Bourbon Street Awards | Gay Mardi Gras New Orleans

Contents:

• INSI THE UNDISVERED GAY MARDI GRAS
• A NOLA HISTORY OF GAY MARDI GRAS | GAY NEW ORLEANS MARDI GRAS
• THE SECRET GOLN AGE OF GAY MARDI GRAS BALLS
• GAY CARNIVAL
• GAY NEW ORLEANS
• THE LOST HISTORY OF GAY CARNIVAL
• GONOLA GUI TO GAY MARDI GRAS
• BT GAY CLUBS NEW ORLEANS
• PARTY LIKE A PRO AT NEW ORLEANS’ GAY MARDI GRAS CELEBRATNS

INSI THE UNDISVERED GAY MARDI GRAS

While the first official gay Carnival krewe, the Krewe of Yuga, was formed the late 1950s, “Gay Mardi Gras” had been gog on unrground way before then. Though no longer active, Yuga gave birth to other gay Carnival krew, cludg the Krewe of Petroni and the Krewe of Amon-Ra, both of which are still active. While on the surface Mardi Gras appears to be no more than a party, many say Gay Mardi Gras helped her the Gay Rights Movement the Uned Stat.

Typilly held on the Saturday before Mardi Gras Day, Armei’ missn is to prerve the ctoms of gay Carnival and to help te those who seek to learn more. One of the olst gay Carnival krew the cy, Petroni was found 1961 and has served as a jumpg-off pot for other krew. From annual extravaganzas thrown by gay Mardi Gras krew to block parti that ve you to leave your hibns at home, every day of gay Carnival is an opportuny to show up as you are, wherever you are.

A NOLA HISTORY OF GAY MARDI GRAS | GAY NEW ORLEANS MARDI GRAS

In Carnival tradn, Twelfth Night marks the mencement of the season’s paras and ftivi, and the Mystik Krewe la Rue Royale Revelers kicks off style wh a night of grand, gay jubilatn at the Mardi Gras Mm of Costum and Culture. But those who are lucky enough to attend this dazzlg formal event get to wns a gay Mardi Gras tradn that has been gog strong for nearly 60 years.

Everythg om the outlandish and satiril to the formal and refed feels right at home this legendary Bal Masque, which ntu to sell tickets to the public to pass on the history and grand tradn of gay Mardi Gras. Found at a time when anti-gay laws were still place much of the untry, this Krewe has long been revered for s ditn to ung the LGBTQ muny, even when was dangero or difficult to do so.

Tap to your bawdy si wh the only krewe the untry that specifilly ters to the gay leather muny while promotg tn, raisg public awarens, and dismantlg stigmatizatn of this often-overlooked (and prejudged) queer subculture. The LGBTQ muny tak the spotlight at ftivals all year long, wh Southern Dence over Labor Day weekend attractg more than 125, 000 revelers to what’s e to be known as Gay Mardi Gras.

THE SECRET GOLN AGE OF GAY MARDI GRAS BALLS

Paras, stum, drag shows and themed parti abound durg Dence, then aga they’re a part of the cy’s Pri Ft, Mardi Gras, Halloween ftivi and even Easter, where the Gay Easter Para is one of three the French Quarter.

GAY CARNIVAL

The Sats and Sners Lerary Ftival tak a more studied approach, brgg the gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr and tersex lerati together for three days of spired mgs. Arrivg for this weekend of Mardi Gras allows you to have an awome experience wh paras and gay balls, but wh smaller crowds. In the late 1950s, the first gay Mardi Gras krewe – the Krewe of Yuga – was formed as a spoof of tradnal Mardi Gras krew.

Take the scen of Mardi Gras om the balny at Cafe Lafte Exile - the olst ntuoly-operatg gay bar the Uned Stat. Kick off Gay Mardi Gras wh the Krewe of Miwdo’s annual extravaganza, which tradnally celebrat Black and Ain-Amerin culture. Jo this hilar gay bar crawl the French Quarter where teams pete to raise money as they add piec of drag clothg at each p stop.

