THE OFFICIAL GAY MAGAZINE OF THE GULF SOUTHâ„¢
A Biweekly Publication Celebrating LGBTQ Life, Music & Culture Since 1982 VOLUME 37 ISSUE 15
TUESDAY, July 16, 2019
www.AMBUSHMAG.com
Gay Appreciation Awards Gala & Tales of the Cocktail
THE “OFFICIAL” DISH by TJ ACOSTA, PUBLISHER
Dear Ambush Nation, The 31st Annual Gay Appreciation Awards are here and we are so excited! The GAA Gala will take place on July 20th at 6 pm at Oz and we hope to see everyone there. This year has been one for the record books and for that we thank you! Not only did we break the record set last year for unique nominees but we also broke the record for votes cast. This year we had a total of 5,347 people cast their votes in 38 different categories. The Top 5 in each category have already been announced and the winners will be revealed at the Gala. To find out who made the Top 5 you can go to our website, AmbushMag.com and read all about it. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all nominees who were on the ballot. Even though not everyone could make the Top 5, the fact that your name or business or organization appeared on the ballot means that someone in our community thought you were deserving of the award in that category. And while not everyone can win, each of you together are what make the LGBTQ community in New Orleans and along the Gulf South so special and vibrant. There are some amazing individuals and businesses doing wonderful things here. We at Ambush consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to shine a spotlight on them and share their stories with the community. As in years past, the proceeds from this event will benefit Southern Decadence. All VIP tables have been sold out and there is a $10 cover for the event. I promise this is an event
you don’t want to miss. I’ve seen the list of winners and, no, I’m not telling, but you very well may be surprised! If you want to find out who the winners will be, come out to the GAA Gala at Oz. We will have entertainment from the Top 5 show bars along with Nicole Dubois, the Marcy Marcell Entertainer of the Year in 2018. Can’t wait to see you there as we celebrate our community and this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Larry Bagneris Jr. THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND As I write this column, the talk along the Gulf Coast is about hurricanes, wind gusts, storm surges and levees. Like with storms we’ve dealt with before, friends and family want to know “Are you staying or evacuating and if so, to where?” For the record, I’m staying at home for this storm with my 2 pups and with enough snacks, alcohol and doggy treats to last at least a week. Several friends from across the country reached out today with text messages asking if I was okay or if I needed a place to evacuate to. Other friends in New Orleans sent text messages letting me know if needed anything to simply reach out. Of course this evening my brother sent a text message to a group of us asking “What y’all doing tonight? Dinner anyone? Last supper?” And this got me thinking about hurricane season, friends, family (biological and otherwise) and people we all know in our community. We all know someone who may be elderly with no family in town or a friend who lives paycheck to paycheck and doesn’t have
Inside this Issue of Ambush Community Announcements
6-7 8
Obituary: James Andrew Mondoro Trodding the Boards
10-11
Affirm Yourself: Find Purpose, Go Forward
12
Start Planning Your Future Today… The Golden Girls Way
14
THE ROCKFORD FILES: Funny, Not Funny
16-17
$750.00 Per Day
18
Blue Is the Warmest Color for Chris Nagle’s Outermost Provincetown Designs
19
A Sermon by Luigi Mandile (by Fr. Bill)
20-21
GAA Lifetime Achievement Award Winners
21
New Orleans Physician Educates Others Abroad about HIV
22
The Women of Dauphine
24
Hot Happenings
31-39
LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory
40-43
Word Search & Comic Sports
44 46-47
Gulf South LGBTQ Entertainment & Travel Guide Since 1982 New Orleans, Louisiana | info@ambushpublishing.com | (504) 522-8049
the financial means to leave town or maybe someone who lives here but isn’t from here and they just aren’t sure if they should stay or go. This is when we should reach out to others in our community to make sure they are okay and know that they have a friend who is at the ready to help. Sometimes a simple text message or phone call saying “If you need anything, I’m here!” goes a long way. Dealing with a hurricane and potential evacuation can be a stressful event. Knowing you have friends around who are thinking of you and willing to help if you need them can help make it a lot less stressful. So be that friend - call or text someone you know next time we have a storm or major weather event. Ask them if they are okay. Ask them if they need anything. Invite them to dinner as sometimes just having a friend to talk to can make you feel less stressed about a situation. Most importantly, let them know you care! I’ve always believed a small act of kindness can go a long way. We never know what someone else may be dealing with in their personal life and how a small gesture of kindness can make all the difference. With that being said, to everyone who reached out to me over the last few days, thank you for being a friend! MARK YOUR CALENDARS GrandPre’s will be hosting the Burgers and Bingo July Sunday Social for Big Easy Animal Rescue (BEAR) on July 28th from 4 to 7 pm. $10 at the door gets you a bingo card and a grilled hamburger plate (they’ll also have a vegan option). There’ll be drink specials along with prizes for both you and your fur babies. All proceeds will go to BEAR. New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE) will have their next potluck dinner on Tuesday, July 30th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. 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! August 2nd thru 4th is Mobile Bleather Weekend 2019. This is the 11th year of this annual event which benefits AIDS Alabama South. This is a weekend full of events, happy hours and parties along with the 24th annual Mr Gulf Coast Bears contest at B-Bobs. For a full listing of events go to mannmobile.wixsite.com/mysite
Gulf South Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 • Texas-Florida ANNUAL READERSHIP OVER 1M+ 260,000+ Print/780,000+ Online Official Gay Easter Parade Guide™ Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide™ Official Gay New Orleans Guide™ Official Pride Guide™ Official Southern Decadence Guide™
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR info@ambushpublishing.com CIRCULATION
Alabama - Birmingham, Mobile; Florida - Pensacola; Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metairie, New Orleans, Monroe, Alexandria; Mississippi - Bay St. Louis, Biloxi, Jackson; Texas Houston
PUBLISHER TJ Acosta EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Reed Wendorf DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & EVENTS Chris Leonard SENIOR EDITOR Brian Sands CONTRIBUTORS Adam Radd, Brian Sands, Catherine Roland, Crescent City Sports, Frank Perez, Jim Meadows, Kevin Assam, Rev. Bill Terry, Rodney Thoulion, Robert Fiesler, Ryan Rockford, Scot Billeaudeau, Tony Leggio, & Tyler Rosebush PHOTOGRAPHERS Andrew Hopkins, Dwain Hertz, Persona Shoulders, Tony Leggio
LOCAL ADVERTISING sales@ambushpublishing.com Reed Wendorf NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Ambush Magazine is published on alternate Tuesdays of each month by Ambush Publishing. Advertising, Copy & Photo DEADLINE is alternate Tuesdays, 5pm, prior to publication week, accepted via e-mail only: info@ambushpublishing.com. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for the claims of advertisers and has the right to reject any advertising. The inclusion of an individual’s name or photograph in this publication implies nothing about that individual’s sexual orientation. Letters, stories, etc. appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of the Publisher or Staff of Ambush Magazine. ©1982-2019 AMBUSH PUBLISHING LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOTHING HEREIN MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER INCLUDING AD LAYOUTS, MAPS & PHOTOS.
4 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS On Thursday, July 18, at the corner of Royal and St. Ann Streets in the French Quarter, the Mystik Krewe du Rue Royale Revelers will hold its monthly Grand Reveler Conclave. Members of the Krewe and other interested parties will gather at 801 Royal for cocktails and bites before stepping outside to witness the release of black or white smoke from krewe captain Frank Perez’s corner apartment at 8:45 p.m.. The conclave is held on the third Thursday of each month to deliberate the selection of the krewe’s next Grand
Grand Revelers’ Conclave Set for July 18 Reveler. All Grand Revelers—Jeff Palmquist (GR I), Will Antill (GR II), Felicia Phillips (GR IV), and Frank Perez (GR V)—cloister at Lord of Misrule Frank Perez’ apartment to suggest and debate names for the honored title. Proceedings of the monthly conclave are highly secretive. During conclave, the building is protected by the Swiss Guard. According to rumor, the vigorous discussion is fueled by copious amounts of alcohol. After the conclave concludes, the Lord of Misrule and the previous Grand Revelers, along with two Swiss Guard
officers, emerge on Perez’s corner balcony overlooking the intersection below to release either black or white smoke. Black smoke indicates a Grand Reveler has not been selected. White smoke indicates a Grand Reveler has been selected. Carnival enthusiasts, interested parties, hopeful revelers, and the general public are invited to gather at the corner of St. Ann and Royal during the conclave to await the decision of the Conclave. Anticipants should expect the smoke to be released at 8:45pm. The next conclave takes place on
Thursday, July 18. The revelation of the Grand Reveler is the highlight of krewe’s legendary 12th Night Party, which kicks off the Carnival Season each year. The Mystik Krewe de Rue Royale Revelers was founded in 2013 and held its first 12th Night Party in 2014 at Perez’ home. The first Grand Reveler was crowned in 2015. By 2018, the party had outgrown its humble origins and is now held at various venues in the French Quarter.
Krewe of Narcissus Bal Masque V The Captain and Krewe of Narcissus announce their fifth gay Carnival Bal Masque scheduled for Saturday, January 25, 2020. The location will be at The New Orleans Ladies Ballroom, 1771 Stumpf Boulevard, Terrytown,
LA.
The all gay male Krewe stages a traditional tableau while their guests enjoy complimentary cocktails and buffet. Attire is tuxedo and formal gown, costume and cross dressing. Atten-
dance is by invitation only, attained by supporting the krewe’s fundraising events. Follow Narcissus on Facebook @ kreweofnarcissusnola and Instagram @kreweofnarcissusnola.
For questions or further information, please contact us at kreweofnarcissusnola@gmail.com.
United We Stand…in Leather New Orleans did it quietly this year. Proudly, reverently and in the rain. A few of us had wondered, as the June 24 anniversary approached, if there was going to be any observances of
the historic Up Stairs Lounge fire. Those of us who’d helped plan last year’s 45th anniversary events – Frank Perez as liaison with the Historic New Orleans Collection and Reverend
Cory Sparks with St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, most prominently – had been spent by the Herculean effort (Pastor Cory once half-joked, “This almost killed me”); they hoped the torch could be passed and lifted by a new crop of citizen leaders. Yet, with nothing on the calendar as of June 23, it seemed the torch would drop and clatter. Had New Orleans accidentally, again, forgotten the deadliest fire on record in its history, this time not due to any kind of animus but in the banal way that the blur of days can erase the past and mangle intentions? Then a last-minute call to gather was sounded by the Crescent City Leathermen, who donated funds for a flower-setting on a ceremonial spray that were matched by the Lords of Leather and the Renegade Bears of New Orleans. They named the event “Remembering the Upstairs Lounge Fire,” no doubt in homage to Skylar Fein’s famed art exhibition. Suddenly, true to the style of this city, it was a community affair. Frank Perez called me that afternoon with instructions to turn up at the monument on Iberville Street at 8:15 a.m. that Monday. So there and then the faithful gathered—at an unholy hour at the beginning of what is our unholy workweek. Leather daddies and bears and BDSM fanatics with broad chests and bigger hearts stood vigil above the plaque near the historic entrance to the bar. A long metal dumpster, from a nearby construction job, blocked the sight of us from passing cars. Oh, what a tapestry is our commu-
nity. Looking at the dozen or so attendees, some arrayed in vests and assorted leather accouterments but most of them dressed in work getups of dress pants and collared shirts, it struck me that the right people had arrived. The right folk were here to remember and commune with the memories of those who’d perished in different times. For this was a crowd emblematic of the Up Stairs Lounge patrons: Men expected at work on a Monday. The Up Stairs Lounge crowd had not been a tony clique, by any measure. They were a ragtag assemblage of hustlers, musicians, non-ordained ministers and the occasional dentist—wage earners who couldn’t take the day off, even if they were sick. Together, they formed a chosen brotherhood in that second-story oasis. All became semi-closeted radicals through their very presence in such an establishment. All had the guts to risk job and house and family while treading up those 13 wooden steps past the door at 604 Iberville Street, men of faith and hope who, in the face of existential dangers, found reason to sing United We Stand by the Brotherhood of Man around a white baby grand piano. The gay-affirming MCC of New Orleans, in fact, had gathered in “fellowship” at the Up Stairs Lounge that fateful Sunday for a spur-of-moment celebration because someone had donated an air conditioner to their place of worship. They lost one-third of their congregation, including pastor Bill Larson and Deacon Mitch Mitchell, to the flames. So many voices were silenced through an unimaginable crime. This spur-of-the-moment memo-
6 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
rial, therefore, emulated the spirit of those departed in a way no one could plan. Another set of men, who showed up for one another, had shown up for them. And indeed, one could imagine the Up Stairs Lounge crowd laughing side by side and fitting in better with today’s leather daddies and renegade bears than any fabulous queen swiping left on Grindr or tittering in a man-
sion on St. Charles Avenue. Brawny, beautiful men like the Lords of Leather in full attire are queer echoes of Up Stairs Lounge survivors such as Rusty Quinton, the ironworker who wore mesh t-shirts, or Buddy Rasmussen, the former 7-11 attendant turned Navy serviceman turned bartender who wore the occasional wrestling singlet. (Though the Up Stairs Lounge was not a “leather bar,” by any stretch, it often
celebrated the hyper-masculine.) These men, through their presence that Monday, stood as heirs to the Up Stairs Lounge culture, a legacy that resurfaced through time and tears. It did not perish. These were my thoughts as we pressed in behind a dumpster to hear the service. Switchy Kyle, of Crescent City Leathermen, read out the names of the 32 victims—a recitation once for-
bidden to local ears. It began to rain. From beneath an umbrella, pastor Lonnie Cheramie of the MCC of New Orleans then led a prayer of benediction. And the song United We Stand, anthem of the ruined Up Stairs bar (a place that can no longer be), rang out from a tiny set of speakers down Iberville Street.
Bear, Leather Enthusiasts Headed Toward “The Locker Room” for 11th Mobile Bleather Weekend Aug. 2 & 3 When the final whistle blows, the teams head toward the locker room. But that’s when the games REALLY begin at this year’s 11th Mobile Bleather Weekend! Mobile Bleather Weekend is “The South’s Premier Bear/Leather/Levi Event”. Four bars in Mobile unite to present a weekend filled with contests, music and socializing, all centered around a theme. And, in addition to the wildly popular 24th Mr. Gulf Coast Bear Contest, MBW 2019 features the Mr. Mobile Leather Contest. And each event will reflect this year’s theme, “Locker Room 11” FRIDAY kicks off with Opening Cocktails at Gabriel’s Downtown at 6 p.m.. Stop by, have a beer and mingle with the early arrivals, as MBW introduces Tampa’s Logan Powell. You’ll be seeing A LOT of Logan over the weekend, as the former Mr. South Texas Leather explores our event for the first time, bringing “extra” energy to MBW, especially on the dance stage. From there, the crowd migrates around the corner for the Mr. Mobile Leather Contest, 9 p.m. at B-Bob’s Downtown. The contest will be hosted by former New Orleans Lords of Leather ball captain Gary Vandeventer. If you’d like to be a contestant, get details at http://www.mobilebleatherweekend. com. And this just in: Bear Rapper
sensation and all-around fun guy, Big Dipper will take the B-Bob’s stage right after the contest! And if you’re inclined to hit the dance floor, Louisville DJ AJ McKay’s Dance Party picks up from there! But for the more advernturous, The Midtown Pub’s your destination for “JOCK”, this year’s edition of TMP’s “Notorious Black Out Party”. The lights go low as DJ Kenny makes things go “thump” in the night. It’s over when it’s over, so don’t just come and go- stay a while! Logan Powell will be up on TMP’s Famous HOT BOX makin’ it shake! 11 p.m.-until at The Midtown Pub. SATURDAY’S center piece of Mobile Bleather Weekend is the annual Mr. Gulf Coast Bear Contest. But before that hot mess is the annual Mr. GCB Meet the Contestants sipper at Gabriel’s Downtown. This is a great time to mingle with our friends from New Orleans’ Lords of Leather crew. This is also a good chance for late entries to sign up for the contest. It’s 6 p.m. at Gabriel’s Downtown. The 22nd Annual Mr. Gulf Coast Bear Contest arrives at 9 at B-Bob’s. This is where this year’s Locker Room theme crosses over into the absurd! Our contestants will display their competitive side in bear wear, bear image, and the ever popular “Less Is More”
portion of the show. As always, Louisville’s own A.J. McKay will unleash his potty mouth and unique world view on the contestants and the crowd. Contestants will “pass the boot” during the contest to benefit AIDS Alabama South, Mobile’s HIV/AIDS help agency. There’s a nice cash prize for the winning bear, a fab sash and adoration from everyone! Of course, the spectacle is followed by another, B-Bob’s Famous Floor Show, which happens after we clean up the mess. But before we leave the locker room and turn out the light, there’s “LATHER”, the fabulous foam party on the patio at Gabriel’s Downtown. It is exactly what the name implies, with Gabriel’s famous patio converted to a frothy dance emporium. And prepare
to stay a while, cause you can dance till dawn! Remember, there is no run fee for Mobile Bleather Weekend. Just come and have a great time. Our official host hotel is the Quality Inn Downtown featuring a $69 room special for MBW, but you have to contact the hotel directly. For more information on the hotel, events and more, visit the event website, www.mobilebleatherweekend. com As always, a special thanks to Ambush Magazine for their support of Mobile’s unique celebration of Bear/ Leather Pride. We’ll see you in The Birthplace of Mardi Gras (Mobile), for Mobile Bleather Weekend 2019, August 2 & 3, in Beautiful Downtown Mobile, Alabama!
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 7
OBITUARY
James Andrew Mondoro James Andrew Mondoro, 58, of New Orleans, Louisiana, and formerly of Dunellen, New Jersey, passed away at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans surrounded by his loving family on June 28. Son of Joseph and Nina Mondoro, Jim was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and spent most of his childhood in Dunellen where he graduated from Dunellen High School in 1978 and was an active member of the Dunellen Rescue Squad. Jim attended Essex County College / UMDNJ School of Allied Health’s Paramedic Program and worked as an EMT at EMTAC in Irvington New Jersey. Upon receiving his paramedic certification, he worked at UMDNJ—University Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and Trinitas Mobile Intensive Care Unit. On September 11, 2001, he relocated to New Orleans where he worked as a bartender at Café Lafitte in Exile and Cutter’s. Jim then became a CRA / Senior CRA at Premier Research Group and CTI. He dedicated his life to being a public servant and helping others in any capacity. He lit up a room with his
presence and smile, and loved spending time with family and friends. He had a zest for life and a humor that created laughter wherever he went and was loved by all who knew him. Jim’s love, kindness, and generosity have touched lives across the country. He will be forever missed. He is survived by his husband, Byron Anderson, his father, Joseph Mondoro, Sr., his sister and brother-in-law, Lisa and Rob Retenberg, and his two brothers: Christopher and his sister-inlaw Randie Mondoro and Joseph Mondoro, Jr. He is preceded in death by his loving mother, Nina Mondoro and his brother, Wayne Hall.
Services for Jimmy, as he was affectionately known in New Orleans, were held on July 13 in Dunellen, New Jersey.
Jim Mondoro
8 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About at GrandPre’s AT GRANDPRE’S IT’S SHOWTIME ON RAMPART | PHOTOS BY AMBUSH
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 9
Trodding the Boards Brian Sands bsnola2@hotmail.com
She Loves Me at Tulane’s Dixon Hall I wish we had a different occupant in the White House. I wish Hurricane Barry had not caused all the ruckus he did. And I wish Tulane’s Summer Lyric Theatre’s (SLT) production of She Loves Me had a longer run as this delightful and utterly captivating musical, not seen here in more than a generation, lingered an extra day due to Barry but that wasn’t long enough. She Loves Me, a musical adaptation of a 1937 Hungarian play, first appeared on Broadway in 1963 starring Barbara Cook and had a respectable but not spectacular run. It’s since gone on to have two critically-praised, Tony-nominated revivals, and has become the type of show that musical afficionados cherish while the hoi polloi go with the Dollys and Disneys and Phantoms. As anyone familiar with You’ve Got Mail, similarly inspired by Miklós László’s Parfumerie, knows, She Loves Me concerns itself with two battling co-workers, unaware that they have been carrying on an extensive pen-pal romance. The owner of the perfume shop where they clerk and their other colleagues provide additional plot threads for this bonbon of a show. The score of She Loves Me features lustrously witty lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and tunes full of Old World charm by Jerry Bock, the team who, the following year, would create Fiddler on the Roof. Its just-right book by Joe (Cabaret) Masteroff prevents the story from descending into treacle or mere whimsy. Kudos to Director Michael E. McKelvey for giving the musical its overdue SLT premiere. He presented it straightforwardly, and, with the help of Rick Paul’s set, smoothly allowed the story to flow along. Musical Director
Rich Arnold and Dody Piper in She Loves Me (photo by Michael Palumbo)
C. Leonard Raybon brought out the warmth and complexity of this lovely score, with a particularly great string section adding to the atmosphere. As the feuding would-be lovers Amalia and Georg, Dody Piper and Rich Arnold radiated a magnetic chemistry as they tentatively discovered each other’s true self. Arnold endearingly epitomized someone in newfound love, yet also displayed an inner strength that wouldn’t let him back down when Georg knew he’s right. Arnold’s sterling tenor voice was a perfect match for the character. Piper, who received an 2006 Ambie Award nomination for her portrayal
of Grizabella in JPAS Summer Youth Music Theatre’s production of Cats, made Amalia tough but vulnerable, sweet yet determined, and altogether human. Her gorgeous, operatically trained soprano contained not only the ingenue-ishness of Cook but the quirkiness of Madeline Kahn who played Amalia in a 1977 NYC Town Hall concert version. Piper’s rendition of the show’s signature number Vanilla Ice Cream promises to be one of the most thrilling moments ever experienced in a New Orleans theater. Bryce Slocumb, tall and thin as a switchblade, didn’t overplay the lothario qualities of Kodaly, another salesman,
making him all the more believable. As the too-often-disappointed-in-love Ilona, Meredith Owens could have been a little less the victim; that Ilona herself realizes she must better take control of her own agency (I Resolve) doesn’t mean she can’t already have a certain strength. Owens did deserve better choreography for her transformational A Trip to the Library (otherwise Jauné Buisson’s dances were dandy), but she certainly added to the show’s zest and combined with Piper for beautiful harmonies in Don’t Know His Name. Daniel Hart, as the shop’s ambitious delivery boy, and Sean Patterson, as a genial clerk with a family to support, were each adorable in his own way. Bob Edes Jr. endowed shop owner Mr. Maraczek with magnificent depth giving soulfulness and due dignity to this fading roué. As beguiling as most of She Loves Me is, the venue where Georg and Amalia plan to meet for the first time seems odd, a kind of upscale version of Cabaret’s Kit Kat Klub (you’d think they’d’ve chosen just a regular café). The SLT krewe did the best they could with all the assignations going on there (Adam Segrave shined as the Headwaiter) though plastic goblets couldn’t provide the requisite clink of glass. Glenn Avery Reed’s costumes were simple and period-appropriately
10 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
stylish. Too many of Erin Routh’s wigs, however, did not complement the actresses wearing them; one missed. Don & Linda Guillot’s creations. Those are minor quibbles. In a perfect universe, we’d have someone else in the White House, meteorologists could better predict what weather to expect, and this warmhearted show would run forever. Summer Lyric Theatre concludes its season August 1-4 with the regional premiere of Matilda, the Tony-winning musical adapted from Roald (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) Dahl’s singular novel. In it, Matilda, a bookish and vastly intelligent girl, is rejected by her dunderhead parents who venerate money, stupidity and crassness. As she challenges them and Miss Trunchbull, the horrible headmistress of her school, she engages them in an epic battle of dark vs. light. The result may be predictable but the path to get there is filled with visual splendor and lots of fun. Dennis Kelly’s book provides a fantastic bunch of classmate allies for Matilda, neither snarky malcontents nor goody-two-shoes. Tim Minchin’s songs amuse and bewitch; if When I Grow Up is likely to stick in your mind, Matilda’s anthem Quiet will surely touch your heart. Let’s hope Barry’s friends Chantal, Dorian, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, etc., will leave Matilda alone while she’s here.
