01/06/23, Vol. 13 Issue 20

AbsoluteCare

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ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS

Katie Burkholder

Only a couple weeks ago, I wrote an editorial about grief — namely, the grief of the Club Q shooting. I called 2022 a year of grief, and it has only become more potent. Recently, one of my very good friends and the first person I ever loved died.

Forgive me as I indulge in taking some time to remember my friend Michael.

We met freshman year of high school and dated for more than two years. He was my first love, and to this day, I know we shared a love that was simple and pure. We remained close friends after our breakup, even as I began dating one of his best friends soon after (I know, not something I’m proud of). Even though he had every right to be, he was never bitter or hateful toward me; on the contrary: he was effortlessly kind and accepting. He respected me and my autonomy in a way that some adults I interact with still haven’t learned. He was wise beyond his years, so in touch with love that I to this day regard him as a role model — and did so even prior to his death.

We remained friends through high school and into college. I had some of the most fun of my life with him, embarking on adulthood and independence and freedom for the first time.

I saw him for the last time several months ago. He came over to my apartment with our other friend Adalei, and as we reminisced on high school and the people we hated and the ways we’ve changed and stayed the same, I remember thinking about how one thing always remained true between us: we each thought so highly of the other. I take solace in the knowledge that the only thing that ever existed between us was love and adoration.

That night, I hugged him goodbye for the last time.

At the time of writing, the new year is approaching. The truth of the new year, of the passage of time in general, is that everything new is as much a death as it is a beginning. 2022 is gone, never to return again. The moment I am here now, writing this editorial, is fleeting. When it is gone, I will never be able to have it back. But that only means the birth of a new moment, a new year. While the life Michael lived on Earth has come to an end, the life he now takes in death has just begun. The love he inspired in my heart and the hearts of so many others will burn on, and I will live a life forever changed by both his life and his death.

While some endings are easy to move

on from, even a relief — like that of the absolute monstrosity of a year that was 2022 — others aren’t. But there is only one way to move, and that’s forward. Even in death, there is persistence. The moment dies, we die, but the memory lives on. The love doesn’t go anywhere.

I know it’s a cliché, but it really is a blessing to be alive — it’s a blessing to have the opportunity not only to continue our own lives, but also to lift up and hold close those who are no longer here. I know the new year is a time of goals and looking toward the future, but I remind you that the only thing you are guaranteed is this moment, right now. Use it to love others well, take care of yourself, and be present in gratitude. When it comes to health and wellness, there is nothing healthier than that.

PHOTO BY PEXELS.COM / JUAN PABLO SERRANO ARENAS

Staff reports

Read these stories and more online at thegavoice.com

Atlanta Pride’s 2022 Impact Report Highlights Successes, Executive Director to Step Down

The Atlanta Pride Committee (APC) has released their 2022 Impact Report, detailing the highlights and successes of this year’s Pride festival held in October, the first inperson festival in Atlanta in two years.

According to the report, this year’s event in Piedmont Park attracted 312 parade entries and 5,700 marchers, 364 vendors, and 1,261 VIP ticket sales. Highlights of APC’s 2022 included the first blood drive with the American Red Cross, which produced 35 units of blood; 41 non-festival programs and campaigns in education, advocacy, equity, health, wellness, and entertainment; 20+ events conducted with community partners; and of course, the Community Reinvestment Fund, APC’s grant supporting Atlanta’s LGBTQ community. Grant recipient Out on Film saw 15,000 overall patrons this year, and 5,900 community members and 159 organizations were impacted by grantee Sojourn’s wellness survey for immigrants in Atlanta.

Along with the report, APC Executive Director Jamie Fergerson announced that she would be stepping down from the role in January.

“Aside from parenthood, leading this organization has been the greatest honor of my personal and professional life,” she said. “While it is bittersweet to leave an organization to which I’ve dedicated two decades as a volunteer and then staff member, I am thrilled to watch APC flourish under the leadership of our current staff and volunteers.”

Atlanta Police Hold Mass Shooting Training at LGBTQ Club Future

Following the deadly mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado, Atlanta’s police and LGBTQ community have held an active shooter and Stop the Bleed training at Future in downtown Atlanta.

“That we would have to even have to offer this training is concerning, but we are going

to be prepared,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told Fox 5.

The training, which was conducted by APD and the Mayor’s Division of LGBTQ Affairs, walked through what to do if people find themselves in a mass shooting. Grady Memorial Hospital’s trauma team also taught the group how to Stop the Bleed with tourniquet demonstrations.

“Quickly separate yourself from the threat. Evacuate if possible, barricade yourself from the threat or actually confront the threat as we saw in Colorado Springs,” Chief Schierbaum said.

The training followed closely after not only the attack in Colorado, but also the arrest of Chase Staub. Staub was arrested by Atlanta police on November 25 after he posted threatening remarks toward The Heretic and other LGBTQ establishments.

“We know training like this saves lives, and I know what to do in our worst-case scenario happens is key,” said Chief Schierbaum.

the LGBTQ community, according to a new report released by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). That number, up from only 16 last year, marks an increase of 340 percent. But more concerning, states ACLED, is “a corresponding rise in violent attacks on people perceived to be gay or transgender.”

In 2022, ACLED reports, 14 percent of demonstrations involving far-right groups have been anti-LGBTQ, up from less than three percent last year.

Though not limited to organized far-right actors, these groups have taken an increasingly large role in anti-LGBTQ mobilization around the country: far-right groups have engaged in over three times more antiLGBTQ demonstrations than they did last year (55 events in 2022, up from 16 events in 2021), and in three times as many states (18 in 2022, up from six in 2021).

Far Right Protests Targeting the LGBTQ Community Show Link with Violent Attacks

The sudden increase in protests is in part due to the midterms, and in part due to anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from Republican politicians. Potential GOP presidential candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have pushed anti-LGBTQ legislation and policies throughout 2022. Extremist members of Congress, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) have promoted antiLGBTQ rhetoric.

Far-right activists engaged in at least 55 public actions targeting members of

Atlanta Pride Committee Executive Director Jamie Fergerson announced that she would be stepping down from the role in January. COURTESY PHOTO

AVITA ACQUIRES ABSOLUTECARE ATLANTA, NOW AVITACARE

Avita, a national pharmacy services organization with a focus on the LGBTQ community, announced its acquisition of Atlanta medical center and pharmacy AbsoluteCare Atlanta last October. The acquisition will mean a rebranding and expansion of the AbsoluteCare Atlanta location in Peachtree Hills as well as a broadening of Avita’s impact beyond pharmacy services into health services.

