03/03/23, Vol. 13 Issue 24

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

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, 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.

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 a ect 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.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, 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, lightcolored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

 The most common side e ects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side e ects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY.

You are encouraged to report negative side e ects 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.

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, GSI, and KEEP BEING YOU are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: February 2021 © 2022 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. US-BVYC-0085 02/22

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ART AND CONNECTION

Katie Burkholder

Our annual Spring Arts issue is one of my favorite issues to work on as editor. For one, it marks the imminence of spring, a huge relief for someone who experiences their fair share of seasonal depression. Furthermore, I love working on both of our annual arts issues. I am a big consumer of media. I love movies, books, visual art, and music, and it is because of their connection to the people I love that my life revolves around them.

In our previous Fall Arts issue, I wrote an editorial about how we’re all artists in that we all have the capacity to create something that at one time didn’t exist, something that can maybe help others see a world worth living in. To expand on that point, we’re all artists in that we’re all meaning makers. Every single person comes to some kind of conclusion about what makes life meaningful — whether that be religion, family, career, wealth, artistry, fame, etc. — and crafts a life around it. I have personally concluded that people and my relationships with them are what make my life meaningful. I will die content if I die loving my friends, partner, and family with the entirety of my heart.

Art matters so much to me because sharing art is a sacred part of all my relationships. My best friend Sydney and I are both part of AMC’s monthly subscription service, so we see movies together (including some exceptionally terrible ones) about once a week. My partner and I put countless hours into watching the entirety of “Twin Peaks,” and it has now become a foundational part of our referential vocabulary with one another. I have several friends in Atlanta’s DIY music scene, and there is nothing more fun to me than watching them perform live at some shitty dive bar or house show. Every month, I look forward to making magazine

collages at the Bakery with my friend Divine, and some of my prized “possessions” are the custom playlists my sister, partner, and friends have made for me.

I love art because it connects me to the people I love through a shared appreciation of beauty and expression. I love to analyze and criticize art (I am a Virgo, after all), but it is the deep feeling of art that is so sacred to me. There are movies that make me cry no matter how many times I’ve watched them (looking at you “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”). There are books (“All About Love, Her Body and Other Parties,” and “Bad Behavior”) and poems (“Brother Alvin” by Audre Lorde) that resonate so deeply with me that I laud them

as my own personal Bibles. When my friend Michael died, nothing — not even attending his funeral — helped me cope with his death like making a collage in his honor did.

To me, art is a part of the meaning of life because, while thinking and logic have their place, it is in feeling that we connect to the deep pleasure of being alive. Art helps me connect to myself, to my deep emotional core, and to others. Through our shared creation, consumption, and appreciation for art, we transcend the barriers that distance us from one another and form community on the basis of something far deeper than just paint on a canvas, words on a page, or pictures on a screen.

Read these stories and more online at thegavoice.com

Gallup Poll: U.S. LGBTQ Adult Population Steady at 7.2 Percent

The results of a national survey conducted by Gallup polling based on aggregated polling data from 2022 telephone surveys shows U.S. adults’ identification as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual held steady in 2022, at 7.2 percent.

In each survey, Gallup asks respondents if they identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something else, allowing them to choose multiple identities. After showing perceptible increases in 2020 and 2021, the current percentage of 7.2 percent is double what it was when Gallup first measured LGBTQ identification a decade ago.

The survey also found LGBTQ identification is higher in younger generations.

Adult members of Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2004 who were aged 18 to 25 in 2022, are the most likely subgroup to identify as LGBT, with 19.7 percent doing so. The rate is 11.2 percent among millennials and 3.3 percent or less among older generations.

In Generation Z, 13.1 percent say they are bisexual, 3.4 percent are gay, 2.2 percent are lesbian and 1.9 percent are transgender. Each of those percentages is higher than it is for all other generations.

According to Gallup’s report, in addition to the 7.2 percent identifying as LGBTQ, 86 percent of U.S. adults say they are straight or heterosexual, while another 7 percent chose not to answer the question. As is typically the case, the greatest share of LBGTQ adults — more than half, or 4.2 percent of all U.S. adults — identify as bisexual.

White House Rule Would Require Asylum Seekers to Seek Protection in Third Country

Groups that advocate on behalf of LGBTQ and intersex immigrants have sharply

criticized the Biden-Harris administration over its plans to prohibit people from asking for asylum at the Southern border if they don’t seek protection in a country through which they passed.

“The proposed rule would encourage migrants to avail themselves of lawful, safe and orderly pathways into the United States, or otherwise to seek asylum or other protection in countries through which they travel, thereby reducing reliance on human smuggling networks that exploit migrants for financial gain,” reads the proposed rule the White House announced. “It would do so by introducing a rebuttable presumption of asylum ineligibility for certain noncitizens who neither avail themselves of a lawful, safe and orderly pathway to the United States nor seek asylum or other protection in a country through which they travel.”

The Associated Press notes the proposed rule must go through a 30-day public comment period before it can take effect. The regulation will remain in place for two years if the administration implements it.

“The president’s proposed rule will deny asylum to thousands of otherwise eligible refugees, many of whom will be LGBTQ

people,” said Immigration Equality Executive Director Aaron C. Morris in a press release. “The rule puts into place impossible hurdles that people fleeing persecution will never be able to overcome. Additionally, a requirement that LGBTQ people apply for asylum in other countries before coming to the U.S. is misguided and blatantly contrary to federal law. Many common transit countries are extremely dangerous for LGBTQ asylum seekers, who face brutal violence, sexual assault, and murder as they flee to the U.S. for safety.”

Erin Argueta, senior lead attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative, in a statement said it is “beyond disappointing that the Biden administration is moving forward with an anti-asylum policy that is copied from the cruel transit ban issued by the Trump administration.”

“The Biden administration should not continue putting obstacles in the way of people fleeing danger and seeking safety in the United States, which will only increase harm,” said Argueta. “Instead, this administration should be strengthening the legal right to seek asylum at the U.S. border, not proposing an unworkable alternative that will only increase harm.”

Gallup Poll: U.S. LGBTQ adult population steady at 7.2 percent. PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / HAMARA

REPUBLICAN STATES TARGET DRAG PERFORMERS

Kaela Roeder, Washington Blade courtesy of the National LGBTQ Media Association

A number of bills targeting drag performers are popping up in majority-Republican states across the nation.

At least 14 states have introduced bills that would restrict drag queens from performing in public spaces and in venues viewable by minors. Some of the proposed legislation would require venues that host drag events to register as “adult-oriented businesses.”

These bills are the latest legislative attempts targeting LGBTQ rights, particularly transgender rights. Other proposed legislation across the country includes access to genderaffirming health care and banning kids from being able to play gender-affirming sports.

Shawn Stokes, a drag queen who performs as Akasha Royale and is based in St. Louis, said he’s “embarrassed” these bills have been introduced in his home state and across the country.

“We have plenty of other things to do. We have a failing educational system,” he said. “We are just wasting a lot of time.”

In Missouri, legislators are considering several bills, including one described as changing “the definition of a sexually oriented business to include any nightclub or bar that provides drag performances.”

Another bill would classify “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest” as adult cabaret performances. Performances on public property or viewed by minors could result in a misdemeanor punishable by jail time and a hefty fine.

Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has endorsed a similar bill in her state.

In Tennessee, a bill would classify “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest” as adult cabaret performances and

would ban performances on public property. Shows would also be banned where minors could be present.

A rural county in Tennessee has already approved regulations on drag performances

— the Giles County Agri-Park Board Committee passed a slew of restrictions in early January, including banning “male or female impersonators” from the park, the Tennessean reported.

Steven Raimo, a Nashville-based drag queen who performs as Veronika Electronika, said legislators are trying to “eliminate the art of drag.”

“They want to put fear in entertainers,” Raimo said.

Raimo predicts venues will stop hosting drag performers because of the risk of retribution.

“One of the restaurants that I do our brunch and bingo show has big glass windows that look onto a public street,” he said. “I could potentially be arrested in violation of this law because anybody of any age could walk past the windows and see the show.”

Raimo added he would be much more careful in choosing where he performs because of the ambiguity of the bill as it stands.

And it’s likely the bill will pass in Tennessee,

according to Kathy Sinback, the executive director of American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee. The Tennessee Senate passed the bill Feb. 9, and the state House of Representatives also has a companion bill in motion that would require drag performers to obtain a permit.

“It is moving so quickly,” Sinback said. “These [anti-drag bills] are their top priorities this session.”

Because of the vagueness of the bills and classifying drag performers as “male or female impersonators,” advocates fear this proposed legislation could attack transgender people.

“This is in fact a transphobic bill, even more so than it is a drag-phobic bill,” Raimo said. “It’s a very important piece of this story that I don’t want to be lost.”

