Deon Haywood, Leader in Struggle Against Louisiana's Crime Against Nature Statute, Named Queen of Krewe du Vieux

Deon Haywood, who has tirelessly led the successful struggle against Louisiana's so-called Crime Against Nature statute, has been named Queen of Krewe du Vieux, the raucous parade that signals the start of Mardi Gras parade season.

Haywood, who was also just named as one of the People Who Made a Difference in 2011 in the struggle against HIV and AIDS, is executive director of the organization Women With A Vision (WWAV). WWAV was cofounded by Haywood's mother and several other black women in 1991 as a response to the non-existence of HIV prevention resources for those women who were the most at risk: poor women, sex workers, women with substance abuse issues, and transgender women.

According to the official announcement from Krewe du Vieux and WWAV:

Wearing a V for Victory and an A for the Apocalypse in carnival colors the 2012 Parade this year is on Saturday, February 4, 2012 and the Krewe will be rolling and stumbling through the Marigny Triangle and the Lower French Quarter. This year’s theme is Crimes Against Nature, a tribute to WWAV’s internationally renowned work through our NO Justice project, and the 2012 Krewe du Vieux Queen is our very own Deon Haywood.

What is Krewe du Vieux? The Krewe du Vieux is a New Orleans Mardi Gras or Carnival krewe, originally and more fully known as the Krewe du Vieux Carre (“Vieux Carre” being another term for the city’s French Quarter). It is one of the earliest parades of the New Orleans Carnival calendar, and is noted for wild satirical and adult themes, as well as for showcasing some of the best Brass and Jazz Bands in New Orleans.

The Krewe will walk through the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny on Saturday, February 4 at 6:30pm. The Krewe du Vieux’s seventeen subkrewes will each present their own interpretations of the theme.

A portion of the proceeds from the parade's official afterparty, the Krewe du Vieux Doo, will donated to WWAV.