Ambush Volume 37 Issue 03

THE OFFICIAL GAY MAGAZINE OF THE GULF SOUTH™

A Biweekly Publication Celebrating LGBTQ Life, Music & Culture Since 1982 VOLUME 37 ISSUE 03

TUESDAY, January 29

www.AMBUSHMAG.com

Gay Mardi Gras Balls & Pre-Valentine’s Day

Upcoming Gay Mardi Gras Balls FEBRUARY 1

FEBRUARY 26

KREWE OF MWINDO 21ST ANNUAL BALL

KREWE OF QUEENATEENAS 25TH KING CAKE QUEEN CORONATION

FEBRUARY 2

MARCH 2

KREWE OF NARCISSUS 4TH ANNUAL BALL

FEBRUARY 9

KREWE OF ARMEINIUS 51ST ANNUAL BALL

MARCH 3

KREWE OF AMON-RA 54TH ANNUAL BALL

FEBRUARY 16

LORDS OF LEATHER 36TH ANNUAL BALL

MARCH 5

KREWE OF APOLLO, LAFAYETTE, 43RD ANNUAL BALL

MARDI GRAS DAY

ORDER OF DIONYSUS INAUGURAL BALL

FEBRUARY 23

55TH ANNUAL BOURBON STREET AWARDS

KREWE OF PETRONIUS 58TH ANNUAL BALL KREWE OF APOLLO, BIRMINGHAM, 43RD ANNUAL BALL

www.GayMardiGras.com

THE “OFFICIAL” DISH

by TJ ACOSTA, PUBLISHER

Dear Ambush Nation, I know some of us are still in a funk after the Saints were robbed of a Super Bowl berth, but just remember that time heals what reason cannot. And if for some reason time doesn’t heal, there will always be a stiff drink and a Mardi Gras parade to get you through.

Speaking of Mardi Gras, I’d encourage everyone to consider going to one of the many Mardi Gras balls this Carnival Season. There are several Gay Mardi Gras Krewes who put on balls each and every year. These balls showcase some amazing performances and costumes that are truly highlights of Carnival. You can find information on all the balls and events on the Ambush Magazine Facebook page @AmbushMag. THE OFFICIAL GAY MARDI GRAS GUIDE Once again this year, we will have a complete list of all the action and things to do during Mardi Gras. The Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide will feature places to eat, parades, and balls to see, along with special events and

shows taking place at bars all along the Gulf Coast. Also, if you’re interested in advertising in our Mardi Gras issue of Ambush, just send us an email to sales@ambushpublishing.com.

We hope to see everyone out and about in the next few weeks as Carnival kicks into high gear. Happy Carnival from Ambush!

FREE TICKETS Everyone loves something when it’s free! One of the things we have tried to do at Ambush over the course of the last year is to find ways to give back to our loyal readers. Last year, we gave away tickets to Jazz Fest and to see Bianca Del Rio when she was in New Orleans. If you missed our giveaways, fear not as we have more coming your way.

We’ll be offering 2 tickets to see comedian and political commentator Bill Maher. He will be performing at the Saenger Theatre on Saturday, April 6.

He currently has a show on HBO called Real Time will Bill Maher. His comedy is heavy on politics, religion, and political correctness. I’ve seen his live

Inside this Issue of Ambush Inadequate Solutions: A Review of Straight Jacket

6

Musings by Catherine

7

Book Review: Southern Discomfort

7

“Rising Stars in Queer Letters to be Featured at Saints and Sinners Literary Festival”

8

Snap Paparazzi Out & About with Tony Leggio

9

THE ROCKFORD FILES: Sex, Drugs, and Cock & Hole

10

How the Women of Key West Find their Lesbian Tribes

14

Party Down

15

Under the GayDar: New Orleans Hot Happenings

16

Under the GayDar: Mobile Hot Happenings

20

Snap Paparazzi Out & About with at Sipps Gulfport

21

Snap Paparazzi Out & About at GrandPre’s

21

Obituary: Dr. John Meyers

22

Snap Paparazzi The Corner Pocket

23

Moments in Gay New Orleans History

24

Gay Mardi Gras 2019: 24

25

Snap Paparazzi Crossing

25

Trodding the Boards

26

Tax Reform Changes That May Impact Your Small Business

28

Snap Paparazzi Out & About with Lords of Leather

29

Snap Paparazzi Out & About at the Bourbon Pub & Parade

30-31

LGBT Owned & Friendly Business Directory

32-33

A Community within Communities: ACT

34

Snap Paparazzi Oz New Orleans

35

Commentary: “Sgt. Pepper, Donald Trump, and the Romantic Poets”

36 36-39

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

show twice before; it’s very entertaining and full of laughs.

Not interested in politics? No problem! We also have 2 tickets to see authur and comedian David Sedaris on Friday, April 12 at the Orpheum Theater. Sedaris is known for his stories and humor about his real-life experiences. His humor and writing is self-deprecating and focuses on subjects such as his homosexuality, jobs, drug use, and family life. He has written several books that have become New York Times best sellers.

My personal favorite is Me Talk Pretty One Day. If you haven’t read any of his works, I’d highly encourage you to do so as they’re so entertaining and sometimes downright hysterical. And of course, the Orpheum Theater is a great venue to see anyone as there isn’t a bad seat in the house.

Our 3rd ticket giveaway this spring will be 2 one-day passes to the first weekend of Jazz Fest which is Thursday, April 25 thru Sunday, April 28 at the New Orleans Fairgrounds. Highlights of the first weekend include Katy Perry, Deacon John, Santana, Van Morrison, Earth Wind & Fire and Alanis Morissette. Jazz Fest is always an amazing time with great food and wonderful music.

For more information on how to win and register for these ticket giveaways, keep reading Ambush and be sure to follow our Facebook page @AmbushMag. And remember, you can always go to our website and sign up as a subscriber to receive a copy of Ambush in your inbox every other Tuesday.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS The Gulf South LGBT Chamber of Commerce will be holding a Lunch & Learn on Wednesday 2/20th from 11:30 am till 1 pm at Landing Zone, located at 625 Celeste Street in New Orleans. The topic for this event is “Are you LinkedIn or Left Out?” and will show how you can use social media to grow your business. Levin Wilson, Associate Advisor Consultant, of Putnam Investments, will be the presenter and can show you how to optimize your LinkedIn profile.

The Gay Easter Parade is always at 4:30 pm on Easter Sunday. This year Easter Sunday is April 21. The Gay Easter Parade Board will soon be meeting to plan the many fundraisers that lead up to Easter Sunday. Every year the Gay Easter Parade is a fundraiser for a charity and this year will be the 20th Annual Gay Easter Parade.

We have plans to make it the biggest and best yet!

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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR info@ambushpublishing.com CIRCULATION

Alabama - 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 CONTRIBUTORS Brian Sands, Catherine Roland, Crescent City Sports, Frank Perez, Jim Meadows, Pastor Alisan Rowland, Persana Shoulders, Rev. Bill Terry, Rodney Thoulion, Ryan Rockford, Scot Billeaudeau & Tony Leggio LOCAL ADVERTISING sales@ambushpublishing.com Reed Wendorf Jim Tomeny 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 · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

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COMMUNITY VOICE

Inadequate Solutions: A Review of Straight Jacket Jim Meadows Executive Director, NOAGE info@noagenola.org STRAIGHT JACKET: Overcoming Society’s Legacy of Gay Shame

by Matthew Todd. 400pp. Transworld Publishing.

Matthew Todd’s new book, Straight Jacket, was originally published in 2016 in Great Britain, but has recently become available in North America. Todd was editor of Attitude, the best-selling gay magazine in the United Kingdom from 2005 to 2016, and this, his first book, seems to have made quite a splash there. The cover boasts an endorsement by Elton John, who declares it “an essential read for every gay person on the planet.” Spoiler alert: It’s not.

This book is a mess: a hodgepodge of contradictory personal opinions, endless celebrity references, and sensationalized morality tales of sex, drugs, and death that one can only assume are meant to shock readers into sobriety and monogamy. That being said, he does manage to make a few fair points, and a few of the 400 pages even contain useful insights, although most of those are gleaned from other sources.

Let’s start with the good. Todd does a decent job of summarizing key points from other sources like Alan Downs’ The Velvet Rage and John Bradshaw’s Healing the Shame that Binds You. Todd writes, “If a child doesn’t get this reassurance [that he is loved unconditionally], he can go from feeling shamed for a specific correctable behavior to feeling shamed about who he fundamentally is. The child’s understanding changes from ‘I’ve done something wrong’ to ‘I am wrong.’”

There is no question that early feelings of disapproval or even rejection from parents set the stage for a lifelong battle with internalized homophobia, and hinder our ability to cope with later rejection from peers at school, and from society at large as an adult. “It is not that to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is to be inherently flawed, but that society – beginning with our

parents – with its rigid rules about sexuality and gender shames us to the core from the youngest possible age.”

Todd also provides some good insight into the nature of club culture, and the way our own self-perceptions can affect our experience at gay bars.

He recounts asking Attitude’s Twitter followers about their thoughts on the gay scene. The responses mirror what I have frequently heard from many gay men I know, and in all honesty, some of my own occasional thoughts. “Cliquey, in your face, stereotypical, sad. Gives a bad impression of the gay life.” “Hate it, wish it didn’t exist, a giant school yard of playground bullying, bitchiness

and spreads a lot of hate from within!”

“Gay people destroy each other. Knock each other down then ask for society to stop doing the same to them.”

I’m glad that Todd spends at least a couple of pages analyzing this because it does get to the heart of what happens when our deepest personal pain comes into collective contact with that of our peers. “Our complicated relationship with the scene comes from how we feel about ourselves and other gay people, and from the context of how we arrive on the scene… If we don’t like ourselves, then other gay people are a mirror of the thing that we aren’t comfortable with in ourselves, and that dislike will come out directed at them.”

Unfortunately, these insights are not sufficiently expanded upon throughout the rest of the book. Todd spends a great deal of the book stressing that the gay community is “in crisis” and has hit “rock bottom.” He is particularly preoccupied by “chemsex,” the combination of street drugs with multiple anonymous hookups. There is no question that a lot of gay men are doing this, and that for some of them it has led to disastrous consequences – loss of relationships, jobs, even death.

But to hear Todd tell it, you’d think that chemsex is the defining phenomenon of the entire gay community.

To his credit, he does say that he is aware that not all of us are regularly engaging in it. But in the next breath, he regales us with another sensationalized account of the overdose of a celebrity, a porn star, a personal friend; usually someone who is all of the above. It becomes clear to the reader that Todd’s personal history with drug and sex addiction have colored his views of contemporary gay men. Of course chemsex will seem omnipresent if you’ve spent years in that scene.

I don’t mean to downplay the seriousness of these problems. They are very real, and many of us have either struggled with them or have friends who do. But the majority of readers looking to this book for practical solutions for addressing their internalized homophobia aren’t addicted to chemsex. They just want advice on what they can do to let go of lingering self-hatred.

Todd offers very little in the way of solutions. He spends the last chapters staunchly endorsing 12-Step programs as the answer to any problem someone in our community might face, with just a few sentences thrown in to inadequately (and usually incorrectly) describe other methods and therapies.

There is no mention of evidence-based treatments; Todd appears to be unaware of the concept. He assures us that 12-Step programs are not at all religious, in spite of the fact that the text upon which they are all based, Alcoholics Anonymous, mentions God on almost every page. One of the cornerstones of 12-Step programs is compiling a list of personal character defects that must be penitently admitted to oneself, one’s sponsor, and God. For people still reeling from the years of rejection and bullying, not to mention religious trauma, this hardly seems like the ideal solution.

These criticisms are by no means comprehensive; there is just not enough space here to devote to all that is wrong with this book. (Although I will mention that it is ironic, to say the least, that the editor of a magazine devoted to the worship of celebrities and flawless gym bodies believes he can offer useful solutions to gay men struggling with self-doubt.)

Psychologist Alan Downs’ book, The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight World, remains the best book of its kind for gay men. Originally published in 2005, and reprinted in a second edition in 2012, it is in no danger of being surpassed by Straight Jacket.

6 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

MUSINGS BY CATHERINE The Impact of Negative Events Around Us: How to Reframe and Reshape Catherine Roland catherineroland12@gmail.com

Events outside of our sphere influence us. As I write this, we’re in a government shutdown. Perhaps by the time this is published, it’s been settled, and we just were in a shutdown.

TSA workers are walking off their jobs. Fake news, incivility and meanness inundate us every day. And crowning the pain for most of us here in Louisiana, our beloved Saints were robbed of opportunity and respect, and the City of New Orleans is in angry mourning.

These things together create a stab in the hearts of many people who feel marginalized, disengaged and unvalued. We feel powerless. Hopeless.

In reality, we are neither.

What strikes me is the power of the negativity, unfairness and disorganization that surrounds us via traditional news outlets and social media. Every day. What can we do about how that makes us feel, what can we do with the personal anger, disappointment, or sadness? This is a question I’ve asked myself often lately, and since Sunday, January 20, multiple times during every day.

Looking on the bright side, I have a few suggestions. These are completely dependent on your personality, belief system and how well you know yourself. Here goes.

We can shield ourselves from the dangerous path of seeing only the dark,

from yielding to the anger and allowing the depression to infiltrate our feelings and thoughts. Some people refuse to listen to news, or discuss what’s happening, and they try to act as if there was nothing to worry about, no meanness or hate. Some have called that avoidance and living in a dream-like reality.

But what if that works for those people? Sometimes outside forces do profoundly affect us, and due to the breadth and scope of an issue, there really is absolutely nothing we can do to change it. (Thinking #robbed ). Rather than feeling frustrated and impotent, for some just being able to tune it out does work. It could work temporarily or perhaps a bit longer, or just long enough to take a breath, or a walk in the sun, because sometimes we just need a break. We can frame it as burying one’s head in the sand, or look at it more compassionately, as resting for a time, to regain balance and clarity.

Another strategy would be to actually acknowledge the pain and fear of a situation that’s outside of our control, and explore just how we are effected.

Allow frustration to surface, get the anger out, embrace sadness and disappointment. I think discussing those feelings with trusted friends and colleagues is very helpful. Finding like-minded individuals, reading and listening to news from trusted sources,

and using as much reason and logic as one can muster is often a key in breaking the isolation of depression, anger and sadness. And a visit to a local bookstore, a gym, a Coffee Talk sponsored by NOAGE, any event, will give you an opportunity to meet potential friends like yourself. For those who feel their emotions are running at a higher level, suffering a lengthened time of depression and sadness, a trip to your friendly therapist may be in order.

Oh, let’s not forget our Saints.

Talk about an event that is outside our sphere of influence and yet so profound in the hearts of so many.

I’ve lived in several cities with all kinds of professional teams. I have never been any place where a team can make an entire city happy, or cry, or feel such loyalty. Passion is the word I would use when I talk about the Saints and their fans’ loyalty.

For the past three days, nearly every client I’ve seen has started the session with the Saints, their sadness or their rage. There was a 14 year-old girl sobbing in my office on Monday, and there seemed to be nothing I or her mother could do to turn those tears into something more productive. She was depressed and so sad. I will remember her first words as she sat for a long time, “But it’s not fair, it’s wrong. They made a mistake.” For her, in her youth, it was about fairness. it was so hard for

her to understand that all things that go wrong and we try to fix, don’t turn over and suddenly become right, or principled, or even back to normal. My heart broke.

How do we get past the upset?

Let’s consider how the shutdown is affecting us. Many of us can empathize with the issues furloughed government workers face, especially if you have responsibility for a mortgage, or a rent check, a car note, or even childcare.

Bringing it closer to home, perhaps a personal friend is on furlough, or a friend’s friend. Suddenly, social plans may need to be cancelled because your friend is short on cash, and being frugal is a necessity. And you begin to feel a bit differently about your friend, maybe being careful not to discuss anything that you’ve done in the past few weeks that was kind of expensive, or mention an upcoming trip you’d typically do with your friend.

Listen to people you know, and those you don’t if you should happen to cross paths with them and they should open up to you. That conversation might be very important. An unselfish act of kindness often stays with us, and improves our spirit, as well as gives the other person a little hope. And with hope we can reframe just about anything.

lived on a sprawling farm and had the only swimming pool in town; Clark was given her first car—a royal blue Camaro—at twelve.

surrogate mother and confidante— even though she was raising nine of her own children and was not allowed to eat from the family’s plates or use their bathroom. It was Virgie’s acceptance and unconditional love that gave Clark the courage to stand up to her domineering father, the faith to believe in her mother’s love, and the strength to be her true self.

