New Orleans Advocates for LGBTQ+ Elders (NOAGE) will be hosting a fundraiser gala on Friday, November 21, 7-10PM, at The Josephine, a beautifully renovated and reimagined event venue (formerly Our Lady of Lourdes Church, now deconsecrated) at 2400 Napoleon Avenue. There will be music, dancing, food, an open bar, a silent auction, and all the great fun you’ve come to expect from this annual event. This year’s theme is “Sinners and Saints,” so dress as your favorite sinner or saint, villain or hero…you get the idea! Costuming is encouraged, but not required; business casual is OK too. Tickets are available online now at noagenola.org. The last several NOAGE galas have sold out in advance, and there will be no tickets available at the door, so be sure to get your tickets as soon as possible.
The gala will also feature the presentation of the 2025 NOAGE Awards. The 2025 NOAGE Trailblazer Award winner is Arthur Roger. Arthur Roger is the owner and director of the Arthur Roger Gallery, located in the Arts District of New Orleans. A native of the city, he worked at an art gallery in the French Quarter while attending college. In 1978, he opened the Arthur Roger Gallery which enjoyed early success and soon earned a national reputation as a leading art gallery in New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, he helped spearhead the renewal of the visual arts in New Orleans. In 2006, his gallery hosted a panel discussion that led to the art consultant Dan Cameron founding PROSPECT, now an international arts biennial in New Orleans. Throughout his gallery’s history, Arthur Roger has made efforts to feature the work of artists of diverse backgrounds. In 2017, he donated his personal artwork collection to the New Orleans Museum of Art. The Museum displayed the work in a special exhibition titled “Pride of Place: The Making of Contemporary Art in New Orleans”.
Arthur Roger has served on numerous boards and received local and national recognition for his philanthropic efforts. For several years he chaired the highly successful Halloween in New Orleans, which has raised over $4.1 million over the years and is the largest cumulative donor to Project Lazarus, which provides healthcare and support services for men and women with AIDS. He also began Arts Against AIDS in New Orleans, which raised money for the NO/AIDS Task Force (now CrescentCare). He chaired and organized fundraisers for the Louisiana chapter of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). He is a Trustee for The Greater New Orleans Foundation, and has chaired their LBGTQ Fund. He volunteered to assemble the art collections for the Human Rights Campaign Headquarters in Washington D.C. and the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Center for Philanthropy. He also arranged for over 200 pieces of artwork to be donated and installed in CrescentCare’s community healthcare buildings on Elysian Fields Ave. and Canal St. Arthur Roger’s service to our community over the last four decades is deeply appreciated, and NOAGE is very pleased for the opportunity to honor him as the Trailblazer that he is.
This year’s NOAGE Community Impact Award winners are the 2025 Southern Decadence Parade grand marshals: DJ Dolla Bill Hincks, Willie Mackie, Monique Michaels-Alexander, and ChiChi Rodriquez. These amazing people hosted dozens of fundraiser events during the past year, and all funds raised (after expenses) will benefit NOAGE, the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, and Women with a Vision. They have made an incredible impact on the local LGBTQ+ community, and we look forward to honoring them for all the work they have done on our behalf.
At press time, confirmed sponsors include Ochsner Pride, Galloway Law Firm, Aspen Estate Planning, Home Instead Senior Care, Stonewall Sports New Orleans, the John Burton Harter Foundation, St. Thomas Community Health Center, CrescentCare, the Gulf South LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, the Big Easy Sisters, Agape Care Group Hospice, the Krewe of Armeinius, Jim Firmin, Edward Bonin & René J.L. Fransen, David Bernard & Charles Urstadt, and Patrick McLaughlin & David Talley.
NOAGE is still seeking more sponsors for this event, and we’re also seeking items for the silent auction. If you’d like to donate to the auction, or to receive a sponsor packet (which includes information on the various sponsorship levels and benefits), email us at info@noagenola.org.
NOAGE’s mission is to improve the well-being of LGBTQ+ older adults in the New Orleans metro area. NOAGE hosts regular socialization and educational events for LGBTQ+ older adults, including potlucks, fitness groups, a book club, coffee talks/discussion groups, movie nights, and more. NOAGE also works to increase the cultural competency of healthcare and other service providers who work with older adults through trainings, workshops, and conferences. NOAGE is committed to ensuring that all LGBTQ+ older adults in the New Orleans metro area can live their best possible lives with the dignity, respect, and good health that they deserve. For more information, visit noagenola.org.
