The Krewe of Yuga was the first gay Carnival
krewe in
New Orleans, founded in 1958 by members of the gay community. Costumed parties to view the
Krewe of Carrollton parade in Uptown were transformed into a krewe with a Queen reigning over the festivities, a ball captain, and sometimes a King. Emulating the format established by traditional Carnival krewes and their courts, such as the
Krewe of Proteus and the
Mystick Krewe of Comus
The Mistick Krewe of Comus, founded in 1856, is a New Orleans, Louisiana, Carnival Krewe. It is the oldest continuous organization of New Orleans Mardi Gras festivities.
Before Comus was organized, Carnival celebrations in New Orleans were mostly ...
, the Krewe of Yuga also declared itself a royal krewe with its Yuga Regina. The queen was always a gay man in drag and these celebrations mark a significant point in the history of the city. The Krewe is referenced in the 2010 documentary ''
The Sons of Tennessee Williams''.
Homosexuality was against the law at the time, so the tableau balls of the Krewe of Yuga were always clandestine, hidden away, and known only to those invited to participate in the festivities. Due to a police raid in 1962, the krewe dissolved. However, the template for other gay krewes had been set in place, and the
Krewe of Petronius, along with the
Krewe of Amon-Ra, the
Krewe of Ganymede, and the
Krewe of Armeinius, boldly continued to declare themselves, albeit always behind closed doors, as a royal krewe.
[ Smith, Howard Philips, ''Unveiling the Muse: The Lost History of Gay Carnival in New Orleans'', 2017, (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, pp. 2-12).]
References
{{reflist
Mardi Gras in New Orleans