Wild

Magnolias or the Young Maasai Hunters or the Wild Tchoupitoulas or the Golden Feather Hunters. Those cities usually don’t start Mardi Gras weeks in advance with parades that mock and push back.

The social justice implications of many of the Krewes are legendary though we don’t call it social justice.

The Micro-Krewe of ‘tit Rəx is an example of resistance against the overly indulgent and every expanding megafloats. The Krewe of Zulu made fun of the Uptown royalty when it was very risky to do so. While elitist traditions may have birthed New Orleans Mardi Gras, we uniquely used it to turn social norms and status on its head.

This brings us to the traditional and re-imagined Gay Carnival Krewes. I apologize if I miss any but there are the Krewes of Armeinius, Petronius, Lords of Leather, Satyricon, Amon-Ra, Mwindo, Stars and Apollo. The first official krewe was the Krewe of Yuga, formed in the late 1950s; even before then underground krewes hosted Mardi Gras events that preceded the ‘coming out’ of Yuga.

From The Secret Golden Age of Gay Mardi Gras Balls: “We did it to make fun of the straight balls, for being so exclusive. ‘You can’t keep us out!’” said Mike Moreau aka Opal Masters, first Queen and Empress of the 55-year-old Krewe of Amon-Ra. “And for the sense of camaraderie, because

we were doing something daring. We were being so harassed in the bars by police, we just wanted somewhere to dance, to be together. And of course there was the pageantry and glamour of it all. So we set out to make our own balls with our own krewes.”

What is so amazing about our city is that we are so abundantly and creatively subversive on so many levels.

I suspect that this social subversion plays a role in how we vent. We need to vent. Our beloved city is changing.

Local, regional, national and international cultures are changing and shifting rapidly (in no small part because of technology).

New Orleans is beset by “outsiders”, some for the good, some not so much. As a traditional subversive culture, however, we don’t like rules and an influx of “new” people who too often bring about new rules and social norms. I mean we have bike lanes now and dog parks and so many upscale trendy hipster hangouts...even The Country Club has changed. So we need to vent.

In a recent interview about the drop in the number of murders in the city, I observed that it may be an anomaly.

Why? Because the forces that are at the root of urban violence, particularly in the black community, haven’t really changed. (Note: the number of shootings did not decline, only deaths.)

So we vent and vent in creative

ways. For at least a time, we roll out the welcome mat, break all sorts of social & societal rules, and create “rules” as part of the chaos of Mardi Gras. New Orleans is a remarkable thing. Perhaps before the parades and all that subversion really gets underway, you may want to take the whole of it in. We have an amazing capacity to make fun of “norms”, “the rich”, “old traditions”, and to include outliers in our culture.

When all is said and done; when Bourbon Street is closed (an odd concept in itself) and the glitter is mostly on the floor; when we drag about as the new sunrise comes up on that Wednesday, we can ask confidently, “Now what am I gonna give up for Lent?”

Till then, we subvert, invite, wander, create, rejoice, and live for this season. Black, White, Gay, Straight, Rich, Poor, and even folks from Arkansas, we all are subversive agents of frivolity and humanity.

Enjoy, be safe, and “respect the dignity of every human being.” But don’t send in the clowns!

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INTERVIEWS FROM KEY WEST Jeremy Hackworth’s Autobiography Will Probably Include Glitter and Sawdust Kevin Assam kevin-assam@hotmail.com Zia Charters Captain Jeremy Hackworth is the contemporary version of Mr. Key West. When he’s not being chased by dolphins, crafting ten foot tall zombies and lighted fixtures for ThatWasFunKW, or putting out fires, he’s racking up first-class treatment at all the iconic local liquor dispensing establishments. Hackworth talks about his love for carbonara, getting harassed by other species, and that one time he smuggled a keg of beer in an R2-D2.

In life, is it the simplest recipe that proves the easiest to botch?

Jeremy: That’s a glass half empty question! I’d say the simplest recipes offer the most opportunity to highlight exceptional ingredients and techniques.

I heard you make an excellent spaghetti carbonara. Whom have you fed on the island and what’s your secret?

Jeremy: I learn recipes by reading, maybe watching some videos, then taking what I like and distilling it into one recipe. I like carbonara and puttanesca because I always have the ingredients on hand. And they’re delicious. There’s

no big secret to carbonara. It’s just making a simple four-ingredient sauce greater than the sum of its parts. As far as who I’ve fed? I don’t cook and tell.

Did you find yourself in the kitchen early on? Was the education of self-sufficiency a formative force of your adolescence?

Jeremy: I did start cooking pretty young. Simple things. When I was 18, I also had a brief amazing relationship with a chef who was a little older. I really have to give her credit with inspiring me onto a more Epicurean path in life.

Self-sufficiency has always been important. It seems easier for me to learn how to build it or fix it myself rather than let someone else do it for me.

Did she teach you to cook while you taught her how to build mildly interesting things?

Jeremy: Are the things I build only mildly interesting? She taught me some basics, but more than that, inspired me to appreciate good food and learn. As far as teaching her? I was 18. I’m 43 now. I don’t really know that much. At 18, I definitely didn’t know shit. I guess I did have some youthful exuberance and enthusiasm.

How did you arrive at the decision to leave high school? Was carpentry not an option?

Jeremy: I went to high school in a small rural town in Texas. There were not a lot of creative options or challenges. I was bored. I did enroll in a nearby junior college thinking it would have more to offer. It didn’t. I’ve only learned to build out of necessity or as a creative outlet — rebuilding an old boat to sail around the Caribbean for a year.

Or making strange theater props. Or bicycle powered parade floats. Or marquees. I’ve never hung drywall and I’d like to keep it that way.

What was your first major artistic creation that garnered positive reviews?

Jeremy: I’m having a hard time remembering what came first. In the early days of Key West Burlesque, I started getting called for strange or challenging props. I built a puppet of the Burl Ives snowman character from the 60s era Rudolph. I built an R2-D2 prop in order to smuggle a keg of beer onto a trolley for the first Porch Christmas party. Stuff like that. I never thought commercially. It was just for fun. Only some time after a friend requested a marquee for his wedding did I start considering there might be a market especially with the wedding crowd.

Was that the main draw to Key West?

Jeremy: The water. After Texas, I moved to New Mexico for a while. At 26, I decided that it was time to live by the ocean. I actually looked at San Diego first for proximity. Didn’t love it. I then drove east along the Gulf Coast.

In South Florida, I decided to see Key West before I headed back up the Eastern seaboard. I never left. The water got me here. The amazing commu-

nity and friends are why I’ve stayed.

Tell me about that boat you built to sail around the Caribbean.

Jeremy: Re-built. It was a 1978 34’ Bristol Sloop. Found it in St. Augustine and sailed it down here. Spent a couple years living aboard on the city mooring field doing repairs and upgrades. Then in April of ’07 I sailed to Mexico and spent the better part of a year sailing around Central America and Columbia.

Had some really fun adventures! The boat was named Max, after Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. What were the wild things you discovered sailing? How did you deal with the loneliness out on the sea?

Jeremy: Well, that whole adventure was with an ex. It wasn’t lonely!

I actually love being out at sea. Alone or otherwise. It feels like exploring.

There were so many wild adventures.

Swimming with dolphins in Belize and Honduras. Finding a 24-kilo bale of cocaine inside the reef line and deciding that I was wealthy enough, in that I was doing what I loved, not to take any risks with my freedom and letting it go. Getting harassed by monkeys in Panama. Toucans flying overhead every night on the Rio Chagres. Trading with Kuna Indians for Molas in the San Blas. Walking all around Cartagena.

So many adventures! Maybe I should do that again?

In addition to owning Zia Charters, you are also a firefighter. How did that happen?

Jeremy: After the sailing trip, I came back broke, again, and started thinking long term. I was then running boats as more of a career. I became good friends with CJ, who also ran boats and was a firefighter for the county. Talking with him it sounded like

22 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

a solid plan. So, at 33, I decided to be a firefighter when I grew up. I put myself through EMT school and Fire Academy and was hired soon after. The schedule allows me to run my charter company and do my projects. It also feels good to help people out in bad situations once in a while.

What’s the process for creating your lighted displays and where are the more popular ones located

across the island?

Jeremy: It involves a lot of mental preparation and procrastination, then sawdust, sweat, and glitter — which would also be the title of my autobiography. General Horseplay is my biggest showroom. FUN and WHY NOT? are both in the courtyard. There’s a KW in Love in Bloom right now. My friends Jimmy and Joanna Cooper have golden JOY. And a marquee. There’s also a

cactus in Austin and a colorful P in Atlanta. There are a couple more projects in the works that’ll be around soon.

How did a place like General Horseplay scout and commission your work?

Jeremy: They’re friends, that’s how!

We recently went through a hurricane scare. As a single firefighting artist with a boat, what’s your per-

sonal emergency disaster plan?

Jeremy: That’s a simple one. Be prepared to be self-sufficient for a potentially extended period of time and be available to those that need some help after a storm. I live in an apartment in Old Town that’s been there for a long time. My boat’s in a protected marina and insured. I’ve been through a lot of storms. There’s a lot more boredom and discomfort than actual danger.