“We felt, because of our knowledge and subject matter expertise in pharmacy, specifically in the LGBTQ community, that we could expand to be more than just a contract pharmacy and that we could expand into health services,” Avita CEO Michael Yount told Georgia Voice.

For more than two decades, AbsoluteCare Atlanta has offered comprehensive primary care and pharmacy services to the LGBTQ community. An HIV Center of Excellence, AbsoluteCare Atlanta serves more than 5,500 individuals, providing clinical care and life services to its patient base.

AbsoluteCare Atlanta has been rebranded and renamed to AvitaCare Atlanta, and the office and waiting space will be remodeled. The pharmacy will be relocated to become more accessible to patients and there will be an expansion of HIV testing to address Atlanta’s HIV epidemic.

“That facility has a lab and the ability to provide rapid testing, so we’re looking to

expand the functionality of that lab so we can become a destination for individuals that wish to get rapid HIV and STI testing,” Yount said.

Avita’s refresh of AbsoluteCare Atlanta is expected to be complete by the end of the first quarter of 2023. The acquisition also brings a team of 70 employees to Avita, many of whom are health care providers like doctors, nurse practitioners, and physicians.

“As we spoke with many of our partners — we have over 350 covered entity partners across the United States — some of the challenges that they face, as you would imagine, is the inequities in health care, it’s the stigmas patients face, and it’s also access to dependent providers,” Yount said. “Many of our clients, regardless of what areas they’re located and their size, have a challenge in identifying and maintaining consistent access to providers for their patients.”

In all, the acquisition maintains Avita’s commitment to compassionate health care for the LGBTQ community.

“I believe that patients, whether it’s in a pharmacy or clinic space, should feel safe,” Yount said. “They should have trusted, confidential conversations with staff: from the doctor or physician’s assistant they’re seeing to the front office staff and even the back office staff. They should feel confident that their medical information is being treated with respect.”

To learn more about AvitaCare Atlanta, visit avitacareatlanta.com.

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

Katie Burkholder

ANALYSIS: WHAT 2022 TAUGHT US

Read the full article online at thegavoice.com.

If there was one singular lesson to be learned from 2022 for LGBTQ people, it was this: making our voices heard has never been more necessary to survival. This was true in the U.S. and throughout the world where the LGBTQ community remain under extreme threat solely for their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Whether it was fighting for vaccines for monkeypox, for representation in elected office, or to maintain civil rights it took decades to secure, LGBTQ people in the U.S. found themselves taking to the streets and to the polls to make sure their voices were heard.

Yet some of the biggest LGBTQ stories of the year — stories with far-reaching implications — continued to be told almost solely in the queer press. It took months for Brittney Griner’s wrongful detention to become a mainstream headline.

Thousands took to the streets in Iran over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022. Yet despite calls to treat women differently in the months-long protests, at no point have the names of Zahra Sedighi-Hamedani, 31, known as Sareh, and Elham Choubdar, 24, been mentioned. The two lesbian activists were sentenced to death by an Iranian court on charges of “corruption on earth through the promotion of homosexuality.”

Iran’s state news agency, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported the sentencing of the women on September 5. The fate of a third activist, Soheila Ashrafi, 52, has yet to be decided. Calls for the release of the women from groups like Amnesty International as well as the U.N. have gone unheeded.

Throughout the United States, the rise of right-wing extremism has impacted LGBTQ people. The claim that queer and trans people are “grooming” youth to be queer and trans became a focal point of legislation from the GOP. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis led the

rhetoric with his “Don’t Say Gay” law, while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took time from sending migrants to Philadelphia, New York and D.C. to threaten parents of trans youth who sought gender-affirming care.

In the U.S., white nationalist groups continued to infiltrate the Republican party and spread white nationalist, anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. The impact of that rhetoric was felt in increased discrimination, harassment, and violence against LGBTQ people. The massacre at Club Q killed five people and injured 25 others, some critically.

Just weeks later an attack on substations in North Carolina was linked to a drag show in Moore County, North Carolina, some 90 miles outside Charlotte. That action revealed that in 2022, attacks on drag shows by far-right groups like the Proud Boys, who were also involved in the January 6 insurrection, had escalated to well over 100.

All of which led to questions about how to control the violence. New reports indicated

that far-right protests targeting the LGBTQ community showed a clear and disturbing link with violent attacks. Far-right activists engaged in at least 55 public actions targeting members of the LGBTQ community, according to a new report released this week by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

But that data doesn’t include the protests against drag shows nationally, which GLAAD reported faced at least 141 protests and significant threats in 2022.

What happened to LGBTQ people in the U.S. and globally demands our attention and our concern. The lesson is succinct: the time for activism is not in the past — it is now. The attacks on the LGBTQ community are not going away. The only way to protect the most vulnerable members of this most vulnerable community is to fight back. Advocacy groups like GLAAD, HRC, MAP, ACLU and others are behind us. But the fight must also come at every level from the community itself. That is the commitment that should be on everyone’s list of resolutions for 2023.

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / STOATPHOTO

Victoria A. Brownworth

TEAM LIS SMASH OFFERS INCLUSIVE STRENGTH TRAINING CATERING TO WOMEN AND QUEER FOLKS

It’s been quite a journey for Elisabeth (Lis) Saunders, a local personal trainer, power lifter, powerlifting coach and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).

For over 12 years, Saunders has trained clients around Georgia. Early in her career, she coached at various CrossFit gyms and was also a part owner of a barbell gym in East Atlanta. Then, she went on to rent/borrow space until she finally found the perfect location to fulfill her dream to open her own personal training studio in February.

Saunders’ Team Lis Smash has its own brick and mortar space to call home, bringing her vision of an intentionally inclusive training space for bodies of all sizes and experience levels to get stronger to life.

It was during her time as a CrossFit coach in 2010 that she realized there needed to be changes made within the health fitness industry, specifically regarding the diversity of coaches. According to Saunders, the coaches were mostly cis male, and there were not many women or people of color.

“I fell out of love with CrossFit,” she said of her decision to break ties with the then popular fitness movement to get into powerlifting and strength coaching. Saunders competed in her first powerlifting meet in 2012 on a dare by a friend. She only had five days to prepare for the meet, and although she was not fully prepared, she “really enjoyed it.”