Combining the spirit of poignant coming-of-age memoirs such as The Glass Castle and vivid, evocative Southern fiction like Fried Green Tomatoes, Southern Discomfort is about the people and places that shape who we are—and is destined to become a new classic.

Southern Discomfort, Clark’s first book, is not an easy read, but it is a worthy read.

BOOK REVIEW Southern Discomfort Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com

Southern Discomfort by Tena Clark. Touchstone, 2018. 304 pages. $27.00 The lingering ghosts of the Confederacy are at it again, and I’m not talking about politics or statues.

“The Lost Cause” has inspired some of the greatest literature in the American canon.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, George Washington Cable, Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Harper Lee, Truman Capote, Katherine Anne Porter, Tennessee Williams, and John Berendt are just a few of the writers who found their muses in the legacy of the Old South. The newest name on that list is Tena Clark.

The difference between Southern Discomfort and the works of the aforementioned writers is that Clark’s story is non-fiction.

And therein lies the beautifully raw

power of this brutally honest book.

The title is appropriate yet belies the ultimate triumph of hope that emerges amidst all the pain and ugliness of growing up different in a repressive society and a dysfunctional family.

Southern Discomfort is a riveting and profoundly moving memoir set in rural Mississippi during the Civil Rights era about a white girl coming of age in a repressive society and the woman who gave her the strength to forge her own path—the black nanny who cared for her.

Clark, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, producer, and social activist, was born in 1953 in a tiny Mississippi town close to the Alabama border, where the legacy of slavery and racial injustice still permeated every aspect of life. On the outside, Clark’s childhood looked like a fairytale. Her father was one of the richest men in the state; her mother was a regal beauty. The family

But behind closed doors, Clark’s life was deeply lonely, and chaotic. By the time she was three, her parents’ marriage had dissolved into a swamp of alcohol, rampant infidelity, and guns.

Adding to the turmoil, Clark understood from a very young age that she was different from her three older sisters, all of whom had been beauty queens and majorettes. Clark knew she didn’t want to be a majorette—she wanted to marry one.

On Clark’s tenth birthday, her mother, emboldened by alcoholism and enraged by her husband’s incessant cheating, walked out for good, instantly becoming an outcast in society. Clark was left in the care of her black nanny, Virgie, who became her

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 7

LITERARY SPOTLIGHT

“Rising Stars in Queer Letters to be Featured at Saints and Sinners Literary Festival”

Leona Beasley

Robert W. Fieseler

Christina Quintana

Bryan Washington

The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival was founded in 2003 as a new initiative designed as an innovative way to reach the community with information about HIV/AIDS, particularly disseminating prevention messages via the writers, thinkers, and spokespeople of the LGBT community. It was also formed to bring the LGBT literary

community together to celebrate the literary arts.

The Festival has grown into an internationally-recognized event that brings together a who’s who of LGBT publishers, writers, and readers from throughout the United States and beyond. The Festival, held over 3 days each spring at the Hotel Monteleone

in the New Orleans French Quarter, features panel discussions and master classes around literary topics that provide a forum for authors, editors, and publishers to talk about their work for the benefit of emerging writers and the enjoyment of fans of LGBT literature.

Four writers who will be at the 2019 Festival are Leona Beasley, Robert W. Fieseler, Bryan Washington, and Christina Quintana.

Beasley is a Lambda Literary Award finalist in Lesbian Fiction for her debut novel Something Better than Home.

Fieseler’s book, Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation, a work of civil rights history, reconstructs the 1973 fire that devastated New Orleans’ gay community.

He is also the recipient of the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship.

Washington, a columnist for Catapult “Bayou Diaries,” will see his first book, Lot, published by Riverhead in March.

Southern Rep Theater partners with Saints and Sinners this year to present the world premiere of native New Orleanian Quintana’s Azul, directed by Estefanía Fadul. In this new play, as Zelia faces the loss of her Cuban-born mother, she digs into her family history and learns of her greataunt who remained in Cuba for the love of another woman.

Azul runs March 27–April 14. Tickets not included in the Saints and Sinners Weekend Pass go on sale Tuesday 2/19 at http://www.southernrep. com/plays/azul/ Weekend passes for the Festival are also available. A Saints and Sinners Literary Festival weekend pass ($150) includes our welcome recep-

tion, “Glitter with the Literati” on Friday, March 29 at the historic Beauregard-Keyes House & Gardens; panel discussions; a reading series made possible by our premier sponsor, the John Burton Harter Foundation and the Hall of Fame Closing Reception.

The pass also includes the Tenth Annual SAS Short Fiction Contest Book Launch Party in the Hotel Monteleone’s Vieux Carre Room. This year the fiction contest received a record number of entries for our 2019 SAS Fiction contest from 28 different states and 8 countries including Australia, Canada, England, France, Indonesia, Ireland, and Trinidad & Tobago. The anthology is published by generous support from Bold Strokes Books. The festival is also excited to be adding a writing workshop series on Friday, March 29, with workshops led by Judy Grahn and Andrew Holleran and others to be announced. (Also included in the weekend pass). Student passes available for $25. To register visit: http://sasfest. org/#tickets Enter the discount code: Ambush20 for a 20% discount on your registration.

The 16th annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival takes place March 29—31. For more information, please visit http://sasfest.org/#home

The 16th annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival takes place March 29—31.

For more information, please visit http://sasfest. org/#home

8 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Tony Leggio SAINTS PLAYOFF AT CROSSING, GRANDPRE’S, LAFITTE’S IN EXILE, GOLDEN LANTERN, PHOENIX, AND FQ | PHOTOS COURTESY OF TONY LEGGIO

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THE ROCKFORD FILES

Sex, Drugs, and Cock & Hole Ryan Rockford RyanRockfordNYC@gmail.com

Sex Etiqu-ation: Part II

Welcome back. This issue, we continue to explore The Rules of [online] Engagement. It’s been two weeks since our last conversation. Hopefully, you’ve been inspired to determine your HIV status either through an OTC HIV rapid test or by making an appointment with your local doctor or clinic, or by any of the other options that are available. Taking an active part in protecting yourself and others frees you from the doubt and uncertainty of whether your partner is doing the same. That freedom will result in a more satisfying and enjoyable sexual experience.

Despite their differences, what all online dating apps and websites have in common is a general code of conduct, a set of universally accepted understandings which comprise The Rules of [online] Engagement. Whether or not you choose an internet website or phone app, the same hook-up rules apply At one time or another, we all play the dating game. No bigger game exists than dating on the internet, and we all become players the moment we

sign on. If you’ve been sitting on the bench, don’t line up against the pros without doing your due diligence. Take a few notes from the Rules of [online] Engagement playbook, level the playing field a bit and make the most out of your online hook-ups.

In the last issue, we covered the top three, rather general Rules of [online] Engagement: Everybody lies; Assume everyone online is HIV+ and Stop Shaming. Moving on…

4. Be who you say you are. Once you’ve jumped through all the hoops of an app’s registration and membership process it’s time to create a profile. Every online profile has four main sections. Pictures; Stats; Info; and Preferences. Make sure that the person you portray in your profile is actually you, meaning your pictures,

your stats, and your preferences.

Pictures: Profile pictures are your calling card. Make sure you have some. Take an afternoon and snap a zillion pictures of yourself in varying stages of undress being sure to include a clear face shot. Yes, a couple of cock and ass pics are necessary.

Make an effort to look your best. If you wear glasses, wear your glasses. If you’ve finally let go of that ‘lumber-sexual’ beard, make sure it doesn’t show up in your pictures, and, please, resist the urge to flip the bird to the camera. It doesn’t make you look rebellious or cool, it makes you look like a stuck-up bitch who can’t get laid and buys Instagram followers.

After your photo shoot, upload several of your favorites and you’re good to go. I wouldn’t use your “Glamour

Another rule of thumb: He who makes the first contact should be the first to unlock his private pix. It’s just good form.

Any objection or deviation from this protocol is a sign of shadiness and should be avoided.

Shots from the Mall,” but decent pictures are mandatory. Decent not only in quality but in lighting and focus, and when viewed are in a standard, portrait; upright format. I’m still baffled by profile pictures that are rotated 90 degrees in either direction so you have to crane your neck like you’re peeking around a corner just to get an idea of what a dude looks like. In case you were thinking of getting ‘artsy,’ don’t.

The abstract seldom goes over favorably and the extreme close-up of an eye or nose or lips went out with Matisse. Keep. It. Simple.

Another rule of thumb: He who makes the first contact should be the first to unlock his private pix. It’s just good form. Any objection or deviation from this protocol is a sign of shadiness and should be avoided. Other profiles to avoid are those with no picture at all.

Any profile that doesn’t have pictures to offer is a red flag. NEVER meet up with someone who doesn’t have at least two pictures to share. No pic – No dick. And that’s non-negotiable. Don’t be cajoled into making an exception.

Those guys with faceless profiles who swear that they are “very good looking”

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10 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

and that “you won’t be disappointed” are more often than not the spawns of Satan, older than dirt, just waiting to stick their bony fingers up your butt.

Stats: standard requests for height, weight, hair color, age, etc. Whatever age you decide to post is up to you, but keep it believable. When it comes to body type, be accurate. I’m not sure what type of mirror many men are using but their classification of “muscular” is very different than mine. Although, in fairness, to say that Shamu has a “swimmer’s build” isn’t a lie, so when it comes to interpreting profiles, it’s buyer beware. Most men under forty accurately list their age. Once a man reaches forty, the number of tics in his mailbox drop dramatically. Therefore, most men put off reaching forty for as long as possible. It isn’t uncommon for men to remain 40 for several years.

And then, thanks to the magic of the internet, these men begin to grow younger in 3 - 5-year increments. If a person’s profile says 40, assume 43; if it says, 43, figure, 47. Expect a bit of discrepancy, within reason. If you’re traveling to meet the hot 42-year-old jock who lives down the street and the door is answered by a living fossil in orthopedic kicks, simply pivot-step, walk, walk, and walk.

Info: a few blah blah blah sentences about yourself and what you hope to find on your quest. Keep it short, few people will ever read it. If you just can’t resist talking about yourself, dou-

ble check your spelling and grammar.

I admit to getting great pleasure from reading a narcissist’s list of wants and demands that is littered with the misspelled words and grammatical errors of a fourth grader.

Preferences: When listing the talents in your sexual wheelhouse and the things that turn you on, be aware that whatever you post is considered written in stone by those who read it.

Expect to be held accountable for what you’ve posted. Your profile talks the talk, and you will be expected to walk the walk. If you’re dominant, aggressive, passionate, verbal, kinky, vanilla, whatever, be prepared to prove it, especially if you’re a ‘Top.’ Tops are usually in high demand, especially in New York. New York is so Bottom heavy that I’m surprised the entire island hasn’t slid into the Hudson by now. Tops aren’t the only ones expected to perform as advertised. The same, but to a lesser degree, applies to ‘Top/Versatile,’ ‘Versatile,’ and ‘Bottom.’ The ‘Versatile/ Bottom’ is an elusive creature you most likely will never see. On the www, Versatile/Bottom equals Bottoms who are versatile enough to get fcked in almost any position. If you’re looking for a Versatile/Bottom who will fck you, you may have better luck finding a 6’ tall, blue-eyed, naturally red-headed Asian.

5. Don’t take rejection personally. There is a lid for every pot. The decision to ‘woof’ or ‘tap’ or ‘smile’ at someone is instantaneous. As is the

choice to reply, or not. If the object of with hearing it. You’ve been chatting your desire doesn’t respond to your with this hottie for three weeks, and message, so what? Move on. Maynow, the ping pong of online foreplay be he’s busy, maybe he’s fallen asleep is over, your schedules are in sync, the with his account signed on, or maybe stars are aligned, and you finally meet he’s just not that into you. Remember, face to face, and something isn’t right. no answer is an answer. If you don’t It happens. Don’t overthink it, but don’t get the reply you were hoping for, don’t ignore it either. Sometimes—a lot of badger, or bully or fire off nasty mestimes, actually—things don’t work out sages to your intended because your when two online profiles meet face to ego took a blow. The shoe will be on face. Call it a “feeling,” an “instinct,” the other foot soon enough. whatever, but something in the pit of It’s natural for our self-confidence your stomach says “no.” Go with your to take a hit whenguy. You’re both ever we aren’t acThroughout life, and on- adults and if, for cepted by those whatever reason line, you will meet plenty you’re not feeling that we want to like us. That’s the vibe when you of people who will love when it’s helpful to meet in person, understand that a you and who will hate you. nip it in the bud person’s decision And none of it will have and just say “No” to choose or not as tactfully as posanything to do with you. sible. Something choose you has absolutely nothing like, “Thank you to do with you. It has everything to do for meeting me, but this is not going to with that person’s own, personal past work out.” No explanations necessary experiences, successes, and failures. and you should both walk away, no Their ‘rejection’ is no reflection on you. hard feelings and ready to sign on and We all see things through the lens of get back on the dance floor. our own reality, a reality resulting from Sometimes it takes a few minutes the lessons learned by our previous for the jitters to quiet down before you choices and expectations. Throughout realize that the two of you are incomlife, and online, you will meet plenty of patible. If you and your trade aren’t people who will love you and who will a match, be respectful and speak up hate you. And none of it will have anyas soon as you can. There is nothing thing to do with you. more annoying than the awkward time 6. Say ‘Yes’ to ‘No.’ Become comspent, in the company of another, who’s fortable saying the word ‘No’ and get ok working up the nerve to tell you to get

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 11

out. If I’m not your type, do me a favor and tell me so. The sooner, the better. I promise to do the same. No one appreciates having their time wasted. I can usually tell in five sentences or less if I’m going to get naked with you. From the first contact, I begin to pick up on a person’s energy or aura. I can sense it almost immediately. Sometimes the first thing I say to a person after they’ve entered my apartment is: “I’m sorry, but you lost me at ‘Hello.’”

7. Don’t be a racist. There should be a zero tolerance policy for anyone insensitive enough to blatantly make known his distaste for other races or qualities he deems unacceptable The following words and phrases have no place in an online profile: “No fats; no femmes; no blacks; no Asians; Nonwhites only; Must be masculine; No pussies; Negative only; Must be clean; Str8 acting UB2.” Everyone has different tastes, thank God. If you don’t particularly care for white guys, or if dark skinned black guys turn you off, or if you hate China because you think they are stealing our technology, that’s fine.

But keep those feelings to yourself. If someone who isn’t your type contacts you, simply don’t respond. This world is hard on everyone. But for non-whites, it’s harder. Why remind people of society’s inequalities. We’re all online to get laid; it’s not that deep, don’t be a dick about it.

8. Say ‘No’ to Drugs -- I’ve never seen a dating app or website marketing campaign that admits to being bedfellows with illegal narcotics. Any online site administrator will reflexively point to the obligatory, CYA legal ‘no drug use’ jargon in the fine print. But what everyone knows is what’s tattooed across the fat ass of the White Elephant in the room “No drugs = No money.” The men who keep these apps and websites going are the guys who are awake and trolling for dick at three in the morning. The ones who haven’t seen a mattress or a shower in the last three days. The guys who prop their eyelids open with toothpicks, so they won’t miss it if Zac Efron happens to sign on, and is “looking for NOW.” And I can promise you that what’s keeping these dudes horned up and relentless isn’t coffee and Red Bull. Just sayin’.

By my guesstimation, it will take three ‘dates’ (or less), before you’re faced with the issue of drug use.

Whether you use drugs or not is completely up to you. Whatever your viewpoint on the matter, substance use and abuse contribute to the murky waters that you will have to navigate if you use any of the online dating options. In this instance, the devil you know, really is, better than the devil you don’t. The more educated you are about the subject, the better equipped you will be to avoid falling victim to peer pressure and keep yourself out of harm’s way. Don’t stick your head in the sand and pretend this sort of behavior doesn’t hap-

pen in your neck of the woods. It does.

If you don’t use drugs, don’t assume that is true for everyone else. And vice versa. Regardless, give some thought to how you will respond to a hook-up who’s not on the same ‘level’ as you are. For me, every situation and guy is different. Of my regular playmates, there are some I’ve never known to be sober, and there are some who think that taking a whiff of poppers is their ticket into a 28-day treatment program.

In no way am I minimizing or trivializing effects and consequences of the use or abuse of drugs. What I strongly suggest (for everyone in LGBTQ community) is to spend a few minutes and a couple of clicks, on research and education from an accurate and unbiased source like Tweaker.org. There you can find information, resources, and support on drug-related topics presented in a straightforward, non-judgmental format.