Mamma Mia! at Rivertown Theater thru July 21 From the sublimity of She Loves Me, a trip out to Kenner takes you to the ridiculousness of the ABBA musical Mamma Mia! And in these times, there’s nothing wrong with a fun escapist show like this long-running hit. For those Ambush readers who somehow missed this musical since it first burst on the scene 20 years ago, MM! tells of a young girl, Sophie, about to get married who invites her Mom’s three paramours of long ago, one of whom is likely to be her father, to her wedding to try to figure who should be the one to give her away. Set in 1999 on a Greek island where Donna, Sophie’s mom, runs a taverna, MM! uses a smörgåsbord of ABBA’s #1 hits which do a surprisingly good job of creating character and moving the somewhat slight plot along. In New Orleans, Ricky Graham’s name is almost synonymous with humor, often of the broad variety, so he’d seem like the perfect choice to helm Mamma Mia! Interestingly, as director of this Rivertown production, he brings out the script’s drama or, rather, its more human emotions, which is fine. In fact, whereas the Broadway and movie versions seemed to focus on Donna (hey, understandable since
Meryl Streep played her on screen), in community theater productions, at least those here, the emphasis seems to shift to Sophie; that occurred last year with The Company’s production in St. Bernard as well. At Rivertown, Leeann Hovis makes an especially appealing Sophie as she struggles to figure out “who she is” all the while singing with a sweet, pure voice. With her entrancing yet down-toearth charm, it’s understandable why a cool guy like Sky (Jayden Heller) would fall for her. Though he’s a tad too young for the role, Heller is simply the best Sky I’ve ever seen. He invests this young man with a gravitas that, in his too few scenes, revivifyingly ups the show’s ante including when he leads a line of guys in diving suits, complete with flippers, in the Lay All Your Love on Me number. Am I surprised by this? Nope, as Heller delivered a Nathan Detroit earlier this year in NOCCA’s Guys and Dolls that hit the comic jackpot. He’ll be going off to Marymount Manhattan College in NYC later this year. I hope we haven’t seen the last of him. Aside from the Sophie/Sky narrative, however, something seems to be missing. Despite Graham’s involvement, a certain overarching comic spark is absent and so the production never fully takes off despite considerable individual elements. Trina Beck and Lisa Picone Love bring their bounteous talents to bear as Donna’s gal pals and former members of a rock band they were all in. Their Chiquitita trio with Donna is immeasurably pleasing. Warren A. Hovis (Leeann’s real life father), Gary Rucker, and Matthew Mickal make a suitable trio of potential fathers, with each displaying a true paternal interest in Sophie. Garrin Mesa, as one of Donna’s houseboys who aspires to be Beck’s lover, shows off awesome dance movies (how does he leap that high with legs at an almost 180 degree angle?) and a nice comic sense. In addition to the flipper dance, Heidi Malnar provides choreography both imaginative and well-done by the large ensemble as in a Greek-styled tarantella (or hora). Her use of tap for the second act opener Under Attack made the number more memorable than usual tho I wish she had let her dancers cut loose even more. Robert Camp’s lighting bathes the stage, not only in Grecian shades of sunlight and moonlight, but with splashes of color that highlight the merriment. Cool projections enhance things throughout, especially in Money, Money, Money. You may have noticed I haven’t mentioned the Donna of Ashley Smetherman Lemmler yet. When I saw her name in the playbill, I had high expectations as this marvelous singing
Leeann Hovis and Jayden Heller in Mamma Mia! (photo by John Barrios)
actress gave two of the most outstanding performances in recent memory as Queen Aggravain in Once Upon a Mattress and as Countess Charlotte in A Little Night Music. Her Donna, however, isn’t at the level of those. There’s a lot of talk about Donna being a “rock star” and a “dynamo” but the script doesn’t really allow an actress to show that side of her which hampers Lemmler’s performance. Here she seems like a nice gal but not the force of nature Donna needs to be, as she and Graham haven’t found other ways to bring this Donna to full dancing queen life. Having seen the added (due to Barry) opening performance, perhaps Lemmler will do so as the run progresses. As Barry fades from view and the summer muggies return, a trip to a Greek island might be nice. Rivertown’s Mamma Mia! may not be perfect, but with all those catchy ABBA songs, a trip to Kenner will give you almost as much entertainment and at a lot less expensive price.
Curtain Up
The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans will stage The Glass Menagerie at the Marigny
Opera House (725 St. Ferdinand St.) July 26 through August 17. If you need to know anything more about this most famous of Williams’ plays, google it and then plan to see this production which will be directed by Augustin J Correro and feature Judy Lea Steele (Amanda Wingfield), Julia DeLois (Laura), Nathaniel Twarog (Tom) and Matthew Raetz (The Gentleman Caller). ’nuff said.
The Company: A St. Bernard Community Theater presents The Wedding Singer at Nunez Community College in Chalmette, July 25-28. John Collins directs this musical based on the 1998 film of the same name that revolves around Robbie, who sings at weddings, his failed relationship with his former fiancée, and his romance with a new love, Julia. Sounds like a perfect summertime romp to me. Please send press releases and notices of your upcoming shows to Brian Sands at bsnola2@hotmail.com.
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 11
MUSINGS BY CATHERINE
Affirm Yourself: Find Purpose, Go Forward Catherine Roland catherineroland12@gmail.com
Affirmation of self is something we may forget about sometimes, deny, or just not know how to do, because we’ve never felt self-affirming. It strikes me that many in our community, spanning age and stage, are asking difficult questions about life, goals, expectations, with a healthy amount of trying to figure out a personal kind of existential angst. Younger members of the LGBTQ community who might be characterized as millennials have discovered that what others have told them about life may not be true for them and that individuation during young adulthood is vital for growth. At the same time, it can be challenging when hopes and dreams have been attached to the myths and experience of others. People seldom mean to misguide a younger loved one by relating experiences from the past; sometimes younger adults do take it seriously though, and if things don’t work out as planned, become a bit jaded and even depressed. It’s extremely difficult for some to carry on, work around what they see as a failure and proceed via an alternate path. How sad when
it happens early in life, and that selfnamed failure becomes almost a resigned expectation. To affirm oneself might seem unrealistic and inauthentic for many. It’s not. This happens in mid-life as well for adults who are into their career, a family or friend-family group, or a combination of those. There’s often a resilience in all of us that allows us to overcome adversity and carry on. That carry-on idea may not always be positive though, if the carry-on part is to stay in a situation that might not be the best, might not make us as happy as possible, or is simply not fulfilling. That fear or reluctance to change, grow or risk, can keep us stuck. Those times in life, however, are ripe for self-affirmation, including a personal life review of inner feelings and, ultimately, engaging in a reframing of expectations and successes. I realize these words often are easier to write than carry out, especially if there are feelings of depression, low self-esteem or even self-hate going on. Sometimes those feelings have been a part of someone’s life for a while, and there may then be a sense that nothing
can really change that. Isolation, a sense of being ‘bored’ or lacking energy, or annoyance with people in your life who once allowed you joy, can occur during these hopefully fleeting times. You may wonder what you can do to feel better, stronger, more confident, or just have more energy. Although it may not seem like it would be a big help, learning to regularly and consistently affirm yourself, your past accomplishments and your connections to others, past and present, just might give some relief and direction. For adults a bit older, say 60-plus, life may be challenging in unique ways; sometimes there’s a negative regard of aging, a natural process for those of us fortunate enough to be able to go through it. Self-affirmation and life review can be especially helpful, sometimes life-saving, during this phase of life. Given the experiences someone has gone through in a longer life, there may be a broader array of relationships, connections, and successes from which to pull. The opposite is also true, in that the more years of
life that you regard as unfulfilling, the possibility exists that the status quo, the ‘even’ will remain, reaching what in couples/family counseling is known as homeostasis. Mostly it seems easier, however, and a sense of self that is built through the years will eventually become a sustaining element in life for all of us, at any age. I’d like to share some ways that you could practice affirming yourself and others in your life who are important to you. I believe we are all ‘in relationship’ with people we are around, and there are many kinds of relationships, not merely sexual or in-love-with ones. For example, I attended a NOAGE Board meeting last evening, and every one of the people on that Board with whom I interacted had a common interest in terms of commitment and time. We are in relationship as a community of committed volunteers, for a common cause and for good. It’s a solid relationship that, although early, I feel will be sustaining and fulfilling. The phrase “realistic optimism” coined by psychologist Martin Seligman in 2013 comes to mind. My take
12 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
on it is more about positivity because, sometimes, to be realistic without a reframe of the perceptions of negativity, can cause additional stress and regret. We know regret gets us nowhere at all. It’s about reviewing life, taking note of what seems less successful or hurtful, and learning. It’s the knowing, the understanding, and the self-compassion that needs to come right after. Maybe before self-affirmation can take place, there needs to be forgiveness of self, at least offering yourself some slack in a serious way. I love the idea of positivity. I had the honor of being President of a large organization for three years recently, the American Counseling Association. The mantra that I began and ended every keynote, board meeting or session with was “Positivity, Hope and Courage.” It will always be my mantra. Recently, I was given a workbook
called, PRIDE Coloring Book: Inspiring Designs with Affirming Messages of Love and Acceptance (2017), by Ronald Holt and William Huggett, two gay men who have been active in the LGBTQ community. The drawings in PRIDE Coloring Book are of mandalas, from the Sanskrit loosely meaning sacred circle. Each is different, because each experience, each view you take, is different. If you’re now about to engage in some self-talk that sounds like “I’m not coloring some workbook” I understand, but a little risk can yield a lot. After all, adult coloring books have been very popular in the last few years. The idea of combining beautiful drawings and pertinent quotes, statements and specific affirmations, also has grown as a self-help activity. And choosing colors is just fun! The reason for coloring the mandalas is to give some time and
space for thought and reflection. And it’s creative as well. There are two I especially like (and have done myself, as have a few of my friends). The left pages show a pertinent quote, sometimes famous, sometimes not. The opposite page shows the mandala with an affirmation below that loosely corresponds to the quote. For example, by the wonderful poet and sage, Rumi: “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” Under the intricate mandala on the right that will be more meaningful if you actually color it, the affirmation is “I trust love” and that alone is a specific and valuable personal affirmation to use. The second one I’ll share is a quote from a courageous leader and hero of our community, Harvey Milk: “Hope will never be silent.” Opposite that, un-
derneath the mandala, is the profound affirmation: “I am worthy of happiness, unconditional love, and acceptance— just as I am.” Both of these examples can help to affirm yourself daily and, hopefully, will lead to a more positive self-view. I hope that you will at least consider engaging in some life-affirming activity, exercise or reading. All of us can benefit, and if one does this, others in your life will also benefit. The circle, the ‘whole’ as Jung would suggest, is powerful if it’s allowed to be instructive as well as enlightening. As the hot summer blazes ahead, perhaps it’s time to relax in a cool, safe place for a few minutes, and begin or restart, the journey. Try this affirmation from me: I am worth the effort, every day.”
SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Amon-Ra AT WIENERS MEAT AND BUNS. KREWE OF AMON-RA | PHOTOS BY JEREMY
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 13
COMMUNITY VOICE
Start Planning Your Future Today… The Golden Girls Way Jim Meadows Executive Director, NOAGE info@noagenola.org Most people daydream about how much fun they will have when they first retire, but imagining what might come later? Not so much. Let’s face it: the thought of eventually being in a nursing home isn’t exactly an exciting prospect. For LGBT people, the anxieties around that possibility are stronger than for most. It’s time we confront our fears head-on, and the first step is looking at some of the facts. Some of them are pretty stark, but bear with me. I promise it gets better by the end! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost of living for adults aged 65 and older is roughly $46,000 per year. The stereotype of all gay people being rich notwithstanding, LGBT elders are actually more likely to live in poverty than their straight and cisgender peers. They are more likely to live alone, and more likely to feel isolated. The primary caretakers for most older adults tend to be their children, but LGBT people are less likely to have kids, and there’s less social pressure on friends to become caretakers. For those rea-
sons, LGBT elders may be more likely to eventually rely on nursing homes for their long-term care. A significant portion of LGBT elders feel that they cannot be open with the staff of long-term care facilities about their sexual orientation or gender identity. In a 2011 report entitled LGBT Older Adults in Long-Term Care Facilities: Stories from the Field, many reported verbal and physical harassment by their peers and staff in nursing homes. Others reported refusal of admission, abrupt discharge, restriction of visitors, intentional misgendering, and even denial of basic care. Another study from 2014 found that nearly half of self-identified lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults who enquired about admission to senior housing communities “experienced unfavorable differential treatment in terms of availability of housing, pricing, financial incentives, amenities, or application requirements.” Now that I’ve thoroughly depressed you, I’m going to give you a suggestion that’s going to have you humming “Thank You for Being a Friend” by the
end of this article. A way to mitigate – or even completely avoid – all of the above problems has been right under our noses since 1985. You guessed it: Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sofia enjoyed the kind of retirement most people only dream of. Split living expenses, great social support, funny friends who make chicken soup and sit with you at your sick bed, and even some pretty hot date nights. The Golden Girls knew that shared housing is the way to go for those who can find the right roommates. You may already have the perfect combination of your friends for this setup in mind. Or maybe your social support system needs an overhaul. New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE) provides regular social events for LGBT older adults – and their allies of all ages – including Coffee Talks, potlucks, movie nights, and a walking group. These events are the perfect way to meet new friends, and start building your social network. Start a conversation with your friends about the idea of shared housing. Find out who might be interested, and then start thinking about the when, where, and how of it. What age do you plan to retire? Is there a part of town that all of you could agree to live in? What would be your shared expenses and budget? Those are just some of the questions you can start answering
together now. Assume that you and your friends will need a hired caretaker at least some of the time. Even with healthy friends or family around, there may be times when you need extra help. Reach out to an elder care home service provider like Home Instead to find out about the kinds of services you may need, and the costs involved. NOAGE is working to educate local healthcare providers, including long-term care facility staff on the unique needs of LGBT older adults. We’ve trained several hundred healthcare professionals in the last couple of years. But we still have a lot of work to do, and most of the long-term care facilities in New Orleans are very much in need of LGBT cultural competency training. (If you’re in a position to help us get a foot in the door of any local long-term care facilities, please email us at info@noagenola.org.) In the meantime, start reaching out to your BFFs now to plan a get-together, and start working out a plan that will work for all of you. Don’t forget the cheesecake! (This article originally appeared, in a slightly different form, on squirrelnews.net. Re-published with permission.)
14 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
Friday, June 19
Southern Decadence is Coming Just Us Lounge in Biloxi 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Appetizers, Prizes, and More!
Saturday, July 20
Gay Appreciation Awards Oz New Orleans - 800 Bourbon Street 6:00 PM $10 at the door or bitly.com/gaa2019
Sunday, July 21
Poster Signing 700 Club 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM $10 donation for 11x17 poster
Wednesday, July 24
Gong Karaoke Kajuns Pub 7:00 PM -9:00 PM
Saturday, July 27
Nearly Naked Pool Party 2215 Joseph St 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM $25 entry donation link for tickets: SD2019.ticketleap.com/nearly-naked-pool-party/
Saturday, July 27
Boozy Basket Raffle The Balcony Bar - 3201 Magazine St 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Raffle tickets are $5 donation each
Sunday, August 4
Hamburger Cook Out GrandPre’s 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM $15 donation
Monday, August 5
Underwear Fashion Show Corner Pocket 8:00 PM Hosted by Felicia Phillips $10 donation
Friday, August 9
Decadence Gets Dirty The Phoenix - 941 Elysian Fields 9:00 PM
Saturday, August 10
Johnny Passion’s Snatch Game: All Star Edition The Allways Lounge 10:15 PM $10 donation at the door
Sunday, August 11
Deviled Egg Contest Cutters 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday, August 14
Gay History Tour in the French Quarter with Frank Perez and Quinn Laroux 6:00 PM $75 donation (limited tickets)
Friday, August 16
Circus of Heathens: Down the Rabbit Hole hosted by New Orleans Louisiana Pups and Handlers The Always Lounge and Cabaret 2240 St Claude Ave 10:30 PM $10 donation
Saturday, August 17
Buy a Boy Auction:Dinners on Us Oz New Orleans - 800 Bourbon Street More info: persanashoulders.com
Friday, August 30
Former Grand Marshal Drag Show The Golden Lantern - 1239 Royal St 8:00 PM Sunday, September 1 Grand Marshal Parade 2:00 PM
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 15
THE ROCKFORD FILES
Funny, Not Funny Ryan Rockford RyanRockfordNYC@gmail.com America’s Next Fag Superstar spills the tea on Boston’s Straight Pride. Have you heard the one about some elements in Boston throwing their own parade celebrating Straight Pride? Unfortunately, it’s no joke. And instead of a punchline, the LGBTQ community gets a punch in the gut. In an act of outlandish absurdity the Boston “straight rights” advocacy group Super Happy Fun America has filed a discrimination suit against the city of Boston petitioning a demand for a Straight Pride parade. Why? Because according to SHFA President John Hugo, “Straight people are an oppressed majority. We will fight for the right of straights everywhere to express pride in themselves without fear of judgement and hate. The day will come when straights will finally be included as equals among all other orientations.” Just to be clear, these members are of the straight majority who feel they need to fight the gay minority to feel more represented. That’s stupid. Initially, the idea of mocking the gay pride parade may seem harmless but in actuality, it serves to validate the disrespect and oppression gay people feel on a daily basis. In essence, the Straight Pride Parade takes a big dump on our Stonewall and only exists to denigrate, demoralize and belittle the progress and sacrifices of LGBTQ men and women over the last fifty years. Adding insult to injury, Hugo goes on to explain that, “This parade is a gift to anyone…who will stand with us and celebrate the wonder and the majesty of God’s own heterosexuality. Men, bring your most toxic selves. Women prepare to burn your briefcases! Because it’s great to be straight and we’re not apologizing for it any more. We’re Here, Not Queer.” If this doesn’t enrage you, it should. This Super Happy
Fun American douchebag just spit in our face. The LGBTQ community has come a long way in 50 years. A lot has changed, but not as much as you think. Queer people are still a minority. We are still a marginalized group who continues to fight for our lives in very many ways and circumstances. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, LGBTQ people consider suicide at a rate of three times the amount of their heterosexual peers. Trans people, especially Trans people of color are the most vulnerable to violence and murder. Twenty-six trans people were murdered in the U.S. alone in 2018. You want to hear something that’s fucked up? According to the CDC stats, Trans women of color have a life expectancy of only 35 years, where their cisgender counterparts have an average life expectancy of 78 years. 35 years?! THAT’S fucked up. How’s that for some Straight Pride, America? Feeling good? It isn’t only civilians who are displaying hurtful and hateful behavior towards the LGBTQ minority. Under the current administration, we are increasingly being attacked from elected officials. The very people that we, at least some of us (them?), selected to look out for our best interests are kicking sand in our face. It’s no surprise to find some more of that Straight Pride hard at work down in Alabama. Recently, Mark Chambers, the Mayor of some dip-shit town in Alabama published a Facebook post equating “homosexuals” to “baby killers,” saying, “We live in a society where homosexuals lecture us on morals, transvestites lecture us on human biology, baby killers lecture us on human rights and socialists lecture us on economics”. Later adding that, “Without killing them out there’s no way
to fix it.” Thanks, Mark. What a charmer. I would expect to hear this kind of sentiment fifty years ago, but not in 2019. And yet, here we are. The fact that there is a Super Happy Fun America ‘straight advocacy’ group in Boston is bad enough. But the audacity of filing a discrimination case, against homosexuals, while demanding, by petition, the creation of a Straight Pride parade in return, is even worse. For a while, the whole dust-up was seen as a joke; nothing but a fanciful idea, unlikely to become reality. But last week, the city of Boston delivered the coup de grace and officially approved a permit for a Straight Pride parade. scheduled to take place in downtown Boston on August 31st, 2019. No joke. I guess if the KKK can march in Skokie, IL... According to the SHFA website, the event “will be held to achieve inclusivity and spread awareness of issues impacting straights in Greater Boston and beyond.” Participants are also invited to “celebrate the diverse history, culture and contributions of the straight community.” As a reminder, from the LGTBQ perspective, here are the names of a few people who’ve been on the receiving end of some of the ‘contributions’ the proud, straight, socially sanctioned, majority have made to our community over the years. Steen Fenrich, murdered by his stepfather, in Queens N.Y for being gay. His dismembered remains were found with the phrase “gay nigger number one” scrawled on his skull along with his social security number.
