IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®
This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.
(bik-TAR-vee)
MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY
BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.
BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section. Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%). These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.
ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: dofetilide rifampin any other medicines to treat HIV-1
BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. Have any other health problems. Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.
HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.
GET MORE INFORMATION This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.
BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: February 2021 © 2021 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0369 04/21
BVYC0369_BIKTARVY_B_10X10-5_GeorgiaVoice_Hugo_r1v1jl.indd All Pages
HUGO LIVING WITH HIV SINCE 1995 REAL BIKTARVY PATIENT
KEEP CONNECTING. Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.
BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.
Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you. See Hugo’s story at BIKTARVY.com. Featured patient compensated by Gilead.
Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.
4/26/21 4:07 PM
voice
georgia
VOLUME 12•ISSUE 21
About the cover:
Main cover photo courtesy of Da’Shaun Harrison
TheGeorgiaVoice.com
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GUEST EDITORIAL
Ahead of Black History Month, There Are Many LGBTQ People to Celebrate
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS: Sukainah Abid-Kons, Brammhi Balarajan, Cliff Bostock, Lakisha Clay, María Helena Dolan, Jim Farmer, Divine Ikpe, Buck Jones, Danté Rhodes, Fletcher Varnson PRODUCTION Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com SALES Sales Executive: Dixon Taylor dtaylor@thegavoice.com Sales Executive: Jim Brams jbrams@thegavoice.com Business Advisor: Lynn Pasqualetti Financial Firm of Record: HLM Financial Group NATIONAL ADVERTISING: Rivendell Media 908-232-2021 sales@rivendellmedia.com Publisher Emeritus: Chris Cash FINE PRINT
All material in Georgia Voice is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of Georgia Voice. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons. We also do not accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Unsolicited editorial material is accepted by Georgia Voice, but we do not take responsibility for its return. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject, or edit any submission. Guidelines for freelance contributors are available upon request. A single copy of Georgia Voice is available from authorized distribution points. Multiple copies are available from Georgia Voice office only. Call for rates. If you are unable to reach a convenient free distribution point, you may receive a 24-issue mailed subscription for $99 per year. Checks or credit card orders can be sent to Tim Boyd, tboyd@thegavoice.com Postmaster: Send address changes to Georgia Voice, PO Box 77401, Atlanta, GA 30357. Georgia Voice is published twice a month by Georgia Voice, LLC. Individual subscriptions are $99 per year for 24 issues. Postage paid at Atlanta, GA, and additional mailing offices. The editorial positions of Georgia Voice are expressed in editorials and in editor’s notes. Other opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Georgia Voice and its staff. To submit a letter or commentary: Letters should be fewer than 400 words and commentary, for web or print, should be fewer than 750 words. Submissions may be edited for content and length, and must include a name, address, and phone number for verification. Email submissions to editor@thegavoice.com or mail to the address above.
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4 Editorial January 21, 2022
appreciates the gift of hope in her storytelling.
Danté Rhodes and Lakisha Clay, cast members of The Gayly Dose
EDITORIAL Editor: Katie Burkholder kburkholder@thegavoice.com
This year, we’re getting an early start on Black History Month, which begins in February. The month has served as a linchpin in our community and a chance not only to connect our current lives to the past, but also to celebrate how far we have come. Year after year, we triumph over our struggles and conquer new challenges facing the Black community, both in the United States and abroad. This doesn’t go without acknowledging how much work remains. We have entered a new era in social responsibility and human rights, and that poses an opportunity to amplify gay and queer representation within Black spaces. Here are some of our favorite Black LGBTQ people who are making a name for themselves:
Saucy Santana
A proud, gay rapper, Santana has edged his way into mainstream success without faltering from authenticity. At every turn, he has been ultra-femme and what most would call “flamboyant” in an industry where neither are celebrated. Anyone familiar with rap knows how hypermasculine it is and how historically uncomfortable it can be for many queer individuals. Artists like Santana are necessary for our progression as society. His fearlessness coupled with his undeniable talent are rare. His intention for trans women to be visible in his projects defies all standards in the rap industry, making him both icon and inspiration.
Billy Porter
POSE! I mean, can you think of a more visible gay actor? Beyond his bravery in living proudly as HIV+, his eclectic and feminine-forward persona is one that many of us desperately needed as a kid. He has broken the countless barriers in Hollywood that prohibit expressing yourself, being out
Queen Latifah
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GAYLY DOSE
and about, and living in your truth. He has successfully merged his personal expression into his performance, and it is beautiful to watch. His execution is done in a way that throughout history many had to do under the veil of a “double life.” Porter is sure to set the tone for what it means to live boldly.
Lil Nas X
The GOAT. He came out so bravely, and I have been more than impressed by the way he has produced his image. The intention behind every necessary stunt is more than just to make people gasp; it is an intention to make people question their view of queer people in the world. Lil Nas X could’ve easily lived a masculine, straight-presenting life, but he chose to do the opposite. On the cusp of superstardom, he chose to come out as gay. This is strength in the face of adversity. He now joins the iconic Porter on red carpets — amplifying the narrative of being unapologetically queer — and gives light to the struggle of being Black and gay. His brand inspires and celebrates with people everywhere. He is the future.
Lena Waithe
Lena Waithe is a Chicago-born actress, producer, and screenwriter who is well known for her Showtime series, “The Chi,” and BET comedy series, “Twenties” and “Boomerang.” She also wrote and produced the love-crime film, “Queen & Slim.” In 2017, she was the first Black woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Lena has continued to amaze the world with her creative brilliance. Our community
Dana Elaine Owens, better known as “Queen Latifah,” became a force in 1989 when she released her debut album, “All Hail the Queen.” Today, Queen Latifah is one of the greatest rappers, singer-songwriters, actresses, and producers of our time. Her dominant lesbian role in “Set It Off” had everyone speculating about her sexuality. While never feeling the need to discuss her personal life, in 2021 she received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award and during her acceptance speech she acknowledged her partner Eboni Nichols and ended her remarks with “Happy Pride!” She unwaveringly shows grace and elegance in her identity.
