Fenuxe - Urban Pioneers

SOUTHERN WITH A GAY TWIST

15 V6-20

9

Ways to Rock Your Beard

Urban Pioneers +

PRIDE KICKBALL ATL: GET SEXY ON THE FIELD

photo by: Josh Hobgood

Contents

FENUXE

09

CALENDAR: 8 GREAT THINGS TO DO

10

OUT & ABOUT PHOTOS

20

MATTHEW MCKELLIGON: GOING IN FOR THE KILL

24

PRIDE KICKBALL ATL: GET SEXY ON THE FIELD

28

9 WAYS TO ROCK YOUR BEARD

30 38 40

09.11.2015

URBAN PIONEERS HEY GIRL HEY GAY NEWS AT A GLANCE

Scan the QR Code with your smart phone to like us on

23,334

LIKES

VISIT US ONLINE FENUXE.COM INFO@FENUXE.COM FOLLOW US ON

TWITTER.COM/FENUXEMAGAZINE

Page 30: urban pioneers PHOTO BY: JOSH HOBGOOD

Wednesday Nights at The Hideaway!

8:30pm Ruby Redd’s Birdcage Bingo Bring your friends and enjoy prizes, laughs, and scandalous pleasures!

Then, stay after the show and…

FENUXE

TM

TYLER CALKINS PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TYLER@FENUXE.COM

Mike Stone - PUBLISHING/PRODUCTION Dino Thompson-Sarmiento - SENIOR WRITER Peter Garnet - WRITER Mark Cook - FASHION PRODUCTION

11:00pm Karaoke with Tyler King …get those vocal chords warmed up because it’s time for karaoke! We’ll be serving $3 well drinks until 3 a.m.

1544 Piedmont Avenue • Atlanta, Georgia 30324 • (404) 874-8247

ATLANTA MARKETING

Jeff Anderson | 404.835.2016 - Sales Manager Andrea Dwyer - Sales

NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 sales@rivendellmedia.com

To advertise, please call 404.835.2016 email info@fenuxe.com or visit www.fenuxe.com

Visit us on the web at atlantahideaway.com • Ansley Mall behind Publix

Published by TW Media Group © 2015 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 1599-A Memorial Drive, Atlanta GA, 30317 Phone: 404.835.2016 | Fax: 404.835.2356 Opinions and claims made by advertisers are those of the advertisers only.

Fenuxe accepts no liability for any claims made by advertisers. The views and opinions expressed in this issue are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of TW Media Group.

Fenuxe is proud to support:

COVER BY JOSH HOBGOOD

Love! Art! Revolution! A passionate young director fights for the future of his art while competing with a famous novelist for the affections of a beautiful young actress. This award-winning play by Aaron Posner, hilariously smashes the absolute F*ck out of Anton Chekhov’s classic “The Seagull.” For tickets visit www.actors-express.com

Pride School Atlanta is hosting this tour as a fundraiser for The Trevor Project’s social networking community, trevorspace, for LGBTQ youth.

Bill Konigsberg, an awardwinning author, will be talking about preventing teen suicide.

This event is for ages 13 and up at 1911 Cliff Valley Way NE, Atlanta, GA 30329. For more information contact Christian at prideschoolatl@gmail.com or www.prideschoolatlanta.org.

JapanFest Japanese drumming, dance, martial arts, kimonos, bonsai,food, beer, and teas.

Japanfest is being held at the Infinite Energy Center Gwinnett Center) for tickets, more info and event schedule visit wwww.japanfest.org

FUN SEPT 19

SEPT 19

September 19th and 20th, 10am-5pm

SEPT 18

CAMP BLOOD THE TREVOR PROJECT OPENS AWARENESS TOUR Celebrating its 25th year,

FESTIVAL

JAPANFEST

BOOKS

MARIETTA STREETFEST September 19th 9-5PM & September 20th 11-5PM Shop for arts and crafts, hear grassroots music, see the rich history of Marietta & tour any one of four registered historic districts, visit museums, or shop the unique stores and boutiques. The local restaurants cater to all tastes and styles, outdoor café seating is available. Stop by the Marietta Museum of History, admission is free all weekend.

camp blood opens for the Fall 2015 season. Why wait ‘till Halloween? Camp Blood offers four spooktacular haunts, a little terror mixed with horror and an occasional sense of humor. There is also a zombie paintball shoot. Camp blood is open Thursdays-Saturdays starting September 17th through October 31st. Visit www.campblood.com for more info, tickets and calendar of special event.

SEPT 24 05.03.15

STUPID F*CKING BIRD OPENS @ ACTORS EXPRESS

CHARITY

FUN CHARITY

ANIME WEEKEND ATLANTA September 24th-27th

Anime Weekend Atlanta has panels and workshops, games and videos, costume play special guest stars, a dealer’s room, art show, and redcarpet ball at Cobb Galleria Center. For Schedule of Events, tickets host hotels and more information, please visit www.awa-con.com

FESTIVAL

MIDTOWN MUSIC FESTIVAL The summer’s biggest music festival get’s ready to rock the park with a stellar line up this year that can’t be missed.

