03/17/17, Vol. 8 Issue 2

H IGH M US E UM O F AR T AT L AN T A

DANIEL ARSHAM

HOURGLASS

HIGH.ORG | #HIGHMUSEUM This exhibition is co-organized by the Daniel Arsham Studio and the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, in collaboration with Galerie Perrotin, New York.

EXHIBITION SERIES SPONSOR

PREMIER EXHIBITION SERIES SUPPORTERS

CONTRIBUTING EXHIBITION SERIES SUPPORTERS

Sarah and Jim Kennedy Anne Cox Chambers Foundation

Corporate Environments Margaret Foreman

THROUGH MAY 21

Generous support is also provided by Anne Cox Chambers Exhibition Fund, Alfred and Adele Davis Exhibition Endowment Fund, Forward Arts Foundation Exhibition Endowment Fund, John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Exhibition Endowment Fund, Dorothy Smith Hopkins Exhibition Endowment Fund, Howell Exhibition Fund, Helen S. Lanier Endowment Fund, Barbara Stewart Exhibition Fund, and Eleanor McDonald Storza Exhibition Endowment Fund.

Image: Daniel Arsham (American, born 1980), Crystal Sports Ball Cavern, 2016, amethyst and Hydro-Stone, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Perrotin.

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GEORGIANEWS

Georgia bill to allow HIV, AIDS patients medical marijuana access House Bill 65 expands state’s Low THC Oil Registry program to eight more conditions

“We know that the oil can take 10 to 15 minutes to onset. Inhalation is immediate.

There are studies showing no link from cannabis smoking to lung cancer,” Hodge said.

Other delivery methods include inhaling the vaporized cannabis oil, tinctures, suppositories and dermal patches — similar to a nicotine patch.

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com House Bill 65 is now in the hands of the state Senate, which means Georgia HIV and AIDS patients could be weeks away from access to medical marijuana to treat their symptoms.

HB 65, introduced this session by Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon), expands the number of conditions eligible for Georgia’s Low THC Oil Registry, which was set up in 2015.

“We tried to add conditions, even the first go-around, that were consistent with what’s done in other states that have medical cannabis legislation,” Peake said. “Of the 42 states that have some type of cannabis legislation, almost half the states include AIDS and HIV.” THC, the shorthand for tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana. CBD, or cannabidiol, on the other hand, provides therapeutic benefits.

Peake said Georgia’s law caps at 5 percent THC oil because that provides therapeutic benefit for a wide range of illnesses without causing the high associated with recreational use of marijuana.

“HB 65 passed the House last week overwhelmingly. I think it was 156 to 6,” Peake said.

“We’re hopeful that the Senate would agree with it. They passed a version of the bill that added autism, where we were looking to add eight conditions.

I’m hopeful that my colleagues will see the need to exState Rep. Allen pand this successful Peake (R-Macon) law to as many citizens as possible.”

HB 65 is also important to Dr. Rasean Hodge of Atlanta’s Premiere Chronic Pain Care. In addition to being a potential treatment for his patients, it could treat Hodge’s

If House Bill 65 becomes law, Georgians with HIV and AIDS will be eligible to use low THC oil, a form of medical marijuana, to medicate their symptoms. (Photo via dab710 on Flickr Creative Commons)

“It hasn’t been a public health issue. It hasn’t been a public safety risk. We don’t have people driving around under the influence of medical cannabis oil of 5 percent THC.” —Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon), author of state House Bill 65 own peripheral neuropathy.

“I’m in the 30308, and this ZIP code is the fifth-highest HIV rate in the country,” he said. “That’s right here in my clinic. …

I know for a fact that medical cannabis will help these HIV-positive patients, and of course [those] with AIDS.” How it works In 1991, scientists discovered the endocannabinoid system. The cannabinoid chemicals found in marijuana “fit to our natural receptors like a lock and key,” Hodge said.

The CBD helps with pain, muscle spasms, appetite and memory, for starters, he said.

“The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research,” a 2017 review published by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and

Medicine, looks at a large number of studies related to how medical marijuana can treat a host of diseases and illnesses.

According to the publication, “there was some evidence suggesting that cannabinoids were effective in weight gain in HIV.” However, available data is older, “largely due to the virtual disappearance of the syndrome since effective antiretroviral therapies became available in the mid-1990s.” Another obstacle to further research lies in the fact that marijuana is a controlled substance, making it harder to study per federal regulations.

There is a cannabis-derived pill on the market called Marinol, which is prescribed to patients with HIV/AIDS to assist with weight-loss symptoms. The differences between these forms of medical marijuana are delivery methods — how the drug enters the body — and the time it takes to take effect.

The next frontier “We knew it was going to be a very tough sell to move any type of medical cannabis legislation. I’ve been a strong advocate that I’m not supportive of recreational use of marijuana — that’s an issue somebody else is going to have to fight,” Peake said. “We tried to focus on the medical cannabis oil that doesn’t focus on smoking.”

Even if HB 65 is signed into law, Georgians who can obtain the low THC oil must overcome multiple hurdles to do so. The main one, Peake said, is where to get the product.

“At this point, the very low THC product, below 0.3 percent THC, can be shipped from other states because it’s considered hemp, and that’s a very gray area in the federal law. That’s how some families are getting that product,” Peake said. “For some that are getting an elevated level that’s allowed under Georgia law, they have to go to another state that produces the product and bring it back.”

However, because medical cannabis is not legal in all 50 states, patients are then risking federal law by transporting a controlled substance across state lines.

“The end game, the real solution, is an instate cultivation model where we can grow it, process and distribute it,” Peake said.

He said Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black had been approached about this subject, but no real plans or discussions have yet taken place.

“It hasn’t been a public health issue. It hasn’t been a public safety risk. We don’t have people driving around under the influence of medical cannabis oil of 5 percent THC,” Peake said. “More than half the country now has legislation on the books to allow this cultivation. The sky has not fallen. So I think it’s proper that, if we’re going to allow the legal possession of medical cannabis oil for our citizens, we ought to allow them to be able to access it in their state.”

4 News March 17, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

GEORGIANEWS

Gay African-American man picked to lead Atlanta Fed Double firsts at the Atlanta Fed as Rep. John Lewis reacts

By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta tapped Raphael Bostic to become its new president and CEO on March 13, making him the first African-American and first openly gay person to head any of the Fed’s 12 regional banks. Bostic, a University of Southern California professor of governance, succeeds Dennis Lockhart, who retired Feb. 28.

“We are very pleased that Raphael will join the Atlanta Fed as its president and chief executive officer,” said Thomas A. Fanning, chairman of the board of the Atlanta Fed

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

and chairman, president and chief executive officer of Southern Company. “He is a seasoned and versatile leader, bringing with him a wealth of experience in public policy and academia. Raphael also has significant experience leading complex organizations and managing interdisciplinary teams. He is a perfect bridge between people and policy.”