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at the Bourbon Pub AT THE BOURBON PUB & PARADE | PHOTOS BY DWAIN HERTZ

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at Crossing AT THE CROSSING NOLA | PHOTOS BY DWAIN HERTZ

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HEALTH & WELLNESS HEALTH & WELLNESS Medicaid Contracts Part II: What it means for you Chenier Reynolds-Montz Director of Outreach & Development for Access Health Louisiana CReynolds@accesshealthla.org Just months after Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals (LDHH) awarded contracts to Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) to oversee the healthcare of its Medicaid patients, contracts are being thrown out and the process is starting over.

What does it mean for the nearly two million Louisiana residents covered by Medicaid? It means more changes are ahead; however, a plan is in place to help patients keep their coverage until everything is worked out.

“It is important for patients to remember that while their Medicaid plan could one day change, their primary care provider does not,” explains Chatrian Kanger, Vice President of Population Health for Access Health Louisiana. “Patients of community health centers throughout the state - like at Access Health Louisiana - can rest assured that we can and will continue to take care of you regardless of what your insurance card says. We can even take care of you if (for some rea-

son) you experience a lapse in coverage.”

This month, Louisiana’s state procurement officer said the health department failed to follow state law and its own bid guidelines in figuring out which MCOs would care for its Medicaid patients. Bid evaluators reportedly didn’t verify the accuracy of insurance companies’ lists detailing the network of doctors, clinics and other health providers they would use. Verification of provider list accuracy is one of the requirements of the state’s bid requirements.

Last year, LDHH opened the bidding process for MCOs to try for either renewal or acceptance before Medicaid contracts expired. Only four of the state’s MCOs were awarded contracts – Humana Health Benefit Plan of Louisiana, United Healthcare, Community Care Plan of Louisiana (Healthy Blue) and AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana.

Louisiana Healthcare Connections and Aetna Better Health of Louisiana did

not receive contracts and they cover nearly half a million of the state’s Medicaid patients. Both companies filed an appeal. Now the three-year contracts previously awarded are being rescinded.

So what happens now? The health department will have to repeat the bidding process to select the insurance companies that will oversee care for most of the state’s Medicaid enrollees.

Enrollees include adults covered by Medicaid expansion, pregnant women, and children. While the procurement officer’s decision can be contested, Medicaid patients won’t see a disruption in their care. Governor John Bel Edwards’ administration signed emergency contracts to keep the state’s current MCO contractors in place for 2020 due to the contract disputes.

State administrators are working with LDHH to keep the procurement process moving forward. If someone decides to appeal the procurement officers’ decision, they can file an appeal with the governor’s chief budget advisor Jay Dardenne. Depending on Dardenne’s decision, the case could

eventually end up in court.

It’s important that Medicaid patients follow a few recommendations to ensure their healthcare coverage always continues smoothly. Kanger suggests, “make sure that your address and phone number are up to date with your Primary Care Provider (PCP) and the Medicaid website. Pay attention to start & end dates and effective dates that can affect your coverage. Finally, take advantage of your benefits for wellness visits with your PCP to ensure that your own care needs are met.”

If you have a question about your Medicaid coverage, call 1-888-3426207. The state Medicaid office answers calls Monday-Friday from 8am to 4:30pm.

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

WELLNESS

Body Image in Our Community Dr. Andrew Watley Professional Counselor in the State of Louisiana Have you ever looked in the mirror and saw something that you didn’t like? This is something that happens daily to me.

I walk into the bathroom and begin to pick apart my physique. I start with my bald head then work my way down to the dark circles under my eyes from working too much. I notice the blotchy skin on my shoulders and stare extensively at my stomach, which was a lot smaller at one point in time.

After visiting my flaws, I immediately make a commitment to eat healthier, work out more, and to buy facial products at Lush. I go through the day trying to correct the things that I know that I am unhappy with about myself. As sad as it may be that I make so many negative comments about my body, what is even more sad is when other people feel that they have the right to do the same.

One of the greatest jobs and experiences for me was dancing on the bar in one of our local clubs. I enjoyed it because of the attention that I received, the confidence that it builds, and, of course, the reliable amount of money that was to be made. Although there is plenty that I can say that made the job fun, there were some things that could make a fun night bad.

Guys, here’s a little secret that I’m going to tell you that may help you remain in good standings at the bars: “The dancers can hear your conversations”. Despite the loud music and the noisy crowds, we can hear most of what you guys are talking about.

We aren’t intentionally being nosy, but sometimes we hear little things that draw our attention, especially if those things are about us.

Stepping on the bar can go one of two ways. Either people will smile and

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begin to cheer or they will scowl and make negative comments. It seems that people are not shy about these comments either. They say them loud enough to their friends as if we are not standing right in front of them. It’s almost as if we are no longer thought of as entertainment for the crowds, but rather a burden.

I remember having a conversation with one of our dancers after he stormed out of the bar in the beginning of his shift. He told me that he left because of the negative comments that he heard from some of the bar’s patrons about his body. People have no idea how much the things that they say can affect other people. They ignore the fact that others have feelings &

emotions, and that we hurt and bleed just like them.

Anyway, after a bit of encouragement from myself and other members of the staff, the dancer returned to the bar and had a fun night. It is easy for people to see our physical flaws when we are on the bar, but what they fail to see is our confidence.

It takes a lot of confidence for people to expose themselves the way that dancers do. Hell, it takes a lot of confidence to just be proud of the way you look in general. I find that people who lack that self-confidence are the ones who try to bring other people down the most. We can’t all have the perfect Instagram model bodies. We can’t all wear skinny jeans and muscle shirts,

but what we all can do is help to build each other up.

Whether in the bar or in the streets, choose to see someone’s good before their bad. Choose to compliment instead of complain. See a gem before a flaw. We have enough people outside of our community who tear us down.

We don’t need it from our own brothers and sisters.

For all of my friends who lack that self-confidence, make efforts to try to build it. It starts from within. We have to do our best not to define ourselves through what other people choose to think about us. Let’s make a decision to let the first thing that people notice about us be our confidence. Let’s change the negative conversations

A NEW COLUMN

A Fistful of Wishes, Part 2 Dorian-gray Alexander proofpoz@gmail.com Here’s Part Two of twenty things you might want to get straight [not in that way] in 2020 and for decades to follow. These are suggestions to inform and to guide as we change the narratives. #11 Remember Ryan White Ryan White, a young boy from Indiana, contracted HIV from blood products used to treat hemophilia, a bleed-

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

ing condition, and became a poster child for AIDS in the 1980s. After his death, Congress passed funding in his honor to treat AIDS; it continues today and has saved countless lives of people with HIV. True story: As a Halloween costume a couple of years ago, two friends dressed as slices of bread: Rye & White. It’s funny how we say or hear things in New Orleans. #12 ReActivate ACT-UP AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP) was started as grassroots effort to demand research, medication, and dignity for people dying from complications from AIDS. Activists have become complacent and no longer wave their fists and or protest for better services or access to medications. Those same medications ensure a longer life span; thus, old activists just age away instead of waste away. #13 Value PLWH People living with HIV are the most surveyed, tested, and researched group of individuals and are often asked to provide very personal information for free or for little pay. It’s time to compensate [pay] people for the

time, expertise, and talents that are used to increase knowledge and research in the field. Nothing about us, without us and hire us. #14 End the HIV epidemic together ICYMI, the same medication used as PrEP/PEP [pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis] as prevention is the same medication used to treat and manage HIV. Yes, the little blue pills, Truvada and Descovy, keep everyone safe in the game and on the playing field.

We’re on the same team! #15 Living longer means aging It’s amazing how vibrant living with HIV can be but time ticks along.

According to HIV.gov the number of PLWH who are over 50 years old is growing rapidly. Almost half the people living with HIV are over the age of 50. They project that by 2030, nearly two-thirds of those in Ryan White care (see #1) will be in that age range. Hello AARP! #16 Let folks know So, if I just got in town [and without a phone] like I arrived by plane, train or even drove in, there’s no way for me

that we have with ourselves in the mirror to more positive ones. Let it become evident to other people that we are as beautiful on the outside as we feel on the inside!

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.

to find out where I can get tested for HIV or get services or care. Maybe we can step up to have information widely available. Y’know like wrap some buses, open some kiosks, or even better… provide care at the bus station. #17 Donate an organ Give the gift of life. Thousands of people are waiting to get an organ.

Some never receive it and pass away.

Last year, Nina Martinez became the first person in the U.S. living with HIV to donate a kidney. The recipient was also living with HIV. This milestone allows people living with HIV to become organ donors for others with HIV and save lives too. #18 Know your status Empower yourself and know if you’re living with HIV and encourage others to know theirs. Get tested with a partner or take a friend for support.

Testing is pretty easy. You can even do a home test and have all the privacy you need. Let’s demystify this. At your next health visit ask for an HIV test and get screened for some STIs, sexually transmitted infections (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) too. #19 Become an ally Learn as much as you can about the real science of HIV. We could use some help to dispel fears and eliminate stigma out there. Talk about things like U=U, PrEP & PEP openly. Start conversations and become an advocate when others are not quite as enlightened. And I hope this column enlightens you. #20 It’s more than sex It’s hard to imagine anything other than sex, but give it a try. We can’t ignore that some people use injection drugs. They need our help too. Syringe access programs [clean needles] and substance use treatment are really important steps for better public health.

Support efforts to increase assistance and overall mental health services.