Lori Lightfoot
The Honorable Lori Elaine Lightfoot is the 56th mayor of Chicago. Lightfoot also served as president of the Chicago Police Board and chair of the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force. Married to Amy Eshleman, Lightfoot is the first Black lesbian woman in the U.S. to be elected mayor. She wears her Pride as a badge of honor, even in a political environment. Her authenticity speaks volumes about her tenacity. Whether it’s being a grand marshal at the Chicago Gay Pride Parade or holding a press conference in a two-piece suit, we see her outstanding work and appreciate her influence on our Black lesbian community! Dante is a founding host of The Gayly Dose, an Atlanta-based podcast hosted by an all-gay cast. Lakisha is new to the podcast and joins in Season Two as cast member of “A Dash of Lesbian,” which airs every other Friday. Unique in its mission and follow-on format, weekly episodes of The Gayly Dose are known for their real conversations about things that matter to the community and their listeners. Purposefully candid and brutally honest, the cast speaks on a range of topics, including monogamy, body issues, coming out, dating apps and growing up gay in the church. Listen at thegaylydose.com. TheGeorgiaVoice.com
NEWS BRIEFS Staff reports Find these stories and more online at thegavoice.com. Out On Film Submissions Now Open Submissions are now open for the 35th annual Out On Film, Atlanta’s Oscar® qualifying LGBTQ film festival. The event – expected to be hybrid this year, with both live and virtual fare — will take place September 22 through October 2 online and locations to be determined. The regular deadline for submissions is June 9 and the late deadline is June 30. Out On Film was named as one of the 100 Best Reviewed Festivals by streaming platform FilmFreeway. According to reviews from real FilmFreeway users, Out On Film ranks in the top 1 percent of more than 10,000 film festivals and creative contests around the world. “Being included in this is very special indeed,” Farmer said. “Out On Film has long put a premium on nurturing, embracing and promoting filmmakers across the world and we are grateful for their support here.” This year’s festival lineup will be a little different than in years past. For the first time ever, Out On Film has opened submissions for screenplays. Winners for both short film and feature film screenplays will receive a cash prize and a reading at the 2022 festival. As an Oscar® qualifying film festival, Out On Film’s winner for the Jury Award for Best Drama Short is eligible for consideration at the following year’s Academy Awards® in the category of Best Live Action Short. Out On Film also offers Jury Awards for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best International Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best First Film, and Best Ensemble. Audience Awards are given for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary, Best Drama Short and International Film. Veterans Can Now Identify as Transgender, Nonbinary on VA Medical Records Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough announced that his department added the options of transgender male, transgender female, nonbinary and other when veterans select their gender, in medical records and healthcare documentation. TheGeorgiaVoice.com
IMAGE COURTESY OF OUT ON FILM
“All veterans, all people, have a basic right to be identified as they define themselves,” McDonough said in a statement. “This is essential for their general well-being and overall health. Knowing the gender identity of transgender and gender-diverse veterans helps us better serve them.” The statement also noted that the change allows health care providers to better understand and meet the medical needs of their patients. The information also could help providers identify any stigma or discrimination that a veteran has faced that might be affecting their health. McDonough speaking at a Pride Month event last June at the Orlando VA Healthcare System, emphasized his support for LGBTQ vets. He said that he pledged to overcome a “dark history” of discrimination and take steps to expand access to care for transgender veterans. With this commitment, McDonough said he seeks to allow “transgender vets to go through the full gender confirmation process with VA by their side.” “We’re making these changes not only because they are the right thing to do, but because they can save lives,” he added. In a survey of transgender veterans and transgender active-duty service members, transgender veterans reported several mental health diagnoses, including depression (65 percent), anxiety (41 percent), PTSD (31 percent), and substance abuse (16 percent). In a study examining VHA patient records from 2000 to 2011 (before the 2011 VHA directive), the rate of suicide-related events among veterans with a gender identity disorder (GID) diagnoses was 20 times higher than that
of the general VHA patient population. McDonough acknowledged the VA research pointing out that in addition to psychological distress, trans veterans also may experience prejudice and stigma. About 80 percent of trans veterans have encountered a hurtful or rejecting experience in the military because of their gender identity. “LGBTQ veterans experience mental illness and suicidal thoughts at far higher rates than those outside their community,” McDonough said. “But they are significantly less likely to seek routine care, largely because they fear discrimination. At VA, we’re doing everything in our power to show veterans of all sexual orientations and gender identities that they can talk openly, honestly and comfortably with their health care providers about any issues they may be experiencing.” All VA facilities have had a local LGBTQ Veteran Care Coordinator responsible for helping those veterans connect to available services since 2016. “We’re making these changes not only because they are the right thing to do but because they can save lives,” McDonough said. He added that the VA would also change the name of the Veterans Health Administration’s LGBT health program to the LGBTQ+ Health Program to reflect greater inclusiveness. Much of the push for better access to healthcare and for recognition of the trans community is a result of the polices of President Joe Biden, who reversed the ban on trans military enacted under former President Trump, expanding protections for transgender students and revived anti-bias safeguards in health care for transgender Americans. January 21, 2022 News Briefs 5
NEWS
Carl Bean Men’s Health and Wellness Center to Host the Symposium: People Living with AIDS in Atlanta Fletcher Varnson The Symposium: People Living with AIDS comes to Atlanta on March 19 to give a voice to those living with HIV. Hosted by Carl Bean Men’s Health and Wellness Center, the event is designed to inform and connect people impacted by HIV with resources to help them live long, happy lives. The symposium comes at a crucial time in Georgia’s HIV epidemic. Atlanta has one of the highest infection rates in the country, with WSB-TV reporting that one in every 51 people is diagnosed with HIV. Because of the resurgence of the omicron variant of COVID-19, many of the medical resources regularly available to people with HIV now must be used online or over the phone. The difficulty caused by this barrier between people with HIV and medical professionals is exacerbated by the disparities within those infected with HIV. The CDC found that HIV rates are significantly higher in urban and impoverished communities, meaning those living with the disease may not have access to the internet and thus have limited access to medical care. “The COVID pandemic has impacted the resources that we provide and a lot of resources other agencies provide,” Hermeyone Bell, director at the Men’s Health Center and HIV specialist, told Georgia Voice. “Some of the services have been changed because we do telecom visits as well as limited in-person visits to help mitigate the spread of COVID. And with some of our clients who are living with HIV, because they are immunocompromised, they might be at more risk of serious illness if they come down with COVID.” During a time when access to medical care feels limited, the symposium’s mission is to inform people living with HIV of the resources and health strategies they can use to lead long, fulfilling lives. Indeed, the Men’s Health Center emphasized on its website that the symposium will be “BOLD 6 News January 21, 2022
PHOTO COURTESY OF CARL BEAN MEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER
and UNAPOLOGETIC in speaking truth that HIV is not a death sentence.” The website aidsmap reported that, with recent advancement in medicine, life expectancy for those living with HIV who started treatment early can be as long as their uninfected peers. “There is no cure for HIV, but people who are living with HIV can have normal lifespans while they’re taking medication for treatment of HIV,” Bell said. “That helps them continue to live their lives with work, play, and family and everything like that.” The symposium will also provide workshops that promote positive health outcomes and lifestyles. These workshops will look at how nutrition, exercise, and life lessons can help people living with HIV take their health into their own hands while working in coordination with their doctors. “It’s really important to know about your
health and to be a part of your health care,” Bell said. “We talk about why talking to your health care provider, speaking with people in the community who might be affected by HIV, and learning all those concepts about knowing your own health are important. Our tag line is ‘It’s your health: Own it!’ That’s how it goes.”
harshest HIV criminalization laws, which can lead a person who does not disclose their positive HIV status prior to sex to be charged with a felony and, if convicted, receive up to 10 years in prison. Recent efforts have been made to modernize these laws, such as Senate Bill 164 in 2021. However, that bill did not pass, and Georgia’s HIV criminalization laws still stand.
To specifically address Atlanta’s HIV epidemic, the symposium will have speakers who are locally, nationally, and internationally known address and share their points of view on the city’s epidemic. Furthermore, different Atlanta agencies will have the opportunity to have an exhibit or presence at the symposium where they can “refer or tell people about the resources they have to connect these people with the resources they need to live healthily with HIV.”