Trans people in Tennessee could be viewed as “male or female impersonators” by law enforcement because people cannot change the gender marker on their birth certificate, Raimo said.

“So, if someone’s singing karaoke in the bar, and they do a little twerking, maybe that’s harmful to minors all of a sudden. It can be interpreted so broadly,” Sinback said.

The Arizona Senate is considering legislation that would prohibit federal or state funds from being allocated to places where drag

shows are hosted. Another bill, similar to those in Tennessee and Missouri, would classify drag as “adult cabaret performances,” and would ban shows on public property.

It’s unlikely the bills will be passed into law in Arizona given Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is in power, according to Richard Stevens, a Phoenix-based drag queen who performs as Barbra Seville. But still, “even if it’s not made into law, damage has been done,” he said.

“Their mission in a lot of ways is accomplished,” Stevens explained. “They’ve now connected grooming and pedophilia and attacks on children to drag. People who weren’t thinking about drag a year ago are now paranoid of drag.”

Stevens was once friends with Kari Lake, a Republican who continue to claim she won last November’s Arizona’s gubernatorial election. Stevens subsequently became a vocal Lake critic after she criticized drag queens and claimed they are “grooming” children.

The classification of drag performances as “sexual” is also an archaic perspective, Stokes said.

“This narrative that drag queens are predators or groomers is absolutely false,” Stokes said. “Going to a drag show with your kid in a public place is no different than taking your 12-year-old kid to a PG-13 movie.”

“It’s 100 percent fearmongering. It’s demonization,” Stevens said.

This is a common thread in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric — the false narrative that all LGBTQ people are out to get children, said Misty Eyez, the director of the women’s program and transgender services, and the manager of LGBTQ competency training at SunServe, an LGBTQ services organization based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

“It’s not a new story that LGBTQ individuals are stereotyped as … a threat to traditional values or morality,” she said.

Steven Raimo performs as Veronika Electronika. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVEN RAIMO

Fry Law Firm

ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNER GUILIANA GOEHRING, MAINTAINS COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY

Katie Burkholder

When Randy Fry founded his personal injury law firm 11 years ago, he did so with rented materials, a tiny office, and not enough money to hire anybody. Two weeks later, when he could finally hire somebody for a few hours a week, he brought on Gulliana Goehring, a paralegal from Peru. Together, the two grew the firm into one of the largest personal injury law firms in Atlanta based in forming relationships and connecting with the community.

More than a decade later, Goehring is now an attorney and partner at the firm. The partnership, which was announced in December 2022, broadens the now Fry / Goehring Law Firm’s ability to serve the community.

“With this partnership, we’re able to meet with so many more people, represent so many more people, help so many more people,” Fry told Georgia Voice. “The fact that she’s a partner certainly is a testament to our credibility in Atlanta and specifically in the Hispanic community.”

When Fry built the firm, it was his dedication to the LGBTQ community that helped the firm to grow into what it is today.

“Before we started the firm 11 years ago, I was a personal trainer at the several gay gyms at the time,” he said. “As a personal trainer, I got to know a lot of people in the gay community. As I became a lawyer and opened the firm, we had a base of huge support in the gay community. That’s how this all evolved. There are different ways to grow a business … we decided to support the community instead of the TV stations [through TV ads].”

Along with participating in Atlanta Pride, Fry / Goehring supports the LGBTQ community through work with nonprofits like Positive Impact and Lost-n-Found Youth. Both Fry and Goehring are members of the Stonewall Bar Association, an association of legal professionals who support the LGBTQ community and oppose anti-LGBTQ discrimination, and Fry has mentored young legal professionals through the association. They also help supply scholarships with the Point Foundation, which financially supports LGBTQ students.

“Some of the nonprofits don’t only get donations, we actually show up,” Goehring said. “When we show up, we really show up to try to make a difference.”

Several members of the Fry / Goehring team — their “Eagles” as they call them — are also part of the LGBTQ community, including Fry himself.

“[A]ll our team members come from different backgrounds; some of them are part of the LGBTQ community, like Randy,” Goehring said. “Some are Hispanic. We have a mix of ethnicities and languages [spoken].”

“It’s very important for our community to see other members of the community, like me, that are big cheerleaders and doing well,” Fry said. “We have several people in the community that are on our team. We truly are the rainbow of all kinds of people. That perception of a gayowned, and now -partnered, and successful law firm is really helpful for a lot of people, especially younger people.”

Instead of sinking money into marketing through TV or billboard ads, Fry / Goehring puts its money — and time — back into community, attributing its success to wordof-mouth referrals and recognition through

presence in the community. More so than just a marketing strategy, it’s a dedication to doing what Fry / Goehring believes is right.

“[Fry] really wants to take the money that could go into marketing and instead puts it back into the community,” Goehring said. “If it works, great. If it doesn’t, at least we’re doing something good. We’re empowering the community and doing a little part in what is important. The clients know us that way.”

With their new partnership and maintained commitment to the people of Atlanta, this is only the beginning for Fry / Goehring.

“When I opened the firm up, I had a rented desk, a rented phone, a rented chair. I couldn’t afford to hire anybody, and in two weeks I could hire somebody for a few hours a week,” Fry said. “That was the start of what has developed. We grew together. We started from that one small office into what we’ve created now, no doubt one of the larger personal injury firms in the city that is relationshipbased and most connected to the gay community.”

To learn more about the Fry / Goehring Law Firm, visit thefrylawfirm.com.

Randy Fry and Gulliana Goehring

MARCH 24–AUGUST 13 | HIGH.ORG

Pop-up Market

EMBRACES QUEER IDENTITIES AND INDEPENDENT ARTISTS

Sophia Ling

Read the full article online at thegavoice.com.

Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic started, its effects on the arts community and around the world are well documented. While many organizations stopped operating, Alice Serres, the founder of Community Market Atlanta (@communitymarketatlanta), used the opportunity to transition and build a pop-up market that celebrates queer joy and independent artists and allows people to form lasting bonds.

The market pops up twice a month from 11am to 5pm, alternating between two locations: CreateATL and Hodgepodge Coffee, where the next event will be on March 4. For Serres, choosing locations depended heavily on having an accessible space that anyone could easily attend. Parking outside is free and the open-air tent setup allows people to wander in and out of the venue.

At the last Community Market, more than 78 vendors were in attendance.

One of the vendors, Rob Chamberlin, sells

his porcelain work at the market and has been coming every month for almost a year. His porcelain is decorated with finely piped ceramic, inspired by excessive decoration and the aristocracy.

“[Community Market Atlanta] helped me in this transitional moment where the labor I do can actually support me,” said Chamberlin.

A doula turned bioregional herbalist, Chelsea Wall started her one-woman business, Black South Apothecary, after doulas were being removed from hospitals during the pandemic.

“I was at a loss of how to support my community when this space [for doulas] was being taken away from us,” Wall said.

Inspired to reach and impact her community, Wall prioritizes accessible pricing and reliability in all her products. Everything from foraging, to harvesting, to drying and growing herbs is done by Wall herself. The in-home business allows her to add that personal touch to every product she releases. Her most favored products are the elderberry

CONTINUES ON PAGE 11

Pop-up market embraces queer identities and independent artists COURTESY PHOTO

syrups, but she also makes a line of fullspectrum CBD products.

Wall’s products are sold not only at Community Market Atlanta, but also through Motherlode, a vintage shop in Decatur, and online on her website, blacksouthapothecary.com

A regular at the market, Wall claims it is her favorite market due to its well-curated, friendly and welcoming environment.

“[The Community Market Atlanta] brings out a lovely selection of people and vendors,” Wall said.

Her sentiments about Community Market’s infectious energy are shared by many of the regular vendors, even first-timers like Kate Manoucheka, half of the sister duo Sincerely Fearless (@sincerelyfearless), a unique jewelry shop. She and her sister, Marnelle Airey, founded Sincerely Fearless in 2011 as a nod toward their late mother and parents’ love for fashion.

On display at the market were numerous interactive pieces from Sincerely Fearless, including bubble wands with actual bubblemaking solution, Rubik’s cubes that can be solved, cameras that make a realistic shutter sound, and even tape measures that can be extended up to three feet long.

Their shop shows up around Atlanta on the weekends, but throughout the week they will often set up in colleges like Georgia State University, Clark Atlanta University, and Spelman College.

Tyren Duncan and his business partner, Muhammad Khaerisman, have been selling vintage clothes for the last two years. After moving from Houston six months ago, this will be Duncan and Khaerisman’s fourth appearance at the Community Market. Their partnership, like that of many other vendors at the market, started in the wake of the pandemic. From first creating YouTube videos on their talk show, Faces Network, to share the importance of visual art in the world, to now sourcing and curating vintage clothing, Duncan hopes to share their light and artistry with the world.