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 interest on HIV to proofpoz@gmail.com

28 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 29

HOT HAPPENINGS UNDER THE GAYDAR New Orleans Hot Happenings Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com January is off to a smashing start and New Orleans is gearing up for the Carnival 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.

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.

Queer Meditation: Mid City Zen; 3248 Castiglione St.; 6:15 p.m. A queer and trans centered meditation group meeting regularly on Monday evenings. Practice includes sitting and walking meditation, as well as sensory and body based awareness exercises.

Open to all LGBTIQ+ people, and all folks interested in holding and sharing an intentionally queer-centering mindful space. Free/by donation.

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 Happy Hour prices every Monday night. | Boys dancin’ on the bar 9 p.m. till close.

Pool Tournament: Rawhide 2010; 740 Burgundy St.; 9:45 p.m. $2 PBR

and $50 gift certificate for Rawhide S.I.N.: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave.; 1 a.m - 4 a.m. 2 for 1 drinks.

TUESDAY

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

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

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

Burlesque Bingo with Lefty Lucy: The AllWays Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m There’s no cover for this grown-up game show where everyone’s a winner! Just buy a drink from the bar & Tsarina Hellfire will give you a Bingo card. Each round winner gets a bucket of prizes including exclusive prints & a grand finale prize from Abita Brewing Company! Just for showing up you get to enjoy the free burlesque side of this unique game.

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

Trivia: Cutter’s; 706 Franklin Ave.; 7:30 p.m. Join your host, bartender and local music legend Johnny Sketch.

Join a trivia team or bring your own and test your knowledge across multiple categories to win an often odd and useful assortment of prizes!

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 Kajun’s 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 p.m. See the Men of Oz like you have never seen them before. The show stars Atomyc Adonis, Bobby B, Franky, Phathoms Deep and other special guests. Hosted

by Trixie Minx.

30 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · 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 · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 31

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.

Weekly Pool Tournament: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 8 - 11 p.m. Tuesday Night Pool Tournament! 8 p.m. with $5 buy-in, winner takes all. $3 Abita Brewing Company during the tournament! Hosted by Wayne Nettles. Afterward, stick around for Strip To Your Jockstrap Pool.

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.

WEDNESDAY

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

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

WednesGays at LPK Uptown: Louisiana Pizza Kitchen; 615 South Carrollton Ave.; 5 p.m. Join us every Wednesday to celebrate diversity. See old friends or make some new ones and find out what’s happening in the Nola community. All this while enjoying 1/2 price drinks from the bar. Invite your friends.

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

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

Show Tunes Night: The Bourbon Pub; 801 St Ann St.; 8 p.m.- Midnight Video Game Night: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 8:30 p.m. midnight; The bar is doing Video Game Night starting at 9 p.m. Come and compete for prizes and Grab some Drinks.

Kafe Karaoke: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 9 p.m. – midnight. $25.00 Bar tab and Free Shots & Givea-ways with Happy Hour All Day. Bingo with Bridget Tunnel: Dat Dog; 601 Frenchman Street; 9 p.m.

Biggest, baddest, brassiest Bingo with superstar Bridget Tunnel starting at 9 p.m. Prizes for every round to keep you drunk and fed.

Oz Show Night: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 10:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Connie Hung,

Anastascia Davenport; ChiChi Rodriquez and Dominique DeLorean.

THURSDAY

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

Honey Bee Trivia: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Thursday is Honey Bee Trivia at 7 p.m. Four rounds with jello shots to the winner of each round and a Bar Tab to top person/team of the night.

Drag Race UK Viewing Party: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave.; 7 p.m. Mama Ru’s in search of the UK’s very first drag race superstar.

Prepare for the ride of your life! Join us every Thursday for Rupaul’s Drag Race UK Season 1 Viewing Party at Kajun’s Pub! Laveau Contraire has invited some of her best squirrel friends to come give insightful commentary, sickening drag numbers, and a healthy dose of SHADE. Don’t get left at the starting line! See you every Thursday at Kajun’s Pub for Rupaul’s Drag Race viewing on all 5 TV screens at 7pm!

Prime Time Trivia: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; starts at 9 p.m. Come out and enjoy trivia with great prizes with your host Honey Bee. Retro Night: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; from 9 p.m. till close.

The Hits of the 80’s and 90’s. $3 well vodka drinks and $4 Long Island iced teas. | Boys dancin’ on the bar 9 p.m. 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.

Take It Off Fridays: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; 5 p.m.

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

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

dancin’ on the bar 9 p.m. till close.

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

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

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

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

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

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

- 2 a.m. Executive Chef Marlon Alexander and sushi & vegan Chef Kelseay 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, sling-

32 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · 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 · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 33

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

ing 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 Sinful Sunday: Crossing; 439 Dauphine St.; 5 - 8 p.m. Drink & Drown, $15 well drinks or top shelf & bottled beer $25 - includes free burger cookout.

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

Drink Drown and Drag: The Bour-

bon 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 TUESDAY 1/28

Extra Extra - The Political Cabaret: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

More than just a drag show, Extra is a space where drag artists and fans can come together to get empowered, get connected, laugh, and even occasionally bawl their eyes out. With: Luna Rei, Beefcake, Qween Amor, Venus Verticordia and your host and producer Quinn Laroux. Doors at 7:30 p.m.; Show at 8:00 p.m. $10 cover.

The Trans Siberian Nightmare: The Carnaval Lounge; 2227 St. Claude Ave.; 9 p.m. - midnight. Bywater drag hosted by the illustrious Haus of Smells! Come see Carnaval’s drag variety show the second and fourth Tuesday of every month featuring rotating themes and monthly spotlight lip sync smackdowns. Starring Stink, Carina Von Tuna and Gayle King Kong and this week featuring: Qween Quan and Scorpia Reign. Doors at 9 | $5 cover.

WEDNESDAY 1/29

NOAGE Potluck: St. Anna’s Episcopal Church; 1313 Esplanade Ave.; 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Join NOAGE for the first potluck of the year at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church! If you are able, please bring a dish. We’ll need main dishes, meats, sides, soups, salads or vegan/vegetarian dishes, desserts, and beverages. The potluck is in the back of the Parish House (the building to the right of the church itself, located

34 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · 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 · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 35

at the corner of Esplanade Ave. and Marais St.) PLEASE ENTER FROM THE BACK DOOR; the front door remains locked at all times. There is limited parking and an accessible ramp on the Marais Street side of the building.

Please consider bringing non-perishable food items for St. Anna’s Food Pantry.

THURSDAY 1/30

Pudding on the Glitz: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Come out to the All-Ways Lounge to this fabulous Armeinius showgirl review of days gone bi (pun intended). Come early for the Armeinius 2020 royalty announcement! $15 suggested donation and a portion of the proceeds will go to the LGBT Community Center on Broad St.

FRIDAY 1/31

Naughty Night with Stormy Daniels: House of Blues; 225 Decatur St.; 8 p.m. Join Stormy Daniels and friends for a night of comedy and dance at House of Blues New Orleans! This is an age 18+ show. ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE. No refunds unless show cancelled/rescheduled. All general admission tickets are STANDING ONLY. For more information about Foundation Room upgrades, please call the Box Office at 504.310.4999.

Lords of Leather Beer Bust: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields; 9 p.m.

- midnight. A $5 buy-in gets all-youcan-drink from 9 - 10 pm, then $1 refills from 10 - midnight.

MX MISC - A Super Drag Sporting Event Competition: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 9 - 11 p.m.

The Search for New Orleans’ next Drag STUPIDSTAR! Which competition-hungry drag performer truly embodies what it means to be miscellaneous? Find out as they host their first ever Super Drag Sporting Event Competition (*not a pageant) where the winner will walk out with a fabulous prize and a full year of wearing a title that means absolutely nothing to anyone but the winner! Competitors are: Beefcake, The Darling, Lash Wednesday, Maryboy, Mela Pelás, Versula Bottom.

Hosted by Apostrophe with DJ Kyle D! Doors at 8:30 / Show promptly at 9:00 / $5 cover.

Sisters of St. Claude: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 9:30 - 11:30 p.m. Each episode of this monthly affair will gather together a few faces familiar to the Allways stage and let them loose in a show that puts drag classics and golden oldies back in the spotlight! Hosted and produced by Dede Onassis & Siren. Featuring the talents of Neon Burgundy & Quinn Laroux. Admission is $10 at the door

SATURDAY 2/1

CrescentCare’s HIV Awareness

Training: CrescentCare; 1631 Elysian Fields Ave., Second Floor; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission & parking. Open to the public. Breakfast & lunch provided.

Drag Diva Sunday Brunch - OMG 90s: The Fillmore; 6 Canal St.; 10:30 a.m. For tickets, go to http://www. fillmorenola.com/. 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.

55th Annual Krewe of Amon Ra Ball: The Frederick Sigur Center; 8245 W. Judge Perez Dr.; 7 p.m. For tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com.

The Star Wars Dance Party: The Goat; 1301 St. Bernard Ave.; 10 p.m.

- 4 a.m. The Star Wars Dance Party Part XI features ‘80s, goth, indie, industrial and synth. DJs include: CJ Wolff, Eugene Oubliette, Olivette, Schadenfreude and Sneauxball. No cover.

