Delightful ‘Decadence’ (The Gay Mardi Gras won't be happening in New Orleans this year)

FOR A LABOR DAY WEEKEND LOADED with glam, gangsters and girth, New Orleans’ French Quarter is the place to be.

The 34th annual Southern Decadence festival, which evolved over the years from a party for a few friends to a six-day street party attended by more than 100,000 people, runs this year from Aug. 31 to Sept. 5.

Unofficially dubbed the “gay Mardi Gras,” Southern Decadence is filled with dozens of parties and thousands of uninhibited gay men frolicking in the street in search of beads and brethren. The event culminates with a Sept. 4 parade featuring elaborate and risqué costumes inspired by this year’s 1920s theme, “Jazz & Jezebels.”

Also filling the French Quarter that weekend are hundreds of plus-sized gay men and their admirers for Convergence 2005, an annual event convened by the Affiliated Big Men’s Club, a national coalition of big men’s organizations.

Various organizations bid for the right to host Convergence each year, and the Big Men’s Club of Atlanta submitted the winning bid to host Convergence 2005, “Big & Easy,” in New Orleans alongside Southern Decadence.

“I thought with Southern Decadence being sort of like the gay Mardi Gras, it would be the perfect place for us to have a party and for a lot of the guys who usually go to Convergence to get a chance to do both,” says Jeffrey Nance, president of the Big Men’s Club of Atlanta.

“A lot of people are looking forward to the different crowds, and the parade and all of the parties,” Nance says. “It’s all a celebration of the end of summer — one last hurrah.”

More than 600 people pre-registered for Convergence 2005, including about 40 from the Atlanta area, Nance says.

Kevin Maer, a gay Little Rock, Ark., resident, plans to attend Southern Decadence for the first time this year, and says having Convergence 2005 take place simultaneously is a comforting contrast to the usual scene at Decadence.

“Some in the gay community can be kind of hurtful to those that don’t fit their ideal, but I plan on getting out there and having a good time with my friends, [some of whom] are from other parts of the country that I don’t get to see much,” Maer says.

SOUTHERN DECANDENCE earned its reputation by being one of the most unapologetically racy exhibitions of gay life, where outlandish costumes and outdoor sex were the norm.

But public sex occurs with less frequency in recent years thanks to protests from religious conservatives in New Orleans, an increased police presence and a campaign by Southern Decadence organizers to cut the number of revelers that land in the city jail.

But the costumes remain, and this year’s parade grand marshals, Lisa Beaumann and Regina Adams, chose the “Jazz & Jezebels” theme to celebrate one of the most fiercely roaring eras in America’s history.

“They’re going for a 1920s theme, and they’re looking for glamour and gangster costumes from what I gather,” says Rip Naquin-Delain, Web host for SouthernDecadence.com.

Naquin-Delain expects 2005 to be “a bumper year” for the event, based on more than 1,000 people per day who download the special events calendar from his Web site.

For last year’s event, an estimated 125,000 people filled the French Quarter and added about $87 million to the New Orleans economy, according to Naquin-Delain, who adds that organizers hope to exceed both figures this year.

Southern Decadence maintains its raucous flavor, but crowds heeded warnings about the increased police presence and became tamer in recent years, Naquin-Delain says.

“Over the past few years, we’ve been conducting a campaign to take those intimate acts inside, because we don’t want anybody locked up for lewd behavior,” he says.

Dear Convergence Registrants,

The Planning Committee for "Big & Easy" Convergence 2005 has decided we must CANCEL Convergence. We have discussed this with many individuals who could or would talk to us. We have received a report from FEMA that no one will be allowed into the city for at least the next week. Desk staff at the Hotel Monteleone have shared this report will us as well.

We are indeed sad that we must cancel Convergence. The planning committee must think of the safety and well being of our registrants. We see no way that the city could be ready to host an event such as ours in the next few days.

In reference to refunds, please understand that many of the events planned for Convergence required pre-payment, therefore we will be in contact with all venues as to their particular polices about cancellations due to natural disasters. In addition many items such as badges, souvenirs, t-shirts, run booklets, event advertising, et al. has already been paid for with no possibility of reimbursement. Therefore all registrants will incur a small fee to cover these costs.

In the coming weeks we will be mailing registrants their registration packets which include a Big & Easy souvenir, run booklet, event advertising, and t-shirts, for those that ordered them. Once we have met all of our financial obligations, we will assess the situation at that time. This will give time to our venues in New Orleans to have their businesses up and running and decisions made as to our situation.

The planning committee has decided to donate our potential refunds (if any) from our own personal registration fees to the American Red Cross/New Orleans Disaster Relief Fund. All registrants who wish to make this donation are certainly welcome to do so. In a time such as this the planning committee feels it is more important to think of someone that has lost a loved one, their home, or their belongings, rather than thinking of only us.

Those that do not wish for their potential refunds to go to the Red Cross/ New Orleans Disaster Relief Fund must submit in writing a request for refund. This request will not be accepted via email or telephone. All written requests for refunds must include a return address, and a contact telephone number.

Written requests must be forwarded to the following address:

"Big & Easy" Convergence 2005
Refund Request
P.O. Box 52596
Atlanta, GA 30355

The Planning Committee wishes to thank each of you for your planned participation in "Big & Easy" Convergence 2005. It saddens us greatly to have to cancel this event. Thank you in advance for your understanding and patience during this time. In addition, we hope each of you will keep the victims of Hurricane Katrina in your thoughts and prayers.

Thanks to those that have sent emails of support and encouragement, it has been a stressful few days for our committee. And we thank those that have supported us during this time, and the entire planning of "Big & Easy" Convergence 2005.

Sincerely,

Planning Committee
"Big & Easy" Convergence 2005

* * * * *

It's near the end:
The planning committee has decided to donate our potential refunds (if any) from our own personal registration fees to the American Red Cross/New Orleans Disaster Relief Fund. All registrants who wish to make this donation are certainly welcome to do so. In a time such as this the planning committee feels it is more important to think of someone that has lost a loved one, their home, or their belongings, rather than thinking of only us.

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