Georgia Congressman John Lewis applauded the news, saying in a statement, “I congratulate Mr. Bostic on his historic appointment. Atlanta is the cradle of the Civil Rights movement, so it is only fitting that our city be home to the first African-American head of a Federal Reserve Bank. While such an appointment is long overdue, I am proud that Atlanta is leading the way. Atlanta has shown that our nation succeeds when all voices and perspectives are heard and can come together to chart a way forward. Metro Atlanta and the South were hit hard by

the Great Recession, and it is my hope that the Federal Reserve works to make sure the doors of opportunity are open to everyone.”

Rep. Lewis joined U.S. Reps. David Scott (D-GA), Maxine Waters (D-CA) and John Conyers (D-MI) in a letter sent to the Atlanta Fed last September calling on them to conduct an inclusive search and consider candidates of diverse backgrounds. Lewis also joined a letter, led by Conyers and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) last spring calling for greater diversity at the Federal Reserve.

Bostic served as the assistant secretary for policy development and research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama administration.

His term at the Atlanta Fed, which is responsible for the Sixth Federal Reserve District which covers Georgia, Alabama, Florida and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, will begin in June.

Raphael Bostic (Photo courtesy Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta)

March 17, 2017 News 5

GEORGIANEWS

Atlanta comedians take to the stage for social justice Shows benefit pro-LGBT organizations, share inclusive messaging

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com Protests. Marches. Canvassing. All are important ways to share messages of inclusiveness, social justice and civil rights.

But for Atlanta comedians, there’s another way to spread the word: stepping up to a microphone.

“Not long after Trump was elected, we got together and said there’s more we could be doing,” said comedian David Perdue. “If there’s a lot of bad out there then as people, we have to come together and find ways to be better than the bad.”

Perdue — no relation to the senator bearing the same name — grew up in Jonesboro and started doing comedy about six years ago.

Recently he’s done comedy show fundraisers for the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“I love people and I don’t like to see people not given fair shots or treated anything ‘less than.’ That’s the heart behind my comedy and my process in picking these organizations to work with,” Perdue said. “I went to Morehouse College and that college produces leaders. When I was there, the motto was to be a Renaissance man with a social conscience. I wanted my comedy to enforce those ideas and be more than jokes. I wanted to be somebody that stood for something and had principles onstage and off.”

‘Laughs Trump Hate’ Fellow Atlanta comedian Ian Aber, who happens to be gay, has done shows benefiting LGBT causes and will participate in the upcoming “Laughs Trump Hate” show in May (date and location to be determined).

Jen O’Neill Smith is one of three female comedians who created “Laughs Trump Hate,” with the purpose of helping anyone negatively affected by the 2016 election. Past shows benefited the SPLC and Planned Parenthood, and the next round will benefit LGBT home-

Above: Atlanta comedian David Perdue says he wants his comedy to stand for something, onstage and off. He’s performed for several benefit shows and plans to keep doing so.

(Photo courtesy David Perdue). Right: Gay comedian Ian Aber keeps his political messages more nuanced, preferring to talk about his husband and family as a way to get those themes across. (Photo courtesy Amber North)

less nonprofit Lost-n-Found Youth.

“We were all together on election night and you know, it was a house full of female comedians. All of the Atlanta female comics were ready to celebrate. We had bottles of champagne ready to go. We thought we were going to witness something historic,” Smith said. “We were so disheartened and saddened and shocked by the results. We felt so hopeless that immediately we were like, what can we do? We can’t just accept this.

We can’t just roll over and let this be.”

At each “Laughs Trump Hate,” the comics booked represent a marginalized group — women for the Planned Parenthood show; comics of color for SPLC; LGBT comedians for Lost-n-Found. Smith said the response has been great — more than $1,000 raised at each of the first two shows.

“The opportunity is there for us. If we did not take advantage of that, and didn’t use it, it would be a tragedy,” Smith said.

“I think that it’s important more now than ever to have these situations where people are hearing someone face-to-face in a room with a microphone, with no confusion to the message that’s being heard.”

A hidden message “If not for the artists, then who does it?”

Perdue said. “We have the opportunity to speak the truth. … I recognized early on, doing comedy, that I can do almost anything that I want and people will laugh at it. I recognize that just because I can say something, I should use that platform to say something important. I can throw in things that are more than just a laugh. They’re perspectives.

They’re ideas.”

Though Perdue is more purposeful about his political commentary — coming from a six-foot-two, straight black man, he says it means something different — Aber said he doesn’t put overtly political themes into his stand-up, allowing his performances to be more nuanced.

“I don’t have to say I’m pro-trans rights.

I just say I’m gay and that’s it. What I do is I talk about my life with my husband. I talk about my family. I do talk about where heterosexual naïveté or ignorance kind of butts up against my life,” he said.

This approach reaches people in a different manner. Aber said he shows his audience his relationship is just like theirs.

“My approach tends to be, sneak in the social justice messages,” he said. “Female comics can get up and say, ‘I’m a feminist’ …

Perdue gets up and talks about Black Lives Matter. When I would attempt that, I would get even more resistance. If I related more on a human level, all of those messages kind of come across.”

Not so much in his shows, but on his social media pages, Aber tends to be “a little bit more demonstrative.” He uses his platform as a well-known comedian to teach others that the words they say matter. For example, if he sees an offensive comedy clip, he will share it to his page along with a caption educating people about why it’s an issue.

He said if comedians are truly political and active in social justice initiatives, that should be coming across in their humor in a way that’s not alienating.

Smith, like Aber, isn’t in-your-face with political rhetoric in her personal routine. She prefers to talk about her kids and husband.

“But, through doing ‘Laughs Trump Hate,’ it motivates me to add more of a political message into my comedy,” she said.

“I’m always inspired by the comics that do.”

6 News March 17, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

NEWSBRIEFS Federal court rules against Ga. lesbian fired for being gay On March 10, the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower district court’s ruling dismissing the lawsuit of Jameka Evans, a Savannah security guard who was forced to leave her job because she is a lesbian. Attorneys from Lambda Legal, who represent Evans in the case, say they will now seek a rehearing by the full panel of 11 judges of the Eleventh Circuit.

The case, Evans v. Georgia Regional Hospital, is the latest Title VII case, in which LGBT and progressive legal groups argue that discrimination based on their client’s sexual orientation should be ruled a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which includes a provision that prohibits discrimination based on the sex of an individual. The Eleventh Circuit agreed with Lambda Legal’s argument in 2011 that the Georgia General Assembly violated Title VII when Vandy Beth Glenn was fired for being transgender.

Evans filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District Court of Georgia in April 2015, arguing that Georgia Regional Hospital violated Title VII by discriminating against her because of her sexual orientation and her nonconformity with gender norms of appearance and demeanor. The district court dismissed Evans’ complaint, arguing that Title VII doesn’t protect employees from such discrimination.

