Cavaliers Show They're "Proud To Be"!

The Cavaliers Motorcycle Club was presented with a first place award for the riding group category by the grand marshalls of the New Orleans Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, October 6.

The award was presented just before the evening parade rolled, recognizing excellence in the "Carriage, Car or Truck" category (and, presumably, "Motorcycle.") Cavaliers founding members Michael Ducote and Doug Minich created the club's winning parade decorations and accepted the award on behalf of the club.

Parade organizers also gave the Cavaliers the proud honor of leading this year's pride parade through the streets of the French Quarter. The Cavaliers especially thank Larry Bagneris for all of his assistance.

This was the club's second appearance in the annual New Orleans Gay Pride Parade. This year the group presented 18 members and friends on a dozen bikes, mirroring the diversity in our community and its supporters. The variety of participants included 12 gay men, two lesbians, one drag queen, a leather titleholder, and a supportive straight couple from Mississippi. The motorcycles were just as diverse as the riders on them, including touring bikes, cruisers, and sport bikes from Harley, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha.

The honor of leading the Cavaliers in the parade was given to Rider of the Year Poncho LaPerle and Cavalier of the Year Doug Minich. Six of the bikes were decorated individually in the six colors of the rainbow. Three more bikes were decorated in all of the colors of the rainbow. Two of the bikes wore black and silver, the official colors of the Cavaliers. And Cavaliers founder David Lester and his partner Michael Wheeler brought up the rear with a fantasia of rainbow colors, gay pride and leather pride flags, streamers, pinwheels and the banner of the Cavaliers Motorcycle Club festooning the back of their Honda Gold Wing. The Cavaliers were proud to have Mr. Louisana Leather 2004 Timm Lott riding immediately behind the group in the club's official support Jeep.

The dozen bikes led the way for the parade, immediately behind the lead police car, roaring their engines and blaring their horns to announce that the festive pride procession had arrived. Locals and tourists came out of bars, shops, restaurants, and hotels and stood cheering on the sidewalk as the club roared past. The group was followed by a traditional New Orleans brass marching band and dozens of proud contingents on foot, carriages, cars, and floats through the streets of the French Quarter, celebrating this year's theme, "Proud To Be."