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 2/2

Make Up - Improv & Drag Auditions: Wit Craft/Improv Studio; 222 N. Miro St.; 2 - 4 p.m. MAKE UP: improv + drag is expanding its ensemble. Looking to cast a few folx who are: skilled drag performers with exceptional stage presence; committed to being engaged and supportive ensemble members; and very teachable and excited to learn/perform improv comedy. If you and/or your drag persona are underrepresented on New Orleans stages, we HIGHLY encourage you to audition!

Sign up at www.eventbrite.com.

31st Annual Brigid Ball: Cafe Istanbul; 2372 St. Claude Ave.; 8 p.m.

- 1 a.m. The New Orleans Radical Faeries and Empress Lady Susan XXX invite you to attend the 31st Bridgid Ball. Costumes encouraged with bird colors as a theme. All are welcome, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Suggested $15 donation at the door.

MONDAY 2/3

Make Up - Improv & Drag Auditions: Wit Craft/Improv Studio; 222 N. Miro St.; 6 p.m. MAKE UP: improv + drag is expanding its ensemble. Looking to cast a few folx who are: skilled drag performers with exceptional stage presence; committed to being engaged and supportive ensemble members; and very teachable and excited to learn/perform improv comedy. If you and/or your drag persona are underrepresented on New Orleans stages,

we HIGHLY encourage you to audition!

Sign up at www.eventbrite.com.

A Minor Accident of War: World War 2 Museum’s Solomon Victory Theatre; 945 Magazine St.: 5 p.m.

Join the World War II Museum, NOAGE, and the LGBT+ Archives Project for a screening of A Minor Accident of War, followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and Edward Field, 95, who flew 27 missions during World War II. Field is an award-winning poet and author who is regarded as a significant voice in LGBT literature. Register at nationalww2museum.org.This is a free event but registration is required.

Dead Flowers Circus Sideshow: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 9 p.m. Dead Flowers Circus-Sideshow (Est. 2012) is an all QUEER variety troupe of performance ARTists originating in Philadelphia, specializing in circus-sideshow with a modern twist, rock n’ roll attitude and lots of Philly grit. This isn’t your neighborhood burlesque show. $10 cover.

Featuring: Sailor Sunshine (circus), Dee Composed (sideshow) + Mister E. (sideshow) with Special Guest Olive the Clown.

THURSDAY 2/6

Funny, But Make It Fashion: Cafe Istanbul; 2372 St. Claude Ave.; 7:30 - 10;30 p.m. Introducing the only comedy show that dares to enter into the world of fashion photography. Fashion photographer Judith Chibwez loves comedy but comedy is not pretty enough to photograph. This will have you laughing one minute and posing in another. Prizes for audience members who are brave enough to help Judith take the funny, but make it fashion.

Performances by Camille Roane, DC PauL and introducing Justin Quentin.

There will be a performance from special guest judge Laveau Contraire!

King Cakes At The Ace: Three Keys in the Ace Hotel; 600 Carondelet St.; 8:30 - 10:30 p.m. Join Honor Thy Mother for an evening of non-toxic masculinity. Seasoned performers, legends of the New Orleans Drag Workshop, and some new fresh faces will all collide in an explosion of glued on beards and glitter. $10 cover.

FRIDAY 2/7

Queer Hip-Hop Waacking/Posing Lesson: LGBT Community Center; 2727 S. Broad St.; 5:45 - 7:30 p.m.

Artivism Dance Theatre and Briana Alston Backup dancer for Peaches!

Wear clothing you can move on the dance floor with.

Funny AF - Improv Comedy with an All Female Cast: Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge; 6621 St. Claude Ave.; 9 p.m. Anyone can be funny, but it takes an all-female cast to be Funny AF! Experience improvised comedy elevated by women performers. Featuring Carrie Moulder, Erica Carrington, Mag-

36 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · 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

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gie White, Rochelle McConico, Lynae LeBlanc, Amanda Elizabeth, Donna Weaver, Judy Reagan and Nita Cherise.

SATURDAY 2/8

Beer Bust Fundraiser: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 10 a.m. 1 p.m. Come support the New Orleans Rougaroux at their February beer bust fundraiser with their Title Sponsor The Phoenix!

Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch: Artisan Cafe; 2514 St. Claude Ave.; 11 a.m. Vanessa Carr presents Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch at Artisan Cafe featuring an amazing menu and awesome entertainment. Come celebrate with the talents of Vanessa Carr Kennedy and Friends. For tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com.

NOLA Gaymers Party February: LGBT Community Center; 2727 S. Broad Ave.; 2 - 6 p.m. Join the fun at the LGBT Community Center to socialize, game and generally geek out. We will have board games, party games, card games, and snacks to share.

Bring your own favorite games as well.

Donations of $3 or more towards future Gaymer events will be split with the LGBT center. +1 Gaming will be our sponsor again and those who donate will be entered into a drawing to win a prize from their store.

GrrlSpot Qrewe 20/20: D Lish; 209 Decatur St.; 9 p.m. See GrrlSpot

for the first time in 20/20 as Krewe D’ Vieux rolls through the French Quarter.

It’s a giant during and after parade experience--two floors, three DJ’s, dancers, glitter, a ton of the light-up stuff you actually want to catch at a parade, and hundreds of grrls celebrating Carnival all night long.

SUNDAY 2/9

Drag Diva Sunday Brunch - Sex and the City Edition: The Fillmore; 6 Canal St.; 10:30 a.m. For tickets, go to http://www.fillmorenola.com/. 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.

Red Carpet Oscar Party: The Country Club; 634 Louisa St.; 6:30 - 10 p.m. Watch the Oscars with the krewe at the Country Club. Enjoy cocktails, beer, or your favorite wine while we party and guess who you think is most likely to win. 1 winner will be awarded a $25 gift card for the “Best Dressed” at our Oscar party. The person who guesses the most correct winners will win an Annual Membership. Ballots must include participant’s name and be turned in 30 minutes pri-

or to the Award show. Presence is required to win. Be sure to dress up for an exquisite Red Carpet Oscar Party at The Country Club.

Creating A Concierge - The Book Launch Party: Copper Vine; 1001 Poydras St.; 7 - 9:30 p.m. Come join author Res French and friends at Copper Vine Wine Pub for a night of wine, good friends, storytelling performances, and lots of laughs. Signed copies of Creating a Concierge will be available for sale and the first 50 people who purchase the book will receive a Limited Edition Collector’s Lapel Pin. Doors Open at 7:00pm and the show starts promptly at 7:30pm. Cash Bar will be available to purchase drinks.

The event will be upstairs.

TUESDAY 2/11 – SUNDAY 2/16

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Saenger Theatre; 1111 Canal St.; Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tells the story of Willy Wonka, world famous inventor of the Everlasting Gobstopper, who has just made an astonishing announcement.

His marvelous—and mysterious—factory is opening its gates…to a lucky few. Get ready for Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator, and more, more, more. Tickets for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory start at $30 and can be purchased at BroadwayInNewOrleans. com, all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling (800) 982-2787 or at the Mahalia Jackson Theater Box Office located at 1419 Basin St. The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday-Thursday: 7:30 p.m.; Friday: 8 p.m.; Saturday: 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday: 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY 2/11

Clown Town V-Day Massacre: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 7 - 10 p.m. Special guests: The Darling and Blyre Cpanx. $10 cover. For tickets, go to www. eventbrite.com.

WEDNESDAY 2/12

The Sons of Tennessee Williams Review: The AllWays Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 8 - 10 p.m.

Come out to the AllWays Lounge and watch this beautiful film about the origins and survival of gay Mardi Gras culture. This is the homecoming of where the film originally premiered. Followed with Q&A with the director and king cake! $15 suggested donation.

FRIDAY 2/14

Mystic Krewe of Apollo Resurrection Bal Masque: Hotel Monteleone; 214 Royal St.; 8 - 11:30 p.m. After over three decades of being dormant, the Mystic Krewe of Apollo de New Orleans is rising again in 2020 to celebrate

the 50th anniversary of the first Krewe of Apollo Bal Masque with its Mystic Krewe of Apollo de New Orleans Resurrection Bal Masque. The Resurrection Bal Masque will be an ode to the original location where a gay Krewe first came out of the shadows in a four-star hotel, the Hotel Monteleone. The event will feature a plated full service dinner, dancing and the presentation of Apollo New Orleans newest Royalty -- all with a true Bal Masque (masked ball).

Tux or evening gown with Masque required for entry. Feel free to purchase a masque with your ticket if you wish.

Quantities are limited. For tickets and information, go to www.mkanola.com.

A Cure for VD: The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 9 p.m. - midnight.

It’s the Lords of Leather final bust before our Bal Masque XXXVII. A $5 buyin gets all-you-can-drink from 9 - 10 pm, then $1 refills from 10 - midnight.

Their beer busts are a Cure for VD! (Valentine’s Day!)

SATURDAY 2/15

Krewe of Petronius Bal Masque: The Frederick Sigur Center; 8245 W. Judge Perez Dr.; 8 p.m. Come join the oldest Gay Krewe for a night of fun. Saturday February 15th. Meet the newly Crowned King and Queen, take photos with all the Krewe’s costumes after the ball. The theme this year is the Dark Side of Disney. There will be an after-ball party for dancing with DJ Kenny and food will be served.

Door open at 7pm, ball 8-10pm after party 10pm till 12am. St Bernard Sigur Civic Center. For tickets, go to www. kreweofpetronius.net.

