Salem (they/them), who is a non-binary pansexual pagan, was born and raised on the northshore. Paganism resonates with them because “at its core it’s about worshiping the earth and the world around us for the gifts it provides.” They love all things crafting (including cross stitching, resin projects, painting, and some hand sewing) especially when they are creating something for other people, and music (their favorite bands are Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills and Bad Omens).
Read MoreMartie (She/her) is a lesbian from New Orleans who moved to the Northshore 5 years ago to be with her wife. She is a massage therapist who specializes in working with special populations including people with disabilities, pregnant women and children with autism. Some kids with autism have sensory issues but Martie has trained her dachshunds to help with that by teaching the children to “massage” the dogs while she massages them. Her super helpful pups also assist clients with anxiety by lying on them (her clients find the weight and compression of the dogs relaxing).
Read MoreJohn (he/they), is the pansexual owner of McNabb games in his home town of Bogalusa. He creates his own games, fantasy-themed art and instrumental ambient music for a living and even has his own publishing company! Agreeing to be highlighted in our membership spotlight wasn’t an easy decision for John. He’s known since he was a young man that he was attracted to all gender expressions but he grew up in an ultra conservative physically and emotionally abusive Baptist/Pentecostal family where it was not safe to be openly queer.
Read MorePam (she/her) is a lesbian who’s been on the Northshore for 17 years. She’s a social butterfly and phenomenal host who enjoys insanely large bonfires, hanging out by the pool, a good happy hour and restoring antique furniture. She’s a massive animal lover with 5 cats, 4 wiener pups, 2 miniature horses and a donkey, all of which are rescues. Pam loves our queer community because she enjoys “meeting like minded people who value people for who they are.”
Read MoreShannon Williams, (he/him) is a super-talented gay Northshore native with his own production company. He likes hiking, karaoke and weekend road trips but above all Shannon is a man of the theatre. He’s a professional actor, writer and teacher and although he’s from the Northshore, he’s lived all over the world, including London where he performed at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre! Shannon is currently back in Louisiana caring for his parents while working towards his dream of owning his own theatre company.
Read MoreKristen Luchsinger (she/her), is one of Queer Northshore’s fiercest allies. Kristen with husband Mike and QNS member Erica Radosta built our Push-Mow float all by themselves and paid for it almost entirely out of their own pockets! Kristen, like Batman, can be found wherever injustices are happening in our community. She is a board member of the St. Tammany Parish Alliance, she campaigned for Katie Darling, she participates in loads of QNS events and is an active supporter of women’s rights and the BLM movement.
Read MoreMeg (she/her), who is an asexual poly-romantic heteroflexible trans woman (say that 10 times fast!), works at JoAnn's Fabric and Crafts, teaches piano and manages a small farm with beef cows and free range chickens. Although she doesn’t currently live on the Northshore, she grew up in Washington Parish and recommends Glynn's Drive-In in Bogalusa if you’re ever in that area. Meg’s passions are quilting, baking, playing “bawdy New Orleans songs” on the piano and musicals (“Annie Get Your Gun” is her favorite).
Read MoreJeff Sims (he/him) is a vocal ally, Pastor of Covington Presbyterian Church, and a really interesting guy. By all accounts he shouldn’t be the person who he is today. He grew up in Talladega, Alabama, a town roughly the size of Mandeville, at a time when segregation was very much a part of daily life. He started to realize just how much racism permeated every aspect of his life in 5th grade when he asked if his best friend George could spend the night. Jeff’s parents knew about George but Jeff never thought to mention the fact that he was black.
Read MoreLeyla (she/her) is a culturally Muslim queer teacher and photographer who moved to the Northshore in the 80’s. A self-described nerd who loves traveling and Star Wars, Leyla is incredibly unique in many respects. For one, she’s the half Iranian/half French Canadian daughter of liberal parents on the Northshore. She has her Master’s of Education degree but chooses to homeschool her children because she believes the “entire system of American education needs to be thrown out and rebuilt.”
Read MoreClovis (he/him), who is originally from Jamaica and identifies as a gay man, has been on the northshore for one year. He came here via Australia when he was recruited by Tulane University’s primate center to research ways to fight infections, obesity and aging. He loves gardening, watching sports and our queer community which he says is “very welcoming.”
Read MoreRambo (she/they) has lived on the northshore for 25 years. She’s a disabled pharmacy technician who has also worked as a bartender at the Renaissance Fair and as an extra for TV shows like NCIS New Orleans. For fun she likes playing video games (her favorite is Stardew Valley), drawing (especially anime, still lifes and her cat Gumbo) and cosplay.
Read MoreJeremy JF Thompson (he/they) is the polyamorous pansexual nonbinary co-founder of Queer Northshore and a board member of the St. Tammany Library Alliance. They also have some kind of regular job they get paid for 🤷 but more importantly, Jeremy, is my best friend. Here are some fun facts you probably don’t know about them:
Read MoreAngie Brown (she/her) is a lesbian Louisiana native who returned two years ago after 30 years of being away. She has a lot of passions including football, cooking, writing lesbian fan fiction and the singer Pink who she’s seen eight times live. Angie loves nature, water and animals(she has three rescue cats who she raises with best friend Wendy Eveland) and will never pass up an opportunity to learn something new.
Read MoreMarc (any pronoun), is a queer non-binary Associate Professor of Sociology and Humanities and the advisor for the Lavender Lions, SLU’s campus LGBTQIA+ group, but you might know them as the fabulous Tuffy Love, the drag queen with the trademark purple hair who has performed at Oz, the Allways Lounge, and the Hideaway.
Read MoreLeroy (he/him) moved to Albany less than a year ago to be with his fiancée Harley Bourgeois. He’s an accountant for Access Louisiana, a non-profit that offers family medicine and behavioral health services in St. Tammany and Tangipahoa Parishes, and a huge “gaymer” who loves video and tabletop games and puzzles.
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