If you come across someone who is ‘partying,’ the two narcotic divas you can expect to come across are Crystal Meth and GHB. There could be some 420 lying around, perhaps a bullet of Ketamine and if the host or party guest is ‘straight’ or ‘bisexual,’ maybe a little coke lined up on a mirror or glass plate somewhere. (Gays gave up on coke in the ‘80s. According to a friend…

Coke goes well with alcohol, but gay party boys don’t drink much, and the ‘drips’ and the frequent need to ‘re-up’ that come with ‘skiing’ became annoying. Allegedly, crystal became a more cost-effective and longer lasting investment, which also happens to kick in the sex drive, making it an easy decision to leave the hangovers, grinding teeth, and jittery mannerisms to Frat boys and stockbrokers).

Each of these drugs can be administered in a variety of ways. Crystal Meth (“Tina”) is an amphetamine that can be smoked, snorted, IV injected, ingested, and on more occasions than you might think, mixed with water and squirted up the ass. (We gays are a crafty lot).

GHB (gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid), or “Gina,” is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter and a psychoactive intoxicant, sometimes known as the ‘date-rape’ drug. Usually taken orally, it can also be injected into muscle tissue and is also sometimes, when mixed with water, squirted up the butt. Allegedly. Marijuana (“Mary Jane”) is a natural and versatile herb used by millions for both recreational and legitimate medical purposes. Ketamine (“Katy”) is a “dissociative anesthetic,” that can be used in powdered or liquid form, injected, consumed in drinks, snorted, or added to joints or cigarettes. It induces a trance-like state while providing pain relief, sedation, and memory loss and for those reasons, it is also considered a “date rape” drug. Cocaine (“Carol”) is almost always snorted but can be smoked (freebasing), melted and injected into

12 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

a vein or cooked up with a little baking soda and water to produce ‘crack.’

The topic of drugs and drug use is too encompassing to cover here which is why you should do your due diligence and devote a few minutes to your cruising time getting to know the “devil.” The hot guys that you’re partying with won’t give a flying fck about you if something goes sideways... Believe that. It’s your life; take responsibility for it as no one else will.

9. Hosting. If you decide that you can or will host a hook-up, be prepared. Whether you have the place to yourself or you’ve been reduced to sneaking your trade into your bedroom while your roommate(s) are either out or asleep, there’s a certain protocol that should be followed. Maybe it’s my southern upbringing, or perhaps it’s just my nature, but I tend to go above and beyond the call of duty when hosting.

I cannot relax and enjoy myself if the bathroom isn’t clean, the play area isn’t tidy or if sexual amenities are not easily within reach. I’m not suggesting that you have to go to such lengths yourself but, as a host, you should have the following on hand: lube; baby wipes; water or juice, poppers; an outlet dedicated to charging one’s phone; mouthwash; lube (I know I already mentioned that, but it’s worth repeating), cum-rag, mints/gum; porn; appropriate musical playlist; a separate guest wi-fi account, and rubbing alcohol (it removes the lube from surfaces like the floor and doorknobs, but most importantly, from any hands wanting to use your laptop) With these items in place you will quickly get a 5 star host rating when dudes start clicking through each other’s list of favorites and compare notes, which a lot of guys do. I do not. And I recommend that you don’t either. Don’t kiss and tell. Discretion is the better part of valor.

10. Traveling. If you aren’t hosting and decide to travel to your hookup’s location, there is also a baseline code of conduct to keep in mind. First and foremost, ask the host if there is anything you can bring. A simple gesture of bringing water, gum, vitamin-zero, or juice will be much appreciated, even if it isn’t consumed. If nothing is needed, you’re good too. Upon arrival, be respectful of neighbors, potential roommates, pets, etc. Ask where in the space you should put your belongings so that they are out of the way. And don’t EVER touch another person’s computer without asking. As someone who tends to host more than travel, I know that it’s always a gamble when inviting a stranger over to my house.

There is a general lack of manners and graciousness among younger men today so the occasional ‘thank you’ and ‘please’ will go a long way in landing you on someone’s list of favorites.

Lagniappe: Smell like soap, taste like toothpaste. This cannot be overstated. If for whatever reason you DO

NOT smell like soap or taste like toothpaste, fix it or take a raincheck on the date. If you stink, shower. If you’re planning on being a bottom, douche (thoroughly); otherwise, postpone getting plowed until you’ve had time to prepare. No one is so hot that rolling around in their filth is somehow okay.

Accidents happen and most of which are understandable and acceptable.

What isn’t acceptable is a flagrant disregard for personal hygiene and its buzz-killing consequences. No one gets ejected faster from a party than a messy, bossy bottom who is oblivious and unaffected by the shit-uation.

Final thoughts: This tongue-incheek series covering The Rules of [online] Engagement is meant to not only provide some information to those unfamiliar with online dating apps but also to inspire conversation between those who are more experienced with those who are not. Sharing ourselves and our experiences with others goes a long way in reinforcing our humanity.

I’ve been around a long time. After way too many years of searching, and wishing and hoping, if there was one thought that I could tell my younger and prettier self, it would be this: Rid yourself of expectation.

Sex and porn have become part of the fabric of our everyday lives. So much that so that we confuse it with reality. Porn is not reality and even the most amateur of porn is the result of several takes and adjustments.

Plenty of young guys, when using their computer or smartphone apps assume that what they will encounter in real life will be just like the Treasure Island gang bang scene they’ve been watching at home. Chances are, it won’t. Every top is not a 10” top nor is every bottom an insatiable sub-cumdump who enjoys being humiliated.

Leave your expectations at the door. Digital and virtual realities are blurring the lines between what is real and what isn’t which fosters a cold and detached persona when encountering other people.

Having sex should be an experience to enjoy; a connection; a moment shared. Expecting anything else will only let you down. If you want to make the most out of each and every encounter, let go of expectations and enjoy the ride. Expectations lead to disappointment. And isn’t there already enough of that to go around?

Thanks for reading. I hope you’ll check in again next issue. Feel free to reach out anytime by emailing: RyanRockfordNYC@gmail. com.

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 13

INTERVIEWS FROM KEY WEST

Identified. Confirmed. Connected: How the Women of Key West Find Friends of mine from New York head while gently smiling. This says, “I their Lesbian Tribes

Kevin Assam kevin-assam@hotmail.com It’s tough when your highly transient city is closer to outer space than a single lesbian or even a women-oriented bar or lounge. With no news of a women-oriented Grindr or Scruff in sight, we asked the ladies of Key West’s LGBTQ+ community how they managed to find and connect an increasingly dwindling local occurrence – openly out lesbians!

I’m definitely not interested in dating, hooking up with, or entertaining vacationers. I even state that outright on my OkCupid profile when it’s active.

That being said when I have cool looking girls on my tours I try to work in a mention to the two gay karaoke bars that are my regular hangouts. Only once has anyone actually showed up when I was there — a very nice lesbian couple. They looked like they had fun.

Women are much warier than men when it comes to meeting strangers.

Good luck getting one of us to agree to meet a vacationer off a dating site or Craigslist. And with the absence of any lesbian bars or clubs in this city, queer women have to make do with spaces catering to gay men or drag shows, which mostly entertain straight bache-

lorette parties —Sarah Goodwin, Ecotour Guide Bartending is probably the best way to meet [lesbian visitors]. I am also the person who stops women on the street [laughs] and then invites them out. I just go up to them and say “Hello.”

Sometimes they are looking at a map.

Sometimes they are just hanging out.

[Living] in a tourist town makes it easy.

Women save a whole year for this vacation. They are very open to talking to someone other than their family. Our town is one of the most amazing places on earth. Almost everyone wants to connect. It is a shame that there is not one single place where we can go here JUST for women.

—Aspiring Fantasy Fest Queen Be involved in tourist and community events. The more involved you are, the more opportunities there are to meet people. Check local groups on FetLife. Remember to vet anyone before you meet them and meet in a public place. People tend to post looking for events or hook-ups while they are going to be in town.

— Kinkster and corset collector

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have a part time house here. When I came down for my job interview they introduced me to their one [lesbian] friend. Once I actually moved here she invited me to a party and the rest fell into place.

— Mixologist and Honeybadger

Most of the time, you can go to the organic or vegan cafes and you will find [lesbians] there. Also, there are probably gay churches in most cities and going there is a safe spot. Even going to yoga classes will probably yield a few connections. Finally, if you volunteer at the animal shelter, you will most likely run into lesbians. Many lesbians are animal lovers and activists, so they make up a big contingent of volunteers for animal causes. No [lesbian] bars or clubs here, but if you find certain musicians — like the Indigo Girls — in concert, then you will find your tribe!

—Ice cream connoisseur and media personality I wish I could say that no matter the city, you could just look up the local women’s bar or do the secret handshake and, ta-da, you find the lesbians. With lesbian bars dropping like flies across the country, finding and connecting with other lesbians has become harder. Cities that have had infamous women’s bars for decades are drying up. Identifying one another has become an “outing dance.” It has to be done or we’ll all end up lonely and very frustrated. Especially those of us above the age of 25. Each one of us has our own version of the “outing dance.” I’ll tell you mine.

First, I have to determine whether a woman that I meet is a lesbian. It’s not like we wear a big pink neon sign.

This is the hardest part of the whole dance because she can look like a lesbian, act like a lesbian, and NOT be a lesbian at all. Coming from Wisconsin we used to call it “the farm girl clause.”

It was easy to mistake the strong, sturdy, attractive woman in flannel for a prospective date only to be flanked by her tall beer-toting farmer husband.

This part of the dance is the intro. The steps are slow, deliberate, and meticulously placed. You have to be careful.

For this reason, lesbians have developed a secret code — the head nod. It appears to be universal. I’m not sure who the first lesbian to develop the technique was, but almost all of us know it. First, I make eye contact. Then there’s a slight smile. Not too flirtatious.

Not a creepy stalker-like smile, just a casual “hello” kind of smile. If the eye contact lasts longer than a second then you do it. The “nod.” It’s a simple little raise of the chin and short nod of the

see you. I’m gay. I think you’re gay. I want you to know I see you.” It all happens very quickly. Usually, this non-intrusive signal is returned in kind.

Next, it’s whether or not to approach. There’s always the problem of what to say. I am a realtor with Keller Williams in Key West and my partner and I comprise the only lesbian real estate team that I am aware of here — The Swan Team. Naturally, I talk to many people every day. I can’t just go on instinct and ask, “Are you gay, too?” Bad for business. Not everyone takes that as a compliment even in Key West.

So, I begin the verbal part of the dance. If there was music playing in the background it would definitely be a tango. I introduce myself and ask where she is from. We go back and forth with why she’s visiting, things she loves about the city, and then we get to who she is traveling with. I have to be very careful here. “Friend” is often a code word used by the older generation even if they ARE gay. “Partner” can mean business or even be used to identify one as in-the-know, but not romantic. I then introduce or talk about my team partner who is also my life partner. See the complexity?

Outing myself is the best way to get a feel for their reaction. I explain my team and clarify that we are also romantically partnered. There. I’m out!

Often this is the climax. If she is not gay, she begins to talk about her husband or boyfriend and makes it known that she is straight. If she IS gay, she is put at ease, outs herself, and in true lesbian fashion we begin to talk like old friends, share coming out stories and maybe she buys a house from me or we meet up later for drinks. Yay! Lesbian spotted. Identified. Confirmed. Connected. This tactic works for all intentions — sexual, romantic or otherwise.

The “outing dance” is the best kept well-known secret in the lesbian world.

Until lesbians come up with a better secret signal, this is it. It’s the best way I know of. Casual but intentional.

Now you know how to connect with another lesbian while traveling. If you’re in Key West, and you see me or my partner, Sandra, give us “the nod” and we’ll dance that familiar outing dance and get connected.

—Stephanie Barnow, The Swan Team, Keller Williams Key West Compass Realty Kevin Assam is an average writer and hilarious interviewer originally from the Caribbean. He can be best described as a forty year old imaginative mind trapped in a pint sized twenty something year old body. His upcoming book is a collection of outrageous things overheard in Key West.

14 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Party Down Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com These last two weeks brought lots of excitement from theatrical offerings, royalty announcements, Saints playoff games and grand openings. I was able to see three amazing theatrical productions these past two weeks starting with Les Miserables at the Saenger.

Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical opened in NOLA to lots of great reviews as it should.

Everything about this production was excellent from the cast and musical direction to the lighting and set.

These people threw themselves totally into their roles. And for being at war, they all still managed to have great hair, even the one who chopped hers off.

The story is set against the backdrop of 19th-century France and literally starts with someone stealing a loaf of bread. Now there is so much more to the show - it’s a story of broken dreams, unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption. And the soundtrack is amazing with a lot of my Broadway favorites such as I Dreamed A Dream, On My Own, Stars, Bring Him Home, One Day More, and Do You Hear the People Sing. This new production was conceived in 2009 to celebrate Les Miz’ 25th anniversary. I loved the show but be warned, it’s not very cheery, hence the title.

Also, this week I attended The Wolves produced by Southern Rep in their new home located on Bayou Road. What I love about Artistic Director Aimee Hayes is that she brings new and fresh shows to the stage. She takes chances and it paid off big time with this production. The Wolves is a 2016 play by Sarah DeLappe and centers on the experiences of high school girls through their weekly Saturday morning pre-game soccer warm-ups.

It received the American Playwriting Foundation’s inaugural Relentless Award, the 2017 Obie Award for Ensemble work, and was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize.

I was quite taken with this production; maybe I relate on some level with a high school girl (I did watch all seven seasons of Pretty Little Liars).

Shown without an intermission, the play moved fast and had a very interesting plot twist at the end. It was definitely a satisfying show.

Sunday was the first of my two days of Saints playoff adventures. The first playoff game I was lucky enough to attend in person at the Superdome with some friends. We started off with brunch at Palace Cafe (which is always delicious) and then moved to

Champion Square for the party before heading into the Dome and our incredible win against the Eagles. I love seeing the Saints play live. To me it is never really about the game, but the party atmosphere that is created around the place. Our Saints fans breath life into you and make you feel exhilarated. No matter whether we win or lose (I am glad we won this game) I am always uplifted after leaving the dome. It can also be that my wallet is a little lighter, I mean $15 for a cocktail is a little ridiculous.

I started the following week on a healthy note by doing the weekly NOAGE Walk at the Lafitte Greenway.

This week the Stonewall Sports Runners joined us. We meet every week, joined by the Runners every third Monday, and walk two miles on the Lafitte Greenway. In my opinion, it is a perfect way to meet new people in a relaxed environment. Besides, ever since I got this damn Fitbit I am obsessed. Also, walking behind the runners, albeit briefly, pays off; they wear the cutest tight outfits.

The last of the three plays I saw was Stockholm Syndrome: Or, Remember the Time Jimmy’s All-American Beefsteak Place Was Taken Over by That Group of Radicals? produced by The NOLA Project at Little Gem Saloon. It’s a fun musical comedy that takes place at Jimmy’s All-American Beefsteak Restaurant – a fictional chain (the kind you love to hate - think Applebee’s or Chili’s) – whose employees and patrons suddenly find themselves in the midst of a hostage crisis with lots of multiple love stories happening at the same time.

Theatergoers are transported to Jimmy’s while the actors serve drinks, clear tables and serve food prior to the play. It is a very immersive show. The cast looked like they were having fun which always makes for good theatre.

The music had a few songs that were catchy. As a whole, this was an entertaining production.

I kicked off my weekend on Friday with the Armeinius’ Royalty Announcement Party.

Other krewes joined Armeinius and their supporters as they toasted Queen Pudding Tain (Jobie Jacomine) and King Barrett Delong-Church. They will reign supreme over the ball that will be held on Saturday, March 2, at Mardi Gras World and the River City venues. The theme this year is, shhh, it’s a secret, so you have to just get your tickets and attend to find out what the krewe has in store.

If it is anything like last year, it’s sure to be an over-the-top spectacle of frivolity and glamour.

On Saturday, I attended the opening gala of Southern Rep Theatre at their new venue on Bayou Road. Their new space is in the former St. Rose de Lima Church. Located at 2527 Bayou Road, Southern Rep has created an impressive theatre and cabaret space.

It is great to see that they now have a gorgeous new place to call home since they lost their space in Canal Place in 2012.

The party was quite crowded with live music, a drag show starring the wonderful Reba Douglas, food, cocktails, arts and crafts and even an acupuncture demonstration. I’ve been to see two enjoyable productions here.

They do more then just shows on their mainstage. On Monday nights, they have a drag cabaret as well as health and wellness seminars and brunch lectures just to name a few. For more information on the theatre and its offerings, go to http://www.southernrep. com.