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 2/16

Drag Diva Sunday Brunch - The Whitney Houston Edition: The Fillmore; 6 Canal St.; 10:30 a.m. For tickets, go to http://www.fillmorenola.com/. Large groups, please call 504.872.3303 or email FillmoreNOLABoxOffice@livenation.com for accommodations. Buffet Includes: Scrambled Eggs, Country Potatoes, Bacon, Sausage, Baked Chicken, Fried Catfish, Baked Macaroni, Asparagus Salad w/ Grape Tomatoes, Spring Mix Salad w/ Honey Basil Vinaigrette, and an Assortment of Pastries and Desserts.

Drag Brunch: The Fairgrounds Race Course & Slots; 1751 Gentilly Blvd.; 12 p.m. Party with the Queens at the Track- enjoy a brunch buffet, horse racing, and a drag show all in one! Tickets are $40/person. Please call 504.943.2200 to reserve your spot!

Are we missing your events?

Email Us at info@ambushpublishing. com

38 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · 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

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Party Down Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com Between New Year’s Eve and Day, Sugar Bowl, the College Football Championship, the Saints’ playoff game, 12th Night and my work-life in general, I hate to admit it, but I’m extremely exhausted. If this column seems a little lackluster, it’s partly due to the fact that when I was not working, I was practicing my sloth imitation on my couch. That being said, I caught up on lots of television series I have been dying to watch. But I digress, let’s begin our journey that includes football, theater, dining experiences, riverboats and Tim McGraw. Giddy up Cowboy!

After 12th Night, I basically worked constantly every evening up until Friday when I attended the soft opening of the new City of New Orleans Riverboat. Friends and family were asked to board this spectacular new addition to our riverboat offerings. The City is a sleek new vessel with the trademark paddlewheel and calliope. It is a perfect venue for private events.

I was honored to be asked to join in the evening’s festivities. We had cocktails on the top two decks before going below for a delicious seated dinner.

The evening was designed as a trial run to work out the kinks before open-

ing to the public (or for private events), which was a good thing since my company rented the entire boat out for an event on Monday. There was only a few minor speedbumps that evening, but for the most part, the food, cocktails, service and design were top-rate.

The City of New Orleans is a superb addition to our city and its tourism industry. Congrats to Matt Dow and his team for making this a reality.

On Sunday and Monday, I was knee deep in work with the College Football Playoffs. LSU and Clemson fans were everywhere in the city. I have not seen so much, purple, gold and orange in all my life. We actually had more orange than we wanted when we had an unwanted visitor (at least by me) to the city bringing his own form of crazy to the Crescent City.

But even though I worked the entire two days from morning to night, on Monday I had a great bird’s-eye view of the concert at Woldenberg Park and Mr. Tim McGraw who is, by the way, a super sexy stud in his cowboy hat and sculpted on jeans. He even gave a shout out to his Louisiana roots by wearing an LSU jacket. I would be his “Southern Girl” anytime! Faith, girl,

move over.

On Thursday, I went to my first theatrical experience of 2020 and it was incredible. Goat in the Road’s production of The Uninvited at Gallier House on Royal Street is must-see theatre. This gripping period drama takes a unique approach to live theater in a memorable and historic setting.

Built in 1861, by local architect James Gallier, Jr. as his private family residence, this Victorian French Quarter townhouse exemplifies architectural features that are not only unique to New Orleans, but also innovative and advanced for the period. Marked by an iconic Paris Green gate, the Royal Street home includes an ornate interior décor, running hot and cold water, experimental skylight, intact attached slave quarters, and classic courtyard.

The action begins in the drawing room and then splinters as the actors move throughout the different parts of the home. The audience is encouraged to follow the actors in the different rooms and depending on whom you follow, it is amazing what your perspective is on the action. This is theater at its best.

The actors were superior. I especially commend Ian Hoch for giving one of the most chilling portrayals I have seen in a long time. I always thought that being the villain or the bad person is much more fun because most of the time it is your character who drives all the action. The good person just reacts while the bad one does the heavy lifting and, in many cases, has the best lines/scenes. If you have the opportunity, check out this show.

I started my weekend with a very calm dinner with friends at one of the newest Bywater hotspots Luna Libre.

This was my second time visiting the place and I am in love with everything from the food to the atmosphere, but especially their flaming margarita. I adore any cocktail you can light on fire.

They have daily specials and live music on certain nights. They also have a very cool backyard space to dine alfresco. If you have not been to this place, definitely check it out. It is located at 3600 St. Claude Avenue.

Before the dinner, however, I went to the Halloween Expo at the New Orleans Convention Center. This Expo gets vendors from around the world who show off their wares that include everything from fabric and feathers to costumes and décor. They even had vendors selling mobile escape rooms and faux body parts for your haunted

house. There were animatronics and one whole booth just devoted to the best costume shoes around. This was heaven for a drag queen (or a costume queen)--wigs of all kinds, lashes, make-up, accessories, hats--you name it.

I was like a kid in a candy store and guess what? It was free to attend. That evening they also had a fashion show showing off some of the new costume looks for the upcoming season. As you can imagine, my shopaholic persona went into overdrive. I swear there is a fine art to shopping that is indescribable. This is the first year I attended the show since I am always working, but I said that I was going to do ten things this year that I have not done before and this is the second. May seem small, but little wins still count as wins. To find out more about the Expo and their upcoming cities, go to https:// www.halloweenpartyexpo.com.

I ended my two weeks surrounded by royalty of the leather kind when I attended the Lords of Leather Royalty Appreciation Party at the new Carnaval Lounge on St. Claude Avenue.

Numerous royalty (and other supporters) got a sneak peek at their theme and royalty for this year. Congratulations to Lord Consort 37 Ed Azemas and Lord King 37 Chuck Coleman. I am so stoked this year for the theme WhorrorE which is their naughty take on horror movies! It is going to be awesome and I cannot wait to see the costumes. The krewe treated guests to a lovely spread and was a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Switching gears, I also went to the Convention Center for the last day of the Halloween Expo. There was definitely wheeling’n’dealing and I got some great deals on fabulous wigs and eyelashes. The last day of these shows are always the best to attend because people will barter with you.

That night was a totally different event. I attended the grand opening of The Gallery Lounge-NOLA. I love the renaissance St. Claude Avenue is undergoing with all the new businesses popping up. This incredibly nice new lounge is located in the building that used to be the old Ily’s, but you will not find yaka mein here. What you will find is Moet, exceptional art by local talent, and the best live music around. The Brassaholics kept us dancing all evening. As in true NOLA fashion, it was a great celebratory way to end my two weeks.

40 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

BUSINESS FINANCIAL & BUSINESS

Does Your Retirement Plan Account for Inflation?

Scot I. Billeaudeau, JD, LL.M. ADPA® s.billeaudeau@ampf.com Today it’s common for Americans to spend 2, 3 or even 4 decades in retirement. This means people have ample time to relax and achieve a bucket list of dreams. However, the flip side is that retirees need to ensure they have enough savings to last through their lifetime. One complicating factor is that inflation is a fact of life, and it can result in meaningfully higher expenses over time.

Living costs increase even with modest inflation By historical standards, the impact of inflation on Americans’ expenses has been relatively low, rising less than three percent annually over the last quarter century. Yet, even modest inflation adds up. A three percent annual increase means living costs would double in less than 25 years. Consider this example: a retired couple planning to live on $60,000 in 1994 would require $103,842 today to maintain their standard of living.

Some costs can grow more quickly What this reality means is that if you are preparing for or are in retirement, you need to account for inflation, regardless of how modest it may be.

And, while you should plan for inflation to affect all your retirement expenses, you can expect some costs to make a bigger impact: ● Health care – as you grow older, it’s likely that you will require more medical attention. Health care costs are rising, which is affecting both outof-pocket expenses and insurance premiums, including Medicare and longterm care policies. ● Housing costs – by the time you’ve reached retirement, you may have paid off your mortgage. But other expenses like insurance and property taxes can sometimes rise significantly, putting more stress on your retirement budget. If you plan to move to a different home, it might cost more than you expect depending on the real estate

market in your area. ● Miscellaneous expenses – in retirement, day-to-day expenses such as groceries, gas, and utilities bills, as well as travel and entertainment costs, will increase – all of which can add up quickly.

There are steps you can take today to help prepare for the impact of inflation.

If you still have time left before you retire: 1. Increasing your retirement plan contributions annually – recognizing that living costs will rise throughout your retirement, consider boosting your retirement savings each year. If you can, maximize your contributions, or at least save enough to match the rate of inflation. Doing so will put you in a better position to manage higher costs in retirement.

2. Own a tax-diversified retirement portfolio – along with your tax-de-

ferred workplace retirement plan or IRA, focus on building savings in other vehicles. This includes Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k)s (if available) that can potentially generate tax-free income in retirement. Any income you can generate that is tax-free will reduce your total withdrawal amount since no taxes are due. That can help your retirement savings last longer.

3. Keep working – this is not the answer everybody wants to hear but staying at your job for a little longer than originally planned can help boost your nest egg and reduce the amount of time you need to live off your savings.

If you are retired: 1. Invest to keep up with inflation – while it’s important to take some risk off the table in retirement and move to more conservative investments, it is possible to be too conservative. At a minimum, make sure your investments are returning enough to keep pace with

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 41

inflation. Depending on your circumstances and retirement goals, you may want to continue investing a portion of your portfolio for growth.

