Pride flags once again adorn the neutral ground along N. Rampart Street on the edge of the French Quarter. Many people reasonably assume the flags are there because June is Pride month, but that’s not entirely true. Originally, the rainbow flags on N. Rampart grew not out of Pride, but rather out of Southern Decadence. To be more specific, the flags trace their origin to a … [Read more...] about Pride Flags on N. Rampart Street
Moments in Queer New Orleans History
Reggie, Regina, and the 50th Anniversary of the UpStairs Lounge Fire
Reggie was a young black man from Dallas studying to become a Jesuit priest. Ricky was a young white Mormon from New Orleans preparing to go on a mission trip to China. Their divine callings would be radically altered when they eventually met each other one night at a neighborhood gay bar on the edge of the French Quarter in New Orleans. There, they found a … [Read more...] about Reggie, Regina, and the 50th Anniversary of the UpStairs Lounge Fire
Women Make History: Carnival 2023
The Krewe of Apollo, New Orleans, made history last year when it named Andrea Sabillon Halstead as Queen at its Ball. Halstead was the first female person to hold a royalty position in the Krewe’s history, including Chapters in other cities. This year the Lords of Leather also shattered the royalty glass ceiling and the Radical Faeries named a Jewish lesbian as Empress at its … [Read more...] about Women Make History: Carnival 2023
UpStairs Lounge Fire 50th Anniversary Commemoration Activities Announced
A coalition of local organizations spearheaded by the LBGT+ Archives Project of Louisiana will present a weekend of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragic 1973 UpStairs Lounge fire. The events will take place in various locations in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans on June 23, 24 and 25, 2023. In addition to the Archives Project, the other … [Read more...] about UpStairs Lounge Fire 50th Anniversary Commemoration Activities Announced
A Treasure Trove of Vintage Gay Mardi Pictures
In 1963, Arthur Jacobs came up with a great idea to drum up business for his Bourbon Street diner, The Clover Grill. He would host a costume contest on Mardi Gras, late in the afternoon after the Rex parade. Because the Clover Grill was located in the “gay” section of Bourbon Street, directly across from Café Lafitte in Exile (the city’s oldest gay bar), the contest drew … [Read more...] about A Treasure Trove of Vintage Gay Mardi Pictures
Moments in Queer New Orleans History: Remembering Donnie Jay
I recently attended the annual Hookers Ball. It was a fun evening and a very successful fundraiser for Southern Decadence. Kudos to Todd Blauvelt for putting together such a wonderful event. While the performances were great and it was fun seeing friends, the highlight of the show for me was a vintage video of Southern Decadence Grand Marshal XXXII, the late … [Read more...] about Moments in Queer New Orleans History: Remembering Donnie Jay
Before Southern Decadence Became Super Gay
I recently spent the afternoon with Maureen & Charlie Block and Robert Laurent at their beautiful antebellum home on Magazine Street. Those names may not ring a bell, but they should. These three people, along with a handful of their friends, started Southern Decadence in 1972. Back then, of course, they had no idea a simple house party would evolve into the … [Read more...] about Before Southern Decadence Became Super Gay
Moments in Queer New Orleans History: Remembering Daisy Mae
One of my favorite books about New Orleans is Bruce Gilden’s photographic essay, “Hey Mister, throw me some beads!” From 1974 to 1982, Gilden came to New Orleans from New York for Mardi Gras and captured the Carnival street scene in the French Quarter. The photographs are raw and poignant and include a cross section of people—old/young, gay/straight, … [Read more...] about Moments in Queer New Orleans History: Remembering Daisy Mae
The Lost Krewes of Gay Carnival
If you live in New Orleans, there’s a chance you’ve attended one of the several gay Carnival balls presented each Carnival season. If you have, you know these balls are highly elaborate productions requiring hundreds of hours of work and thousands of dollars. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the gay balls is that they are produced by relatively few people, depending on the … [Read more...] about The Lost Krewes of Gay Carnival
“The Children of Yuga”
The 73rd year of Gay Carnival is upon us. For those familiar with it, Gay Carnival usually means formal balls produced by krewes such as Petronius, Amon-Ra, Armeinius, Lords of Leather, Mwindo, and Narcissus. But Gay Carnival did not start out with krewes or balls. It began with a group of gay men who decided to do lunch. It all began in 1949 when Bob … [Read more...] about “The Children of Yuga”