I ended my two weeks on Sunday with a day of fun that didn’t turn out the way anyone had hoped. Adikus Sulpizi, current Southern Decadence Grand Marshal and one half of Two Men Cutting Hair, and I decided to have an impromptu bar crawl that we affectionately entitled Saints Sunday Funday the Crawl to the Super Bowl.

It was a raucous day of good times as we made our way through the Quarter picking up people till we reached our final destination. We started at the

Phoenix, then moved to Mags 940, Golden Lantern, Lafitte’s in Exile, GrandPre’s and ended up at Crossing.

What a blast we had at each stop, getting an adult beverage as we went.

Each place had their own special celebration for the Saints Playoff Game.

Crossing was hopping; with the great new renovation, the space had plenty of TV’s to watch the officials f*** over our team. And they had lots of food for guests to stress-eat their worries away.

Their bartenders were working overtime trying to keep up with demand.

Trust me with this game, people drank an excessive amount. But alas, we lost due to a myriad of reasons, but the biggest one being the bad (or actually lack of) calls of the officials. It is my humble opinion that now that pre-gaming is legalized, there will be lots more bad calls. Officials in sports (like in politics) can be bribed, so whenever something strange like this happens, I say watch that person’s bank account closely.

But no matter what, I am a Saints fan through and through. They are always number one in my book. Look on the bright side, we at least have Mardi Gras to fall back on!

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

LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED, CCS COVERS AREA SPORTS ON THE HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE & PRO LEVELS WITH A KEEN EYE TOWARD PROVIDING THE NEWS & ANALYSIS YOU WANT. crescentcitysports.com facebook.com/ccsdaily @ccsdaily @ccsprep

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 15 Untitled-5 1 6/1/18 1:01 PM

UNDER THE GAYDAR

New Orleans Hot Happenings

Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com

The year is off to a great start with two playoff games under our belt and even though we may not be going to the Super Bowl this year, there are still plenty of events to keep us happy.

Here are some festive suggestions to snap you out of the your Saints depression. (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: 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.

MONDAY

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

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

ed by Denny with VJ Dollabill.

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

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

Pool Tournament: Rawhide 2010; 740 Burgundy St.; 9:45 p.m. $2 PBR and $50 gift certificate for Rawhide Lazy Susan Karaoke: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 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. The line up this month is 2/4 Dede Onassis and 2/11 Analia XOXO. NOAGE & Stonewall Sports Walk/ Run Club; Lafitte’s Greenway; 6:15 p.m. Join Stonewall Sports New Orleans and NOAGE! Starting at 6:30 p.m., meet for the walk/run at Lafitte Greenway. This group is for ALL fitness levels; 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 be-

hind, don’t worry; someone will walk with you. If you are the fastest person there, we’ll see you at the finish line.

The Stonewall Run Club will join every 3 weeks. Please Note: We will meet in front of Bayou Beer garden at 326 N. Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you need assistance or have questions, call Jim at (504)228-6778.

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.

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.

TUESDAY

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 bar tab. $5 Fireball.

Country Dance Lessons: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 8 p.m.

Tuesdays are Country Dance lessons with the Big Easy Stompers from 8 - 11 p.m.

Bourbon Boylesque: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 8:00 p.m. See the Men of Oz like you have never seen them before. The show stars Atomyc Adonis, Bobby B, Franky, Phathoms Deep and other special guests. Hosted

by Trixie Minx.

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

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

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

16 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

out of this world trivia.

WEDNESDAY

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.

Kafe Karaoke: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 9 p.m. – midnight. $25.00 Bar tab and Free Shots & Givea-ways with Happy Hour All Day. Oz Show Night: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 10:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; ChiChi Rodriquez and Dominique DeLorean.

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.

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.

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.

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

Every week on Tuesday from 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM the next day.

THURSDAY

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.

Girl | Crush: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 9 p.m. Girl | Crush brings you a weekly event for girls who like girls, and their friends! This flavor of CRUSH entitled DTF is exclusive to New Orleans’ #1 Dance Club, Oz and happens every Thursday night.

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 Prime Time Trivia: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; starts at 9 p.m. Come out and enjoy trivia with

great prizes with your host Honey Bee. Retro Night: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; starts at 10 p.m. Enjoy drink special from 10 p.m. to midnight and the best hits from the 80’s and 90’s.

Looped: Mags 940; 940 Elysian Fields; 7 p.m. Looped is a play by Matthew Lombardo that ran on Broadway in 2010. Starring Elizabeth Bouvier as Tallulah Bankhead & featuring Greg Nacozy as Danny Miller. Get tickets on their Facebook page and through Eventbrite.

FRIDAY

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.

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

New Meat Amateur Dance Contest: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis St.; 6:30 p.m. Anyone can enter - $100 cash prize.

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

Take It Off Fridays: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway; 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.

Rupaul’s Drag Race All Star Season 4 Viewing Party with Laveau Contraire: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Avenue; 7 - 9 p.m. Get those heels down to Kajun’s Pub for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 4! This season, each episode is a whopping 90 minutes followed by an episode of Untucked! Each week, Laveau will be joined by a co-host from the local drag scene to help entertain you with insightful commentary, witty banter, and dazzling performances! They’ll also have prizes, drink specials, interactive games and did I say prizes?

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

Late Night Happy Hour: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin Avenue; 10:30 p.m. - 2 a.m. Come by and get to know Executive Chef Marlon Alexander and sushi and vegan Chef Kelseay Dukae during their late night happy hours. They look forward to serving you some delicious drink specials and amazing food from our kitchen. Come chill out in the iconic courtyard.

Beat The Clock; 700 Club; 700 Burgundy; 5 - 9 p.m. Well drinks: 5 PM - 6 PM $1.50, 6 PM - 7 PM $2.00, 7 PM - 8 PM $2.50, 8 PM - 9 PM $3.00

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 17

SATURDAY

Gay Mardi Gras 2019 JANUARY 6

MYSTIK KREWE DE LA RUE ROYALE REVELERS

6TH ANNUAL 12TH NIGHT PARTY

JANUARY 26 KREWE OF STARS 3RD ANNUAL BALL &

KREWE OF APOLLO, BATON ROUGE, 38TH ANNUAL BALL

FEBRUARY 1 KREWE OF MWINDO 21ST ANNUAL BALL

FEBRUARY 2 KREWE OF NARCISSUS 4TH ANNUAL BALL

FEBRUARY 9 KREWE OF AMON-RA 54TH ANNUAL BALL

FEBRUARY 16 KREWE OF APOLLO, LAFAYETTE, 43RD ANNUAL BALL &

ORDER OF DIONYSUS INAUGURAL BALL

FEBRUARY 23 KREWE OF PETRONIUS 58TH ANNUAL BALL &

KREWE OF APOLLO, BIRMINGHAM, 43RD ANNUAL BALL

FEBRUARY 26 KREWE OF QUEENATEENAS 25TH KING CAKE QUEEN CORONATION

MARCH 2 KREWE OF ARMEINIUS 51ST ANNUAL BALL

MARCH 3 LORDS OF LEATHER 36TH ANNUAL BALL

MARCH 5 MARDI GRAS DAY & 55TH ANNUAL BOURBON STREET AWARDS

www.GayMardiGras.com

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 guests stars.

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 Street; 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 their upstairs bar with your favorite bottom, Jake, slinging drinks for you all night long!

Late Night Happy Hour: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin Avenue; 10:30 p.m. - 2 a.m. Come by and get to know Executive Chef Marlon Alexander and sushi and vegan Chef Kelseay Dukae during their late night happy hours.

They look forward to serving you some delicious drink specials and amazing food from our kitchen. Come chill out in the iconic courtyard.

SUNDAY

Bottomless Mimosas: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 1 - 4 p.m.

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

The Original Trash Disco: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 410 p.m. Includes the original napkin toss and the best music videos to sing along with.

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

Join DJ Dereesha as he plays Karaoke.

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

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

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

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.

Drink Drown and Drag: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 6 - 9 p.m.

Sunday Funday upstairs at The Parade. $15 Drink and Drown from 6 – 9 p.m. with a star studded drag show starting at 8 p.m.

Sunday Worship: Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans

(MCCNO); 5401 S. Claiborne Ave; 10:00 a.m. New Orleans first LGBTQ church welcomes you to join us for our Sunday worship service where they celebrate God’s love for everyone.

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 their upstairs bar with your favorite bottom, Jake, slinging drinks for you all night long.

Vanessa Carr Presents Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch; Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin St.; 11 a.m. For tickets, go to www.crunola.com. Vanessa Carr presents Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch featuring an amazing menu from Chef Marlon Alexander and awesome entertainment! Come celebrate with the phenomenal talents of Vanessa Carr Kennedy and friends!

Drink and Drown: 700 Club; 700 Burgundy Street; 5 - 8 p.m. Unlimited well drinks, Bud Light and Miller Lite draft $10

SPECIAL EVENTS TUESDAY 1/29

Extra - The Political Drag Cabaret: The Allways Lounge; 2240 Sy. Claude Avenue; 9 p.m. - midnight.

2019 is already proving to be just confusing of a political mess as the year before. Lucky for you the queens of Extra are ready to coddle you through yet another months of this mess with numbers covering all the political messages you’ve been asking for and several that you didn’t know you needed.

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. The show asks performers to go deep and bring out something that means something.

Performers include: Nebula Omega, Daisy Konfused, Deacon Dorothy Brown, Debbie with a D (The D is for Democracy) and your host and producer Quinn Laroux. Show at 10, Doors at 9 p.m. $10 cover.

WEDNESDAY 1/30

NOAGE Monthly Potluck: St. Anna’s Episcopal Church; 1313 Esplanade Ave.; 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Join the New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders for their monthly potluck! Come to eat, network, and make new friends in 2019! If you are able, please bring a dish. We’ll need main dishes, meats, sides, soups, salads or vegan/vegetarian dishes, desserts, and beverages.

Please also consider bringing non-perishable food items for St. Anna’s Food Pantry. All ages welcome! For more information, call Jim at (504)228-6778.

THURSDAY 1/31

18 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

Broadway at NOCCA Presents Beth Malone: NOCCA; 2800 Chartres Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Producer Mark Cortale presents Beth Malone, star of Broadway’s Ring of Fire and Tony nominee for 2016’s smash hit Fun Home, at NOCCA for one show only. Sirius XM radio star Seth Rudetsky will join her as music director and host. The unique format of the series is a seamless mix of intimate behind-the-scenes stories prompted

by Rudetsky’s insightful, funny and revealing questions, and the music from the artists’ stellar careers.All proceeds from the 2018/19 Broadway @ NOCCA series will benefit The NOCCA Institute. For tickets and information, please visit www.broadwaynola.com or call 800-838-3006.

Beth Malone originated the leading role of ‘Alison’ in the 2015 Tony Award winning musical Fun Home, which earned her a Tony nomination. She was most recently seen as the Angel in the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Angels in America last season. Regional: Sister Act, Annie Get Your Gun. TV: BrainDead, The Good Wife, Reno 911!, Judging Amy, What’s On?, One Minute Soaps.

FRIDAY 2/1

Stonewall Sports First Friday Happy Hour: Phillip’s Bar and Restaurant; 733 Cherokee; 5 - 8 p.m. Join fellow Stonewallers for a monthly happy

hour on the first Friday of every month at Phillip’s Bar, one of our Stonewall Sports New Orleans Sponsors.

Queer Salsa Dance Lessons: LGBT Community Center; 2727 South Brian Avenue; 7 - 8:30 p.m.

FREE! Beginner Novice 101 Lesson with Julie Banks Mims. No Partner Required. You an either lead or follow, does not matter.

Krewe of Mwindo 21st Annual Ball; Request more details on their Facebook Page.

OUTclimb | LGBT+ Climb Night: New Orleans Boulder Lounge; 2360 St. Claude Ave.; starts at 7 p.m. OUTclimb is a New Orleans based LGBT+ climbing club dedicated to providing a safe and welcoming space for queer & trans people to climb. With support from the New Orleans Boulder Lounge on St. Claude, they are able to offer a night of climbing FREE to the LGBT+ community of New Orleans and surrounding areas. Allies are welcome to attend and should donate $5-$15 as you are able. Donations will go to a local LGBT+ organization.

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.

Queer Meditation: Mid City Zen; 3248 Castiglione Street; 10:30 a.m. A

HoneyBee Trivia Thursdays 7:00 PM

SATURDAY 2/2

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 them to sit, breathe, notice, rest; to cultivate presence and kindness together. *Free/by donation* Krewe of Narcissus 4th Annual Ball; Request more details on their Facebook Page.

TUESDAY 2/5 — SUNDAY 2/10

FRIDAY 2/8

Book of Mormon: The Saenger Theatre; 1111 Canal Street. Back by popular demand, THE BOOK OF MORMON returns to New Orleans, after previously breaking the house record, for a limited engagement Feb. 5 – 10 at the Saenger Theatre. Tickets start at $30 and will be available at the Saenger Theatre Box Office (1111 Canal St., New Orleans, La., 70112), all Ticketmaster outlets, by visiting BroadwayInNewOrleans.com, or by calling (800) 982-2787. The performance schedule for THE BOOK OF MORMON is as follows: Tuesday – Thursday: 7:30 p.m.; Friday: 8 p.m.; Saturday: 2 p.m., 8 p.m.; Sunday: 1 p.m., 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY 2/7

Meet The Locals: The Country

Happy Hour Daily

Club; 634 Louisa Street; 7 - 9 p.m.

Come experience local breweries & neighborhood personalities at the Country Club. This event features free live music by Lillie Lewis. ALL LOCAL beer, Shindig Vodka, Parade Rums, Crescent Vodka, and Roulaison Rum will be $5 each. The event will immediately follow happy hour to give you another great reason to spend more time at the Club. Our Happy hour features $3.00 well drinks and a wonderful small plates menu.

Night of 1,000 Stevies: One Eyed Jacks; 615 Toulouse Street; 9 p.m. 3 a.m. The Jackie Factory presents the first ever NIGHT OF 1000 STEVIES NEW ORLEANS. Doors open at 9 p.m.; $20 + TICKET FEE. Order at https://www.oneeyedjacks.net/.

NIGHT OF 1000 STEVIES - the largest and most beloved STEVIE NICKS fan event in the world - is coming to New Orleans in early 2019. Like the NYC marathon NOTS editions that turn 29 in May, this Enchanted evening will be produced by show founders CHI CHI VALENTI and JOHNNY DYNELL and their creative krewe at THE JACKIE FACTORY. The show will feature Legends of Stevie Realness (NOTS NYC stars) including Southern Belladonnas JAZMEN FLOWERS (Jackson, Miss), DIVINE GRACE (Orlando) KIMBERLY CLARK, cover Stevie BROOKE ALY-

Sat, 02/02 - 10pm

noon - 9:00 PM $3.00 wells and domestics

Wednesday Video Game Night 7:00 PM

Soup & Salad Sun, 2/10—1-4pm

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 19

SON (Houston) and RYAN LANDRY. NOTS debut performers will include local and regional interpretations from DEDE ONASSIS, CHERRY BROWN, RISE DUPREE (Houston) and the great JAKE SHEARS. Longtime NOTS DJ SAMMY JO (Club Cumming) will spin the all-Stevie/Fleetwood dancefloor and “Enchantress of Ceremony” EMPRESS CHI CHI VALENTI will keep the white winged talent flowing. The show will climax with the iconic “Battle of A Thousand Stevies” finale and tambourines will be tossed to the Enchanted audience through the night.

SATURDAY 2/9

Big Easy Stompers Monthly Line Dance: GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart Street; 9 p.m. - midnight. Come out and enjoy line dancing with the Big Easy Stompers!

Queer Meditation: Mid City Zen; 3248 Castiglione Street; 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 them to sit, breathe, notice, rest; to cultivate presence and kindness together. *Free/by donation* Krewe of Amon-Ra 54th Annual Ball The Boomer Ball: The Frederick Sigur Center; 8245 W Judge Perez

Dr, Chalmette; 7 PM – 11 PM The Mystic Krewe of Amon-Ra and our Ball Captain John East are proud to present our 54th Annual Ball, The Boomer Ball. Attire is strictly formal, tuxedos or floor length gowns required. Our ball is invite only, so make sure you reach out Krewe Members know that you are interested. Tickets for entrance will be given along with the Ball Invite. Don’t forget to bring your ticket the day of the ball! It is required for entrance.