Today, New Orleans has a number of different Carnival krew that are specifilly formed to clu membership om the cy's lol gay muny.

GAY NEW ORLEANS

While NOLA is nsired one of the most gay-iendly lotns Ameri acrdg to Metrosource and, that wasn't always the se almost 65 years ago. The story of New Orleans' gay Mardi Gras was born durg a time when people who did not openly intify as heterosexual faced legal discrimatn and rtrictns not only the cy, but throughout the Uned Stat. Acrdg to Edward McDaniel, who is the current ball pta and the 60th queen of the world's olst gay Mardi Gras krewe, the Krewe of Petroni, there were laws still on the books about homosexualy the 1960s.

It was this climate that the Krewe of Yuga, which is nsired to be the world's very first gay Mardi Gras krewe, me to beg.

THE LOST HISTORY OF GAY CARNIVAL

While the raid dismantled the cy's first gay krewe, did not keep gay Carnival celebratns down for long. Acrdg to Petroni' webse, the krewe's members were actually succsful gettg a state charter and rporated themselv as a legimate Mardi Gras krewe 1966, th beg Louisiana's first officially regnized gay krewe. One of the ma fg attribut of a lot of the gay Mardi Gras krew, much like many of the other krew New Orleans, are the annual balls that they put on.

However, the gay krew put their own unique stamps onto their bal masqués through the e of tly creative stumg.

GONOLA GUI TO GAY MARDI GRAS

While the gay si of Mardi Gras might not be the most well-known aspect of NOLA's world-famo Carnival celebratns, is fely there for those the muny that fd important. Dpe facg many hardships like the AIDS crisis, Hurrine Katra, the COVID-19 panmic, and so much more, New Orleans' gay Carnival krew are still workg hard to keep their tradns gog every year. ” Louisiana State Mm The flamboyant stum, the arne ctoms, the meldg of the genteel to the occult, the heapg rabows of beads: New Orleans Mardi Gras seems almost herently, stereotypilly gay.

It was only a matter of time before gay men breached the ball divi wh high mp flourish, dazzlg drag subversn and feathered headpiec that often towered five or more feet the air.

In 1958 the first explicly gay krewe, the Krewe of Yuga, held s first mock ball an Uptown home, wh a krewe Capta, a Queen (the “Yuga Rega”), a Kg, butant and maids. The annual return of the Yuga Rega and her urt beme the most anticipated gay event of the season, and gowns were sewn and sequed for months preparatn.

BT GAY CLUBS NEW ORLEANS

But the gay ball stake had been planted, and several more krew sprang up, willg to rry s glter-ftooned banner. ” Louisiana State Mm The orig and history of gay Carnival krew is the subject of an extensively rearched, forthg book by Smh, the first of s kd, due Febary om Universy Prs of Mississippi. “It was not a great time to be gay New Orleans – but was also a great time to be gay New Orleans, ” Smh said.

“The natnwi Lavenr Sre and ernment purg of homosexuals the early ’50s had brought many gay people out of the shadows, to the glarg light.

” New Orleans, wh s Carnival and tourist tra, had a reputatn for beg a tolerant cy, and so s gay populatn began to grow exponentially. Acrdg to Smh, a tightkn gay culture formed around several Bourbon Street bars like Miss Dixie’s Bar of Mic and Bourbon Hoe, which, like bars around the untry, protected their gay patrons wh “pay-offs and backdoor als. ) Along wh the Starle Room, Mack’s and the Renzvo, the spots formed a gay bar-hoppg circu that attracted lumari like playwright Tennee Williams, thor John Rechy and fashn photographer Jack Robson.

PARTY LIKE A PRO AT NEW ORLEANS’ GAY MARDI GRAS CELEBRATNS

) As the gay muny grew more publicly visible, veloped s own unrground work to exprs self away om watchful ey. Smh, a farm boy om Arkansas, had moved to New Orleans the 1970s and spent more than 20 years on the gay ball scene. “When I got to New Orleans, the gay culture there was somethg very special, was unlike anythg I had seen, or would see anywhere, ” he relled.