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LGBT Senior’s News On the Positive Side with Cora Berke
Cora Berke News on the Positive Side- by Cora Berke
Texas Patrons Rally to Save Gay Bar
“Alone we can do so little, together, we can do so much.” -Helen Keller
Galveston Texas, also known as “The Queen City of the Gulf”, is a barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas. During the 19th. century it was a major port and haven for Caribbean pirates. One such pirate was Jean Lafitte, who started a colony in Galveston in 1817. Among the many romantic pirate tales, his name remains legendary and some believe there is still buried treasure on the island.
It is no wonder that when Cal LeBlanc opened a bar in Galveston in 1965, he named it “Lafitte’s”. Five years later the bar was sold to Robert Mainor who changed the name to “Robert’s Lafitte” and welcomed the LGBTQ+ community in honor of Stonewall. Robert Mainor passed away in 2022. The bar has been a mainstay in Galveston and is the oldest gay bar in Texas.
Fast forward to May 2026. An inspection of the bar revealed that it was not up to current city codes. The bar, ceiling and plumbing were cited for violations and given 30 days to either be repaired or Robert’s Lafitte would be closed.
Terry Fuller, bartender and events coordinator said, “They’re things that cost quite a bit of money. Robert’s Lafitte has always been a mixed crowd, gay, straight, bi, trans, people of all walks of life. It’s the oldest continuously running gay bar in Texas, and there’s so much rich history.”
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LGBT Senior’s News on the Positive Side with Cora Berke
Cora Berke News on the PositiveSide
By Cora Berke“Rights are won only by those who make their voices heard.”- Harvey Milk
The State of Georgia closed out their 2026 legislative session with a big win for the LGBTQ+ community. After a long night under the gold dome of Georgia’s Capitol Building in Atlanta, all of the proposed anti-LGBTQ+ bills were defeated.
Jeff Graham, Executive Director for Georiga Equality said, “Despite state leadership fixating on restricting LGBTQ+ rights as their core priority over the past years, we made it clear that scapegoating LGBTQ+ Georgians is not a winning political strategy.” He added that, “We could not be more excited to share that we did it! Thousands of Georgians from over 60 counties came together to successfully defeat each one.”
Georgia Equality was founded in 1995 and became the state’s largest advocacy organization in the State for the LGBTQ+ community. In 1998, Svannah formed their own chapter.
Since its inception, they have fought tirelessly for equal rights. This year, to defeat the proposed bills in the legislature, they made over 7,000 phone calls to constituents in all key districts. Georgia Equality also held advocacy training sessions and partner sponsored lobby events.
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LGBT Senior’s News On the Positive Side by Cora Berke: New Orleans’ Gay Easter Parade
Cora Berke News On the Positive Side- by Cora Berke
“An American has not seen the United States until he has seen Mardi Gras in New Orleans.” – Mark Twain.
When we think of New Orleans, one of the first things that come to mind is Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday. The first recorded Mardi Gras celebration in the US was in 1699 in Louisiana, celebrated by French explorers, who named their settlement Point du Mardi Gras. Centuries later, Mardi Gras grew in New Orleans, attracting about a million tourists a year today!
With all its famous floats, glitter and beads, Mardi Gras is not the only celebration in New Orleans. Celebrated on Easter Sunday in New Orleans is The Gay Easter Parade. This year on April 5th., 2026 the Gay Easter Parade celebrated its 25th. anniversary.
