In New Orleans, the spirit of Mardi Gras extends far beyond a single day. Kicking off in January, on Twelfth Night, the official end of the Christmas season brings with it not winter doldrums and the pretense of wellness under the guise of “new year, new me” resolutions, but instead a series of events marvelously steeped in history and revelry in equal parts.
Today tourists and locals alike flock to downtown New Orleans to partake in parties, parades, second lines and costume contests to mark a season when the dead of winter gives way to the life of debauchery and hedonism, all culminating in a final climax at Mardi Gras, before a period of austerity and reflection during Lent. While queer celebrations have been thriving on the sidelines of the city’s main events for decades, nowadays the events have become much more closely mingled. But how did the Catholic holiday, the timing of which is still very much ruled by the church calendar, become so deeply intertwined with queer history and celebrations? Let’s discuss:
A forgotten, yet intertwined history
The earliest written records of Mardi Gras and Carnival celebrations in New Orleans date back to the 1730s, and describe revelry of all kinds on Mardi Gras Day, even including descriptions of men dressing up in what we now know as drag. But the party came to an abrupt halt after Louisiana’s first criminal code was enacted, and with it, its first anti-sodomy law in 1805, the ongoing restrictions of gay culture to the margins of society soon followed.
As the expansion of the state’s criminal code continued into the middle of the 20th century, homosexuality, and with it the vast and varied expressions of queer identity, were actively criminalized within New Orleans and across the United States through laws that explicitly prohibited homosexual behavior and tacitly through a culture of discrimination and homophobia.
It was in this climate, and in the wake of McCarthyism and the Lavender Scare, that New Orlean’s first gay Mardi Gras krewes, social organizations that stage parades or festivities for the Mardi Gras season, were born. Started in 1958, the Krewe of Yuga was the first gay krewe to form, though it was forced to fold after only a handful of party seasons after being plagued by the terror of police raids and public humiliation tactics from the city’s press. The Krewe of Petronius rose in its wake in 1961, and continues to be the oldest active gay krewe now celebrating its 62nd Carnival season.
Welcome to the ball
More than just a place to organize parties and parades, these krewes formed the foundation of mutual aid among the queer community of New Orleans. These groups provided a feeling of refuge for the city’s LGBTQ+ people, a place to find resources, physical safety, material assistance, and just as importantly, a community of friends. In the 1980s when AIDS devastated the country’s queer communities, the krewes turned their fundraising prowess to form and fund hospice houses.
As the 21st century unfolds, more and more inclusive krewes continue to form and organize in New Orleans; the aptly named Lords of Leather, the fresh-faced Krewe of Stars, and the Krewe of Mwindo are just a few. Having survived the AIDS crisis, Hurricane Katrina, the COVID-19 pandemic, and so much more, these krewes continue to breathe life into traditions that span over 300 years of New Orleans’ history.