Since competing in her first meet, Lis now holds Georgia state squat records in both the USAPL and USPA. Last year, she competed and won gold at the Drug Tested USPA National Championships in Atlanta and also competed at the IPL Powerlifting Drug Tested North American Championships in St. Louis. She won a bronze medal at the

Although most of the clients who work out and train regularly with Saunders at her studio at 2179 Bouldercrest Road identify as women, femme and/or queer, she said allies and men are welcome.

Unlike at most workout spaces, Saunders’ focus is different as a personal trainer. There is no emphasis on monthly weighins or before-and-after photos. Realizing that clients may have different insecurities or traumas surrounding their bodies or past experiences, Saunders took part in a

trauma-informed training course in 2019 in New York.

As a trauma survivor herself who put in the work to reclaim her body, Saunders said she realized that she could help a lot of people. Using what she learned, when she meets and works with her clients, it’s a collaborative process.

“They’re the expert on their own body, but what we can do together is to help you feel better,” she said.

According to Lis, there may be times a client may come in and may not be in the headspace to actually do the scheduled workout, but they may simply decide to

do other workouts — like slow, controlled body weight work or stretching. “It’s about compassion and recognizing that it’s okay,” Saunders said. “I wanted to create a very friendly environment — inclusive of any gender and without the toxic mentality [characteristic of other gyms].”

The studio is a safe haven for clients who were uncomfortable going and working out at bigger facilities and for those who never saw themselves as strong or as traditional athletes. Some of her clients actively train to compete in local, state and national powerlifting meets throughout the year, but many do not. Many of the clients simply

Conswella Bennett

2019 USPA Drug Tested Nationals in the 75 kilogram Sub master class in Las Vegas and also placed eighth in the 72 kg Open class at 2013 USAPL Raw Nationals.

Elisabeth “Lis” Saunders stands out front of her personal fitness studio. The team’s unicorn was painted by local artist Dana Harrison.

PHOTO BY SARAH DAROW

want to learn to lift weights and/or to get stronger. Although they may not have a desire to compete in powerlifting, Saunders said she offers various events for clients to see their progress — mock powerlifting meets and lifting fundraisers that raise money for local charities near and dear to the hearts of many of the clients.

Ormewood Park area resident Sophie Cox found Team Lis Smash through the Facebook group FATlanta.

“I knew I wanted to learn to lift more, but I needed someone to help me with technique. I’d already injured myself running,” Cox said. “I looked to FATlanta for guidance — I wanted to be able to go to a small gym or even someone’s house where I could get more one-on-one training without all the gym hustle and bustle. I trusted the recommendations in FATlanta because I knew folks there would tell it to me straight regarding finding a trainer that would work with fat bodies without anti-fat bias. I wanted to find a space that would help me get strong and not worry about anything else (no before and after pics, no diet talk, no pressure to pound protein shakes).”

Cox has been training with Saunders since March and she said she is glad she reached out to Lis about training at the studio. “I’ve never been much of a gym girl; I enjoyed working out at home and outside. I have been to some classes in the past and I remember feeling bummed when the group class instructor would center the workout around getting ‘summer ready’ and all that bullshit, and I’m glad Lis doesn’t make that a focus.”

“My experience has been great! Lis is motivating and fun to be around,” she said. “I look forward to my sessions, and I know that even if life feels overwhelming and crazy at times, at least I got it in and lifted heavy.”

Max Hostetter also found Team Lis Smash online while looking to start a new hobby or routine.

“I tried to get in with a different coach at a different gym, and he was full,” he said. “Then I looked up Lis and noticed she was really

close, and I came and did one intro session and was pretty much hooked after that.”

Six months later, Hostetter is still training with Lis.

“It’s been really neat,” he said. “I quickly sort of realized or got to a place where I just liked to come in and show up. I communicate with Lis and keep getting stronger and that’s kind of my goal. So, that’s really cool, and it’s been fun in a lot of ways.”

Tye Tavaras, who resides in Venetian Hills, found Saunders through a Google search. She was looking for an inclusive powerlifting gym, and Team Lis Smash was the first thing that came up.

“I was finally in a position where I could afford to train, and where I had the space

in my life to do it,” Tavaras said. “I went through the website and read about how it was. We’re an inclusive space, it was trauma informed training. And so it was a no brainer, really, to just go out and try to get started.”

It was just the environment that Tavaras had been searching for in a personal training studio.

“What’s been fantastic about training at this studio, and with Lis is the environment, I feel seen, heard and respected,” Tavaras said. “I mean, you can’t not feel welcome in a space when you walk in and you see all the Smashers on the board, and it’s got names next to pronouns. And that was one of the first things I noticed is walking in and seeing everyone who’s training — their name and their pronouns, let me know that this is a place that really cares about the individual person.”

“As I’ve gotten to meet more smashers and train at different times, there are people from all walks of life just working out together,” she added. “Chatting, sharing stories, having a good time. This studio feels personal. It feels like family. It feels like home. It feels like that every time you walk into the studio. Folks are looking out for you. They’re helping. We’re helping each other. And I’m really excited to be a part of this. I moved back to Atlanta, and this was just going to be the best space for me.”

Team Lis Smash encourages more than just building strength; it builds community. Saunders has been able to host lifting benefits for the community that have benefited Lost-n-Found Youth, Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates, Southern Poverty Law Center and City of Refuge.

“I wanted to host lifting events that would support our community: LGBTQ, women and reproductive rights, etc.,” Saunders said of her goal. “Not only do we raise money for various groups, we create a very friendly environment that is inclusive of all genders by creating lifting events that everyone can participate in and give back to our community and members of our team.”

She was also able to host world class powerlifter Tamara Walcott’s “My Strength is My Sexy” tour in May. Tamara pulled a world record deadlift of 636 pounds in September.

Lis also hosts Fantastic Beasts, Atlanta’s LGBTQI+ Powerlifting Club. The group meets monthly and gets to learn and work on the three main lifts of powerlifting — squats, bench and deadlift.

While the focus began as barbell strength training, Lis also now offers “no bar” classes (barbell-free strength training), beginning powerlifting lessons, open gym, and remote coaching.

For anyone interested in strength training with or without barbells or anyone looking to get into powerlifting, Saunders said she has availability to take on new clients. Check out her website for more information and pricing at teamlissmash.com. She can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/teamlissmash and Instagram @teamlissmash.

Sophie Cox of Ormewood park area participated in last year’s Lift for Lost-n-Found. She raised $705 and is pictured doing her 2nd trap bar deadlift attempt. PHOTO BY KENYETTA RILEY

SKIN CARE IS HAVING ITS HEYDAY

When it comes to beauty trends, there are none more popular right now than skin care. On TikTok and social media, skin care routines are as pervasive and popular as makeup tutorials (if not more so), and many are trading in full beat for a glowy, skinfocused look.