Elton John, Drake, Van Halen, Sam Smith, Run The Jewels, Billy Idol, Panic At The Disco, Jenny Lewis, Tove Lo, August Alsina, Vance Joy, Metric, Icona Pop, The Airborne Toxic Event, Kodaline, Catfish And The Bottlemen + 10 more great bands. For the complete line up, schedule and tickets visit www.musicmidtown.com AUG 21-28

Photo By: BreeAnne Clowdus

SEPT 14

SEPT 12

THEATER

SEPT 4-6

WANT YOUR EVENT FEATURED? SEND IT TO US AT INFO@FENUXE.COM

CALENDAR

MUSIC

ATLANTA GREEK FESTIVAL September 24th-27th Food, fun and Opa! Enjoy the music, dance, foods, and traditions of Greece at the Atlanta Greek Festival at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 2500 Clairmont Road N.E. For hours, events, info and tickets visit www. atlantagreekfestival.org.

FENUXE.COM : 09

OUT & ABOUT

10: September 11, 2015

PHOTOS

FASHION CARES BENEFITING AID ATLANTA PHOTOS BY: SHER PRUITT

SEPT

PLUS! AVNER DORMAN’S sensual Spices, Perfumes, Toxins!

LGBT NIGHT

Robert Spano conductor

Thomas Sherwood percussion

Charles Settle percussion

Presented by:

24 $40!

Includes concert ticket + postconcert reception with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Musicians @ Table 1280 Lounge TICKETS

404.733.4848

OUT & ABOUT

12: September 11, 2015

PHOTOS

MY SISTER’S ROOM ANNIVERSARY PHOTOS BY: SHER PRUITT

OUT & ABOUT

14: September 11, 2015

PHOTOS

BEER BUST @ JOES ON JUNIPER BENEFITING AIDS WALK PHOTOS BY: SHER PRUITT

ticKets aS low

aS

$15

Two Chicago policemen push their moral boundaries to the breaking point in this scorching, edge-of-your-seat drama.

Sept. 18–Oct. 11 | Tickets as low as $15 @ 404.733.5000

By Keith huff DireCTeD By Jeff Perry of ABC-TV’s Scandal

Director Jeff Perry

alliancetheatre.org/rain | Groups 404.733.4690 Season Tickets @ 404.733.4600 FENUXE.COM : 15

OUT & ABOUT

16: September 11, 2015

PHOTOS

PARTY @ BULLDOGS PHOTOS BY: SHER PRUITT

OUR PAST OUR PRESENT

2000’S

ATLANTA PRIDE FESTIVAL OCTOBER 10-11, 2015 | PIEDMONT PARK #OUR FLAGOUR STORY LEARN MORE ABOUT ATLANTA PRIDE THROUGH THE DECADES AT ATLANTAPRIDE.ORG

OUT & ABOUT

18: September 11, 2015

PHOTOS

UNITY BBQ @ PIEDMONT PARK PHOTOS BY: SHER PRUITT

I KNOW

REAL ESTATE And I am here to help !!!

Your House Here

SOLD

Buyers are competing for a limited number of homes, townhomes and condos. Have you been waiting for just the right opportunity to sell? I will list your home and do the hard work for you. I do everything I can to ensure your home sells quickly and for fair market value. Call me today and I’ll put my team to work for you!!!

J Brian Crawford Associate Broker, Realtor , ABR ®

®

mobile 404.643.4577 brian@atlantahomespecialists.com

www.atlantahomespecialists.com

Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta

Looking for a Career in Real Estate? We’re seeking talented individuals to join our growing team. Contact us at: info@atlantahomespecialists.com FENUXE.COM : 19

INTERVIEW BY: MARK ELI

GOING IN FOR THE KILL Matthew McKelligon Is On The Prowl In Atlanta

Matthew McKelligon is one to look out for this fall, igniting both the big and small screens in two new theatrical productions.

In the horror film comedy, You’re Killing Me, showing at Atlanta’s Out on Film on October 3rd, he plays Joe, a horrifically likeable serial killer. Meanwhile, in the second season of Vimeo’s award-winning series, EastSiders, he returns as Jeremy, the man responsible for shaking Cal and Thom’s relationship into a tailspin of infidelity.

Joe and Jeremy are highly dysfunctional, sinister characters, but Matthew plays them both with such endearing charm, fans can’t help but love him. Or, maybe it’s those deep brown puppy dog eyes of his.

Judge for yourself when Matthew 20: September 11, 2015

McKelligon comes to town for the Atlanta premiere of You’re Killing Me. Be warned… he’s a real man killer.

leave the city feeling like I’m carrying triplets. And of course, I can’t go to Hotlanta without checking out a gay bar or four.

Will this really be your first time to Atlanta?

Matthew: Indeed! I’ve been meaning to come here for years. Apart from New Orleans and Birmingham, I’ve never been anywhere else in the South.

Are you excited to premiere You’re Killing Me in Atlanta?

