Decadence

(n.) 1. moral degeneration or decay; turpitude 2. unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence



Over labor day weekend New Orleans host a party called Decadence, which is essentially gay Mardis Gras. There is only one word to describe it--apart from its name which fits perfectly--sensational. And by that I mean a complete overwhelming of the senses. Let me explain.
Starting friday, throngs of gay men began migrating into the French Quarter. Up until this point I hadn't been out really at all, and my roommate, Brett, and I had plans to go out to this bar The Funky Pirate to listen to Big Al, an extremely large, perhaps close to 400 lbs, man, sing the blues (he was outstanding). We leave to go to the bar around 11 PM, Brett's friend Ashley is with us as well. Bourbon, an incredible street to behold, constantly filled with people on even the most random weeknights, was closed to traffic as every other evening. However, this night it was different. From the Funky Pirate onward there was a thick crowd of gay men clogging the middle of the street and sidewalks and lining the balconies. They were everywhere, shirtless, large, small, buff, skinny, some wearing assless chaps (the fat gross ones for some unfortunate reason). It was difficult to walk through, because you didn't want to touch anyone or anything. But also, it was fantastic seeing so many people, men and women, comfortable with themselves and each other.
However, that is not all that happened. So, it has been like that for days: people crowding the streets. Today, I was on the phone with my mother when I stumbled upon crowds of people lining the streets. It was time for the Decadence parade! I found a spot in a raised doorway next to this couple to view the show. The elaborate costumes the men walked down the street in were unbelievable. Feathers and thongs, glitter and masks, tribal costumes, nurses, stewardesses, chinese women, firemen, you name it, it was probably represented.
Then, in the middle of the parade, this guy in front of me turned around and asked if one of his friends could take a picture of me. Of course I let him. Haha, it was funny, and I still don't know why he wanted it.
Across the street on this balcony there were a bunch of large gay men who definitely had a type: other large gay hairy men. Picture it, the men on the balcony had an armful of beads they just kept throwing to almost all of the biggest, hairest, and sometimes oldest men in the parade! I don't even know what they were looking for, because the men whom they threw the beads to just looked up at them and kept walking. At one point I looked up and noticed the most active bead thrower was missing. A couple of minutes later he came out of his room in nothing but underwear. Apparently the physical exertion of bead throwing mixed with the humidity was too much for him and he had to strip down in order to be comfortable. I assume that's the case because he immediately resumed his bead throwing with vigour, cat-calling and kissing at the men as he did so.
The parade ended quicker than expected. The woman next to me said, "I love everything about this city. The parades are short and then you get back to drinking." I imagine that was how most people felt this afternoon.