“We need to revisit the criminalization laws here in Georgia,” Bell said. “Now in this day and age of treating HIV, you equals you. If someone has an undetectable viral load, the virus is nontransmissible, so we need to get that information out there. And there are some people out there living with HIV who do not even know what the laws are regarding transmission or disclosure with a sexual partner, so we hope the symposium helps inform those people.”
The symposium will also address HIV criminalization. Georgia has some of the
To register for the Symposium: People Living with AIDS, visit menshealthcenter.org/register. TheGeorgiaVoice.com
BLACK HISTORY
Da’Shaun Harrison:
A Writer and Organizer Who is Documenting History Katie Burkholder During Black History Month, it’s easy to look back to the past to take inspiration and discover necessary context for the world we’re living in. We don’t have to look to the past, however. There are Black scholars, writers, and organizers creating and documenting history whose work we can reliably turn to in order to understand the realities of today. One such person is Da’Shaun Harrison. Harrison is a multihyphenate organizerwriter-editor who is using their own experiences as a Black fat trans nonbinary and disabled person to create work that’s eradicating racial and gender identity disparities in journalism and academia while creating practical language others like them can use to understand their own experiences. Harrison first became an organizer back in 2014 while they were a student at Morehouse College after the murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri by police officer Darren Wilson. “There was a huge protest here in Atlanta after [Brown] was murdered in August, and I had just come to Atlanta at that moment,” they told Georgia Voice. “After the nonindictment in November, there was another really big break out moment, and that’s when I became really involved in organizing.” Harrison was a first-generation college student from a poor background who had experienced sexual violence, queer and trans antagonism, and eviction and homelessness due to gentrification. These experiences influenced and continue to influence their organizing, but it was the dearth of organizers that really inspired them to get involved. “So much of my interest in organizing was because of my identity,” Harrison said, “but mostly because I realized there was a 8 Black History January 21, 2022
Da’Shaun Harrison PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK significant need for more folks to be active in movement work and there was so little space to make that happen.” This need for people like Harrison in the world of organizing is also reflected in the world of writing. While they first became a freelance writer for the income because they were experiencing homelessness, Harrison says writing is a way for them to document the truth about organizing efforts in the South — or, as they say, “the stories that would otherwise be left out of the textbook.” “Widely it’s understood that our history is recorded by the people who win, and by win I mean do the slaughtering,” they said. “Therefore, there are stories that aren’t told, or aren’t told in a particular way, because of who gets to write the history … So often, Black folks have been removed by the ability to write, be published, or be heard. Being able to have access in this way to tell these stories, give this language, to theorize about these experiences in ways we have often been cut off from, for me is just so important. That’s why I think writing and organizing go hand in hand, because you get to document
the experiences you’re having on the ground.” Harrison’s writing experience includes being the associate editor and then managing editor of the now-dissolved WearYourVoice magazine, where they covered topics like local and global politics, fatness, race, climate change, and gender. They are now the editorat-large of Scalawag, a publication catering specifically to queer Black people and people of color from the South. Harrison is also a published author with their book “Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness and AntiBlackness,” which Georgia Voice covered in our latest health issue. “Belly of the Beast” is a work of theory exploring the ways antifatness and anti-Blackness coexist and cooperate to animalize Black fat bodies and threaten the lives of the people in them. Harrison wrote the book in 2020, which directly influenced its contents and makes it a timely analysis of the policing of race and health done by police departments and organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Belly of the Beast” is specifically written from a Black trans masculine perspective, something Harrison says is lacking in the world of social political theory.
“A lot of fat studies is centered around the white, cis, fat woman experience,” they said. “I wanted something that was clearly about Black folks writ large but more specifically about Black trans masc folks and Black trans nonbinary folks. Fat studies, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies are really brilliant disciplines but oftentimes don’t account for the ways these identities overlap. For me, as somebody who is sitting at these intersections, I needed something that gave language to my experience … There’s a particular way that folks, especially in fat studies because it’s a very white space, are unclear on how to write about Blackness and more particularly the ways that fatness is read on Black bodies. We don’t get to see, at least on a mainstream scale, conversations on the ways that anti-fatness exists because of the creation of Blackness and therefore anti-Blackness. There’s not much room, or not much conversation, on how Blackness masculinizes the ways that fatness is read on people’s bodies because of the way it’s animalized.” “Belly of the Beast” is a must-read, especially during Black History Month, and references the work of other incredible and intelligent Black authors, like Zakiyyah Iman Jackson’s “Becoming Human: Matter and Meaning in an Anti-Black World,” Saidiya Hartman’s “Scenes of Subjection: Terror, Slavery, and Self-Making in Nineteenth-Century America,” and Kiese Laymon’s “Heavy: An American Memoir.” Other Black writers Harrison has been inspired by and suggests reading include Hortense Spillers, Rinaldo Walcott, Christina Sharpe, Dr. Daniel Black, Toni Morrison, bell hooks, Patricia Collins, and Sabrina Strings. You can learn more about Da’Shaun Harrison online at dashaunharrison.com. Read Scalawag at scalawagmagazine.org and purchase “Belly of the Beast” at Charis Books and More in person (184 S Candler St) or online (charisbooksandmore.com). TheGeorgiaVoice.com
BLACK HISTORY
A Love Letter to the Personification of Love,
bell hooks bell hooks PHOTO VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Katie Burkholder On December 15, 2021, the world lost an icon. bell hooks, a prolific Black feminist scholar and cultural critic, died at the age of 69. The Kentucky-born writer produced more than 30 books and essays during her life, some of her most notable being “Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism,” “We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity,” and “All About Love: New Visions.” She is remembered by many as one of the most important and revolutionary voices in the feminist discipline, but those who have read her know that her work meant even more. bell hooks is cited by many — including me — as a favorite author not only for her brilliant ideas but for the way she personified love as a politic. As a queer Black woman, hooks intimately understood the realities of oppression, which are reflected in the truths about womanhood, race, and identity she so aptly captured with her work. When expanding upon her queer identity in a conversation with The New School in 2014, hooks said that she subscribed to a definition of queer “not as being about who you’re TheGeorgiaVoice.com
having sex with — that can be a dimension of it — but queer as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it and it has to invent and create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live.”
Writers’ Hall of Fame in 2018. “I am a fortunate writer because every day of my life practically I get a letter, a phone call from someone who tells me how much my work has transformed their life.”
hooks expressed a complex understanding of her own and others’ identities that resonates with many: that daring to speak, live, and thrive while marginalized is simultaneously necessary to survival and an act of rebellion; and therefore, that queer survival is, at its core, revolutionary.
hooks’ approach to healing and love wasn’t grounded in some soft and fuzzy ideal, though. She knew love required work, dedication, and responsibility. Love wasn’t a good feeling or an escape from pain and unhappiness, but an unflinching action necessary to survival, something we owe to ourselves and others.
hooks also recognized, however, the obvious truth about oppression: it’s painful for those who have to endure it. Even if one does create or find a place for them to love and be loved, there are still wounds that oppression leaves behind. hooks wrote in ways both comforting and challenging that not only allowed readers to better understand the realities of oppression, but also encouraged them to do the internal work necessary for healing from its wounds. In other words, she wrote with love for whoever was reading her words.
