Appreciating New Orleans
Ordinarily—for Bob & Tess—June begins by celebrating Tess's birthday somewhere magical and abroad (Belize, Prague, Mexico...). But this year, due to current events, they decided to stay in New Orleans and celebrate with the Framily and the city they love so much.
There are quite a few June birthdays in the Naughty Framily (see Minx's section for her bday experience) so they honored all the special Naughty Geminis with sunset bike rides from the Bywater to the French Quarter all the way down to Bayou St. John to watch the sky change colors, stopping once in a while to grab a drink and to witness history in the making.
As the Naughty Framily rode through the city and under the interstate, protesters occupied the freeways above holding signs and taking a stand for Black Lives Matter. Hundreds of people were out, which is something we haven't seen in a while. It was moving to see the enormous amount of people who came out to support and demand equality.
What we do as Naughty Events, is create experiences where people feel free; we value a lifestyle where people are free to just be and to express themselves—no matter their age, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, etc. We value black lives and will continue to support the fight to ensure that they can live in a world where they are safe, equal and thriving. We cannot ethically enjoy our sexual freedom, while the freedom of our black members and community is being threatened and denied on a daily basis.
Bob and some of the Framily, went to the protests to show their support and march for Black Lives. It's unfortunate that in 2020, we are still fighting for these civil rights, but Bob and the team are grateful to be in New Orleans where most of the protest have been peaceful and grateful that they were able to take part of the demonstrations.
Another sign of change that June brings is the reopening of businesses with Phase 2 in full effect in New Orleans, there are capacity limitations of course, as well as mask requirements. Nevertheless, the city is blooming, yet cautious at the same time. Bob & Tess have enjoyed dinner with friends at one of their favorite restaurants (GW Fins) as well as the occasional cocktail hour at some of their favorite local bars. They've observed the new norms and made notes of it for upcoming Naughty Events.
Although this Summer hasn't been what Bob & Tess would deem as their "normal," it has been a very pivotal season so far in many ways. They are ready to embrace the changes that lie ahead, but also ready to make this new normal feel even better than the old normal.
