Religious groups demand an end to New Orleans' Southern Gay Decadence Festival

The Atlanta Journal Constitution ^ | 09.02.03

[Coleus]

Religious groups demand an end to New Orleans' Southern Decadence Festival

NEW ORLEANS -- The wet Jockey shorts contest will be followed by drag queen fashion shows, the Mr. Louisiana Leather 2004 Contest and thousands of gay men drinking a whole lot of alcohol.

The Southern Decadence Festival started in the French Quarter for the 32nd straight year on Wednesday and will draw an estimated 110,000 people, mainly gay men, from around the world. To the participants, Decadence is the ultimate Bourbon Street blowout, full of good, not-so-clean fun.

But to a growing number of religious leaders, it's a sinister affair. The city's Roman Catholic Archbishop condemned it for glorifying gay sex.  A group of Protestant leaders see the party as little more than five days of indecency, urination and sex acts on Bourbon Street.

The Protestant groups have scheduled protests for Friday and Sunday to demand that the city's government shut the festival down.

"We're going to ensure that they do not turn our streets into another Sodom and Gomorrah, like they have the past several years," said the Rev. Grant E. Storms, pastor of a nondenominational Protestant church in suburban New Orleans.

Storms, who has also protested nudity during Mardi Gras celebrations, said he expected about 1,000 fellow Christians to march Friday through the French Quarter to the intersection at the heart of the festival. He hoped the march would draw attention to what he called the routine violations of indecency laws.

Decadence veterans acknowledged that it's become routine for men to flash their genitals and perform sex acts in public.

"Unfortunately, to an extent, those things do go on, and in a sense, it's sad," said Ben Mach, a New Orleans insurance agent. "Southern Decadence is an opportunity to meet good people from all over the country who are nice and sweet. But not everybody comes for those reasons."

To reduce the amount of flashing and public sex, Decadence organizers have posted and handed out fliers informing visitors that Louisiana has passed a new, tougher indecency law. The law was passed after
Storms videotaped public indecency at last year's Decadence festival, then gave copies to legislators.

The law makes it a crime to have sex in public to intentionally attract a crowd; violators can get a 10-day jail sentence.

"We're trying to inform tourists about the law," said Rip Naquin, a festival promoter. "We don't want to see these tourists have to pay $2,000 or $3,000 to get out of jail. We want them to spend that $2,000 or $3,000 on the local economy."

New Orleans police reported 12 indecency-related arrests during last year's festival. Storms has accused the police of ignoring public indecency violations during Decadence and the six-week Carnival season.

Many gay men consider the Decadence Festival the grand finale of a gay party circuit around the country, including large ones in Miami and Provincetown, R.I. Most events at the New Orleans festival are held in Bourbon Street bars, with a parade on the street Sunday.

Jay Bennett, 38, a corporate trainer from Boston, sipped a daiquiri on Bourbon Street on Thursday, the eighth year he's attended.

"It's a nice trip, where you can have camaraderie with our fellow gay brothers from around the country," he said.

In interviews, Bennett and other men took a blase view of Storms and his protests. Naquin said he and other organizers planned to ignore the protesters when they arrive on Bourbon Street.

"We're just planning to turn our backs on them," Naquin said. "We're going to let them do their protests and we're going to be nonconfrontational."

A number of visitors said the protest was uncharacteristic of the welcome they normally get in New Orleans. David Lupone, 44, a lawyer from Boston, said residents have always been cordial on his three trips to Southern Decadence.

"No matter what section of the city you go to, what hotel, retail establishment, bar or restaurant, we have never encountered any kind of hostility toward us."

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On the Net:

Southern Decadence: http://www.southerndecadence.com/

Giant 100 Page Ambush

This giant 100 page edition of Ambush Mag brings readers some 76 pages advertising the hottest activities happening in New Orleans; Austin, TX; Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Metairie, LA. This marks the second year as the largest edition printed by this publication. Some 153 businesses, both Gay and Gay friendly chose to advertise this year. Ambush [AmbushMag.COM] is the Gulf South’s oldest and largest Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender [GLBT] regional publication covering the lucrative Texas to Florida market since 1982.

The magazine serves as Official Southern Decadence Guide while AmbushOnLine’s SouthernDecadence.COM serves as the original, oldest and only Official Website of Southern Decadence dedicated to the preservation of the history and traditions of Southern Decadence in New
Orleans since 1972.

Ambush has worked diligently with businesses, organizations and tourism officials striving to make the communities it serves as top GLBT destinations in the world. Ambush’s success is largely due to its policy of inclusion representing all aspects of the GLBT community. The publication also gives hundreds of thousands of dollars each year back in services and monies through its AMgrant [Ambush Advertising Grant Program] to the communities which make Ambush possible.

Over 100,000 Revelers Expected for SD XXXII

[southland]

BTT

[Larry Lucido]

Sounds like it's not gonna be much of an issue this year or probably even next year.

[Delphinium]

I don't think they are going to have this for a while.

[Coleus]

You're right about that, I saw the date and not the year, you had me going for a while, since I couldn't remember posting this a couple of days ago, it was a couple of yrs. ago!

[Alouette]

Hurricane survivors throw gay parade in shattered New Orleans

[Coleus]

this above thread was posted in 2003, could it be the purification process just started?

Ambush [AmbushMag.COM] is the Gulf South’s oldest and largest Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender [GLBT] regional publication covering the lucrative Texas to Florida market since 1982.

The magazine serves as Official Southern Decadence Guide while AmbushOnLine’s SouthernDecadence.COM

NO BISHOP: 'I'M CONVINCED THAT GOD IS GOING TO PURIFY US THROUGH THIS'
Spirit Daily ^ | September 5, 2005 | Mike Brown
Posted on 09/05/2005 9:50:48 AM EDT by NYer

[Calpernia]

Oh, I couldn't even read this after that discriptive intro about wet shorts.

I need to go find a sharp stick to poke out my minds eye.

[Gritty]

I think they should let them have the Festival in downtown New Orleans next week.

Sure, I know the place is a cesspool. But, one can honestly say there won't be any difference between the locale and the entertainment now.

They can stay at the Terrordome for free.

[Salvation]

Guess they don't want anymore Category 5 hurricanes, huh?

[Salvation]

**America is too far gone to save itself!**

Prayer, prayer, prayer. God answers our prayers in His time.

[Siobhan]

[Calpernia]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/1472612/posts
Sex Tourism: Addressing the Demand for Trafficking

[Pyro7480]

Incompetent, possibly corrupt, and now "gay friendly." It just gets worse and worse.

[Delphinium]

I wondered?

[eastsider]

Southern Decadence XXXII is an exciting event!

Exciting? Mmmmmmmm ...

[tuckrdout]

I believe that this is a judgement from the Lord.

But, I happen to believe that the reason our people have been removed from their homes, and their homes destroyed, is because our government insisted that Israel kick Jewish families out of their homes, and destroyed their homes.

[Coleus]

and we paid for it too.

Surprisingly, some Jewish people I've spoken to were in favor of the move hoping that the fighting will stop.

[fatima]

Hummm.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Isn't the city toxic enough without these goofs?

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Some just refuse to learn:

"From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused My anger and wrath that I must remove it from My sight!" Jeremiah 32:31