“Most of us think of love as having to do with feelings of attraction to someone and whether or not we feel happy with that person,” hooks said in a chat room conversation moderated by CNN in 2000. “But love is really more of an interactive process. It’s about what we do not just what we feel. It’s a verb, not a noun. So many people think that it’s enough to say what they feel even if their actions do not correspond to what they are saying.”
“I want my work to be healing,” she said when she was inducted into the Kentucky
“... if I’m committed to loving you, then it’s not possible for me to ‘fall out of love,’” she
For her, love was commitment.
said in that same conversation. “It’s possible for me to change the nature of my commitment, or even to break that commitment, but most people do not break that commitment when they make a covenant with someone else about love. The people I love, I’m committed to loving for the rest of my life.” As a cultural critic, hooks did something truly revolutionary. She not only labeled and questioned oppressive social structures, providing language necessary for marginalized people to understand and navigate their experiences, she did so in a way that was deeply personal, that so obviously came from a place of care. It’s impossible to read something she’s written and not feel like the words are coming from a mother, mentor, or friend. hooks’ death is a huge loss, one that many, including me, feel very deeply. But we are lucky enough to have been graced with her wisdom and love and to have an extensive record of that wisdom and love we can continue to learn from. The love bell hooks so beautifully personified will always keep her connected to the living, as — in her own words — “love is the only force that allows us to hold one another close beyond the grave.” January 21, 2022 Black History 9
BLACK HISTORY
The Changing Landscape:
Georgia’s Sheriffs PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / YEVHEN PROZHYRKO
Brammhi Balarajan In a crowd of white elected officials, voters in four of Georgia’s most populated counties elected four Black sheriffs last year. Over the past year, these sheriffs have succeeded in fulfilling their progressive-leaning promises, revealing the stark difference with their white counterparts. According to a Reflective Democracy analysis, 90 percent of sheriffs across the U.S. are white men. Only five percent of sheriffs are Black, and less than three percent are women. In fact, no other elected office is as demographically skewed as that of sheriffs. Historically, the role of the sheriff has a pervasive, dark history in the South. With the ability to arrest and jail at will, sheriffs were beholden to white elites, thereby perpetuating racial violence for generations. It was not uncommon for sheriffs and police to look the other way during lynchings or 10 Black History January 21, 2022
even to participate themselves. With the origins of policing rooted in slave patrols, Jim Crow laws only continued the legacy of racism. Today, policing and sheriffs are still intertwined with racist practices. Yet, Georgia made history last year by electing four Black sheriffs in Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett and Dekalb counties, of which Black people make up 42 percent, 26.8 percent, 26.1 percent, and 50.2 percent of the populations, respectively. Despite the overwhelmingly diversity of these counties, none of them ever had a Black sheriff until now. This sharp distortion is particularly concerning considering the extensive role sheriffs play over BIPOC, women, and queer individuals. Especially in light of COVID-19, decisions regarding jailing can mean the difference between life and death. For instance, sheriffs have jurisdiction over domestic violence calls along with jailing protocols. Furthermore, 75 percent of sheriffs choose to work with
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold noncitizens in custody for deportation. Under the 287(g) program, local agencies can collaborate with federal officials to assist in the deportation of immigrants. Further, given stark racial profiling, violence, and brutality against Black individuals and people of color, the lack of representation calls into question the legitimacy of white-dominated sheriff rule. All the newly elected sheriffs vowed to end the 287(g) agreements, which perpetuated distrust among immigrants and community members. Previously, this agreement allowed over 21,000 people to be turned over to ICE in Gwinnett County. In early January, Sheriff Keybo Taylor formalized his promise and officially left the 287(g) program. Sheriff Craig Owens in Cobb County did the same, ending his participation in January 2021. Grassroots movements also played a large role in pushing for the withdrawal from the 287(g) program, but this beacon of representation does not
extend to the rest of Georgia or the U.S. Meanwhile, 287(g) programs still remain in Floyd County, Georgia Department of Corrections, Hall County, Oconee County, Polk County, and Whitfield County. Beyond that, Hall and Whitfield counties actually have financial incentive to work with federal agencies; they participate in agreements where they receive payment to detain immigrants under ICE custody. A year since the tides began to shift in Georgia, white men still rule sheriffs’ departments overwhelmingly. But voters remain a stark force with the power to change policing and leadership. Georgia’s shifting demographics are a microcosm of the difference representation can make to marginalized communities. Currently, the majority of sheriffs run opposed, creating a cycle in which white males dominate sheriff elections. But when Black, Indigenous and people of color are on the ballot, they don’t just win — they triumph. TheGeorgiaVoice.com
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BLACK HISTORY
In Conversation with Michaela Eubanks on Black Queer Cinema many good stories to tell, yet we keep on getting the same content that is centered around abuse, slavery, and being abused in slavery. It’s also annoying when we have Black writers like Jordan Peele who made this great movie [that was] comical but also served as a critique on so many of the stereotypical tropes, especially in horror, and then non-Black people try to replicate his work, but they make it worse and more traumatic, and we just get stuck in this cycle.