“This is not the end of the road for us and certainly not for Jameka,” said Greg Nevins, employment fairness project director for Lambda Legal in a statement. “Ninety percent of Americans believe that LGBT people should be treated equally in the workplace. The public is on the right side of history, and it’s time for the Eleventh Circuit to join us.”

DeVos meets with LGBT groups over trans student protections Representatives from a trio of LGBT organizations and families with transgender kids met March 8 with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in the aftermath of the Justice and Education Departments revoking Obama-era guidance assuring transgender students access to the bathroom consistent with their gender identity.

Mara Keisling, executive director of National Center for Transgender Equality, said the meeting came about as a result of the www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Jameka Evans (l) is represented by Lambda Legal attorney Greg Nevins in a potentially historic case for LGBT rights. (File photo)

Trump administration rescinding the guidance. The meeting was set up due to efforts

by Equality Michigan, which is the state LGBT group for DeVos’ home state and where she once served as head of the Michigan Republican Party. According to Equality Michigan, the Education Department informed the organization on Friday she had agreed to the meeting.

In a statement, DeVos said she’s “grateful for the opportunity” to speak with families and LGBT rights supporters “about their concerns, thoughts, fears and suggestions.”

“Every school and every school leader has a moral responsibility to protect all students and ensure every child is respected and can learn in an accepting environment,” DeVos said. “I remain committed to advocating for and fighting on behalf of all students. Today’s meeting was compelling, moving and welcomed, and part of an ongoing dialogue with families and students throughout the country.”

Discussion consisted of two consecutive meetings — one between DeVos and transgender families, the other between DeVos and representatives from LGBT groups — which both lasted about an hour each, sources familiar with the meeting said.

Eliza Byard, executive director of GLSEN, said in a statement that LGBT groups addressed the immediate consequences of withdrawing the guidance and “ways that she might be able to mitigate the pain, fear, and

confusion that decision has caused.”

ATL gay chamber boots treasurer after financial fraud discovery Robby Mathis, the treasurer of the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, has been removed from his position after evidence of financial fraud was uncovered.

On Feb. 23, AGLCC board members met with Mathis to discuss “multiple suspicious payments from our bank accounts.”

According to a statement released March 3, Mathis acknowledged unauthorized use of the organization’s funds.

The AGLCC filed a police report that day, and AGLCC President Jack Kinley said members will be updated regularly through the investigation, as a matter of transparency.

“A preliminary assessment of our financial records leads us to believe the loss may be in excess of $60,000,” AGLCC’s statement read. “We continue to have sufficient capital reserves to allow us to conduct business as usual while we pursue the complete restitution of misappropriated funds.”

Kinley told Georgia Voice the AGLCC does have an action plan in place, but wouldn’t say how long the fraudulent charges had been going on. He said Mathis stepped down as directed without any drama.

For expanded coverage of these stories and exclusive daily online content, follow us on social media or visit us at www.thegeorgiavoice.com.

March 17, 2017 News 7

WHAT IS GENVOYA®?

Who should not take GENVOYA?

GENVOYA is a 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years and older and weigh at least 77 lbs.

It can either be used in people who are starting HIV-1 treatment and 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. These include having an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL) for 6 months or more on their current HIV-1 treatment. GENVOYA combines 4 medicines into 1 pill taken once a day with food.

GENVOYA is a complete HIV-1 treatment and should not be used with other HIV-1 medicines.

Do not take GENVOYA if you take:

GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses, you must keep taking GENVOYA. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.

• Changes in body fat, which can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicines.

• Certain prescription medicines for other conditions.

It is important to ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with GENVOYA. Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider.

• The herbal supplement St. John’s wort.

• Any other medicines to treat HIV-1 infection.

What are the other possible side effects of GENVOYA? Serious side effects of GENVOYA may also include:

• Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking GENVOYA.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

• 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 GENVOYA.

GENVOYA may cause serious side effects:

The most common side effect of GENVOYA is nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away.

What is the most important information I should know about GENVOYA? • Build-up of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

• Serious liver problems. The liver may become large and fatty.

Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turning yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; light-colored bowel movements (stools); loss of appetite; nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness in the right side of your stomach area.

• You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking GENVOYA for a long time. In some cases, lactic acidosis and serious liver problems have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions.

• Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. GENVOYA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking GENVOYA, your HBV may suddenly get worse.

Do not stop taking GENVOYA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking GENVOYA? • All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection.

• All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-thecounter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other medicines may affect how GENVOYA works. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe to take GENVOYA with all of your other medicines.

• If you take antacids. Take antacids at least 2 hours before or after you take GENVOYA. • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if GENVOYA can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking GENVOYA. • If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

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.

Please see Important Facts about GENVOYA including Important Warnings on the following page.

Ask your healthcare provider if GENVOYA is right for you, and visit GENVOYA.com to learn more.

GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

SHOW YOUR

POWER Take care of what matters most—you. GENVOYA is a 1-pill, once-a-day complete HIV-1 treatment for people who are either new to treatment or people whose healthcare provider determines they can replace their current HIV-1 medicines with GENVOYA.

IMPORTANT FACTS This is only a brief summary of important information about GENVOYA and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

(jen-VOY-uh) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT GENVOYA

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF GENVOYA

GENVOYA® may cause serious side effects, including: • Build-up of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

• Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; light-colored bowel movements (stools); loss of appetite; nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness in the right side of your stomach area.

• Worsening of Hepatitis B (HBV) infection. GENVOYA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking GENVOYA. Do not stop taking GENVOYA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking GENVOYA for a long time.

GENVOYA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About GENVOYA” section.

• Changes in body fat.

• Changes in your immune system.

• New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure.

The most common side effect of GENVOYA is nausea.

These are not all the possible side effects of GENVOYA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking GENVOYA. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with GENVOYA.

ABOUT GENVOYA • GENVOYA is a prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years

of age and older and weigh at least 77 lbs who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before. GENVOYA can also be used to replace current HIV-1 medicines for some people who have an undetectable viral load (less than 50 copies/mL of virus in their blood), and have been on the same HIV-1 medicines for at least 6 months and have never failed HIV-1 treatment, and whose healthcare provider determines that they meet certain other requirements.

• GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others.

Do NOT take GENVOYA if you: • Take a medicine that contains: alfuzosin (Uroxatral®), carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR®, Teril®), cisapride (Propulsid®, Propulsid Quicksolv®), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45®, Migranal®), ergotamine (Cafergot®, Migergot®, Ergostat®, Medihaler Ergotamine®, Wigraine®, Wigrettes®), lovastatin (Advicor®, Altoprev®, Mevacor®), lurasidone (Latuda®), methylergonovine (Ergotrate®, Methergine®), midazolam (when taken by mouth), phenobarbital (Luminal®), phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek®), pimozide (Orap®), rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®, Rimactane®), sildenafil when used for lung problems (Revatio®), simvastatin (Simcor®, Vytorin®, Zocor®), or triazolam (Halcion®).