SUNDAY 2/10

Hell Hath No Fury - 25th Annual Turnabout: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine Street; 7 - 11 p.m. Join us Good Friends for their 25th annual Turn-A-Bout. Hosted by the amazing Siren! Come enjoy the show and watch your favorite bartenders in the spotlight performing songs from artists that were scorned and grew from it, becoming bigger and badder because of it. It’s your one night a year to see us all in drag! This is their biggest fundraiser, with this year’s recipient being, “Belle Reve.” There will be a silent auction and raffle with amazing items!

Raffle tickets are being sold at the bar for $1 each until Feb. 10th. You do not have to be present to collect prizes.

Entertainment, friends, fun and it is all for a good cause! Come out and support your friends and community for an amazing time!

Brechfest: The Allways Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Avenue; 7:30 p.m.

BRECHTFEST: AN EVENING OF MUSIC AND POETRY BY BERTOLT BRECHT will take place on February 10, the 121st birthday of German playright and poet Bertolt Brecht. A group of local Brecht aficionados will celebrate the occasion with a performance in the Twilight Room at the Allways Lounge and Cabaret. The performance of music, spoken word, and puppetry features The Salt Wives, pianist/marionettist Harry Mayronne, Bremner Fletcher Duthie, Ratty Scurvics, Aurora Nealand, Karen Kunkel, Chris Wecklein, and Rebecca Leigh. The performers’ collective credits include the Edinburgh Fringe and Berliner Ensemble as well as the Allways Lounge presentations of Brecht/Weill’s “Happy End” and “The Threepenny Opera” (co-produced with Cripple Creek Theatre). Proceeds will benefit Innocence Project New Orleans. Cost: Suggested donation of $10 - $20.

MONDAY 2/11

Drag Queen Bingo: Mimi’s in there Marigny; 2601 Royal Street; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Vanessa Carr Presents drag queen bingo at Mimi’s in the Marigny!! This is not your grandma’s bingo! Enjoy some fun and excitement with bingo and prizes and top it all off with some outrageous drag.

Funeral Parlor: Poor Boys Bar; 1328 St. Bernard Avenue; 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. Strange Creatures & Poor Boys combine to bring you the return of Funeral Parlor!! For one night only, we’ll be taking over the DJ booth for a gothic/industrial dance party with four of our regular DJs: Beverluna, Bashert, Emily Anne & Mange.

FRIDAY 2/15

Love Is A Drag: Mags 940; 940 Elysian Fields; 7:30 - 10:30 p.m. The New Orleans Gay men’s Chorus is combining their Valentine’s concert with their annual drag show.

SATURDAY 2/16

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.

Queer Meditation: Mid City Zen; 3248 Castiglione Street; 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 them to sit, breathe, notice, rest; to cultivate presence and kindness together. *Free/by donation*

UNDER THE GAYDAR

Mobile Hot Happenings WEEKLY AT FLIP SIDE

WEEKLY AT B-BOB’S

SUNDAY Funday with Karaoke MONDAY Service Industry Night TUESDAY Karaoke WEDNESDAY Rock n Roll Bingo 8PM THURSDAY Karaoke SATURDAY SEC Football

TUESDAY Gay Bar BINGO 9:30 & 11PM THURSDAY Amateur Drag Night 11PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY Midnight Drag Show

54 S. Conception St., Mobile, AL (251) 431-8819

213 Conti St., Mobile, AL (251) 433-2262

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

20 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with at Sipps Gulfport PHOTOS COURTESY OF DWAIN HERTZ

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at GrandPre’s PHOTOS OF 5TH ANNUAL OLD FOLKS EARLY NEW YEAR CELEBRATION & MR JIMMY’S 82ND BIRTHDAY | PHOTOS BY GLENN PAUL MELANCON

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 21

OBITUARY

Dr. John Meyers John Joseph Meyers III, M.D., known as “Johnny” to many friends and family, passed away peacefully at his home in his native city, New Orleans, on January 2 surrounded by beloved sister, Jane Meyers Place, and his nephew Tommy, after a prolonged illness. He was 73. John was one of the first bartenders at the Bourbon Pub when it opened in the 1970s. Having attended St. Joseph Seminary, he graduated cum laude from LSUNO in 1968, and went on to receive his doctorate in medicine from Tulane University. He was chosen as commencement speaker and was the recipient of several other awards and honors. Further postgraduate training in Ob-Gyn was completed in San Francisco, followed by several years of work in the Bay Area. He later practiced and taught in Atlanta and New York City, ending his career at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans. He is preceded in death by his parents, John Joseph Meyers Jr. and Dorothy Burke Meyers, his dear sister Susan Meyers Walker, and two brothers, Gene Paul Meyers and Terrence Philip Meyers. He is survived by his brother Wayne Patrick Meyers and his

sister Jane Meyers Place and his two godchildren Zachary Cook Walker and Thomas Maxwell Durkin as well as a host of nieces and nephews. A special thanks to Ron Durnford for his friendship and support of John. The family would like to thank Mary, Dee and Tracey of Louisiana Hospice. A Celebration of Life was held on Wednesday, January 9, in the J. Garic Schoen Chapel of Jacob Schoen & Son.

WOOD FIRED PIZZA, PASTA, CALZONES, PO-BOYS, WRAPS, SANDWICHES & SALADS! WednesGAYS Wednesday Evenings

Half Price from the Bar

Saturday & Sunday Brunch Brunch from 11AM–3PM Drink Special All Weekend

$3 Mimosas & House Bloody Marys 615 South Carrollton Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118 (504) 866-5900

Wine Night Sunday Evenings

Half Price Bottles of Wine

DINE IN | TAKE OUT | DELIVERY | CATERING 22 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI The Corner Pocket PHOTOS BY JEREMY

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 · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 23

MOMENTS IN GAY NEW ORLEANS HISTORY

New Orleans Selected as Site for International Monument Restoration Project Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com Local artist Ryan Leitner has received a traveling fellowship from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University to clean and restore homosexual monuments in the Netherlands and the United States. Leitner will document his experiences in a short film.

Leitner was one of ten recipients of the prestigious grant program which dates back to 1899. Selected by a jury, SMFA Traveling Fellowship recipients receive up to $10,000 to pursue travel and research related to their art. The application process is open to alumni working in any contemporary visual art discipline. This year’s fellows will travel to at least 16 sites on four continents.

Leitner will begin in St. Louis with the Transgender Memorial Garden before traveling to Amsterdam to restore that city’s Homomonument.

Upon returning to the U.S., Leitner will turn his attention to the Memorial Plaque that commemorates the tragic Up Stairs Lounge fire. The 1973 arson

claimed 32 lives and remains the deadliest fire in New Orleans history. Until the Pulse Massacre in 2016, it was the deadliest crime against LGBT+ people in the nation’s history.

Leitner notes, “Since our community does not come from a specific place or culture, we don’t always have a stable standing ground to carry on the work of our predecessors. Some of these monuments and plaques have gone into disrepair and could use people to revitalize them as important visualizers of our culture.”

The plaque on the sidewalk in front of the former Up Stairs Lounge had been dedicated in 2003, the 30th anniversary of the fire. The bronze plaque lists the names of those who died in the arson and contains the following inscription: “At this site on June 24, 1973 in the Upstairs Lounge, these thirty-two people lost their lives in the worst fire in New Orleans. The impact went far beyond the loss of individual lives, giv-

ing birth to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights movement in New Orleans.”

In the 15 years since the plaque was installed, it has suffered from neglect and occasional acts of homophobic vandalism. Leitner plans on cleaning and restoring the plaque.

Reflecting on the origins of his restoration project, Leitner observes, “Over the summer, I curated an exhibition on LGBTQ history titled “Celebrating Resistance,” and worked with different archival projects to create an exhibition of news articles and program materials from historic LGBTQ events that I felt were being forgotten. Half way through the research, I realized that there are a number of markers and monuments that go unrecognized in our community. Finding inspiration in the maintenance work by Mierle Laderman Ukeles, I found that the best artwork I could make for my community is to give back to the work that has already been made. Like any other

family, a chosen family in the queer community must be nurtured and well taken care of. I want this project to stand for that sentiment.”

Leitner’s restoration project adds to the growing attention the Up Stairs Lounge arson has enjoyed in recent years. The fire has traditionally been neglected or underrepresented in LGBT+ historical narratives. Memorial services, second-line parades, and other commemoration ceremonies have accompanied significant anniversaries of the fire. Serious research into the fire and its legacy is more recent.

Three books have been published about the fire: Johnny Townsend’s Let the Faggots Burn (2011), Clayton Delery’s The Up Stairs Lounge Arson (2014), and Tinderbox (2018) by Robert Fieseler, Leitner’s partner. The fire has also been the subject of two documentary films—Royd Anderson’s The Upstairs Lounge Fire (2013) and Robert Camina’s Upstairs Inferno (2015).

GAY MARDI GRAS 2019 61st Year of Gay Carnival is Underway The 61st year of Gay Carnival began on January 6 with the Mistick Krewe de Rue Royale Revelers annual Twelfth Night Party.

The highlight of the annual party, which celebrates the arrival of Carnival Season, is the Procession of Previous Grand Revelers and the presentation of the new Grand Reveler. The identity of the Grand Reveler is a closely guarded secret and not revealed until the night of the party. Attendees at this year’s party, numbering over 300, were surprised when Frank Perez, the Lord of Misrule and founder of the Krewe, introduced Frank Perez as Grand Reveler V, the Faux Reveler (note--same name, two different people). Previous Grand Revelers include Jeffrey Palmquist (GR I), Will Antill (GR II, the Financial District Reveler), Rip Naquin (GR III, the Award-Winning Reveler), and Felicia Philips (GR IV, the Cheese Reveler).

After Lord of Misrule Perez introduced Grand Reveler Perez, the outgoing Krewe of Queenateenas’ King Cake Queen (Solitaire), accompanied by the new King Cake Queen (Tiffany Alexander), called upon the Lord of Misrule and the new Grand Reveler for a Royal toast.

This year, Carnival Season is long; Mardi Gras falls on March 5. The calendar is filled with fantastic events between Twelfth Night and Shrove Tuesday:

January 26

Krewe of Stars 3rd Annual Ball Krewe of Apollo, Baton Rouge, 38th Annual Ball

February 1

Krewe of Mwindo 21st Annual Ball

February 2

Krewe of Narcissus 4th Annual Ball

February 9

Krewe of Amon-Ra 54th Annual Ball

February 16

Krewe of Apollo, Lafayette, 43rd Annual Ball Order of Dionysus Inaugural Ball

February 23

Krewe of Petronius 58th Annual Ball Krewe of Apollo, Birmingham, 43rd Annual Ball

February 26

Krewe of Queenateenas 25th King Cake Queen Coronation

March 2

Krewe of Armeinius 51st Annual Ball

March 3

Lords of Leather 36th Annual Ball

March 5

Mardi Gras; 55th Annual Bourbon Street Awards

For more information about the Gay Mardi Gras, please visit GayMardiGras.com.

24 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Crossing NFC PLAYOFF RAMS V. SAINTS (1-20-19) | PHOTOS BY TEAM CROSSING

CROSSING

Neighborhood bar in the historic Vieux Carré. Happy Hour daily 7AM - 9PM.

OPENING HOURS 7 AM – 1:30 AM ADDRESS 439 Dauphine Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 523-4517

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Trodding the Boards Brian Sands bsnola2@hotmail.com

Stockholm Syndrome at Little Gem Saloon through Feb. 9

Looking for some zany humor?

Then head over to the Little Gem Saloon for The NOLA Project’s world premiere of Adam Szymkowicz’s Stockholm Syndrome: Or, Remember the Time Jimmy’s All-American Beefsteak Place Was Taken Over by That Group of Radicals?

The title pretty much tells all so I’ll spare you a synopsis and just add that after NOLA Project’s seriously funny 2015 production of Szymkowicz’s Clown Bar, a mash-up of organized crime and circus clowns, Artistic Director A.J. Allegra and the playwright spoke about a new collaboration.

According to Allegra, “I said I wanted to produce a play about working in chain restaurants. He said he wanted to write a play about Stockholm syndrome, the bizarre occurrence when a hostage falls in love with his or her captor. Then we said, ‘Let’s do both.’”

Szymkowicz set the result in the “historic first location” of a Cracker Barrel or Applebee’s type place where a by-the-book manager tries to energize his jaded staff (“We are chipper here!”),

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.

April Louise, Julie Dietz, Keith Claverie, Kathleen Moore and Bill Mader in Stockholm Syndrome now a bit nervous as bombs have recently gone off at two other locations of the chain.

As in Clown Bar, Szymkowicz provides wonderfully quirky humor to fuel an absolutely wild and wacky plot, with some scary undercurrents, that well-reflects life in these crazy days. If I don’t give examples of said humor, it’s because I’m afraid out of context its bizarrely comic edge wouldn’t fully come through. There’s a great riff on teacups, though, from an unlikely source.

Just as one begins to wonder what the point of it all is, Szymkowicz springs a big reveal on us which, frankly, you can see coming from a mile away. I’m usually really bad at figuring things like that out, so if I could...

If not all of Stockholm Syndrome makes sense, logic doesn’t really matter in this crowd-pleasing musical. “Musical?” you ask. Yes, it’s that too with tunes by Jack Craft and Skyler Stroup of Sweet Crude. Their melodies may not quite equal Szymkowicz’s sharp lyrics, which give us tongue-in-cheek love ballads and satirize commercial jingles, but they work well enough alongside Kali Russell’s 1980s MTV-inspired choreography.

Allegra’s first-rate, immersive staging, in the Saloon’s second floor space, swirls around and through the audience; by its nature, you can’t always see or perfectly hear everything, especially with a packed house, but I’m willing to overlook that. It’s not always

clear, however, if Szymkowicz/Allegra intend for the audience to actually be present in the restaurant, as the fourth wall occasionally gets broken; you may question this, along with some plot points and staging business, when you return home, but it doesn’t prevent one from enjoying the show while you’re watching it.

The entire cast gets into the ridiculous spirit of Syndrome but, wisely, still ground their characters in a, mostly, believable emotional reality. Keith Claverie heads the ensemble as the manager and marvelously embodies a corporate drone forced into an awkward position.

Among the musical’s dozen actors, there are a few weak voices; Kathleen Moore and April Louise do not rank among them, though, and Louise demonstrates her droll comic acting chops as well. Leslie Claverie matches them as a singing terrorist of Russian extraction. Michael Krikorian and the adorable Rebecca Elizabeth Hollingsworth, as a couple celebrating the husband’s birthday, share a sublimely wild duet that Krikorian totally slays.

I hope Szymkowicz considers Stockholm Syndrome a work in progress as it currently overflows with rich material waiting to be fully exploited. In the meantime, kudos to NOLA Project for commissioning and serving up this challenging piece of exciting new theater.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder at Le Petit Theatre through Feb. 10 Le Petit Theatre is currently giving the regional premiere to A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical about a young Englishman who discovers he’s eighth in line to an earldom. How does he plan to conquer the castle that awaits him? You need only look to the show’s title for the answer.

Inspired by the same novel as the classic British movie Kind Hearts and Coronets, Gentleman’s Guide uses the film’s device of having all the victims (don’t feel too bad for them; except for one kind soul, the men and women of the D’Ysquith clan are a snooty bunch of British aristocrats who deny the hero, Monty, of his birthright) played by the same actor. Rather than the cinema’s Alec Guinness, here NOLA’s own Ricky Graham takes on the roles, quickly changing from clerical robes to lordly trappings to full-figured dresses.

Deftly directed by Christina Pellegrini (who worked on the original Broadway production), Gentleman’s Guide looks fantastic thanks to Michael Commendatore & Nick Hussong’s pretty video projections, and Linda Cho’s posh period costumes that seem to be inspired, in part, by Edward Gorey.

26 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

The show, with its music hall style that Pelligrini nicely summons up, actually seems better suited to the smaller confines of Le Petit than the vastness of Broadway.

While this cute and pleasant show is hard not to like, it’s equally difficult to love. Chugging along for about two and a half hours (the movie ran 1 3/4 hours), its numbers are agreeably entertaining, but hardly memorable. Robert L. Freedman & Steven Lutvak’s lyrics are well-crafted but all of Lutvak’s tunes have the same feel from the era of Gilbert and Sullivan to slightly thereafter, accomplished, yes, but none that raise the show’s temperature.

Freedman’s book serves the proceedings well enough but would’ve benefitted from an infusion of Oscar Wildean wit.

Graham tosses off his patter songs with aplomb and certainly differentiates his alternately snarly and simpering characters, but occasionally overdoes the shtik and falls into caricature; he’s arguably best at his most restrained as the one sympathetic D’Ysquith.