Divine Ikpe Think of filmmakers who are well renowned, people who are considered to have made the best films of all time, producers of popular blockbusters and cult classics alike. Out of all the people who instantly come to mind, how many of them are Black? How many of them are queer? How many of them are both? Since the invention of the moving picture, the film industry has been dominated by cisgender white men. In the early years of cinema, the film industry was extremely segregated. Black people were limited to playing performers and servants in film. Black filmmakers wanted to give their peers more options and wanted to create more accurate representations of their lives as well; thus, the “race film” genre was born. A pioneer of this genre and one of the first major Black filmmakers was Oscar Micheaux. He created 42 feature films in the span of 29 years from 1919 to 1948. As Micheaux said, Black cinema was all about seeing Black lives “dramatized on the screen as we are living it, the same as other people, the world over.” Although we got to see inklings of white queerness early in film’s history, we didn’t see a depiction of Black queerness until the late ’60s with white experimental filmmaker Shirley Clarke’s “Portrait of Jason,” which featured an interview with Jason Holliday, a Black gay sex worker and cabaret dancer.The first popular film made by a Black queer woman didn’t come out until 1996, only 26 years ago, with Cheryl Dunye’s “The Watermelon Woman.” Since then, we’ve had amazing, groundbreaking films such as 2011’s “Pariah,” a semiautobiographical film by director Dee Rees, and 2016’s beautiful “Moonlight” by Barry Jenkins. But unlike cisgender white cinema that has been allowed to flourish and prosper since the creation of the medium in 1888, Black queer creators are just getting 12 Black History January 21, 2022
Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to get into filmmaking, specifically in Atlanta? What kind of opportunities are currently available for Black filmmakers? We all have to start from somewhere, not everybody has the luxury to work with expensive video editing software or even has the time to learn how to use them. With that in mind, my advice is to find people in your field (or outside of your field) who can support you, because that is the most important thing… It’s so nice to have someone in your corner that’s doing the same thing as you. Michaela Eubanks COURTESY PHOTO started with sharing their stories on the big screen. Michaela Eubanks is one of those creators. The 24-year-old Atlanta native works in the film industry with post-production editing, preproduction writing, and on-set gaffing, lighting, and electricity. I had the pleasure of speaking with about the future of Black queer cinema and how people can get involved in the industry. Quotes have been edited for clarity. Read the full interview online at thegavoice.com. What is your opinion on the current state of queer cinema & Black queer cinema specifically? I like the idea of where it’s going, but I don’t like the execution. There are very few shows, in my personal opinion, that have properly shown representation for queer,
Black and Brown communities without being distasteful or performative. I think we’re progressively getting better, but it almost adds insult to injury whenever we have those moments where we do have queer representation in media, but the actor/ writer/producer is not actually queer. We’re multifaceted, we have stories and human experiences that are not inherently related to our Blackness or our queerness. We have regular ass experiences just like cishet people, and our experiences are equally valid and equally normal. Some of the content that is geared specifically toward Black people makes me want to projectile vomit. It’s just so disheartening because there are so many cool ass Black writers, especially in Atlanta, that have so
Also, befriend your professors, because the film industry is all about who you know. and be ready to share your work at any time. It could be on a Wix site or on YouTube or even an unfinished reel. As far as specific places you can go to learn filmmaking or places to make films: Atlanta Film Society, Atlanta Film Festival and Georgia Film Academy are great options. If you go to the State of Georgia’s website, there is a specific tab that shows a schedule of different productions that are going on in Atlanta, what studio they’re filming at and what PA jobs are available. There’s this great place, Mixdeity, it’s this studio in Atlanta where you literally pay $15 a month and you get access to their studio whenever you want! You can find Michaela Eubanks on Instagram @squadtographer and online at mceubanks.com. TheGeorgiaVoice.com
BLACK HISTORY
The History of Georgia’s
Black LGBTQ Celebrities to legalize gay marriage, with her first public drag performance being at an NYC Pride event where she was arrested while protesting. Bob carried this sentiment with her to “Drag Race,” encouraging other contestants to get involved with causes they care about. Bob made history during her time on “Drag Race” as the first openly pansexual contestant to win, the first Black contestant on the show to reach one million followers on Instagram and for winning the most challenges in competitive episodes.
Sukainah Abid-Kons When someone from your hometown becomes an international celebrity, it tends to be a point of pride for you and your community members, showing the world that your spot on the map produced someone so talented. For most celebrities, places like New York City, Houston Texas, and Los Angeles tend to be their original stomping grounds. Likewise, LA and New York can claim celebrity endorsements, which have been shown to boost tourism. While Atlanta isn’t typically the first city to come to mind when people think of celebrities, more and more stars have either claimed Georgia as their home in recent years or have moved to Atlanta. In honor of Black History Month, here’s a list of Black LGBTQ Georgians who have made their state proud. Gertrude “Ma” Rainey Ma Rainey has long been known as the “Mother of the Blues” due to her significant and early contributions to the musical genre in the early 20th century. Born in Columbus, Georgia, in 1886, Rainey began performing at her church, as well as in talent shows in Columbus, when she was young. When she was just 14, she performed with the troupe, “A Bunch of Blackberries,” at the famed Springer Opera House. Rainey’s career took off from there, and she began touring the South with the Rabbit’s Foot Company. Ma Rainey was a trailblazer in many ways. She performed some of the first integrated shows in the South, her tracks featured lyrics advocating for feminism, and she worked alongside several other musical legends, such as Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, and Bessie Smith. People have debated whether Ma Rainey ever officially came out. Ma Rainey married William “Pa” Rainey in 1904, but lyrics to some of her songs seem to all but confirm her attraction to women. “Prove It on Me Blues” is one of the most well known of her works to suggest her queerness, with the TheGeorgiaVoice.com
From left: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Lil Nas X, and Bob the Drag Queen PUBLICITY PHOTOS lyrics “Went out last night with a crowd of my friends / They must’ve been women / ‘Cause I don’t like no men.” Additionally, people who knew Rainey and Bessie Smith have long thought that the two were romantically involved, including Smith’s own sister. Most famously, Smith bailed Rainey out of jail after she was arrested for hosting a “girls only party.” While Rainey may not have publicly come out, her impact was paramount for Black, queer, and women artists for decades to come. She helped establish the genres of blues and rock ‘n’ roll, as well as opened the doors for countless other Black artists to perform in a heavily segregated South. Rainey finally received some of the credit she’s due with the Academy Award-winning Netflix film, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Bob the Drag Queen While Bob the Drag Queen has done a lot of performing in New York City, the actor,
musician, songwriter, stand-up comedian, and activist was born in Columbus and raised in Clayton County. Bob, also known as Caldwell Tidicue, has been very open about her nonbinary and pansexual identity and has been a strong advocate for marriage equality. Bob has been involved in drag for decades, as her mother owned a drag bar in Columbus. After moving to New York with “two suitcases and $500,” Bob started her drag career after initially working in a children’s theater. She was already well established in the drag community before competing in the eighth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which she won. Bob has also appeared in acting roles on HBO, Netflix, and MTV, released two comedy specials and her own unscripted HBO show, “We’re Here,” and hosts a podcast with fellow drag legend Monét X Change. Bob was very active in the movement
Lil Nas X (Montero Lamar Hill) Born in Lithia Springs, Georgia, in 1999, Lil Nas X has become a household name in recent years and was arguably one of the most influential celebrities of 2021. After rising to fame in 2019 with his country-rap single, “Old Town Road,” which became Diamond Certified the same year, Lil Nas X also established a strong social media presence with more than 46 million cumulative followers across his Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok accounts. He won a Grammy for the “Old Town Road” collaboration he did with Billy Ray Cyrus, along with another Grammy that same year, two BET Hip Hop Awards, and five MTV Music Video Awards. He made headlines again in 2021 with his releases “Montero” and “Industry Baby,” earning almost two billion streams on Spotify. What makes his 2021 releases so notable is the transparency of Hill’s sexuality in his work. “Montero,” in particular, discusses romantic and sexual feelings he has toward male partners. This is further shown in the music video, which shows sexual activity between two men. While this sort of content historically has been the downfall of stars, Lil Nas X is part of a generation of artists that is normalizing same-sex love and sex. His honesty about his identity and his normalization of what has in the past been considered “other” in the music industry helps open doors for future queer artists. January 21, 2022 Black History 13
YOUR VOICE
A Conversation About Being Black and Gay with Corey Andrew Buck Jones Following the death of Sydney Poitier, the first Black man to win the Best Actor Oscar, my friend Corey Andrew posted this reflection on his Facebook feed: “… I’m reminded of an audition I had years ago for the role of a Black troubled teenager, and after I read for the casting director, she said, ‘Can you do it again, but be more Black?’ I was perplexed, as she continued, ‘I need more Black, like thug, murderer, drug dealer — black!’ In that moment, I realized racism was more than I had experienced in my young life, because for me, in the home I was raised in, being “more Black” meant to ascend to the eloquence of my mother who worked in higher education, and the meticulous articulation of the likes of Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson, and my neighborhood of prominent Black politicians … one of whom today is a member of Congress. ‘More Black’ means excellence where I come from. R.I.P. Sidney Poitier, and thank you for your class, talent and — sheer excellence.” I had the pleasure of talking with Corey more about this post and what it being Black and gay means to him. Your tribute to Sidney Poitier really struck at my heartstrings. You talked about the gift of growing up in a multigenerational home, and the kind of heroes you had as a kid. Tell me more about that.