• Take the herbal supplement St. John’s wort.

• Take any other HIV-1 medicines at the same time.

BEFORE TAKING GENVOYA Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.

• Have any other medical condition.

• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

• Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

• Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with GENVOYA.

HOW TO TAKE GENVOYA • GENVOYA is a complete one pill, once a day HIV-1 medicine.

• Take GENVOYA with food.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about GENVOYA. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

• Go to GENVOYA.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit GENVOYA.com for program information.

GENVOYA, the GENVOYA Logo, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, SHOW YOUR POWER, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: December 2016 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. GENC0125 02/17

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Spring arts and the path of most resistance

BY PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com

“It can be overwhelming to line up so many arts events on your calendar, especially when you take into account that most of us are adding (or increasing the number of ) rallies and marches to our schedules.”

While it might not feel like it, spring is nearly upon us, and with that comes our annual Spring Arts Preview. We’ve scoured the city for the best bets to keep you entertained all through the season in music, movies, TV, theater and various other arts projects.

Included in the mix this issue is an interview with bisexual singer Vanessa Carlton, who may be best known for her pop hit “A Thousand Miles.” Though her sound has changed since then, we found out she still plays it for the fans who may only know her from that – but she always plays it first in the set to move on to her ensuing output.

We’ve also got 13 arts/theater picks, 13 film picks, 15 TV picks and 11 music picks for you. There are a few in there that I can’t wait to check out, including “Hedwig & The Angry Inch” at The Fox, the Swinging Richards documentary “All Male, All Nude” (hey, it’s art), “Archer,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Orange is the New Black,” Panic! At The Disco and PWR BTTM. It can be overwhelming to line up so many arts events on your calendar, especially when you take into account that most of us are adding (or increasing the number of ) rallies and marches to our schedules.

Yes, our dear president’s activities are inspiring many to engage in various forms of protest, but so many events are going on in that arena that it’s also hard to keep track of, just like the arts events.

To remedy that problem, we recommend checking out resistancecalendar.org. This is a project that was created courtesy of (surprise surprise) liberal firebrand Michael Moore. Just enter in your town or city in a search on The Resistance Calendar and up pops up a chronological list of all the rallies and marches scheduled near you, along with links to the event pages.

A quick glance at the Atlanta schedule shows three events coming up. There’s the Tax March taking place April 15 with location to be determined. This one’s to call on President Trump to act more transparently and release his tax returns, and organizers say it’s also about how corporate interests and the rich have more influence than people of color, women, immigrants, LGBTs and workers.

April 22 brings the March for Science Atlanta, kicking off in Candler Park. Organizers say this is a response to recent policy changes that have caused concerns among scientists, and people will march in coordination with other marches taking place the same day in towns and cities across the world.

Then there’s the Atlanta Rally for Education taking place May 6 downtown at the Georgia Department of Education. This is primarily in response to the appointment of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education.

So there’s plenty of opportunities to both satiate your arts fix and your First Amendment fix this spring. Choose wisely, or forget that and take part in them all for your best spring ever.

FEEDBACK Re: “Melissa Carter leaves B98.5FM morning show,” March 7 “I really like listening to Melissa and they could get rid of everybody except her she’s a one-woman show, so where can we listen to her now?”

–Milena Hammond via www.thegeorgiavoice.com “I like Melissa Carter and often listened to her show. While I don’t know why she is leaving, I have a suspicion it is because WSB is getting more conservative under the new political administration. When one of their reporters is a guest at an exclusive dinner our new President, I have to question the motivation. Was he there ‘sucking up’ to Trump or demonstrating a desire for a closer relationship between the President and a major news media outlet?

Perhaps she complained about the rightward direction of WSB? At any rate, WSB is not part of my radio listening. WSB-TV isn’t part of my television viewing. ABC shows, yes I will watch them. But why should I support WSB when it seems to be heading away from at least a centrist position. Can I trust their news reporting to be unbiased anymore? I get enough of that junk from FOX News.”

–Bruce Garner via www.thegeorgiavoice.com Re: “Double firsts: Gay AfricanAmerican man picked to lead Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta,” March 13 “Finally, some good news.”

–Donna Waddell via Facebook Re: “Ryan Lee: ‘Moonlight’ shines through all the shade,” March 3 “Two masterpieces: ‘Moonlight’ and this article!”

–Thomas Cassidy via www.thegeorgiavoice.com Want to be featured in Feedback? Leave a comment to a story via social media or on our website, or email editor@thegavoice.com with the subject line “Feedback.”

March 17, 2017 Outspoken 11

OUT IN THE WILD Creep of the week

By Simon Williamson

Free speech - great if you can get it Simon Williamson lives with his husband in heteronormatively-assimilative fashion in Athens, after a year of surviving rural Georgia.

“It’s amazing how ‘fairness’ becomes important to people when those who have been denied rights suddenly get some.

What is it they say about how equality feels to the privileged?”

This knee-jerk reaction to crowds of millennials throwing racist, doxing, white supremacists off college campuses has me less alarmed about free speech than about the liberal intelligentsia that spends more time on false equivalency than actually giving a shit.

The students of Middlebury College who turfed Charles Murray from their campus two weeks ago did not wreck free speech. Their contribution to stifling debate is so miniscule in relation to the ability of Charles Murray to spread his nonsense that I find it hard to care.

Because free speech in America is much deader than is often made out to be. For hundreds of years Americans have refused to allow LGBT+ people into any sort of classroom. You can count the number of states that have formally adopted LGBT history as part of their school curriculum with the number of fingers it takes to tell another driver to fuck off. We have been completely blanked out of American history, and even when someone tried to make a movie out of it, they told it worse than Southern states explain sex ed.

So many American parents have worked to try to make sure their children never see LGBT+ people on TV or in real life. American news networks gloss over the number of murders of black trans women, and how trans immigrants are put into the wrong prisons, and the suicide and homelessness rates among LGBT+ people, particularly high for trans folks.

We might think of these as common tropes to throw around now, but not even a decade ago we were restricted from being allowed to resemble a straight family by be12 Outspoken March 17, 2017

ing able to do our taxes together – forbidden from respectability politics. Forbidden from classrooms. Forbidden from Boy Scouts. Forbidden from being on TV, and then when that fell down, forbidden from being able to behave like an actual LGBT person on TV. LGBT+ people were written out of American life totally, until a brief period between some pleasant Supreme Court decisions and the election of Mike Pence to the second highest office in the land, making him the most powerful homophobe out there.

The nuances of LGBT+ life are being simplified for general consumption. Milo Yiannopoulos may have no conscience, but he did talk about a realistic part of being a young gay man for a section of our people.

There are some gay men who marry women and live fulfilling lives. There are a lot of straight men who have fucked men. There are many people who can be at different places on a straight to gay spectrum. We censor this because it’s a shitload easier to win a “love is love” (or whatever gnomish hashtag either of the HRCs has drawn up) argument with the general population when conversations don’t get difficult.