If you’ve ever dived into the world of skin care, you know how overwhelming it can be. So many serums, lotions, toners, cleansers, exfoliants, retinols — how do you know where to start? How do you know what your skin needs without trying a hundred different products?

That’s where Heyday comes in. Heyday is a one-stop skin care shop offering personalized facials and routines crafted by skin care experts, with three new locations in Midtown, Krog Street, and Dunwoody. While they offer a membership that gives you one 50-minute facial a month — which is about how often they recommend getting a facial — I visited the opening of the Midtown location knowing I couldn’t afford one facial every month. As someone who has avoided skin care out of fear of fuss and lack of funds, I instead visited Heyday to answer the question: can only one facial make a difference?

MY SKIN CARE

At the time of my visit, I had quite the laissez-faire attitude toward skin care, and it showed. I was breaking out painfully on my forehead, the pores on my nose were perpetually clogged, and my skin was just dull. Out of all the skin care information out

there, I didn’t know what would help me; I was using a medicated topical treatment from Curology, but that just wasn’t working.

THE FACIAL

The facial itself was fabulous — my esthetician was friendly, the facial massaging was luxuriously relaxing, and all the lotions and serums she used left my skin absolutely radiant. Truly, I left that facial with the best skin of my life. However, it was the advice from my esthetician that truly made a difference. I explained to her my current skin care routine and the issues I wanted to address, and instead of piling on a mountain of advice, she pinpointed two issues: she suggested adding an exfoliating routine into the mix and changing my sunscreen to something lighter and less oily than what I was then using. She recommended two products and I was on my way.

The effects of the facial on my skin did not last long, but I took her advice. I changed my sunscreen and started exfoliating twice a week. Now, about a month and a half later, my skin is significantly better than when I first walked into Heyday. My breakouts have calmed down, my pores are less clogged, and my tone is overall more even and bright.

SO, IS ONE FACIAL ENOUGH?

Yes and no. If you go expecting the facial itself to fix all your skin woes with no maintenance, then it will not make a difference. However, if you come in with specific issues to address and follow the advice of your esthetician to

establish heathier skin care habits, then one facial can seriously make a difference.

If your skin is meh and the world of skin care feels too overwhelming to know where to start, treat yourself in the new year and start at Heyday — they’ve got an opening offer going on right now where you can get your first facial with them for $65. And hey, if you love it (and, trust me, you will) and want to treat yourself every month, their monthly subscription is $109 and includes discounts on products and additional facials.

To learn more and book your facial, visit Heydayskincare.com.

Katie Burkholder

PHOTO BY PEXELS.COM / COTTONBRO STUDIO

Nikki Garza: BODY POSITIVITY, SEXUALITY, AND SELF-ACCEPTANCE

As we celebrate the new year, the rhetoric of goals and resolutions can make it easy to forget how important it remains to celebrate ourselves. Nobody embodies the celebration of self quite like Atlanta-based actor and content creator Nikki Garza (@itsnikki.g).

Garza loves her body and uses her platform to promote fat acceptance and body positivity. She found viral success on TikTok in 2020 using her infectious positivity to encourage others to love their bodies and unlearn harmful behaviors and ideas about food and body image.

As someone who “yo-yo dieted” and went to “fat camp” at just eight years old, Garza understands how harmful the dieting industry is. New Year’s can be complicated for anyone struggling with body image or a negative relationship with food when weight loss is a common resolution for people. Garza strives to be supportive for times like this, encouraging her audience to view food as a fuel source, not a reward or punishment.

Garza said her journey to self-love began when she saw other plus-sized models and influencers on social media unapologetically embracing their bodies. She says people like Nadia Aboulhosn (@nadiaaboulhosn), Gabrielle “Gabi” Gregg (@gabifresh), and Nicolette Mason (@nicolettemason) influenced her to love her plus-sized figure.

“It was the first time I realized you can be fat and stylish,” she said. “That was the most

freeing thing: seeing other people with my body type and size, not limiting themselves. That freed me to start doing things.”

It was radical self-belief that led her to modeling, something she pursued once given the opportunity even though she didn’t believe she had the “measurements, the experience, nor the body” of a traditional model. Garza has since modeled for brands like Rihanna’s lingerie and loungewear brand Savage x Fenty for its Savage X Pride campaign in June 2022.

For Garza, a bisexual woman, the acceptance of her body and her exploration of her sexuality are closely intertwined. During Atlanta Pride this year, she posted a video about how her body image prevented her from even thinking about her sexuality.

“I felt unattractive,” she told Georgia Voice. “I would look at myself and think, ‘Who would want me? Who would love me?’ I never even explored my sexuality because I was so hung up on my body size.”

She said it was “unfathomable” to even consider what she would desire in a partner because she wasn’t thin.

“Thinness was on this pedestal that I had to reach… and I would [only] find love and affection at that point,” she said. “ So, on this journey, I let go of the shackles and realized I was always worthy of love. Then, I started to ask myself, ‘Well, what do I like in a person?

What am I attracted to?’ Which led me to explore my sexuality.”

Now Garza uses her platform to promote acceptance and love for everyone. She is unapologetic in her authenticity and she continues to be an inspiration to her audience. Women like Nikki help to combat the negativity directed at those who don’t strive to align with societal beauty standards.

According to Virgie Tovar, an expert in weight-based discrimination, roughly 25 percent of women and girls who diet will develop an eating disorder. Additionally, plus-sized people are often undetected for eating disorders like anorexia, which is hallmarked diagnostically by an underweight body. Garza’s mission on social media to normalize fatness and plus-size bodies is part of a larger goal to reduce the occurrence of issues like these.

Self-acceptance is a long journey for most people, and social media can be a positive tool to support long-term self-love success. Nikki

advises those struggling to love their bodies — especially young people — to “follow folks who give you the variety of life,” and maintains that diversity in who you follow is a key to positive social media engagement.

Byrdie reported the average American woman is between size 16 and 18. Despite this, movies, TV, and social media continue to represent beauty through thin bodies. If represented, a plus-size person is often the butt of the joke or is in some way negatively affected by their weight. As a queer, Latina, plus-sized woman, Garza insists that her confidence and self-love are necessary so young people can see themselves represented. She believes that representation in all forms is vital, and “until you see yourself reflected in a certain way, you are going to limit yourself.”

