Day 301: Drag Queen Gang Pesters Magazine St.
Only in New Orleans! The Drag Queens are coming! The Drag Queens are coming! Why does this make me think of the State House of Reps and the White House? Hmm…
New Orleans CityBusiness-Transvestite crime gangs pester Magazine Street owners
Robyn Lewis, owner of Dark Charm fashion and accessories for women, represents the first line of defense for the Magazine Street shop owners. She is the first to see them come strutting in their pumps down St. Andrew Street, the bewigged pack of thieves who have plagued the Lower Garden District since May.
Like an SOS flare, Lewis grabs her emergency phone list and starts calling.
“They’re coming,” she warns Eric Ogle a salesman at Vegas, a block down Magazine Street. Ogle, who was terrorized by the brazen crew two months earlier, alerts neighboring Winky’s where manager Kendra Bonga braces for the onslaught.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am the biggest supporter of small local business, but this is funny. Its that special kind of absurdity that seems to flourish in our subtropical environment, the almost psychedelic vision of heat induced dilirium. It is a moment that makes you realize that you are home after all. Welcome to the Mirror Universe, kids!
June 26th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
I’m not happy with this story. I live my life openly as an Intersexed woman, and I try to teach others what we are, and what we are not.
This gang of fools hurts those of us in the Trans community that have respect and acceptance from others. We have earned that by being responsible and caring citizens.
I’m going to find out who these people are, and they are going to jail.
June 26th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
I cannot say that I am happy with the story, I am struck by the absurdity of the image though. You are right, most people will simply see this as bad PR for the transgender community as opposed to seeing it as another example of how they are just like everyone else. If it was a group of white women, black kids, (insert random demographic here), etc. no one would bat an eye.
In my constant effort to wring something positive out of each new trial I have latched on to the humorous aspect. I mean really, picture a group of transvestites/drag queens terrorizing the fashion stores of lower Magazine St. On some level you have to get a good giggle out of it. Adrastos gets that aspect as evidenced by his post at http://adrastos.blog-city.com/hells_trannies.htm
I applaud your desire to help police your scene from within, we had to do that on one or two occasions in the punk scene here in the early eighties. I hope no disrespect was taken on your part, none was intended.
June 27th, 2006 at 1:31 am
[...] [UPDATE: It turns out that almost every New Orleans blogger has written about the Magazine Street Transvestite Raids. I hope everyone can now see the REAL threat that gay people pose for us - they don’t want your husband, they want your shoes, belts and bags.] [...]