I wear a lot of hats—small business owner, educator, writer, community activist, President of a local non-profit organization, and Carnival Krewe Captain.

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Nine years ago I became a small-business owner.  As such, I understand the importance and challenges of small, locally owned businesses.  My business offers itinerary planning to visitors and it has been a joy to share the best of New Orleans with thousands of people from around the world.  I have worked in the tourism industry for twelve years and have seen first-hand how tourism has changed since Katrina, sometimes not for the best.

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Those changes motivated me to pioneer a series of Professional Tour-Guiding courses at Loyola University.  Before I started teaching potential tour guides how to do their jobs professionally and with respect for the neighborhoods in which they work, I enjoyed a career as an English Professor.  In addition to Loyola, I’ve also taught at Xavier University and Delgado Community College.

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When I’m not teaching or managing my small business, I spend my time writing.  I’ve authored five books on New Orleans history—Political Animal: The Life and Times of Stewart Butler, Forthcoming from the University Press of Mississippi, Southern Decadence in New Orleans, Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 2018. (With Howard Smith), My Gay New Orleans, Editor, Bedford, TX: LL Publications, 2016. (With Jeffrey Palmquist), Treasures of the Vieux Carre: Ten Self-Guided Tours of the French Quarter, Bedford, TX: LL Publications, 2014, In Exile: The History and Lore Surrounding New Orleans Gay Culture and Its Oldest Gay Bar, Bedford, TX: LL Publications, 2012. (With Jeffrey Palmquist).  I’ve also written hundreds of articles as a columnist for Ambush Magazine and French Quarter Journal. 

 

As a survivor of conversion therapy, I strongly believe in LGBTQ+ rights.  Most of my writing is about local queer history and that interest, along with a passion for social justice, has fueled much of my community activism on behalf of equal rights for all.  In 2014, I Co-Founded the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana—a statewide non-profit collective that works to preserve local queer history.

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It was also in 2014 that I hosted a small Twelfth Night Party at my home to celebrate the arrival of Carnival Season.  The party was a success and became an annual tradition.  Eventually, the party took on a life of its own.  The Krewe de la Rue Royale Revelers is now an officially registered Krewe with the Secretary of State.

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I’ve never run for office before and the only reason I’m running now is to make a difference in the city I love so much.