Through the Community Market, Duncan says he feels hopeful that customers and vendors who come through can band together, appreciate each other and create a truly safe space.

Like all these vendors, Serres is in artist in their own right. They transitioned from working as a textile designer for 10 years before losing their job to the pandemic. But despite being a dramatic experience, Serres attributes the job loss to the start of Community Market Atlanta.

“[Losing my job] got me into this, and I think that’s pretty beautiful,” they said.

Ultimately, the message taken from vendors

seems to align with Serres’ mission. For them, the Community Market is a great way to see what the community around you is doing. Sometimes we get too nervous and too self-conscious to show it, Serres said, but artists like them are able to come show it off without judgment.

“It’s not necessarily about profit,” Serres said, “But about creating a space where we feel comfortable to share our art and ourselves.”

Seeing the Community Market as a queer space is equally important for them.

“It’s a bunch of really sweet, vulnerable, talented beings that want to share their passions of life and doing it in a way that’s like really

sweet,” said Serres. In their interview, they noted that coming out late in life meant they struggled with making friends. As a result, the community they’ve built through Community Market Atlanta has become an important vessel to get to know queer people around Atlanta.

When I asked Serres what their big dream was, they paused for a moment before saying, “I think this is it.”

“I facilitate this,” they said, “but everyone else makes it what it is. We’re all just puzzle pieces, creating a beautiful puzzle together.”

To learn more about Community Market Atlanta, follow them on Instagram @communitymarketatlanta.

Community Market Atlanta COURTESY PHOTO

spring arts

CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

April 21 through May 21

Horizon Theatre

Find event descriptions and ticket links at thegavoice.com.

theatre

The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine Starr-Kidd

Now through April 1

Alliance Theatre

One in Two

Now through April 1

Out Front Theatre

Summer: The Donna Summer Musical

Now through April 9

Aurora Theatre

Tiny Beautiful Things

March 29 through April 23

Theatrical Outfit

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

April 19 through 30

Fox Theatre

Prayer for the French Republic

April 20 through May 14

Actors Express

Support Group for Men

Ruthless! The Musical

May 4 through 20

Out Front Theatre

Hairspray

May 30 through June 4

Fox Theatre

Water for Elephants

June 4 through July 9

Alliance Theatre

Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train

June 8 through July 2

Actors Express

Wicked

July 5 through 30

Fox Theatre

The House That Will Not Stand

July 7 through August 6

Horizon Theatre

Cats

May 5 through 21

City Springs Theatre

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

July 21 through August 19

Actors Express

dance

Breathe

March 30 through April 2

7 Stages Theatre

The Dolly Party

March 23

Terminal West

Kim Chi’s Drag Dance Night

April 15

Terminal West

Significant Others

May 12 through 14

Atlanta Ballet

music

Candide – Atlanta Opera

March 4 through 12

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center

Finding Light and Resilience –

Atlanta Women’s Chorus

March 18

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

Music from Seven Continents –Atlanta Freedom Bands

March 18

Church at Ponce and Highland

Nathalie Stutzmann, Bach & Friends

March 23 through 25

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Songs of the Phoenix –

Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus

March 25

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

CONTINUES ON PAGE

“Hairspray” comes to the Fox Theatre. PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

Katie Burkholder

CULTURE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

The Anonymous Lover –

Atlanta Opera

March 31 through April 2

Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College

Bikini Kill

April 1

The Eastern

Maggie Lindemann

April 9

Hell at the Masquerade

Laura Jane Grace

April 11

Purgatory at the Masquerade

CupcakKe

April 16

Terminal West

Nathalie Stutzmann Conducts

Mozart, Mendelssohn, & Schubert

April 20 through 21

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Caroline Polachek

April 21

The Eastern

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Gala

April 22

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert

May 13 through 14

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Who Tells Your Story –

Atlanta’s Women Chorus

June 3

Lassiter Concert Hall

Returning to the Root –

Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus

June 9 through 10

Venue TBD

Boygenius, Clairo, Dijon, and Bartees Strange

June 11

Central Park

Out of This World! –

Atlanta Freedom Bands

June 17

Venue TBD

Close to the Edge: The Birth of Hip-Hop Architecture

Now through May 15 Museum of Design

Horst P. Horst: Essence of the Times

Now through April 16

SCAD FASH

Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature

Now through May 21

High Museum of Art

George Voronovsky: Memoryscapes

Now through August 13

High Museum of Art

Madame Grès: The Art of Draping

Now through June 30

SCAD FASH

Happy Joylanta

May 14 through November 26

High Museum of Art

Atlanta Ballet’s “Significant Others.” PHOTO COURTESY OF ATLANTA BALLET

Madame Grès: The Art of Draping runs now through June 30. PHOTO COURTESY OF SCAD FASH

LGBTV: SPRING 2023

Sukainah Abid-Kons

As TV shows have diversified over the years, more and more LGBTQ stories are being told. Sometimes a character’s sexuality is a major part of the plot, influencing a main character’s experiences and relationships, and sometimes the representation is more to the side. Here’s a list of just some of the many shows premiering new seasons or debuting in 2023.

OUTRAVE

A new series from queer-focused streaming network Revry, “OUTRAVE” premiered on February 5 of this year. The docuseries “explores the connections between electronic dance music and the LGBTQ community.” Showing both the historical and current influences of the LGBTQ community on rave music and culture, the show promises to be an interesting and informative series to add to your watchlist.

“OUTRAVE” is available for streaming on Revry.

Dead Ringers, Season 2

Season two of the lesbian, gender-swapped remake of David Cronenberg’s 1988 cult film Dead Ringers streams this spring. The

series is an adaptation of the psychosexual horror classic, with star Rachel Weisz taking on the role of the twin gynecologists. Identical from head to toe, the doctors are on a mission to change the way women give birth. Like in the original film, the Mantle twins share everything from drugs to lovers, but this series focuses more on the underfunding and lack of bodily autonomy in women’s healthcare.

“Dead Ringers” season two premieres on April 21 on Amazon Prime.

The Last of Us

We’re well into the first season, but there’s still time to catch up on every episode before the ninth and final episode premieres on Sunday, March 12. The show creators have honored the original storyline in which Ellie, one of the two protagonists, is gay. Previews have also hinted that viewers will be able to see snippets of Ellie’s past relationship. The creators have also gone beyond the original story and expanded on the romantic and heartbreaking tale of Bill and Frank, two survivors who find each other and fall in love.

“The Last of Us” is available for streaming on HBO Max and new episodes premiere Sundays at 9pm ET.

Velma

Those of us who loved the Scooby Gang growing up can look forward to a new, and more modern, iteration of the iconic series that is Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? The show follows the story of its titular character. The series has several representations of queer characters, including Daphne Blake, who harbors a secret crush on Velma, as well as Velma’s moms.

“Velma” is available for streaming on HBO Max.

Gotham Knights

Fans of one of DC Comics’ most iconic (anti-)heroes can look forward to a new chapter in The Dark Knight’s story, though not one that involves Batman himself. In the series, Batman’s adopted son Turner Hayes sets out to continue his late father’s legacy along with a band of other protégés of heroes and villains. Two of Turner’s counterparts are openly queer, including the bisexual Bluebird and her transmasculine brother Cullen.

“Gotham Knights” premieres on The CW on March 14.

Heartstopper, Season 2

The fan-favorite teen love story of Charlie and Nick will be returning for second and third seasons, Netflix has confirmed. Though the release date has not been set, filming wrapped in December 2022, making a 2023 release date for the second season very possible. The

show, which is based on a series of graphic novels, has been praised for its modern depictions of young queer love. The show received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, and has an outstanding cast that includes Academy Award winner Olivia Colman.

“Heartstopper” is now streaming on Netflix.

Our Flag Means Death, Season 2

One of HBO’s breakout comedy series of 2022, Our Flag Means Death was praised for its LGBTQ representation among its cast of comedic pirates. Fans who were endeared (and left heartbroken) after the first season can look forward to a new set of episodes sometime this year.

“Our Flag Means Death” is available for streaming on HBO Max.

Euphoria, Season 3

Funny, stressful, heartbreaking, and trailblazing, Euphoria has become an iconic and highly anticipated show among its mostly Gen Z fan base, and after just two seasons. The show follows protagonist Rue, a queer young woman of color and recovering drug addict, as she navigates high school, relationships, and teenage drama. The series has shown queer relationships in highs and lows, creating new expectations for viewers that divert from stereotypes.

“Euphoria” is available for streaming on HBO Max.

