Southern Decadence

[eastbayguy]

This year, I decided to go to Southern Decadence. Last year, a bunch of my friends from Phoenix went, and had a blast. They met all sorts of cool people, brought back stacks of pictures of people clearly enjoying themselves and a huge, fun-looking crowd. New Orleans isn't one of my favorite places, but, for a chance at a Big Gay Party, I decided to go.

 

Unknown to us out-of towners, a local store-front, self-appointed preacher named Grant Storms took scandalous pictures of last year's event, and browbeat the Louisiana legislature in to ramming some anti-gay legislation past. Plus, Storms showed up irregularly at this year's festival with blaring loudspeakers and a small band of followers. I've witnessed my share of protests down through the years. Have seen a fair number of anti-gay protesters. NEVER have I seen such a hateful, hate-filled and sort of incoherent gaggle of protesters anywhere. Over a brandy back at the hotel, I decided these protestors are their own worst enemy.

 

At Southern Decadence, I felt like an unwanted guest.

 

The gay bars were quite inhospitable. I gave a guy a little hug, and was threatened with being thrown out of the bar. The security people in the gay bars were total Nazis, cameras weren't allowed anywhere and visitors were not really feeling very welcome. Crowds were down wildly from last year, and, I really doubt I'll be back any time soon. I have never been in such an atmosphere of anxiety, paranoia and fear in my life. I don't need to have sex in the streets to have a good time. There was clearly none of that at Southern Decadence this year. But, I've never seen so many gay men have so little fun in one place in my life.

 

This is sad. This says the Christians won this round. One of the great parties of the circuit year will emerge but a shadow of its former self from this. Our best hope for any fix is for bar, hotel and restaurant owners to let the New Orleans city council know that revenue was down this year and will be down further next year.

 

Anyone else go this year? Thoughts?

 

--EBG

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Palm Springs

 

Something very similar to this happened in Palm Springs over the past 18 months. A large New Year's Eve party was on the way to being a popular circuit type event, but after the current Mayor (a member of a particular and political active church in the Coachella (sp?) Valley area where Palm Springs is located, made all sorts of comments about drug use, "inappropriate" behavior, etc. from the previous year's White Party. For the last two years, this New Year's Eve party has been held in Los Angeles and will likely neve return to Palm Springs. In addition, the White Party people and the local gay community in Palm Springs, made their displeasure known quite loudly. A local run off election last year, between a political and religous ally of the Mayor and a straight but gay friendly former council woman, turned into a rout (against the Mayor's ally) due in no small part because of organizing by the gay community.

 

Unfortunately, New Orleans always struck me as a very laid back and blase gay community politically. I am sorry you had an unpleasant time. Southern Decadance is a very sexually charged environment but one that is usually skewered to a very young (more than a club kid/circuit crowd), but there is a varierty of bars and nightclubs and I also regret that you ended up at some where you were made to feel unwelcome. I have been inside a number of clubs where I asked guys to take pictures of me (doing things lying urinating and several of me getting a blow job on the balcony) and no one ever made a comment to me.

 

I do imagine if you had tried to photograph the strippers, that someone might have commented, as I have seen the security guards at Oz, just to name one club, ask straight women not to photograph the strippers. I would think this could possibly be a the dancers request.

 

I would give New Orleans another shot, especially if your friends were ever going to travel there again. There is always safety, in EVERY form of the word, in numbers.

[+ deej]

RE: Palm Springs

 

Palm Springs is at least *trying* to be hospitable.

 

During the Bad Boys Pool Party last spring, people living near the event called the police due to noise. (You've been to this event, Franco, and you know it isn't that loud.)

 

It was amazing watching two uniformed cops walk right past Chris Steele (naked and fully hard, oiled and posing) to lodge the complaint with the organizer. The cops didn't bat an eye at overt expressions of gay male sexuality. They were there on a nuisance call and they knew it.

 

They delivered the complaint, rolling their eyes at the silliness of it.

 

It sounds like the New Orleans community went the other direction in the face of complaints. Pity.

[Bilbo]

RE: Palm Springs

 

Decadence is not necessarily for the young. I know some guys who are my age and older and have been going and enjoying it for years. Of course, I also know a couple of older guys who actually enjoyed themselves more this year. There are a minority among those who got truely bored, however. My regular who goes there most regularly told me that the strippers were dressed up to their chins and stayed that way, taking little if nothing off. Yes, even hugging in the back rooms of bars was strictly discouraged. I have heard that the most fun to be had was at the Swim Club and one or two other bars which were not in the Quarter.