I’m especially excited to premiere it here since my co-star (Jeffery Self) is a homegrown Georgia peach himself.

We know you’re here for business, but will you have time for any fun?

Given my architecture degree and affinity for urban development, I’d really like to check out the BeltLine project, because I’m a nerd like that. I also plan to eat. Seriously! I’m a huge foodie and I want to

How has the response been?

We’ve been more than pleased, especially since it’s a film spanning several genres: horror, comedy and romance. Sometimes people don’t feel comfortable with films that they can’t put into a defined box. A lot of people have come up to me saying that they felt so conflicted liking me in the film.

You play a serial killer! What was

that like?

I have an unhealthy obsession with serial killers. I know a lot of morbid details about serial killers you’ve probably never even heard of. So with that said, if I admitted to you that I visited some dumping sites of actual serial killers in Los Angeles, you would probably tell me that I over-prepared for the role. Moreover, my costars knew this and tended to keep their distance from me on set.

I fell in love with you in EastSiders but after seeing you in You’re Killing Me, I wouldn’t date you.

At least someone’s finally being honest with me. Now I know

“I have an unhealthy obsession with serial killers. I know a lot of morbid details about serial killers ” why no one is getting back to me on Tinder.

Speaking of EastSiders, the second season just came out.

What the heck happened to Jeremy?

Jeremy’s in a tough place, which, ironically, is a soft, warm place in his underwear on his sister’s sofa lined with containers of vanilla ice cream, empty IPA bottles and a lot of weed.

Did he lose his mind?

He’s hit rock bottom but won’t really admit it. To be fair, though, everyone on the show is crazy in their own dysfunctional way.

matthew McKelligon

I suppose Jeremy had it coming to him. He did

come between Cal and Thom in season one. That wasn’t very nice, Matthew!

Well, didn’t Cal and Thom let him come between them, too? I definitely think everyone needs to take responsibility for their own actions. So yes, Jeremy had it coming to him. Sometimes we have to make mistakes over and over and over again to learn our lessons.

Do you enjoy playing these complicated, multi-layered characters?

As someone who’s continually told, “You’re a hard person to read”, I would emphatically say yes. I feel pretty paralyzed by indecision at times and I would probably say that it’s a result of having too many irons in the fire. I make up my mind very slowly on most matters. If I develop a cough I have to read about every malady online that lists coughing amongst its symptoms. I guess you could say that embodying complicated characters makes my own life a little less complicated.

If you had to choose between dating Jeremy and Joe, whom would you pick?

It’s a turn-off if a guy on a date is too polished. I like a little chaos. So Jeremy.

Gotta ask: are you single and looking?

Yes, Mother, I still am.

What something your fans would be surprised to learn about you?

I was one of the first tourists that went to Chernobyl after it was deemed safe to go without a protective suit. If you get too close to me, I might take a few years off of your life.

That’s a great line to use when you dump a guy.

I know it.

22: September 11, 2015

For More Info Visit MatthewMcKelligon.com.

Pr World

emiere

From California to China, Tiger Style! embraces the inner slacker and the outer tiger parent in all of us.

By Bike AmericA Playwright Mike Lew

t ic k e t S

DirecteD By tony awarD® nominee Moritz Von StueLpnageL

aS Low

aS

$ 20

Sept. 30–Oct. 18 | Tickets @ 404.733.5000 alliancetheatre.org/tigerstyle | Groups 404.733.4690 | Season Tickets @ 404.733.4600

New Townhome Designs!

Towns at Druid Hills

Towns at Breton Ridge

Townhomes From the $470’s

Townhomes From the $350’s

For more information, please call Bakari Maxwell or Tarecia Johnson at 770.500.8635.

For more information, please call Heather Isaac at 678.627.0772.

Limited Time Only! Purchase a New Home and Receive:

15,000 Use How You

$

Choose!

6,500 Toward Closing Costs!

– PLUS –

UP TO

$

– PLUS –

Waived 1% Origination Fee Through RMC Mortgage® (1% of Mortgage Amount)

In the Atlanta division, the Towns at Druid Hills and Towns at Breton Ridge communities only, homebuyers for to-be built homes on accepted purchase agreements signed between September 1, 2015 and September 30, 2015 are eligible to receive $15,000 to use how they choose; can be used towards MyStyle® Design Center Options and/or closing costs when using RMC Mortgage® and/or lot premiums. Buyer also eligible to receive up to $6,500 in Closing Costs. Closing cost assistance available from Ryland Homes to those financing through RMC Mortgage® Corporation and closing with a closing attorney selected by Ryland. Amount of closing cost assistance may vary by product and community, and is subject to applicable contribution limitations. For all financing promotions, see a RMC Mortgage® Corporation Loan Officer for details. Buyers financing through RMC Mortgage® Corporation and who complete a loan application by September 30, 2015 on above promotion are also are eligible to receive waived 1% Origination Fee (value amount is 1% of mortgage amount). RMC Mortgage® Corporation may withdraw this offer and change without notice. Please contact a RMC Mortgage® Corporation Loan Officer for details. RMC Mortgage® Corporation is located at 1000 Mansell Exchange West, Suite 200, Alpharetta, GA 30022 and is a Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, license number 24225 and NMLS number 203897. Prices, plans and specifications are subject to change without notice. Photographs are for illustrative purposes only. Towns at Druid Hills and Towns at Breton Ridge promotion may not be combined with any other promotion or incentives. Information shown believed to be accurate but not warranted. See a Sales Counselor for details on available promotions, restrictions and offer limitations. © 2015 The Ryland Group, Inc. RA1778