Monty has two women in his life, the fickle Sibella (Sarah Carlton), who’s terribly fond of Monty but expects her men to have money, and Phoebe D’Ysquith (Rachel Looney), a distant cousin.

Both Carlton and Looney sing beautifully but don’t completely fill out their roles the way their Broadway counterparts did. Carlton, who made a devilishly conniving Milady in The NOLA Project’s Three Musketeers last spring, lacks that touch of playfulness to lead Monty on, as well as the beguilingly throaty voice of the divine Joan Greenwood, the Sibella on screen. Looney, lovely in New Orleans Opera’s Pygmalion earlier this season, makes Phoebe nice rather than the brainy nerd that allowed for a pleasingly atypical love interest. As a result, not all that much differentiates Phoebe and Sibella here.

The surprise of this production, however, is the Monty of Kevin Murphy. In New York, he seemed timid by nature, a kinda wallflower in the first act before turning into a cad in Act Two, leaving not much of an impression. Looking slightly Mephistophelian, Murphy rises to the challenge from the get-go, a full player as he tries to manipulate fate. Add to this, a fine tenor, crisp comic timing, immaculate diction and sly charm, and Murphy outshines his Tony-nominated peer.

The four leads are backed by a topnotch ensemble (Marie Becnel, Tracey Collins, Matt Reed, Adam Segrave, Bryce Slocumb and Maggie Windler) who excellently bring to life an assortment of upper and lower crust types.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder may never rank up there with such other Tony winners as Rent, A Chorus Line, Fiddler on the Roof or Guys and Dolls, but if you’re in search

The cast of Les Miserables of some pure, escapist entertainment, a few hours at Le Petit won’t kill you.

In fact, if you can avoid odious comparisons, unlike yours truly, you might actually love this Guide.

Les Misérables/The Book of Mormon at the Saenger Theatre You’ve read Victor Hugo’s book (maybe). You’ve seen the original production (probably). You saw the movie (most likely). You might even have seen a local production. Or two. Why then should you see another version of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s mega-hit Les Misérables?

Because the touring version, based on the 2014 revival and recently seen at the Saenger, est magnifique.

If you’re reading this column, I’m going to assume you have some familiarity with the fifth longest-running Broadway show of all time. The current rendering, directed with flair by Laurence Connor and James Powell, dispenses with the endlessly-revolving turntable set and hews more closely to the film.

From the spectacular opening number to the shmaltzy ending (hey, after three hours of mostly avoiding sentimentality, they’ve earned it), this Miz delivers epic scope that allows room for small as well as big moments.

The physical production, particularly Paule Constable’s lighting, is gorgeous. If the typically affecting death of the urchin Gavroche got lost (or, perhaps, was omitted), then the terrifically staged death of Javert (no spoilers here) makes up for it.

And I had forgotten just how jampacked the score is with memorable, hummable tunes (I Dreamed a Dream, One Day More, On My Own, Drink with Me, Do You Hear The People Sing, At the End of the Day and the ever-fabulous Master of the House), the way a

musical should be.

A fine Nick Cartell led the superb cast as the uber-decent Jean Valjean.

Other stand-outs included Mary Kate Moore (pitiful as the doomed Fantine), J. Anthony Crane (appropriately oily as Thénardier), Joshua Grosso (cute and charming as Marius), Matt Shingledecker (though his blondish mane made him look more like Fabio than Enjolras), and, first among equals,

Allison Guinn who found new ways to make Madame Thénardier so deliciously beastly.

It’s sometimes a cliche to say that a masterpiece like this, and I’m referring to the novel as well as the musical, is “timeless.” As I sat in the Saenger, though, and watched the student protesters man the barricades, I couldn’t help but think of the yellow vests then demonstrating in Paris. The “song of

www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 27

angry men” is still being sung.

Though Les Miz has moved on from NOLA, it’ll be coming to Miami, Atlanta, Jackson, Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago, among other stops, in the next 9 months. In the name of liberte, egalite, fraternite and musical comedie, go!

Returning to the Saenger February 5-10, will be Tony-winner The Book of Mormon, the smash hit about Mormon missionaries in Africa by South Park’s Trey Parker & Matt Stone and Avenue Q/Frozen’s Robert Lopez. Its humor tends to elude me until midway through the second act, but after that point I find myself laughing unconditionedly.

And timeless or not, March 24 will mark this loony musical’s eighth anniversary on Broadway.

Rock of Ages at the Mahalia Jackson Theater

I arrived at the Mahalia Jackson Theater to find that my seat for Rock of Ages was in the second row, right in front of the speakers. As the show

began and the sound blasted, I moved further back in the house to protect my hearing...and wound up enjoying this unchallenging and fun show.

Using rock hits from the 1980s, Ages tells of love and loss and dreams of that era in L.A. It’s pretty simple stuff with silly villains and jokes of the “That song is no Andrew Lloyd Sondheim” variety. The biggest applause of the entire production came for a veeeerrrrryyyy long-held note. I just wish there had been more truly witty humor like Act One’s faux finale.

Capably directed by Martha Banta, the entire cast, especially John-Michael Breen, as an intensely sassy interlocutor, and Sam Harvey, as a heading-over-the-hill rock star, gave it their all. I trust they’ll all go on to better things.

While seeing Rock of Ages didn’t change my life, it proved better than expected and with its underlying good-natured vibe, I finally understood, almost, why this jukebox musical ran as long as it did, nearly six years, on Broadway. In fact, compared to last year’s Escape To Margaritaville,

Rock of Ages managed to be a veritable My Fair Lady.

Going from the ridiculous to the sublime, next up at the Mahalia Jackson is New Orleans Opera’s production of The Abduction from the Seraglio on February 8 and 10. Director Alison Moritz, who inventively staged last year’s Orpheus in the Underworld, has reset Mozart’s comic opera in a 1940s nightclub, The Seraglio, allowing for a film noir approach to a plot full of disguises, misplaced ladders, and wine laced with sleeping potions.

Sounds just right for Carnival season.

Curtain Up

After his wowza of a Wiz last year at Delgado, I’m looking forward to Christopher Bentivegna’s production of Dreamgirls for Jefferson Performing Arts Society in Metairie (6400 Airline Drive) running February 8-24. Unlike Effie, I am telling you I’m definitely going.

Based on early 20th century immigration policies, Seeking Asylum takes place in the future world of 2040, but explores the issue of seeking asy-

lum in today’s United States. This oneact, two character, audience interactive play by Mari Kornhauser runs Feb. 7-10 at Art Klub (1941 Arts St.).

The first ever Night of 1000 Stevies New Orleans arrives on February 8 at One Eyed Jacks (615 Toulouse St.). Neither a contest nor a karaoke show, NOTS promises the ultimate Stevie Nicks celebration, a profusion of shawls, lace, baby’s breath, twirling, tambourines and performances by not only veterans of the long-running NYC edition, now approaching its 30th year, but such local and regional luminaries as Dede Onassis, Cherry Brown, Rise Dupree from Houston, and Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears.

The show will climax with the iconic “Battle of A Thousand Stevies” and tambourines will be tossed to the audience throughout the night. Stand Back from NOTS? I should say not!

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

FINANCIAL & BUSINESS Tax Reform Changes That May Impact Your Small Business Scot I. Billeaudeau, JD, LL.M. ADPA® s.billeaudeau@ampf.com For small business owners, managing the bottom line of their company is often a top priority. If you operate a business of any kind, it’s important to understand the impact of the tax law changes that took effect in 2018 and how they may affect your business.

Here are some of the basics.

Lower corporate tax rate and new pass-through provisions There is a new 21 percent flat tax rate on net income for C Corporations.

For smaller businesses this could have a negative impact, as under previous law, up to $50,000 was taxed at 15 percent. However, for companies with larger profits, this likely represents a tax cut from the previous highest rate of 35 percent.

The law is more complex, but potentially more favorable, for passthrough entities such as S Corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies (LLCs). You may be able to deduct up to 20 percent of qualifying income from these entities before determining your personal tax bill. However, several limitations apply, so it is vital that you work with a tax professional who fully understands all the rules related to this provision to make sure you are properly reporting your earnings.

Immediate write-off of purchased assets Businesses can now immediately deduct the entire cost of qualifying assets, which covers a wide range of tangible personal property your business may acquire and place in service — except land, buildings and certain longer-lived property. This provision is retroactive to September 27, 2017. It applies to purchases of new and used depreciable assets with lives of 20 years or less. There is no limit on the total amount that can be expensed in a year. This can be a major near-term tax advantage compared to waiting for the value of assets to depreciate over a period of years.

Vehicle tax deductions If you buy a new or pre-owned “heavy” SUV, pickup, or van (over 6,000 pounds) this year and put it to use in your business, you are potentially eligible for 100 percent first-year bonus depreciation. That means you can write off the entire business portion of the cost on this year’s tax return. The only requirement is that you must use the vehicle over 50 percent for business. If business usage is between 51 percent and 99 percent, you can deduct that percentage of the cost.

Depreciation is capped at $18,000 for

the first year that the vehicle is in service, $16,000 in year two and $9,600 in year three. After that, you can depreciate the cost in increments of $5,760 per year. This write-off will reduce your federal income tax bill and self-employment tax bill, if applicable.

Family Paid Leave credit If your firm offers paid family or medical leave to employees, a temporary credit may be available for 2018 and 2019. The credit is between 12.5 and 25 percent of the wages paid to the employee during the period of the leave, if these leave wages are at least 50 percent of the employee’s normal wages. Check with your tax professional for the specifics on how the law may apply to your business.

Less favorable changes As with any comprehensive law enacted, some changes may not be to your benefit and could increase your taxes. For example: You can no longer write off business entertainment expenses, such as golf course fees and tickets for shows or sporting events, even if you are entertaining clients.

You cannot deduct the cost of transportation-related benefits for employees, such as bus passes or park-

ing reimbursement.

Net operating loss deductions are limited to 80 percent of taxable income in a future year. The remainder carries forward, with no ability to carryback losses to previous years.

Business losses claimed on an individual return are capped at $500,000 for a married couple and $250,000 for a single tax filer. Any excess losses over that amount can be carried forward.

Look for professional guidance Consult with your tax professional to understand the impact of these new laws as you assess key business decisions. It is also valuable to work with your financial advisor to determine how the new tax laws may affect your personal financial plan.

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.

28 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Lords of Leather PHOTOS OF LORDS OF LEATHER ROYALTY PARTY | PHOTOS BY AMBUSH PUBLISHING

ANNOUNCEMENT

Lords of Leather Present “Soup & Salad Sunday” The Lords of Leather will host their 2nd annual “A Taste of Homemade Soup & Salad Sunday” - a festival competition of soups, salads, breads and desserts on Sunday 2/10. Teams of Krewe members will offer up a “veritable plethora of palate pleasure” from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm at GrandPre’s 834 North Rampart.

Stay out of the kitchen, enjoy the weekend and let the Lords cook for

you!

All the soup, salad, desserts you can eat can be yours for just $15, get your advance tickets from any Krewe member, GrandPre bartender or order online at ticketleap.com (search for Lords of Leather). Tickets will be $20 at the door.

Winners will be chosen by ticketed patron voting.

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SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at the Bourbon Pub & Parade FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT SHOWS | PHOTOS BY AMBUSH PUBLISHING

30 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at the Bourbon Pub & Parade FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT SHOWS | PHOTOS BY AMBUSH PUBLISHING

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LGBT Owned & Friendly Business Directory

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Job Opportunities Ambush Magazine is growing!

Freelance & Contributing Writers Wanted

We want to hear from you if you are a working or aspiring journalist interested in covering topics meaningful to the LGBTQ community.

Snap Paparazzi Photographer Wanted

Do you frequent the LGBTQ bars and events? We want to hear from you if you are interested in regularly covering the bars and events.

If you are interested, please email your resume, cover letter, and portfolio to info@ambushpublishing.com

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CORNER POCKET, 940 St. Louis, 568.9829, CornerPocket.NET COUNTRY CLUB, 634 Louisa St., TheCountryClubNewOrleans.COM, 945.0742 CUTTER’S, 706 Franklin, 948.4200 CROSSING (formerly THE DOUBLE PLAY), 439 Dauphine, 523.4517 THE FRIENDLY BAR, 2301 Chartres, 943.8929 GOLDEN LANTERN, 1239 Royal, 529.2860, Facebook.COM/GoldenLanternBar Good Friends Bar, 740 Dauphine St, 566.7191, GoodFriendsBar.COM. Designed for a casual night out or a quiet evening with that special someone, we offer a wide selection of liquor, beer, and the world renowned Separator.

GRANDPRE’S, 834 N. Rampart St., 267.3615, Facebook.com/grandpres KAJUN’S PUB, 2256 St. Claude Ave., 947.3735, KajunPub.COM MAG’S 940, 940 Elysian Fields Ave., 948.1888 NAPOLEON’S ITCH, 734 Bourbon St., 237-4144 OZ NEW ORLEANS, 800 Bourbon, 593.9491, OzNewOrleans. COM THE PAGE, 542 N. Rampart St., 875.4976 PHOENIX/EAGLE, 941 Elysian Fields, 945.9264, www.phoenixbarnola.com Rawhide 2010, 740 Burgundy St., 525.8106, Rawhide2010.COM. Leather, Dark Rooms, & Bears All Around. You can feel the throb of excitement and smell it in the air. This isn’t just a bar. This is an experience!

TROPICAL ISLE: Home of the Hand Grenade, 721 Bourbon St., 529.4109, TropicalIsle.COM VALIANT THEATRE AND LOUNGE, 6621 St. Claude Ave., Arabi, LA, 504.900.1743 Slidell, LA [985] BILLY’S, 2600 Hwy. 190 West, 847.1921

Biloxi, MS [228] CLUB VEAUX, 834 Howard Ave., 207.3271

bookstores

New Orleans, LA [504] FAB - Faubourg Marigny Art & Books, 600 Frenchmen St., 947.3700

circuit/events

Easter Sunday, April 11, 2018, 19th Official Gay Easter Parade, New Orleans, sponsored by Ambush, GayEasterParade. com

costumes

New Orleans, LA [504] QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633

galleries

New Orleans, LA [504] CASSELL-BERGEN GALLERY, 1305 Decatur St., cassellbergengallery.com, 504.524.0671

guides

AMBUSH Mag, 828-A Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70116-3137; 504.522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; marsha@ripandmarsha.com

groceries/delis

New Orleans, LA [504] QUARTERMASTER DELI, THE NELLIE DELI, 1100 Bourbon, 529.1416

hair salons

New Orleans, LA [504] Two Guys Cutting Hair, 2372 St. Claude Ave., Suite 125, appointments: Adikus 215.519.5030, Trent 504.239.2397

hardware

New Orleans, LA [504] MARY’S FRENCH QUARTER HARDWARE, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465. More than just a hardware store, Mary’s Ace French Quarter Hardware also features an extensive selection of kitchen and bath items upstairs.

accommodations

New Orleans [504] AARON INGRAM HAUS, 1012 Elysian Fields, New Orleans, LA 70117, PHONE: 504.949.3110, www.ingramhaus.com/xqey, e-mail us at ingramhaus@yahoo.com.

Condos with queen-size beds, private entrances; located only six blocks from Bourbon Street and walking distance to most New Orleans attractions. Several favorite bars are within one block. [0118] BLUES60 GUEST HOUSE, 1008 Elysian Fields Ave. New Orleans, LA 70117, Phone: 1.504.324.4311, www.blues60guesthouse.com, info@blues60guesthouse.com. The Blue60 Guest House with 5 suites provides a peaceful retreat in the center of the Faubourg Marigny, just blocks from the French Quarter and Frenchman St. [1115] BURGUNDY BED AND BREAKFAST, 2513 Burgundy St., New Orleans, LA 70117, PHONE/FAX: 504.942.1463, Toll Free (Continental US only): 1.800.970.2153, www.theburgundy.com, E-mail us at theburgundy@cox.net. Gay owned and operated in newly renovated 1890’s double. Four guest rooms with private baths, guests’ parlor and “half-kitchen”, courtyard and half-open tubhouse with spa (hot tub/ whirlpool). Clothing optional in sunbathing and hot tub area. Walking distance to French Quarter. Immediate vicinity of gay and lesbian bars/venues. [0815] The french quarter guest houses, 1005

32 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

St. Peter, New Orleans, LA 70116, Phone: 1.800.367.5858, FrenchQuarterGuestHouses.com, email: Info@frenchquarterguesthouses.com. Four meticulously restored boutique inns located in the heart of the French Quarter’s most popular LGBT neighborhood. Each building’s individual character and charm provides an unforgettable authentic French Quarter experience!

media

New Orleans, LA [504] AMBUSH Mag, Official Gay Easter Parade Guide, Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide, Official Gay New Orleans Guide, Official Gulf South Guide, Official Pride Guide, Official Southern Decadence Guide, P.O. Box 2587, LaPlace, LA 70069, 522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; email: info@ambushpublishing.com

organizations

FOOD FOR FRIENDS, 504.821.2601 ext. 254 FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE MARDI GRAS (FNBMG), 504.319.8261, www.fridaynightbeforemardigras.com GAY APPRECIATION AWARDS, 828A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049; AmbushMag.COM/GAA GAY EASTER PARADE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, info@ gayeasterparade.com, GayEasterParade.