Follow Nikki on TikTok and Instagram @ itsnikki.g

Katie Burkholder and Adalei Stevens

Atlanta-based actor and content creator Nikki Garza

PHOTO BY SAVAGE X FENTY, 2022

Bricktop:

RED HAIR, PARIS, THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE, AND THE WOMAN WITH LE WOW – 1894–1984

“Greatness comes from a person knowing who [s] he is, being satisfied with nothing but the best, and still behaving like a warm and gracious human being.”

Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith was born in 1894 in rural West Virginia. Ada’s family went north to Chicago when she was four. By the time she was 14, she was hanging around vaudeville theaters and the saloons that accommodated Black performers (plus the accompanying underworld).

Dubbed “Bricktop” for her red hair, her singing and dancing were eventually noticed, and she began to appear on vaudeville stages, contracted through the aegis of the hated-but-no-alternative “Theater Owners Booking Association” — TOBA, nicknamed “Tough on Black Asses.”

She tired of the unpredictability of the TOBA and went to Harlem after the World War I, where she wowed ‘em enough that she headlined at Connie’s Inn, a huge place with a 12-man orchestra. Sammy Richardson, the doyen of Black performers in Europe, offered her a gig at Le Grand Duc in Paris. Paris? Sure!

After a terrible voyage over in 1924, wracked with seasickness and doubts, Bricktop arrived at Le Grand Duc. It was a tiny, grimy spot. Broke and hungry, she burst into tears. A kind waiter tried to cheer her with food,

“Dubbed ‘Bricktop’ for her red hair, her singing and dancing were eventually noticed, and she began to appear on vaudeville stages, contracted through the aegis of the hated-but-noalternative ‘Theater Owners Booking Association’ — TOBA, nicknamed ‘Tough on Black Asses.’”

drink and general warmth. He was the 22-year-old Langston Hughes, who became a close friend. Determined to make it, Bricktop set to work and began creating a name for herself, treating people like old friends, hiring the best musicians, serving the strongest drinks ...

But her now friend Cole Porter decided she needed her own club and put his money up with hers to open Club Bricktop in the Montmartre. People came for the atmosphere and equal treatment for all. Among the 300 or so jazz clubs in Paris in the late ‘20s, Bricktop’s was special. In fact, it was where musicians and staff from other clubs gathered when they finished working.

Busboys, expats, Parisians, the rich and the broke, all carried on among artists and writers, well known and not. You could see Bricktop teaching people like the Prince

of Wales how to do the Black Bottom (the dance). She wore clothes made for her by her confidante Elsa Schiaparelli. Naturally, her lover Josephine Baker was often there (a husband was in the mix too for a short time).

Harlem came to Paris with “L’Art et les Noirs.” The fact that you could be Black and eat where you wanted, live where you wanted, and love who you wanted contrasted so deeply with America. She hosted singers, musicians, and dancers, like Mable Mercer, King Oliver, and Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller.

Cole Porter could be seen pounding the piano and asking “How’m I doin’ Brickie? How’m I doin’?” (he was trying to woo young men).

One very late night, Bricktop’s good friend, the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, was arrested for cavorting in a very important Parisian fountain. He kept shouting that he was a friend of Bricktop’s, so they couldn’t arrest him!

The gendarmes dragged Fitzgerald to

Bricktop’s apartment building — everyone knew where both her club and apartment were. The doorman got Bricktop to get dressed and go down to the lobby. Yes, she did know him, but he couldn’t come in, as he would drip water all over the rug.

World War II meant fleeing Paris in 1940 — Nazis did not like Americans, and they really loathed Black people. Returning to New York, she tried to set up a new club, but couldn’t deal with U.S. racism. She eventually returned to postwar Paris, but by then Americans were strongly disliked, as were Black people.

She went to Rome and established a club that catered to film royalty like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. But she tired of the long hours and returned home in 1965. After that, she occasionally performed.

Bricktop published her autobiography in 1984 and months later died in her New York City bed with an amazing legacy. Many of her papers are housed at Emory University.

María Helena Dolan

Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith aka “Bricktop” HISTORICAL PHOTO

BRIAN COCHRAN’S DEBUT NOVEL,

SPRING HOUSE,’ IS A STORY OF LOVE, LOSS, AND HOPE

Abid-Kons

What if a heartbroken man, reeling from the recent breakup with his boyfriend, found hope and happiness again through a supernatural home renovation? That’s the plot of “The Spring House,” a new novel that follows characters from the past and the present as they try to heal from past wounds and find love, happiness, and hope again. The book was written by author and former Georgia Voice reporter Brian Cochran.

“The Spring House” is set in Georgia and follows Sam, who has just broken up with his long-term boyfriend and is heartbroken following the split. Sam decides that this is the time to retreat from the world and finally accomplish a lifelong goal: renovating an old farmhouse. After finding and purchasing a dilapidated farmhouse, the novel’s namesake, he soon discovers that he’s not alone. The house has a terrible history, and Sam finds himself sharing the house with the ghost of a previous resident named Henry, who is also gay and soon bonds with Sam. Through Henry, Sam learns the history of the house, and together they find that their friendship is helping them heal from old wounds.

“In a way, the book is about finding your way back from being in a really bad place emotionally,” Cochran told Georgia Voice. Cochran said the novel also deals with the larger topics of racism and homophobia in Georgia, which he was inspired to write about after spending most of his life living in Georgia and experiencing or witnessing those things firsthand. After moving away, Cochran felt his experiences more profoundly the longer he was away from the state and said that he felt that he had to put those experiences into a novel.

Cochran said he didn’t have the exact story

in mind, but rather he knew facets of the story that he wanted to include and let the story take shape from there.

“I had an inkling about Sam, and that he wanted to renovate a farmhouse, and that was where this started,” he said.

Since this was his first book, Cochran said he didn’t rush the process. Cochran said that initially, he didn’t really know what he was doing, but made it a priority to work on his book regularly.

“I took it slowly,” he said. “I wrote a few pages every day, and I read them to my husband and asked, ‘Does this sound okay?’”

Cochran said that apart from his husband, he also showed his writing to some avid readers he knew to learn what was and wasn’t working about the story.

After the story was finished, Cochran started sending it out to publishers. He initially faced rejection, but eventually found a publisher. After that, the process moved very quickly, and “The Spring House” was available for purchase just a few weeks later. Overall, it took Cochran about 16 months from his first day of writing to finish the story and have it published.

