Conclusion

In choosing a topic for this thesis, I found myself at a crossroads between analyzing gender theory and drag performance in the city of New Orleans during the early AIDS epidemic between 1983-1990. When I began analyzing this topic, I realized how important yet under researched both the LGBTQ+ community (specifically the trans and drag community) and the AIDS epidemic were in New Orleans. This city has a vast history that LGBTQ+ people have played an essential role in, and it is an injustice that the stories of many people involved have not been told until now. Though there are a few scholars in New Orleans who care deeply about the LGBTQ+ history of the city and have performed groundbreaking research on the subject, the recognition of the city for those who haven’t had their stories told remains to be seen. An example of this lack of historical recognition is at the site of the UpStairs Lounge Fire, which is now an active bar with no clear sign of being the site of a pivotal gay historic event other than a small plaque on the sidewalk. New Orleans prides itself on its history, and it is a disservice that those who are LGBTQ+ have yet to become a greater part of the city’s historical discussion.

 

I am honored to have had the opportunity to share the voices of Stephanie Lee, Arthur Severio, Teryl Lynn Foxx, and Lisa Altman. These people with deep, beautiful, and personal stories became important pieces of the research that was necessary to fully form my project. Without their interviews the project would remain incomplete.

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While I found great research to lead me through this project, the effects the AIDS epidemic had on the drag and trans community in New Orleans, and the lack of medical resources available to these communities remains vastly under researched. The stories of those who took part in drag and wanted enhancements like botox that was injected into their skin or for those who were transitioning and injecting hormones that could have reused needles, gotten the wrong dosage, or just experienced many consequences from not being treated properly by medical facilities, is highly under researched. There could be so much important information that would really illuminate a whole other issue of this time period and experiences that affected many people in the community when looking into this deeper. One person who addresses this issue is Cathy J. Cohen in her essay "Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens: The Radical Potential of Queer Politics?" (1997). Cohen discusses queer politics and the New York Needle Exchange, and it would be further enlightening to research this topic in specific southern cities such as New Orleans.

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Throughout my research I learned a lot about the culture of drag and how intertwined the trans community is with it. Between 1983-1990, gay and trans people in New Orleans found themselves facing many hardships such as homophobia, transphobia, a conservative presidency, a southern-conservative mindset, and the epidemic of HIV/AIDS that killed mass amounts of people. Despite living through these experiences and hardships, the interviewees I spoke to were kind and generous in sharing their stories of times that were hard, times that brought them joy, and experiences that they continue to reminisce about so many years later. My hope is that through this project I am able to share the truth of the tragedies of this time, but also the beautiful lives that so many people were able to live in the great and unique city of New Orleans.