Dear Ambush Nation,
As we move into October both Election Day and Halloween are upon us. So before you begin to worry about your Halloween costume, make sure you vote! Exercising your right to vote is more important than a Halloween costume, just not nearly as sexy as that slutty pirate costume you are thinking of wearing.
Election Day in Louisiana is Saturday, October 12. I would encourage each and every one of you to vote for candidates who support equal rights for all and LGBTQ protections. There are elections for all statewide offices including Governor and all legislative seats in Louisiana. I would also encourage you to reach out to friends in the LGBTQ community, especially individuals who are older or who live alone without transportation. Make sure they have a way to get to the polls on Election Day. There are more people than you think who live in our community who could use help getting to their polling place on that day. Use this as an opportunity to reach out to friends just to check in and see how they are doing. Even if the friends you call don’t need help getting to the polls, they’ll be glad you simply thought of them and reached out.
HALLOWEEN
This year, Ambush will once again publish the Official Gay Halloween Guide with a list of all the events and parties. Look for it in our next issue of Ambush. Halloween New Orleans (HNO) is once again celebrating with a weekend full of parties featuring great DJ’s. The Lazarus Ball is Friday night at the Board of Trade. Saturday night is The Main Event at the Fillmore followed by Sunday’s Pier Dance at Crescent Park. HNO’s events will feature DJ Ben Bakson, DJ Grind and DJ Blacklow. The weekend of events by HNO raises funds for Project Lazarus. For tickets and more information you can visit HalloweenNewOrleans.com.
LGBT+ ARCHIVES PROJECT OF LOUISIANA
On Sunday, September 29th, I attended a board meeting for the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana at their new exhibit space located at 636 St. Ann in the French Quarter. The Archive Project works to educate people on the importance of preserving LGBT historical materials, identifying and collecting those materials and finding them a proper home so that they are available for future generations. The Archives Project works with organizations such as The Historic New Orleans Collection, Tulane Library and the Louisiana State Museum to provide a home for LGBT historic materials.
The Archives Project’s new exhibit space is staffed by volunteers and is open daily from 11 am to 6 pm. If you have the time, please stop by for a visit. They have a timeline of New Orleans gay history along with copies of Ambush Magazine from the 1980’s. There are also photographs courtesy of the Louisiana State Museum on display.
At the board meeting, several items were discussed including the recent Archives Project’s Oracle Gala which honored Valda Lewis. Lewis, along with the late Loretta Mims produced a LGBT-themed TV show on open access cable television from 1987 to 1993. The Archives Project is also working on an oral history project along with identifying individuals and organizations that may have LGBT historical materials. If you or someone you know has materials that should be preserved, or simply for more information, you can visit the Archives Project website at lgbtarchiveslouisiana.org.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE) will have their next potluck dinner on Wednesday, October 16th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. In keeping with the Halloween spirit, the theme for this potluck is Halloween Potluck Spooktacular. The event will be held at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church located at 1313 Esplanade Ave. If you are able to attend, please consider bringing a dish (although not required) or a non-perishable food item for St. Anna’s Food Pantry. All ages are welcome to this event! Come eat, network and make new friends!
This year’s Gulf Coast Equality Fest will take place on October 19th from 11 am to 6 pm on The Great Lawn at Harrah’s Gulf Coast located at 280 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, Mississippi. The event has live music, vendors, food and activities for the kids. For more information go to GulfCoastEqualityFest.org.
The New Orleans Pride Organization is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Come out to Oz on Saturday, October 19, from 8 to 10 pm for the Pride 2020 Coronation celebration. Find out who will be crowned as the royalty for Pride 2020. The event will be hosted by 2010 Miss Pride, Tami Tarmac and will feature live performances by several entertainers. Suggested $5 donation at the door.
