NOLA
1 Rich in history, culture, and great food, New Orleans is the perfect escape for queer travelers. By Will Jardell and James Wallington
Laissez le bon temps rouler — let the good times roll in the Big Easy, New Orleans, Louisiana! You could spend an entire trip to New Orleans focused only on the delectable food or soaking in historical and cultural sites. There is so much to see, experience, and savor. Particularly during eerie fall nights, visitors to New Orleans often book a voodoo or haunted tour through the French Quarter (1) or the city’s graveyards (2). But with the French Quarter’s rich LGBTQ+ history it’s worth taking a walking tour to explore it. Queer authors Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams both frequented New Orleans and had homes in the French Quarter. The acclaimed play, A Streetcar Named Desire was written while Williams was living in the city and is named after a streetcar line that passed his apartment on St. Peter Street. Queer and trans folks have long had a major hand in making New Orleans, particularly the French Quarter, what it is today. One such place is the gay bar Café Lafitte in Exile located on Bourbon Street, which happens to be the oldest continuously running gay bar in the United States. Each year Mardi Gras, or Carnival, takes place from January 6 until Fat Tuesday, celebrating the last final day of excess before the deprivation of the Catholic Lent that stretches into Easter. Events are put together by
Pride during Southern Decadence
numerous Krewes, t he f rater nit y organizations that host extravagant balls and fabulous celebrations each yea r. While the pandemic threw the ability to host large celebrations of f- c ou r s e, t he t rad it ions a re still celebrated as groups anxiously await being able to gather in person aga in. Last year, many homeowners hired the traditional float artists to create Mardi Gras float houses, decked to the nines in color, flowers, and that essential gumbo that is N’awlins. To learn more about the LGBTQ+ history of Mardi Gras traditions, visit the Carl Mack Mardi Gras Museum of Costume and Culture, which is full of showstopping costumes. It’s a sequin and rhinestone heaven with beads as far as the eye can see — and you won’t even have to show skin! New Orleans has always been home to the LGBTQ+ community — even if it’s a gothic mansion of a home, one that sometimes falls into disrepair or draws disparaging stares. The city has only become more inclusive and embracing of LGBTQ+ travelers, who today will find themselves easily drawn into the local queer community in the Big Easy. The city that holds hurricane parties rolls with the punches and the muddy Mississippi River. Floods and pandemics can dampen the city’s spirit but they’ll never extinguish the flame that burns bright in this bayou.
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NOLA graveyard
Amazing Race winners Will Jardell and James Wallington with their New Orleans guide
JOSHUA GRESHAM/UNSPLASH (PRIDE); SHUTTERSTOCK (GRAVEYARD); WILL JARDELL ( WILL & JAMES )
Rollin’ On the River
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