Free speech is good. I support it strongly. But I’m not sorry to not care that a few transphobes and racists can’t speak on college campuses when we have been denied platforms for hundreds of years, and they get them all the time.

It’s amazing how “fairness” becomes important to people when those who have been denied rights suddenly get some. What is it they say about how equality feels to the privileged?

Dave Daubenmire goes after … Rachel Maddow?

By D’ANNE WITKOWSKI Let’s talk about what a dum-dum brains Rachel Maddow is.

Full disclosure: I watch Maddow’s show as often as I can. I’ve read “Drift,” her book about the military. I find her insightful, funny, super hot and, above all, brilliant.

But then I heard Christian sports radio talker Dave Daubenmire tell me that she’s an idiot.

During his March 2 broadcast, Daubenmire complains that some people think he’s dumb. He lashes out at “those people, those elitists, people who go to university.”

And to prove that he’s the smartest (but not, like, elitist smart), he wants to debate … Rachel Maddow?

“I’d love to get on there with that man/ woman/man, what’s her name? On MSNB-Sin? Maddow!” he said. “I’d love to get on there with that dude.

“Hey, Rachel, are you listening? I’m supposed to take advice from you and you don’t even know that you’re supposed to love a man?” he continued. “You’re telling me that you’re on

Dave Daubenmire

MSNBC and you’re giving advice to the world and you don’t even know who you’re supposed to love? Are you kidding me? You don’t even know how plumbing works?”

Ooh! Sick burn!

Does Maddow know that Obama and Hillary Clinton are controlled by demons?

That God “supernaturally intervened” to make Trump president? That chemtrails and Pizzagate are real? That public education is “the spiritual raping of children?” That Satan orchestrated the Super Bowl performances of both Katy Perry and Lady Gaga? Because if she’d been listening to Daubenmire for the past couple of years, she’d know the truth.

During his March 2 show, still directly addressing Maddow, Daubenmire asks, “You’re the smart one and I’m the dumb one?”

I’M GONNA GO WITH YES.

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March 17, 2017 Ads 13

CATCHING UP WITH …

Ramon Johnson President of Morehouse Safe Space on organization’s growth, upcoming Pride and more

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN dduncan@thegavoice.com Ramon Johnson is a junior at Morehouse College, where he serves as president of Morehouse Safe Space — an organization founded in 2002 that facilitates an inclusive campus environment for students of all genders and sexualities.

When Johnson entered Morehouse as a Tucker High School graduate, he came to be a music major. But inspired by the people he met at Safe Space, he swapped to sociology. Now, he’s got big plans not just for his career, but with expanding the legacy of the organization that so shaped his own life into one that continues to help others.

How did you go from being a music major to sociology?

It wasn’t until I started getting politicized through Safe Space and learning about the importance of progressive ideologies, like black feminism, that I started to realize that I wanted to have a career where I am amplifying the voices of marginalized groups, especially queer and trans people of color.

That’s where I started to get more involved in Safe Space.

I really would love to be a leading intellectual in regards to facilitating an inclusive campus environment on black college campuses, and I would love to do that as a professor.

Why is Safe Space such an important part of your college career?

It was literally a safe space for me. It felt like family. When I was coming to Morehouse, I was going through a lot of trauma after coming out to my family and, you know, of course my parents struggling to grapple with my sexuality and also me getting to know who I am. I looked to Safe Space as a community to heal and to find friends and family who are just like me. I remember seeing previous [executive] board

“I looked to Safe Space as a community to heal and to find friends and family who are just like me. I remember seeing previous [executive] board members leading on campus and I was like, I don’t know how I’m going to get there, but I’m going to get there.”

— Ramon Johnson, president of Morehouse Safe Space

members leading on campus and I was like, I don’t know how I’m going to get there, but I’m going to get there.

One of our first stories at Georgia Voice was about Safe Space’s Pride Week, which we’re coming up on now. Can you share some of the details of the 2017 event?

Pride Week, which was started in 2010, has always been a week for queer and trans students to celebrate themselves holistically, spiritually and culturally.

The theme is “Allure: Conquering Black Queer Magic.” We have to look within ourselves for the magic that lies within. Oftentimes dominant culture tries to tell you to suppress your black queer magic. What we do is work on reclaiming it.

This year I’m excited because we are literally kicking things up in much higher gear.

Some of our events that will be taking place March 26 through April 1 include our drag show; we’re also going to have an inspirational ceremony where we have a healing circle to start off the week. Also we have our keynote, which is led by Dr. Jafari S. Allen and Tarell Alvin McCraney. He was a recent Oscar-winner for “Moonlight.” We’re also having a LGBT concert called “The Power.”

How have you seen Safe Space grow since you became involved as a freshman?

I’ve seen us become more political.

I think there’s definitely more room for

Ramon Johnson is a junior at Morehouse College and serves as president of Morehouse Safe Space. (Courtesy photo)

growth. I would say the culture at Morehouse College is definitely changing as far as students recognizing the power that they have, especially queer and trans students.

We have built more alliances with community partners in the Atlanta area and on the Morehouse campus, but we also, I would say we also made more strides with making sure that our policies are reflective of our mission statement and our embrace for all students.

We recently advocated for the inclusion of all LGBT folks from being discriminated against, and also making sure that we have more gender-neutral bathrooms on campus.

What is the LGBT resource center Safe Space is involved in?

We made some big strides in trying to provide scholarships to LGBT students and making sure LGBT students of Morehouse have a physical space where you can go, which is the LGBT Resource Center. I’m proud to say that I’ll be serving as the founding student coordinator. It’s been a long time coming.

[Safe Space members] function as LGBT coordinators for the college. In some cases we’re consultants, counselors, activists of course, and that work can be very taxing on a

Details

Pride Week “The Power” Concert Featuring Jay Boogie, Durand Bernarr, Rahbi and Cakes Da Killa; benefiting Morehouse College’s LGBT Resource Center Wednesday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Sale Hall, 830 Westview Drive S.W., Atlanta, GA 30314 Tickets: tinyurl.com/hqufy2k student. That’s one of the reasons we’ve been very aggressive about the institution hiring a LGBT coordinator. … Oftentimes I think the work of LGBT students can be co-opted.

The work that we do can easily, I would say, be overlooked. And so, for instance, what I just told you about how the students are behind the LGBT Resource Center, you would probably not know that if the university did an unveiling. It would have been the administrators who got the spotlight. The work of queer and trans people can often be taken advantage of and we’re trying to work on that by reclaiming our narrative.

14 Community March 17, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

WORK IT!

LGBT BUSINESS NEWS

Dr. Zachary LaVigne (l) and Dr. Justin Lucia of Any Spine Chiropractic (Courtesy photos)

Any Spine Chiropractic celebrates third anniversary Any Spine Chiropractic, a partially LGBT-owned business in Inman Park, recently celebrated its third anniversary with a casual mixer for community members, patients and their families.