FENUXE.COM : 23

Feb. 13–

COMMUNITY

BY: DINO THOMPSON-SARMIENTO

PRIDE KICKBALL ATLANTA : Get Sexy On The Field The PRIDE Kickball League continues to grow in Atlanta and we have a few slots open so hurry and sign up today!

Atlanta has long been known as the gay capital of the South, and it’s no secret that LGBT residents of the ATL are not afraid to show their PRIDE. In fact, this October will mark the 45th year that LGBT Atlanta folk and our supporters will take to the streets to celebrate our community and all of the fabulousness we embody at PRIDE 2015. So, when the owners of Go Kickball decided it was time to create a PRIDE division, there was only one city considered to act as host to the flagship group of PRIDE players. This fall, Go Kickball is proud to bring you its 5th season of PRIDE Kickball!

Go Kickball was started right here in Atlanta. In 2005, a group of friends decided that it would be a good idea to develop a social activity where grown-ups could relive a few childhood memories while breathing in the great outdoors‌ and maybe downing a few beers in the process.

Since its inception, Go Kickball has grown to a network of over 60,000 players in over 40 cities across the U.S. As the premier adult social experience, Go Kickball is an affordable and fun 24: September 11 2015

way to meet people and make new friends.

Best of all, Go Kickball is still growing at an incredible pace. PRIDE Kickball is following suit and growing just as rapidly.

PRIDE Kickball will feature multiple teams per league and eight week seasons. The registration fee includes a full season of playing (every Monday night for eight weeks), a team t-shirt (where you get to pick from a variety of styles including sexy muscle shirt, stylish T or brawny basic), and an end-of-season tournament and closing party. (End of season parties for league winners have included private pool parties at the W Downtown – You can’t beat that!) In addition, Blake’s on the Park, our bar sponsor will host post-game cocktail hours each week, including drink and food specials that are available ONLY for PRIDE Kickball team members. The Spotted Blue Agency is signing up team captains and free agent players – Contact us at 470-6587629 and we can help get your team started today.

PRIDE Kickball is now accepting registrations for the fall season and is open to anyone 21+ who is either LGBT or a proud supporter of the LGBT community. Registration information and other details can be found at http://www.gokickball. com/prideatlanta/ For all those players who were rained out during the spring season check your online membership - there are credits waiting for you equaling (up to) $18 off your fall registration. *The Atlanta PRIDE league plays on Monday nights at Piedmont Park. Check website for details. http://www.gokickball.com/prideatlanta/

FENUXE.COM : 25

YOU ARE INVITED TO

SIP & SHOP FOR A CAUSE

Come shop the latest collections by your favorite designers and help brighten the lives of Georgia’s chldren in need.

Start the weekend in style with signature cocktails and a live DJ set perfect for finding your new fall wardrobe. Plus, enjoy a 25 percent discount on select merchandise!

Ten percent of tracked sales will be donated to For the Kid in All of Us!

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25 6:30-8:30 P.M. BLOOMINGDALE’S LENOX SQUARE MALL RECEPTION IN MEN’S DEPARTMENT

SAVE THE DATE!

SATURDAY

RETURNS TO AMERICASMART 3

DEC. 12, 2015 forthekid.org

BEARDS

9 Ways to Rock Your Beard ...And What They Say About You

Experimentation is a part of becoming a man. I mean haven’t you ever wondered what it would feel like to have those coarse wiry hairs dangling all over your lips or to have that ultimate sexy symbol of manliness spread all over your face? Yes, growing a beard is a rite of passage for every man. But you should all know that whenever you decide to experiment with facial hair you are making a statement to the world, whether you realize it or not. kind of hand. Here are 9 different types of facial hair & what they each say about you.

THE Circle Beard What This Says About You: You like the idea of having facial hair, but you’re not really willing to commit completely to the idea.

You’re fairly middle of the road, might even be a little boring and there’s a good chance you at least dabble with the acoustic guitar.

THE Five O Clock Shadow What This Says About You: That you think you look rugged, but you think you’re too good looking to grow a full beard. You want people to think you’re a man without thinking that you’re Hillbilly Jim. Either that or perhaps you didn’t have time to shave this morning cause you were out at Blakes all night long.

The Horseshoe Mustache

The chinstrap

What This Says About You: You really, really want people to think you’re a badass. You probably own a motorcycle and you met your hubby during a bar brawl when he hit you with a bar stool.