Sakia Gunn, a 15- year old girl stabbed to death at a bus stop for turning down the advancements of two male strangers, after declaring herself to be lesbian Ronnie Antonio Paris, a threeyear old boy in Tampa, who died from brain injuries received from his father, who repeatedly slammed his son into walls, slapped the child’s head and ‘boxed’ him because he was concerned the child might turn out to be gay and grow up a sissy. Carl Joseph Walker, an 11-year-old child in Springfield, MA, who hung himself with an extension cord after being bullied at school by his peers who said he “acted feminine” Last year, in 2018. 8-year old Gabriel Fernandez of Palmdale died as a result of the torture he received at the hands of his mother’s boyfriend. Gabriel was repeatedly beaten, starved, tied up, locked in a cabinet, shot with a BB gun and had his teeth knocked out with a bat. Fuck you, Hugo and your “contributions of the straight community.” Strong support for Straight Pride is often based on religious objections to homosexuality. Equally barbaric as those who commit the crimes are those who hide behind a religion that somehow justifies these atrocities. World Pride in NYC is a perfect example: As Seen On TV the Bible Belt wearing members of the Super Happy Fun American (straight) movement are eager to recite or display (in poorly, hand-written magic marker) compelling biblical passages that prove it is the Lord’s will that homosexuals should die.
America’s Next Fag Superstar spills the tea on Boston’s Straight Pride.
16 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
What these biblical, cherry-picking assholes don’t bother to scream at you, or scrawl on their cardboard boxes, is that the bible clearly states that among others, mediums, fortune tellers and anyone who works on the Sabbath should also be put to death. Put to death for working on the Sabbath? That wipes out virtually every waiter on the planet. For Christians, that’s going to put a huge wrench in their Sunday brunch plans. By the way, do you know who else likes to object to Gay Pride by supporting and stressing Straight Pride? Extremist groups like the White Aryan-Resistance and the Ku Klux Klan. Speaking of…has anyone bothered to peek under the white hood of
the three SHFA advocacy group’s organizers? According to their bios, John Hugo, Mark Sahady, and Chris Bartley have all been, in some way, affiliated with groups and events that have promoted or ignited physical violence in support of anti-Semitic, misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ views. This parade is not about taking pride in being straight, it’s about promoting the traditional notions of white masculinity and supremacy as viewed by its organizers. What SFHA seems to be missing is an understanding that Gay Pride wasn’t something created to celebrate our ‘Gayness’. Gay Pride was created out of necessity, and the right to exist without persecution. It’s a simple concept. We want to be treated as fairly
and as equally as everyone else. What is so hard to understand about that? I’ve never known of anyone fired from their job, ridiculed or refused service for being white and straight. Nor have I ever heard of a boyfriend and girlfriend attacked by strangers because they were holding hands at the mall. When was the last time a boy was tortured and beaten for acting too masculine? Or the last time a girl was stalked and bullied on the internet for being feminine? I love a parade but I sincerely wish Gay Pride parade is one that I wish we didn’t need, but we do. Until the LGBTQ community achieves true acceptance and equality, we need it. We need to keep reminding this country
and this world that we are still here and we’re not going anywhere. As outrageous as this controversy is, I think the best way to counteract and protest this lunacy is to live each day as our authentic selves. Whoever that is. For me, the days of feeling ashamed that I was gay or being intimidated by ignorance and fear are over. I believe that if we each live our lives as proudly and as genuinely as possible, the barriers of resistance will be ground down. Until then, in regards to SHFA and their initiatives, I’m team Smashmouth. “STRAIGHT PRIDE???? .. FUCK OFF !!! “ Smashmouth/ via Twitter
SNAP PAPARAZZI Out & About with Quentin Little AT SPLASH AND THE PARKS | PHOTOS BY QUENTIN LITTLE
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 17
COMMENTARY $750.00 Per Day Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com George Washington commandeered airports, probably in order to protect his troops from cancer causing windmills on all the farms they would have had to march through without airplanes. The moon is a part of Mars. Cofveve. Unlettered, unread, stupid Presidents are nothing new. Neither are corrupt Presidents. Ditto for incompetent Presidents. We’ve even had racist Presidents. And while Trump tops all those lists, his real distinction in presidential history lies in being the most evil President. And I do mean E-V-I-L, without hyperbole. Harmful public policies are not necessarily evil; some are simply misguided. What makes a policy evil is the motivation behind it. Jim Crow laws, for example were evil, because of their racist intent. Trump, of course, makes no effort to hide his racism. In fact, Trump is happy to use racism as a political tool to exploit ignorant voters, which is to say his base. But as evil as that is, there is an even more wicked force at work in the White House—good old-fashioned greed.
Nowhere is greed more evident than in the current situation at the southern border. Separating children from their parents and holding them in cages is obviously inhumane. To do so to exploit voters’ bigotry is evil. And to do so for financial profit is thoroughly evil. Make no mistake about it—the humanitarian crisis at the border is the direct result of greed. And Jesus said, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Not some. All. Like many prisons in the criminal justice industry, the detention facilities—or prisons or concentration camps or whatever you want to call them—at the U.S./Mexico border are owned by private, for-profit, companies that contract with the federal government, the two largest of which are the GEO Group, Inc. and CoreCivic. In 2017, these two companies alone earned one billion dollars just from I.C.E. contracts. That’s not a bad return on the half million dollar investment they made to Trump’s 2016 campaign. Other companies that profit from the Administration’s immigration policies are: BCGS, Southwest Key, Gen-
eral Dynamics, MVM Inc., CSI Aviation, the Nakamoto Group, Deloitte, John Hopkins University, Bethany Christian Services, Salesforce, Microsoft, PenLink, Amazon, Palantir, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Thomson Reuters Special Services, Motorola, Xerox, Canon, Dell, JPMorgan Chase, BNP Paribas, SunTrust, U.S. Bancorp. According to wearyourvoicemag. com, “It doesn’t do migrants and refugees a service to pretend that white supremacy, capitalism and other forms of oppression aren’t intertwined. Divesting from these companies, calling them out, protesting them, shaming them for choosing profit over human dignity, is necessary. Staying silent is a form of complicity and there are over 40,000 migrants who cannot wait for us to be stirred into action. We must do something now.” The Geo Group and CoreCivic charge taxpayers $750.00 a day to imprison children at the border after they have been mercilessly ripped from their parents’ arms. That’s $22,000.00 a month per child—and that astronomical price does not include toothbrushes or blankets. And some of these children have been detained for months, far longer than is legally allowed. $22,000.00 a month is hard to say goodbye to. And besides, the President doesn’t give a shit. Fuck these kids from “shithole” countries; we have money to make! EVIL. Many of the families whose lives have been destroyed are not “illegals” or even undocumented, but rather asylum seekers. These people have fled horribly violent and dangerous situations out of fear for their lives. It is not illegal to seek political asylum. The fact the U.S. (at least until recently) recog-
nized and honored the ancient judicial concept of asylum is a reflection of our nation’s highest ideals. But Trump doesn’t know anything about the values of liberty and freedom. He might as well go to the Statue of Liberty and piss on Emma Lazarus’ poem, which reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, / I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” But that means nothing to Trump. In his warped mind, Lady Liberty isn’t talking about “shit-hole” countries! Remember John Kelly? He was Trump’s Chief of Staff and the architect of the Administration’s policy of separating children from their parents at the border. When he resigned his post, most chalked it up to the frustration of having to deal with Trump’s ignorance and immaturity, but the real reason he left the White House was to take a job on the Board of Directors of Caliburn International—a company that operates a migrant detention facility in Homestead, Florida. This flagrant example of corruption led the conservative Business Insider to write, “John Kelly’s new role on a detention center board set off ethics concerns that he may be profiting from the child separation policy he pushed.” Evil. There are children rotting in cages without adequate sanitation in order for wealthy capitalists, who already have more money than they could spend in a dozen lifetimes, to make and horde even more money. And Donald Trump’s only concern is how immigration might help his reelection campaign. The man is EVIL.
MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT The Cabildo
No visit to New Orleans would be complete without a stop at Jackson Square, which is where you will find the Cabildo. This elegant Spanish colonial building neighbors St. Louis Cathedral and houses many rare artifacts of America’s history. In commemoration of the city’s 300th anniversary, the Louisiana State Museum debuted a new exhibition, We Love You, New Orleans!, celebrating people, places, and things that are quintessentially New Orleans including Sidney Bechet’s saxophone, a Mardi Gras Indian suit, memorabilia from Pontchartrain Beach, and a K&B sign, among other things. The Cabildo is one of Louisiana’s most significant historical buildings. From landmark court cases to visits from international ambassadors, many important events in Louisiana have taken place within the Cabildo. The
three floors of Cabildo exhibitions cover the history of Louisiana by featuring artifacts such as documents, paintings and 3D objects from the museum’s vast collection. Using a variety of artifacts, images and documents, the exhibition From “Dirty Shirts” to Buccaneers: The Battle of New Orleans in American Culture opens with an exploration of the battle’s history, emphasizing the diversity of its participants, and closes with an investigation of how the battle has been remembered, commemorated and represented. The Cabildo was built under Spanish rule between 1795 and 1799, following the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788 that completely destroyed the structure that stood on the property. Designed by Gilberto Guillemard, who also designed the neighboring St. Louis Cathedral and the Presbytère, the
18 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
Cabildo was the site of the Louisiana Purchase transfer in 1803, which finalized the United States’ acquisition of the Louisiana Territory and doubled the size of the fledgling nation. The Cabildo served as the center of New Orleans government until 1853,
when it became the headquarters of the Louisiana State Supreme Court, where the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson decision originated in 1892. The building was transferred to the Louisiana State Museum in 1908 and has since served to educate the public
about Louisiana history. In 1988 the Cabildo was severely damaged by a fire and, within five years, the landmark was authentically restored with 600-year-old French timber framing techniques. It was reopened to the public in 1994, featuring
a comprehensive exhibit on Louisiana’s early history. This remarkable building’s tumultuous past is reason enough to pay it a visit, but the historical treasures within make it an absolute must-see.
INTERVIEWS FROM KEY WEST
Blue Is the Warmest Color for Chris Nagle’s Outermost Provincetown Designs Kevin Assam kevin-assam@hotmail.com In the 1980s, Chris Nagle moved with his family to the Cape where his father’s involvement in art instruction, painting, sculpting, and carpentry provided a path toward immersion in design. Chris’ pursuit of architecture ultimately led to his teaming up with Adam Slone in 2019 to launch Provincetown’s Outermost — a collection of art and modern furnishings that might make John Waters get up and leave the room. Chic but not cliché. Let’s find out how Chris’ dog keeps ruining his sweaters. What was your first queer experience with a home furnishing and did you immediately journal about it? Chris: My parents had a butterfly chair in our A-frame house and I was completely aroused by its shape. It was rather unisex, but much sexier with men in bellbottoms sitting in it. And no, I didn’t journal about it. I kept all my early queer furnishings experiences to myself, unrecorded. What sort of queer neighborhood were you confined to growing up and who in the family first identified your colorful spirit? Chris: I lived in a small New Hampshire town for many of my formative years. It was very small in its thinking. If by “confined” you mean the imprisoned sense, then there you have it: small town New Hampshire. Thank god there were second home owners from cultured areas who knew the world was round. My godmother first identified my colorful spirit. My parents were too busy raising four kids all within five years of each other. Three are gay. There is a lot of color in this family. A whole f-n rainbow under one roof. How influential do second home owners and visitors remain in exposing younger and less mobile queers to outside culture in small New England towns? Chris: Absolutely influential. They show the less mobile queers that there are places to go, people to meet, houses to make pretty, and furniture to select. They inspire younger queers to pack their bags and get out of Dodge. They are a change of scenery — fleeting, fun, often sexy. Now, kids get exposure through television, film, and social media. When I was growing up
in the 70s, we had three channels to choose from and we could only wish Lee Majors was gay. Do you think aliens exist? Your Outermost logo looks along the lines of the alien language from the film Arrival. Chris: I do think there is life out there given the size of the universe. I think it’s rather funny that we imagine them in bodies that resemble the human form but with egg shaped heads, big eyes, and long fingers — males and females all dressed in glittery unitards. I never saw Arrival. I’m not a sci-fi guy. I roll my eyes and seek the nearest present day drama. Although Star Wars nailed it. Great grunge look! What do you imagine an alien’s mental construct of sex identity and orientation looks like? Chris: Unisex without orientation. I imagine them to have the feeling of an orgasm whenever they want and that it likely powers their spaceships. Perhaps I will change my image to an island of all men who are super fit and scantily clad — sensitive, intelligent, funny, creative, and supportive of free love. Nix that. I don’t want to lust after aliens. What was I thinking? I just came off Fourth of July Weekend in Provincetown. Alien enough. How did you decide on the name Outermost and how much trouble would I be in if I broke something at the store? Chris: Outermost came from the title of the 1928 book from naturalist Henry Beston, “The Outermost House.” He spent one full year, including winter, in a 150 sq.ft. cottage called The Fo’c’sle, on the Great Outer Beach. I have since loved that word— how it sounds, describes the land and seascape, and describes the feeling of standing at the water’s edge on our outer beaches. It speaks of the people: the curious, the characters, the artists. As for breaking something in the store, I would abandon all sense of peace and love and restrict your shopping to the few blocks in the very center of town, what we call “Taffy Alley.” There you can break all you want. My partner’s sense of frugality keeps him from enjoying finer home decor pieces. Yet he giddily splash-
Chris Nagle
es out on these obnoxious circuit parties. How do I convince him that the key to an enhanced sex life involves pleasing me in a nicer furnished home? Chris: Have an intervention. Round up your mature A-gays and gather around your partner. Take turns slapping and shaking the circuit parties out of him. Then parade house porn images in front of his face. Start with Dwell. Outermost’s fancy kitchen and diningware are as queer as a 69 degree angle. Have you forsaken both straight lines and straight people with your whimsical plates, bowls, and goblets fit for a dinner with John Waters? Chris: Queer, but not whimsical queer. More Greek or Roman queer — ancient simple strong shapes. Smooth. Natural. Architectural. In an early concept exercise, I was asked what Outermost was not. I said not whimsical, not fleeting, not playful, nor glossy. John Waters would yawn or doze off if dinner were served on my things and that’s what I was after. Stylish straight women are loving this. If together with gay men they are buying, you’ve done good. How involved do you get with the design process for certain Outermost products? Are those original tees soft enough for bear daddies to hibernate in? Chris: I work with any of the vendors open to creating custom products: ceramic trays, nautical hardware, leather work, tote bags, concrete work,
Outermost chair colors, and finishes. Plus, I go junking for all of the vintage pieces. As for the artwork, I don’t allow much in the door that doesn’t fit a certain color palette. No red. No gloss. Nothing bright. Can’t stomach it. As for the tees, they are plenty soft and XL for our beloved bears. What’s the jurying process for artists looking to present in Outermost? Chris: I am a jury of one. I look for artists that capture the look and feel of being out here. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are living here. It is about a certain color palette and texture, natural materials, and simple shapes. Coastal. Chic but not cliché. How have you put your own spin on the classic sweater or pullover look in Provincetown? Chris: Only own two of top quality that were bought second hand. Wear them until they fall apart. Never tie it over your shoulders. Do they fall apart in the hands of a lover or some contraption used to design Outermost products? Chris: They fall apart after getting creased under my saltwater soaked dog in the back seat, eventually corroding the fabric. Kevin Assam is an average writer and hilarious interviewer originally from the Caribbean. He can be best described as a forty year old imaginative mind trapped in a pint sized twenty something year old body. His upcoming book is a collection of outrageous things overheard in Key West.
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A COMMUNITY WITHIN COMMUNITIES
A Sermon by Luigi Mandile (by Fr. Bill) The Very Rev. Bill Terry+ fr.bill@stannanola.org About ten years ago, two men came into my life and the life of our church. Some of you know them, Luigi and Sean. Since first meeting them, we have become very close. Luigi works for the church; he and Sean make their home in Chalmette with three great dogs. It is really these two that St. Anna’s, and I personally, must credit with our presence in the LGBTQ+ community. Some time ago, Luigi discerned a call to become a Deacon in the Episcopal Church and now he is in training [seminary] as well as working at the church. His stated “mission field” is the LGBTQ+ Community, our Community within Communities. One of his requirements by me, his Rector, is that he preach at least once, if not twice, a year. This past Sunday Luigi gave a very personal and touching account of his life and of his discovery of a “safe place.” Here is his sermon: July 7 [Luke: 10:1-11, 16-20] The Commissioning of the 70. Coming from the church background I had, growing up as a kid, there was a place and time to be taught or speak about the Gospel. And that was in church and church ONLY. I am from the days of nuns teaching us religion and if someone asked me what I thought about a church rule or church changes, the answer was ALWAYS “I don’t have to think, I’m a Catholic.” NO ONE in my family had a Bible in their home, let alone read it. You just didn’t, the priest was the final word. For me, everyone in my neighborhood acted the same way and basically had the same lifestyle. We were all Roman Catholic. Democratic party line. All went to the same church. Moms were stayat-home-moms. Dads were blue-collar and proud carriers of a union card. Being a laborer in a union was a big deal when I was growing up. You could ask a retired person what they
did for work before retirement. And you received an answer “I was a Union man, with local 320 Carpenters.” For me, it was a symbol of who they were, what they created, how they helped someone by being a laborer. And they were good at their profession. You did not have to be a certain, race, religion or nationality. You were union for your specific trade. It was a special club with your work peers. Church for my friends and me was preparing for our first confession. After that, preparing for our first communion and, finally, our confirmation. This takes years. You start at 7-years-old and end at 13 or 14-years-old; remember, that was like a lifetime for kids. By now we are entering high school. We were never taught what to do after our confirmation with the church. You’re just kind of there . You go to Sunday Mass, and mass on the Holy Days of Obligations. You possibly would’ve asked to join the Knights of Columbus. In today’s Gospel, Luke said the Lord appointed 70 others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. This reminded me of the start of Holy Week at St. Anna’s. What do we do on Palm Sunday? We have a great procession through the neighborhoods around St. Anna’s. We stop at street corners, pray, and we proclaim the arrival of Jesus. You can look around as we process, or stop for prayer, and you see people of all walks of life coming out to their stoops and balconies to watch and listen to us. And we hand them palms. During Holy week on Maundy Thursday a group of people from St. Anna’s will go into the church neighborhood and say the stations of the cross. People will stop and listen to us reciting the stations of the cross, and they may ask for a blessing or for us to pray with
Luigi and Sean
them. We may not be 70 persons as told in the reading. We may only be 7. We do not have a location called Judah or Israel. We have the Treme and Marigny. We do not have the Red Sea we have the Mississippi River. We do not stop in areas like Jerusalem and Nazareth. We have street corners to stop at called Esplanade and Marais or Dauphine and Kerlerec. We even have Mags, The Phoenix, The Pub, the whole gay bar scene. Is what we do at St. Anna’s any less than what the 70 did that Jesus sent out ? I believe we are doing his work. We all are proclaiming the Gospel. Over the years I have been at St. Anna’s, the parishioners and the Rector have taught me that the “harvest is plentiful and laborers are few” Within the LGBT community, you have persons of all denominations, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Methodist and so many others. Most, like me, were hurt by the Church or even asked to leave because we were gay. Many
did not want to leave their church, but many had no choice, as they were thrown out of their churches. For my generation, by the time I became 22-years-old, I started to hear about AIDS, but at that time it was called GRID. Eventually it would wipe out a whole generation of gay men. Most of my friends were Roman Catholic; the church was not very tolerant at all. In fact, I believe this was a flash point as to why so many men left the church. I had friends in the hospital, and when they asked for a priest for last rites they were refused. First we were gay, and second they just would not come around a sick person who had AIDS. I also witnessed Roman Catholic priests who would not allow a funeral to be held in their church. I had to listen to a priest explain during his homily why my friend died. He pointed out very rudely that it was our sins for being gay that was killing us. This was said to his family who were in attendance. I think this was when I had enough of the church. I even stopped going to funerals at this point. I lost all my friends that I hung around with by the time I was 35. I did not attend church for a very long time. I did do the occasional Sunday service but I would sit in the very back. I just wanted to be alone and not interact with anyone. Directly after Hurricane Katrina, my husband Sean was doing construction work. He had a job at Father Terry and his wife Vickie’s house in the Bywater. Sean’s church background was just like mine and he had not attended church in many years. So, Sean comes in one evening from working at their house and went on and on about the cool priest and his wife. Telling a very
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confused Roman Catholic. My thought was “How can he be married? He’s a Priest. Ewwwww.” Remember, I was never taught by a nun or priest. For my family, there were no other religions but Roman Catholic, Holy Mother Church. To be honest, even as a young adult after leaving my church, I never thought about any other faith. I would not even know how to go about it. Sean explained to me they were Episcopalian and I looked it up, yep I did. I tried church here at St. Anna’s. The moment I entered here I found church again. A church that accepted me for me. As I always said and believe “I am a Christian that happens to be Gay.” After a short time, I fell in love with the Episcopal faith, its teachings, St. Anna’s, its parishioners and the possibility I always wanted and prayed for, to be part of what the Church does. I knew there were so many others out there like myself that felt the way I did. Well before I understood this reading today, I knew there was a plentiful harvest, and I could be a good laborer. In fact, by your support and prayers, I will begin my second year of Diaconate Seminary in August. A few years ago, we received a phone call from a local Gay club. Someone in the gay community died. The person who died was religious, but no one really knew his family because he was kicked out of his home a very long time ago for being gay. His friends wanted to do something religious; they knew he would want that. But at the same time this group of friends were afraid to go into a church. So we were invited to hold service at the local club. It worked out very well. The community started to trust us. Some of the services we held were very moving and powerful. In time, many saw that they could be who they are around a religious setting. Funerals started in the upstairs of a bar, and proceeded to holding a full
Solemn mass. Our first full mass was for a member of the LGBT community, Marcy Marcell. Marcy was a very popular and long-time female impersonator, ok, drag queen. We were approached to have a full mass at St. Anna’s, bells, smoke , everything. A wish Marcy had was that her funeral be held as close as possible to the funeral scene in the 1959 movie Imitation of Life, the version with Lana Turner and Juanita Moore. Has anyone seen this film? At the end, you see people crying, women wearing hats with veils, Mahalia Jackson belting out the song Trouble of the World, only the way Mahalia could do it. Outside the church is a glass caisson with white horses to pull it. We were not far behind this. St. Anna’s was packed and had a wonderful powerful mass. As we began the procession out of the church the song Trouble of the World was played. When we went outside, there was a HUGE crowd. There was indeed a glass caisson pulled by white horses. And yes,. some great hats with veils were worn. Today St. Anna’s hosts at least four LGBT + civic groups where they use the Parish Hall for meetings and get-togethers. For a number of years now, LGBT civic groups have collected Christmas gifts that we share with those in need. These same civic groups also collect Easter Baskets we distribute to kids in need. St. Anna’s is blessed to have more than one field to labor in. Brother Don and those that help him with the harvest of the food pantry. Diana Meyers, Darryl Durham and the volunteers, many from our church, harvest by working with the kids in the after school programs and Sunday School program . St. Theresa of Avila in the 16th Century said, “Christ has no body on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ looks out to the world. Yours are the feet with
Luigi Mandile
which he is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which he is to bless others now” I pray when the day comes, when
I am judged, I am considered to have been a good laborer and have a chance to receive my union card. Amen.
