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
Moments in Queer New Orleans History
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”
Chess, Insanity, and the Historical Closet
One of the challenges of recovering queer history from the closet is the fact that until recently, no one wanted to document their same sex desires. To do so could result in being arrested, committed to a mental asylum, being fired from a job, being ostracized by family and friends, and in some cases, suicide. This was certainly the case in the 19th Century. The … [Read more...] about Chess, Insanity, and the Historical Closet
Women’s History Month: Lesbians and Misogyny
In Louisiana in the 1970s, a number of organizations advocated on behalf of women’s issues. Not the least of these were the Baton Rouge and New Orleans chapters of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the Louisiana Women’s Political Caucus (LWPC). In New Orleans, many feminist activists were lesbians, which was not necessarily the case in other parts of the … [Read more...] about Women’s History Month: Lesbians and Misogyny
26 Years at Oz: An Interview with Tim Pflueger
Tim Pflueger recently marked 26 years in the VJ booth at Oz New Orleans—quite an accomplishment in an industry where the average bar employee’s tenure is two years or less. I recently had a chance to interview Pflueger about his career, how the gay bar scene has changed, and the devastating effects of the pandemic. FP: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you end … [Read more...] about 26 Years at Oz: An Interview with Tim Pflueger