What This Says About You: You want people to think that you’re sweet, sensitive, but still tough, a wounded bad boy with soul. Also, you really, really want early-90’s R&B to come back in a big way.

Photo Copyright: Getty Images

The Pencil Mustache What This Says About You: That you are kitschy as hell and you probably own a complete set of retro Buck Rogers collector cups. Oh, and that you’re still a “bachelor” even though you’re 58 years old and you live in Key West with your “roommate,” Ramon.

The Van Dyke What This Says About You: That you consider yourself an artist even though the only thing artistic about you is that beret you bought from the thrift store and your heroin addict boyfriend.

The Magnum P.I. What This Says About You: That you drive around in your convertible Corvette just so you get the chance to make eye contact with other men -– it doesn’t matter who, as long they have a penis and are ages 18-80. You probably own at least one gold medallion, which is good because you need something to cover your chest since you refuse to button your shirt past your sternum. Oh, and you desperately wish that it was still 1981.

Either that or you’re a cop.

28: September 11, 2015

The Soul Patch What This Says About You: That you think that you’re sensitive and a bit mysterious, but really you just look like the sort of dude who snaps at bad poetry and then breaks out his one anecdote about Andy Cohen that he uses every time he meets a vulnerable looking twink at the store. You want people to think that you’re cooler than cool, more progressive than progress itself and that you really, really care, man.

The Full Beard What This Says About You: You are full of wisdom - at least you want people to think of you like that. In most cases, we associate this style with religion, such as Jesus or Moses. We put a huge amount of historical weight on this style. Although this is what we could consider an ‘older’ style, many men are sporting this look. To sum it up, this full, ‘older’ style will make people think of you as being a ‘scholarly’ type — or wise.

INTERVIEW Photography By: Josh Hobgood

30: September 11, 2015

URBAN PIONEERS Julio Gabriel Speigner-Rocha & his partner Erik King Speigner-Rocha live in a house nestled just south of Grant Park. They were married there last November and have been transforming their home into a sustainable urban farm complete with a huge veggie garden, chickens, goats, bunnies, fish and dogs.

We caught up with them right before they left to go to Southern Decadence in New Orleans.

FENUXE: So, lets start by each of you telling me a little bit about yourself.

JULIO: Well, I’m a U.S. Navy veteran from Virginia beach Va. I did 4 years active duty as an IT with a top secret security clearance on the Uss Carr ffg-52. I was trained at Blackwater to do no-compliant boardings while deployed off the coast of west Africa in 2005. All of this was during Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, so it was definitely a crazy time to be gay and in the military. Several of my close friends on my ship were discharged because they were gay.

There was a kind of fact-finding witch hunt that always went on. You always had to be hiding, watch what you say and pretend to be something your not.

The military definitely changed me...I wouldn’t change that experience for anything. I got to see the world and I got out of a small hometown where everyone around me was already getting into trouble and going nowhere.

The navy saved my life. I wouldn’t be successful or where I am today without the life lessons that taught me about commitment, integrity, and perseverance while serving as a petty officer in the navy. After my time in the Navy

I eventually followed my passion and went to hair school and ended up moving here. I’m currently a stylist at Adore Studios off on North Highland Ave just south of little five points.

ERIK: I’m from Thomasville, GA and moved to Atlanta in 2006. I’m a Creative Design Educator for Moroccan Oil and I’m also a stylist and work at Mint Salon in Midtown.

FENUXE: How did you both end up living in Atlanta?

ERIK: I moved here to go to the Paul Mitchell Hair School.

JULIO: I also went to Paul Mitchell, but in Miami. So, when I moved back home to Virginia I was ready for a change. So, I packed my bags, loaded up the car and moved down here just 3 weeks after deciding to get out of Virginia. I didn’t have any friends or family here, but just felt like Atlanta was calling.

FENUXE: How did you meet?

JULIO: We first met as most people do ... at Blakes! We never really hung out outside of a bar or social situation until we started flirtatiously chatting online years later.

FENUXE: When did you guys know that you both wanted to get married?

JULIO: Not to sound totally cheesy but after our first date I think we both were kinda freaked out about how different things felt right from the start. Our first date we left the confides of our midtown apartments and went exploring at the Atlanta zoo in Grant Park which ironically ended up being just steps away from where we bought our first house and got married. I guess you could say fate drew us to the east side.

Neither of us just wanted to be a rebound or dive-in head first into a relationship with FENUXE.COM : 31

our hearts clouded with passion. So, after some pretty intense few weeks of dating, and spending almost every day together, we took almost a month apart as a kind of cool down and regroup. After not seeing each other and not really knowing what would come of things, we decided to meet at Grindhouse for lunch and see where things were. After some teary, heartfelt conversation we both made a commitment to give “US” a chance. I think that was the moment when we both knew this scary thing called love was taking us off the deep end with no chance of return.

to marry us, but, they would obey the law and issue us our license if we could find our own minister. So, we had my best man Orlando Ramage ordained online and registered with the county! We drove up 2 days before our wedding with our moms and friend Omar Godwin as our witnesses. Proudly, on the steps of the church next to a sign that read “all welcome ...