Dead Ringers PUBLICITY PHOTO

Heartstopper PUBLICITY PHOTO

Boulet Brothers

BRING HORROR AND DRAG TO THE STAGE ON APRIL 11

Katie Burkholder

For fans of drag and horror, there is no one more loved than the Boulet Brothers. Dracmorda and Swanthula have made a name for themselves in the drag world for their love of all things creepy and are best known for their show, “Dragula.” Like “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the show follows drag performers as they compete for a cash prize and the crown of Dragula, the World’s Next Drag Supermonster. Instead of showcasing Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent, “Dragula” contestants embody Drag, Filth, Horror, and Glamour through challenges ranging from special effects makeup and costume creation to live performance. The show is not for the faint of heart, as each contestant in the bottom has to compete in a gruesome “extermination” challenge that tests them physically and psychologically.

The recent spinoff series, “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans,” launched on Shudder in October and brought back some of the most beloved and exciting contestants in the history of “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula.” Now, the spinoff is hitting the stage for a never-before-seen theatrical display of horrific artistry.

“The Titans tour will be nothing short of a ghoulishly grim and gorgeous spectacular,” the Boulet Brothers told Georgia Voice. “We are aware that fans love what they see on television when it comes to The Boulet Brothers brand of drag and all of the drag monsters in our demented little family, but we know it is live on stage where monster drag is best experienced. For the first time, the tour will feature a revolving roster of

performances from nearly the entire cast, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to unleash them all on the willing masses.”

The tour will stop in Atlanta on April 11 at Center Stage Theater.

“We’ve been to Atlanta many times for Pride events, various parties and horror conventions alike,” the Boulets said. “It’s been a few years since we’ve had the pleasure, but each time we visit we have a fabulous time!”

Attendees can expect an incredible lineup of alternative drag performances, shocks, and thrills. Even if you’ve never seen the show, if you’re a fan of shocking performance and horror, this show is for you. Along with Dracmorda and Swanthula, some fan favorites will also be taking the stage.

“Well darling, the Titans season consisted of nothing but fan favorites, so we’ve decided to

bring them all! (Well, almost all of them),” the Boulets said. “It’s always been a goal of ours to be able to offer as many opportunities to perform to as many of our cast members as possible, and we are genuinely delighted that we can bring so many monsters to the various dates on the tour. It’s why we all do what we do — we live to perform and entertain. As far as the Atlanta lineup, the show will star us of course, [“Titans” winner] Victoria Elizabeth Black, Koco Caine, HoSo Terra Toma and the deadly Melissa Befierce! Prepare yourselves.”

Atlanta is the second stop on the tour after Orlando on April 8 before they travel north and west, ending in Seattle on May 12 before the international tour kicks off on June 6. Other icons joining various shows include Abhora, Astrud Aurelia, Erika Klash, Evah Destruction, and Kendra Onixx.

The Dragula Titans Tour comes to Center Stage on April 11 at 8pm. To learn more and buy tickets, visit obsessedwith.co/dragulatitans-2023. Tickets start at $44.50.

The Boulet Brothers: Swanthula and Dracmorda PHOTOS BY NATHAN NOYES

ATLANTA GAY MEN’S CHORUS KICKS OFF SPRING WITH ‘SONGS OF THE PHOENIX’

Voices of Note is a nonprofit organization that governs the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus and Atlanta Women’s Chorus and is a “catalyst for social change.” The organization boasts the largest community music organization in the Southeast and strives to present concert experiences that inspire and deliver a message of equality through music. The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates 42 years this 2023 season, and the Atlanta Women’s Chorus celebrates 10 years.

On March 25, Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus will present “Songs of the Phoenix,” a 14-movement commissioning project composed of multiple choruses, which features one of the most diverse collaborations of lyricists and composers in Western music, including the late Stephen Sondheim, Ingrid Michaelson, Michelle Li, Stephen Schwartz, and Siedah Garrett. There are ten choral arrangements and four spoken word pieces, each telling a unique story of overcoming adversity, celebrating diversity, and the joy of music. The concert will be held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Midtown and will be the first performance of “Songs of the Phoenix” on the East Coast.

Founded in 1981, AGMC made history as the first LGBTQ chorus in the South and the fifth in the world. Donald Milton III, the artistic director of AGMC, spoke with Georgia Voice about AGMC’s upcoming concert in March, his work with AGMC, and the fortitude of the group, emphasizing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the performing arts.

“There were dark times,” he said. “No one was hit harder than the performing arts. Everything shut down, and so many arts organizations folded. Singing together was

taken away. We did it on Zoom … It was better than not being together, but it was not the same. We were brought to our knees by social injustices, and there was so much happening in the world. So, ‘Songs of the Phoenix’ tries to capture that.”

The program includes the 14-movement consortium, “Songs of the Phoenix,” as well as the dreamy “Song of Purple Summer” from Spring Awakening by Duncan Sheik, “Rise Up” by Andra Day, and Lady Gaga’s “Angel Down.” The program will open with the closing number from AGMC’s holiday concert: “The Awakening” by Joseph Martin, which Milton describes as “the perfect microcosm of the theme of the show … After dark times, the spirit revives, and we do glorious singing together. The focus of the work is on victory, rebirth, and joy, all of which can be born of tragedy and loss.”

Before they returned to the stage, Milton and AGMC first performed and recorded “Angel

Down” by Lady Gaga from their cars in 2020. The chorus dedicated the performance to George Floyd, a father and victim of police brutality whose death marked a series of protests and calls for political action across the globe during the summer of 2020.

Another movement from “Songs of the Phoenix” called “Mother Dear” tells the littleknown story of “Blind Tom” Wiggins, one of the most successful pianists from America, who was born into slavery in Georgia. His ability to compose and play anything he heard brought about great renown and financial success for his enslavers, but made history when Wiggins became the first Black person to perform a concert at the White House.

Ty Defoe, who is two-spirit, is a member of the Ojibwe and Oneida native tribes. They composed “We Are Trees,” which Milton says, “calls on ancestors and descendants,” includes a land acknowledgment that has been rewritten for Georgia lands and “tells

powerful truths about both native people and how we all are connected to the Earth and each other.” One of the movements, “Música Y Sabores,” composed by Diana Syrse, celebrates food and community often associated with food that was lost during the pandemic. In the words of Syrse, “To heal the sad soul it is necessary to surrender to the flavors that soothe the sorrows.”

Before his passing, Stephen Sondheim provided an unreleased composition titled, “Flag Song,” that, Milton says, confronts the “feelings we experience when we see a flag depicting our own culture. Be it the American flag or the trans flag, or the pride flag, that feeling of hope that, even if things aren’t great now, the ideals of our future are beautiful.”

The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus presents “Songs of the Phoenix” on March 25 at St. Luke’s Midtown at 435 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta 30308 at 3pm and 7. Tickets are available at voicesofnote.org.

Adalei Stevens and Katie Burkholder

Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

Atlanta Freedom Bands

CONTINUES 30TH SEASON WITH GLOBE-SPANNING CONCERT ON MARCH 18

Atlanta Freedom Bands will present “Music from Seven Continents,” celebrating five decades of Earth Day with a globe-spanning concert and an informative presentation.

The evening begins with a talk on topics in Earth and climate science before science meets art as AFB’s 60-piece concert band takes the stage with majestic music that evokes the beauty of our planet and the cultures that inhabit it.

“We were just two weeks away from presenting this concert when everything closed down in March 2020,” AFB Development Director Cliff Norris said in a press release. “Our musicians loved the concert idea, so we are happy to have the chance to finally present this program to the community. The program will take the audience on a journey from the frosty mountains of Antarctica to the Australian outback and from Carnival in São Paulo to the newly discovered eighth continent of Zealandia.”

AFB’s Student Composer Residency Program continues its sixth year with the first work from a high school composer. River Prescott of Chattahoochee High School has composed a new piece “Frigid” that captures the challenge of existence in frozen climates.

“AFB is proud of the many student composers

who have been part of the program through the year,” Norris explained. “Many of them are active composers in the wind band field or directors of high school bands now, winning awards and recognition for their works.”

AFB has represented Atlanta’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community through music for three decades. “Music from Seven Continents” is the second concert of AFB’s 30th anniversary performance season and is supported in part by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Fulton County Board of Commissioners, and Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. The 30th season will continue on June 17 with “Out of This World!” a musical journey to the final frontier.

“Music from Seven Continents!” takes place on March 18 at the Church on Ponce and Highland. The pre-concert presentation begins at 7pm with the concert starting at 8pm. Parking is available in a parking deck behind the church and in nearby lots and streets. Tickets for the concert are $20 for general admission and $15 for seniors and students, available from atlantafreedombands.com.