MOMENTS IN GAY NEW ORLEANS HISTORY GAA Lifetime Achievement Award Winners Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com In 1987, the late, great Marcy Marcell founded the Gay Appreciation Awards. She later sold the Gay Appreciation Awards to Ambush Magazine. For thirty-two years, the Gay Appreciation Awards have provided an opportunity to celebrate the incredible contributions and colorful tapestry of our community. While most of the winners are determined by popular vote, the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award is not. With input from the staff of Ambush, the Lifetime Achievement Award winner is selected by the GAA Board of Directors.
Previous Lifetime Achievement Award winners include: Jimmie Callaway (1987) Dan Fountain (Betty Buttons) (1988) Andy Boudreaux (1989) William “Buzzy” Fanning (1990) Dirty Dottie (1991) Miss Fury (1992) Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain (1993 & 2018) Dan Romero (1994) Miss Do (1995)
Louise McFarland (1996) Dixie Fasnacht (1997) Alice Brady & John Dodt (1998) Gene Adams (1999) Charlene Schneider (2000) Steve Mettner (2002) Marty Curtain & Koo Gafney (2003) Donald “Donnie Jay” James (2004) Kitty Blackwell (2005) Michael “Fish” Hickerson (2006) Marcy Marcell (2007) Mary L. Lathouwers (2008)
Don Evans (2009) Jean Redmann (2010) Chuck Turner & Bill Miller (2011) Regina Adams (2012) Mina Hernandez (2013) Tommy Elias (2014) Sy’ria Jackson-Sinclaire (2015) Brenda Laura (2016) No Award Ceremony (2017) Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain (2018) Larry Bagneris (2019)
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 21
HEALTH & WELLNESS
New Orleans Physician Educates Others Abroad about HIV Chenier Reynolds-Montz Director of Outreach & Development for Access Health Louisiana CReynolds@accesshealthla.org When the opportunity to educate medical students in Albania presented itself, Dr. MarkAlain Déry jumped at the opportunity. “In Albania, there’s a big issue with HIV and Hepatitis-C, sex, drugs and LGBT issues,” explains Déry, DO, MPH, FACOI. “These issues are glossed over and even ignored.” Déry, a leading Infectious Disease Physician who works for Access Health Louisiana in New Orleans, is considered an innovator when it comes to HIV. “Albania had been behind the Iron Curtain until 1992, so students there don’t have HIV in their consciousness to detect and treat it.” Albania is located on the Balkan peninsula along the Adriatic Sea. It’s considered a second world country, a term often used to describe territories under the influence of the former Soviet Union. After World War II, the country became a Stalinist state. It remained in isolation until democracy took hold ending 47 years of Communist rule. Déry spent most of the month of June in Albania. In fact, within twelve hours of getting off the Grand Marshal float in the New Orleans Pride Parade, he took his first steps in Eastern Europe. He doesn’t let anything slow him down. His life mission is to educate people about HIV and help those living with HIV. It’s a mission he takes seriously and knows that global education is a necessary force to help prevent and hopefully eradicate the potentially life-threatening disease. “When you walk around Albania, people are still shell-shocked by the fascist regime. The idea that HIV is in their country is new to them. They’re way behind the rest of the world with respect to understanding HIV and Hepatitis-C.” Dr. Déry was invited by the Swiss Foundation for Innovation to speak at a conference attended by medical professionals and students with the Medical School of Albania. He presented on emerging trends in infectious disease. “They were really appreciative of the insight. Albanians don’t have as
Dr. MarkAlain Déry educates medical students in Albania on HIV and Hepatitis-C.
strong of an HIV education there because they don’t have anyone to talk about it.” Students in Albania have a very different educational process than we do here in the United States. Promising high school students with top grade point averages are pulled out and placed into medical school programs as early as 17. These students don’t go through a normal college setting. They start at that young age spending all their time learning about physiology. “I could see the clear looks on the medical students’ faces as I would talk about the need for decriminalizing drug use, as well as HIV and men who have sex with other men. The conference promoters were so happy that I was
speaking candidly and openly about experiences working in emergency these issues. It was very effective medical care with professionals in the to talk about the risk factors for HIV/ capital city of Tirana in an effort to help Hep-C and the treatments. The same improve the city’s EMS program. “The social determinants in health as we Albanians are starting to realize that if see here in New Orleans apply to anywe can get people to the hospital fastStudents in Albania have a where else in the er, we can help world.” save more lives.” very different educational Conference Déry’s hopes that attendees also process than we do here in the he can work with United States. questioned him the City of New regarding the use of antibiotics in the Orleans’ EMS program to have them United States. “Students were amazed adopt the City of Tirana’s EMS proto hear that I only wrote five prescripgram and help make it one of the best tions for antibiotics last year. They in Eastern Europe. were like, we wrote five prescriptions Before heading back to the U.S., just this morning,” says Déry. “In my Déry spent some time working on opinion, antibiotics are unnecessary in his book focusing on racism, misoga clinical setting as opposed to a hosyny, homophobia and transphobia in pital setting. It’s really unnecessary. healthcare. Déry says his hope is that Statistics show that between 70 and 90 one day healthcare will be inclusive percent of prescriptions for antibiotics for people of every sexual orientation are written inappropriately and are not and ethnicity. An inclusivity already in needed. The reason is that non-infecplace at Access Health Louisiana locatious disease doctors don’t know how tions throughout southeast Louisiana. to identify a bacterial infection. They think they do, but they don’t.” Students Chenier Reynolds-Montz is Dialso took away the importance of savrector of Outreach & Development for ing antibiotics and making them last as Access Health Louisiana, a registered long as possible. Overuse of antibiot501(c)3 organization. She can be ics makes infections more resistant to reached at creynolds@accesshealththe drugs over time. la.org. For information about our serIn his early days of medicine, Dr. vices, log onto our website at accessDéry spent a decade of his life workhealthla.org ing as a flight medic. He shared his
22 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
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BOOK REVIEW
The Women of Dauphine Frank Perez frankearlperez@gmail.com
Deb Jannerson. The Women of Dauphine. Nine Star Press, 2019. 221 pages The Women of Dauphine is New Orleans poet and essayist Deb Jannerson’s debut novel, and while it is aimed at young adults, it is not an easy or comfortable read. It is perhaps better to say this is a necessarily uncomfortable read. At the heart of the story is lesbian ghost sex, but this book deals with topics much more horrifying than ghosts: sexual violence, suicide, and conversion therapy chief among them.
What some might dismiss as a silly topic, lesbian ghost sex, Jannerson, won the 2017 So to Speak Nonfiction Award for an essay about queer intimacy and PTSD, turns into a vehicle for an emotionally powerful story that both entertains and inspires. This book is much more than a paranormal romance. When Cassie’s family moves into a decrepit house in New Orleans, the only upside is her new best friend. Gem is witty, attractive, and sure not to abandon Cassie—after all, she’s been confined to the old house since her murder in the ’60s.
As their connection becomes romantic, Cassie must keep more and more secrets from her religious community, which hates ghosts almost as much as it hates gays. Even if their relationship prevails over volatile parents and brutal conversion therapy, it may not outlast time. This book will resonate with anyone who has survived parental abuse, conversion therapy, religion based homophobia, and adolescence in general. Deb Jannerson has written two collections of poetry, Rabbit Rabbit (Finishing Line Press, 2016) and
Thanks for Nothing (Finishing Line Press, 2018). Jannerson won the 2018 Flexible Persona Editors’ Prize for a piece of flash fiction about gruesome work injuries, and a Two Sisters prize for a story about switching bodies with her cat. She has been shortlisted for other honors, including The Writer’s Summer Flash Contest, the William Faulkner-Wisdom Competition, and a Pushcart Prize. More than one hundred of Jannerson’s works have been featured in anthologies and magazines, including viral articles for Bitch. She is currently working on a novel about preteen superheroes.
FINANCIAL & BUSINESS Financial Dos and Don’ts If You Plan to Have Kids Later in Life Scot I. Billeaudeau, JD, LL.M. ADPA® s.billeaudeau@ampf.com Many couples are choosing to start families later in life compared to their parents and grandparents. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the mean age of first-time mothers is rising, from 25 years old in 2009 to 26.3 years old just five years later.1 And, increasingly, mothers are waiting to have their first child at age 35 or older. This trend has financial implications. On one hand, parents may be
more financially secure and have clear priorities for the future. On the other hand, these parents are closer to retirement, so balancing kids’ expenses with saving can be a juggle. If you choose to have your first child later in life, here are four key do’s and don’ts to help you manage your finances with confidence: Do establish a solid financial foundation. Your household expenses
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will likely increase once you’re paying for childcare, additional checkups at the doctor or dentist, and other items for your child. With this in mind, consider using the discretionary income you have today to shore up your financial position. Prioritize paying off student loans, build an emergency fund (threeto-six months-worth of expenses is a good benchmark), and consider paying more toward your mortgage if you’re a homeowner. Do boost your savings. Creating a habit early of saving for major goals can help you maintain your savings momentum while you are focused on adapting to your new addition. Harness the power of compound interest by contributing to your retirement accounts with each paycheck and setting aside funds for major goals, such as an annual vacation or home remodel. Don’t prioritize your child’s college education over retirement. Will you be making tuition payments in your final years of work or in retirement? If this is a possibility, it’s imperative that you create a plan to balance saving for both goals right away. The reality is many couples need to push back their retirement date, figure out how to earn additional income with a different job, or cut back their travel plans to pay for their child’s education. While it’s understandable that you want to provide for your child, keep in mind that health, layoffs or other circumstances outside of your control could change your retirement date. Your child has other options to pay for college – including scholarships, loans and workstudy programs – that are not available to you if your retirement savings come
up short. Don’t forget to update your estate plan. Ensuring you have adequate insurance coverage becomes a bigger priority when you have a child in the picture. If you or your partner were to sustain an injury or pass away prematurely, you want to have confidence that your disability and life insurance coverage will cover the financial commitments and goals you have for your family. Reassess your policies and meet with a financial advisor if you want a second opinion on what the right amount of coverage is for you. Additionally, consider purchasing longterm care insurance to cover potential health care expenses in retirement. Policies are typically more affordable when you apply at a younger age so it’s worth taking the time to see if securing coverage makes sense for you. It’s exciting to dream and plan for all the activities you want to do as an expanded family. If you want a second opinion on how to juggle your financial priorities, meet with a financial advisor in your area. Scot I. Billeaudeau, JD, LL.M. ADPA®, is a Financial Advisor with Waterfront Wealth Management, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. He specializes in addressing the unique needs of the diverse LGBTQ community, fee-based financial planning and asset management strategies, and has been in practice for 11 years.
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July 20, 2019 - 6:00 PM Oz New Orleans Walk the Red carpet beginning at 5:00 PM for your chance to receive the Marsha Delain Red Carpet Award. Dance Club of the Year: Oz New Orleans, Poor Boys Bar, Sipps Bar Gulfport, Splash Baton Rouge, and The Bourbon Pub & Parade
Advocate for Transgender Rights: Gulf Coast Transgender Alliance, Louisiana Trans Advocates, Malaysia Walker, P-Flag New Orleans, and Transgender Advisory Committee of CrescentCare Artist/Art Gallery of the Year: Arthur Roger Gallery, Drew Enderlin, Funeral Gallery, Oleander, and Ryan Leitner Bartender of the Year: Dakota Goldman, Danny Starnes (Princess Stephany), Jeremy Larkin, Kara Coley, and Wayne Penton Best Beer Bar: Bayou Beer Garden, Black Penny, Bourbon Pub and Parade, The Avenue Pub, and The Phoenix Bar Best Happy Hour: Bourbon Pub and Parade, Friendly Bar, Golden Lantern Bar, GrandPre’s, The Corner Pocket, and The Crossing Best Hotel: Bourbon Orleans, Harrah’s Hotel, Hotel Monteleone, Hyatt Regency New Orleans, and Windsor Court Best Signature Drink: Golden Lantern Bar Bloody Mary, Good Friends Bar Separator, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Purple Drink, The Bourbon Pub Cherry Bomb, The Crossing Bar Martinis, and The Page Michelle Obama Bitch of the Year: Aubrey Synclaire, Persana Shoulders, Princesse Stephaney, Tiffany Alexander, and Toby Lefort Brunch of the Year: Drag Brunch at The Country Club, Drag Brunch Starring The Ladies of Trinity, Eat New Orleans, Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch at Cru NOLA, and Poppy’s Pop Up Drag Brunch Buzzy Fanning AIDS Award: Access Health Louisiana, CrescentCare (NO/ AIDS Task Force), Dorian Gray-Alexander, Misti Gaither, and Toby Lefort Cheridon Comedy Award: Bianca del Rio, Gia GiaVanni, Ivy Dripp, Persana Shoulders, and Tittie Toulouse Coffee House of the Year: Cafe Envie, CC’s on Esplanade, PJ’s Coffee House on Royal Street, Rue de la Course on Oak Street, and Who Dat Coffee Cafe
the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival) Lifetime Achievement Award: Larry Bagneris Jr.
DJ of the Year: Brendan Thompson (VJ Brendan), Brett Labauve (Bouffant Bouffant), Chris Allen, Missy Hall, and Tim Pflueger
Marcy Marcell Entertainer of the Year: Adonis DeLorean, ChiChi Rodriquez, Fatsy Cline, Ivy Dripp, and Nicole Dubois
Donnie Jay Performing Arts Award: Jessica Champagne, Kresli Washington, New Orleans Gay Men’s Chorus, Southern Rep Theater, and Tennessee Williams Theater Company
Neighborhood Bar of Year: 700 Club, Cafe Lafitte In Exile, GrandPre’s, The Corner Pocket, The Crossing, and The Phoenix Bar
Event of the Year: Gay Easter Parade, Hit It! (Underwear Party), Lords of Leather Bal Masque: Forbidden, New Orleans Pride, and Southern Decadence
Photographer of the Year: Barrett DeLong, Craig Fremin, Douglas Adams, Dwain Hertz, Randy Schmidt, and Reba Douglas
Fly Fashion Glamour Award: Aubrey Synclaire, Chi Chi Rodrigue, Connie Hung, Ivy Dripp, and Vinsantos Defonte
Real Estate Agent of the Year: Bill Trapp, Darrin Duplissey, David McElveen, Michael Styles, and Mina Hernandez
Gay Man of the Year: Brandon Hebert, Clint Taylor, Jim Meadows, Tiffany Alexander, and Vinsantos Defonte
Restaurant/Deli of the Year: Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop, Clover Grill, Eat New Orleans, Faubourg Bistro, and Louisiana Pizza Kitchen Uptown
Gay Mardi Gras Ball of the Year: Apollo Lafayette, Krewe of Armeinius, Krewe of Petronius, Lords of Leather, and The Krewe of Amon-Ra
Show Club of the Year: Bourbon Pub & Parade, Golden Lantern, Oz New Orleans, Splash Baton Rouge, and The Allways Lounge and Cabaret
Gulf Coast LGBTQ Bar of the Year: B-Bobs, Bourbon Pub and Parade, Oz New Orleans, Sipps Bar Gulfport, and The Phoenix
Sports League Team Spirit Award: Big Easy Bears Nola Softball, Geaux Cups Nola Softball, Lowered Expectations Stonewall, Nine Inch Males Stonewall, and Red Balls and Vodka
Hair Salon or Stylist of the Year: Headquarters Hair Salon, Jonathan Baxter, Michael (Moanalot Fountain) Maldonado, Tristan Meiou, and Two Guys Cutting Hair Kinkster of the Year: “Switchy” Kyle Pollio, Cody Devon McLain, Fatsy Cline, Kristen (PirateKrissie) Coulon, and Neon Burgundy Leather Bar of the Year: Cafe Lafitte in Exile, Rawhide 2010, The Phoenix Bar, and The Roundup Pensacola Leather Person of the Year: “Switchy” Kyle Pollio, Brock Andersen, Clint Taylor, Kristen (PirateKrissie) Coulon, and Ross Ransom Lesbian of the Year: Ashley Chauvin, Jenna Jordan, Kara Coley, Misti Gaither, and Tank Morales LGBTQ Business of the Year: Avita Pharmacy, Bourbon Pride, Sipps, The Phoenix Bar, and Wonderlust LGBTQ Nonprofit of the Year: Crescent Care & NO/AIDS Task Force, Halloween New Orleans, New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE), PFLAG New Orleans, and Saints + Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival (of
Sports Most Valuable Player Award: Andrew Palermo, Beau Moss, Cameron Tillman, Michael Styles, and Rob Gerhart Theater Critics’ Choice Award: A Raisin in the Sun, Voices in the Dark Repertory Theatre and Ashé Cultural Arts Center, Barbecue, Radical Buffoon(s), Flowers for Halie, Southern Rep, Suddenly Last Summer, The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans, The Henchman: A Shakespeare Story, The NOLA Project and the New Orleans Museum of Art, and The Night Fiona Flawless Went Mad, Slotted Spoon Productions Transgender Person of the Year: Dillon King, Malaysia Walker, Mercedes L’Oreal, Regina Adams, and Rikki Redd Rip Naquin Writer/Reporter of the Year: Brian Sands, Frank Perez, Jason “JD” Disharoon, Jim Meadows, and Scot Pilie’ Young Leadership Impact Award: Bryan Fuenmayor, Lana O’Day, Laveau Contraire, Marcus Gandy, and Zach Booth
Purchase Your Tickets Today! gayappreciationawards.com
26 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
BARTENDER OF THE MONTH Kyle Simmons Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com This is my second in a series of Bartender of the Month spotlighting bartenders at Sipps Bar in Gulfport. Kyle Simmons has been a part of the Sipps team for two years. Unlike many stressful jobs he has had in the past, Kyle says being a bartender at Sipps is wonderful. He is part of a community and family. He fell in love with the place and the city. He credits his being a good bartender with the sheer fact that he has a passion for it. And you can tell in the professional way he presents himself to patrons. As I like to say, he will get you a cocktail quick and fast! He has a great demeanor, a witty personality, and great cocktail crafting skills. One
of his most notorious concoctions is called Kyle’s Sweet Seduction. This delicious libation should nod the trick and has quite a few liquors in it. Very seductive. When asked what makes working at Sipps so wonderful, he says, ’The community feels like a home. We do not think of this as a job. This is a safe home with no judgment and we all have each other’s’ backs. We also have some of the best drag shows on the Gulf coast.“ You can find Kyle working Tuesday through Saturday. So take a ride to the Gulfport and let Kyle serve you up some of his Sweet Seduction. Sipps is located at 2218 25th Avenue.
Kyle Simmons
BOOK OF THE MONTH Augur of Shadows Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com Gay science fiction/horror seems to be a trend of mine lately. My book for the month of July is Augur of Shadows by Jacob Rundle. It is Book One in the Destined series. Jacob John Rundle was born in 1985, in Galesburg, IL. He attended Knox College, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Russian Language and Literature. He served eight years in the United States Navy as a Nuclear Mechanic. After finishing his time with the Navy, he moved to New Orleans, and it is where he resides, pursuing his dream of being a writer. The novel possesses a mixture of
fantasy, science fiction and horror elements. The premise is grief-stricken seventeen-year-old Henri moves to New York City with his mom after recently losing his father. He starts having vivid dreams that tell of things to come, and his visions are not nice by any means. Henri has a chance encounter at his high school with a mysterious young man, Siméon to whom he is instantly attracted. He also connects with an old friend, Etlina. The newly formed threesome start dealing with some incredibly disturbing events that have now intertwined their destinies in
order to bring forth a cataclysmic event to aid against the Primordial Evil. With the guidance from some otherworldly beings, Henri and his friends will do what is needed to stay alive and save the world. That’s a lot to tackle in a novel geared for young adults and at first I found the book slightly difficult to follow, but soon it finds its pace and the plot moves forward nicely. There are monsters, fight sequences and a budding gay romance all mixed together. This is a good initial start for the series and sets up nicely for the sequel which I look forward to reading.