Regardless ,” Orlando legally married us. We don’t celebrate October 30th as our wedding date; it was simply a day of formality.

The morning of our wedding, we were abruptly woken up at 3:30am by a man trying to kick in FENUXE: Aww, y’all are so cute together - and our front door and enter our residence. I had to I heard your wedding was amazing! Tell me all jump out of the bed butt-naked and run out into about it! the front yard with my hand gun. Talk about an eventful start... They say when everything ERIK: Well, we told our families that we had goes wrong on your wedding day it means the decided to get married on Thanksgiving almost marriage will last. But man, if anything bad a year before our November 1st backyard could happen, it did: Our tablecloths were never wedding. When we told our family we were still delivered, Our florist forgot to order or make our living in an apartment in midtown and wanted a flowers, The weather for our outdoor wedding kind of rustic country wedding. So, we reserved changed the day before from 65 and sunny a date (Nov 1) to have our wedding in an old to 38 degrees with 50 mile an hour sustained barn on a farm a few hours south of the city. winds. Erik and I had to get ready and shave But, we crazily ended up buying a house in the in the kitchen sink A few hours before the middle of planning a wedding and decided to wedding we ended up having to move all of our bust our butts to transform our concrete jungle furniture (couches, beds, etc) out of the house into a wedding venue for 150 people. so that we could move the wedding inside. We called everyone we knew to get heaters and JULIO: Keeping with our original plans of a rustic fire pits and everyone was wrapped in furs and barn wedding we set out to create our own blankets while all the girls in our wedding party dream wedding. While we were planning our had to endure the ceremony in their sleeveless, wedding, gay marriage was still not legal in most above the knee dresses. Because of the wind, states. But, on October 10th it became legal we couldn’t have any of our flowers or candles in North Carolina. So, we planned to make the because it was blowing everything away. The trip up to get our legal marriage license before craziness of every moment of that day will the wedding. We called the county clerks in forever be etched in my mind. But in spite of Murphy, NC (which was the closest place to all of the set backs, it was a beautifully intimate Atlanta where gay marriage was legal) to let evening with our closest friends and family who them know that we were a gay couple and that came from all parts of the country to share that we were coming to get married. We didn’t moment with us. want any surprises when we arrived. We were told that none of magistrates agreed with or FENUXE: That’s what it’s all about, right? So, supported gay marriage and that they couldn’t tell me, what inspired you both to want to be guarantee that someone would be available “urban pioneers”?

FENUXE.COM : 33

36: September 11, 2015 30:

ERIK: We have both always been conscious about the environment and have had a commitment to preservation. We both grew up around farming while living in rural America and when we owned an actual piece of land, we both got excited about getting our hands dirty! The entire property was a blank canvas covered in concrete. So, we researed things that we could do to lessen our burden on the planet and be more sustainable. We planted fruit trees & got rid of most of our lawn and replaced it with raised vegetable beds. We started a compost and started a worm bin to create vermicompost. We got chickens for eggs and then rabbits for meat and goats for dairy....next thing you know you’re living on an urban farm!

quick google search will return a wealth of free tips and it’s really fun hand-raising them from little chicks.

FENUXE: Tell me about the transformation of your house - what all did you do - how much space do you have - how long did it take - how much did it cost, etc?

JULIO: We have 6 laying hens that we raised from day-old chicks, 3 New Zealand meat rabbits, 2 Nigerian dwarf Dairy goats, 2 dogs that heard the chickens & are also security, 2 cats on rodent watch, and a pond stocked with lots of Koi. There are no plans for any additional animals because they all serve a purpose and it already can feel like quite the zoo sometimes.

JULIO: So, 4 months into wedding prep, this listing for a cute 1920s craftsman in Grant Park pops up while we were on the couch and we just had to see it ! The next morning we went to brunch with some friends at Home Grown and decided to swing by and see the place again. Feeling like creepy peeping toms, we all walked around the property trying to catch a glimpse of the inside through the blinds.

There was absolutely no curb appeal because the lot was completely paved and didnt’ have a blade of grass. But that just got our creative juices flowing and we started talking about design and possibilities. The house was on Hamilton Ave, which was also my dog’s name who had recently died...Alexander Hamilton.

He seemed to be giving his approval. It was also across the street from where we had our first date and it all seemed like fate! We bought our house in April 2014 and did all of the back-breaking work ourselves - from jack hammering to deck & pond building. We’ve taken lunch breaks just to go home and get a hour or so of work in on the house with 6,000 sq ft lot

FENUXE: Chickens seem to be all the rage right now - do you have any words of advice for someone considering chickens?

FENUXE: What words of advice do you have for someone living in the city who wants to start growing their own food?

JULIO: Chickens are SUPER EASY! Do get chickens if you are thinking about them! They can survive Boston winters, so they fair well down south. You do not have to have a rooster to have eggs. They lay about a 1/2 egg per day per chicken so you don’t need many. A

JULIO: It’s better to grow food than lawns.

