Three of New Orleans' most storied gay bars have stopped hosting walk-in HIV testing after their parent company imposed a new rule requiring management approval before outside groups can operate inside. Good Friends, Café Lafitte in Exile and Rawhide Lounge, all owned by Wood Enterprises, had hosted CrescentCare's testing services at community sites for decades, and the nonprofit says the change caught them off guard.
CrescentCare said it was disappointed that its testing services would no longer be permitted at Wood Enterprises locations, according to WDSU. The organization said its partnership with the bars had helped make testing available where people live, gather and connect, and it described the policy shift as unexpected. CrescentCare typically works with host locations to confirm permission, access, availability, procedures and logistics before providing services, per the outlet's reporting.
Wood Enterprises shared its new policy in a statement posted to Good Friends' Facebook page, saying the rule requires management approval for anyone entering its establishments for a reason other than being an employee or customer. The company said it supports HIV testing and other preventive health care in the community and is not against HIV testing or proactive health care for individuals, framing the policy as one intended to protect customers and employees rather than target any particular group, the station reported.
A Leaked Text Draws Backlash
The dispute escalated after a text exchange between Wood Enterprises representative Anne Breaud and a bartender who has since quit was posted to social media. In the exchange, the bartender asked whether CrescentCare was included in the new approval requirement, and Breaud reportedly replied, “especially them,” according to WDSU's reporting. The remark drew criticism from people who viewed it as dismissive of CrescentCare and its work, fueling broader anger among New Orleans' LGBTQ+ community over the decision to end testing.
Breaud later said CrescentCare was not banned from the locations, but that the organization simply needs management approval like any outside group, per the same report. CrescentCare, for its part, said it remains open to discussing restoring the partnership with Wood Enterprises and has invited other organizations to host testing events in the meantime.
A Four-Decade Testing Legacy Under Strain
CrescentCare traces its roots to 1983, when it began as the NO/AIDS Task Force, a volunteer-run telephone hotline formed in response to the emerging HIV/AIDS crisis, according to CrescentCare. The organization became a Federally Qualified Health Center in 2014 and now serves more than 13,500 healthcare clients annually. It also prescribes an estimated 34% of all PrEP prescriptions statewide, making it a central hub for HIV prevention in Louisiana.
That outreach model leans heavily on mobile testing units designed to reach people in nontraditional venues and hours, an approach the organization says helps overcome stigma that keeps people away from clinic walk-ins, per the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. CrescentCare's clinic-based testing continues at its Elysian Fields Avenue and Canal Street facilities even as the bar-based program contracts. CrescentCare said it remains committed to testing and providing medical care and treatment, stating plainly, “We are still here. We are still testing and providing medical care and treatment. And we are still doing the work.”
Why Bar-Based Testing Still Matters in New Orleans
The stakes behind that outreach model are stark. State health data says that among statewide new HIV diagnoses with a reported risk factor, 59% were identified as gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men, while another 3% were identified as both GBM and people who inject drugs, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The metro area ranked 6th highest nationally among major U.S. metros for HIV diagnosis rates that year, recording 23.1 new diagnoses per 100,000 residents.
A New Orleans Health Department report released in February 2025 also flagged a sharp rise in new HIV diagnoses among teenagers aged 15 to 19, prompting city officials to call for expanded community-based testing and prevention. Low-barrier testing remains an important part of local HIV prevention efforts.
Community Response and a History of Friction
Local nightlife venue The Phoenix Bar publicly offered its space to host CrescentCare's mobile testing teams after news of the policy change spread, according to a post from Dr. Tuffy Love Andrews on Facebook. CrescentCare said it is open to partnering with additional organizations, and the offer gives the nonprofit at least one immediate alternative as it works to preserve accessible testing in the neighborhood.
The episode is not the first time Wood Enterprises owner Thomas G. Wood has clashed with the community he serves. In 2019, Wood faced a boycott tied to code enforcement disputes involving rival gay bars, a controversy that spawned the local slogan “Stay Out of the Woods,” according to Ambush Magazine. Café Lafitte in Exile, one of the three affected bars, opened in 1933 and is recognized as the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the United States, a detail that has added to the sense of cultural stakes surrounding the dispute, per Wikipedia. The three affected bars are French Quarter gay bars, adding to the cultural stakes of the dispute.