Party Down Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com New Orleans is one of those cities that’s known for its good times and parties. But I was able to attend a monumental event in an incredible city followed by another special occasion in another city for some wonderful people. Talk about Ambush on the Road. I was humbled and truly honored to attend World Pride in New York followed by the wedding of New Orleans bon vivant Cheryl Lemoine to Jim Delcano in Watkins Glen in upstate New York. But before I get to my exploits in NYC, I had some fun in good ol’ NOLA before I left. I began the week walking with the NOAGE group at Audubon Park. The New Orleans Advocates for
GLBT Elders do this exercise event every Monday starting at 6:45 (got to let it cool off). Meet people and get fit, two great combinations. The following day, NOAGE held their monthly Potluck event at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church. Attendees brought tasty dishes and broke bread with old and new friends. This is one of my favorite monthly things to attend ‘cause there are some great cooks in our community and I get to meet new people in a relaxed environment. The day before my trip to the Big Apple, I went to a small reception for Boogie Booth at the Chicory. Boogie Booth Photo Booth Company is
Walking at Audubon Park with the NOAGE group.
an experiential marketing company specializing in photo booths and event photos based in New Orleans that also covers the Gulf South region. Boogie Booth allows guests to instantly share their photos or videos on any and all of their favorite social media. They hosted the reception so guests could see the different options they offer which
is numerous. They not only do traditional photo booths but roaming photo booths, gif booths and boomerang booths, and some kind of 360 degree photo booth that was way cool. It was an easy way to spend my last evening in NOLA before taking off on my adventure. On Friday I was off to New York.
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 27
At the NOAGE Potluck
I landed and cabbed over to my hotel Row NYC where I met up with Barrett and Beaux Church. I have stayed before at Row NYC which is centrally located in the Broadway District, one block from Times Square, near Hell’s Kitchen and many gay bars. We had lunch at this great spot in Hell’s Kitchen called Ariba Ariba. It is a great little Mexican restaurant with lots of cute waiters and tasty margaritas. They need to work a little bit more on their service, but the food was very good. Afterwards, we needed cocktails so we went to the gay bar Boxers located on 9th Avenue, one of two locations they have in the city. This one boats a rooftop bar. There were beautifully ripped bartenders which makes it easy to see why they’re so popular. I love a place with excited half-naked bartenders. That evening I met up with some friends to go to a concert/theatrical event called the Origin of Love at Town Hall’s theater. John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, the co-creators of Hedwig & the Angry Inch plus special guests presented an exclusive 50th Pride Celebration, performing songs from their groundbreaking rock musical and regaling audiences with stories from 25 years of Hedwig. We put on some make-up, turned up the eight-track and pulled the wig down from the shelf, for a sold-out night of post-punk, neo-glam memoir. Mitchell also previewed songs from his upcoming musical podcast Anthem, which stars himself, Glenn Close, Patti Lupone, Cynthia Erivo, Denis O’Hare, Laurie Anderson, and Marion Cotillard. The show and performances were outstanding; I mean who could not like Hedwig? The following day was full of sightseeing, great dining and parties. We began by heading over to Hudson Yards to see the new architectural landmark The Vessel, the centerpiece of Hudson Yards. This interactive artwork is meant to be climbed, giving new perspectives of the city from different heights, angles and vantage points. It’s free but you have to make reservations which was very easy. While we waited to enter, we went
At the NOAGE Potluck
shopping at the adjacent upscale mall which had some great stores as well as a fabulous art collection. We enjoyed the view from The Vessel which included hot men sunbathing on rooftops and a jet ski race on the Hudson River that was pretty amazing. After climbing all those stirs, we worked up an appetite, so we went to Chez Josephine for brunch. The restaurant was owned by Jean-Claude Baker, the thirteenth of Josephine Baker’s adopted baker’s dozen children. The food was delicious, the atmosphere amazing, and the spirit of Jean Claude and Josephine ever-present in the restaurant. A great well-appointed (and romantic) dining spot. After brunch, we went to a Stoli World Pride party at Rockefeller University to benefit the Research Foundation to Cure AIDS. They unveiled their new social media outreach #shoutcureaids. Because too many people have died and been infected by this disease, we do not need to be silent anymore. This was an incredibly fun event where we met lots of locals; the place it was held was awesome. The Rockefeller University is a private graduate university that focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. For more information on this great cause, go to www. researchfoundationtocure4aids.org. Next we headed to an art opening featuring new works by the Gay Gas-
28 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
ton. Think Beauty and the Beast’s hot villain and you have the visual. The event was held in the Crossfit in Hell’s Kitchen. It seems that a hot half-naked artist is the only thing that will get me into a Crossfit facility. The artwork was sexy as were most of the guests. Guests enjoyed cocktails and were treated to a drag show while they met the artist who is totally dreamy. Beauty you chose wrong! I even bought some of his works. You need to follow him on Instagram. Talk about swoon. After the gallery, we went to Pride Island for their World Pride party. One of the main reasons I attended World Pride this year was because New Orleans was promoting our city as a safe haven for LGBT travelers. One of the events we sponsored was Pride Island. This two-day live music event was incredible. On Saturday night, the headliner was Grace Jones and she brought diva realness! I mean this woman is 71 years old and she is a better performer than most people half her age. She even hula hooped for one entire song-now that is talent! She greeted the audience when she came out in a magnificent outfit with “Hello all my queens!” It was magical dancing the night away under the stars along the river with an incredible view of the skyline. After that full day of excitement, I was exhausted and hungry, so on my way back to the hotel I stopped at none other than Shake Shack. They had a huge one right across the street from my hotel, and since we have one opening up soon in my building, I thought I should do a little research on their food. My assessment is great burgers, especially if you have been drinking all night. Sunday was the day my friends and I had been waiting for, the World Pride Parade. We may have been exhausted but we were all up early in anticipation. We had a quick breakfast at Brooklyn Deli in Times Square where we had a few Bloody Mary’s. The food was good and our waitress was excellent. We quickly went back to the room and changed into our Pride parade costumes and made it down to the lineup where we were to meet the float. We were lucky and very honored to be asked to ride on the New Orleans float in World Pride. Created by Kern Studios who also did the MAC and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy floats in the parade, our float was a riverboat complete with a rainbow paddlewheel. The city also sponsored a float in the parade. My friend Beaux Church and I rode on the top deck of the float alongside Bryan Batt who was our celebrity emcee for the parade. Barrett Church walked in the parade wearing a costume brought up from the Krewe of Armeinius which had three costumes in the parade worn by Geo Melichar, Barrett and Fred Arocho.
The parade went through Manhattan and passed in front of Stonewall. It was truly one of the most memorable events in my life. Words cannot express how humbled I was to be part of the momentous event. To everyone in New Orleans or from New Orleans that made this happen, I congratulate you. Well done. After the parade it was time to party. Our float just happened to end right by a great gay bar called Chelsea Belle that was packed with paradegoers. The DJ was on fire playing all kinds of retro hits from the 80’s till current. In fact I was having so much fun, I literally closed the bar down. I had made so many new friends, I lost track of time (and the free flowing martinis helped), that they turned the lights on and cleared the bar. I mean how rude. Either way, I made it back to the hotel via cab, elated and tipsy! The next day, we decided to play tourist and started the day with a harbor tour which took us along the Hudson River. We went past the Statue of Liberty and saw all the landmarks such as Ellis Island, Governor’s Island, the Brooklyn Bridge and the One World Building. It was a pretty informative and scenic tour and I highly recommend it to people who want to have a relaxing history of the city. After the weekend we had, a stress-free boat ride was just what the doctor ordered. After that, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see their new Camp exhibition. Through more than 250 objects dating from the 17th century to the present, The Costume Institute’s exhibit explores the origins of camp’s exuberant aesthetic. There were some incredible campy costumes which reminded me totally of New Orleans’ Gay Carnival costumes. I mean we honestly do it better and with more theatrical flair. As you walk through the exhibit, Judy Garland serenades you with Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I loved it and recommend everyone checking it out before it is gone. The exhibit will be up through September 8. That evening, I took in the Broadway show Pretty Woman: The Musical which was nominated for five broadway.com Audience awards, winning three for Andy Karl (who I love) for Favorite Leading Actor in a Musical and for his wife Orfeh for Favorite Diva Performance and Favorite Featured Actress in a Musical. I thought it was a good musical, fun just like the 1990 movie on which it was based. After the curtain call, the cast came out and sang the Roy Orbison song that inspired the movie since it’s not actually part of the show. The next day, I bid goodbye to Beaux and Barrett who continued on their way to Provincetown. I stayed in New York one more day before I continued my trip. I decided to do something different and went to one of the Met’s other locations, The Cloisters, which
The gay Gaston art opening at CrossFit Hell’s Kitchen
opened in 1938, and is devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe and located in Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan, on a spectacular fouracre lot overlooking the Hudson River. Elements from medieval cloisters and other sites in Europe have been incorporated into the fabric of this building. Think Game of Thrones meets King Arthur and you have this fascinating museum. I wandered through the stone buildings looking at these historic and gorgeous exhibits, then settled for lunch in their courtyard overlooking the Hudson River, just breathtaking. That night, I met up with my friends Larry and David, who live in Hell’s Kitchen for dinner at one of their favorite Italian places called Tavolo. The premise for this new eatery, “table” in Italian, is based on regional Italian fare, mainly Puglian, Roman and Sicilian. Tavola was inspired by owner Nick Accardi’s extensive travels to these regions, especially the town of Castelvetrano, the source of Nick’s family roots. OMG, the food was simply exquisite. Their wild boar & veal meatballs and burrata were incredibly flavorful and their pastas are superior. If you visit New York City, eat here! Their wine list is also impressive as was their abundance of hot Italian waiters. After a great meal, my friends and I had one last nightcap at the gay bar 9th Avenue Saloon which has tended out to be one of my favorite LGBT hangouts in the city. I called it somewhat of an early night since tomorrow was an early day of travel. The second part of my adventure began when I left NYC heading upstate to Rochester. Some friends and I met up at the airport and we were off to a spot of lunch. We stopped at a popular eatery called Swan Market. This restaurant has been a staple in Rochester for over 80 years and they serve the highest quality German style handcut meats and handmade sausages. Think old world delicatessen feel but with a family style atmosphere. They even have great steins of German brews. This is a must stop restaurant. After lunch, we drove about an hour
to Watkins Glen where I checked into the historic bed and breakfast Idlwilde Inn, an 18-room Victorian mansion built in 1892. This majestic three-story home stands atop a hill overlooking Seneca Lake. It has lots of land with a gazebo and wraparound porch with lots of picturesque spots to relax, read or have some wine. My room was on the third floor with windows overlooking the lake. I loved this place and they have a wonderful story about Mrs. Rothschild who survived the Titanic and was a frequent visitor. Every morning for breakfast I tried to sit in the same spot as she would. She used to ring a bell in that spot for the servants to bring her food and drink. Little bit of advice, that may have worked in the early 1900’s but not in 2019. Just ask politely and all your wishes will be granted. The bridal party bought out the entire 15 rooms, so we pretty much had free run of the place which was very nice. That night, more friends joined our group and we went to dinner in town to Captain Bill’s Seneca Lake restaurant. This seafood restaurant had gorgeous views of the lake and was absolutely stunning at sunset. The food was reasonable and excellent. The seafood was fresh and the service was wonderful and they had a great local wine and beer selection. This was an ideal place to start off a weekend of fun activities. The 4th of July was a day filled with shopping, wine, Mennonites, Wieners and True Love. We started our day after a luxurious full breakfast by going to The Windmill Farm & Craft Market. The Windmill is the first craft market in upstate New York, located right in the heart of the Finger Lakes Wine Region. Now in its 30th year, The Windmill plays host to nearly 200 local producers and craftsmen. OMG, this place was great, lots of food booths as well as wineries, distilleries and breweries where we sampled their products. So after a few samples, I was a shopping fiend. And anyone who knows me realizes I have never met a tchotchke I did not love.
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Next we tackled some winery tastings going to Shaw, Hermann J. Weimer and Glenora Vineyards. Each of them was delectable and very affordable. Unlike Napa or Sonoma, the cost for tastings at these wineries range between $8 and $12 which is a deal since you normally taste 6 – 10 wines. I loved each winery, but Weimer was my favorite with me purchasing a case for my home. After all this wine, we decided it was time to have a spot of lunch so we were off to this local hot spot called The Wienery (yes that is its name). This place was amazing and as you can probably figure, they’re known for their hot dogs (all styles of toppings and meats). But they’re also known for their burgers and sides. My hot dog with spicy onion rings was absolutely scrumptious. I highly recommend this place if you would like a good wiener in your mouth and I believe that everyone should have a good wiener on the 4th of July. That night, we went for a lake cruise on the True Love, a 67′ schooner commissioned in 1925 that appeared in the film High Society in which Bing Crosby serenades Grace Kelly with the Cole Porter song True Love while they’re onboard the True Love. It’s a beautiful boat and a great way to see the lake. Unfortunately, our cruise was cut short (and the fireworks were cancelled) because of the weather. Still, hanging out for a little time on that boat was special. When weather gets bad, a New Orleanian goes on to the next best thing, a bar to sit out the rain. We all went down Watkins Glen’s main strip to this fun, little place called Rooster Fish. Rooster Fish served great craft beers & food and is considered one of New York’s official First Farm Breweries. Great way to end the evening. I kicked off the wedding weekend festivities on Friday with a brisk walk followed by another full breakfast at the B & B. Some of my friends and I piled into a car and drove to Corning which is home to The Corning Museum of Glass. Established in 1951 by Corning Glass Works as a gift to the nation for the company’s 100th anniversary, this museum is dedicated to telling the story of a single material: glass. Nearly 50,000 objects representing more than 3,500 years of history are displayed in the galleries; items range from a portrait of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh to contemporary sculpture. This museum was nothing like I thought it would be. I was thinking I was going to look at lots of CorningWare bowls and dishes (they do have an exhibit with those). What I got was so much more in this fascinating museum. Your admission fee is good for two days and you need it; there is so much to see and they have one of the best gift shops. I am warning you, bring extra luggage if you go there.
After the museum, we took a free shuttle to their picturesque little Market Street filled with lots of restaurants and boutiques. It was like stepping into a Norman Rockwell painting. We had lunch at a great restaurant called Tony R’s Steak and Seafood. Open since 2008, the restaurant is in part of a building built in the early 1900’s as a bank. The food was delicious and the steak special for lunch was very affordable. After lunch and a spot of shopping, we were back in the car on our way to Watkins Glen for the rehearsal dinner/wedding party. The event was held overlooking the lake at a lovely winery called Ryan William Vineyard. The party began with a wine tasting and some light snacks before we sat down for a family-style, four-course dinner that included wine pairings. Owner Ryan William discussed each wine and how they matched the farm-to-table menu. After the dinner, we had a second reception with more little noshes and, of course, other wines, a great way for all of Cheryl & Jim’s NOLA friends to meet their New York friends and family. Soon I pulled out some glitter that I carry in my bag as an ice breaker and everyone was dancing and getting glittered face paintings. Hint--if you want to be the life of the party, bring glitter and start putting it on people. It’s contagious. Even Ryan, the winery owner, got in on all the fun. He had a fascinating story about his wine and history of the vineyard. I loved his products so much, I shipped a case back to NOLA. Also, Ryan is very easy on the eyes which always helps my purchasing decisions. After dinner, we returned back to the Bed’n’Breakfast for an impromptu dance party in their gazebo where we imbibed even more wine. Saturday was the big wedding day and the excitement was palatable. I woke up and stumbled downstairs to breakfast, which once again was a delicious; made with all local ingredients from the eggs to the maple syrup. This area brings farm-to-table to new levels. Some friends and I decided to do a little more exploring before the nuptials, so we hopped in a car and went to the historic St. Mary’s Cemetery. I love cemeteries; their history and architecture are fascinating. This cemetery sits atop a mountain. Heading up there, we saw gravesites and tombs in states of disrepair dating back to the early 1800’s. In addition to its beauty, this cemetery has a historic figure buried in a majestic mausoleum located at the top of the mountain. Miss Elizabeth Jane Barrett Rothschild was born in 1858 in Watkins Glen. She boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg as a first class passenger with her husband. Mrs Rothschild was rescued in lifeboat 6 along with her Pomeranian, one of three dogs that were saved from the Titanic. Every summer the widow, as her
At the rehearsal dinner for Cheryl and Jim at Ryan William’s winery
husband had not been rescued, would return to Watkins Glen. Residents of the city remembered that while Mrs Rothschild lived comfortably, she never forgot those who were less fortunate. In 1921 Elizabeth helped to extend St. Mary’s Cemetery in Watkins Glen with the purchase, for $1,000, of an acre plot of adjacent land. She also contributed to the paving of the cemetery road. When she died in East Orange, New Jersey on October 29, 1943, she was buried at the impressive (and only) mausoleum in the tiny cemetery. The mausoleum also contains a memorial to her lost husband. Adding to the atmosphere is a trail that goes alongside the cemetery that overlooks Rainbow Falls, a part of the Watkins Glen State Park at the southernmost tip of Seneca Lake, and the most famous of all the Finger Lakes State Parks. The glen’s stream drops 400 feet past vertical 200-foot cliffs, forming 19 waterfalls along its course. Talk about gorgeous and so serene. Being somewhat of a city boy, I forget just how beautiful nature can be. This area of Upstate New York is filled with great spots like this, so we drove to a close-by little town called Montour Falls, a village located in Schuyler County. The waterfall which gives the village its name is located at the end of West Main Street. The name “Montour” is derived from Queen Catharine Montour, a prominent Native American woman of Seneca Indian heritage who lived at the village site in the 18th century. It is a cute, picturesque city. Next, we went to lunch up in the mountains to Stonecat Cafe. This delightful restaurant is operated out of an old farmers’ market overlooking the lake. Owner Scott Signori has been the Executive Chef since the restaurant’s inception in 1999. He’s been a pioneer of locally grown and organically produced food. The food was simply delicious (his BBQ is outstanding and the cornbread was to die for). After lunch, we freshened up for the wedding. We were picked up by charter bus and brought to Castel
Grisch for probably one of the coolest weddings I’ve ever been to. Established in 1983 by a Swiss German couple, Castel Grisch Winery sits on a fabulous site with breathtaking views of Seneca Lake. The entire evening was perfect and, at six hours, quite a marathon of fun. We began by having tasty nibbles and champagne upon arrival, then we went out to the deck for the ceremony which had panoramic views of the valley and lake. Cheryl looked absolutely gorgeous in her designer white gown and her Russian bejeweled floral bouquet was stunning. The ceremony was simple and sweet, officiated by her good friend and NOLA chef Glen Hogh. Afterwards, we enjoyed a fourcourse dinner followed by dessert consisting of the cutting of the cake and then an ice wine tasting with different desserts. I mean this was a culinary experience. The remainder of the event was dancing the night away overlooking the mountain with a lively DJ. It was surreal to be boogieing to Dancing Queen under the stars on the side of the hill. We ended the night with everyone releasing wish balloons. What I loved about this wedding and the union of these two people, is that love can enter your life at any age. What an inspiring and lovely way to celebrate love. I ended my two weeks flying back on Sunday. After having one final delicious breakfast at the Idlwilde Inn, I drove to Rochester for the flight home and, after the high of the last ten days, it was nice to slow down and relax in an airport. FYI, the Rochester airport may be small, but it was a lovely place to hang out and have a few champagne cocktails with some friends who were also headed back. Now it’s time to switch from a New York State of Mind back to the NOLA beat! Until next time, keep the party going. Do you want your party or event covered? Invite me! ledgemgp@gmail.com
30 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
UNDER THE GAYDAR
New Orleans Hot Happenings
Tony Leggio ledgemgp@gmail.com
As we move through July and enter the heat of August, we start gearing up for the city’s next big LGBT event - Southern Decadence. So get ready because there are plenty of events to heat things up in NOLA. Here are just a sample of some exciting happenings. (If you have a fundraiser, party, show or event coming up and would like to be listed in the calendar, please email me at ledgemgp@gmail.com).
WEEKLY EVENTS EVERYDAY
Happy Hour: The Crossing; 439 Dauphine St.; 7 days a week from open until 9pm (7AM to 9PM). It’s $3 domestic beer and well drinks. $1 off everything else. 777 Happy Hour: Kajun’s Pub; 2556 St. Claude Ave.; 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Happy Hour: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 7 days a week from 8 a.m - 8 p.m. Happy Hour: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. (except Monday) Happy Hour: GrandPre’s; 834 N
Rampart St.; 12 p.m. - 9 p.m. $3 Well/ domestics Happy Hour: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. Kajun’s Karaoke: Kajun’s Pub; 2556 St. Claude Ave.; Karaoke from 5 p.m. until. Happy Hour: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. (except Sunday)
WEEKDAYS
Happy Hour: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine St.; 5 a.m. - 9 p.m. Happy Hour: The Phoenix Bar; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
MONDAY
Martini Mondays: Crossing; 439 Dauphine St.; (all day) Tito’s and Deep Eddy martinis will be $3. Service Industry Night: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; Open to close. $2.50 domestic beers; $3 well cocktails; $3.50 imported beer; $5.50 Tito’s; $6 Jameson. Happy Hour All Night: The Page
Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; Open to close. Well, domestic, and wine. Mexican Monday: The 700 Club; 700 Burgundy St.; Open to close. $3 Coronas, $3 Cuervo Shots, 2 for 1 Margaritas Primal Nights: Bacchannal Wine; 600 Poland Ave.; 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. $20 donation. Guest Chefs grill a personalized menu and the plate donations go to the charity of their choosing. NOAGE & Stonewall Sports Walk/ Run Club: Audubon Park; 6:15 p.m. Join Stonewall Sports New Orleans and NOAGE starting at 6:30 p.m.. Meet for the walk/run at Audubon Park by the Magazine Street entrance parking lot. The Stonewall Run Club joins every 3 weeks. This group is for ALL fitness levels, and you can go at your own pace. Whether that’s running, jogging, leisurely walking, or using a wheelchair or walker, this group is for you. If you are worried that you’ll be left behind, don’t worry; someone will walk with you. If you are the fastest person there, we’ll see you at the finish line. If you need assistance or have questions, call Jim at (504) 228-6778.
