Gender+and+Sexual+Expression+in+Gay+Mardi+Gras,+New+Orleans

Historical Context
While there seems to be readily available information and peer-reviewed articles on the participation and characteristics of gay and lesbian participation in the carnivalesque in Sydney, that same did not appear to be true for the Mardi Gras of New Orleans. Like SGLMG and Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, the New Orleans festival also takes place in the weeks and months just before Lent. According to information retrieved from the Gay Mardi Gras History (1999) website, the traditions of [|Gay Mardi Gras] came into being in the 1950s and the first Gay Mardi Gras Krewe was the Krewe of Yuga or "KY." (Krewes are groups or bands who organise parades.) The site explains that this Krewe was formed to satirise the straight, aristocratic Mardi Gras traditions in 1958, but in 1962, the Krewe of Yuga threw its first Ball at a badly chosen sight, a private children's school and face grave opposition and embarrassment from this. Gianoulis (2002) explains that Yuga disbanded in 1962 when one of their balls was raided and members were abused and humiliated by the police. However, that year another gay krewe, Petronius, was formed, followed in 1966 by the Krewe of Amon Ra, and in 1969 by the Krewe of Armeinius. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s other gay krewes formed (like the Lords of Leather and Ishtar, the only all-woman krewe), and interestingly, at this time, only African Americans would rent space to gays, so the early balls were held at black labor union halls. But as stated by Gianoulis (2002) the AIDS epidemic took its toll on many of the krewes’ members during the 1980s and 1990s, and many of the krewes have not survived into the new century.

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Playful Deviance in Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, New Orleans
Armstrong (2010) states that New Orleans is considered to be a uniquely Caribbean culture, within the USA, which preserved nuances of colonial power relations in its complex codes of color and race. In terms of international comparisons, the New Orleans Mardi Gras is similar to the Recife Carnival in Brazil, with a rich amateur spirit, and preservation of a range of costume types and its general cultural conservatism (Armstrong, 2010).

Settings and Props
In terms of setting and props, it is useful therefore to compare the similarity between New Orleans and Trinidad and Tobago in terms of the change from a predominance of masculine revellers, themes and archetypes, to that of an increasingly feminine-themed festival. The comparison ends here though, with the Mardi Gras space being more open to contestation of the heterosexual dominance of the festival. Given the increased activism in the areas of equal rights and recognition of sexual minorities in the USA, the existence of gay-themed krewes with matching costumes and props, seems the natural progression for the festival. One example is given by Gianoulis (2002), who describes a change in concept for a ball in 1982, during which the Lords of Leather Krewe presented a "beary, leathery" King and a male consort instead of a Queen. Thus, the setting and the props for New Orleans Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, certainly can be described as ones which allow for deviation from the traditional and even contemporary norm of heterosexual iconic images and themes. 

Chosen Locale and Deviant Behaviours
The French Quarter in New Orleans, considered to be even one of the most liberal spaces in New Orleans, is where most events organised by the gay and lesbian krewes would take place. Shrum & Kilburn (1996) describe the space as being traditionally associated with expressions of overt sexuality and disinhibition. In the 1970’s gay revellers began the practice of “weenie wagging” near a Bourbon Street intersection in the French Quarter. This practice involved briefly draping the penis over a balcony railing or displaying in on the street (Shrum & Kilburn, 1996), and public nudity is not uncommon. As with other revellers in Mardi Gras, once a person departs the locale, these behaviours are terminated.

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Protection from Social Sanctions
The exemption from social sanctions and from judgements of immorality applies to all participants in New Orleans Mardi Gras. The ritual disrobement, public sex and general licentious behaviours are not restricted to heterosexual activities and whether gay, straight or queer, the freedom to be openly sexual is expected to be part of the experience.

Submitted by Onika Henry

References Armstrong, P. (2010). Bahian carnival and social carnivalesque in trans-Atlantic context. Social Identities, 16(4), 447-469. doi:10.1080/13504630.2010.497722

Gay Mardi Gras History (1999). Retrieved from www.gaymardigras.com/historyx.html

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gianoulis, T. ((2002). Mardi Gras. glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Culture. Retrieved from www.glbtq.com/arts/mardi_gras.html

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shrum, W., & Kilburn, J. (1996). Ritual disrobement at Mardi Gras: Ceremonial exchange and moral order. Social Forces, 75(2), 423-458. doi:10.1093/sf/75.2.423