AFB will also have features on the composers and works on its Facebook page in the days leading to the concert: facebook.com/ AtlantaFreedomBands.

Atlanta Freedom Band to perform “Music from Seven Continents.”

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

Katie Burkholder

THE UNDERDOG STORY OF EIRIK TVEITEN’S LGBTQ

SHORT ‘NIGHT RIDE’ AND ITS OSCAR NOMINATION

Norwegian filmmaker Eirik Tveiten’s short film, “Night Ride” (Nattrikken) was never supposed to be a success story, let alone years after its release. It had a tricky production that took place in the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic; it struggled to gain admittance to film festivals after premiering in 2020; it has an eccentric approach to handling the difficult subject of transphobia. All of these factors made “Night Ride” a peculiar pick for awards circles. But against all odds, Tveiten’s film has become one of the most acclaimed live-action narrative shorts of 2022 and the only LGBTQ film to be nominated for an Oscar® in its category.

Much like the film’s success story, the plot of “Night Ride” is unpredictable, if not fortuitous. Ebba (played by Sigrid Kandal Husjord) finds herself stuck in the cold of a December night, a conflict she resolves by doing the only reasonable thing she can: hijacking a tram to drive herself home. For a brief period, the film is happy to follow Ebba as she picks up passengers and learns how to be a conductor.

However, things change when a rowdy male passenger discovers the woman he has been flirting with, Ariel (Ola Hoemsnes Sandum), is trans. The man and his friend then begin berating Ariel with transphobic remarks, forcing Ebba to decide whether she should stick up for a stranger or ignore the situation.

If this setup and social dilemma make “Night Ride” sound like a moralistic fable, that’s because it is. Tveiten’s film may lack the magic of a fairy tale, but his whimsical style, Morten Rognskog’s holiday-inspired score, and Vegard Landsverk’s warm cinematography capture something similar. Tveiten’s boldness in making his point — that people should ultimately stand up for the marginalized like Ariel — completes his

film’s fable aesthetic.

That “Night Ride” deals with the sensitive subject of transphobia in such a direct but stylized manner makes its Oscar® nomination all the more special. “Night Ride” producer Heidi Arnesen shared how surprised everyone was about the nomination, considering the film’s difficult beginnings.

“We didn’t know at all that [‘Night Ride’] was going to be such a hit,” Arnesen said. “It was a complete surprise, and it took a while because the film was completed as the pandemic started. Our first festival wasn’t even in person; it was all online. It was kind of a disappointing start, so we had no idea at first. A lot of festivals didn’t accept it, and it was kind of a rocky ride.”

The story of “Night Ride” presented additional challenges during the filming process. In particular, the film being set on a tram created obstacles for the cast and crew.

“It was a challenge to, first of all, get access to a tram,” Arnesen said. “Oslo didn’t want us to use their trams because they didn’t want us to show how easy it is to steal one — they didn’t like that part. Finally, we forged a good

relationship with Trondheim and got access to their tram. However, we had to shoot when the tram was not in use, which was at night, so it was a complete night shoot.”

“The tram moves, too,” she continued, “so the whole team had to be on the tram, lined under couches to hide and not be in the frame.”

Regardless of its initial challenges, “Night Ride” enjoyed successful festival appearances from 2020 to 2022, winning awards at four of the seven festivals it was featured in, including Best Narrative Short Film at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival.

“We put so much work into this film, and to see that it’s finally recognized — and not just recognized but viewed and appreciated by other people — is really gratifying,” Arnesen said. “We worked really hard on trying to get the message across in the film, which can sometimes be difficult without coming across as preachy. So, I think we feel very surprised and delighted.”

As with all films, the reception of “Night Ride” has not been entirely warm, but it is likely to remain divisive. A film that discusses a topic as sensitive as transphobia is

bound to leave audiences uncertain. That the story of “Night Ride” is so fortuitous adds to this uncertainty, as it can make the film feel as if it’s more interested in asking audiences what they would do if a stranger were being harassed than addressing transphobia. However, Arnesen shared that tackling transphobia was important to the film despite its broader themes.

“What [Tveiten] wanted to communicate was, ‘Do you have the courage to stand up if you see someone being harassed?’” Arnesen said. “But I think it was important for us to demonstrate that courage with a trans person. Because I think had it been a cis woman, most women would have immediately related to her. But if it’s someone you know who is a minority and has to take a whole lot of crap from other people, would you stand up or do what’s easier? […] It’s easier for us to look the other way when it’s not someone we particularly relate to. To say something about that […] I think that’s what we’re hoping this film will do.”

Last year was an exceptional one for queer cinema, but the underdog tale of “Night Ride” and its nomination may be queer cinema’s most special story at the Oscars®.

Fletcher Varnson

Sigrid Kandal Husjord stars in “Night Ride.” PUBLICITY PHOTO

STEVE ABBOTT LIVES ON IN FILM ‘FAIRYLAND’

Dave Hayward

“Whoever survives a test whatever that may be must tell his story. It’s a duty.” -Elie Wiesel, Holocaust concentration camp survivor.

“Fairyland” garnered a 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes (that’s five stars) at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and it’s produced by Oscar®-winning director Sofia Coppola (best known for her film, “Lost in Translation”), and stars Oscar® winner Geena Davis and “American Idol” finalist Adam Lambert, among other luminaries.

It’s thrilling that the movie “Fairyland” is being released, based on the best-selling memoir by Alysia Abbott about growing up with her gay dad Steve Abbott.

There was a police raid on August 5, 1969, at the long-departed Ansley Mall Mini Cinema, where a showing of Andy Warhol’s “Lonesome Cowboys” — a movie found obscene because naked cowboys were sharing sleeping bags — was held. Smithsonian Magazine calls the raid Atlanta’s own Stonewall, and five weeks after Stonewall it was the catalyst to concoct the Georgia Gay Liberation Front (GGLF).

Emory graduate student Abbott was front and center in making GGLF happen, brazen because he was married, the father of Alysia, and openly gay. As an editor at The Great Speckled Bird newspaper, Abbott proselytized for LGBTQ rights and drew a cartoon for Atlanta and Georgia’s first Gay Pride in June 1971.

“Say it loud, gay is proud. An injustice to one is injustice to all!” Steve wrote. “Straightidentified sisters and brothers are joining hands with us in solidarity. You don’t have to be gay to march against gay oppression!”

Becoming one of the core collective of the GGLF in 1972, I was stunned Abbott had a wife and a daughter. Knowing him from a distance, he appeared to be the gayest of gay men, in gender nonconforming regalia and

jewelry. I was afraid to be as open as he was in person and in print, but I also thought it helps to win our rights. You may be harassed, and people may curse you and throw crap at you, but you were a warrior for a worthy cause. Tragically, folks were evicted and expelled and fired and assaulted and even murdered. And still we rise.

Abbott disappeared from our marches in 1974, and later I learned his wife Barbara died in a car wreck on August 29, 1973. My mentor and Abbott’s best friend, Berl Boykin (April 7, 1944–October 6, 2018), loved recounting that he took Alysia to San Francisco and moved near the corner of Haight and Ashbury, ground zero for the hippie movement and celebrated in the musical “Hair.” I think Boykin got a vicarious high out of Abbott leaving the troubled past, starting anew and rallying to the center of it all. He was an example we could all aspire to.

My longtime friend Gus Kaufman called my

attention to Alysia’s memoir, “Fairyland.” The fact that a book could come out about someone I worked with and celebrate him in all his panache staggers me. How wonderful that a gay pioneer is remembered and known to the world, as most of us don’t have sons and daughters to recall us. While Abbott passed from complications of AIDS in 1992, he lives on in a bestseller and now a major motion picture.

We are sorely tested with many of our pioneers having passed away 54 years after Stonewall. We have our own special plague with AIDS decimating our community, absconding with heroes like Abbott and his fellow founders Charlie St. John, the first openly gay political appointee here, and native Atlantan Paul Dolan, best known as Severin, our first nonbinary and crossdressing leader. Once upon a time, Severin headlined rallies in “cosmic drag,” a man in a generous mustache and beard in an evening gown warbling, “I’m Tired of

Straight Men Fucking Over Me!”

One day, Severin confided in me that some guy from Athens was studying his performances. We later deduced it was most likely Fred Schneider, who founded the B-52s, and I can see Severin’s influence in their beehive hairdos, slinky sheath dresses and gender fluidity. I’m reminded of our late great drag diva Diamond Lil, who perfected camp drag, wrote her own music, sang in her own voice, and was nominated for a Grammy.

As in “Fairyland,” we tell their stories and keep them living in us. I believe in life after life, and their legends are a concrete manifestation.

They are our duty.

Dave Hayward is coordinator of Touching Up Our Roots, Georgia’s LGBTQ Story Project, and a board member of Georgia’s LGBTQ History Project.

