Now’s the time For New Orleans

ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST DIVERSE CITIES TURNS ON THE CHARM FOR QUEER WOMEN

NEW ORLEANS

WORDS MERRYN JOHNS

There’s a special spirit in New Orleans. Some might feel that it’s the patina of age – a history that many will say is haunted. Maybe it’s the excess – the libidinal freedom that comes from partying 24/7. Or perhaps it’s just the sense of ease you get from being in the Big Easy – here’s a part of America that seems to have been untouched by the Puritan spirt. It’s a place where you can truly be yourself. It certainly helps if you like a well-mixed cocktail, jazz, colour, noise and heat and humidity that can make a Crescent City Pilsner before noon seem like a fine idea. I’m tempted to say that if you don’t like New Orleans you might not like travel.

This is a city that is constantly renewing itself and yet somehow manages to remain what it is. Not only did New Orleans bounce back after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to become a bigger, better and brighter version of itself; there truly is nowhere else like it in the United States. New Orleans may be in the conservative South but it has a distinctive blend of French, African, and American culture – as well as a strong and visible LGBT community.

WHERE THE GIRLS ARE

There are many big LGBT calendar events but the most famous is arguably Southern Decadence and while it’s mostly aimed at the guys, there is also Dykedence, which is the main women’s event during Southern Decadence, and within that is the party Fleurt! All year round there are monthly pop-up nightclub events for queer women and all gender identities organised by Christine and Jenna – the dedicated, intelligent, friendly and forward-thinking girls behind GrrlSpot.