14 Your Voice January 21, 2022
Thank you very much for your interest. My mom invested a lot of time in me as a child. As soon as I could form words, she started me reading. She worked in higher education, and as a single mom, she was a terrific role model, with education being her most coveted dream for me, teaching me that the ability to communicate effectively was aligned with great power. When I was around 13 years old, my greatgrandmother, born in 1907, came to live with us a few years before she passed. She had raised 11 children, some during the Great Depression … One [died] due to illness, but the others lived fulfilling lives and had their own families. That is the heroism that shapes me today. Beyond that, my neighbors and elders where I grew up were beautiful, regal African Americans, primarily educated. However, even those with little education were still successful and owned multiple thriving businesses. Our neighbors and close friends, a few houses down, were a prominent Black political family named the Watsons, and the entire community looked up to them. The elder, Mr. Watson, was the State Assemblyman of New Jersey, and I was at his home every day because I went to school with his grandchildren, and we were close friends. It was incredible; on any given day, Reverend Jesse Jackson or Mayor Dinkins might just pop up at the Watson house, and I’d unexpectedly be in the presence of Black
excellence and civil rights icons. Today, Mr. Watson’s daughter Bonnie WatsonColeman is a New Jersey Congresswoman. So, you see, for me growing up, these were my examples of what it meant to be Black. These were my local heroes, and Black represented excellence. Who were the cultural role models for you when you were growing up? For me, it was Cary Grant, the epitome of class, dry wit, and sophistication. I imagine Sidney Poitier played a bit of that same model for you as well. Yes, I absolutely loved Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte because they were both so handsome and beautifully spoken, such class all the way. But also Diana Ross left a big impression on me when I saw “Mahogany” as a kid, and my obsession with Josephine Baker continues. I’m certain the only reason I traveled to France was that I had fallen in love with Josephine Baker’s love of France, so I wanted to see it for myself. Then there’s also Maya Angelou and James Baldwin, so many role models, too many to list. My mother was a fan of the show “Julia” in the late ’60s with Diahann Carroll, and I was named after the character of Corey, Julia’s son. Diahann Carroll was definitely a role model. As a gay Black man, what does Black History Month mean for you? Is there intersectionality between being gay and being Black?
I definitely feel there is intersectionality between the two, each with its degree of discrimination, but I always cite one distinct difference: “gay” is not an identifiable trait. Even if you think someone is gay because of stereotypical behaviors, you are assuming. Unless you are told for sure by that person, you don’t know. Many gay men are closeted or hyper-masculine, and nobody knows, so they can choose to be either gay or not in a favorable environment. Being Black comes with no such option. I walk into a room, and you indisputably know I’m Black and I’m subject to immediate skin color-based biases. Then, add to the disturbing growing racial divide within the LGBTQ community itself. It can be quite overwhelming, but I remain hopeful that we’ll all ultimately find unity because this divisive shit is exhausting. What does 2022 promise for you? Any plans you’d like to share? Well, I’m looking forward to finishing my first book, called by some “the gay Black version of Devil Wears Prada.” It’s a funny true story of my life experiences behind the scenes working in the most iconic luxury department store in NYC. Just four more chapters to go! And of course, new music! I have a lot of hot new tracks coming out this year, so please follow me on Spotify to hear all my music past and present!
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January 21, 2022 Ads 15
MARÍA HELENA DOLAN REELING IN THE YEARS
Simon Nkoli,
Queer South African Freedom Fighter María Helena Dolan Today, I celebrate South Africa’s epochmaking freedom fighter Simon Tseko Nkoli (1957–1998), who triumphed in struggles for queer rights, HIV/AIDS advocacy, and apartheid’s dismantling. Born in the township of Soweto in South Africa, Simon’s life was immediately circumscribed by the poisonous system of government segregation called apartheid, in place from 1948 to 1994. “Apartheid” literally means “apart,” and it enshrined a life of rabid policing to protect the properties, persons and rights of whites [called “Europeans” in South Africa], and a hostile and aggressive fist that pushed Black people [called “Africans”] into slum townships or untenable “homelands” where life suffered ever-increasing economic unsustainability. Simon was shipped off early on to live with his grandparents, who lived as tenants on a white man’s farm. Because of the pass laws, which literally governed where a Black person could and could not tread, there were times when Simon’s mother secretly fled to her parents to see him. Simon’s first memories were of hiding her from police or “enforcers.” Simon was forced to perform backbreaking agricultural work and was beaten by the farm’s white owner if his work was not deemed “adequate.” Simon quickly understood that education was his best hope for a better life, and he walked long distances to attend school after chores. 16 Columnist January 21, 2022
His grandparents meant to keep him there, but Simon fled back to Soweto, where he reunited with his mother. There, a tentatively coming out teenage Simon wished to meet “decent” people, and the only way was via pen pal. Simon’s pal, who became his boyfriend, turned out to be white. Black Africans regarded queerness as a European disease: unnatural, infecting people, and ruinous to the tribe. Whites believed queerness was an infectious African disease, a further reason for apartness. When the families discovered the relationship, they were each horrified across the lines of sexuality and race. In addition to receiving severe beatings, Simon was taken to ministers, a priest, a traditional tribal healing man, and lastly, a therapist. The secretly gay therapist advised Simon and his partner to live together, as a European man and his African manservant. This is how they lived for years. Meanwhile, Simon received some education, and began anti-apartheid protest work. In 1983, he fearlessly joined the vastly white and male Gay Association of South Africa. He saw his position as a recorder with GASA as part of his increasing involvement with antiapartheid work. But discouraged by their racism, he formed the Saturday Group, the first Black gay group in Africa. In 1984, he was an organizer for the United Dedicated Front, a self-described nonviolent group that worked for empowerment in the townships and against official racism. In June and then September, the Soweto townships erupted over tightening of apartheid regulations and especially
Simon Tseko Nkoli (1957–1998) PHOTO VIA GALA ARCHIVES enforcement of untenable rent increases. After days of violent confrontations which left over 60 people dead and tens of thousands of rand in destruction (in 1984, 100 rand equaled roughly $100 in U.S. dollars), Simon was scooped up as #13 of 22 defendants who during a four-year-long trial came to be known as the Delmas 22. Charged with murder and high treason, the defendants faced execution. At the start of the trial, the judge slammed the 22. Before any evidence was even given, the presiding judge declared that “by forming a revolutionary climate against the state” their purportedly peaceful nature was “false [because] no group … could commit high treason without violence.” Fast forward to the 2018 opening of the Simon Nkoli Exhibition at the University of Stellenbosch, the same Stellenbosch characterized as “the last bastion of apartheid” and where a building named after Simon now sits. At the exhibition’s opening, white Justice Edwin Cameron related what he saw as one of the most decisive moments in South Africa’s history: • Simon comes out to his fellow arrestees — and they reject him. “We don’t want you touching the food we get ... We exclude you from our roster. Just stay away … you should be tried separately.” • Simon rises in angry protest. “I may lose my life for being a dedicated anti-apartheid