Start with a tomato plant and some cucumbers - they’re really easy and pay you back with lots of easy fruit even in an apartment. My Advice is DO IT!

FENUXE: I’ll have to say I was quite impressed when I came over to your house and saw everything that you guys have going on at your house! How many animals do you currently have - how many do you currently want?

FENUXE.COM : 37

HEY GIRL HEY

Hey Girl Hey!

Thanks for all the feedback on my last column. I’m glad you now know where to come for the definitive answers regarding decorum. My next question is from Stan K. Breath who writes “Mary Edith, What do you do if someone has bad breath?”

Well, I guess it depends on how bad it is and the kind of relationship you have with them. If the smell is a 2 or 3 out of 10 and comes from garlic or some kind of food, it’s usually easy to overlook. But if it smells like someone took down their pants and took a massive dump in their mouth, then there’s a real issue.

I have known people who have chronic halitosis and just like Pavlov’s dog, my learned response was to keep my face turned so they couldn’t shit breathe directly on me.

Sometimes you also have people who insist on breathing the same air you do and after a conversation, you feel the need to wipe your face down with butt wipes. Not cool!

The thing is, not everyone has the talent I do for saying just the right thing at the right time. So here are my rules! On a scale of 1-10, if their breath stinks from 1-3, leave them alone, from 4-7 offer a breath mint or some dental floss and from 8-10 offer a roll of toilet tissue to wipe the shit out of their mouth. And by the way, using mouthwash is not a substitute for flossing your teeth. I don’t want to smell minty fresh poop!!!

If it is a casual acquaintance, I recommend politely holding your nose and making a face like a child. When they ask you is something wrong, just say “it smells like someone just took a dump!” or “Did you just fart?”

If you’re dealing with a close friend, don’t hesitate to ask them did they just eat a dirty ass? They’ll get the hint real quick.

What if they are a lover, husband, boyfriend etc. who want to french kiss you? Short of hauling the floss out and flossing their teeth for them, you could say “Honey, I don’t know why it is but everytime we kiss, I want to throw up and then eat your ass! Any idea why that is?

Keep your mouth clean and your words dirty!!

Love and lashes,

Mary Edith Pitts Mary Edith Pitts

PS. If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please email me at maryedith99@gmail or on twitter @maryedithpitts

FENUXE.COM : 39

Gay News At A Glance HOMETOWN OF INDIANA’S ANTI-GAY GOVERNOR PASSES LGBT PROTECTIONS Trick or a treat?In March, Indiana governor Mike Pence tried to legalize anti-gay discrimination allowing businesses to discriminate against LGBT customers by signing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law. Last week, Mike Pence’s Hometown of Columbus Indiana passed LGBTI protections.

Columbus, Indiana councilmen voted unanimously last week to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s human rights ordinance. Columbus Mayor Frank Jerome told the AP “When we look at Columbus in 20 years, this will seem a no-brainer.”

Columbus joins Indianapolis, South Bend and Evansville in Indiana cities that already have LGBT protections. Democratic legislators are trying to makes the protections statewide.

A spokesman for the governor said, ‘the governor is listening to people on all sides of the issue in order to determine how best to move forward.”

The governor made corrections to the anti-gay law in March after a national backlash and said he doesn’t discriminate against anyone but doesn’t believe in civil rights protections for the LGBT community.

OREGON JUDGE REFUSING TO PERFORM SAME-SEX MARRIAGES. On the heels of Rowan County Kentucky clerk Kim Davis’ contempt of court jailing a circuit court judge in Marion County, Oregon is refusing to perform same-sex marriages, claiming doing so would violate his First Amendment rights.

Third Judicial District Judge Vance D. Day, Judge Day a former chairman of the Oregon Republican Party. has never married a samesex couple, and has stopped performing all marriages. Judge Day says performing gay

HOUSTON’S EQUAL RIGHTS ORDINANCE REJECTED OVER WORDING. A Texas court has rejected the city’s wording for the ballot measure that would determine the fate of HERO, Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance. Rather than having to vote yes to remove the ordinance, the wording will have to be changed so that a yes vote means to keep the ordinance.

40: September 11, 2015

marriages would go against his religious beliefs, and has instructed his clerks to refer same-sex couples to other judges.

No complaints against Judge Day are known, however a spokesman for Judge Day, Patrick Korten told a local TV station that the judge is currently under investigation by the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability.

According a local news report, that investigation is the result of a 13-point complaint against Judge Day, and will be heard in a hearing later this fall. Day is setting up a legal defense fund to fight any potential charges.

The ruling over wording was another setback against the efforts by Mayor Annise Parker to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city. City Council adopted a nondiscrimination ordinance last year. The ordinance would have protected gay and transgender people from discrimination in employment and public places. However the Texas Supreme Court ruled last month that a petition by conservative activists should have succeeded in a petition drive to put the issue before voters. The new court ruling now says the ballot must ask voters whether Houston should have a nondiscrimination ordinance or not.

