Happy holidays Y’all! December is upon us and no one celebrates the holidays like the Big Easy. It is filled with parties, lights, glitter, drag queens and festively gay happenings. Here are just some of the hot happenings in December to put on your “Gaydar.” If you want your event listed, send me an email at ledgemgp@gmail.com. Weekly … [Read more...] about Under the Gaydar (December Events Calendar)
Featured
A Brief History of Black Drag in New Orleans: The Dew Drop Inn, The Caledonia, and Stormé DeLarverie
A lost treasure of New Orleans’ rich cultural history is being resurrected. From the late 1930s to the early 1970s, the Dew Drop Inn in Central City was an iconic venue for African American musicians both locally and nationally. For black artists traveling through the segregated South, it was a must stop on the Chitlin Circuit. Now, fifty years after it closed, the Dew Drop Inn … [Read more...] about A Brief History of Black Drag in New Orleans: The Dew Drop Inn, The Caledonia, and Stormé DeLarverie
2023 NOAGE Gala: Hollywood Confidential!
New Orleans Advocates for LGBTQ+ Elders (NOAGE) will be hosting a fundraising gala on Friday, November 18, 7-10PM, at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. Tickets are available now at https://noage.kindful.com/e/2023gala. The last several NOAGE galas sold out a week in advance, and there will be no tickets available at the door, so be sure to get your tickets as soon as … [Read more...] about 2023 NOAGE Gala: Hollywood Confidential!
Under the Gaydar (November 2023 Event Calendar)
One of the major things I give thanks for every year is living in a city that has so many fun things happening. November has so many wonderful things to see and do as a primer for the holiday season. Here are just some of the hot happenings in November to put on your “Gaydar.” If you want your event listed, send me an email at ledgemgp@gmail.com. Weekly … [Read more...] about Under the Gaydar (November 2023 Event Calendar)
A Brief History of New Orleans Bar Rags
Gay journalism traces its roots to the 1960s and originally manifested itself in the form of bar bulletins and organizational newsletters. In those pre-internet, pre-Stonewall, highly homophobic years, the notion of a gay media was an alien concept because gay communities, if we can even call them that (perhaps gay subcultures is a better description) were essentially … [Read more...] about A Brief History of New Orleans Bar Rags
The Official Gay Halloween Guide (October 2023 Event Calendar)
Everyone deserves one good scare on Halloween. But the spooky holiday is not the only fabulous happening in NOLA in October. There are festivals, parties, shows and fundraisers, so get yourself ready for a frightfully busy social schedule this month. Here are just some of the hot happenings in October to put on your “Gaydar.” If you want your event listed, … [Read more...] about The Official Gay Halloween Guide (October 2023 Event Calendar)
1973: The Year the Shrinks Decided Queers Were Not Mentally Ill
In terms of queer history, 1973 is most often remembered in New Orleans as the year of the horrific Up Stairs Lounge fire. Understandably so—the fire claimed 32 lives and remains the deadliest fire in New Orleans history. June 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the fire. This year, however, also marks another golden anniversary. 50 years ago, the American Psychiatric … [Read more...] about 1973: The Year the Shrinks Decided Queers Were Not Mentally Ill
Trans History: The New Orleans Home Rule Charter
Courtney Sharp and Stewart Butler met in 1995 at the LGBT Community Center, which was then located on N. Rampart Street. One afternoon, as Stewart was sitting on the Center’s stoop smoking a cigarette, Courtney approached the entrance to meet with Crystal Little, with whom she volunteered at the Center. Stewart greeted her and then gruffly asked, “Who are … [Read more...] about Trans History: The New Orleans Home Rule Charter
The Rockford Files: True Value
“I don’t want money. Only people who pay their bills want that.” Oscar Wilde Money is a necessity of life. We worry about it. We dream about it. We invent ways to make more of it. Most people have some. Some people have too much. Too many people need more. According to my accountant, I have enough money to last me the rest of my life - if I die within the … [Read more...] about The Rockford Files: True Value
Trodding the Boards September 5, 2023
The Stratford Festival...and More For many years, I had heard of Canada’s Stratford Festival in Ontario, not only through press coverage of its celebrated productions, but because my high school drama teacher would go each year with his partner and write glowingly about it in their annual Holiday letter. (That said, until a few moments before writing this, I thought it was … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards September 5, 2023