Whose ghost is more likely to pinch a bar patron’s booty: Truman Capote or Tennessee Williams? #SpookySeason is nigh on the balcony of the oldest—and possibly most haunted—gay bar in America*, and this casual debate is unfolding over the notoriously strong Bloody Maries of Cafe Lafitte in Exile, said to be the final drinking place of both literary legends.
Neither Capote nor Williams’ incorporeal forms have ever been documented playing grab-ass, for the record. That dubious spectral accomplishment belongs to “Mr. Bubbly,” a cheeky spirit who’s allegedly been pinching patrons for decades in New Orleans’ most famous gay safe space. With Halloween nearing and preparations for the spookiest party of the year underway, however, debating which writer could be Bubbly is fair game.
Despite being one of the most interesting pieces of living queer history in the USA, it’s easy to blow right past Cafe Lafitte’s in Exile. Perched on the corner of Bourbon and Dumaine streets, its concrete name placard blends into a well-shaded white facade. There’s usually a phalanx of bubbles parading from a machine on the tavern’s outdoor balcony and a modest folding sign near the front door identifying it as a “GAY BAR!” in rainbow chalk handwriting. Otherwise, little more than some hanging ferns draw the eye. This is rare on Bourbon Street, where businesses employ an orgy of neon, oversized banners, throbbing music, and hired barkers to lure hoards of dazed, boozed-up tourists indoors.