activist! I am also a poor, black, gay man from a township — I am oppressed in all these respects. I am gay and I will not allow you to reject me.” • After long nights of struggle, Simon finally taught them no one should be discriminated against. The group decided to stand trial together. • “Terror” Lekota, one of the 22, would later state “[How] could we say that men and women like Simon, who had put their shoulders to the wheel to end Apartheid, should now be discriminated against?” Cameron declared that Simon’s loving defiance proved a pivotal moment, one of those that undergirded an amazing creation: South Africa’s Constitution. It became the first country on this planet to recognize “sexual orientation” as a class requiring protection from discrimination. Back to the trial: when the Delmas 22 were finally released on a technicality, Simon went into high gear. A condition of his release was that he meet with no more than three people at a time. Ha! A then 17-year- old (now Dr.) Beverley Palesa Ditsie showed up and emerged as a co-organizer with Simon of the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witswatersand (GLOW). Ditsie later recounted, “Simon greeted me with ‘Oh hello. I’ve never met a Lesbian CONTINUES ON PAGE 17 TheGeorgiaVoice.com
MARÍA HELENA DOLAN REELING IN THE YEARS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 before.’ We laughed … [W]hen I met [him], I was happy. I was home. His vision and courage … were always there. And I just blossomed. There were meetings, rallies and parties all the time.” GLOW’s mission was the creation of safe spaces, with a mandate to openly foster nonsexist, nonracist and nonhomophobic places for queers around Johannesburg. GLOW grew chapters across the city. In 1990, Simon and Ditsie, plus GLOW and various others, worked tirelessly to organize the continent’s first Pride march. For the very first time, the streets of Johannesburg were filled with crowds of marchers lustily chanting, “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re everywhere.” Simon gave a powerful speech, connecting the anti-apartheid struggle with the struggle for queer rights, and blasting the simultaneous oppressions:
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“This is what I say to my comrades in the struggle when they ask me why I waste time fighting for moffies [a South African slur for gay people]. This is what I say to gay men and lesbians who ask me why I spend so much time struggling against apartheid when I should be fighting for gay rights. I am Black and I am Gay. I cannot separate the two parts into secondary and primary struggles. In South Africa I am oppressed because I am a Black man, and I am oppressed because I am gay. So, when I fight for my freedom, I must fight against both oppressors. All those who believe in a democratic South Africa must fight against all oppression, all intolerance, all injustice. With this march, gays and lesbians are entering the struggle for a democratic South Africa where everybody has equal rights and everyone is protected by law.” Sadly, Simon contracted AIDS, but continued his activism. After coming out as one of the first publicly HIV-positive tribal African gay men in 1990, he initiated the Positive African Men group, working to create awareness of
the disease and safer sex practices. With talk about the new constitution filling the air in 1994, Simon anticipated the need for more visible queer growth, so he helped found the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality. This group connected progressive organizations throughout South Africa. NCGLE was explicitly racially mixed, with Black leadership. Drafting a new constitution was one of the first goals of the new government. As apartheid was being legally dismantled, Simon met with then-President Nelson Mandela to discuss ensuring protection from discrimination for queer people and the removal of the sodomy law. After the constitution struggle and the inclusion of queer protections, Simon fought like a barnstormer for sodomy law repeal. And he condemned the country’s admittedly strapped health care system in which, without personal money, he had no access to medicine that could lengthen his life.
In 1998, after living with HIV-related illnesses for 12 years, he died at age 41. But not before he saw the end of apartheid; the new constitution; a health care system beginning to deal with AIDS; the creation and empowerment of a visible, vocal and inclusive queer rights movement; and the repeal of the sodomy law — the latter just days before his death. Among his international recognitions, Simon came to Atlanta in September of 1987 when the city named a day for him. There was a Simon Nkoli Day in San Francisco, where he’d been a Pride marshal. He also received the Stonewall Award at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He opened the Gay Games in New York during Stonewall 25 and he was made a “Freeman of the City” by Mayor David Dinkins. In the old English system, the Freeman of the City is an honor bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary.
January 21, 2022 Columnist 17
JIM FARMER ACTING OUT
Out Actor Jared David Michael Grant Goes for Laughs in ‘Tootsie’ Jim Farmer It’s regarded as one of the great movie comedies of all time. “Tootsie” — based on the Oscarwinning film — is now a Tony Award-winning musical. It debuts in the ATL next week via Broadway in Atlanta. The musical charts how Michael Dorsey — an actor who butts heads with producers and has a hard time getting cast — disguises himself as a woman in order to get a role on a soap opera. Jared David Michael Grant stars as Jeff Slater, Michael’s roommate. He’s been with the musical since September and saw the film right before he started rehearsals to get the gist of what he’d be walking into. “It was funny,” he told Georgia Voice. “I didn’t know that Bill Murray was the character I was playing.” According to the performer, the story is pretty much the same as the movie with a few changes. “The women characters have stronger opinions and storylines and are not just dependent on the men,” he said. “They are more women in power focused which is very nice. I love the film but some of the decisions that [the writers] wrote were of the time. [The play is] more focused on the whole situation of what Michael is doing instead of the physical comedy of seeing him in a dress or a bra.” Jeff is an unsuccessful writer whose career is not going well. He has not been motivated by anything. “He is a take-it-as-it-goes guy who figures he will keep working at a restaurant or bar as part of his normal routine,” Grant said of his character. “He is kind of the words18 Columnist January 21, 2022
The cast of “Tootsie.” Inset: actor Jared David Michael Grant. COURTESY PHOTOS of-wisdom voice of the audience, very opinionated and very forward. He loves Michael but also says, ‘Michael, what are you doing? It makes no sense — you have to cut it out because this is not a good look.’ But what Michael is doing does wake up Jeff’s creative inspiration.”
This is the actor’s first touring show, and he has adapted well to the fast pace.
The actor, whose home base is Chicago, has also been seen in Showtime’s “The Chi.”
“I have always wanted to see different states I’ve never been to and see the way people live,” he said. “I am a big chicken wing fanatic, and it’s nice to check out each city’s wings.”
The musical made its Broadway debut in 2019 and won Tonys for lead actor Santino Fontana and for Robert Horn’s book. Yet there was some controversy over what some activists labeled as a transphobic premise.
While COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into many live performances, the “Tootsie” cast has been able to continue performing. “Usually we test every other day,” Grant says. “At the beginning of rehearsals everyone was masked so we didn’t know what the bottom of their faces looked like. COVID has changed things. We have not been able to go out and do group outings. It’s a medium sort of isolation situation.” The tour has had to get more understudies because of the pandemic, but Grant has not had to call in sick yet.