Co-owners and operators Dr. Zachary LaVigne and Dr. Justin Lucia thanked supporters and gave a brief presentation about the effects of daily stressors on the human body and ways to combat those to become a healthier individual.

“We live in a very stressful society that is horrible for our health,” LaVigne said in a statement to Georgia Voice. “We want to inform our patients and their friends and families about how their life decisions may be affecting them.”

LaVigne and Lucia are no strangers to educating the community, having frequented local gyms and businesses teaching healthy lifestyle choices. They have also dedicated much of their time to creating informative articles and videos to share on their company’s blog and via social media.

“Our biggest accomplishment over the last three years would be the lives we have changed,” LaVigne said. “When a patient gets off the table and tears up because they are pain-free for the first time in years, well, that is why we became doctors.” www.thegeorgiavoice.com

New LGBT-owned mosquito control company to open A new LGBT and female-owned-and-operated mosquito company opens in Atlanta on April 1. Mosquito Bandits is the brainchild of Robin Dennis, an active member of the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

Dennis said she worked with another mosquito control company and loved the work. She was presented with an offer to purchase part of the company, so she attended classes and trained for the opportunity, but a hand injury put a stop to things.

“I was so excited but then equally devastated to learn that I lost the ability to obtain ownership due to events beyond my control,” she said.

Her injury has since healed and she credits the support of friends and family with helping her rally back.

“I was told, ‘Just open your own company. You are not only very good at this, but your passion and commitment to your customers is the absolute best out there,’” she said. “I started to believe this again and I am proud to say that I am dedicated to giving the best of myself to my customers and the communities I serve.”

Dennis said the company is in the process of becoming National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce-certified.

March 17, 2017 Community 15

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Going the distance Vanessa Carlton wants to remind you (and President Trump) that she’s a ‘proud bisexual’

By CHRIS AZZOPARDI Vanessa Carlton can’t say she’s “good,” even though, initially, she does.

The singer-songwriter is going through the motions, as you do, replying to the usual “How are you?” conversation starter, and she knows it.

So, she backpedals: “Actually, I’m not great.” Despite a healthy daughter and dog, and the fact that she can confirm her husband (John McCauley of the band Deer Tick) was “alive” on a plane at the time of our interview, Carlton is, like any anti-Trumpist, on edge.

“It’s really scary,” said the 36-year-old, who’s established herself beyond pop’s limitations after her Grammy-nominated hit “A Thousand Miles” made her a household name in 2002. “If the administration tries to take away the right to adopt and same-sex marriages – if I could lose my mind any more, I will. I can’t even fathom … at this point, we’re talking about civil rights of Americans, and LGBTQ is a community and that is real.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 19

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March 17, 2017 A&E 17

Continue the Adventure

March 25, 28, 31, April 2, 2017 | Cobb Energy Centre Returning to The Atlanta Opera

Burak Bilgili as Don Pasquale

2017 GRAMMY® Nominee Georgia Jarman as Norina

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

For Carlton, the threat hits close to home: In 2010, she told the audience at Nashville Pride that she’s a “proud bisexual.” Now, like the rest of us, she’s grappling with the distressing reality that “the most fundamental human rights in this country are at risk,” she said.

Coming out at Nashville Pride Carlton’s allegiance to the LGBT community first blossomed when she was an aspiring dancer at just 13 years old, after moving to New York City and immersing herself in queer circles.

“I don’t look at the community as separate from my life,” she said. “I was never able to differentiate it because I was just always in it. My adolescence was in that community, so I never really looked at it as some kind of specialty community or ‘other.’”

Even though she describes herself as “private … but not weirdly private,” when Carlton played Nashville Pride – her first Pride festival – a couple of young women in the audience compelled the singer to come out publicly. Her reason for taking that leap was simple: She imagined them being shunned by their parents for being gay.

“I just wanted to connect with them,” she recalled.

Carlton continues to reach out to fans on social media, posting about her current tour in support of what’s arguably her best album to date, “Liberman,” but also the Trump administration’s constant barrage of bad decisions, including the recently court-overruled immigration ban.

Again, it’s personal: “I have family that live in the Middle East, and when I’m seeing stories of these families being divided and the children being detained for five hours in the airport because it’s something our president did – that is when I will highlight and communicate to strangers about how I feel.”

Because “every day or every week there’s a new threat to something,” Carlton hasn’t been as out as she thinks people should be right now, she realizes during our conversation.

“I haven’t highlighted that fact about myself,” she admitted, pointing to her lack of outness on her social media. “Every American that believes in rights for all, they should be out – and not just out supporting, but sharing, ‘This is who I am.’”

Shift from ‘A Thousand Miles’ Traces of the singer are woven into the ethereal fabric of 2015’s “Liberman,” Carlton’s fifth studio album titled after an oil painting www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Vanessa Carlton, who came out as bisexual at Nashville Pride in 2010, plays City Winery on March 18. (Photo by Emilia Paré)

her grandfather made. Last year, the album was released as a live set, recorded in Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley. “Liberman” isn’t just the most cohesive collection in her repertoire, dating back to 2002’s breakout LP “Be Not Nobody,” it’s a major sonic shift from “A Thousand Miles.”

Her breakthrough piano ditty left such an indelible mark on her career that Carlton’s publicist asks journalists to limit their questions regarding the song to one.

“I will tell you, I play it first at my shows,” she said, noting that her core fanbase now comes to hear songs from 2011’s “Rabbits on the Run” and “Liberman.” “And then there’s always the people who go, ‘Oh my god! It’s Vanessa Carlton! We’ve gotta go see her!’ They don’t know the other stuff, and I’m like their ‘Get Drunk With It On YouTube Girl’ and they just want to relive that moment, but it’s not that kind of show, really. It’s a moodier show. So, I open with that song, and if they’re wanting to stay for the rest of the set, then great; if not, then they got what they wanted.”

‘I never kissed the right ass’ Though “A Thousand Miles” has followed the musician around since the be-

ginning of her professional career, Carlton admits it’s afforded her, both financially and otherwise, the ability to pursue more personally fulfilling ventures. After signing to A&M Records, a now-defunct Universal subsidiary, it became apparent to the singer that, “I wasn’t interested in being a pop star.”

“Being a pop star at a major label – there are a lot of rules, there are a lot of walls, there’s a lot of expectations, there’s a lot of limitations,” she said. “It’s just not my vibe. I never was good at it. I always alienated people along the way. I never kissed the right ass.

It was a disaster. It was bound to change.”

Fifteen years after launching her majorlabel career, that evolution fully materializes on “Liberman,” which, from the celestial murmur “Take It Easy” through its dreamlike finish, was “made to be that soothing, cool feeling on the brain.” On the road, while supporting “Liberman” as well as her recent release, “Earlier Things Live,” a sixsong collection of early-career staples like 2004’s “White Houses,” she hopes to nurture more Pride-type connections – sans politics, though.