Karaoke Monday: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 7 - 9 p.m. Enjoy happy hour prices all night long. Hosted by Denny with VJ Dollabill. S.I.N. Night: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; Starting at 9 p.m. Come drink with Ashlee. Get your SIN card and receive $2.50 canned beer. Lazy Susan Karaoke: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. Join bartender Mark and a revolving cast of drag queen hostesses for Lazy Susan Karaoke with music by DJ Lucius Riley. Mondays are a drag, so make them fabulous and sing the night away. Underwear Night: The Eagle at the Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; starting at 9 p.m. The Eagle now is open EVERY Monday night. Happy Hour prices if you’re in your underwear. Doors open at 9 p.m. and No Cover. Pool Tournament: Rawhide 2010; 740 Burgundy St.; 9:45 p.m. $2 PBR and $50 gift certificate for Rawhide S.I.N.: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave.; 1 a.m - 4 a.m. 2 for 1 drinks.
TUESDAY
Tequila Tuesdays: Crossing; 439 Dauphine St.; (all day) Tequila drinks $5. Tunes Tuesday: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; Open to close. Free Jukebox credits with a $4 drink purchase.
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 31
Happy Hour: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Burlesque Bingo with Lefty Lucy: The AllWays Lounge; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m There’s no cover for this grown-up game show where everyone’s a winner! Just buy a drink from the bar & Tsarina Hellfire will give you a Bingo card. Each round winner gets a bucket of prizes including exclusive prints & a grand finale prize from Abita Brewing Company! Just for showing up you get to enjoy the free burlesque side of this unique game. Between every round, Lefty Lucy performs an improvised striptease to a song the crowd selects, removing only one item per round—don’t miss your chance to win the finale prize, and to see the tassels twirl! Trivia: Cutter’s; 706 Franklin Ave.; 7:30 p.m. Join your host, bartender and local music legend Johnny Sketch. Join a trivia team or bring your own and test your knowledge across multiple categories to win an often odd and useful assortment of prizes! Tito’s Tuesday: The Bourbon Pub; 801 St Ann St.; 8 p.m. - close. $5 Tito’s cocktails Country Dance Lessons: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 8 p.m. Tuesdays are Country Dance lessons with the Big Easy Stompers from 8 - 11 p.m. Bourbon Boylesque: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 8:00 p.m. See
the Men of Oz like you have never seen them before. The show stars Atomyc Adonis, Bobby B, Franky, Phathoms Deep and other special guests. Hosted by Trixie Minx. Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras: Buffa’s Bar and Restaurant; 1001 Esplanade Ave.; 8 p.m. Tacos, Tequila, and Tiaras is one of New Orleans’ only family friendly drag shows! Join hostess Vanessa Carr Kennedy every Tuesday, have a taco or two, and learn a little bit about the art of drag. Trivia Night: MRB; 515 St. Philip St.; Starts at 8 p.m. Every Tuesday at 8 you can join us for Who Wants A Dollar? Trivia! Free to Play. Plenty of Prizes. Tons of Fun. Teams of 1-6 welcome. Enjoy some killer drinks, amazing food from Woodies @ MRB, and out of this world trivia. Kocktail Karaoke: Good Friends Bar;740 Dauphine St.; 9 p.m. - 1 a.m. Join us at Good Friends Bar for Kocktail Karaoke. The winner gets a $25.00 bar tab. $5 Fireball. Happy Hour All day and Night: 700 Club; 700 Burgundy St.; 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. Every week on Tuesday from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am the next day.
WEDNESDAY
Hump Day: Rawhide 2010; 740 Burgundy St.; 4 - 9 p.m. 2 for $4 wells, draft, and domestic beers. Wine Night: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; 5 p.m. -
close. $15 bottles of wine. WednesGays at LPK Uptown: Louisiana Pizza Kitchen; 615 South Carrollton Ave.; 5 p.m. Join us every Wednesday to celebrate diversity. See old friends or make some new ones and find out what’s happening in the Nola community. All this while enjoying 1/2 price drinks from the bar. Invite your friends. Happy Hour: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Honey Bee Trivia: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Wednesdays are Trivia with Honey Bee at 7 p.m. with free jello shots and Bar Tabs. Show Tunes Night: The Bourbon Pub; 801 St Ann St.; 8 p.m.- Midnight Wednesday Night Karaoke: Cru; 535 Franklin Ave.; 8 - 10 p.m. Join Vanessa Carr Kennedy and the krewe at Cru NOLA - Raw & Bubble Bar for Wednesday night karaoke in the treehouse. Sing your heart out, enjoy some amazing cocktails, and get some food from the kitchen. Video Game Night: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart Street; 8:30 p.m. midnight; The bar is doing Video Game Night starting at 9 p.m. Come and compete for prizes and Grab some Drinks. Kafe Karaoke: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 9 p.m. – midnight. $25.00 Bar tab and Free Shots & Givea-ways with Happy Hour All Day. Oz Show Night: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 10:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; ChiChi Rodriquez and Dominique DeLorean. Wet Wednesday: Crossing, 439 Dauphine St.; (all day). 2-for-1 anything and everything (at regular price). Or, make it a double!
THURSDAY
Happy Hour: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Honey Bee Trivia: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Thursday is Honey Bee Trivia at 7 p.m. Four rounds with jello shots to the winner of each round and a Bar Tab to top person/team of the night. Prime Time Trivia: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; starts at 9 p.m. Come out and enjoy trivia with great prizes with your host Honey Bee. Retro Night: The Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; starts at 10 p.m. Enjoy drink special from 10 p.m. to midnight and the best hits from the 80’s and 90’s. The Jeff D Comedy Cabaret: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 10 p.m. The Comedy Cabaret stars Jeff D. featuring Gia GiaVanni. Enjoy hilarious comedians, amazing talent and the Ladies of Oz. Strip Off: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; Midnight. Persana Shoulders hosts the Strip Off every Thursday
night. Sign up begins at 11 p.m. and the show features a spotlight performance by Miss Gay Louisiana America 2013 Mercedes Ellis Loreal. Winners receive 1st Place - $100 Cash • 2nd Place - $50 Bar tab
FRIDAY
Fireball Fridays: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; Open to close. $4 Fireball Shots. Happy Hour: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. Beat The Clock; 700 Club; 700 Burgundy St.; 5 - 9 p.m. Well Drinks: 5 PM - 6 PM $1.50, 6 PM - 7 PM $2.00, 7 PM - 8 PM $2.50, 8 PM - 9 PM $3.00 Take It Off Fridays: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; 5 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Includes $2.50 domestic beers and $3 well drinks from 5 - 9 p.m.; $15 drink and drown from 9 - 11 p.m. all well cocktails; and Underwear Party with free well. Cocktails for those who strip down to their underwear from midnight to 12:30 a.m. New Meat Amateur Dance Contest: Corner Pocket; 940 St. Louis St.; 6:30 p.m. Anyone can enter - $100 cash prize. Music of Senator Ken: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy live music with Senator Ken playing all your favorites. Bayou Blues Burlesque: The Allways Lounge and Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 8-10 p.m. An intimate night of live blues music accompanied by burlesque and variety acts. Drink specials and comfy seating to enjoy the art of the striptease. Music by The Delta Revues; burlesque by Andrea Louise Duhe´ (Ooops C.) Cherry Brown and special guests. Doors: 7:00pm; Show: 8:00pm; Cover: $10. Jock Night: The Eagle at the Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave; 9 p.m. Happy hour prices for wearing a jock or singlet. Misc4Misc: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 9 p.m. Enjoy this wonderfully weird drag show hosted every week by Apostrophe. Cover is $5. Play Girlz: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 10 - 11:30 p.m. Drag show featuring Gia GiaVanni and special guests. Late Night Happy Hour: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin Ave.; 10:30 p.m. - 2 a.m. Executive Chef Marlon Alexander and sushi & vegan Chef Kelseay Dukae serve delicious drink specials and amazing food during late night happy hours. Come chill out in the iconic courtyard.
SATURDAY
Queer Meditation: Mid City Zen; 3248 Castiglione St.; 10:30 a.m. A queer and trans centered meditation group meeting regularly on Saturday mornings. Open to all LGBTIQ+ people, and all folks interested in holding and sharing an intentionally queer-cen-
32 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
SNAP PAPARAZZI The Corner Pocket MEET ME ON ST. LOUIS—WHERE THE BOYS ARE DANCIN’ NIGHTLY ON THE BAR | PHOTOS BY POCKET PEEPS
THE CORNER POCKET Where the Boys are dancing nightly on the bar starting at 9PM!
OPENING HOURS Everyday Noon - TILL ADDRESS 940 St Louis Street, New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 568-9829 www.cornerpocket.net
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 33
tering mindful space. Join for a sit, breathe, notice, rest; to cultivate presence and kindness together. Free/by donation. Burlesque Brunch: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin Ave.; Join the incomparable Angie Z and friends for a boozy, burlesque brunch every Saturday from 11-3pm. For reservations, go to www. opentable.com. Happy Hour: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.; 3 p.m. - 8 p.m.11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Beer Bash: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. $10 pitchers of beer, $9 pitchers of Miller Light draft (upstairs only) Piano Bar with Trey Ming; Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine St.; 4-7 p.m. Sing along with your favorite songs with talented piano player Trey Ming. Drag Dingo: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 6 - 8 p.m. Catch ChiChi Rodriquez, Persana Shoulders for Drag Bingo! 11 games of Bingo, 11 chances to win prizes! All the fun starts at 6 pm and goes till 8 pm in the upstairs bar with your favorite bottom, Jake, slinging drinks for you all night long! Music of Vanessa Carr Kennedy; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy songstress Vanessa as she sings some of the top hits of yesterday and today. Divas R Us; Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 10 - 11:30 p.m. This
wonderful drag show directed by Monica Sinclaire Kennedy includes special guest stars. Late Night Happy Hour: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin Ave.; 10:30 p.m. - 2 a.m. Executive Chef Marlon Alexander and sushi & vegan Chef Kelseay Dukae serve delicious drink specials and amazing food during late night happy hours. Come chill out in the iconic courtyard.
SUNDAY
Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch: Cru NOLA; 535 Franklin St.; 11 a.m. Vanessa Carr presents Mama Honey’s Drag Brunch featuring Chef Marlon Alexander’s amazing menu and the phenomenal talents of Vanessa Carr Kennedy and Friends! For tickets, go to www.crunola.com Bottomless Mimosas: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 1 - 4 p.m. Bottomless Mimosas are offered upstairs from 1 - 4 p.m. for $12. Happy Hour: Good Friends Bar; 740 Dauphine St.; 1 p.m. - 11 p.m. $3.75 well drinks and domestic beer. The Half Assed-Straight Boys: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 3 - 5 p.m. Beer Bash: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. $10 pitchers of beer, $9 pitchers of Miller Light draft (upstairs only) Happy Hour/ Drink Til You Drop: The Page Bar; 542 N Rampart St.;
Happy Hour 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. and Drink Til You Drop $12 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Sinful Sunday: Crossing, 439 Dauphine St.; 4 - 9 p.m. Drink & Drown + FREE Burger Cookout. It’s Beef & Booze (all you can drink). $12 well drinks or call brands & bottled beer $20. The Original Trash Disco: Cafe Lafitte in Exile; 901 Bourbon St.; 4-10 p.m. Includes the original napkin toss and the best music videos to sing along with. Jubilee: Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 5 p.m. This Sunday Funday show stars Reba Douglas and special guests. Divas at the Dive: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave; 5 p.m. Vanessa Carr LIve. 6:30 p.m. Drag Karaoke. 8 p.m. Audience Karaoke Drink and Drown: 700 Club; 700 Burgundy St.; 5 - 8 p.m. Unlimited well drinks, Bud Light and Miller Lite draft $10 Drag Dingo: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 6 - 8 p.m. Catch ChiChi Rodriquez, Persana Shoulders for Drag Bingo! 11 games of Bingo, 11 chances to win prizes! All the fun starts at 6 pm till 8 pm in the upstairs bar with your favorite bottom, Jake, slinging drinks for you all night long. Drink Drown and Drag: The Bourbon Pub; 801 Bourbon St.; 6 - 9 p.m. Sunday Funday upstairs at The Parade. $15 Drink and Drown from 6 – 9 p.m. with a star studded drag show starting at 8 p.m. Zingo: Corner Pocket; 640 St. Louis St.; 6:30 p.m. Play Bingo followed by the Barry BareAss Dancer of the Week Contest. You Better Sing Karaoke: GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart St.; 7 p.m. Join DJ Dereesha as he plays Karaoke. Sunday Swing: The Allways Lounge and Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; starts at 8 p.m. Every Sunday, local swing dance instructors offer a community class from 8-9pm. From 9 till midnight there is live, local music and social dancing! There is NO cover, but a one drink minimum is required per set. Jock Night: The Eagle at the Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave; 9 p.m. Happy hour prices for wearing a jock or singlet. Oz Show Night: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 9:30 p.m. This popular drag show is hosted by Persana Shoulders and features Connie Hung, Anastascia Davenport; ChiChi Rodriquez and Dominique DeLorean.
SPECIAL EVENTS WEDNESDAY 7/17
Let’s Art with Lefty Lucy: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 6 - 8 p.m. LET’S ART! with Lefty Lucy is an original Drink n Draw where everyone is invited to ART
in your own way. DRAW Lefty in poses that tell a story across two hours! WRITE your own story inspired by what you see! PHOTOGRAPH poses & ENJOY a burlesque act that will reveal the final chapter in this slow-motion play or just drink and enjoy a custom playlist in a low key cabaret environment. “Take My Hand” Presented by ViiV Healthcare: The Building; 1427 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.; 6 8 p.m “Take My Hand” is the short story of two friends, Jade and Tanisha, who share what it was like to learn they were HIV-positive and how they dealt with shame, self-blame and isolation before finally finding the support they needed. The performance is based on the lives and stories of Black women in New Orleans living with and affected by HIV, and was inspired by research conducted by ViiV Healthcare
THURSDAY 7/18
Talk. To The Hand! 3rd Thursdays Totally ‘90s/00’s: GrandPre’s 834 N. Rampart St.; 10 p.m. Join the fun at GrandPre’s for their monthly Third Thursday Totally ‘90s (and early ‘00s) Dance Party! It’s gonna be a retrolicious rewind. No cover! FlamBOYant: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 11 p.m. - 2 a.m. The new Revolution of Boylesque is back to get this summer scorching HOT! The next installment of FlamBOYant brings you all the GLAM, all the BOYS, and all the FLAME!!!! Starring your flamBOYS Danny Girl, New Orleans very own naughty Mistress, T.J. Michael, the beefcake of the South, and your featured entertainer the very rufftastic Teddy Bareback, a VERY furry delight. All hosted by the NonBianary Wonder of New Orleans Atomyc Adonis. Come grab a seat at the best kept secret of New Orleans FlamBOYant. $5 cover.
FRIDAY 7/19
Decadence Is Coming To Just Us: Just Us Lounge; 906 Division Street (Biloxi, MS); 6 - 8 p.m. The 2019 Southern Decadence Grand Marshals are visiting Biloxi, MS. Come Meet Will Antill & Countess C Alice have a couple of drinks, appetizers courtesy of the amazing staff of Just Us, prizes and more! $5 donation (funds will go to expenses for Southern Decadence Parade that will take place Sept 1st in NOLA). Miss Primavera New Orleans 2019: Cristal Nightclub; 1001 Stumpf Blvd.; 9 p.m. Come and join their Spring beauty contest, which is more than a beauty contest; It is an opportunity to build a stronger LGBTQ youth community in New Orleans, LA. It is also a fundraiser for the Trans Defense Fund in BreakOUT!, Which is providing financial support to LGBTQ youth to keep them safe. Specifically, this year we will use the money raised to sup-
34 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
SNAP PAPARAZZI Oz New Orleans PHOTOS BY DWAIN HERTZ AND ANDREW HOPKINS #OZNEWORLEANS & SUBMITTED BY PERSANA SHOULDERS
OZ New Orleans 2-story, 24/7 gay dance club with DJs, drag shows, go-go dancers & a balcony for people-watching.
OPENING HOURS
FRI, SAT & SUN: 24/7 MON–THURS: Opens at 1PM
ADDRESS 800 Bourbon Street New Orleans, LA Phone: (504) 593-9491
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 35
port LGBT migrant or undocumented youth by paying bonuses, immigration lawyers and other emergency support needed to keep young people at home in their communities. Each year, 5 to 6 contestants, often young transgender Latina women, compete for the Miss Spring New Orleans crown and a cash prize in front of a panel of community judges. Join us and make sure this year is an even bigger success so that we can further support LGBTQ youth in our community. With deportations and the increasing criminalization of our communities, it is a critical moment for the most vulnerable communities.
SATURDAY 7/20
Drag Queen Story Hour: Alvar Library; 913 Alvar St.; 1 - 2 p.m. Come listen to the beautiful and talented Vanessa Carr Kennedy and friends read stories. Open to all families, caregivers, and children of all ages. Bear Yells Bingo: Phillips Bar & Restaurant; 733 Cherokee St.; 3 - 7 p.m. Join Big easy Animal Rescue for a chill, relaxing time as they play BINGO. $5.00 at door gets you a playing card. You can also buy additional cards. Proceeds go to Big Easy Animal Rescue - BEAR. Win prizes for your fur baby .. and even some prizes for yourself. There will be drink specials. Ambush Magazine 31st Gay Appreciation Awards: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon Street; 6 - 9 p.m. Gay
Appreciation Awards thanks those in the LGBTQ community who are often not recognized for the outstanding services and efforts they perform.These individuals and businesses have made the LGBTQ Community into the viable, successful and powerful community it is today across the Gulf South. Event starts at 6pm SHARP, but come early and walk the Red Carpet with Felicia Phillips and Tiffany Alexander. Who will win the Marsha Delain Red Carpet Award? It’s Showtime on Rampart Street; GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart St.; 10 p.m. Come out and catch this exciting drag show starring Moanalot Fontaine and special guests. Dirty Dime Peepshow: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 11 p.m. - 1 a.m. The Dirty Dime Peepshow is the most outlandish burlesque show in all of New Orleans, produced by Bella Blue and hosted by Ben Wisdom. The corps cast consists of the artistic genius of The Lady Lucerne, Tarah Cards, Bella Blue, and more. This isn’t another classic burlesque show! Cast aside your judgement and preconceived notions of what burlesque should be, and join them for a walk on the darkside. 11pm doors. Midnight show. $15 cover at the door. Hit It Vol. 7 - Fuzzy Navel: The Twilight Room; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 11 p.m. - 3 a.m. HIT IT returns to one
of our favorite queer enclaves in the city - with a large private indoor space for us to really let LOOSE. It’s hot out! But you can keep it cool inside before getting sweaty in the dark room! They will have a spacious dance floor, big hot’n’sexy dark room with that sling y’all love, Double Scorpio VHS for purchase, and lots of surprises! Advanced discount tickets are available! Get yours now to guarantee entry! https:// hit-it.ticketleap.com/hit-it-vol-7-fuzzynavel/dates/Jul-20-2019_at_1100PM. Clothes check will be available at the door so you can strip down to your sexy underwear, jock, panties, or just go ahead and show it all off. Anything goes! Sexy beats for a transcendental poppers experience by DJ Tyler Cross. Hosted by: FatsyCline Drag Miss Louisiana Leatherette 2018, Ross Ransom - Mr. Nude Orleans with guest performers showing lots of tail and fuzz.
SUNDAY 7/21
Heaux Down - A Petronius Country Dance Party: Oz New Orleans; 800 Bourbon St.; 6 - 9 p.m. Join the Krewe of Petronius as they heaux down in the French Quarter! There will be raffles, line dancing lessons by our own Monique Michaels-Alexander, shot specials and a new Mr. and Ms. Possum Holler will be crowned!
WEDNESDAY 7/24
Queer Root - But I’m A Cheerleader: LGBT Community Center; 2727 S. Broad St.; 7 - 9 p.m. Join Queer Root for the classic queer film But I’m a Cheerleader, a coming-ofage queer comedy about denial, conversion therapy, and community. The LGBT Center has agreed to let us host in their space! Queer Root is a project run by Lizxnn, Tylyn, and Sally to share the queer cinema that shows us who we are. FREE TO ALL, DONATIONS ACCEPTED. Invite your queer, trans, and/or sex worker friends!
THURSDAY 7/25
It’s Fine - A One Woman Show: The Allways Lounge and Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 9 - 11 p.m. It’s Fine is a roughly 60 minute one woman show starring Quinn Laroux about the costs and benefits of leaving things unsaid. It’s a collection of six short drag and theatre pieces that couldn’t really fit anywhere else. The show ranges from lip-sync performance, storytelling, comedy, a horrifyingly bad erotica, and unholy combinations of all three. Expect something ranging from hilarious to heartbreaking, but, as always honest and hopeful. Quinn Laroux is a performer, producer, tour guide, and writer based in New Orleans. $5 Cover. Show starts promptly at 9:00pm Fashion Battle Royale: The Goat; 1301 St. Bernard Ave.; 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. Welcome to the first Episode of FASH-
ION BATTLE ROYALE! LULU, the fashionable princess elf has manifested into the real world to bring you the SICKEST PARTY and FASHION CONTEST of the SUMMER bringing 2 host bodies that will help conjure the rest EUREEKA STARFISH and OLIVE IT! and of course DJ faeriegothmother. Like every good Fashion Contest we have 3 Categories - *PASTEL BABE basically anything pastel or rainbow or sugar lolita sweet pink , we want it to be disgustingly cute. *TRASH BAT They want to see Sailor Moon Villain street punk goth grunge. *COSPLAY MASTER - They want to see the best licensed cartoon, super hero, fantasy cosplay you’ve got. One Crown per category. Door is at 9pm sign up is until 10:30, Fashion battle at 11pm. Door Cover is $10. Christmas in July Extravaganza: Crossing, 439 Dauphine St.; 6 - 9 p.m. Have you been naughty or nice? It’s the inaugural Christmas in July Extravaganza to benefit Ochsner Hospital for Children. Drag show and other performances, free dinner buffet, Santa and his elves, shot boys, guest VJ, Happy Hour drink prices and more—all with a holiday theme. Heaux! Heaux! Heaux! Donation: $10 | Performers (subject to change): Countess C. Alice (Southern Decadence Grand Marshal XLV), Teddy Bareback, Trey Bien, Angel Chalet, Big Momma, Rikki Reed, and Opal Wiley.
