celebrazzi
Easter Grand Marshals XV Stuart Nettles and Todd Blauvelt receive a
mayoral certificate recognizing them for their important contributions made to the
community from New Orleans Human Relations Commission Executive Director
Larry Bagneris. The grand marshals were feted at the 15th Annual Gay Easter
Parade Purple Party Grand Marshals Reception at The Double Play raising
$3,556 for Food For Friends, plus $260 in sponsorships, for a total of $3,816.
Photo by Darwin Reed. (www.GayEasterParade.com)
Electra City and Tittie Toulouse join Bill Miller and Chuck Turner as the new
owners of 4 Seasons in Metairie, announced during Gay Easter Parade’s 12th
Spring Fever Extravaganza. The event raised $3,445 plus a $250 Silver
Sponsorship from 4 Seasons for a total of $3,695 for “the reason for the Easter
Season,” Food For Friends. Photo by Darwin Reed. (www.GayEasterParade.com)
celebration of life
Memorial Celebratrion for Frederick Wright
Frederick Douglas Wright (Aug.
26, 1946 - March 19, 2014) was many
things: a Cajun gourmet, a Notre Dame
professor, in retirement, a bartender
extraordinaire and the consummate
impresario of Bon Temps. His ability to
foment fun naturally led to his being
chosen the First Grand Marshal of
Southern Decadence. His spirit will
forever reign.
There will be a Celebration of Life
Memorial for Frederick on Sunday, April
27th in New Orleans: 4-6pm at The
Corner Pocket, 940 St. Louis Street;
GM Greg Jones joins Bianca del Rio, and Oz host Persana Shoulders at Oz
New Orleans for RuPaul's Drag Race. Bianca was feted at an exclusive VIP party
with both cocktails and eats before airing last week's episode. The packed crowd
downstairs got to see the episode, and then Bianca's outrageous stage
performance pulling unsuspecting victims from the audience for her sizzling brand
of humor. (www.OzNewOrleans.com)
Jeremy, aka Dead-Eye Dickless, won the 4th Annual Amon-Ra Playboy
Bunny Rejects contest against fellow contestants Deja Deja-Vue', and Misti Ates,
aka Little Tittie. Whoever raises the most money, wins the contest and a free
carriage in the Gay Easter Parade. Photo by Darwin Reed.
(www.KreweOfAmonRa.com)
and 6-8pm at Cutter’s, 706 Franklin
Avenue.
Pot Luck & Show for
Zsa Zsa D’LaHor
(John Martin)
Zsa Zsa D'LaHor's Celebration of
Life is set for Saturday, May 10th, 57pm, at GrandPre’s, 834 N. Rampart
Street, New Orleans.
Zsa Zsa was always there to help
support this community which she loved
dearly, Please come and celebrate his
life with a potluck and show. The potluck buffet on the Patio at GrandPre’s
is from 5-6pm. Please contact Starr
Daniels, Kyle Scott, or Justin Moffatt
on Facebook if you could bring some-
thing to share. Then from 6-7 a show
will be hosted to raise some funds for
Zsa Zsa's final expenses.
Starr Daniels is putting the show
together so please contact her if you
would like to perform a number. Much
love to you all....see you there!
Info: https://www.facebook.com/
events/1470867793130707/
?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming.
6 • The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM • April 22-May 5, 2014 • Of
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spotlight feature
Party Drug or Prevention Breakthrough?
by Rachel Gress & T. J. Rogers
Over the last week, you may have heard about a controversial new HIV
prevention strategy called PrEP, or Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, that’s caught the
attention of national media as a number of talking heads have started a heated
debate on the topic. Porn producer Michael Lucas heralded it as “arguably the
most important breakthrough in HIV medicine since the mid-1990s,” in an op-ed
piece on Out.com. His article was sparked by inflammatory comments made by
Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation when he told the
Associated Press, “If something comes along that’s better than condoms, I’m all
for it, but Truvada is not that. Let’s be honest: It’s a party drug.”
The reality of the situation most likely lies somewhere in the middle. Here are
the basics: PrEP is for people who do not have HIV and involves taking medication
daily to reduce the risk of becoming HIV infected. Health care isn’t just about
treating the condition but preventing it and so NO/AIDS Task Force (NATF) is
pleased to now offer a PrEP Clinic to reduce the spread of HIV. Interested? Check
out the frequently asked questions below to see if PrEP is right for you.
How does PrEP work?