Details Vanessa Carlton

Saturday, March 18 at 8 p.m.

City Winery 650 North Ave. N.E. #201 Atlanta, GA 30308 www.citywinery.com “It’s just about human beings and dissection of emotions of humans and connection and fear and beauty,” she said. “If I can highlight that in a time like this – I guess this tour is a good time to play this record.”

Her mood, about human rights and even her purpose these days as a musician, strikes the same general chord as the world at large: uncertainty. Her blood pressure rises just talking about President Trump and how his administration could strip her friends and family of their inalienable rights, so when asked to shift topics – from politics to music – she happily obliges with a “no, please!”

But there’s hope yet, and it’s the music, a glorious escape. “It really calms me down playing it,” she said of “Liberman.”

The truth is, though: It’s as much a refuge for her as it is for us.

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‘Hedwig,’ ‘The Bodyguard,’ more grace Atlanta stages

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Plus the best from opera to ballet to art openings

By JIM FARMER From the return of a beloved diva (“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”) to a classic musical with a twist (“Grease”), it’s an awfully queer time at local playhouses this spring.

As created by John Cameron Mitchell, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” – about a transgender punk-rock girl following her former lover around the United States – is one of the most iconic stage musicals of the last quarter-century, combining a classic outsider story with poignant, beautiful music (“Midnight Radio,” “Wicked Little Town”).

The acclaimed national tour hits the ATL for, alas, just two days – a shame, considering most productions run for almost a week.

Out Front Theatre, dedicated to producing LGBT work, closes its inaugural season with the humorous Paul Rudnick comedy “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told.” It follows Adam and Steve and Jane and Mabel all the way from the Old Testament through modern society.

Another not-to-be-missed production is Broadway Across America’s take on “The Bodyguard,” based on the popular Whitney Houston-Kevin Costner film. In it, recording artist Deborah Cox takes on the role of a movie star who has started to get threatening notes. How this comes to the stage remains to be seen, but the iconic score (“Run to You,” “I Have Nothing” and the immortal “I Will Always Love You”) and Cox should bring the gay community out in droves.

At Actor’s Express, the just-opened “The Legend of Georgia McBride” follows an Elvis impersonator (Nick Aropoglou) who, needing extra funds to take care of a pregnant wife at home, goes on as a drag performer, while at Decatur’s OnStage Atlanta, out director Cathe Hall Payne helms the comedic “Savannah Sipping Society,” in which four Southern women, strangers to each other, meet by fate and begin weekly meetings to re-charge their batteries.

Courtesy of 7 Stages – never afraid to pres-

Deborah Cox as Rachel Marron in ‘The Bodyguard,’ playing March 28 – April 2 at The Fox Theatre. (Photo by Joan Marcus)

ent LGBT work – comes “Curious Queer Encounters,” curated by Michael Haverty and featuring stories of LGBT queer culture and definition, as told by various artists and ensembles, while Theater Emory serves up “Ravished,” a “dirty, nasty” riff on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Finally, never one to bring formula to his productions, openly gay artistic director Brian Clowdus of Serenbe Playhouse presents a spring version of “Grease.” Clowdus stages the show with a drive-in movie setting. With Bubba Carr choreographing the show and a great cast, it should be a lot of fun.

ARTS/THEATER LISTINGS “The Legend of Georgia McBride” March 18 – April 16 Actor’s Express 887 W. Marietta St., Atlanta, GA 30318 www.actorsexpress.com “Grease” March 23 – April 16 Serenbe Playhouse 9110 Selborne Lane, Ste. 210, Chattahoochee Hills, GA 30268 www.serenbeplayhouse.com “Don Pasquale” March 25 – April 2 Atlanta Opera Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339 www.cobbenergycentre.com

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“The Bodyguard” March 28 – April 2 Fox Theatre 660 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30308 www.broadwayacrossamerica.com “Ravished” March 30 – April 9 Mary Gray Munroe TheaterDobbs University Center 605 Asbury Circle N.E., Atlanta, GA 30322 www.theater.emory.edu “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” April 4-5 Fox Theatre 660 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30308 www.broadwayacrossamerica.com “Savannah Sipping Society” April 13-30

OnStage Atlanta 2969 E, Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, GA 30030 www.onstageatlanta.com Sutton Foster April 21-22 Atlanta Symphony Hall 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309 www.aso.org “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told” April 27 – May 14 Out Front Theatre Company 999 Brady Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318 www.outfronttheatre.com Adam Schwerner’s “The Curious Garden” May 2 and 4 Atlanta Botanical Garden 1345 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30309 www.atlantabg.org

“Curious Queer Encounters” May 4-14 7 Stages 1105 Euclid Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 www.7stages.org “Camino Real” May 12-14 Atlanta Ballet Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339 www.cobbenergycentre.com “Andy Warhol: Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation” June 2 – Sept. 3 High Museum of Art 1280 Peachtree St N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309 www.high.org

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A ‘Sordid,’ ‘Beast’-ly gay old time at the movies

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Plus annual Atlanta Film Festival’s LGBT-themed Pink Peach competition

By JIM FARMER After the shocking win for the gay-themed “Moonlight” as Best Picture at the Academy Awards a few weeks ago, it will be interesting to see what the rest of the year holds for similar, daring projects. Meanwhile, the springtime has some dandies ahead for patrons looking for LGBT or LGBT-friendly fare.

It has a gay director (Bill Condon), gay actors playing Gaston (Luke Evans) and Cogsworth (Ian McKellen), a widely reported gay character and the likes of Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor and Audra McDonald in its supporting cast. “Beauty and the Beast” is likely to be one of the biggest box office hits of the year. Dan Stevens is the Beast, turned from a prince after he refuses to help a beggar woman, while Emma Watson is the independent Belle. It all follows the traditional storyline, with one tweak – Gaston’s sidekick LeFou (Josh Gad) is clearly gay, although it’s not done in an overt way. It’s a bit bold for Disney and Condon – an Alabama drive-in already refused to play the film. Purists may prefer the original Oscar-nominated animated classic, and admittedly this one does sag in the middle. Yet with its choice cast, it’s highly entertaining and gorgeous to look at. The crux of the film is the beautiful score assembled by the late, gay playwright and lyricist Howard Ashman and creative partner Alan Menken. This version’s “Be Our Guest” might be the gayest 10 minutes of 2017.

The new “Alien” movie, “Alien: Covenant,” offers a first – a gay couple, played

by Demian Bechir and Nathaniel Dean, part of a crew discovering an uncharted paradise.

Since these kinds of expeditions never go as planned, expect a high body count. Others in the cast include Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, openly gay actor Jussie Smollett and James Franco.

