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."

------

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

[Coleus]

`

[cake_crumb]

Couldn't such a demand be considered a hate crime now? After all, gays now have more "rights" than the rest of us.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

They will never be able to get rid of this,America is too far gone to save itself!

[GodfearingTexan]

bring out the police hoses. disgusting freaks. two of the dudes he interviews are from boston. one guy is a "corporate trainer." he probably makes 3 times as much money as i do trying to raise my family. shit. i could run his corporate-trained pupils into the ground with one week of military discipline.

[Coleus]

he probably makes 3 times as much money as i do trying to raise my family >>>

Homosexuals are well off, usually both partners work bringing in double incomes where they have no children to bring up and pay for. In NJ, they usually go into the inner city and make a community for themselves buying up the older victorian mansions and fixing them up. Years ago in NJ, most of the rich people lived in what is now called an Inner city or ghetto, so there are a lot of large victorian homes which can be purchased and restored. Let's face it these sweethearts love to decorate.

Paterson, NJ
http://www.eastside-neighborhood.org/photo_gallery.htm

[cake_crumb]

"Homosexuals are well off, usually both partners work bringing in double incomes where they have no children to bring up and pay for"

That's only because it's always been a closed society. They give each other job preference, and make sure to give out high paying jobs. They've ALWAYS practiced the same discrimination they accuse the other 99% of us of doing.

My best friend was gay - he died of AIDS a few years ago - he explained how it all worked to me.

[Boxsford]

That pastor should pass out copies of the actual law to the legislators and enforcement officers. My heart goes out to him and all those who show up to protest. That's not going to be a pretty sight.

[IronJack]

[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.

Hence the name. "Decadence" always brings to mind "nice and sweet." Leave it up to those nasty Christians to associate such a loving word with debauchery, decay, and amorality.

But not everybody comes for those reasons."

Uh, Ben ... I hate to break your balloon, but NOBODY comes for those reasons. If you guys are so proud of being homosexual, why do you constantly try to hide your perversion behind this smokescreen of "camaraderie" and brotherhood? Why don't you just come out and admit that events like this provide an excellent place to find new men you can bugger?

[RonF]

Ah, he's probably not talking about physical training. A "corporate trainer" is usually someone who trains computer users in using the corporation's software, etc.

[Paleo Conservative]

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.

There's something queer about that sentence.

[Coleus]

Why don't you just come out and admit that events like this provide an excellent place to find new men you can bugger? >>>

Like at the YMCA? This group tarnished the image of an American Christian institution. Why they still play this song at heterosexual weddings (at the reception) is beyond me.

Village People--YMCA
http://topearth.hypermart.net/villagepeople-ymca.html
http://www.tld.net/users/freky/cda/Famosos/YMCA.mid

[Guillermo]

Disgusting pigs.

It's about time right-thinking people are standing up to the homosexual agenda juggernaut.

[Coleus]

GAY ACTIVISTS DEFEND ANTI-GAY SUPREME COURT CASE & The Joys of Being Private: Ex-Gays Keep Out
PFOX ^ | 09.0.03 | Dr. Warren Throckmorton

[sarasmom]

Can we borrow a couple of these preachers for Tampa, Fl?
Cant go to Guavaween anymore-way too sick for normal people.
Cant go to Gasparilla anymore, way to sick for normal people.
It sometimes seems like a group of sick sexual deviants live on trust funds, and travel a circuit to define deviancy down throughout the USA.
Has anyone done a study yet? //sarcasm.

[Romulus]

Yes it is vile, but we here in New Orleans can thank the straights also for embracing and promoting the myth of this city as an anything-goes destination for sex tourism.

Last Friday a co-worker confided that he & (third) wife would be headed down to the French Quarter for some Decadence laughs, as they do every year. To him, it's amusing -- an opportunity to enjoy some innocent shocks at an open air freak show, while congratulating himself on his own sophistication. I didn't bother to tell him that if he buys into the idea of the gay subculture as colorful and clever, he's been queered too -- no matter whom he sleeps with.

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[EdReform]

Bump and ping.

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[GrandMoM]

violators can get a 10-day jail sentence.....oh wow gee, not ten whole day's??????????

"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."....it's all about the money!!!!!

[GodfearingTexan]

yes, i know. i just dont have a lot of faith in any kind of corporate trainer that is attending this festival...