2. Understand your income streams – knowing what sources you have to draw from, such as a workplace retirement plan, IRA, annuities, and Social Security – and which ones you will withdraw from first – can help

you make tax-efficient decisions that preserve your savings.

3. Consider working in retirement – returning to work may not be ideal, but if your savings come up short, working part-time or as a consultant can help solidify your financial picture.

Whether you’re preparing for retirement or have already stepped away

from your primary career, it’s important to have a solid plan that realistically estimates your financial need for retirement – which means taking inflation into account. If you need help getting started or deciding if you need to adjust your existing plan, consult a financial advisor in your area.

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

On Social Media, Content—not size—Matters Charles Pizzo pizzocharles@gmail.com A restaurateur once told me they wouldn’t know what to post on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. This surprised me, because they had a lot of items on the menu. I counseled them to post photos of their food.

“But we don’t know what to say about it,” was the retort. “And if people asked questions or made comments, we wouldn’t know how to respond.”

This paralysis stunned me because the business was quite well-established and successful. After talking a bit more, I realized it was the new medium (social media) and not the content that struck fear.

It’s a topic that has played out many times. After writing a column for Ambush about using Facebook for business, several people confided they were having trouble getting started or figuring out what to post. Universally, they thought their line of business or work was too dry or boring.

Your expertise is valuable If you do the same thing for a long time, you can fall into the trap of thinking everybody “knows this stuff.” That’s not true. You’re an expert. Potential customers are not.

I asked the restaurateur what food was recommended when people asked what to order. Suddenly, the air was filled with a passionate speech about local food. You could tell it came from the heart, had been repeated many

times, and ticked off a list of local specialties worth trying.

“There’s your content,” I said.

It’s that simple. I’m always befuddled when people have performance anxiety about social media—which they view as f@(&*^% technology—when all it is is a communication medium.

The content remains the same even if the format is different.

Most people in business have done their share of selling, proposing, or making presentations. Social media is not really that different, except that the info is broken into smaller chunks.

Think about Grandma Roger d’Aprix, a noted expert and author on organizational communication, says to think about explaining what you do or sell to your Grandma at a backyard barbecue. Break it down to its simplest form, make it casual, and use human stories to illustrate your point. Tell Grandma how the product or service helps people and makes their life better.

Or imagine you’re talking over the back fence. The point is to relax and find your natural rhythm and flow. You know your topic. All you have to do on social media is explain it in small bits.

I understand that this is easier said than done. Take a deep breath. Don’t overthink it. The technology is actually quite simple (stop and think about how many kids use it daily).

A resource that has been extremely valuable to me personally are the teachings of Tolly Burkan. He’s an empowerment guru and author. One of his mantras, and a short book he wrote, is Let It Be Easy. The basic premise is to stop thinking and act. Nike coined a similar campaign, “Just Do It.” Like entering a cold swimming hole, jump in. You’ll acclimate quickly—or sink. Your mind and body will fight to save you. As we all know (hello diet!), the hardest part of anything is getting started.

Get Graphic in Words and Pictures Take an inventory of your brochures, catalogs, products, services, menus, what have you. That’s the starting point. It’s worth repeating that online readers scan, they do not read.

Break the potential content into small pieces. Think about how you can tell short stories about each thing. Remember, Twitter is limited to 240 characters, and Facebook and Instagram only a few sentences. It’s possible to write more on those last two platforms, but readership will decline. Keep it short.

On social media, content—not size—matters.

Storytelling is the essence of good writing online. How can you bring this topic to life? Are there funny anecdotes you can share? Amazing benefits you

can describe? Photos you can use to illustrate?

Graphics are important. When people are scanning Facebook, eye catching photos or graphics may get them to pause. That’s when your caption needs to seal the deal.

Depending on the topic, you can take your own photos or have someone else do it. There are also stock photo agencies online, some free, from which you can download images.

Twenty years ago, when Powerpoint was all the rage, Microsoft had a whole set of images that portrayed business concepts.

Bottom line, you can illustrate most any point. If you’re so inclined, there are wonderful apps that can help you create interesting graphics on the fly.

Several are free or pretty cheap and easy to use.

Let’s be real. If you’re in business, you’re selling your ideas, products, or services most everyday. You already have the skill set necessary to succeed at sales on social media.

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).

Need help? Contact the author.

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Cafe Lafitte’s AT CAFE LAFITTE’S IN EXILE | PHOTOS BY DWAIN HERTZ

42 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 43

LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory The Chamber is a network of LGBT and ally business owners, corporate partners, and community leaders that support business development and equality.

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

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

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

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

Equality Knowledge Community

Krewe of Narcissus, PO Box 3832, (504) 228-9441 Mystic Krewe of Lords of Leater, 1000 Bourbon Street #B415, lordsofleather.org Renegade Bears of Louisiana, PO Box 3083, renegadebearsoflouisiana@ gmail.com Crescent City Leathermen, 941 Elysian Fields Ave, crescentcityleathermen.org NOAGE, noagenola.org The Krewe of King kreweofkingarthur.com

Arthur,

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

Friday Night Before Mardi Gras, fridaynightbeforemardigras.com

UMC - HIV Outpatient Program, 2000 Canal Street, 4th Floor, 4C Clinic, (504) 702-4344, umcno.org/ infectiousdisease

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

gslgbtchamber.org

Krewe of Stars, 1010 Conti St, kreweofstars.com

HEALTHCARE

Odyssey House, 1125 North Tonti Street, ohlinc.org

MUSEUMS

Respect Diversity Inclusivity

Krewe of Mwindo, PO Box 51031, (504) 913-5791

LGBT Community Center, 2727 S Broad Ave, (504) 333-5412

CrescentCare, 1631 Elysian FIelds Ave, (504) 821-2601, crescentcare. org

Values

armeinius.org

Gulf South Chamber of Commerce, (504) 754-5279, gulfsouthchamber. com

Krewe of Queenateenas/ King Cake Queen Royalty Club, gaymardigras. com P-Flag New Orleans, (504) 617-5987, alberto.oliver@cox.com Mystic Krewe of Apollo de New Orleans, mkaneworleans.com

PHARMACY

Mumfrey’s Pharmacy, 1021 W. Judge Perez Dr., (504) 279-6312, mumfreyspharmacy.com Avita Pharmacy, 2601 Tulane Ave Ste 445, (504) 822-8013 Access Health Louisiana Pharmacy, 843 Milling Avenue, Luling, (985) 7855826 *Free Home Delivery Available*

PHOTOGRAPHY

Krewe of Petronius, PO Box 1102, kreweofpetronius.net

G Douglas Photography, LLC, Wedding and Portriat Photography, By Appointment Only, gdouglasadamsphotography.com

The Mystic Krewe of Amon-Ra, PO Box 57783, kreweofamonra.com

Craig Fremin Photography, By Appointment Only, craigfremin.com

Krewe of Apollo de New Orleans, P. O. Box 770973, www.mkaneworleans. com

Graham/ Studio One, By Appointment Only, grahamstudioone.com

Krewe of Armeinius, 433 N. Broad St,

Parker Studios, By Appointment Only, halle.parker15@outlook.com

44 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory REAL ESTATE

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

RELIGION

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

Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St, (504) 598-1010, www.clovergrill.com

Royal House Oyster Bar, 441 Royal Street, royalhouserestaurant.com

Country Club Restaurant, 634 Louisa Street, (504) 945-0742, thecountryclubnreorleans.com

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

Formal Connection, 299 Belle Terre Blvd, 985.652-1195

Cru, 535 Franklin Ave, (504) 446-0040, crunola.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 45

LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory Rich’s, 2401 San Jacinto Street, www. facebook.com/richshouston

Baton Rouge Pride, June 15, brpride. org

JR’s, 808 Pacific Street, (713) 5212519, jrsbarandgrill.com

Acadiana Pride, acadianapride.org

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

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

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

Date

TBA,

HEALTHCARE

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

ORGANIZATIONS

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

Krewe of Apollo de Baton Rouge, apollobatonrouge.com

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

Krewe of Apollo kreweofapollo.com

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

CIRCUIT / EVENT

Houston Pride, June 22, pridehouston. org The Woodlands Pride, September, thewoodlandstxpride.wordpress.com QFEST, Houston Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, q-fest.com

ORGANIZATIONS

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

PHARMACY

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

SOUTH LOUISIANA BARS & CLUBS

Splash, 2183 Highland Rd, Baton Rouge, (225) 242-949, splashbr.com George’s Place, 860 St. Louis St, Baton Rouge, (225) 387-9798, georgesplacebr.com The Park Pub & Bar, 4619 Benningotn Ave, Baton Rouge, Facebook @ theparkbr Bolt, 114 McKinley St, Lafayette, (337) 534-4913, facebook.com/boltlaffy Crystals, 112 W. Broad St, Lake Charles, (337) 433-5457

CIRCUIT / EVENT

de

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

Lafayette,

PHARMACY

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

NORTHERN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI & ALABAMA BARS & CLUBS

ORGANIZATIONS

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

Birminham,

RELIGION

Memorial Weekend Pensacola, Pensacola, FL, johnnychisholm.com

Joshua Generation joshuageneration.rocks

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

MCC,

GULF COAST BARS & CLUBS

The Midtown Pub, 153 Foorida Street, Mobile, (251) 450-1555 Gabriel’s Downtown, 55 South Joachmin Street, Mobile, (251) 4324900 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