As an out performer, he gravitates toward roles that speak to him. He does feel that it’s a better time now for LGBTQ roles. “There are not as many stereotypical gay characters,” he said.
“We have not heard any more about it,” Grant said. “What was nice is that we had the book writer Robert Horn and we worked with GLAAD to go through the script and work out the issues that were being brought up by the trans community so we’re not making fun of the trans community in any way and focusing on the situation of the story and Michael doing what he’s doing.”
His run with this show lasts until early June.
One aspect that attracted him to “Tootsie” is the humor. “Usually, the shows I do are so serious, but I thought it would be nice to do a comedy, especially after the pandemic. People need to laugh now, and I love hearing the audience react.”
MORE INFO “Tootsie” January 25–30 Fox Theatre
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January 21, 2022 Ads 19
JIM FARMER ACTING OUT
Nonbinary Performer Skyler Davenport Headlines Thriller, ‘See For Me;’ ‘HipBeat’ Explores Identity in Berlin Jim Farmer After suffering a stroke in 2012 and becoming visually impaired, Skyler Davenport was told by one doctor to learn Braille and get a live-in assistant. Luckily, Davenport chose neither. A lot has happened since that time. After a lot of work in the voice-over world, Davenport is the star of the new white-knuckle thriller, “See For Me.” In it, the performer plays Sophie, a blind woman who decides to cat sit for a client in a secluded mansion. When thieves break in and make an attempt to break into a safe, Sophie has to find a way to stay alive. “I love that [Sophie] was written so human and flawed in the way that people are, whether we want to admit it or not,” Davenport told Georgia Voice. “I loved that she is a survivalist and instinctualist, very raw and relatable just enough so that you have
a little bit of empathy that there’s a person underneath the shell trying to now navigate this different world.” While Davenport and Sophie are very different, the one characteristic that the two share is vision loss. “When the stroke happened to me, I took the path of feeling guilty like I was a burden to people,” Davenport said. “I lost my job, my driver’s license, I had to re-learn how to walk and I felt very burdensome and bad and depressed. Sophie takes the route of being hardened. It has angered her, and she wants to be at the level of independence she was beforehand.” When the producers reached out about being in the movie, it involved audition tapes and an in-person meeting and lots of waiting before the role was Davenport’s and shooting began later in Canada. Going from voice-overs into a feature film was an adjustment, especially physically, but one
“See For Me” PUBLICITY PHOTO Davenport relished and wants more of. The performer, who is nonbinary, top surgery and went through a name change, something Davenport uncomfortable discussing on camera the last two or three years.”
had legal “felt until
“I had always, even as a little kid, felt uncomfortable identifying in a female body and so I assumed looking at stories around me that I must be transgender,” they said. When they heard about the term, “nonbinary,” they realized it was more of a fit. In the new film, “HipBeat,” a young person visiting Berlin has the courage to come out as nonbinary. Angus is a political activist fighting against the system while searching for love. Samuel Kay Forrest, who identifies as queer, wrote, directed and stars in the movie as Angus. A visit to Berlin while his siblings lived there inspired the film.
“HipBeat’ PUBLICITY PHOTO 20 Columnist January 21, 2022
“I was so inspired and enamored by the inclusivity of the people in the queer community there and the free space to be yourself and explore whatever your gender or identity was without judgment,” Forrest
said. “I had seen other communities around the world and experienced it but none with this openness to explore your authenticity and what that might be.” In the film, Angus — who is based on a younger sibling who identifies as nonbinary — meets a drag queen who inspires the character to be their true self. “Berlin was kind of a melting pot of people who felt like they were different or outsiders,” Forrest said. “You have people not just from the West and the U.S where it’s more socially acceptable to be yourself but we had people from the Middle East and Israel and Palestine and Saudi Arabia and Africa and Asia where it is more difficult to be yourself. One thing that was a common thread everyone could assimilate on is exploring who you are. That was something I could play with. People felt they could not be themselves where they are from and feel liberated when they come [to Berlin].”
MORE INFO “See For Me” is now in theaters and on digital/ on demand “HipBeat” is now available on digital/on demand
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CLIFF BOSTOCK OLD GAY MAN
The Death of Democracy Cliff Bostock Read the full column online at thegavoice.com. Bad news for old people: fascism is arriving before you die I used to tell friends that a short-term future isn’t the worst thing about getting old. Impending death, I argued, will spare us experiencing the complete collapse of democracy and the establishment of a fascist state. As usual, I was wrong. Nursing home residents clamoring for hospice beds know democracy’s end is now, not nigh. We’re done. Unlike most people, I’ve been obsessed with politics since I was 16, thanks in large part to a high school history teacher who took me under his wing during a time I was bullied. One day, I pulled a book off the shelves that changed everything: “The Communist Manifesto.” If you’ve read this book or anything else by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, you will be shocked how applicable their observations 174 years ago still are. (That is not to say that totalitarian communism worked.) In college, I was co-chair of my school’s chapter of the most radical student organization in the U.S,, Students for a Democratic Society. Weirdly, I was further radicalized when I saw that women were expected to serve the coffee to us male rebels and that homosexuals, as we were still known, were silly accidents of nature at best. Throughout my life, I never lost my sense that things can get better. I was an avowed socialist, but I worked in liberal Democratic campaigns. Did things get better? Occasionally. But the same man who gave us the Great Society and Head Start accelerated the genocidal Vietnam War. Bill Clinton turned his promise of gay military service into the closet called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Then something really shitty happened. I noticed that the Democrats, although being nicer and full of promises, had become cowards. In the 2016 election, I supported Bernie Sanders and often pointed out that much of what we hated about Republicans was also true of Democrats. There was, for example, Obama’s habit of prosecuting whistleblowers and 22 Columnist January 21, 2022
PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / DONFIORE
reporters with ferocity even the horrid George W. Bush officially eschewed. When I pointed out such things on Facebook, I enraged some “friends” who accused me of concocting lies. I sent them Google pages providing hundreds of articles confirming such. They still denied it. By favoring Bernie over Hillary, they said, I was guaranteeing Trump’s election. I said bullshit. Many unfriended me. I was horrified and hurt. Unfortunately, things aren’t changing. Biden has accomplished some good work, but he is — as every Democratic outsider predicted — adhering to the fantasy that he can bring back the old days when all the politicos lunched in the same dining room and salivated over tasty bits of compromise. He’s done shitty things like promising a substantial cut in student loan debt and then trying to shove it aside. He’s blown COVID-19 management. He’s refused to use the executive order. His and the party’s meek effort to rein Manchin and Sinema in leads me to wonder if those two volunteered to be the scapegoats; after all, the Dems are as indebted to corporate money as Republicans. Such questions are prohibited by the kindhearted, cowardly members of the party, two of whose presidents, LBJ and FDR, understood that, at the least, there comes a point when a democracy’s survival itself demands the establishment of relative equity. If things don’t change, fascism will be official by the midterms, and the Democrats can bring back a zombie charm-school leader like Hillary to compromise. Cliff Bostock, PhD, is a former psychotherapist who now provides life coaching to creative clients. cliffbostock@ gmail.com, 404-518-4415, cliffbostock.com TheGeorgiaVoice.com