It is the true story of Gisele “Gigi”Carrinton(1928-2008), who had the infamous nightclub in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the late 60s to the early
80s. It was an era of emerging gay culture and rights. Gigi’s Parisian style nightclub was wildly popular amongst gay and straight people from Houston to New Orleans. Gigi implemented a system of pink membership cards to protect her gay clientele, who ofte
n lost families and their jobs. Everybody wanted to see Gigi’s live cabaret shows which included three regular drag queens, Miss Marie, Miss Doo, and Miss Fancy Fontenot, who did fun campy shows. Gigi’s hired the handsome bartender, Clarence Dupuis. She took him into her home after he was abandoned by his family. Clarence was good for business as he made the gay boys fall off their bar stools in ecstasy and protected Chez Gisele from gangs of hoodlums that attacked the
club. Gigi was the object of personal harassment by a local bigot, Pogey Moity. He used his conservative newspaper column and Sunday afternoon TV show to slander Gigi calling her a French
w***e and put her picture on the front page of the newspaper. He attempted to permanently close the club. The negative publicity backfired on Pogey Moity. Chez Gisele’s business tripled
with the free publicity. Also at the time, former Governor of Louisiana, Edwin Edwards, made a statement to the press before an election: “The only way I could lose this election is if I was caught in bed with a dead girl or a male pr******te from Chez Gisele.” Again, Pogey Moity
slandered Governor Edwards accusing him of being gay and soliciting male pr******tes from Chez Gisele on his TV show. Governor Edwards found a way to humiliate and silence Pogey Moity. He publicly kissed Pogey Moity at a televised political rally. One fateful night turned the world of Chez Gisele upside down forever, when Clarence Dupuis was mysteriously murdered in the parking lot of the club. A murder that remains unsolved to this day. In the 80s, Gigi sold her club to a gay business man and the cabaret drag
shows continued, but Chez Gisele did not last long without Gigi. Everybody from the rich and famous to the poor and unknown came to the club because she was so beloved: Chez Gisele was
Gigi. Despite the circumstances of homophobia, bigotry and even murder, Gigi provided gay people with a fun safe haven to escape the persecution of their daily lives. She often entertained
her “boubous” with practical jokes, clowning, speaking French, and always giving unconditional
love to her chosen family. Gigi’s legacy of an attitude of unconditional love is still growing today.