As excited as he is to have his first book published, Cochran said the process of writing the story involved many funny and touching moments that were also rewarding. Cochran found inspiration at odd and sometimes inopportune times, which led to parts of the book being written everywhere from an airport bar to his notes app in the middle of the night. He said his fondest memory of the experience, however, was a surprise his husband gave him once he finished the story.

“My husband’s not a reader at all, he has dyslexia, so I would read to him every day, or whenever I had a couple of chapters,” said Cochran. “After it was published, he actually read me the first chapter.” Cochran said that experience was the best of his novelistic journey. He said in that moment, he didn’t care whether or not his book sold. All he cared about was the fact that his husband wanted to do that for him.

While Cochran said he’s happy that the book is finished, he also said that it can be hard finishing a novel, especially after an author starts to form a bond with their characters. But he’s been happy that the initial feedback to the book has been overwhelmingly positive. Still, Cochran says he’s okay with people not liking his writing.

“I feel like you’re not doing your job if everyone likes your book; not everyone should like your book,” he said.

Writing, he said, is like any other kind of art: it’s meant to be disruptive. For this novel, Cochran hopes it can illustrate both the good and bad parts of the South and honestly depict the experiences that Cochran and so many other Georgians have lived.

“The Spring House” is now available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Sukainah

‘THE

The author of “The Spring House,” Brian Cochran COURTESY IMAGES

“I feel like you’re not doing your job if everyone likes your book; not everyone should like your book.”

‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’

CAPTURES THE MUSIC OF WHITNEY HOUSTON BUT ZIPS THROUGH MOST OF THE ICON’S LIFE

Most of the headlines near the end of Whitney Houston’s life were negative — the volatile relationship with husband Bobby Brown, unsuccessful vocal performances, the drug use, the 2002 “crack is whack” interview with Diane Sawyer. The singer died tragically in 2012 at the age of 48, drowning in a bathtub in a Beverly Hills hotel with cocaine in her system. Yet nothing can take away from the legacy of the performer, one of the bestselling artists of all time and the voice of her generation. The new film, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” celebrates the life of Houston 10 years after her passing. It’s watchable enough, but it’s largely a CliffsNotes version.

Directed by Kasi Lemmons, the biopic stars Naomi Ackie as Houston, who is discovered by record exec Clive Davis (played by Stanley Tucci) and led on her way to superstardom. As her career accelerates with one hit single after another, Houston is watched over by her parents John (Clarke Peters) and Cissy (Tamara Tunie), who want to control her and mold her into an All-American sweetheart, an image Whitney is not comfortable with.

Much of the mystery surrounding the film centered on how it would depict Robyn Crawford, who has claimed she had a romantic relationship with the performer. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” doesn’t shy away from their attraction — the two women meet early on and are pretty much inseparable. Atlanta-based actress Nafessa

Williams plays Crawford, bringing energy and warmth to the role. The relationship between the women is known in Houston’s circles, and Houston even makes Crawford her creative director, butting heads with her father. Eventually, however, it’s determined that she needs to be seen with more men around her as she becomes a public figure.

After meeting Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, Houston marries the recording artist three years later. Their years together (largely in Atlanta) were tumultuous, and Houston ultimately left Brown. Some of the most intriguing moments come as Houston finds herself in the middle, torn between her husband and her allegiance and love for Crawford. When Brown comes into the picture, the relationship between the women is never the same.

Some of the film works, especially the moments between Tucci and Ackie as Davis and Houston working together, planning her next moves. And no one can deny how potent and catchy Houston’s music was and still is. Several numbers are engagingly staged.

What does the film in is Anthony McCarten’s mechanical screenplay. The film zips through Houston’s life, year after year, often without much meat or clarity.

The 1992 blockbuster film, “The Bodyguard,” for example, gets roughly five or so minutes in the film. It does produce a humorous sequence where Davis hands Houston the script for the film and she puts it down, not engaged. When he tells her Kevin Costner will play the titular character, Houston snatches it back up

and is suddenly interested in pursuing it.

Throughout the course of the movie, though, we never see how Houston and Brown became a couple, and how she became addicted to drugs is never adequately addressed either. The leap to addiction feels clumsy and forced. Admittedly, it’s a welcome relief to see the relationship between Crawford and Houston, but it also could have been fleshed out more.

The cast is top notch. Williams, Peters and Tunie have fine moments and Tucci can play this kind of role in his sleep. Late in the film Whitney is a little surprised when Davis begins a relationship with another man (Davis, who executive produced the project, came out as bisexual in 2013).

The beauty of Ackie’s performance is that, although she doesn’t look much like Houston and lip syncs much of the music, she nonetheless creates a real character. Her Houston is bold

and ambitious, yet stymied by those handling her career, especially her father.

Sony Pictures has sandwiched the film’s release between “The Woman King” and the upcoming “A Man Called Otto,” both of which the studio is pushing for Oscar® nominations. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” seems lost in the shuffle. It’s not a great film, but Ackie herself is a revelation. A Best Actress Oscar nomination would have been a stretch, but she could have been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Film, Musical or Comedy with more of a push.

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” might please audiences looking to be reminded of Whitney Houston’s profound career and influence, but anyone looking for a bit more insight or a deep dive may be leaving disappointed.

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is now in area theaters.

Jim Farmer

‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’

PUBLICITY PHOTO BY EMILY ARAGONES

LGBTQ FAVORITE ‘HADESTOWN’ COMES TO THE FOX THEATRE

golden scale, according to Quinn.

finally caught it, he was impressed by its layers and its diversity.

It was the big Broadway production of 2019, winning eight Tony Awards, including one for Best Musical. Now “Hadestown” is on a national tour, stopping at the Fox Theatre next week courtesy of Broadway in Atlanta.

A musical that blends modern American folk music with New Orleans jazz, “Hadestown” follows two sets of mythical lovers, young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice and King Hades and his wife Persephone. Out actor Matthew Patrick Quinn portrays Hades.

The actor has an elevator pitch for those unfamiliar with the show: “It’s an original and inventive re-imaging of two ancient Greek myths, told through a genre-defying [score],” he said. “The music is a style you typically don’t hear in musical theater, and that alone is a reason to see the show. It hits so many chords and has so many great lessons that can be garnered by all of society.”

Hades is the lord of the dead, who oversees the underworld, but in this production, he is re-imagined as a wealthy, heavy-handed big business owner. One of the lyrics in the show says he is a mean old boss with a silver

“He is the kind of boss no one wants to have, but I believe he is a product of circumstance and is somewhat misunderstood,” he said.

“He and his wife are separated, and his fear that she might not return fuels him with jealousy and doubt. It starts a series of events that causes the relationship to sour, in terms affecting the lives of the living and the souls of the dead.”

