We get spooky on today’s episode. From haunted bars to a deadly lovers quarrel we tell the mysteries of unrequited love. Then we travel across the ocean to the castle of horrors of the Blood Countess. All the gore and queerness your heart desires is in mixed together in this cauldron of an episode. And because we do get dark, we must warn you BEWARE! Seriously though – trigger warning. Listen at your own risk. Today we dive into the realm of the unknown. The mystery of the supernatural and specifically the supernaturally fabulous. We’re discussing Queer Hauntings. And because almost all of our information is from one book, we want to credit the author up front. Ken Summers, author of the book Queer Hauntings; True Tales of Gay and Lesbian Ghosts. The book is available on Amazon, with a Kindle edition for only $3.00. Or you can get the Audible version for just under $8.00. And if you don’t have an audible account we’ve got you covered. Your first month is on us just go to https://audibletrial.com/queer, and not only do you get a free audio book but you also support us. But now let us take on a journey of terror across America and around the world. We will cover 3 stories, two in the states and one abroad. And we must add a trigger warning, the stories only get bloodier and more horrific as we go. So strap in homos! Our first stop is a place known world-wide for both it’s queerness and it’s hauntings – New Orleans, Louisiana. Any person who enters the city limits of New Orleans is bound to make an acquaintance with at least a few queers and ghosts. And what better way to do so than at the oldest gay bar in the country – some say even the world – Cafe LaFitte in Exile. Located in the notorious French Quarter at 901 Bourbon Street, the cafe lies in a structure built back in 1772. As one of the oldest standing buildings in New Orleans it is no wonder ghosts feel comfortable here. The original cafe was opened 1926 just a few doors down in the former blacksmith of infamous pirate Jean Lafitte. Lafitte was a scoundrel in every sense, though he temporarily redeemed himself during the War of 1812. When he saved the Louisiana city during the battle of New Orleans.  After bravely fighting to keep British troops from re-taking control of the colonies, Lafitte was granted immunity for his privateering ways by General Andrew Jackson. He was even granted a plot of land, though he would have to leave his beloved New Orleans. Instead the pirate relocated to Galveston, Texas where he built his own town boasting around 1,000 people. However, a pirate is always a pirate and eventually LaFitte again fell on bad terms with the American Government. In 1820 he was exiled from Galveston, and as revenge Lafitte boarded his favorite ship The Pride, and burned his town to the ground. He spent the rest of his life on the high seas dying just a few years later. But it was his former blacksmith shop in downtown New Orleans which was converted into a bar in 1936 and ran by a woman named Mary Collins. We know almost nothing about Mary except that she was a proud lesbian and her open pride made the space a safe one for queer individuals. By the end of the 1930’s Cafe Lafitte was a thriving place of queer expression, though of course only on the inside. As time wore on the notoriety of the gay bar grew until finally the landlord could no longer deny the cafe for it’s true identity. So in 1953, after 16 years in Jean LaFitte’s blacksmith shop, the landlord refused to renew the bars lease. Undeterred, new manager Tom Caplinger simply walked down Bourbon Street a few blocks and found a new residence. Which he named “Cafe LaFitte in Exile” as homage to Captain LaFitte’s exile from Galveston, Texas. Before he fled on The Pride.