THE ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES THE PREMIERE OF A STEADY RAIN. A Steady Rain is a harrowing and intimate story of two Chicago policemen pushing their moral boundaries to the breaking point.

Joey and Denny have been best friends since kindergarten and now are practically family – Joey helps out with Denny’s wife and kids; Denny keeps Joey away from the bottle. Sharing a squad car, the two men bond together against an increasingly violent and deeply troubling inner city.

BABYSITTER ARRESTED FOR BINDING TWO YOUNG BOYS & FORCING THEM TO WATCH MOMMIE DEAREST. Glenn Oliver, 29, has been arrested after allegedly taping two young boys, one four and one six to their chairs and forcing them to watch Mommie Dearest while babysitting.

The Nebraska man is charged with child abuse and false imprisonment after allegedly making the two bound boys watch the camp cult classic about Joan Crawford.

Oliver claims he was babysitting the boys when his mother had asked him to make her children watch the film. When they

Scorching drama with haunting performances and edge-of-your-seat dramatic tension. From playwright Keith Huff, a writer and producer of ABC’s American Crime, AMC’s Mad Men and the NetFlix series House of Cards, A Steady Rain is directed

by Steppenwolf Theatre Company Co-Founder Jeff Perry, well-known for his role as Cyrus Beene on ABC’s hit TV series Scandal. Joseph Jefferson Award winner for Best New Work and Best Production. The creative team includes Set and Media Designer Adam Dean flemming, Costume Designer Jeff Cone, Lighting Designer Michael Gend, Sound Designer John Zalewski,

wouldn’t listen, he duct-taped them to their chairs. He used the tape on the boy’s mouths, wrists, chests, ankles and heads according to court records as reported in the Hollywood reporter.

The arresting officer claims that Oliver told him ‘he didn’t think it was that big of a deal’ and that the boys ‘wouldn’t listen’ about why Mommie Dearest was worth watching. He said he became ‘tired and frustrated’.

and Composer Ray Leslee. Performances of A Steady Rain are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 2:30pm and 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, September 18 – October 11, 2015.

Opening Night is Sept.

23. (There will be no 2:30pm performance on Saturday, Sept. 19. ) There are many special events including a Q&A with director Jeff Perry on Saturday September 12th, Play after work at TAP, Tuesday, October 6th and Mimosas & Matinees on Saturday, October 6th. For tickets or more information visit www.alliancetheater. org/rain.

The officer went on to say he was shown photographs of the boys restrained to the chairs, by a woman who had removed the two boys from the home, along with one other child who had not been tied down.

The officer said the duct tape was ‘very tight’ on the four-year-old, and in his opinion, could have prevented the child from being able to breathe properly. No wire hangers were used in the crime.

POP CULTURE

For this edition of Pop Culture we’re highlighting 6 Film/TV Characters that we love & the gay actors that portray them:

Jim Parsons

Cynthia Nixon

Matt Bomer

Sheldon Cooper – The Big Bang Theory Even though Sheldon has been described as “asexual” and “aromantic”, he has still been in a relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler, who he found on a dating website.

Miranda Hobbes – Sex and the City Miranda Hobbes is amongst the famous four ladies that graced the streets of New York City. She was married to Steve Brady the last time we saw her.

Neal Caffrey – White Collar Neal Caffrey is an ex-white collar conman who has been arrested by the FBI, but released with one stipulation: that he assist the FBI in catching and arresting the nation’s most high-profile white-collar criminals.He’s had multiple relationships in the show with women, even breaking out of prison once to visit one of them.

Jim Parsons, however, is openly gay and has been with his partner, art director Todd Spiewak, for the past 11 years.

Cynthia Nixon began dating education activist Christine Marinoni in 2004 and the couple married in NYC in 2012. Together, the couple have one son, born to Marinoni in 2011. Nixon identifies herself as bisexual

Matt Bomer has three sons with his husband, publicist Simon Halls, whom he married in 2011.

Jonathan Groff

Raven-Symoné

Jonathan Bennett

Jesse St. James is the king of the rival glee club to McKinley High School’s New Direction. In an attempt to eliminate the competition, he seduces New Direction’s star performer Rachel Berry into a relationship.

Raven Baxter – That’s So Raven Raven Baxter is an energetic, sassy, psychic teenager who catches glimpses or “visions” of the future but hardly ever the moments leading up to the event. Her shenanigans with her friends to try to lead up to the event often concludes in humorous results.

Aaron Samuels – Mean Girls Aaron Samuels, the previous boyfriend of head Plastic Regina George was definitely the teen heartthrob of this crazy school.

Jonathan Groff, who is actually best friends with Lea Michele, has been a Broadway star ever since he was a child. In 2009, he officially came out as gay during the National Equality March.

42: August 28, 2015

Raven-Symoné announced in 2014 to Oprah Winfrey that she was happily in an “amazing” relationship with her female partner.

Jonathan Bennett was accidentally outed

by Dancing With The Star’s Julianne Hough, who commented on the fact that he is, indeed, a proud gay man.