Ambush Magazine

The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™

Moments in Queer New Orleans History

The Gay Carnival That Wasn’t

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Months ago, New Orleans city officials announced that the 2021 Carnival Season would be different. They weren’t kidding. By the time Twelfth Night arrived, the community had adjusted to the fact there would be no parades this year. Yet many were saddened by the absence of so many traditional features that herald the arrival of Carnival—King Cake parties, Joan of Arc riding … [Read more...] about The Gay Carnival That Wasn’t

2020 Hindsight

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We can all breath a collective sigh of relief that 2020 is in the rear-view mirror.  And while we’re not out of the woods yet, the new year does offer hope.  2020 was a year I think most people want to forget; nevertheless, I can’t help but reflect on that annus horribilis at least one last time. Personally, the year began on a great note—my Twelfth Night Party was … [Read more...] about 2020 Hindsight

The Diary of a Bank Robbing Lesbian

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“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

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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

The Forgotten Gay Riot Against the Police at Dixie’s

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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

SCOTUS, Trans Inclusion, & the “Network of Mutuality”

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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”

Larry Kramer and Acting Up in New Orleans

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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

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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