Dear Ambush Nation,
Thank you to everyone who made Easter weekend a huge success! We kicked off the weekend with the 10th Annual Bunnies in the Big Easy and finished with the largest Gay Easter Parade in the 20-year history of the event! Through sponsors and a series of fundraisers, the Gay Easter Parade is used as a vehicle to raise funds for Food For Friends. Thank you to all our sponsors who made this anniversary year one to remember! Also, I want to take a moment to remember the first Easter Grand Marshals, Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain. They were instrumental in the continued success of the Gay Easter Parade and we are honored to continue their work.
I want to thank the members of the Gay Easter Parade Advisory Board who give of their time, talents and money to make all these fundraising events a success. Members of the board include Tony Leggio, Electra City, Anthony Lala, Jr., Arthur Severio, Henry Marshall and Darrin Duplissey. Each board member helps coordinate the fundraisers leading up to the Gay Easter Parade weekend. These events would not happen without all of their combined efforts and as a community, we thank them!
Congratulations one more time to Easter Grand Marshals Clint Taylor and Regina Adams and to Honorary Grand Marshall Jesse Hernandez. It was a pleasure having all three of you represent the LGBTQ community in the parade on Easter Sunday!
Finally, I’d like to thank all the members of the LGBTQ community who participated in the 20th Annual Official Gay Easter Parade or who attended one of several fundraisers. Each and every one of you in your own unique way are what makes this such a special series of events. The Gay Easter Parade is such a wonderful opportunity to showcase members of our community, their Easter fashions and their generosity. Thank you again for being an active member of our community!
PRIDE SEASON IS HERE
As we move into May and June, be on the lookout for more information about many of the upcoming Pride Celebrations throughout the Gulf South. There are currently active pride celebrations in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Biloxi, Mobile, Houston, Pensacola and Birmingham. Once again this year Ambush will have a float in the New Orleans Pride Parade. New Orleans Pride is June 7-9 so be on the lookout for more information in the upcoming issues of Ambush. For more information about New Orleans Pride you can go to NewOrleansPrideFestival.com
GAY EASTER PARADE
L”EGG”ACY AWARD
Beginning last year at the Annual Bunnies in the Big Easy fundraiser, Ambush Magazine presented two individuals with a L”egg”acy award. The award is presented to individuals who honor the legacy of Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain through their support of the Gay Easter Parade and Food for Friends, a division of The NO/AIDS Taskforce/CrescentCare.
The recipients of this years L”egg”acy awards were Tittie Toulouse and Tony Leggio, Easter Grand Marshals XI and X. Tittie Toulouse was a member of the Gay Easter Parade Advisory Board for 17 years from 2001 to 2017. He helped coordinate fundraisers that raised tens of thousands of dollars in support of the parade and Food for Friends. Tony Leggio, also a member of the GEP Advisory Board, has a signature event “Bunnies in the Big Easy” that has become the kickoff event of Gay Easter weekend in New Orleans. Bunnies celebrated its 10th anniversary this year and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the parade and Food for Friends.
The recipients of the award last year were Ellen Miller and James Garner. Ellen has been a longtime supporter of Food for Friends and James, the owner of the Golden Lantern Bar, has been a sponsor of the Gay Easter Parade for many years. Thank you to all our past award recipients for all they have done in support of the Gay Easter Parade and Food for Friends.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
The Southern Decadence Press Party will be held on Saturday, May 11th from 6 to 9 pm at Oz. Join this year’s Grand Marshals William Antill and Daryl Dunaway to learn all you need to know about Southern Decadence 2019. They will unveil the official theme, colors, and poster for this year’s festivities. The proceeds from this event will benefit Southern Decadence.
A crawfish boil for Big Easy Animal Rescue (B.E.A.R.) will be held on Sunday, May 19 from 12 noon until 4pm at GrandPre’s on Rampart Street. A $10 donation will get you crawfish and drink specials. BEAR is a non-profit volunteer group that works to assist, rescue, foster and provide medical care to neglected and abused animals. For more information, you can visit bigeasyanimalrescue.org
Dining Out For Life will be held on Thursday, June 6 and will have over 40 restaurants participating again this year. Show your pride and dine out on June 6 to support the NO/AIDS Task Force, a division of CrescentCare. Each participating restaurant will donate a percentage of sales to NO/AIDS so grab your family and friends and dine out to support this worthy cause.
