As the 50th anniversary of Stonewall approaches, my mind is not so much on the gay liberation movement of the 1970s, but rather on the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. How did the disease affect the movement? How might LGBT+ history have unfolded if there had been no epidemic? And what was happening in New Orleans at the time? In some ways, AIDS had the … [Read more...] about Acting Up in New Orleans
Guns and Toxic Masculinity
Readers outside New Orleans may not be aware that at the start of the recent New Orleans Pride Parade, a young man was arrested near the parade route for carrying a handgun and an assault rifle. The man’s intentions remain unclear but many on social media speculated he intended to shoot up the parade. Others insist that is not the case, citing he had the guns … [Read more...] about Guns and Toxic Masculinity
Grand Reveler Conclave Set for June 20
The Mystik Krewe de Rue Royale Revelers’ inaugural Conclave of Grand Revelers will be held on the evening of June 20 at the home of Krewe founder and Lord of Misrule Frank Perez. Jeff Palmquist (GR I), Will Antill (GR II), Felicia Phillips (GR IV), and Frank Perez (GR V) (Rip Naquin, GR III, passed away in 2017) will cloister to deliberate the selection of Grand Reveler … [Read more...] about Grand Reveler Conclave Set for June 20
Events on LGBT+ History During Pride Month
June 19—“The Rainbow Fleur de Lis: A History of LGBT+ New Orleans.” Lecture by Frank Perez. 6:00pm, Alvar Branch of the New Orleans Public Library, 913 Alvar St. Perez is President of the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana. June 23—Author Robert Fieseler speaks at St. George’s Episcopal Church about the Up Stairs Lounge Fire. Noon, 4600, St. Charles … [Read more...] about Events on LGBT+ History During Pride Month
LGBT+ Archives Project Holds Annual Meeting
The LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, a local non-profit organization dedicated to preserving queer history, held its annual membership meeting on Wednesday, June 12, at the newly renovated Hotel Peter and Paul. About 75 people gathered to hear keynote speaker Wayne Phillips give a presentation on the new exhibit he curated at the Presbytere, Grand Illusions: The History … [Read more...] about LGBT+ Archives Project Holds Annual Meeting
Stonewall Commemoration in Baton Rouge Set for June 28
A commemoration acknowledging the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising will be held in Baton Rouge on June 28. The event will take place at a venue yet to be determined from 7:00pm to 8:30pm and is being sponsored by Stonewall Still Rising, the Metropolitan Community Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Trans Advocates, University Presbyterian Church, and the Unitarian … [Read more...] about Stonewall Commemoration in Baton Rouge Set for June 28
New Orleans EMS Appoints LGBTQ Liaison
Tracy “TJ” Boyd, Jr The City of New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS)has named Tracy “TJ” Boyd, Jr. as the agency’s newly created liaison officer between the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (or questioning) communities. As the LGBTQ+ Liaison Officer, Boyd will be promoting equality and inclusion in the workplace, and educating our first responders … [Read more...] about New Orleans EMS Appoints LGBTQ Liaison
Jimmy Neurosis
Jimmy Neurosis. James Oseland. Ecco, 2019. ISBN: 978-0062267368. 293 pages. Long before James Oseland was a judge on Top Chef Masters, he was a teenage rebel growing up in the pre–Silicon Valley suburbs, yearning for a taste of something wild. Diving headfirst into the churning mayhem of the punk movement, he renamed himself Jimmy Neurosis and embarked on a journey into a … [Read more...] about Jimmy Neurosis
1977: Pageants and Rags and Courts—O My!
In 1983, Valda Lewis moved to New Orleans and began working at a Randall’s Record Shop on Toulouse Street importing and selling British punk rock music. Here in New Orleans, she found the freedom to be her true self, a lesbian, that proved so elusive in her hometown of Rayleigh in Essex County back in England. After Randall’s, she took a job bartending and met her … [Read more...] about 1977: Pageants and Rags and Courts—O My!
Fuck Pride
Pride season has arrived yet again. Pride parades will roll all over the country throughout the month, and as its 50th Anniversary approaches, Stonewall memes will undoubtedly flood social media. That’s all good and well; however, not everyone in our community is feeling the pride. In fact, some folks are not proud of Pride at all—at least not what it has become. This … [Read more...] about Fuck Pride