 

Opinion here in Houston seems to be that it will take three to five years for Decadence to become nearly as wild as it was and that there will still be less sex out in the open in the middle of streets, though there will be a way found for the grand tradition of "wrapping" to come back, and all in all it might be a safer place in the long run because of this year, too.

 

I have heard a story which I have not seen in any journalist's account, so it might be an urban legend. It is said that one of the reverand's people stabbed a gay man. And that either the Mayor or the Chief of Police commented that they may be watching the wrong people. I have heard both that the gay man lived and that he died. Anybody know anything about this?

 

One friend saw a gay man approach the reverend's people and tell them that they had succeeded and that he was ready to mend his ways and wanted to worship with them, when were their Sunday services? They hemmed and hawed and finally said that they wouldn't tell him because they don't want him in their church. My friend was crowing about "hypocracy exposed!"

 

We also look forward to what might happen if the city, either egged on by this self appointed prophet, or by gay rights action, finds itself trying to do the same things to Mardi Gras as it has done to Gay Mardi Gras. That might force a quick reversal of some city positions.

[eastbayguy]

RE: Palm Springs

 

>I have heard a story which I have not seen in any journalist's

>account, so it might be an urban legend. It is said that one

>of the reverand's people stabbed a gay man. And that either

>the Mayor or the Chief of Police commented that they may be

>watching the wrong people. I have heard both that the gay man

>lived and that he died. Anybody know anything about this?

 

A gay man was stabbed, on Saturday. I saw the guy who did it, both on Friday and Saturday. A very scary looking fellow. No connection between the stabber and the reverend has yet been proven. What is known is that the guy was wandering around, muttering to people that he was there to kill a gay man. Reports were made to the police, who did nothing.

 

>We also look forward to what might happen if the city, either

>egged on by this self appointed prophet, or by gay rights

>action, finds itself trying to do the same things to Mardi

>Gras as it has done to Gay Mardi Gras. That might force a

>quick reversal of some city positions.

 

My guess is that summer in New Orleans is a slow time for business. The bars, restaurants, hotels and others catering to tourists seem to look forward to the "Decadence" weekend as a boost in business. Just a guess, but I think you'll see pressure applied to the city, the reverend and others who think the crackdown is a good idea from those whose bottom lines were most affected. And I don't mean the gay men who didn't get any during Decadence! }(

 

--EBG

[bluenix]

RE:

 

>My guess is that summer in New Orleans is a slow time for

>business. The bars, restaurants, hotels and others catering

>to tourists seem to look forward to the "Decadence" weekend as

>a boost in business. Just a guess, but I think you'll see

>pressure applied to the city, the reverend and others who

>think the crackdown is a good idea from those whose bottom

>lines were most affected. And I don't mean the gay men who

>didn't get any during Decadence! }(

>

 

From The Economist:

 

In response, the legislature passed a law mandating jail time for people who engage in sexual acts “for the purpose of gaining the attention of the public.” (No word on what happens to public fornicators who just got lost in the moment.) The bill took effect on August 15th, two weeks before Southern Decadence hit town. Civil-rights groups feared that police would ignore heterosexual scofflaws and single out gay men. Owners of hotels and restaurants, who have found the festival a boon to trade, feared it might put people off attending.

 

As it happened, neither fear was justified. More people than usual came to the festival. Nothing untoward happened during the parade. There were no arrests for public sex. And though Pastor Grant Storms was not allowed into the Good Friends Bar with his video camera, he might well have found nothing there worth shooting.

 

http://www.economist.com/World/na/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2042806

[+ Lucky]

RE: Photographs

 

Guddamit! I am always too late to the dance! I want pix of me urinating and fucking in the street, lying and getting blow jobs on balconies!x(

Dang Christians always stopping my fun. Jeez.

[eastbayguy]

RE:

 

>From The Economist:

 

[deletia]

 

>As it happened, neither fear was justified. More people than

>usual came to the festival. Nothing untoward happened during

>the parade. There were no arrests for public sex. And though

>Pastor Grant Storms was not allowed into the Good Friends Bar

>with his video camera, he might well have found nothing there

>worth shooting.

>

>http://www.economist.com/World/na/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2042806

 

Actually, the economist got this part wrong. Or else spun it sort of backwards. While attendance may, in fact, have increased for the parade (a free, public event that winds through the French Quarter) attendance overall at Southern Decadence was down significantly. By police estimates, overall attendance at SouDec was between 20,000 and 25,000 which is well down from the 60,000 to 65,000 in attendance last year by these same estimates. Our hotel had empty rooms all during the event.

 

--EBG