By J.P. Freire on 9.15.05 @ 12:05AM
Life and death aren't the only issues facing the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
"It was a scene like something out of a Fellini movie,"
365gay.com remarked perfectly. Hurricane Katrina was originally
expected to delay, if not completely rule out, the annual Southern
Decadence gay (meaning homosexual) festival in New Orleans. But the
indomitable gay (meaning spritely) spirit of New Orleans refused to
desist as about two dozen intrepid souls paraded down Bourbon St.
regardless of what death and destruction lay a few feet away.
The San Jose Mercury News caught Matt Menold, 23, wearing a very striking
sombrero with a guitar slung over his back: "It's New Orleans, man.
We're going to celebrate.''
The BBC quoted survivor Philip Holt saying, "The first few days
were a natural disaster. The last four days were a man-made
disaster." Menold continued to play Deep Purple's classic 1973
single, "Smoke on the Water." And Holt's words certainly didn't
drag down Joe Malinauskas, a 15-year veteran of the tradition, who
was ecstatic that the parade had finally gone back to its
non-commercial roots. "Now it's real again," said Malinauskas, who
wore pink and white Mardi Gras beads around his neck, describing it
as having always been "bigger and more wonderfully insane each year
since its casual creation in 1972." This year, he's right on both
counts, with not one but two Southern Decadence parties in
the midst of one of the greatest natural disasters ever to befall
the U.S.
Menold and company were not alone. Miles away in Texas, the
festive mood caught on. Mack Money, a native of New Orleans
living in Lafayette, emphasized the necessity of maintaining
routine in times of crisis:
"Southern Decadence began 33 years ago in New Orleans as a
farewell party to for the late Mike Evers when he moved to
Chicago....We couldn't let it just end with the hurricane. It's too
important to everyone in New Orleans!"
Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard was unavailable for comment.
But it wasn't all about the levity. A "mix of transplanted gays from New
Orleans and locals" wept as the parade paused for a moment's
silence to remember those not so lucky to have escaped the
devastating hurricane. The parade continued, and included a few
playful punches at FEMA, which, it is widely felt, did not have its
priorities straight.
In protest, Repent America director Michael Marcavage declared that "Southern Decadence has a history of
filling the French Quarter section with drunken homosexuals
engaging in sex acts in the public streets and bars," which would
otherwise be full of drunken heterosexuals engaging in sex acts in
the public streets and bars. A press release notes that "a local
pastor sent video footage of sex acts being performed in front of
police to the mayor, city council, and the media." City officials
responded by welcoming and praising the weeklong celebration as
being an "exciting event."
Such unwelcoming words are mitigated by Sally Huffer's clarity: "I think people realize that shelters may not
be the safest place for LGBT people."
Miss Huffer is community director of the Montrose Counseling
Center, a United Way organization that runs both H.A.T.C.H. (the
Houston Area Teen Coalition of Homosexuals), and the Houston
Gay-Lesbian Switchboard. Emphasizing that the needs of LGBT
refugees in particular must not be ignored, her group has helped to
create an exclusive database of safe-houses, offering a variety of
crucial necessities from smoking or nonsmoking homes, to
pet-friendly environments. Also noted is accessibility for people
who may not be able to climb stairs.
Back in Houston, some locals have been carrying little rainbow
flags or wearing rainbow pins to identify them as gay, while
walking around the outside of the Astrodome to help LGBT victims,
and are not trying to have a third Southern Decadence
festival. Huffer's group is organizing support groups, including a
"local leather club." She added that "These people are under
immense stress... Even living in a shelter can cause stress to a
relationship."
Gays also have to contend with "immense legal problems" as a result of
Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana's refusal to recognize same-sex
couples, rendering them unqualified for FEMA relief in the form of
family benefits to same-sex couples. In a move to appear more
sympathetic, the agency is requiring sexual harassment sensitivity courses
before deployment in crisis areas.
But in the end, there's always a silver lining. Tuesday night,
organizers said that there will be a full refund on weekend passes
for the Bourbon Pub "beginning as soon as citizens are allowed to
return to the City and business can return to some semblance of
normalcy."
J. Peter Freire is a Journalism Fellow at The
American Spectator under a grant from the Collegiate
Network.
topics:
Business, Environment