Playing a character that has been written as a very old man presents some challenges, as Quinn himself is only 43. The producers did not direct him to physicalize being old, but in his performance he feels it was vital to bring to life the character’s attributes — royal, powerful and menacing.

In addition to the critical acclaim, “Hadestown” has been a profitable production as well. That does not surprise the actor. He auditioned via self-tape, a now-common occurrence in the industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then did some in-person tryouts before landing the role in the touring version. Before going in he was familiar with the score and that the musical revolved around Greek mythology, but had not seen it. When he

“I think there are so many different aspects to the show not just in the story and the messages of love and big business and climate change but it’s also in the casting,” Quinn said. “It really runs the gamut of all different sizes and shapes and diversity. The casting is very inclusive of all colors and sexuality as well. [The producers] have been great specifically seeking out different types to fill the stage. I hope it is recognizable from the audience’s perspective. Whether or not people voice that they recognize it, it is opening people’s eyes up.”

That diversity is one reason LGBTQ audiences like “Hadestown” so much.

“The story is about love,” Quinn said. “Love, I think is colorless; love is blind. The label of love is available to anyone because our show is so diverse and inclusive that people see their stories reflected onstage. That is a testament to the (work). It shows people no matter how you are raised or what kind of background you may have been brought up in there are so many ways to love and people need to open their minds and hearts to recognize that.”

Quinn is no stranger to the Fox Theatre or touring shows, having been in the “Finding Neverland” tour, which played in Atlanta in 2017.

Besides its Tony Awards, “Hadestown” made history in another way. Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell is responsible for the music and lyrics as well as the book and only four times in Broadway history has a woman been able to accomplish all of that. Her memorable score won her a Tony Award.

Next weekend, Out Front Theatre Company has a special two-day gig, the world premiere of “Red: A Crayon’s Musical.” Based on Michael Hall’s acclaimed “Red: A Crayon Story,” the play has a book by Ben Thorpe and music and lyrics by Grammy nominee (and Atlantan) John Burke. In the new work, a blue crayon, mislabeled as Red, is having a tough time but makes a friend who changes his life.

MORE INFO

“Hadestown” runs January 10 – 15 at the Fox Theatre

“Red: A Crayon’s Musical” runs January 13 –14 at Out Front Theatre Company

Main photo: ‘The cast of ‘Hadestown’; Inset: Out actor Matthew Patrick Quinn portrays Hades. PUBLICITY PHOTOS

Jim Farmer

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 –

SUNDAY, JANUARY 8

Who knew that when they played their first house dance party in Athens, Georgia in 1976 that the B-52s would be still be rocking the house in 2023? Rescheduled from November, this farewell tour includes special guest KC & the Sunshine Band. 7:30pm, Fox Theatre

MONDAY, JANUARY 9

A celebration of life for the late Lynn Barfield, deemed the Mayor of Midtown and active in many LGBTQ events and organizations over the years, will be held today at 4pm at Blake’s on the Park

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10

In the Tony Award-winning “Hadestown,” a song can change your fate. Intertwining two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — “Hadestown” is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never let us go. 7:30pm tonight, running through June 14, Fox Theatre

Hostesses Bubba D. Licious and Erica Lee and special guest performers will delight, amaze, and shock you as they call bingo, put on a show, and help raise money for PALS Atlanta. Tonight’s theme is Pajarama Bingo 7:30pm, Lips Atlanta

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 –

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14

“Red: A Crayon’s Musical” runs this weekend at Out Front Theatre Company. A blue crayon, mislabeled as Red, is having a tough time. As hard as Red tries, his drawings look strange… and everyone is noticing. His mother and sibling want to help, his teachers and coach push him in different directions, and his fellow crayon-students think he’s just plain weird. Red will try anything in order to be normal. Then, Red makes a new friend who opens his eyes to the possibility that what others see as strange could possibly be what makes him special. Based on Michael

EVENT SPOTLIGHT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15

DOVER QUARTET

SPIVEY HALL

The Dover Quartet draws from the lineage of the distinguished Guarneri, Cleveland, and Vermeer quartets. Its members studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and Rice University’s

Hall’s children’s book, this family musical is about community, self-discovery, and being true to one’s self. 7:30pm Friday and 1pm and 3pm Saturday

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14

Cathe Hall Payne directs “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.” In this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young readers will finally hear the other side of the story of “The Three Little Pigs.” The show is fun for the whole family. 11am and 2pm today, through January 22, Onstage Atlanta

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15

Calling all Swifties — Atlanta’s best drag performers are here to bring you T-Swift like you’ve never seen her before at a Very Taylor Swift Drag Brunch. Hear the greatest hits from Midnights, Folklore, Red and more all while you dine on Atlanta’s best and newest brunch spot. Performances

The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBTQ children meets in person today. 2:30pm to 4pm, Spiritual Living Center

MONDAY, JANUARY 16

Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender and aspiring allies, providing a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources and activism around social issues. 7pm to 8pm for youth and 8pm to 9pm for adults, Charis Books and More

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21

The murderous “Don Giovanni,” staged by Atlanta Opera, deceives women with impunity, leaving destruction in his wake.

This Don Juan is not just a rakish cad but someone much more sinister. Mozart and Da Ponte’s masterwork explores vengeance and unsatiable desire. Glamour, grit, and the glow of neon infuse this film noir production in which Kristine McIntyre directs the action on the stage and Atlanta Opera Music Director Arthur Fagen leads The Atlanta Opera Orchestra. 8pm tonight, running through January 29, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28

The LGBTQ Book Club, sponsored by Charis Books and More, is a group for LGBTQ folks and allies to read queerthemed books and books by queer authors. The goal is to have diverse thoughtprovoking discussions about queer identity, history, and topical issues. All are welcome to join. This month’s book is “Gideon the Ninth” by Tamsyn Muir. Register in advance for this meeting: shorturl.at/jnsxX, 10am to 11:30am

Jim Farmer

by Drew Friday, Dotte Com, Gigi Diamond, JayBella Banks, Katrina Prowess, Natalie Vega, & Stella Pearl Fontaine. 1pm, ATL Comedy Theater Underground

Shepherd School of Music. Spivey Hall, 2000 Clayton State Blvd, Morrow, GA (Publicity photo)

Katie Burkholder

DISCO DOLLZ

FUTURE ATLANTA

JANUARY 6, 9PM

Starring Coco Iman Starr, Cici Nicole, Raquel Heart, Lala Ri, and Phoenix, hosted by Brigitte Bidet.