COM GAY MARDI GRAS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayMardiGras.COM GAY NEW ORLEANS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayNewOrleans.COM HAART (HIV/AIDS Alliance Region Two, Inc.), 4550 North Blvd. Ste. 250, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, 225.927.1269, www. haartinc.org, offers a complete continuum of care to people living with HIV/AIDS including housing, primary care, medications, case management, and an array of supportive services. In addition HAART provides HIV prevention education and FREE testing to the Baton Rouge area.

HALLOWEEN IN NEW ORLEANS, INC., PO Box 52171, 70152-2171; HalloweenNewOrleans.COM KREWE OF AMON-RA, PO Box 7033, Metairie, LA 70010, KreweOfAmonRa. COM KREWE OF ARMEINIUS, 433 N Broad St, New Orleans, LA 70119, www. armeinius.org KREWE OF MWINDO, PO Box 51031, 70156; 913.5791, KreweOfMwindo.ORG, krewe@kreweofmwindo.org KREWE OF NARCISSUS, PO Box 3832, New Orleans, LA 70177. Contact: 504.228.9441 KREWE OF PETRONIUS, PO Box 1102, Kenner, LA. 70063-1102, www. kreweofpetroius.net KREWE OF QUEENATEENAS / KING CAKE QUEEN ROYALTY CLUB, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, Gay-

MardiGras.COM/KCQ LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, 1308 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116, 504.475.7911, www.lgbtarchivesla.org MYSTIC KREWE OF LORDS OF LEATHER, 1000 Bourbon St #B415, New Orleans, LA 70116, www.lordsofleather.org MYSTIC KREWE OF SATYRICON, 2443 Halsey Ave., New Orleans, LA 70114, 504.906.7990 Todd J. Blauvelt / Secretary, krewe.of.satyricon@gmail.com, MysticKreweOfSatyricon.COM NO/AIDS TASK FORCE, 2601 Tulane Ave., Suite 500, 70119; 504.821.2601; NOAIDSTaskForce.COM NEW ORLEANS PRIDE, info@neworleanspridefestival.com; 504.321.6006; NewOrleansPrideFestival.COM; NOLAPride.

ORG; New Orleans Pride fully embraces the message of “One CommUNITY” as we celebrate our history and promote the future prosperity of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region. We use public awareness and education about the LGBT+ community as a way to combat “phobias” and discrimination. Our programs, seminars and events leading up to, and during Pride weekend, are meant to include individuals from all walks of life.

RENEGADE BEARS OF LOUISIANA, PO Box 3083, New Orleans, LA 70177; renegadebearsoflouisiana@gmail.com SOUTHERN DECADENCE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, SouthernDecadence.COM ST. ANNA’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1313 Esplanade Avenue New Orleans, LA 70116 504.947.2121, stannanola.org Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans (MCCNO), 5401 S. Claiborne Ave — Pastor Alisan Rowland: New Orleans first LGBTQ church welcomes you to join us for our weekly Sunday worship services at 10:00 AM, where we celebrate God’s Love for everyone.

pharmacy

Mumfrey’s Pharmacy, 1021 W. Judge Perez Dr., Chalmette, LA 70043, 504.279.6312, www.MumfreysPharmacy.COM. Supporting & serving the LGBT Community for over 20 years. Local pharmacy offering personalized family-like service, automatic refills & free metro wide confidential pickup & delivery. Also offering shipping for out-side our delivery area.

When you call us you speak to a person, not a machine. See our ad.

photography

New Orleans, LA [504] GRAHAM/STUDIO ONE NEW ORLEANS, by appointment, grahamstudioone. com

restaurants

Metairie, LA [504] Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop & Pub, 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., 835.2022, GumboStop.com

New Orleans, LA [504] The Bombay Club, 830 Rue Conti, 577.2237, www.bombayclubneworleans. com Broussard’s Restaurant & Courtyard, 819 Rue Conti, 581.3866, http://broussards.com Cafe Sbisa, 1011 Decatur St., 522.5565, www.cafesbisanola.com Cheezy Cajun, 3325 St. Claude Ave., 265.0045, www.TheCheezyCajun.com Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St., 598.1010, www.CloverGrill.com. Since 1939, our quirky, cozy, unique diner has been home to the best breakfasts & burgers on Bourbon Street–maybe even the whole French Quarter!

Country Club Restaurant, 634 Louisa St., www.TheCountryClubNewOrleans. com, 945.0742 Gene’s Po-Boys & Daquiris, 1040 Elysian Fields Ave., 943.3861, www.genespoboys.com Ilys Bistro, 1040 Elysian Fields Ave., 947.8341, www.Facebook.com/ILYSBistro Kingfish Kitchen & Cocktails, 337 Chartres St. 598.5005, www.KinfishNewOrleans.com Louisiana Pizza Kitchen Uptown, 615 S Carrollton Ave, 866-5900, www.louisianapizzakitchenuptown.com Mona Lisa Restaurant, 1212 Royal St., 522.6746 Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro, 720 Orleans, 523.1930, www.OrleansGrapevine.com Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli, 1100 Bourbon St. , 529.1416, www.QuartermasterDeli.net Royal House Oyster Bar, 441 Royal St., 528.2601, www.RoyalHouseRestaurant.com

real estate

New Orleans, LA [504] Engel & Völkers New Orleans, Michael Styles, Realtor — Michael specializes in helping first-time homebuyers and real estate investors find the perfect New Orleans properties. 504.777.1773, NolaStyles.com Latter & Blum, Steven Richards Realtor, 504.258.1800, SteveRichardsProperties.com

retail/shopping

New Orleans, LA [504] BOURBON PRIDE, 909 Bourbon, 566.1570 COK (Clothing or Kinkl), 941 Elysian Fields, 945.9264 MARY’S FRENCH QUARTER KITCHEN & BATH, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465 QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633 XXXSHOP, 1835 N. Rampart St., 504.232.3063

services

New Orleans, LA [504] Formal Connection, 299 Belle Terre Blvd. LaPlace, LA, 985.652.1195

theatres

New Orleans, LA [504] CAFE ISTANBUL, 2372 St. Claude Ave., #140, 504.974.0786, CafeIstanbulNOLA.COM

tours

New Orleans, LA [504] Gay New Orleans Walking Tour, Crescent City Tour Booking Agency, (LGBT Business of the Year) 638 St. Ann St., 568.0717. follow Gay New Orleans Walking Tour @ Facebook.COM

LGBT+ Archives Project OF LOUISIANA

Getting Our History Out of the Closet www.lgbtarchiveslouisiana.org

FINAL - Ambush ad - 5 x 2.9375.indd 1

GENE’S PO BOYS & ILY’S BISTRO 1040 ELYSIAN FIELDS AVE. NEW ORLEANS, LA 70117

GENE’S: 504-943-3861 ILY’S: 504-947-8341

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www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com 33 Untitled-6 1 6/1/18 12:49·PM

A COMMUNITY WITHIN COMMUNITIES

ACT

The Very Rev. Bill Terry+ fr.bill@stannanola.org It is the season of king cakes, bals masqués, and all things glittery.

It is also a day that we have started to secularize too much.

It is Martin Luther King Day. When I was last in D.C., I went to see the King stone monument. I was moved and impressed. He was an amazing figure and I remember him well from my childhood.

I remember the things said about him in my very white community. Most of the community that I was raised in did not care much for Dr. King. I was in Robert E. Lee Grammar School and we certainly were taught to revere old “Bobby Lee” and his horse Traveler.

But Dr. King. He just “stirred things up.” My parents were pretty agnostic when it came to civil rights. They had no axes to grind with our “colored” neighbors. They were from the north.

Yet, that guy just “stirred things up.”

I was a freshman in high school at Fortier when Dr. King was brutally shot down in 1968. I don’t recall anything of that day. I was in the first integrated graduating class at Fortier. It was a most excellent class with many of its members becoming quite successful in our community and beyond. Yet I don’t remember any conversations or demonstrations coming out of my class. Interesting. Dr. King left us with some unparalleled words. His Letters from a Birmingham Jail, his I Have

a Dream speech now American pillars of justice.

Yet, as time went on, we began to focus on his imperfections. We live in the south after all. It came to light that he had a mistress or so I was told. It came to light that Bayard Ruston, Dr. King’s right hand, was gay and was told to keep it in the closet. I even remember a sign in a truck stop in Mississippi promoting the fact the Dr. King was trained in Cuba to be a Commie spy. I think, as a Southerner by birth, that we (or many of us) tried to defame Dr. King.

While Dr. King may have several footnotes, his legacy cannot be diminished by marching bands and pretentious speeches on the one hand nor lingering critiques of his persona.

King was and remains a monument to non-violent resistance and to social justice. I would imagine that had he lived his life to its fullest measure that he would today stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.

Another victim of horrid violence, John Kennedy, said, “The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.”

In a similar voice Dr. Kings said, “They (white supporters) have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.”

Recently a old man, of whom I have

written before, came to our church door asking for support. This man is a living legend at least for me.

His name is Jerome Smith. He was an organizer back in the day. He spent time in McCall County Mississippi, doing voter registration work. He helped the Freedom Schools and really did march with Dr. King. He sat at lunch counters along Canal Street when people of color were not permitted to sit with white folk at a drug store counter.

Jerome’s thoughts about this King Day celebration was to encourage folks to do something not as a token but as an act of peaceful resistance--voter registration drives. He is tired of the accolades and sound bites of Martin Luther King Day. He seeks to encourage us to act in Dr. King’s name, not complacently to simply lay a wreath and make some speeches.

I agree with Jerome.

I agree with Jerome because I believe like King and Kennedy we are all linked. In some of our faith traditions we call this “The Beloved Community.”

This is a community that has the potential to meet all persons on their own terms. It is a community that embraces non-violence as normative. It is a community that offers what it has to those that have not. It is a vision of a community that becomes a part of the larger whole and in our wholeness we find our humanity again. We can choose to

be bitter or we can choose to have the courage to act with integrity.

If Dr. King means anything to you, act. If Harvey Milk means anything to you, act. If Bayard Ruston means anything to, act. If Marcy Marcell means anything to, act. If Rip and Marsha and what they did for the community means anything to you, act. If the work of Charlene Schneider, who opened Charlene’s Bar after she was arrested for “lewd behavior” causing her to lose her high security clearance and ultimately her job, means anything to you, act.

Acting is what the Beloved Community does. It acts against bigotry wheresoever it is found. It acts against hatred and violence wheresoever it is found. It acts for the common good of all of God’s creation manifested in our individual identities and manifested in nature. We are the Beloved Community because we have the capacity to love without labels. This community learned long ago to simply love.

Thank you Dr. King, Mr. Ruston, Mr. Milk, Charlene, President Kennedy, Marcy Marcell, Rip and Marsha.

Thank you to a new generation of militant queers that stand up and are noticed. Thanks to all of the quiet men and women that have gotten married these past few years because they are who they are without apology. Act.

ANNOUNCEMENT Artist Ryan Leitner Exhibit Premiers in New Orleans Familiar Cast, a new exhibition

by Ryan Leitner, will open at Art Klub NOLA on February 2 and run through March 1. An opening reception for the exhibit will take place February 2 from 2:00 to 5:00pm. Art Klub NOLA is located at 1941 Arts Street in the St. Roch area of the Marigny.

For Leitner’s local solo show debut, the queer body takes center stage in the most common of places. Whether presenting themselves as visibly queer or not, Leitner looks into how his

figures assert themselves within different spaces. From scenes of a soldier at boot camp to a customer ordering at a bakery, these continue to be battlegrounds for people within the LGBTQ community. Showing these spaces and the queer body as they are shouldn’t be intriguing or political, but they continue to be. In this series, Leitner wanted to see why.

With an instinctual approach, Leitner creates his images through a amalgamation of disparate materials and

techniques. Incorporating the practices of water marbling and tie-dye, as well as thermal transfer photography, his paintings become a woven mixture of textures and colors that span many different media. Much like his nomadic background, Leitner looks to give a quilted and entangled quality to his figures.

Since receiving his MFA from The Museum School at Tufts University in 2016, Leitner has received installation commissions from such organizations

as the Plumbing Museum in Watertown, MA, and has exhibited in solo and group shows nationally. In March 2018, he had his second solo show in Boston at AREA Gallery before curating an LGBTQ archives exhibition at Northeastern University in June. Having moved from Boston to NOLA last year, Leitner is currently in residence at Art Klub as well as working on a fellowship that will bring him to Germany and the UK in the spring.

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SNAP PAPARAZZI Oz New Orleans PHOTOS BY DWAIN HERTZ AND ANDREW HOPKINS #OZNEWORLEANS & SUBMITTED BY PERSANA SHOULDERS

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ADDRESS 800 Bourbon Street New Orleans, LA Phone: (504) 593-9491 www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · 35

COMMENTARY “Sgt. Pepper, Donald Trump, and the Romantic Poets” Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com On the evening Trump gave his “border crisis” speech on national television, someone texted me to ask if I was watching it. No, I replied.

I had considered watching it, but that night I needed to relax. And I was just not in the mood for lies and ugliness. No, what I needed that night was truth and beauty. Instead of watching and listening to a man who epitomizes the worst of humanity, I chose to go in the opposite direction. I ate a gummy bear and cranked up the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, perhaps the best rock-n-roll album ever recorded—profound, operatic, psychedelic—in short, truth and beauty.

With a Little Help from My Friends prompted me to think of all the people that have drifted in and out of my life— the friends for a season, as well as the lifetime ones. And the ones who have passed over, so many in the last few years. And I thought of Dr. John Meyers, whose funeral I attended the next day. John was one of the bartenders who opened the Bourbon Pub back in

the 1970s. Ten years ago he became a close friend and really helped me through a rough patch. That made me think of loyalty. That’s the quality of friendship I value most.

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds made me think of the 19th century Romantic poets. As a former English professor, I used to love lecturing on Romanticism’s belief that psychotropic drugs were a valid means of accessing reality, that logic and reason were not the only ways to arrive at the truth. I thought of Keats, who wrote, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” And then my mind wandered to Tennyson, who profoundly observed, “I am a part of all that I have met.” Friendship again.

Getting Better, Fixing a Hole, She’s Leaving Home all struck chords of hopefulness and perspective and a desire to be a better person. For the Benefit of Mr. Kite, with its surreal carnival-like, ethereal quality made me think what a wonderfully strange and magical place New Orleans is and how

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grateful I am to live in the sacred enclave called the French Quarter.

Gratitude washed over me again with When I’m 64, a song about aging, love, and generosity. I was grateful to have someone to grow old with.

The remaining songs—Lovely Rita, Good Morning Good Morning, and A Day in the Life—are all about the tasks and responsibilities of daily life.

For me, these songs brought me back down to earth and shifted my focus from abstract notions of friendship and loyalty, gratitude and hope, open-mindedness and perspective to feeding the dogs, preparing taxes, running errands, and paying bills.

Paying bills. That resonated and my brief escape from the political twilight zone we find ourselves in was over.

Back in reality, I considered the thousands of Federal workers who are not getting paid because of the government shutdown. I considered all the children still separated from their parents because of cruel immigration

policies. Lives shattered because of the selfishness and stupidity of Donald Trump. Sad. Quiet desperation began to consume me as I then considered all my trans friends who feel belittled and insignificant by the current administration. I considered the Me Too movement and all the women whose voices the Republican Party consistently ignores.

I considered all the people whose lives have been negatively impacted

by Trump & Co.—so many ordinary lives led by good and decent people, lives that have been devalued by the selfishness of Donald Trump—a pathetic excuse of a human who knows absolutely nothing of friendship, loyalty, or, gratitude.

Appropriately, Queen and David Bowie’s Under Pressure popped up next on my playlist. 2020.

