Dear Ambush Nation,
With 2020 in the rearview mirror and we look forward to better times in 2021, it’s important to reflect on the last twelve months. I’ve tried to write this column several times, but for some reason, I just couldn’t do it–in part because I’ve been busy, but also I didn’t know exactly what to say. The year 2020 has been unlike any year any of us has ever experienced. For the entire world, our lives seem to be broken into life before covid and life after covid. Those of us who lived in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina can relate as we still talk about New Orleans pre-Katrina and post-Katrina.
When businesses were closed on March 13th and people were told to shelter in place, I don’t think any of us thought we would be dealing with this global pandemic a year later, but here we are! We have gone months with businesses closed or restricted, people out of work, hospitals at capacity, missing friends and loved ones, and not knowing when things will get back to normal.
However, I finally feel there is light at the end of the tunnel. Each day that passes, more and more people are getting the covid vaccine. Each day that passes, we are that much closer to getting past this global pandemic and getting people back to work. I am hopeful that life will be close to normal sometime this summer.
As we march towards the end of this pandemic, don’t forget that some of our friends and loved ones didn’t make it. We should all take some time and think about the over 400,000 Americans who have died from this disease. As someone who had an early, severe case of covid in March, I fully appreciate that I survived and I’m still here and we must also take time to care for our friends and family who are still here. So many people are without work. So many others are dealing with loneliness and depression. Let us take the time to reach out to the people in our lives who mean the most to us and make sure they are healthy–both physically and mentally. In a world where we are still encouraged to live a socially distant life, we should text and call our loved ones to get them some level of social interaction.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank those who have worked during this pandemic for the benefit of others. In particular, I’d like to thank Sarah Manowitz, Reed Wendorf, and everyone who worked for months with the CrescentCity.com food bank program. For several months, numerous volunteers–many of whom were unemployed themselves–worked to make sure others in our community did not go hungry. During the program, over 400,000 meals were given to members of the New Orleans LGBTQ and service industry communities. These volunteers provided hope and life-sustaining food to others during the initial onset of the pandemic when other programs didn’t exist and the future was extremely uncertain. Again, Thank You! It is through kindness and generosity that we will get through this crisis together.
AMBUSH in 2021
As we move forward into 2021, we are planning to increase our content on our website AmbushMag.com. As you all have noticed we have not printed a hard copy edition of Ambush since June 30, 2020. In large part, this is due to revenue dollars all but drying up with so many businesses closed or struggling to stay afloat.
We are committed to being an active member of the New Orleans LGBTQ community and look forward to bringing the community together and highlighting our achievements and news as we move past this pandemic. For the time being, you can check our website weekly for updated content about our LGBTQ community. We hope to have editions in print sometime in the second half of 2021, but that will largely depend on the state of the economy and the pandemic. For now, you can continue to follow us on social media at @AmbushMag and subscribe to our email newsletter.
Finally, I’d like to thank CrescentCare, Avita Pharmacy, and Access Health Louisiana who have all continued to advertise with Ambush throughout this pandemic. Your support during this trying time has been critical and we truly thank you! If you would like to advertise with us, please email info@ambushpublishing.com. Thank you! <3