THE HOUSE CONNECTION

DISTRICT ATLANTA

JANUARY 6, 10PM

The House Connection features rare backto-back sets with some of Atlanta’s finest and District resident DJs! The mainstage lineup includes Otica b2b Brendon Lee, Viv Castle b2b Lincoln Hauk (Birthday set), and Don Genesis. Tickets are free if you arrive before midnight!

FANTASY GIRLS CABARET

FUTURE ATLANTA

JANUARY 7, 9PM

EVENT SPOTLIGHT

DJ MOHAMMAD

HERETIC

JANUARY 7, 10PM

INVASIAN CYBERPUNK

DISTRICT ATLANTA

JANUARY 7, 10PM

Join District Atlanta and friends as they celebrate Asian culture! Asian DJs Momo, Indescreet, Mihoy, and Tunnelman headlining in the main room, The Tweebs and DJ Beignet on the patio stage, Soju shots, bubble tea cocktails, and more! Tickets via Eventbrite.

XION WITH DEANNE

FUTURE ATLANTA

JANUARY 8, 3AM

MESSY MONDAY KARAOKE

OSCAR’S MARTINI BAR

JANUARY 9, 9PM

Hosted by Betsi Nelson, music by DJ Wide Open Weston.

SHOW TUNE TUESDAYS

OSCAR’S MARTINI BAR

JANUARY 10, 9PM With Daddy C.

KARAOKE HOSTED BY THAD STEVEN

MY SISTER’S ROOM

JANUARY 11, 9PM

MARYOKE

MARY’S

JANUARY 11, 9PM

WARP ZONE GAYMER NIGHT

HERETIC

JANUARY 11, 9PM

Enjoy all the games you used to play and more every Wednesday, followed by the Blackout on the Dance Floor party at 10pm.

GARETH EMERY

DISTRICT ATLANTA

JANUARY 13, 10PM

Tickets at bit.ly/GARETHATL2023.

MLK WEEKEND: DJ BILL BERDEAUX

THE HIDEAWAY

JANUARY 14, 10PM

No cover.

MLK WEEKEND: DUELING DJ’S

THE HIDEAWAY

JANUARY 15, 5PM

DJ Devon Rex at 5pm, DJ Rob Reum at 9pm. No cover and $5 Absolut.

EVENT SPOTLIGHT

MLK WEEKEND: DJ MISTER RICHARD

THE HIDEAWAY

JANUARY 13, 10PM

XION WITH TWISTED DEE

FUTURE ATLANTA

JANUARY 15, 3AM

MESSY MONDAY KARAOKE

OSCAR’S MARTINI BAR

JANUARY 16, 9PM

Hosted by Betsi Nelson, music by DJ Wide Open Weston.

ATLANTA DRAG ALL STARS COMPETITION – WEEK 1

FUTURE ATLANTA

JANUARY 17, 9PM

Local legends, big local talent and a $5,000 grand prize. The heat is on every Tuesday at Future Atlanta, starting this week.

SHOW TUNE TUESDAYS

OSCAR’S MARTINI BAR

JANUARY 17, 9PM With Daddy C.

KARAOKE HOSTED BY THAD STEVEN

MY SISTER’S ROOM

JANUARY 18, 9PM

MARYOKE

MARY’S

JANUARY 18, 9PM

WARP ZONE GAYMER NIGHT

HERETIC

JANUARY 18, 9PM

Enjoy all the games you used to play and more every Wednesday, followed by the Blackout on the Dance Floor party at 10pm.

4B

DISTRICT ATLANTA

JANUARY 20, 10PM

Tickets at bit.ly/4BATL2023

HOT MESS DANCE POP PARTY

THE BASEMENT

JANUARY 20, 10PM

For pop lovers, this is the only night out in Atlanta where you’ll hear an expertly curated mix of the biggest and latest pop and dance music, remixes, that new song off TikTok that you just heard and love, and other weird little surprises that will make you smile and dance all night. Tickets via Eventbrite.

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID MELISSA CARTER

NOT GETTING AROUND

We took Mr. Carter to Walt Disney World for the first time last March. The original trip was planned for his fifth birthday, but COVID-19 forced us to change our plans several times, so he made his first trek to Orlando at seven years old. Prior to the journey I had hunkered down at home during the pandemic for two years.

I have been to Walt Disney World many times, both in my childhood and on Bert’s Big Adventure, and in all those visits I never had an issue getting around the parks. For those who have never been, these are big parks and challenge even the most fit to chase kids around in the Florida sun. However, I always seemed to manage.

This year was different. My feet hurt. My back hurt. When I’d get out of the hotel bed in the morning, I had to wobble a bit to get my rhythm going by the time I got to the bathroom. I’d wave Mr. Carter ahead of me at times in the park to catch up with his other mother so I could slow a bit. I had become an old lady at 52. I was frustrated and embarrassed, yet I pushed through the discomfort and made sure my son got the most out of his experience.

Yet, I couldn’t accept this seemingly sudden breakdown in my body. What had changed? I realized I used to get regular massages and had stopped during lockdown, so I immediately made an appointment.

“Were you in an accident?” the therapist asked.

When I responded that I had not, she expressed confusion as to why my lower back had locked up. She said that usually happens during something traumatic like an accident.

“I’ve just been sitting for two years,” was all I could come up with.

BY PEXELS.COM / SHVETS PRODUCTION

And that’s what did it, sitting. After more massage therapy, everything loosened up and my pain and awkward movement was gone. I wouldn’t consider myself athletic, but I have spent most of my life walking either during or after work and getting the aforementioned massages. The combination allowed my body to stay loose and kept it from feeling the effects of aging.

However, when the pandemic hit and I was forced to stay at home for so long, I wasn’t walking down a long hall to a public bathroom. I wasn’t consistently going to a break room or visiting the desks of colleagues throughout the day. I was sitting either at my desk or on the couch, never really moving for extended periods of time.

When we think of health and fitness, images of a gym or some puffed up body in very tight clothing comes to mind. Yet real health is far simpler than all that. It’s about not standing still. It’s about not lying down all day. It’s allowing your body to do what it was built to do: move around. So, whether you walk, jog, hike, or wheel around, being on the move in any capacity keeps you healthy.

We weren’t able to fly last spring, so Mr. Carter has asked us to go back to Disney for that opportunity. I can guarantee you this time I won’t be as uncomfortable and will keep pace with an eight-year-old.

Melissa Carter

PHOTO