Gay clubs are filled with men, pride parades are overwhelmingly male, and even activism is limited mostly to men. New Orleans, a city known for its prolific gay presence and its extreme party culture, is no different. In the midst of an era of acceptance for the LGBT community, women-exclusive queer spaces are dying out on a drastic scale. There is a clear theme to the New Orleans gay scene: it is distinctly male. Look at any poster for Southern Decadence, and you will find oiled six-packs and well-trimmed beards. On any given Saturday night, three of the biggest gay bars in the city – Oz, Bourbon Pub Parade, and Napoleon’s Itch – have the streets teeming with drag queens and gay men in leather and mesh. Ann streets is the heart of gay life in New Orleans.
