The Lost History Of Gay Carnival | WWNO

Contents:

• THE LOST KREW OF GAY CARNIVAL
• GAY CARNIVAL
• RUDY GAY EXPECTED TO DRAW TERT OM WARRRS, LAKERS, MAVERICKS, BULLS, PELINS
• THE SECRET GOLN AGE OF GAY MARDI GRAS BALLS
• THE LOST HISTORY OF GAY CARNIVAL

THE LOST KREW OF GAY CARNIVAL

Everythg You Wanted to KnowALL ABOUT USWorkg wh the muny Armei striv to te and prerve the tradns of Gay Mardi Gras, s tradns, art-form, and social impact on the muny. A fundraiser for our 59th Annual Gay Mardi Gras – 3pm$15 Admissn(Food Available Until We Run Out). The Mystic Krewe of Amon-Ra is lookg forward to celebratg ’s 59th year Gay Mardi more about the Krewe & Communy the past 58 Years “THE KREWE OF AMON-RA’S RICH HISTORY”, the History of the Krewe of Amon-Ra reunted by the Krewe’s Charter Member & Emprs, Mrs.

Kg Cake Queen XXV Tiffany Alexanr wh iends at her Coronatn Ball (photo: TJ Boudrex)If you live New Orleans, there’s a chance you’ve attend one of the several gay Carnival balls prented each Carnival season. Perhaps the most amazg thg about the gay balls is that they are produced by relatively few people, pendg on the size of the krewe. Their but ball 1971, Camelot, is still remembered as one of the most legendary balls a gay krewe has ever produced.

Smh wr, “The mere mentn of the word “Camelot” wh the secretive realm of gay Carnival still evok a sense of wonr, magic, awe, and ultimate envy. Durg his time those krew, he learned om the legendary Elmo Avet, the creative spir behd the first two gay krew. The Krewe of Ishtar, gay Carnival’s only lbian krewe, was found by Diane DiMicelli, Rosemary Po, and Sue Mart.

GAY CARNIVAL

”As the aforementned brief sketch illtrate, the evolutn of gay Carnival krew is not only a fascatg study personaly nflicts and petivens, but also of imagative brilliance. Dpe all the drama, the gay krew and the balls they’ve produced have provid an important outlet for the creative and artistic talents of the gay muny—vatns, posters, set signs, stume signs, etc. Regardls of why they fad away, however, the lost krew are an tegral part of gay Carnival history.

Gay Carnival tradns began mid-twentieth-century New Orleans as a genr-bendg parody of ele Mardi Gras tradns, particularly the humorls ronatn balls of aristocratic, segregated clubs like Rex and the Mistick Krewe of Com.

RUDY GAY EXPECTED TO DRAW TERT OM WARRRS, LAKERS, MAVERICKS, BULLS, PELINS

After the rise of gay Carnival krew the 1960s and 1970s, queer culture beme a mastay of Carnival New Orleans and a force for LGBTQ+ visibily and muny engagement Louisiana.

One of Mardi Gras Day’s great allur for gay men, therefore, was the abily to exprs onelf stume and, a sense, be seen public whout fear of arrt.

Gay life and maskg beme rrelated ncepts this era, as gay men often lerally masked themselv while Mardi Gras stume and also symbolilly masked themselv as “bachelors” to avoid discrimatn when Carnival end.

THE SECRET GOLN AGE OF GAY MARDI GRAS BALLS

“I was raised to be a pole young gentleman, ” relled gay Carnival pneer John Henry Bogie the 2010 documentary The Sons of Tennsee Williams. “We did not discs my beg gay.

THE LOST HISTORY OF GAY CARNIVAL

Gradually, gay men challenged anti-maskg laws and societal nventns. The first gay Mardi Gras club, the Fat Monday Luncheon, began 1949.

This tradnal rtrant bnch for gay iends culmated the reveal of a tiara and the crowng of one gut as “queen” of the luncheon. When the Krewe of Yuga, the first gay Mardi Gras krewe, formed 1958, they took genr-play to a new level by holdg private drag balls, where gay men put on women’s attire and prented themselv as “queens, ” or godss figur. The Yuga raid provoked a rponse that marked a turng pot for gay Carnival.

Dixie Fasnacht, owner of Dixie’s Bar of Mic, a popular Bourbon Street gay bar wh a si door “For Male Bachelors Only, ” knew many Yuga members. “The raid didn’t end gay Mardi Gras, ” remembered Ray Durand, who was at Dixie’s that eveng.