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

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

The Korner Lounge, 800 Louisiana Ave, Shreveport, thekornerlounge. com

Rumors Biloxi, 3540 Bienville Blvd, Biloxi, (228) 875-4131

S,

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

Safe Harbor Family Church, safeharborfamilychurch.org

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

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

CIRCUIT / EVENT

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

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

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

BAR 3911, 3911 Northview Drive, Jackson, (601) 586-1468, Open: Thurs & Fri 8PM–2AM, Sat 8PM–4AM

sippsgulfport.com

Just Us Lounge, 906 Division Street, Biloxi, (228) 374-1007 Sipps Ave,

Bar Gulfport, 2218 25th Gulfport, (228) 206-7717,

HEALTHCARE

Oasis Florida, 25 E Wright Street, (850) 429-7551, oasisflorida.org Coastal Family Health Care, 1046 Division St, Biloxi, coastalfamilyhealth. org

HIV CARE AND SERVICES

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

ORGANIZATIONS

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

Al’s on 7th Street, 2627 7th Ave S, Birmingham, (205) 422-4218 Quest Bar, 416 24th Street S, Birmingham, (205) 251-4313, info@ quest-club.com Chapel Bar, 620 27th Street S, Brirmingham, (205) 703-9778, chapelbarinfo@gmail.com Club 322, 322 N Lawrence Street, Montgomery, club322.business.site Icon, 516 Greensboro Ave, Tuscaloosa

CAMPING

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

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

Email Ambush sales@ambushpublishing.com

CIRCUIT / EVENT

CENLA Pride, May 31 - June 2, Alexandria, LA, facebook.com/ cenlaclasspride Oxford Pride, April 28-May 5, Oxford MS, oxfordmspride.rocks Central Alabama Pride, June 1-10, 2019, Birmingham, AL, facebook. com/centralalabamaprideinc

46 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

COMICS, PUZZLES & HOROSCOPES CROSSWORD & WORD SEARCH ACROSS

1

2) Mardi Gras throw caught at a parade.

5) The word “Mardi” means ____.

7) Said to be the first state to celebrate Mardi Gras.

8) ___ is the largest Parading Krewe in New Orleans.

9) The word “Gras” means ___.

10) Mardi Gras Party

DOWN

1) ___ is the King of Mardi Gras.

3) Coveted Mardi Gras “Money” 4) Each Mardi Gras Krewe has a _ (2words)__ to present their royalty.

6) Season leading up to Mardi Gras Day.

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Ideals for a crossword? Email us at info@ ambushpublishing.com!

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

PUZZLE WORD BANK KING ARTHUR PETRONIUS OSIRIS STARS LORDS OF LEATHER APOLLO MWINDO YUGA AMONRA NARCISSUS DIONYSUS ARMEINIUS

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HOROSCOPES

Messages from the Oracle in New Orleans Dan Beck, #1 Astrologer in New Orleans dan@innermakeup.net Once upon a time, humans engaged with the possibilities of the future through omens, prophecies, and oracles. The art of astrology evolved out of these practices and now emphasizes your moment of birth, the celestial reflection of who you are. This combination of your birth chart and the usage of that document to divine the past, present, and 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!

Welcome to the Age of Aquarius, or rather a glimpse into it for the next month. Signs are seasons i.e. Aries is the break from winter as the ram charges into spring; Libra is the beautiful placidity of autumn before the descent into winter, etc. But Aquarius is about the future.

In astrology, it’s debated when the Age of Aquarius started, but I believe it started not when that famous song heralded the dawning of the New Age with Jupiter in the 8th house but rather with Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press. The ability to read was not anymore reserved for a privileged few but was to be enjoyed and utilized by the masses. Language and all of its efficient advantages presaged the even faster modes of telecommunications we experience today. We can soon expect even faster forms of communication and travel in the future, perhaps a future closer than we can perceive at present.

But what does this mean for you?

That’s the ever present and most critical question, as astrology is ultimately about the individual querent and shaman. It means things are not about the now, or rather the now is about the future. The will and force that desires the future now is really about the structures that allow stability and continuity to process into the days ahead.

In astrology, one technique projects the future as one day equaling a year. What will your days look like? This can give you a glimpse into the future as the groundwork you lay in 2020 will culminate by the end of the year into the most powerful form of your future and presage the next twenty years.

A phenomenon called the grand conjunction will occur in the sign of Aquarius which historically heralds the rise of a new monarch. How will you

rise? Look at your individual days and this will be a clue. Choose wisely your moments as minutes turn into hours turn into days turn into months turn into years turn into decades, and so on.

This is linear thinking but thinking vertically or eternally will indicate to you how you are negotiating with destiny, an old saying that is most instructive as to how you will experience yourself at present, realizing past, present and future are one and the same.

ARIES

March 21 - April 19 You’re being called in a spiritual direction. Where you’re being called from is mysterious, however. You will be moved to sacrifice yourself in some way. You face two directions—one passed and one yet to come. You let part of yourself die so that you may be reborn.

TAURUS

April 20 - May 20 Subconscious drives roiling deep beneath the surface of your mind are erupting. These take the form of spiritual beliefs and manifest amongst your milieu. Paradoxically these emotions are both aggressive and confusing.

From this fluid and fiery process you gain a new religion that has you juggling the possibilities of the future while granting you the stability required to turn belief into knowledge.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 20 You’re interested in how technology can further the future of religion.

You ask “Why does religion have to be about the old and not the new?” The insight here is that such thoughts are not the present. There will be battles around your endeavor to change existing dogma. Keep your head in the future while staying in the present lest you get sidetracked by the skirmishes in the present.

CANCER

June 21 - July 22 You feel so spiritually inclined and in touch with your coworkers that you can’t understand why a fellow employee insists upon attacking your esoteric mood. You do best to follow your feelings and let this battle go, leaning upon those people who do understand your current disposition. However, beware of letting your newfound freedom lead you down the path of self-sacrifice in

the effort to keep the peace and maintain your sanctity.

LEO

July 23 - August 22 Recreational sex and deep, penetrating sex are two different states of being. You’re driven to the former but ironically find sweet salvation in the latter. Ironically you find this in your daily goings on, not in a higher minded love affair. When you submit to this simple realization, your transform.

VIRGO

August 23 - September 22 Your daily work and the conditions that surround it may not be to your exacting standards but remember it is a process of getting your labor space in order. You end up experiencing some loss as you creatively construct an environment that will serve you in the future. A surprise change in your philosophy of living aids you in this effort.

LIBRA

September 23 - October 22 You find love amongst your coworkers, but don’t be so moved by this situation that you lose your bearings.

This manifests particularly at home. As long as you stay rooted in your dwelling, you bounce along in your daily affairs while managing the challenges in your abode.

SCORPIO

October 23 - November 21 You’re driven to act on a money matter right now, but this will leave you enslaved. Love is where it’s at. Release yourself to your most wild, decadent visions of romance. Instead of focusing on the materiality of money you instead transcend reality and find yourself freed. Otherwise you will descend into a hellish realm.

SAGITTARIUS

November 22 - December 21 You act impulsively on a risky, creative endeavor. This has you shooting from the hip and missing your mark.

Step back and find your grounding.

Stay rooted and without tension and you’ll hit where you’re aiming.

affair with a neighbor. That person has been looking good as of late, and there’s nothing stopping you. Though you can be the most structured of all the signs, letting go for a bit will do you some good. It’s even better that the tryst happens right around the corner.

AQUARIUS

January 20 - February 18 Happy birthday! This year you are especially Aquarian, meaning you are futuristic, visionary, and not a little bit stubborn. But your values shift. You become more fluid, mystical, and loving.

This will come as a surprise to you, but when you accept this change you will find it easily brings you the hidden treasure you’ve been seeking.

PISCES

February 19 - March 20 There has been a lot of intense career activity for you over the past month. You do best when you practically juggle and spiritually accept your normative, fluid state of mind. There’s somebody who’s looking for a fight at work, but steering clear of this will help you truly advance your career.

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. Modern astrology, however, 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.

Thanks for reading. 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 504-3138706. Visit http://www.innermakeup. net.

CAPRICORN

December 22 - January 19 Instead of working on your house, get out of the house! You have a chance for a sweet, wine-induced love

48 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · Jan 28 – Feb 10, 2020 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SPORTS LSU moves forward with plenty of talent to fill gaps, compete in 2020 Rene Nadeau, Crescent City Sports LSU captured the college football ‘gold’ at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, but soon after nine Tigers with eligibility remaining announced they will go for the gold and riches of the NFL. It will be a challenge for the staff to fill the holes left the early entry draft candidates and seniors, but there is plenty of talent left on the roster.

Dave Aranda and Joe Brady also have new addresses, so those departures lead to other questions we’ll ponder.

Many players make a quantum leap from one year to another as part of the maturation process. Is there a better example than Joe Burrow? Players feel more comfortable in their roles and the game slows down with reps.

Consider these accomplished players just a year or two ago.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire had 658 yards and seven touchdowns in 2018.

He added 11 catches as a receiver. In 2019 he ran for over 1,400 yards, 16 touchdowns and added 55 catches for another 453 yards. If you recall many felt he would never be the starting running back this year for the Tigers because he was not talented enough.