“Fairyland” is based on the best-selling memoir by Alysia Abbott about growing up with her gay dad Steve Abbott. PUBLICITY PHOTO

A TIMELINE OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

María Helena Dolan

1907: Fifteen thousand working women hold a hunger march in New York City, protesting dangerous working conditions and asking for a tenhour workday and improved wages. They are beaten by the police.

1908: A commemorative march is held across New York, largely supported by a near uprising of women needle workers. This leads into 1909 and the creation of the first permanent trade workers union for women, International Ladies Garment Workers (ILGW). Forty thousand workers, mostly women, strike and demand changes at work and rights for women.

1909: The Socialist Party of America observes February 28 to commemorate the ILGW strike in NYC, and Eugene Debs (Socialist Party presidential candidate) promotes the idea that there should be a national day for celebrating women, especially women workers. Known originally as “National Woman’s Day,” it was proposed by Theresa Malkiel, a Jewish worker from what is now Ukraine.

1910: The Second International Conference of Socialist Women meets with a wide range of women across Europe. Malkiel and other American activists strike a chord with the powerfully vibrant German Women’s Movement, with its openly lesbian members. German Socialist Luise Zietz suggests an annual International Women’s Day, quickly seconded by activist Clara Zetkin. The Russian delegate, Alexandra Kollontai, supports this proposal; she becomes the first Commissar for Social Welfare under the Bolsheviks in 1918. One hundred women delegates from 17 countries agree to continue promoting the rights of women, including suffrage. The idea is that if women workers get suffrage, it expands the working class vote and thus expands labor rights. March 1911: The first IWD is celebrated

with massive demonstrations in Germany and Austria. Women are out there for women’s rights, suffrage, a 12-hour workday, fighting against sex discrimination in the workplace and for the right to hold public office, and calling for the recognition of women in various “nontraditional” fields.

March 25, 1911: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, New York City. A hundred and forty-six garment workers — 123 women and girls, 23 men — die in the worst industrial accident ever to take place in the U.S. The owners of the factory, wildly culpable, do not spend any time in jail.

January 1912: The “Bread and Roses” strike begins in Lawrenceville, Massachusetts. About 25,000 immigrant workers, most of them women and many of their children, face great brutality from strike-breakers amid frigid temperatures. Shocked, Congress holds hearings on this, and on March 14, the frozen strikers accept upgraded owner offerings.

March 8, 1914: The day is chosen as IWD. Over one million women and men march in Germany, Austria, Denmark, and Switzerland.

June 28, 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife Sophie are murdered

by a Serbian nationalist. Russia supports the Serbs; Germany supports the AustroHungarians. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia and within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain, and Serbia line up against Austria-Hungary and Germany and World War I begins.

1915: Workers march in Norway, but other Europeans are not so lucky. The women who developed sisterhood bonds across borders are forced to support their individual nations or face serious charges of sedition, loss of worldly goods and their children, with great public opprobrium.

April,15, 1915: Weary of the World War’s raging carnage, a large gathering of women meets in The Hague. Participants include over 1,300 women from more than 12 countries.

March 8, 1917: Socialists are gearing up for massive demonstrations across Russia, but over 50,000 women run into the streets of St. Petersburg calling for bread and peace. Demonstrations and strikes last over four days to protest the war deaths and the hunger from lack of bread, the war having sucked out the nation’s resources, including its men, leaving the people to starve. This gives birth to the “February Revolution”

(according to the Julian calendar then still used in Russia) as more and more women and men leave the factories and take to the streets. Though ordered back to work after the first day, more people walk out of factories daily, leading to mass strikes across Russia and the abdication of Nicholas II just seven days later. A provisional government arises, which gives Russian women rights — to vote, to divorce, access to birth control/abortion — and oversees Russia’s withdrawal from the war. Over decades of war and recovery, IWD continues to spread, and in 1972, the Women’s International Democratic Federation — a coalition of women around the globe, including the southern globe —celebrating Solidarity of women — petitions the United Nations to create an International Women’s Year.

1975: The United Nations adopts IWD, proclaiming and promoting the Year of the Woman as part of IWD. Calls were for the fight against apartheid and all forms of oppression (in the U.S. something so associated with Communists and Socialists means that the country does not expend much energy on it).

March 8, 1977: United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and World Peace.

In 1993–1994: Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) tries to make IWD a holiday in the U.S. The bill never makes it out of committee.

1996: The first year that IWD has a theme: “Celebrating the past, planning for the future.” Each year since has been themed. For International Women’s Day in 2023, the official International Women’s Day organization will run a campaign on the theme of #EmbraceEquity. Meanwhile, the United Nations’ official theme this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”

January 2011: The U.N. proclaims a Day for Gender Equality and Empowerment for Women.

International Women’s Day Coalition activists march in 1975. HISTORICAL PHOTO

“INTERVIEW” WITH GEORGE SANTOS

Cliff Bostock

Read the full column online at thegavoice.com.

I am thrilled to interview George Santos, the first openly gay Republican elected to the U.S. Congress. Rep. Santos and I met during a recent visit to Atlanta where he is helping organize the Project to Make Dixie Great Again.

Congratulations on your recent victory, Rep. Santos. I was somewhat surprised to learn you had a connection to the South. Can you fill us in?

Oh, obviously I — George — was named after Georgia and spent much of my youth here. My parents were the Jewish descendants of slaves who told Joel Chandler Harris many of the stories that he turned into the Uncle Remus tales. To honor them, Mr. Harris created a basement apartment in his mansion, the Wren House, and it remains a family retreat. When I was a teenager, I spent weeks at a time in that apartment. I later created my animal rescue charity as a tribute to the captivating animal folklore of my ancestors, as told by Uncle Remus.

You’ve been accused of constructing a life story that is completely fictitious. What do you have to say to your critics?

They’re nothing but lazy liars whose political agendas overrule their obligations to do factual research. Had they gone to the trouble, they would have learned that when I was writer in residence at Harvard, I was authoring a novel. One of my student assistants stole a rough draft, which at that stage was basically a fictionalized memoir. Years later, he hands it off to my campaign chief, who naively used it to fashion my campaign resume. Yes, I am the author of my own fictions, but their intent was a good

read. I was perhaps wrong to go along with the performance, but politics is performance and obviously people enjoyed mine. So, what’s the big deal?

Among your more confusing untold stories is a marriage in 2012 to a Brazilian-born New Jersey resident, Uadla Viera Santos. The two of you divorced in 2019. Was this marriage possibly for you or her to establish citizenship? I know your mother was Brazilian, moved here, gave birth to you, then later returned to Brazil with you, right? You were known there as Kitara Ravache, a drag queen, right?

Something like that, yes. I’m not ashamed of my career in drag. I was asked many times to co-host what became RuPaul’s Drag Race, but ultimately opted for a career in finance and politics. I will only say, related to Uadla, that I am a believer in polyamory.

I’m not old enough to have the mentoring skills that Lindsey Graham offered me, but I took pride in teaching Madison Cawthorn that, regardless of disability, you can wear women’s lingerie and face-fuck men in bed while enjoying your eight-month marriage to a woman who is divorcing you – all while taking a Christian stand against indecent behavior. As you know my mother died in the south tower during the 9/11 attack. I was there, rescuing the injured with my sixth-grade class and saw her being put in an ambulance. Her last words to me were,

“Kitara Anthony George Devolder Ravache Santos, live your truth.”

I know you’ve come under fire from many in your own party. They want you to stand down. You’ve given up committee assignments until your name is cleared. Where do you find relief from the stress?

I’m good! Jesus knew what was coming his way and didn’t let a transitory irritation like

getting nailed in the worst way keep him from ruling the cosmos! I enjoy taking long walks around Washington with Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz. We dodge the Jewish space lasers and tease Matt about sex trafficking. I love to say how Marjorie opposes abortion unless the fetus is transgender or gay. I remind them that they weren’t able to get President Trump to issue pardons for their participation in the righteous effort to overturn the 2020 election. I also enjoy getting steamy at the Log Cabin Republican meet-and-greets. I’m so appreciative that they haven’t joined the condemnation of me and I’m proud that they are entertaining my proposal to sell some racy merch featuring my image. People need to understand that it’s great to be part of a gay organization that refrains from judging their members’ haters.

Anything else you’d like to share? Any news from the Project to Make Dixie Great Again? Well, we have confirmed that a gigantic balloon was shot down over Stone Mountain Park last week. Our sources tell us it was likely collecting data for producing theme-park facsimiles in communist countries that are invested in representing our nation as racist. We know the true story of the Civil War, the Lost Cause, was about standing up for states’ rights, not about ownership of beloved story tellers like my Black-ish Jew-ish ancestors. That aside, I just want everyone to know that I have everything it takes to be an out and proud gay Republican. I am exactly what you see.