PrEP works as a complimentary
therapy to behavioral modification,
which means taking a daily pill (Truvada)
in addition to using condoms; using the
pill and condoms together allow you to
have much safer sex. Truvada is a
combination drug of two HIV medica- third Wednesday of every month from
tions: tenofovir and emtricitabine and is 4 to 8pm. It is located within the NO/
approved by the Food and Drug Admin- AIDS Task Force C.A.N. office at 507
istration (FDA) for both prevention and Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, LA.
treatment of HIV. HIV is transmitted
Who is eligible for the PrEP
through the semen, pre-cum, or vaginal Clinic?
fluids of a HIV-positive person and the
Currently, the Task Force is not
medication works by preventing HIV accepting uninsured patients because
from replicating inside of your body.
of the need for lab work but we hope to
In addition to the drug therapy in the near future; therefore currently a
itself, PrEP Clinic patients will work client has to have some kind of funding
with a comprehensive risk counselor to and fall into a high-risk group.
create sex positive behavioral changes.
How much will PrEP cost?
Patients must also complete blood work
The medication cost will depend on
on a regular basis to monitor their your insurance coverage. Check with
general health.
your insurance provider to determine if
Are there any side effects?
PrEP is covered.
Clinical studies show Truvada to
have minimal side effects. Truvada’s
the "official" dish ...from 4
short term side effects include headEgg from Chris Ward, $100 Paul Davis
aches, weight loss, and stomach probWig from Marsha Delain, $75 Black Tie
lems such as nausea, diarrhea, and gut
Gala/Art Auction from Trevor Santos,
pain. The long term side effects seen
$30 Bunny Hop Liquor Basket from
are bone loss and kidney damage.
Tony Leggio, $10 Easter Tree from
How effective is PrEP?
Dee, $175 Stuart's Easter Basket from
PrEP is most effective when it’s
Ellen Miller, $225 Monster Liquor Bastaken every day at around the same
ket from Ellen Miller, $50 Antique Look
time in conjunction with other safe sex
Stereo System from EGM Todd
practices (e.g. condoms). The risk of
Blauvelt, $50 Easter Trio from EGM
HIV infection was reduced by at least
Stuart Nettles, $20 Task Force Basket
90% in clinical studies in which individufrom Chuck Turner-donated basket
als took the medication every day.
back, and $20 Task Force Basket from
Studies in which individuals took Truvada
Ellen Miller.
less frequently also showed a reduction in HIV infection although it was at a
Lords of Leather Cuatro
lower percentage of protection.
Who should take PrEP?
de Mayo Party
People with a high-risk for HIV
Just leave it to the Lords of Leather to
exposure, such as men who have sex be different. They will be celebrating the
with men or mixed-status partners, Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo a day early
should take PrEP. However, PrEP may this year on the Cuatro (4th) of May. So find
be taken by any individual so long as that sombrero and serape and join the
they do not have chronic kidney prob- Lords at the Phoenix Bar on Sunday
evening, May 4th. There will be a $5 beer
lems or Hepatitis B.
bust from 6-9pm on the patio. In addition,
What are the location and hours
there will be $1 tequila (gummy worm
of the NATF PrEP Clinic?
included) jello shots. (Just like the real
The PrEP Clinic is offered on the worm!) Ole‘!
8 • The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM • April 22-May 5, 2014 • Of
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moments in gay new orleans history
by Frank Perez
E-mail: [email protected]
“Pioneering Lesbian Barbara Scott
Was Ahead of Her Time”
Last year, the Louisiana House of Representatives rejected a bill by
Representative Austin Badon (D-New Orleans) that would have outlawed
discrimination against state employees based on sexual orientation, gender
identity, or gender expression. The legislature refuses to pass anti-gay bullying
legislation and has yet to repeal the state’s unconstitutional anti-sodomy law.
Same-sex marriage and civil unions are prohibited in the state constitution.
Louisiana is one of only eight states that have never had an openly gay legislator.
Clearly this needs to change.
Barbara Scott thought so fortytwo years ago. Lesbian feminist Barbara Scott made history in 1972 by
being the first openly gay political candidate from New Orleans. She ran for
the State House of Representatives on
what was then considered a radical
platform: she was against discrimination against women in the workplace,
for equal pay for women, for decriminalizing homosexuality, and for the reform of marijuana laws. Although she
polled only 38% of the popular vote,
she did succeed in introducing the issue
of women’s rights in local politics. In
subsequent years, other local lesbians
rose to the forefront of the women’s
movement in Louisiana and crusaded
for the ERA, fought to repeal the state’s
“head and master” laws, defended
women’s reproductive rights, and advocated for battered women.
Scott also made history in 1969
when she founded Distaff, the longest
running feminist newspaper in America
(1969-1982). Distaff was a women’s
journal that featured biographical
sketches, illustrations, cartoons, essays, poetry, short stories, reviews,
and of course, political commentary. It
was the only feminist newspaper in the
South. Scott edited the paper for the
first year or so before Mary Gehman
assumed editorial responsibilities. (For
those interested, copies of Distaff are
available at the Newcomb College In-
stitute Archives on the Tulane Campus.)