Keith Johnson named Baby Cakes manager Dave Sachs, Crescent City Sports Keith Johnson will take over in the Powell returns to New Orleans for New Orleans Baby Cakes’ dugout for his second season as pitching coach the 2019 season as the 16th manager and his eighth season in the Marlins in franchise history. He will be joined system. He previously had two-year on the coaching staff by pitching coach stints at Single-A Advanced Jupiter, Jeremy Powell, hitting coach Justin where his 2017 pitching staff ranked Mashore, defensive coach Chris Brisecond in the Florida State League ones, athletic trainer Greg Harrel, and in ERA and shutouts, as well as Sinstrength and conditioning coach Robgle-A Greensboro and the Gulf Coast ert Reichert.

League rookie-level affiliate after makJohnson has accumulated 679 caing his coaching debut in 2010 in the reer wins as a manager, two-thirds of Arizona Diamondbacks organization. which have come at the Triple-A level Selected by the Montreal Expos in the in seven seasons at the helm of the fourth round in 1994, Powell pitched in Salt Lake Bees. Johnson debuted as a parts of three seasons (1998-2000) in manager in 2008, the first of three seaMontreal before playing in Japan for sons managing at the Single-A level in Nippon Professional Baseball from the Angels organization, culminating 2001-08, where he recorded four seain a California League Championship sons with at least 10 victories.

Series appearance with Rancho CuMashore comes to the Marlins afcamonga in 2010. The 2013 Pacific ter seven seasons in the Texas RangCoast League Manager of the Year, ers organization, the last three of which Johnson compiled a 468-504 record were spent as the major league assisas the Bees manager and was just tant hitting coach. After four years in the three wins shy of equaling Phil Roof’s minors, including 2014-15 at Triple-A franchise mark for managerial victories with Round Rock, Mashore helped the when he was promoted to the Angels’ 2015 Rangers become the first team major league staff last August. A fourth in MLB history to have nine players hit round selection by the Dodgers in the at least 17 home runs. He started his 1992 draft, Johnson spent the final two coaching career in 2003 in the Toronto seasons of his 12-year playing career Blue Jays system following an 11-year in Salt Lake, having reached the maplaying career, which began in 1991 jors with the Anaheim Angels in 2000. when he was a third round draft pick of

36 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South: www.AmbushMag.com · January 29 – February 11, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide · www.SouthernDecadence.com

the Detroit Tigers.

Briones also joins the Marlins from the Texas Rangers, with whom he was the system’s catching coordinator for the last four years. Briones originally joined the Rangers in 2012, serving for three seasons on the club’s professional scouting staff, and began his coaching career in 2007 as a hitting coach in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. A member of the Univer-

sity of Oklahoma’s national championship team in 1994, Briones was a 26th round draft choice of the Rangers in 1995 and played four seasons in the minors as a catcher.

In his second stint in the Marlins organization, Harrel is back for his third season in New Orleans following 10 years in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the last two of which were spent with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He

was on the Dodgers’ major league training staff from 2012-13, and previously worked as the Marlins’ Triple-A athletic trainer in Albuquerque in 2004.

Reichert has served as a strength and conditioning coach in the Marlins organization since 2012 after receiving a kinesiology degree from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and was with Double-A Jacksonville in 2016-17 before joining the Baby Cakes’ staff last

year.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

This article was originally published

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

Lisa Stockton honored for 25 years at Tulane in Friday night ceremony NEW ORLEANS – Surrounded by more than 100 people whose lives she has touched in her 25 years as Tulane’s women’s basketball coach, Lisa Stockton was honored at the Jill H. and Avram A. Glazer Family Club on Friday night.

The celebration was held to commemorate Stockton’s 25th season leading the Green Wave, and it comes during the same season she reached 500 career victories at Tulane. In her quarter century with the team, Stockton has taken Tulane to 11 NCAA tournaments and seven WNIT appearances while winning six conference regular-season and tournament championships.

But more than those milestones, Stockton said it was the lives she has touched, the people who have supported her and the student-athletes she has mentored who have meant the most to her.

“When you say that I’ve influenced your lives, you’ve really influenced mine,” Stockton said. “To coach and do

Evan Drexler, Crescent City Sports something you really love and be able reer at Tulane. to go out there every day, it’s a dream “In so many ways, Lisa has been come true. the model of what we’re trying to do in “Thank you for tonight. This is very my three and a half years here at Tuhumbling, and I am very grateful to still lane,” Dannen said. be here. I promise you this: The best is Also speaking to the attendees yet to come.” were current Penn State Director of The Green Wave’s current seAthletics Sandy Barbour, who was an nior class presented Stockton with a associate athletic director at Tulane in handmade mirror with the number “25” the 1990s and was greatly responsicarved out of wood in front of the glass. ble for hiring Stockton. Rick Dickson, On the “25,” the players wrote 25 words Tulane’s Director of Athletics during that described Coach Stockton. a majority of Stockton’s time with the Stockton was also given a Tulane Green Wave and former point guard necklace by Ben Weiner Director of and assistant coach Christy ThomasAthletics Chair Troy Dannen and Depkutty spoke as well. uty Athletics Director Mónica Lebrón.

“When you hire people, it’s all Terry Werntz, Director of Basketball about fit,” Barbour said. “Lisa Stockton Operations Lindsay Werntz’s father, fit Tulane. Lisa Stockton fit the kind of also painted a still photo of a locker success that we wanted to have and room session from earlier this season the kind of young people that we wantwith Stockton at a whiteboard giving ed to bring here.” players information on an opponent.

“I think of the times we went Speaking on the stage to honor through and the adversity we faced Stockton were current and former playalong the way, and in times like that you ers, coaches and administrators who always turn to people who are dependall played large roles in Stockton’s caable,” Dickson said. “For me, that’s

who Lisa is. It goes way beyond being a women’s basketball coach. The success she’s achieved here is great, but it only tells a small part of the story. I look around the room tonight, and all the young women that she helped develop and nurture and put on a path to success, to me that’s the legacy.”

Stockton and the Green Wave will continue the #LockedInForStockton weekend on Saturday when the team takes on Wichita State at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse at 2 p.m. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free Lisa Stockton pint glass. Alumni will be recognized at halftime, and Stockton will be honored with a game ball commemorating her 500th win with the Green Wave right before tipoff.

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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2018 Saints must be remembered for more than “the call” Les East, Crescent City Sports most for its body of work. who doesn’t choose an adjective such If the 2019 Saints are as adept as as that cavalierly after enduring the the 2018 team was at putting behind death of his infant daughter during this it the devastating manner in which its season. previous season ended and dedicating “But you can’t let it break you,” itself to achieving greater heights, then Bushrod said. next year’s team might well wind up in He added that he needs time away the Super Bowl. from football to talk to his wife beBut that will be a different team – fore deciding whether he wants to go one that features most of the key playthrough the off-season conditioning, ers from this team, but a different team OTAs, mini-camp, training camp, prenonetheless. season and another regular season – “That’s the hardest thing about as well as thumb surgery that awaits football,” linebacker Craig Robertson – in hopes of getting another opportusaid Monday as he stood in the middle nity like the one that was taken from his of the Saints locker room while teamteam and given to another team by an mates cleaned out their lockers and official’s decision to leave a handkerdispersed for an off-season that should chief in his pocket. not have begun for another couple of “Props to the people who won,” weeks.

Bushrod said, without naming the NFC He was talking about the inevitachampion Rams. bility of teams being broken up after He was asked if he would watch each season. Robertson himself might the Rams and the New England Patrinever again be a Saint because he is ots play in Super Bowl LIII. one of 22 unrestricted free agents on “The way I feel right now,” Bushrod this team. said, “definitely not.”

“I want to be back,” Robertson Bushrod is one of three members said. “We have unfinished business.” of the 2018 Saints who were members Tight end Benjamin Watson won’t of the only Super Bowl team New Orbe back. He already had announced leans has ever had, one that should that he was retiring after this season have had company after this season. before appendicitis forced him to sit out The others are quarterback Drew the NFC Championship.

Brees and punter Thomas Morstead.

Offensive lineman Jermon BushBrees spoke Sunday night about “not rod might join Watson in retirement, or getting younger” after turning 40 just he might re-sign with New Orleans. It’s five days before his 18th season endthe same choice he had last off-seaed. son when as a free agent then, as he On Monday, Morstead stood in soon will be again, he decided that the front of his locker, in the same spot Saints provided the only opportunity where 370 days earlier he had rethat could entice him more than retirehashed another devastating game in ment. which the last play of a playoff game The opportunity to return to his had turned it into the last play of a wife’s hometown, where he was part Saints season. of a Super Bowl champion nine years That Divisional Playoff loss at Minago, and join a team capable of anothnesota turned 180 degrees on the final er championship run made New Orleplay because of the Saints’ defense’s ans unique to Bushrod. inability to make a routine play, not be“It’s heart-breaking,” said Bushrod, cause of an officiating crew’s inability – or unwillingness – to make a routine call.

This was different.

“This one feels dirty,” Morstead said.

When reporters and photographers entered the locker room to visit with the 2018 Saints for the final time, Robertson held his hand up, like a center marking the spot for an offense to huddle.

It was the most unpleasant interview session the players had faced and Robertson volunteered to field the questions first, providing enough quotes, sound-bites and video to make it just a little easier for his teammates to beg off any interview requests if they sales@ambushpublishing.com so chose.

It was a simple and yet remarkably generous gesture toward his teammates, who nonetheless were agree-

METAIRIE – The 2018 New Orleans Saints won’t win the Super Bowl.

They won’t even be in Atlanta next week after falling narrowly short of an NFC Championship in a 26-23 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

In fact it’s quite likely that this team ultimately will be best remembered not as much for all it accomplished – a franchise record-tying 13-3 regular-season record, the No. 1 seed in the NFC, a 10-game winning streak a second consecutive division title for the first time in franchise history – as it will be for the manner in which it was denied the NFC Championship and an opportunity to win the Super Bowl.

The shot heard round the world but unseen by any officials – the brutal textbook pass interference with a helmet-to-helmet blast for lagniappe committed by Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman against Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis – should have given New Orleans an opportunity to run the game clock to practically nothing before kicking a chip-shot, goahead field goal.

But no penalty was called on the third-down play, forcing the Saints to settle for the tie-breaking field goal with nearly two minutes remaining, which was enough time for the Rams to tie the game with 15 seconds left and extend their season.

The missed call was so egregious that it already has ignited discussion about rewriting the NFL rules to allow such a call to be reviewed by replay officials. Currently pass interference as a judgment call is not reviewable.

But any review of the Saints’ 2018 season should separate the officials’ blunder from the team’s excellence.

This team – quite possibly the most complete one of the franchise’s 52 – deserves to be remembered fore-

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able when asked for interviews.

“It’s a play that changed memories for a lot of people, changed memories for a lot of families, changed a lot of things,” Robertson said.

He marveled at the closeness of the 2018 Saints, saying it is the closest group of teammates he has ever been a part of including high-school teams that featured teammates he grew up with and remains close to today.

“I’m talking about guys that genuinely care for each other,” Robertson said of these Saints. “Our wives’ Bible study group is huge. No one talks about them behind the scenes, but they’re so close that when we lose, they hurt.

“We had kids crying. That’s how close we are, and we’ve got to find a way to keep that together and keep on moving.”

Now they move on toward the 2019 season, knowing that whatever they accomplish next season will be shared with a different group of teammates.

“2019 will be a completely different season. It’ll be a completely different team, even if we have the same nucleus,” tackle Terron Armstead said. “And we’ll have to attack it as such, starting with offseason workouts, picking ourselves up and going and writing that story for that team.

“This one is over.”

The locker room was understandably somber Monday, though not as morose as the one in the Superdome was Sunday.

Still, no one was playing ping pong or indoor basketball or video games, all of which were part of the daily routine throughout 2018.

Armstead said the locker room was like “a playground at times.”

“We would be here, get out of meetings at 5 p.m. and be here until 7 or 7:30,” he said.

“That’s the thing you’ll miss most when the season ends. This same group will never be together again, and that part sucks.”

Bushrod talked about a lifelong bond he has with Brees and Morstead, borne of the 2009 Super Bowl experience.

It’s a unique bond that this group will never share.

“This team deserved that moment, to at least compete in the Super Bowl,” Bushrod said, “and instead, today I’m here having exit physicals when we should be coming in here and celebrating and getting ourselves ready to go to Atlanta.

“Now, the only thing you’re going to remember from ’18 is the call.”

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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Precedent for NFL rules changes already established prior to botched call in Saints-Rams title game Ken Trahan, Crescent City Sports Saints denied Super Bowl by missed call.

When critical calls which become critical mistakes impact significant NFL games, as in playoff games, things change.

Change can be bad. Change can be good.

In the case of amending bad rules or bad calls, change is good.

What occurred last Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome is sure to spark discussion and debate.

Let us not be delusional. It takes a preponderance of teams to vote to make a significant rule change.

Still, the discourse following the no-call against Nickell Robey-Coleman will bring the discussion to the forefront.

Perhaps it will lead to a rule change. It should.

The precedent has been established over a long period of time, dating back over 50 years.

When Don Chandler kicked a 22yard field goal to send the Green Bay Packers into overtime in their playoff game with the Baltimore Colts on Dec. 26, 1965, at Lambeau Field, it appeared that Chandler had missed the kick, which would have given the Colts the win.

Instead, the officials ruled it good and Green Bay won 13-10 in overtime.

It became known as “The Kick.”

Much like Robey-Coleman admitting his obvious infraction against Tommylee Lewis, Chandler admitted later that he saw the ball “definitely outside of the post.”

Jim Tunney, the official on the spot, ruled the kick good. The upright was only 10 feet high. The NFL took immediate action after the controversial play, placing two officials under the goalposts, rather than one, and raising the uprights another 10 feet to the 20-foot level that we see today in the league.

On Jan. 24, 2010, the Saints won 31-28 over the Vikings in the NFC championship game. After playing to a 28-28 tie, the Saints won the toss, got an outstanding kickoff return from Pierre Thomas and then a big fourthdown conversion by Thomas and a key catch by Devery Henderson to set up Garrett Hartley’s 40-yard field goal to send the Saints to the Super Bowl.

The Vikings never saw the ball.

The NFL then changed the overtime rule to state that a game can only end on the first possession of the extra period if a touchdown or defensive touchdown is scored.

In the 2014 NFC playoffs, the Packers again benefited from a favorable call against the Dallas Cowboys.

Dez Bryant appeared to make a great catch on a throw from Tony Romo that would have set up a touchdown. It was ruled incomplete.

The Packers won the game 26-21 on Jan. 11, 2015, at Lambeau Field.

Three years later, the NFL stated that Bryant did, in fact, catch the ball. It was too little, too late for Dallas.

The “catch or no catch” rule came to a head late in the 2017 regular season when Jesse James of the Steelers appeared to catch what would have been a game-winning touchdown against New England. It cost Pittsburgh the game.

The “catch” rule then changed, as a result. Of course, who truly understands what a catch is or can genuinely interpret the rule as it is written and applied? It is maddening to watch.

Then came the Saints-Rams debacle.

It was as bad of a call – make that non-call – that has ever been made.

The missed call on both pass interference and helmet-to-helmet contact was so bad that there is serious talk about a rule change involving the ability to either challenge or review a so-called “judgment” call, such as pass interference.

History tells us that when injustices occur, rules change.

Sean Payton is on the NFL’s competition committee. Don’t think for one second that he will not advocate for change.

Bill Belichick has advocated allowing challenges for pass interference and virtually all plays in the past. He is the league’s best coach, perhaps the best of alltime.

The concern is opening Pandora’s box.

If you allow reviews for pass interference, how do you implement this and does that open the door for challenges on all judgment calls?

Clearly, there is concern about game stoppages and the time of games.

Major League Baseball has a real

Let us not be delusional. It takes a preponderance of teams to vote to make a significant rule change.

problem with the time of games.

A “pitch” clock has been implemented but has served little or no purpose. The same is true of limiting visits to the mound, which was put into place recently. Hitters still step out of the box, pitchers step off the mound, pitching changes are frequent, there are still visits to the mound, etc.

The NBA allows officials to review plays at their discretion.

The NFL is determined to get its games played in a three-hour window.

That is why halftime is only 12 minutes long.

By allowing more challenges, the game will certainly slow down. By allowing officials to stop play and review more plays, it will certainly lengthen the game.

Here is a thought to simply allow challenges to so-called “judgment”

calls, including pass interference, in playoff games only. If you want to venture there in the regular season, perhaps you do so only in the final two minutes of each half.

A n o t h e r thought is to allow one such challenge per game for all games.

Whatever the methodology is, anything that eliminates human mistake, particularly outlandishly egregious mistakes, would be good for the game.

By allowing more challenges, the game will certainly slow down. By allowing officials to stop play and review more plays, it will certainly lengthen the game.

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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