Editor’s note: this is a faux interview for satirical purposes.

Republican U.S. Congress. Rep. George Santos PHOTO VIA WIKICOMMONS

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Learn your HIV status privately in the comfort of your home. Call a PIHC Prevention Specialist at 678-365-4300 to have your free at-home test delivered. Or, order online at: PIHCga.org/athometesting

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OUT FRONT THEATRE’S ‘ONE IN TWO’ LEADS BUSY SPRING THEATER SEASON

Jim Farmer

Now that theater companies are producing again in a fairly normal manner after time off during the COVID-19 pandemic, the local spring season is a robust one. Many quality plays and LGBTQthemed and -friendly works are on tap in Atlanta theaters.

A decade after playwright Donja R. Love found out about his HIV diagnosis, he decided to write about it. His “one in two” opens at Out Front Theatre Company soon, directed by J.L. Reed.

According to Reed, “one in two” is Love’s exploration of coming to terms with the diagnosis, figuring out life within and beyond living with HIV/AIDS. The play opens with three Black men — referred to as Person on the Right, Person on the Left and Person in the Middle — on stage in a waiting room of sorts, where one will get a positive diagnosis.

“Donja leaves it up to the creators to determine exactly what this all-white room is,” Reed said. “He just describes it as pristine and sterile.”

Reed, who is gay, loves the experimental nature of the show, where the audience gets to choose who plays two of the three characters.

“It’s meta-theatrical, and there are some fun and engaging devices that are equal parts hilarious, painful, touching and poignant,” he said. “It’s a bit of a roller coaster. It’s a wonderfully challenging piece to bring to life. My aesthetic as an artist and director, in general, is that I like theater that plays with the rules and structure and isn’t a traditional, linear piece. It’s nice to break away from that sometime.”

Although HIV/AIDS is no longer regarded as a death sentence, it still brings with it all kinds of issues. Hence, “one in two” is still a relevant piece.

“One of the things we talk about is [that] we have medication now and have advanced so much in this realm to where people are living with HIV as opposed to dying of AIDS,” Reed said. “What we know, though, is that the stigma is still very real and painful and devastating and that a lot of this play is from a place of dealing with the stigma. We can have all the advances in the world, but what does this do to a person’s soul, spirit and emotional and mental well-being, if they are being shunned or ridiculed?”

The title of the play references the number of gay Black or bisexual men projected to contract HIV in their lifetime, Reed said.

This is the director’s second stint at the company, after last year’s “When Last We Flew.”

Aurora Theatre also has a production likely to

appeal to an LGBTQ crowd. “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” looks at the titular character, a five-time Grammy winner and certified icon. The production, charting the rise of her career and the struggles she faced, is directed by Patdro Harris, and one of its writers is Emmy winner Colman Domingo.

Actor’s Express has a number of productions this spring, including Kira Rockwell’s “Oh, to be Pure Again,” set at a fundamentalist church camp in Texas where campers are making some self-discoveries, and Joshua Harmon’s family saga, “Prayer for the French Republic.”

Producing musicals as well as anyone in the city now is City Springs Theatre. The company is about to open the exuberant, yet funny, “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” following the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Two of Onstage Atlanta’s productions this spring are August Wilson’s “Fences,” about a former star of the Negro baseball leagues who is now a garbage man in 1950s Pittsburgh, and the workplace thriller “Rasheeda Speaking.”

MORE INFO

“Oh, to Be Pure Again” runs March 2–26 at Actor’s Express

“Monty Python’s Spamalot” runs March 10–26 at City Springs Theatre

“one in two” runs March 16–April 1 at Out Front Theatre

“Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” runs March 16–April 9 at Aurora Theatre

“Fences” runs March 17–April 2 at Onstage Atlanta

“A Soldier’s Play” runs March 28–April 2 at the Fox Theatre, courtesy of Broadway in Atlanta

“Rasheeda Speaking” runs April 7–22 at Onstage Atlanta

“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” runs April 19–30 at the Fox Theatre, courtesy of Broadway in Atlanta

“Prayer for the French Republic” runs April 20–May 14 at Actor’s Express

Touring shows to look out for include “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” and “A Soldier’s Play,” two Tony Award winners both brought to town by Broadway in Atlanta. “A Soldier’s Play” was directed on Broadway recently by Atlantan Kenny Leon.

Other noteworthy productions to keep an eye on include The Alliance Theatre’s “Roob and Noon,” Theatrical Outfit’s “Tiny Beautiful Things” (written by Nia Vardalos), Georgia Ensemble Theatre’s “Bright Star,” by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Horizon Theatre’s “Support Group for Men,” ART Station’s “The Savannah Sipping Society.” True Colors Theatre Company is also scheduled to stage “The Wiz,” although its run date is TBD.

“one in two” runs March 16–April 1 at Out Front Theatre. COURTESY PHOTO

OSCAR® NOMINATED ‘CLOSE’ LOOKS AT THE BOND BETWEEN TWO 13-YEAR-OLDS

film that is incredibly vital and important.”

The 95th Academy Awards® — scheduled for March 12 — feature many films with queer themes, such as “Tar,” “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “The Whale.” Directed by out director Lukas Dhont, “Close” is also nominated for a Best International Feature Oscar®. While it’s not the favorite — “All Quiet on the Western Front” has that distinction — it’s certainly a remarkably moving motion picture worthy of the award.

In Dhont’s film, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Leo (Eden Dambrine) and his best friend Remi (Gustav De Waele) are 13-year-olds who are almost inseparable. The two share sleepovers and come to school together. When they start getting bullied by classmates, though, Leo pulls away from the friendship.

When he started writing the film four years ago, Dhont wanted to look at masculinity and deal with the realization that for a long time, society has been pointing a camera more at men fighting each other than holding on to one another. A friend of his asked if he had read Niobe Way’s book “Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection,” in which the author spent five years with 150 boys from the ages of 13 to 18.

“At the age of 13 she asked these boys to talk about their male friendships,” Dhont said. “At this age, these boys talk about each other in the most loving, tender, careful way. They say they would go crazy without each other. But from the ages 16 to 18, she asked them the same questions, and many of them start to distance themselves from that language of the heart. They start to understand that that connection is not something validated in this world.”

The director deeply connected to these boys, and it was at this age that he started to push away and be pushed away.

“I always thought it was relevant to my queer experience, but [now] I think it was more about my gender and being a young man growing up,” he said. “[Ours] is a culture and society where it’s dominance based, where these young people perform something they are not rather than be who they really are. This realization made me decide to talk about these friendships and the loss of them.”

The bond between Leo and Remi is initially very close and everyone — including their parents — is all right with it.

“I think it is about that moment in time when love doesn’t have to have a name, when it is still so free, and it can exist in such a pure, beautiful form,” Dhont said. “I think when the film starts it’s in the Garden of Eden of childhood — with this intimacy and tenderness. There is a moment in time when that love is automatically sexualized or labeled, especially for young men. I think what exists between these two boys is the most powerful,

deep, true connection we can share in the world. We often deprive ourselves and others so much of love, and I wanted to remind us of the beauty of love in the world.”

Dhont tries in his writing to start from a personal place and make sure that the phrasing is as universal as possible.

“Heartbreak and friendship and regret and grief — we have all felt those to some extent,” he said. “We are all connected because of those things. I like to look for what connects us rather than what sets us apart.”

He feels queer audiences can especially relate to these characters.

“A queer audience has pushed away and been pushed away and has felt shame and fear in a very deep way,” he said. “I think there is a collective catharsis. This film connects us to a wound we might have had from childhood that we have not confronted and carried around with is. We also see this society, this culture, too often shows itself as homophobic and deeply fearful of what is other, especially femininity. I think it is a

The ensemble is extraordinary, but Dambrine carries much of the heavy lifting. Dhont went to all schools in Brussels to scout as many young people as he could and met many of talented kids. Once he saw Dambrine, he knew he had his Leo.

“All of a sudden, I see the young Eden next to me — he was12 at the time — and that moment, I realized this young angel has something special, something in his eyes that is deep and complex,” he said.

Dambrine met De Waele afterward and there was an instant chemistry.

Dhont’s first film, “Girl,” made a splashy debut at the Cannes Film Festival, winning the Camera d’Or in 2018 and becoming Belgium’s Oscar® submission for that year. Yet many LGBTQ activists were upset about the film’s closing scene of violence and a cis man taking on the role of a trans individual. Dhont learned much from that experience.

“When we put the film in the world, there was a beautiful discussion with different perspectives and that is why [we do this],” he said. “You learn from listening to each other.”

