CALENDAR OF EVENTS By Adriana Salazar
QUEER THINGS to DO
COMMUNITY
January 29
JOJO SIWA’S D.R.E.A.M. - THE TOUR
The Toyota Center presents pansexual pop star JoJo Siwa’s D.R.E.A.M. tour. After coming out earlier this year, Siwa became the first person on Dancing with the Stars to have a same-sex dance partner. tinyurl.com/2p983twf
COMMUNITY
January 8
Krewe of Olympus Houston’s Krewe of Olympus, once again set to celebrate Mardi Gras, will hold its 52nd-anniversary ball this month at Central Houston Cadillac. The event features cocktails, hor d’oeuvres, a parade of mini floats, and the Krewe’s campy camaraderie. Well-known for their rhinestones, sequins, and feathers, the LGBTQ krewe was born in New Orleans in 1970 and moved to Houston in 1992. Every year since its launch, the group has hosted an annual black-tie ball. Mardi Gras, also known as “Fat Tuesday,” marks the end of the festival season that begins on Epiphany (the twelfth night after Christmas) and ends on Fat Tuesday, the night before the beginning of the somber Lenten season. In the Latin nations, Mardi Gras evolved into a multi-day “last chance to party”celebration known as Carnival. In 1857, a
krewe of New Orleanians held the first Mardi Gras ball. These balls soon became a tradition as dozens of krewes began to pop up. During the 1950s in New Orleans, Shrove Tuesday was the only day of the year that gay men could publicly dress in drag without getting arrested. Many took advantage of the holiday by wearing feminine costumes to parties—until a brutal gay-bashing in 1958 stunned the community. These men decided that it was safer to celebrate Mardi Gras in private, and the first gay krewe was born the following year. By 1970, seven New Orleans LGBTQ krewes—including the Krewe of Olympus—had been formed. The group’s mission has remained the same over five decades: to give back to the LGBTQ community through fundraisers and fabulous balls. tinyurl.com/ycknabk8
16 JANUARY 2022 | OutSmartMagazine.com
For a we ekly roundup o f L GB T happenin Q g www.Ou s, visit tSmar tMagazin e.com COMMUNITY
January 9
TWISTED LEATHER
Numbers Nightclub and Megawoof present Twisted Leather, a day and night event featuring leather, kink, and dancing. A portion of the proceeds benefits the PWA Holiday Charities. Tickets on Megawoof’s Eventbrite page. tinyurl.com/ npmwtfz8
