HISTORY: The ball goes on for unlikely activists



A participant in a Gay Mardi Gras ball takes the stage in an elaborate
costume. The men often make their own showstopping ensembles,
using a backpack as the foundation to balance and carry their large
Vegas-style headpieces.







Before Stonewall erupted in 1969, bringing national attention to anti-gay discrimination and police harassment in New York, there were groups of young men in New Orleans primping, parading and performing their way into history as civil rights activists.



These men used the art of drag and Mardi Gras to form clubs – also known as krewes – which allowed them and other gay men to be themselves and bond as a community. In 1962 Petronius was the first gay krewe to apply for and be granted a charter, like other clubs in the city.

Each year the krewes hosted Gay Mardi Gras balls, elaborate send-ups of high society’s Carnival celebration. The balls became a popular tradition in the city’s French Quarter, despite the law against cross-dressing.

The only time drag was legally allowed in New Orleans in the 1950s and '60s was during Mardi Gras. Even then, a costume had to have at least one item of men’s clothing and it couldn’t be worn after dark. It was not uncommon for balls to be the target of police raids, but the men were persistent.

In his first feature-length documentary, “The Sons of Tennessee Williams” (www.exposureroom.com/sonsofTWtrailer), filmmaker Tim Wolff reveals how the balls evolved from being “criminal activity” to being a cultural phenomenon that attracts gay and straight people. The film, which had two sold-out screenings this month at the Palm Springs International Film Festival (http://www.psfilmfest.org/), also takes viewers on an inspiring, humorous journey through New Orleans' gay history.