In addition to promoting feminism,
Scott was also a strong advocate for
the French Quarter. She helped defeat
the Riverfront Expressway (an ill-conceived proposal that would have positioned the I-10 overpass currently over
Claiborne Avenue behind the French
Market and Café du Monde opposite
Jackson Square. Furthermore, Scott
won an award from the Vieux Carre
Commission for restoring the Creole
cottage at 719 Toulouse Street (currently Little Vic’s). And from 1967 to
1972, she co-owned The Fatted Calf, a
popular restaurant and bar at 727 St.
Peter Street (currently Yo Mama’s).
After her unsuccessful campaign
for the State House in 1972, Scott
moved to Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
There she bought an old Victorian style
hotel called the New Orleans. Scott
billed the place as the nation’s first
“Feminist Resort.” Shortly after it
opened, a feminist newswire wrote a
story on the hotel which was picked up
by over 200 newspapers across the
nation, including the New York Times
and the San Francisco Chronicle. Soon
not only feminists began flocking to
Eureka Springs, but also battered
women from around the country with no
place to go. Scott opened the doors of
her hotel to them and offered them
sanctuary.
Scott’s success in Eureka Springs
is also credited with helping that resort
town become the “Gay Capital of the
Ozarks.” Today Eureka Springs is the
only city in Arkansas to have a registry
of domestic partnerships and it is the
only city in that state to provide employee health insurance coverage to
domestic partners. The city has a
disproportionately high LGBT+ population and celebrates that distinction
each year with a lively Pride Celebration and several “Diversity Weekends.”
A gay Mecca in Arkansas might not
have happened if Barbara Scott had
won her House race in 1972. New
Orleans’ loss was Eureka Springs’ gain.
Currently, of the state legislature’s
144 members, only eighteen are women
(fourteen in the House of Representatives and four in the Senate). Of the
126 men who comprise the state legislature, the vast majority are stubbornly
conservative and utterly insensitive, if
not outright hostile, to issues concerning women and the LGBT+ community.
In this regard, Barbara Scott was ahead
of her time.
under the gaydar
by Tony Leggio
Email: [email protected]
Photo by: Larry Graham, GrahamStudioOne.COM
Book of the Month
Harvard professor of symbology
Robert Langdon is once again on another adventure in Dan Brown’s newest
novel Inferno. And this time Langdon
will go through hell itself both literally
and figuratively as he explores the
mysterious world of Dante’s first poem
in his Divine Comedy trilogy The Inferno. Brown, whose other novels
include the widely popular The Da Vinci
Code and Angels & Demons, returns
with a story that is both thought provoking and exciting.
This entry in the series finds
Langdon waking up in the middle of the
night in a hospital, disoriented and suffering from a head wound. Not only
does he not remember anything that
has happened to him over the past few
days, he does not even recall how he
got to his current location of Florence,
Italy. As with Brown’s other books,
Inferno focuses on a famous historic
figure and his masterpiece, Dante
Alighieri’s dark masterpiece The Inferno.
The action pretty much starts from
the first chapter and does not let up as
Robert finds himself in a race against
time to stop an obsessed scientist from
unleashing something unimaginable on
the world. Brown’s attention to history
interweaved with his masterful descriptions of some of the world’s most gorgeous locations transports readers into
the story. There is intrigue at every turn
as Langdon has to decipher the code
before time runs out while being pursued by mysterious people.
History has never been so much
fun and venturesome. The book is a
fast read with unrelenting action. His
characters leap off the pages keeping
the reader motivated and engaged.
There are many twists and turns that
will have you guessing up until the end.
For more information on Inferno or
any other of Dan Brown’s works, go to
www.danbrown.com.
Steven Forster Turns 35!
The wonderfully talented photographer Steven Forster is celebrating
Ray Charles
his 35th year in photography and it is
going to be one major party. And no
one knows parties better than the man
who has photographed literally thousands of them first for the Times Picayune for many years and now for The
Advocate. Everyone is invited to his
show on Thursday Jazz Fest Eve April
24th from 5 to 7pm. This not-to-bemissed event will be held at the Angela
King Gallery located at 241 Royal Street
in the French Quarter. There will be
entertainment by Raphael and Norbert
and food by the Cake Cafe. “The Jazz
Fest Show” will include selected black
and white photographs, both new and
from the vault of Steven Forster featuring Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and
more. Also included in the show are
Lenticular Photographs by Bruce
Johnson (the flow of the nude in motion)
and photographs by Alexei Kazantsev
(Mardi Gras Indians). Angela King
Gallery is presenting an exhibition of
three unique approaches to the medium of photography, imagery, depicting essential elements of New Orleans
Culture: movement, music and mask.
Amon-Ra Sizzles
The Krewe of Amon-Ra is hosting
their annual and delectable Fish Fry on
Sunday, May 4th from 1 to 3pm. at
GrandPre’s. Join the krewe and meet
new friends at this fantastic venue along
with freshly fried fish and all the fixings.
This is one of my favorite socials
hosted by Amon-Ra because it is fun in
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