The director was in New York earlier this year when he found out “Close” was nominated and the young actors were also watching the announcement in Belgium in their classroom.

“I called all my producers and team,” Dhont said. “I have been dreaming about the Oscars® since I was 12.”

MORE INFO

“Close” is now playing in area theaters.

Jim Farmer

“Close” is now playing in area theaters. PUBLICITY PHOTO

Jim Farmer

HOT WING KING

MARCH 3 THROUGH MARCH 5, 7:30PM

ALLIANCE THEATRE

Winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for drama, “The Hot Wing King” is a fierce new comedy about the risks and rewards of celebrating who you are. It’s time for Memphis’s annual “Hot Wang Festival,” and Cordell knows he has the wings that’ll make him king. Supported by his beau Dwayne and best friends who serve as his fry crew “The New Wing Order,” the group settles in for a fun night of pre-competition prep. But when a family emergency forces Dwayne’s troubled nephew into the mix, it quickly becomes a recipe for disaster. Suddenly, the first-place trophy isn’t the only thing that Cordell risks losing. This is directed for the first time by its awardwinning playwright Katori Hall (TV’s “P-Valley”).

ATLANTA PRIDE’S ALL-1-FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS

MARCH 4, 3PM

1530 DEKALB AVE NE

All-1 Umbrella is a biweekly group for transgender, cisgender, inter-sexed, non-binary and gender non-conforming youth ages 13-17 of all sexual identity. All-1 Connection is a biweekly group host by a master’s level clinician who will facilitate a therapeutic support group for biological parents; adopted parents; foster parents and any adult wanting to support LGBTQ+ youth. Therapists will assist and educate participants with understanding some of the most common questions or concerns that arise when supporting an LGBTQ youth.

XXX RATED COUGARS

MARCH 4, 9PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

The Eagle Cabaret presents XXX Rated Cougars with host Mr. Charlie Brown and co-host Shawnna Brooks, with special guests Amber Divine, Lena Lust, and Charmaine Sinclair Dupree.

TRANS AND FRIENDS

MARCH 6, 7 TO 8PM FOR YOUTH, 8 TO 9PM FOR YOUTH

CHARIS BOOKS AND MORE

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.

STILL TWISTED BROADWAY

MARCH 8, 7PM

LIPS ATLANTA

AID Atlanta returns to Lips Atlanta for its Still Twisted Broadway show. Hosted by Brigitte

EVENT SPOTLIGHT

SUMMER: THE DONNA SUMMER MUSICAL

MARCH 18 THROUGH APRIL 9, 8PM

AURORA THEATRE

The electrifying Queen of Disco shot through the stars from gospel choir to dance floor diva. The five-time Grammy Award-winner is known for her mega-hits. What the world didn’t know was how Summer risked it all to break through barriers, becoming an era’s icon and the inspiration for every music diva who followed., 8pm, through April 9 (Photo courtesy of Aurora Theatre)

Bidet, the Ladies of Lips Atlanta put on truly memorable performances of the biggest Broadway hits…with a twist. The event features celebrity servers, dinner, performance and live surprises.

R&B

MARCH 9

MY SISTER’S ROOM

Traxx Girls presents R&B with DJs Miss Milan, Face and Bomshell Boogie.

PURIM OFF PONCE

MARCH 11, 7:30PM

THE TEMPLE

SOJOURN presents its annual fundraiser Purim Off Ponce tonight with a Xanadu theme.

PALS BINGO

MARCH 14, 7:30PM

LIPS ATLANTA

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 Pets Are Loving Support (PALS). Tonight’s theme is ‘80s Bingo.

SARAH LYU IN CONVERSATION WITH ERICA WATERS

MARCH 16, 7:30PM

VIRTUAL

Charis welcomes Sarah Lyu in conversation with Erica Waters for a celebration of “I Will Find You Again.” “All the Bright Places” meets “Ace of Spades” in this smart, twisty teen thriller about a girl who can’t stop pushing herself to be the best—even after losing her best friend and the love of her life. Register here - https://www. crowdcast.io/e/i-will-find-you-again/register.

ONE IN TWO

MARCH 16 THROUGH APRIL 1, 8PM

OUT FRONT THEATRE

Three Black queer men sit in an ethereal waiting room. One is about to be chosen to live the unforgiving story of a man diagnosed with HIV, struggling to be defined by more than his status. Ten years after his own diagnosis, Donja R. Love has written a fearless account of the reality for too many Americans. A deeply personal call to action, the play “one in two” shines a light on the people behind a statistic and the strength of the

community they make up.

FINDING LIGHT & RESILIENCE

MARCH 18, 2PM AND 7PM

ST LUKE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

The Atlanta Gay Women’s Chorus presents the concert Finding Light & Resilience.

PFLAG SUPPORT GROUP

MARCH 19, 2:30PM

SPIRITUAL LIVING CENTER

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

LGBTQ BOOK CLUB

MARCH 25, 10AM

VIRTUAL

The LGBTQ Book Club, sponsored by Charis Books and More, is a group for LGBTQ+ folks and allies to read queer-themed books and books by queer authors. The goal is to have diverse thought-provoking discussions about queer identity, history and topical issues. All are welcome to join. This month’s book is “Go Tell it on the Mountain” by James Baldwin, Register in advance for this meeting - https:// us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ tZckdOqoqD0jEtYnPWHRoP9FRAQ6_oRTUxkd.

SONGS OF THE PHOENIX

MARCH 25, 3PM AND 7PM

ST LUKE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus presents the concert Songs of the Phoenix.

STARS OF THE CENTURY

MARCH 27, 11:15PM

HERETIC

Don’t miss the rowdy Stars of the Century show tonight.

WHERE ARE ALL THE TRANS MEN?

MARCH 30, 2PM

VIRTUAL

Out Georgia Business Alliance presents the community event Where Are All The Trans MEN?

A Trans Day of Visibility panel conversation. This virtual panel is being presented by Transformation Journeys Worldwide, an award-winning inclusion training and consulting firm. During this conversation, guests will hear from three trans men from different countries who are experiencing the current global volatility around trans rights. The link to the event is here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/where-are-allthe-trans-men-a-trans-day-of-visibility-panelconversation-registration-528848930387.

EVENT SPOTLIGHT

RESIST. UNDERGROUND ATLANTA

MARCH 11, 11PM

ABEL brings his signature RESIST. sound back to Atlanta! Tickets at future-atlanta.com.

Katie Burkholder

BLOWN CARTRIDGE IMPROV SHOWCASE

MARCH 3, 8:30PM

JOYSTICK GAMEBAR

This month’s improv showcase features Baron Vaughn and Business Bitches. Tickets via Eventbrite.

PARALEVEN: THEREFORE I AM TOUR

MARCH 3, 11PM

DISTRICT ATLANTA

Tickets at PARALEVENATL2023.

InvAsian

MARCH 4, 10PM

DISTRICT ATLANTA

Get ready for a night of March Madness featuring pulsing beats and mind-blowing vibes at District Atlanta! InvAsian returns with the best of melodic bass to the city with a lineup of top local DJs, including RA, Knockback, Princefit, and Joey France. Tickets via Eventbrite.

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF MADONNA

MARCH 4, 11:30PM

MY SISTER’S ROOM

Featuring Ada Manzhart, Ivy Fischer, Miss He, Linda TM, Deacon Sanders, Taylor ALXNDR, Orchid, Natalie Vega, Tyra Rex, and Kynk, hosted by Brigitte Bidet. Tickets at mysistersroom.com.

MARYOKE

MARCH 8, 9PM

MARY’S

GOOD JUDY: DRAG KARAOKE AND DANCE PARTY

MARCH 10, 9PM

STAR BAR

WUSSY & Good Judy Podcast are excited to bring you the first edition of our DRAG KARAOKE dance party. Just like at regular karaoke, you can sign up for a spot with DJ Neon Horror and wait your turn to lip-sync your song of choice. Quick drag stations and drag mentors available to help you turn a quick look before performing! Take a photo in the Good Judy photobooth before you leave! Tickets at wussymag.com.

RESIST

MARCH 11, 11PM

UNDERGROUND ATLANTA

ABEL brings his signature RESIST. sound back to Atlanta! Tickets at future-atlanta.com.

MARYOKE

MARCH 15, 9PM

MARY’S MADEON

MARCH 17, 11PM

DISTRICT ATLANTA

Tickets at bit.ly/MADEONATL2023.

ST, PATRICK’S DAY EMERALD PARTY

MARCH 17, 10PM

HERETIC

Wear your Green QUEEN and head to Heretic for their St. Patrick’s Day emerald party with DJ Joe Gauthreaux! Tickets at hereticatlanta.com.