FRIDAY 7/26
Queer Takeover - Pool Party, Baseball & Fireworks Edition; New Orleans Baby Cakes; 8000 Airline Hwy.; 6 - 9 p.m. It’s a big BIG QUEER POOL PARTY at the ballpark -- with wizards and fireworks!! The theme at the game is Wizards’ Night and there will be fireworks after the game! Cost is $34 per person, which includes: Food! A buffet of bbq chicken, hot dogs, baked beans, jambalaya, watermelon slices, cookies, lemonade, iced tea, water, A cash bar ($ to pay the bartender) and Use of the pool. Space is limited! To secure your spot, venmo @nikkiritz ahead of time. Put your name and Baby Cakes pool party in the note. Krewe of Armeinius Presents A Midsummer Evening on the Avenue: 2933 St. Charles Ave.; 6 - 9 p.m. Join the krewe for an open bar, light refreshments and a raffle. $20 at the door.
SATURDAY 7/27
A Near naked Pool Party - A Southern Decadence Fundraiser; 2215 Joseph Street; 1 - 5 p.m. Join the fun at the Nearly Naked Pool Party for an afternoon of great food, cocktails, swimming and an Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Bikini Contest to help us raise funds for Southern Decadence 2019. Guests are not required to wear a bikini to attend, but if you do, you will save on your admission (even more if you
36 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
SNAP PAPARAZZI Crossing PEOPLE ARE CROSSING NOLA TO SEE AND BE SEEN AT CROSSING NOLA | PHOTOS BY TEAM CROSSING
CROSSING
Neighborhood video bar with a steampunk theme in the historic Vieux Carré.
HAPPY HOUR DAILY 7 AM – 9 PM OPENING HOURS 7 AM – 1:30 AM ADDRESS 439 Dauphine Street New Orleans, LA 70112 Phone: (504) 523-4517 www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 37
enter the Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Bikini Contest). It doesn’t matter what shape or size you are, all you need is the right attitude to look stunning in a bikini ... the smaller the better. If you are not comfortable wearing a bikini, simply wear your favorite swimwear and join us in the pool. Click the link below to buy tickets (tickets must be purchased in advance): sd2019.ticketleap.com/ nearly-naked-pool-party/. Ticket Levels: All Include Complementary Food, Cocktails and Wet Pool Fun: The Exhibitionist (Wear a Bikini & Enter Contest) $15 - If you are an Exhibitionist, then you won’t mind automatically entering the Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Bikini Contest and receive a discounted entry fee (All Shapes and Sizes Welcome). The Skin-Diver (Wear a Bikini ... or nothing at all) $20 - Come clad in your favorite bikini (the Skimpier, the Better). The Voyeur (No Dress Code) $25 - Observe the scantily clad guests while wearing whatever feels comfortable. Memorial 2nd Line and Show for Barry Rutherford: Kajun’s Pub; 2256 St. Claude Ave.; 3 p.m. Please join in a celebration of life for our beloved Barry Rutherford. We are holding a Memorial Show & 2nd Line. Big Easy Sisters Bingo; The Phoenix; 941 Elysian Fields Ave.; 6 - 9 p.m. Come win stuff with the BIG EASY SISTERS as they call BiNGO. All $monies raised going to local charities. The Boozy Basket Raffle: The
Balcony Bar; 3201 Magazine Street; 7 - 9 p.m. The Boozy Basket Raffle benefiting Southern Decadence 2019 and it’s charity Odyssey House Louisiana! Tickets are available to purchase for $5 a ticket! There will be at least 9 chances to win prizes totaling over $1500 with more liquor and assorted items added daily!! The drawing will be held on Saturday July 27th at The Balcony Bar -3201 Magazine Street- from 7-9pm. Tickets will be available for purchase at the event.
SUNDAY 7/28
BEAR Sunday Social - Burger & Bingo: GrandPre’s; 834 N. Rampart St.; 4 - 7 p.m. Join the fun for a chill, relaxing time as we play BINGO. $10.00 at door gets you a playing card and a delicious grilled Hamburger Plate; they will also have a Vegan option. You can also buy additional cards. Proceeds go to Big Easy Animal Rescue - BEAR. Win prizes for your fur baby and even some prizes for yourself. There will be drink specials.
TUESDAY 7/30
NOAGE Potluck: St. Anna’s Episcopal Church; 1313 Esplanade Ave.; 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Come to eat, network, and make new friends! If you are able, please bring a dish (main dishes, meats, sides, soups, salads or vegan/ vegetarian dishes, desserts, and beverages). Please also consider bring-
ing non-perishable food items for St. Anna’s Food Pantry. Adults of all ages welcome! The potluck is in the back of the Parish House (the building to the right of the church itself, located at the corner of Esplanade Ave. and Marais St. Please call Jim at (504)228-6778 if you have any questions.
WEDNESDAY 7/31
Let’s Art with Lefty Lucy: The Allways Lounge & Cabaret; 2240 St. Claude Ave.; 6 - 8 p.m. LET’S ART! with Lefty Lucy is an original Drink n Draw where everyone is invited to ART in your own way. DRAW Lefty in poses that tell a story across two hours! WRITE your own story inspired by what you see! PHOTOGRAPH poses & ENJOY a burlesque act that will reveal the final chapter in this slow-motion play or just drink and enjoy a custom playlist in a low key cabaret environment. Winter Wonderland VIII Royal Coronation & Sponsorship Party: The Golden Lantern; 1239 Royal St.; 6 9 p.m. Winter is coming ! Join us as Catherine and Misti Gaither announce their selections for Winter Queen III of New Orleans and Winter King III of New Orleans. They will also be announcing their 2 chosen charities and recipient of the much coveted ICON Tribute award. Sponsorships levels will be revealed and available There will also be food and a mini show.
FRIDAY 8/2 – SUNDAY 8/4
Satchmo Summer Fest presented by Chevron: The New Orleans Jazz Museum; 400 Esplanade Ave.; 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. daily. Celebrate the life, legacy, and music of New Orleans’ native son, Louis Armstrong! Three stages, local cuisine, fascinating Armstrong scholars, and a traditional second line parade.
FRIDAY 8/2
Stonewall Sports First Friday Happy Hour: Phillip’s Bar and Restaurant; 733 Cherokee St.; 5 - 8 p.m. Join fellow Stonewallers for a monthly happy hour on the first Friday of every month at Phillip’s Bar, one of our Stonewall Sports New Orleans Spon-
sors.
SATURDAY 8/3
Hancock Whitney White Linen Night 25: Contemporary Arts Center; 900 Camp St.; 5:30 p.m. - midnight. White Linen Night Turns 25 with the 300 - 700 blocks of Julia Street and throughout the Arts District New Orleans | FREE & Open to the Public | Rain or shine. FULL EVENT DETAILS AT WWW.CACWHITELINENNIGHT. COM. OUTClimb| LGBT+ Climb Night; New Orleans Boulder Lounge; 2360 St. Claude Ave.; 7 - 10 p.m. OUTclimb is a New Orleans based LGBT+ climbing club dedicated to providing a safe and welcoming space for queer & trans people to climb. With support from the New Orleans Boulder Lounge on St. Claude, they’re able to offer a night of climbing FREE to NOLA’s LGBT+ community. Allies are welcome to attend and should donate $5-$15 as you are able. Donations will go to a local LGBT+ organization, TBD. This is to be a safe space for the LGBT+ community--a space for conversation, inclusion, education, and of course, climbing! Respect and inclusion expected by all. Free climbing lessons 8:00-9:00 p.m. Raffles 9:30 p.m. Generations - A Night of Drag Benefitting the Krewe of Narcissus: Four Seasons Bar; 3229 N. Causeway Blvd.; 7 - 10 p.m. The Krewe of Narcissus proudly presents “Generations - A Night of Drag.”. Generations is bringing to the stage several styles of drag in one show for your entertainment. The show stars Regina Adams and Natasha Sinclair representing drag from Generation X, Monica Synclaire-Kennedy and Tazeya Ballz representing Generation Y with the hits of the 80s & androgyny, and our Generation Z queens Jessica Champagne & Miranda Kelli will represent the styles of today’s drag queens. $10 donation at the door will benefit the Krewe’s Ball Masque V on January 25, 2020 at the New Orleans Ladies Ballroom. It’s Showtime on Rampart Street; GrandPre’s; 834 North Rampart St.; 10 p.m. Come out and catch this exciting drag show starring Moanalot Fontaine and special guests.
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38 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
UNDER THE GAYDAR
Mobile Hot Happenings WEEKLY AT B-BOB’S 213 Conti St., Mobile, AL (251) 433-2262
THURSDAY
Amateur Drag Night 11PM
FRIDAY & SATURDAY
TUESDAY
Gay Bar BINGO 9:30 & 11PM
Midnight Drag Show
UNDER THE GAYDAR
Along the Gulf South BATON ROUGE MONDAY
Game Night: George’s Place; 860 St. Louis St; 10p.m. Hosted by Chance
WEDNESDAY
Queens Karaoke: George’s Place; 860 St Louis St; 10p.m. Hosted by Alvin McGee Free Cover Wednesdays: Splash Nightclub; 2183 Highland Rd; 9pm
THURSDAY
Double Trouble Thursday: George’s Place; 860 St Louis St; 7pm. $6 Double Wells and $10 Double Calls Show Night: Splash Nightclub; 2183 Highland Rd; 11:30pm. Featuring the Bombshells of Baton Rouge
FRIDAY
Upstairs Karaoke: Splash Nightclub; 2183 Highland Rd; 9pm $1 Martinis 9-10pm
LAFAYETTE BOLT BAR & PATIO 114 McKinley St
THURSDAY
Thirsty Thursday; No Cover. $4 Double Wells and $2 wine
FRIDAY
The Ladies of Bolt; 11:30pm. $5 cover
SATURDAY
Dance Night; No Cover. Happy Hour 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
WEEKLY AT FLIP SIDE 54 S. Conception St., Mobile, AL (251) 431-8819
SUNDAY
Funday with Karaoke
MONDAY
Service Industry Night
WEDNESDAY Rock n Roll Bingo 8PM
THURSDAY Karaoke
SATURDAY SEC Football
TUESDAY Karaoke
LAKE CHARLES CRYSTAL’S DOWNTOWN 720 Ryan Street
TUESDAY
Anything But Techno Tuesdays; 10 p.m. No Cover. Ladies drink half off
WEDNESDAY Drag Bingo & Show
THURSDAY
THURSDAY
Speed Quizzing Trivia; 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
FRIDAY
Drag Bingo with Monica Heart; 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Win cash and prizes
GALVESTON 23RD ST. STATION 1706 23rd Street
Happy Hour every day until 7 p.m.
MONDAY
Drink & Drown Karaoke; $10 selective alcohol with $1 refill
Texas Hold ‘Em 7pm
PENSACOLA THE ROUNDUP
Tube-ular Tuesday with Jim 8pm
560 E Heinberg St
TUESDAY
Karaoke; 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Ladies Night w/ Piano 6pm
THURSDAY
Movie Night with Chris 8pm
FRIDAY
Live Entertainment 6pm
SATURDAY
Live Entertainment 9pm
SUNDAY
Sing Along Sundays w/ Piano 4pm7pm
RUMORS
3102 Seawall Blvd. Happy Hour every day until 7 p.m.
FRIDAY & SATURDAY Show Nights 11 p.m. & 12:30 a.m.
SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY Karaoke 8 p.m.
SUNDAY
The Sunday T with Carly & Kymber 4:30 p.m. www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 39
LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory NEW ORLEANS
ACCOMMODATIONS
The Burgundy Bed and Breakfast, 2513 Burgundy St, (504) 261-9477, theburgundy.com Aaron Ingram Haus, 1012 Elysian Fields Ave, (504) 949-3110, ingramhaus.com Blues60 Guest House, 1008 Elysian Fields Ave, (504) 324-4311, blues60guesthouse.com The BEARigny Suites, 2226 N Rampart St, (504) 309-0062, thebearignysuite.com
BARS & CLUBS
Four Seasons & Patio Stage Bar, 3229 N. Causeway Blvd, (504) 8320659
Bourbon St, (504) 593-9761
(504) 523-4517 Friendly Bar, 2301 Chartres St, (504) 943-8929
700 Club, 700 Burgundy St, (504) 5611095, 700nola.com
Golden Lantern, 1239 Royal St, (504) 529-2860
Black Penny, 700 N Rampart St, (504) 304-4779, facebook.com/ blackpennynola
GrandPre’s, 834 N Rampart St, (504) 267-3615 Kajun’s Pub, 2256 St Claude Ave, (504) 947-3735 Mags 940, 940 Elysian Fields Ave, (504) 948-1888 Oz New Orleans, 800 Bourbon St, (504) 593-9491, ozneworleans.com Phoenix Bar, 941 Elysian Fields Ave, (504) 945-9264, phoenixbarnola.com Rawhide 2010, 740 Burgundy St, (504) 525-8106, rawhide2010.com
Bourbon Pub/Parade, 801 Bourbon St, (504) 529-2107, bourbonpub.com
The Page Bar, 542 N Rampart St, (504) 875-4976
Café Lafitte in Exile, 901 Bourbon St, (504) 522-8397, www.lafittes.com
VooDoo Lounge, 718 N Rampart St, (504) 265-0953
Corner Pocket, 940 St Louis St, (504) 568-9829, www.cornerpocket.net
The Country Club, 634 Louisa St, (504) 945-0742, thecountryclubneworleans. com
Cutter’s Bar, 706 Franklin Ave, (504) 948-4200 Crossing NOLA, 439 Dauphine St,
Phillips Bar, 733 phillipsbar.com Lafitte’s
Blacksmith
Cherokee
St,
Shop,
941
Big Daddy’s, 2513 Royal street, (504) 948-6288 Big Easy Daiquiris, Several locations throughout the French Quarter Good Friends Bar, 740 Dauphine Street, (504) 566-7191, goodfriendsbar.com Napoleon’s Itch, 734 Bourbon St, (504) 237-4144 Tropical Isle, 721 Bourbon St, (504) 529-4109, tropicalisle.com Allways Lounge and Cabaret, 2240 St. Claude Ave
BOOKSTORES
Faubourg Marigny Art and Books, 600 Frenchmen St
CIRCUIT / EVENT
Gay Easter Parade, Easter Sunday, gayeasterparade.com Gay Mardi Gras, gaymardigras.com
New Orleans Pride, June 7-9, 2019, NewOrleansPrideFestival.com Southern Decadence, Labor Day Weekend, SouthernDecadence.com Halloween New Orleans, October 25-27, 2019, HalloweenNewOrleans. com Gay Appreciation ambushpublishing.com
Awards,
GALLERIES
Casell Bergen Gallery, 1305 Decatur St, (504) 478-6744, casellbergengallery.com
GROCERIES
Matassa’s Market, 1001 Dauphine St, (504) 412-8700, https://www. matassas.com Quartermaster Deli, 1100 Bourbon St, www.quartermasterdeli.net Robert’s Fresh Market, 2222 St. Claude Ave, (504) 207-0162, robertfreshmarket.com
GUIDES
Official Gay Easter Parade Guide, gayeasterparade.com Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide, gaymardigras.com
Thursday 7/18
Talk. To The Hand! 3rd Thursdays Totally ‘90s/00’s: 10 p.m. Join the fun at GrandPre’s for their monthly Third Thursday Totally ‘90s (and early ‘00s) Dance Party! It’s gonna be a retrolicious rewind. No cover!
Sunday 7/28
BEAR Sunday Social - Burger & Bingo: 4 - 7 p.m. Join the fun for a chill, relaxing time as we play BINGO. $10.00 at door gets you a playing card and a delicious grilled Hamburger Plate; they will also have a Vegan option. You can also buy additional cards. Proceeds go to Big Easy Animal Rescue - BEAR. Win prizes for your fur baby and even some prizes for yourself. There will be drink specials.
Sat, 07/20 - 10pm 40 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory Official Gay New Orleans Guide, gayneworleans.com Official Pride Guide, neworleanspridefestival.com Official Southern Decadence Guide, southerndecadence.com
HAIR SALONS
FiFi Mahony’s, 934 Royal St, (504) 525-4343, fifimahonys.com Head Quarters Hair Salon, 906 Bourbon St, (504) 522-2666 Micky Nolan Salon, 717 Toulouse St, (504) 587-7782, mickeynolansalon. com Two Guys Cutting Hair, 2372 St Claude Ave #125, 215.519.5030, (504) 239-2397
2000 Canal Street, 4th Floor, 4C Clinic, (504) 702-4344, umcno.org/ infectiousdisease CrescentCare, 1631 Elysian FIelds Ave, (504) 821-2601, crescentcare. org
MUSEUMS
Krewe of Mwindo, PO Box 51031, (504) 913-5791 Krewe of Stars, 1010 Conti St, kreweofstars.com Krewe of Narcissus, PO Box 3832, (504) 228-9441
com P-Flag New Orleans, (504) 617-5987, alberto.oliver@cox.com Mystic Krewe of Apollo de New Orleans, mkaneworleans.com
PHARMACY
Mystic Krewe of Lords of Leater, 1000 Bourbon Street #B415, lordsofleather.org
ORGANIZATIONS
Mumfrey’s Pharmacy, 1021 W. Judge Perez Dr., (504) 279-6312, mumfreyspharmacy.com
Renegade Bears of Louisiana, PO Box 3083, renegadebearsoflouisiana@ gmail.com
Avita Pharmacy, 2601 Tulane Ave Ste 445, (504) 822-8013
NOLA Softball League, nolasoftball. org
Crescent City Leathermen, 941 Elysian Fields Ave, crescentcityleathermen.org
G Douglas Photography, LLC, Wedding and Portriat Photography, By Appointment Only, gdouglasadamsphotography.com
Mardi Gras Museum, 813 Bienville St, (504) 523-5433 Louisiana Trans Advocates, (877) 565-8860, latransadvocates.org
Crescent City rougarouxrugby.org
Rougaroux,
NOAGE, noagenola.org
PHOTOGRAPHY
Stonewall Sports, facebook.com/ groups/stonewallneworleans
The Krewe of King kreweofkingarthur.com
Arthur,
Craig Fremin Photography, By Appointment Only, craigfremin.com
Mary’s Ace Hardware, 732 N Rampart St, (504) 529-4465, acehardware.com
Krewe of Petronius, PO Box 1102, kreweofpetronius.net
LGBT Community Center, 2727 S Broad Ave, (504) 333-5412
Graham/ Studio One, By Appointment Only, grahamstudioone.com
HEALTHCARE
Krewe of Amon- Ra, PO Box 7033, kreweofamonra.com
Gulf South Chamber of Commerce, (504) 754-5279, gulfsouthchamber. com
Parker Studios, By Appointment Only, halle.parker15@outlook.com
Friday Night Before Mardi Gras, fridaynightbeforemardigras.com
Steve Richards Properties Latter & Blum, 712 Orleans Ave, (504) 2581800
HARDWARE
Odyssey House, 1125 North Tonti Street, ohlinc.org Access Health Louisiana, 3300 South Broad Street, 234 Loyola Ave. Ste 300B, accesshealthla.org UMC - HIV Outpatient Program,
Krewe of Apollo de New Orleans, P. O. Box 770973, www.mkaneworleans. com Krewe of Armenius, 433 N. Broad St, armenius.org
Krewe of Queenateenas/ King Cake Queen Royalty Club, gaymardigras.
REAL ESTATE
Michael
Styles
Realtor,Engel
&
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 41
LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory Volkers, (504) 777-1773, nolastyles. com, Michael specializes in helping first-time homebuyers and real estate investors find the perfect New Orleans properties.
