Full Tour Description
A 2 hour deep dive into the joy, heartbreak, and history of the New Orleans Queer Underground from the 1850s to the present. Follow the stories of sex worker street gangs, drag queens working for the mafia, jazz artists, and the queer community of today to discover the ways the queer underbelly of New Orleans has shaped the history of the entire world. With over 900 five star reviews, calling the tour “hilarious”, “deeply researched”, and “a life changing experience”, the tour restores New Orleans to its rightful place in Queer History as one of the most dynamic cultures shaping what it even means to be queer. All tours are led by artist, community organizer, and alleged spirit medium Quinn L Bishop.
This tour was previously run under the name Nola Drag Tours
The Standard Tour covers:
Sex Work Before and after the Civil War- sex worker street gangs, pre Civil War Sex work Policy, brothels in early New Orleans, the rise of Gallatin Street and Burgundy Street, queerness and Live Sex Shows
Queer Jazz and the Back of Town= Black Queer History, history of Jazz dancing, rise of Jazz Culture, Smoky Row, the Back of Town
Storyville ->Illegalization of Sex Work- sex work legislation, luxury brothels, race, ethnicity, and sexuality, the Hoochie Coochie
Burlesque Legends and The History of Bourbon Street- Evangeline the Oyester Queen, rumored trans burlesque performers, rise of Bourbon Street Culture
Queer Underground Post Prohibition- Dixie’s Bar of Music, gay Mardi Gras Krewes, Club My Oh My, Lavender Scare, rise of anti-queer backlash
The Fruit Loop and Modern Queer Nightlife- violence and resistance in the Queer Community, rise of gay culture
Extended Edition (Available through Private Booking) 4 Hours
The rise of queer Stigma in Europe
Rethinking the History of Southern Society Ladies
Sex Work policy
Queer History of Catholicism
Social Hygiene Reformers and Feminism
Carnival and Queerness
Segregation and Queer Nightlife
History of Queer Activism in New Orleans
Queerness and Witchcraft