“I saw a man on the sidewalk and my dream of spending Xmas at home ended. He identified himself as F.B.I. and we went in where about 10 others were waiting with a warrant for my arrest. The charge? Bank robbery. The look on mom’s face nearly killed me. Never have I seen her so hurt. I would have rather spent 10 years in jail than to put her through that day.” Thus wrote … [Read more...] about The Diary of a Bank Robbing Lesbian
Southern Decadence 2020 Update: The Southern Decadence That Wasn’t
In a normal year, this column would introduce you to the year’s Southern Decadence Grand Marshals. But as we all know, 2020 is anything but normal. With the bars closed and City Hall not issuing parade permits, Southern Decadence 2020 has effectively been canceled. Or has it? That question has generated a lot of discussion on several Southern Decadence Facebook … [Read more...] about Southern Decadence 2020 Update: The Southern Decadence That Wasn’t
An Interview with Peyton Rose Michelle
Peyton Rose Michelle recently became the first openly trans person to win an election in Louisiana when she was elected to the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC). I recently had an opportunity to interview her. FP: Tell us a little bit about yourself? Where did you grow up? PRM: I'm born and raised in Parks/Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. I say … [Read more...] about An Interview with Peyton Rose Michelle
Book Review: Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health
Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health. Adrian Shanker, Ed. PM Press, 2020. ISBN: 978-1-62963-784-6. 256 pages. $20.00. I hope you never need to read this book. I hope you never get sick and have to navigate the most convoluted healthcare system in the world. But if you do, this collection of short essays might just save your … [Read more...] about Book Review: Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health
The Forgotten Gay Riot Against the Police at Dixie’s
Back in January, I was contacted by a researcher, Lasse Lau, editor of Queer Geographies, who was conducting research on Dixie’s Bar of Music, the fabled gay bar that once occupied the corner of St. Peter and Bourbon Streets. Lau asked me if I knew anything about the gay riot against the police that happened there in 1955. I responded by asking “What riot?” While … [Read more...] about The Forgotten Gay Riot Against the Police at Dixie’s
COVID-19 and the LGBT+ Archives Project
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected non-profit organizations across the country and the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana is no exception. In addition to disrupting the Archives Project’s programming schedule for 2020, the shutdown has afforded the Archives Project an opportunity to refocus its overall mission, especially in light of the Black Lives Matter … [Read more...] about COVID-19 and the LGBT+ Archives Project
SCOTUS, Trans Inclusion, & the “Network of Mutuality”
The recent Supreme Court ruling in Bostock V. Clayton County, GA affording job protection to LGBT+ people was a landmark decision that represented the culmination of a decades-long struggle. The fact that it was handed down this month in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement is appropriate considering its origins in the 1950s during the social turmoil of the civil … [Read more...] about SCOTUS, Trans Inclusion, & the “Network of Mutuality”
Ryan Gomez Runs for Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee
Ryan Gomez, a fixture in the LGBT+ New Orleans community, is running for a seat in District “B” on the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee (OPDEC). Early voting is now open. Election day is July 11. The OPDEC holds general responsibility for local Democratic Party affairs, reports to State and National Committees, endorses local candidates, builds party … [Read more...] about Ryan Gomez Runs for Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee
Larry Kramer and Acting Up in New Orleans
I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard Larry Kramer’s name: my friend Eddie’s deathbed in an AIDS hospice in Wichita, Kansas. I was working as a bartender at the time and Eddie was in construction. We, along with a few other guys, were sharing a house, and Eddie & I had become the best of friends. He was positive when I met him and seemed healthy as a … [Read more...] about Larry Kramer and Acting Up in New Orleans
The Archbishop, Sissies in Struggle, and Gay Pride
In 1978, the Pink Triangle Alliance hosted the first Gay Pride rally ever held in New Orleans. The Pink Triangle Alliance was the public face/political name of the Louisiana Sissies in Struggle, a group that came out of the Mulberry House Collective in Fayetteville, Arkansas, when Dennis Williams, Dimid Hayer, Stacey Brotherlover, and Aurora relocated to New Orleans. The … [Read more...] about The Archbishop, Sissies in Struggle, and Gay Pride