Gene’s Po-Boys, 1040 Elysian Fields Ave, (504) 943-3861, genespoboys. com
Kingfish Kitchen & Cocktails, 337 Chartres Street, (504) 598-5005, kingfishneworleans.com
RELIGION
ILYS BISTRO LLC, 2128 St Claude Ave, (504) 947-8341 Lousiana Pizza Kitchen, 615 S. Carrollton Ave, (504) 237-0050, louisianapizzakitchenuptown.com
Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro, 720 Orleans Ave, (504) 5231930, Orleansgrapevine.com
St. Anna’s Espicopal Church, 1313 Esplanade Ave, (504) 947-2121, stannanola.org Metropolitan Community Church New Orleans, 5401 S Claiborne Ave, mccneworleans.com
RESTAURANTS
Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop , 2309 N. Causeway Blvd, (504) 835-2022, gumbostop.com Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St, (504) 598-1010, www.clovergrill.com Dat Dog on Frenchmen, 601 Frenchmen St, (504) 309-3362, datdog.com EAT, 900 Dumaine St, (504) 522-7222, eatnola.com Envie Espresso Bar & Cafe, 1241 Decatur St, (504) 524-3689, cafeenvie.com Cru, 535 Franklin Ave, (504) 446-0040, crunola.com
Mona Lisa, 1212 Royal St, (504) 5226746, monalisaneworleans.com, NOLA Poboys, 908 Bourbon, (504) 655-3312, nolapoboys.com Santa Fe Restaurant, 3201 Esplanade, (504) 948-0077, santafenola.com The Ruby Slipper Café, 2001 Burgundy St, (504) 525-9355, therubyslippercafe.net The Bombay Club, 830 Rue Conti, (504) 577-2237, bombayclubneworleans. com Broussard’s Restaurant & Courtyard,
819 Rue Conti, (504) 581-3866, broussards.com
Cafe Sbisa, 1011 Decatur Street, (504) 522-5565, cafesbisanola.com Country Club Restaurant, 634 Louisa Street, (504) 945-0742, thecountryclubnreorleans.com
Royal House Oyster Bar, 441 Royal Street, royalhouserestaurant.com 801 Royal, 801 Royal Street, (504) 581-0801, 801royal.com
RETAIL
Mr. Binky’s Boutique, 107 Chartres St, (504) 302-2095 QT Pie Boutique, 241 Dauphine St, (504) 581-6633 Skully’z Recordz, 907 Bourbon St, (504) 592-4666 Bourbon Pride, 909 Bourbon Street, (504) 566-1570 COK (Clothing or Kink), 941 Elysian FIelds, Located inside the Phoenix Bar XXX Shop, 1835 N. Rampart St, (504) 232-3063
SERVICES
Formal Connection, 299 Belle Terre Blvd, 985.652-1195
Washing Well Laundryteria, 841 Bourbon St, (504) 523-9955 Bear Hebert Yoga and Life Coach, bearteachesyoga.com NOLA Healer: Lawrence Gobble, nolahealer.com , Massage Therapy A&B Errand Services, (504) 3197227, aandberrandservices.com Flambeaux CrossFit, 505 N Causeway Blvd, Metairie, flambeauxcrossfit.com
THEATERS
Cafe Istanbul, 2372 St. Claude Ave #140, (504) 974-0786, cafeistanbulnola.com Southern Rep Theater, 2541 Bayou Road, (504) 522-6545, southernrep. com
TOURS
Crescent City Tours, 638 St. Ann, (504) 568-0717, Gay New Orleans Walking Tours
HOUSTON
BARS & CLUBS
Rich’s, 2401 San Jacinto Street, www. facebook.com/richshouston JR’s, 808 Pacific Street, (713) 5212519, jrsbarandgrill.com
42 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
LGBTQ Owned & Friendly Business Directory Eagle Houston, 611 Hyde Park Blvd, (713) 523-2473, houstoneagle.com
Rouge, (225) 242-949, splashbr.com
Guava Lamp, 570 Waugh Drive, (713) 524-3359, guavalamphouston.com
George’s Place, 860 St. Louis St, Baton Rouge, (225) 387-9798, georgesplacebr.com
Pearl Houston, 4216 Washington Ave281.757-3229, facebook.com/ pearlbarhouston/
The Park Pub & Bar, 4619 Benningotn Ave, Baton Rouge, Facebook @ theparkbr
Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon, 11410 Hempstead Rd, (713) 6770828, neonbootsclub.com
Bolt, 114 McKinley St, Lafayette, (337) 534-4913, facebook.com/boltlaffy
Ripcord, 715 Fairview St, (713) 5212792, theripcord.com The Ranch Hill Saloon, 24704 Interstate 45 Ste 103, (281) 298-9035, ranchhill.com Axelrad, 1517 Alabama St, (713) 5978800, alexradbeergarden.com Poison Girl Cocktail Lounge, 1641 Westheimer Rd. Ste B, (713) 5279929, poisongirlbar.com
CIRCUIT / EVENT
Houston Pride, June 22, pridehouston. org The Woodlands Pride, September, thewoodlandstxpride.wordpress.com QFEST, Houston Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, q-fest.com
ORGANIZATIONS
UH LGBTQ Resource Center, 4465 University Drive, (832) 842-6191, www.uh.edu/lgbtq The Montrose Center, 401 Branard Street, (713) 529-0037, montrosecenter.org AIDS Foundation of Houston, 6260 Westpark Dr. Suite 100, (713) 6236796, aidshelp.org
PHARMACY
Avita Pharmacy, 6800 West Loop South Ste 225, (713) 592-0211, avitapharmacy.com
SOUTH LOUISIANA ACCOMMODATIONS
Apartments Available for Rent in Baton Rouge. Friendly, quiet, small apartment complex with one and two bedroom apartments available now. Pool, free parking, gated property, centrally located, owners live on site. Please contact us today for a tour: (225) 505-6531, @ChateauJacques, facebook.com/chateaujacques Mid City Baton Rouge. 1 or 2 Bedroom for rent: Furnished or Unfurnished $450/month per bedroom. Includes all utilities, internet, and full use of the house with washer and dryer. No smoking or drugs in house. Richard Clement rpcgemcajun@hotmail.com or text (225) 666-9194
BARS & CLUBS
Splash, 2183 Highland Rd, Baton
Crystals, 112 W. Broad St, Lake Charles, (337) 433-5457
CIRCUIT / EVENT
Baton Rouge Pride, June 15, brpride. org Acadiana Pride, acadianapride.org
Date
TBA,
Pride of SWLA, Date TBA, prideofswla. org, info@prideofswla.org
HEALTHCARE
HAART (HIV AIDS Alliance Region Two, Inc), 4550 North Blvd. Ste 250, Baton Rouge, (225) 927-1269, haartinc.org
ORGANIZATIONS
Krewe of Apollo de Baton Rouge, apollobatonrouge.com Krewe of Apollo kreweofapollo.com
de
Lafayette,
PHARMACY
Avita Pharmacy, 5551 Corporate Blvd, Baton Rouge, avitapharmacy. com
NORTHERN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI & ALABAMA BARS & CLUBS
Club Pink, 1914 Roselawn Avenue, Monroe, myclubpink.com Central Station, 1025 Marshall St, Shreveport, (318) 222-2216 The Korner Lounge, 800 Louisiana Ave, Shreveport, thekornerlounge. com Wonderlust, 3911 Drive, Jackson, (337) wonderlustjackson.com
CAMPING
Wildwoods Hideaway, Eutaw, AL, (205) 860-0836, wildwoodshideaway. com
Rumors Biloxi, 3540 Bienville Blvd, Biloxi, (228) 875-4131 Just Us Lounge, 906 Division Street, Biloxi, (228) 374-1007
CIRCUIT / EVENT
Sipps Bar Gulfport, 2218 25th Ave, Gulfport, (228) 206-7717, sippsgulfport.com
Oxford Pride, April 28-May 5, Oxford MS, oxfordmspride.rocks
Mobile Pride, October 5, 2019, Mobile, AL, mobpride.org
Central Alabama Pride, June 1-10, 2019, Birmingham, AL, facebook. com/centralalabamaprideinc
Gulf Coast Pride, June 29, 2019, Biloxi, MA, gcpride.org
CENLA Pride, May 31 - June 2, Alexandria, LA, facebook.com/ cenlaclasspride
Druid City Pride, October 2019, Tuscaloosa, AL, druidcitypride.org
ORGANIZATIONS
The Spectrum Center, 210 S 25th Ave, Hattiesburg, (601) 909-5338 Krewe of Apollo mkabirmingham.com
Birminham,
CIRCUIT / EVENT
Sexacola, May 23, Pensacola, FL, sexacolabeach.com Memorial Weekend Pensacola, Pensacola, FL, johnnychisholm.com Pensacola Pride, June 15-16, facebook.com/pensacolapride
HEALTHCARE
Oasis Florida, 25 E Wright Street, (850) 429-7551, oasisflorida.org
RELIGION
Safe Harbor Family Church, safeharborfamilychurch.org Joshua Generation joshuageneration.rocks
MCC,
GULF COAST BARS & CLUBS
The Midtown Pub, 153 Foorida Street, Mobile, (251) 450-1555 Gabriel’s Downtown, 55 South Joachmin Street, Mobile, (251) 4324900 B-Bob’s, 213 Conti Street, Mobile (251) 433-2262, b-bobs.com Flip Side Bar & Patio, 545 S. Conception Street, Mobile, (251) 4318819, flipsidebarpatio.com The Roundup 560 East Heinberg Street, Pensacola, (850) 433-8482 Cabaret, 101 S Jefferson Street E, Pensacola, (850) 607-2020
Coastal Family Health Care, 1046 Division St, Biloxi, coastalfamilyhealth. org
HIV CARE AND SERVICES
My Brothers Keeper, 407 Orchard Park, Ridgeland, MS, (769) 257-7721, mbkinc.org
ORGANIZATIONS
Order of Osiris, PO Box 1991, Mobile, AL, orderofosiris.com Order of Dinoysus D’Iberville, MS, https://www.facebook.com/Order-OfDionysus Gulf Coast Transgender Alliance, (850) 332-8416, gulfcoasttransgenderalliance.com, gctransgenderalliance@gmail.com Gay Grassroots, 6847 N. 9th Avenue, Ste A, Box 317, Pensacola, ggnwfl. com
Northview 378-9003,
Our Place, 2115 7th Ave Birmingham, (205) 715-0077
S,
Al’s on 7th Street, 2627 7th Ave S, Birmingham, (205) 422-4218 Quest Bar, 416 24th Street S, Birmingham, (205) 251-4313, info@ quest-club.com Chapel Bar, 620 27th Street S, Brirmingham, (205) 703-9778, chapelbarinfo@gmail.com
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WORD SEARCH
New Orleans Organizations Locate the given words in the grid, running in one of eight possible directions horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. CHALLENGE: How many can you find? Tag us and your completed puzzle on Facebook @AmbushMag
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Louisiana Trans Advocates NOLA Softball League Crescent City Rougaroux Stonewall Sports Petronius AmonRa Apollo Armenius Mwindo Stars Narcissus Lords of Leather Renegade Bears of Louisiana Crescent City Leathermen NOAGE King Arthur LGBT Community Center Gulf South Chamber Queenateenas King Cake Queen PFlag
by Adam Radd
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44 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
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Tony Robichaux remembered for his impact, on and off field Lenny Vangilder, Crescent City Sports The baseball community throughout Louisiana is mourning the loss of UL Lafayette coach Tony Robichaux, who died Wednesday at Ochsner Medical Center at age 57. Robichaux, a 33-year veteran of college coaching who had been the Ragin’ Cajuns head coach since 1994, suffered a heart attack on June 23 and was transferred to Ochsner late last week. While Robichaux’s playing and coaching career was tied to the area between Lafayette and Lake Charles, his impact was certainly felt in New Orleans – where those who talked about him mentioned as much about what he accomplished away from the diamond as he did on it. “It’s shocking news,” said Wally Pontiff Sr., who hosted Robichaux’s teams in the Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic at the Shrine on Airline six times, most recently in April. “We lost a wonderful young coach and wonderful man. “He made it special for us. He said he was honored to come and play in the game and honor Wally. He didn’t ask for anything extra. He was a class act. “I could tell in the dugout how much respect those kids had for him. I’m glad I was able to talk to him before every game.” The Cajuns’ 2000 team, which knocked off top-ranked South Carolina in a super regional to reach the College World Series, featured numerous local connections, including outfielder Steven Feehan of Holy Cross – the only Cajun to make the CWS all-tournament team – and relief pitcher Brian Babin. “The first time I went to visit, I didn’t know if I would be considered,” said Babin, now the head coach at Salmen,
his alma mater. “Playing for him just one year was really life-changing.” Nearly 20 years later, Babin still uses lessons he learned from Robichaux with his players. “I know every time I go out there to pull the pitcher,” Babin said, “I tell them the same things he told me.” The 2000 season was the only time that two Louisiana schools reached the CWS, with LSU winning its fifth national title under Skip Bertman. “That was the best part for us, to have two Louisiana teams up there,” said Pontiff, whose son was the starting third baseman at LSU that season. “When they were playing, LSU fans were cheering. We pulled for each other. “The friendship in the stands, that was a touching moment – Louisiana people just enjoying it together.” Delgado head coach and athletic director Joe Scheuermann played and coached against Robichaux during his time at Tulane in the 1980s. They are the only two college coaches in Louisiana to win 1,000 games in the state. “He did it the right way,” said Scheuermann. “He was a good guy, a great coach and an even better man.” Delgado sent a handful of players down I-10 to Lafayette, most recently outfielder Daniel Lahare, who was a regular for the Cajuns the last two years. “There’s more to baseball than W’s and L’s,” Scheuermann said. “He had a way of teaching the game of life through baseball.” Former Tulane coach Rick Jones first faced a Robichaux-coached team in 1994 – Jones’ first year with the Green Wave and Robichaux’s last year at McNeese before he made the 70-
mile trip east on I-10. “We had some good battles over the years,” said Jones. “He did it the right way and had really good people with him. “The thing I’ll remember most is when I got sick and had to leave Tulane, Tony was one of the first people to call me, and he continued to check on me. That’s all you need to know.” Some of Robichaux’s non-baseball moments over the years have gone viral – long before these last 10 days – but it was perhaps how he combined baseball and life that made a difference. “I know a lot of people sit there and say what a great guy he was,” Babin said. “Every bit of it was the truth. Every pregame and postgame was about being a better person, being a better man, being a contributor to society.” “He made his players respect the game,” Scheuermann said, “and more importantly, respect people, which is what it’s all about. We lost a pioneer when it comes to that.” “At the end of the day,” Jones said, “he’s one of us, and when one of us passes away, that’s tough to take.” Added Pontiff: “I’m a better man for meeting Tony Robichaux.” Babin, fighting back tears, recalled the story of when the team was gathering the fall after the 2000 season to receive their College World Series rings and other awards. In days before email and texting were the ways to communicate, a letter was sent to Babin’s house, but he didn’t see it initially because his mother, who always handled the mail, had recently suffered a stroke. Once he did, after the deadline to respond, Babin called to tell Robichaux
what had happened and how he had withdrawn from classes at Southeastern Louisiana, where he was finishing his degree, to take care of his mother. Babin recalled Robichaux’s words to him: “Lefty, I taught you right. There’ll always be a university, there’ll always be a degree, but there’ll never be another mom.” There will always be a UL Lafayette, and there will always be a Ragin’ Cajun baseball program, but it’s safe to say there will never be another Tony Robichaux. RELEASE: VISITATION AND FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS SCHEDULED FOR HEAD COACH TONY ROBICHAUX Tony Robichaux, the renowned leader of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Baseball for 25 seasons, will be laid to rest Monday, July 8. Ahead of the funeral mass set for Monday, visitation will take place Sunday, July 7, from 3-9 p.m. at the Cajundome Convention Center. The rosary will be prayed at 7 p.m. An additional visitation period will occur on Monday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church on Johnston Street in Lafayette. Monday’s funeral mass will follow the visitation at Our Lady of Fatima, beginning at 2 p.m. Burial will take place in Crowley following the funeral mass. Geesey-Ferguson Funeral Home of Crowley is handling arrangements. This article was originally published by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.
Saints announce 2019 training camp schedule Justin Macione, Crescent City Sports The New Orleans Saints have unveiled their 2019 Training Camp Presented by Verizon schedule, in asso-
ciation with Rouses Markets and Dixie Brewing Company, with 12 practices scheduled to be open to the public at
the Ochsner Sports Performance Center in Metairie, La. The team will hold its first practice on Friday, July 26 at
8:50 a.m. In addition to the 12 practices open to the public at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center, the club will also host a practice open to fans at Tulane University at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4, with a Black and Gold Fan Fest Presented by Hancock Whitney taking place in advance of the practice from 5:00-6:30 p.m. This year’s training camp will continue the focus on a positive fan experience with several enhancements to the viewing experience. All bleacher seating at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center will now be covered and misted, providing fans with shade and a more comfortable experience. Upgraded concession and merchandise sales options will be available to fans and autographs will be available from Saints players after practice.
46 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · Official Southern Decadence Guide™ · www.SouthernDecadence.com
Tickets for the 12 open practices at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center are free, but capacity is limited. Fans can reserve tickets by registering at www.neworleanssaints.com. Saints season ticketholders can register for training camp tickets on Tuesday, July 16, season ticket waiting list members may register on Wednesday, July 17 and the general public can register on Thursday, July 18. Admission and fan information for the Aug. 4 practice at Tulane will be announced at a later date. “We greatly appreciate the support of our fans and the impact they have on our winning games,” said Owner Gayle Benson. “I know our fans give our players a boost as they put in the hard work that it takes to prepare for the season. Training camp is a special opportunity for our fans to get a unique view of the coaches and players and we want them to be as comfortable as possible.” “We are continually looking at ways to improve all aspects of the fan experience and these enhancements to training camp are another opportunity for us to create a great environment for our fans,” said Team President Dennis Lauscha. “We have been honored to have been ranked first in game experience by the NFL for the past two seasons and we will continue to innovate and find ways to make both our stadium and other fan experiences the best they possibly can.” Free parking is available at the New Orleans Baby Cakes Baseball Stadium parking lots, which are adjacent to the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Complimentary shuttles will be provided from the parking lots to the expanded practice field entrance. Rouses Markets, the official supermarket of the New Orleans Saints, is a proud associate partner of New Orleans Saints Training Camp Presented by Verizon. As part of their partnership, Rouses will have a designated entry lane into training camp and a reserved seating area for fans that have the Rouses Fast Pass wristbands. All training camp practices are subject to short notice changes and adjustments based on weather and/or football operations decisions. The most updated information can be obtained by visiting neworleanssaints.com or following the Saints’ official Twitter (@ Saints) or Facebook (facebook.com/ neworleanssaints) platforms. New Orleans Saints 2019 Training Camp Presented By Verizon Media And Fan Policies: Fan Information: Admission and Parking Information: For fans wishing to attend Training Camp Presented by Verizon practices in Metairie, there is no admission charge. Fans need to register to attend practices in advance online to be ticketed at www.neworleanssaints.com. Space is limited on a first-come, first-serve basis. Fans must
be ticketed to attend practice. Saints season ticketholders can register for training camp tickets on Tuesday, July 16, season ticket waiting list members may register on Wednesday, July 17 and the general public can register on Thursday, July 18. Tickets will be limited to four per an individual registrant. Gates will open to the public 45 minutes prior to each practice. Limited covered, misted bleacher seating is available. Standing room along the fence line is permitted (inside the grounds). Parking at practices is free based on availability. Public parking is available in the Baby Cakes Stadium on the west side of the stadium. A shuttle service from the parking lots to the practice grounds is provided through open practices. Items left in vehicles should be stored out of sight. The Saints and SeatGeek, the Official Primary Ticketing Partner of the New Orleans Saints, are making it easier than ever for fans to claim and manage their training camp tickets. Fans may claim their free tickets (limit 4 per account) to attend the practices in advance at www.neworleanssaints. com, in the official Saints mobile app or on SeatGeek. Once claimed, fans will need to present their ticket(s) on their phone via the Saints App (Apple/ Android) or SeatGeek app. Practice Updates: Media and fan alerts, updates and schedule changes will be made daily on www.neworleanssaints.com once training camp starts or by clicking on to Twitter (@ Saints) or Facebook (facebook.com/ neworleanssaints). Please note that, in the event of inclement weather (including rain, thunderstorms and extreme heat) practices will be moved indoors and will be closed to the public. Practice times and field locations are subject to change with little or no advance warning at the discretion of the football operations staff. Updates are promptly available on the club’s digital media platforms. In the event an open practice is moved indoors and closed to the public, the ticketholder may use their tickets for any subsequent practice open to the public during training camp. Player Autographs: Following each practice, Saints players will sign autographs for fans. Available players will sign autographs if weather, time and other circumstances permit. Please note, however, that autographs are not guaranteed. Still Photos, Video and cameras/ binoculars: Fans are welcome to take photos of the players during training camp. However, video is prohibited. Saints staff may request at any time that you cease using those devices. Small cameras and binoculars will be allowed. No spectator cameras with lenses more than six inches long will be permitted. Binocular cases and camera bags are not permitted. Concessions: Food, beverages
and merchandise featuring the newest Saints gear are available for purchase. Restrooms: Restrooms are available. Saints Museum: Fans can visit the Saints museum inside the lobby of the Saints and Pelicans ticket and administrative offices office, where they can see the Lombardi Trophy and other one of a kind items from the team’s history. Special Needs: Visitors with special needs should see a Saints representative for appropriate assistance. The ADA drop-off site is in front of the main entrance gate for practice. A viewing area is available for our disabled fans. Hand-Wanding/Prohibited Items: Fans are advised to arrive early as they will be checked via hand-wanding and all bags will be checked by security. To ensure that fans have a safe and enjoyable visit to Saints Training Camp Presented by Verizon, the following items are prohibited: • Animals, except service animals assisting those with disabilities. • Backpacks, duffel bags, large bags and hard containers • Bicycles • Coolers and outside food and beverage, except for fans with medical/ dietary needs. • Hoverboards or other self-propelled devices • Laser pens
• Artificial noisemakers (air horns, bullhorns, whistles etc.) • Objects that may obstruct another fan’s view, including umbrellas of over 4’ in diameter • Oversized purses or handbags (none larger than 16”x14”x13” are allowed). • Remotely controlled model aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and drones. • Selfie sticks and video cameras. • Bats, Poles, Sticks, Clubs, and Projectiles. • Contraband, Fireworks, and Glass. • Unauthorized Marketing/soliciting/vending • Weapons and firearms (including fireworks, knives, pepper spray and electronic stunning devices). • Any other item deemed unacceptable by Saints management. • The Ochsner Sports Performance Center is a smoke-free facility and no smoking, lighters or e-cigarettes are allowed on the grounds. Fans are reminded to please leave such items appropriately secured in their vehicles. Prohibited items that are discovered will be confiscated, disposed of and will not be returned. This article was originally published by Crescent City Sports. For the most comprehensive sports coverage in the Big Easy, visit crescentcitysports.com.
www.GayMardiGras.com · www.GayEasterParade.com · July 16 – 29, 2019 · The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™: www.AmbushMag.com · 47