Ja’Marr Chase had 23 grabs for 313 yards and three scores as a true freshman, and all he did this season was capture the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver with 84 catches for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Another LSU receiver, Justin Jefferson, did not catch a single pass in 2017 before snagging 54 in 2018. A formerunderrated recruit, he totaled 111 catches for 1,780 yards and 18 scores this season to stake his claims as a ponteitlal first round draft talent.

Jacob Phillips (113 tackle) and Patrick Queen (85 stops) stepped right up in LSU’s linebacking corps to replace All-American high draft choice Devin White.

Jacoby Stevens will be a cornerstone of the 2020 defense for the Tigers. He had 36 tackles last season but turned in 92 stops as a versatile and active playmaker for the National Champions.

The poster child for quantum leaps was Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, who threw for 2,894 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2018. After racking up 5,666 yards and college football record 60 touchdown passes, he’s going to be the first player drafted in April. No one would have predicted that one year ago.

Don’t overlook junior Myles Brennan, who has bided his time and feels he is ready to be LSU’s top quarter-

back. He had every opportunity to leave but stayed the course. More importantly, Breenan has made major strides mostly behind the scenes and gained the confidence of both his coaches and teammates. He will be given every opportunity to grab a hold of the starting job during the offseason, spring practice and voluntary workouts next summer. His current backup is 2019 signee Peter Parrish, who also has a year in the system.

Let’s address other areas that are now available.

Ed Orgeron’s confidant is former Rams and USC head coach John Robinson, who feels left tackle Dare Rosenthal has vast ponteial as a 6-foot-7, 314 pounder with immense physical traits.

He was a five-star prospect out of Ferriday who arrived as a defensive tackle before making the switch last spring.

He has shown flashes, starting three games in 2019 (Northwestern State, Miss. State and Utah State).

I expect Chasen Hines to step into Lloyd Cushenberry’s role at center. Redshirt freshman Kardell Thomas missed 2019 due to knee injury but a healthy return would allow him to join Ed Ingram to form one of the best guard tandems in the SEC. Anthony Bradford will get a look at guard and tackle as a potential swing man in the fall. Another 2019 signee, Thomas Perry, also missed ’19 due to injury but is capable of also jumping into the offensive line rotation.

Donavaughn Campbell, center Charles Turner and tackle Cameron Wire all serve as capable backups now but cannot be counted out to play more in 2020.

Tyrion Davis-Price, Chris Curry and John Emery, Jr. all gained valuable reps at running back so expect the competition to be fierce to replace Edwards-Helaire’s snaps. That trio will be joined by a 2020 signee yet to be known. All are aware of what the position means to the offense.

Having Chase and Terrace Marshall return as juniors is huge, and the Tigers will have a plethora of options to join them from the other returnees.

Racey MacMath, Trey Palmer, Devonta Lee, Jaray Jenkins and Jontre Kirklin will all factor into the mix.

On defense expect Stevens’ role to expand. He is an outstanding athlete who should see time at safety and outside linebacker. The Mufreesboro, Tennessee senior will be expected to be a leader on the defense.

The starting cornerbacks may be Derek Stingley and newcomer Elias Ricks but Cordale Flott has the mak-

ings of a future star. Jay Ward and Raydarious Jones have skill and experience.

Todd Harris suffered a season-ending injury in week three but he returns to full strength to compete at safety. Maurice Hampton will trade in his football cleats for baseball spikes in the spring after he flashed outstanding ability in his showings as a true freshman. Kary Vincent started nine games and played in all 15, contributing 47 tackles and four interceptions before seeming to find is best spot as a safety.

Glen Logan, Tyler Shelvin and Neil Farrell form one of the best experienced defensive fronts in the conference. Apu Ika, Jarell Cherry, Joseph Evans and Ray Parker will compete for reps in the spring. The 2020 signing class will bring a boat load of talent.

As an added bonus, Michael Williams, a transfer from Texas who prepped at Dunham, will jump into the mix after sitting out this past season. Sonu Fonua is another name to watch as LSU replaces leaders like Rashaard Lawrence and Breiden Fehoko.

Damond Clark and Micah Basker-

ville are the most experienced Tigers returning to vie for inside linebacker spots. Clark recorded 50 tackles in 2019. He had 3 starts and has just scratched the surface. Baskerville has 33 career stops, earning his spurs mostly on special teams although he did record an 11-tackle performance at Florida in 2018. Donte’ Starks is a player I expect to make a major splash after NCAA entanglements kept him from making an impact this past season as a 2019 signee.

Still, some LSU faithful are silently hyperventilating with concern that the 2020 Tigers will take a major dip. That is unlikely to happen. First off, Orgeron has built the program to withstand a huge drop. It sits atop a rock solid foundation of players. The ‘next man up’ mentality works when talented recruiting classes have been stacked up over multiple seasons. The coaching staff has depth as well.

Offensive analyst Jorge Munoz, who spent 10 seasons at UL Lafayette including time as a coordinator. He had a major impact on the development of Burrow. Munoz is a likely candidate

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to step into the void created by Joe Brady’s departure. Also, former Ragin’ Cajuns quarterback Blaine Gauthier and former Oklahoma all-American lineman Mark Hutson are both offensive analysts who will lend their experienced hands in the process.

Safeties coach Bill Busch will be

one candidate to consider for the defensive coordinator position. First of all, he is on the staff and knows the personnel well. The 54-year old served as a defensive coordinator at Rutgers, Utah State and Northern Arizona. He is an elite recruiter, having secured Burrow two seasons ago.

The success that LSU has enjoyed plus the program’s ability to pay their assistants very well mean good coaches will come when others go. That has not gone unnoticed by coaches coastto-coast.

Look for LSU to possibly add a grad transfer or two. Toss in the qual-

ity of the highly-rated 2020 recruiting class and deep coaching staff. What you have is a bright future in Tigertown.

This article was originally published

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

Saints fans to see red in Miami during Super Bowl Ken Trahan, Crescent City Sports If you are a fan of the New Orleans Saints, it has been tough watching the NFC playoffs the last two weeks.

If you have, you know the Saints are better than Seattle.

The Saints beat the Seahawks, in Seattle, without Drew Brees.

The Saints were clearly a better team than Minnesota. New Orleans played lousy against the Vikings and still could have won but did not get it done.

Minnesota subsequently went to San Francisco and made eight first downs in an entire game.

Philadelphia maxed out on its average potential as a team with a ton of injuries that won a horrible division.

Watching the 49ers dismantle the Packers in the first half was as hard as watching the Vikings playing a week ago.

While the Packers played better in the second half, you have to believe

the Saints would have competed better at San Francisco.

I believe that the 2019 New Orleans Saints were the second best team in the NFC. San Francisco is the best team.

The 49ers came to New Orleans and beat the Saints.

New Orleans scored 46 points against what many consider to be the best defensive front, if not the best defense in the league.

The problem is that the Saints defense gave up 48 points on that day.

We have addressed, many times, the missed opportunities by the Saints in 2011, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Heartbreak at every interval led to permanent heartache.

After watching San Francisco, it is clear that the Saints must improve their roster to have a chance to unseat the 49ers next year.

Part of that is good health up front

on defense, where key players (Alex Anzalone, Marcus Davenport, Sheldon Rankins) went down.

The wide receiver position much be addressed.

It was not prior to last season and the same concerns heading into the training camp of 2019 remained at the end of the 2019 season.

The safety position much be upgraded. Late reactions and rotations, blown coverages and missed tackles became too plentiful.

You can never have enough good corners.

Meanwhile, Saints fans must suffer through watching another Super Bowl without its team, a team that clearly had a chance to make the big game.

Watching Patrick Mahomes do magical things is fun, unless you are on the other side of the equation as a player, coach or fan. He is simply amazing, the most talented quarterback in the NFL and a really good young man. No one has the team speed of the Chiefs.

Watching Jimmy Garoppolo throw just eight passes in 2020 to get his team to the Super Bowl was surreal.

Six passes in this day and age? Are you serious?

He did not have to do anything else.

The one game he stepped up in was in New Orleans. That was the best he has ever played. Give him credit and put the blame on a New Orleans defense that simply failed.

Against the Saints, Garoppolo was 26-of-35 for 349 yards and four touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 131.7.

Facing the Packers, it was all about Raheem Mostert, a journeyman

running back who had spent time with six other NFL teams and never carried the ball.

What did San Francisco see in Mostert that the Eagles, Dolphins, Ravens, Browns, Jets and Bears did not see?

If you subscribe to the mindset that you don’t draft running backs early (if at all), Mostert is your poster person.

He rushed 29 times for 240 yards and four touchdowns. The 240 rushing yards were the second most by a player in playoff history and the most in 49ers franchise history. Additionally, Mostert’s four touchdowns were the second most by an individual in any playoff game.

The game in Miami has open as a pick-em contest, either even or Kansas City favored by one point, in some betting circles.

It is a delicious matchup pitting a great offense against a great defense.

When this occurs, it usually comes down to how the other units perform, in this case, the San Francisco offense and the Kansas City defense.

I will most certainly watch it. Like Saints fans, I will watch with a jaundiced eye, wondering what might have been had the Saints gotten a bye, rested injured players or had the Saints played to their ability against the Vikings.

Watching the 49ers and Chiefs will leave everyone seeing a sea of red, particularly fans of the black and gold.

This article was originally published

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

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