The films of gay director Francois Ozon (including “The New Girlfriend” and

Details

“Beauty and the Beast” March 17 Various area theaters “Raw” Opens March 24 at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema www.landmarktheatres.com “Frantz” Opens March 31 at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema www.landmarktheatres.com “All Male, All Nude” April 1 Midtown Art Cinema www.landmarktheatres.com “A Very Sordid Wedding” April TBD Plaza Atlanta www.plazaatlanta.com “Pushing Dead” May 1 Midtown Art Cinema www.landmarktheatres.com “Alien: Covenant” May 19 Various area theaters

“Swimming Pool”) are beautiful and impeccably made. His latest is “Frantz,” an elegant story about a young German lady who, in the midst of mourning her late fiancé, meets a Frenchman who brings flowers to said fiancé’s grave – and makes her curious about his identity.

“Raw” met with a mixed reception at the 2016 Cannes Film festival, with some people leaving midway through, but others applauding it for its boldness. 16–year-old Justine (Garance Marillier) enters veterinary school and is drawn into a disturbing world she could never imagine. Rabah Nait Oufella plays her sexually active gay roommate.

Originally rated NC-17, but later given an R, this one is not for the squeamish, with equal parts style and gore.

Openly gay actor Luke Evans (l) portrays Gaston and actor Josh Gad plays the openly gay LeFou in ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ opening March 17. (Photo courtesy Walt Disney Pictures)

2017 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL’S LGBT-THEMED PINK PEACH LINEUP The Atlanta Film Festival’s 41st annual event brings an assortment of LGBT-themed Pink Peach films – five narratives, one documentary, one web series and six short films.

At the top of the list is “Cherry Pop,” a likable tale of a young drag performer’s first night at a failing drag club, complete with snappy repartee, while “Woman on Fire” deals with a transgender firefighter in New York. The most high-profile short is “Better Known as Peaches Christ,” following the San Francisco drag legend herself, screening before “Cherry Pop.” The feature film lineup is below, and there are over 30 shorts playing in five film blocks.

“San Fu Tian (Dog Days)” March 25 at 4:45 p.m.

Del Shore’s “A Very Sordid Wedding” is the sequel to his cult classic “Sordid Lives.” Most of the original cast returns this go-around, including Bonnie Bedelia, Leslie Jordan and Ann Walker, with some new faces too, such as Caroline Rhea and Whoopi Goldberg.

Finally, two local premieres – “All Male,

Plaza Theatre “A Woman, A Part” March 25 at 7:30 p.m.

7 Stages “Woman on Fire” March 26 at 8 p.m.

Plaza Theatre “Cold Breath” March 27 at 9:45 p.m.

Plaza Theatre “Cherry Pop” March 29 at 9:15 p.m.

7 Stages “Ann” March 31 at 9:45 p.m.

Plaza Theatre

All Nude,” a documentary about local strip club Swinging Richards, and “Pushing Dead,’ a comedy starring James Roday as a gay man with HIV/AIDS who loses his health coverage when his bank account surpasses his allowable limit – come to town courtesy of Out On Film.

26 Spring Arts Preview March 17, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

FOX THEATRE TH TH APRIL 4

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New entries join returning favorites in diverse entertainment landscape

By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com

customers. Sign us up!

(Premieres March 24 on Netflix)

Are you caught up on all your shows yet? If not, you better hurry, because there’s a full slate of robust stories being told on the small screen this season, and many have LGBT tie-ins.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Lady Gaga guest judges on the season 9 premiere of the unstoppable hit reality show, which makes the move from Logo to VH1. As always, the winner nabs $100,000 and the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar.” Will we see another Atlanta queen picked for the show?

(Premieres March 24 on VH1)

“Hap & Lenoard: Mucho Mojo” It’s season 2 of the Sundance Channel drama based on the novels by Joe R. Lansdale.

Michael Kenneth Williams (“The Wire,” “When We Rise”) is Leonard, a gay Vietnam vet with anger issues and James Purefoy is Hap, an ex-con and working class laborer.

(Premiered March 15 on Sundance) “Marvel’s Iron Fist” Nerds rejoice! “Iron Fist” is the fourth in a series of shows that will lead up to “The Defenders” crossover series. Finn Jones (the ridiculously attractive actor best known for playing the gay character Loras Tyrell on “Game of Thrones”) stars in the title role, with help from Rosario Dawson, among others.

(Premieres March 17 on Netflix) “Empire” Time to pick things back up in the back half of season 3 of the hit primetime soap.

Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson are back, along with openly gay actor Jussie Smollett (who plays Howard’s character’s openly gay son). Guest stars will include Eva Longoria, Taye Diggs, Phylicia Rashad, Nia Long, Rumer Willis and Demi Moore.

(Premieres March 22 on FOX) “Grace & Frankie” Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin return for a third season of the Netflix comedy co-starring Sam Waterston and Martin Sheen. The ladies will reportedly get into the sex toy business with a focus on menopausal women

“Prison Break” A lot has happened since this FOX prison drama was canceled in 2009 after a four-season run. Series star Wentworth Miller, to the delight of all gay men across the globe, came out of the closet. His character returns from the dead and is once again joined by Dominic Purcell as his brother.

(Premieres April 4 on FOX) “Archer” FXX’s animated spy sitcom has plenty of Atlanta ties, with it being animated at a studio here in Atlanta and several local actor-comedians in crucial supporting roles, including Dad’s Garage alum Lucky Yates as the openly gay agent Ray Gillette. This season is set in 1947 Los Angeles, so expect some pulpy fun.

(Premieres April 5 on FXX) “The Get Down” Time for the back half of season 1 of Baz Lurhmann’s period musical drama. Jaden Smith’s character shared an almost-kiss with another male character earlier this season, so we’ll see what Lurhmann has in store for him and the rest of the talented cast this time around.

(Premieres April 7 on Netflix) “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” The ratings have never been eye-popping

Pearl Mackie, Peter Capaldi and Matt Lucas return for series 10 of ‘Doctor Who’ on April 15. (Courtesy photo)

for this FOX police sitcom, but the accolades have, including a Golden Globe win for Best TV series – Musical or Comedy in 2014.

And yes, the great Andre Braugher returns as openly gay precinct Capt. Raymond Holt.

(Premieres April 11 on FOX) “Doctor Who” Peter Capaldi will once again suit up as the good doctor, and joining him will be openly gay actor Matt Lucas (“Bridesmaids”) and actress Pearl Mackie. This will be Capaldi’s third and final time in the role, so catch him while you can!

(Premieres April 15 on BBC America) “The Handmaid’s Tale” This is the TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel of the same name.

Elisabeth Moss (“Mad Men”) stars as Offred and lesbian actress Samira Wiley (“Orange is the New Black”) plays her lesbian BFF in a world where gay men are executed and lesbians are forced into sex work.

(Premieres April 26 on Hulu) “Dear White People” Justin Simien wrote and directed the 2014 satirical comedy drama film of the same name, and luckily the openly gay talent is back to bring his vision to the TV version. Storylines

include the character of Lionel Higgins trying to balance being black and gay.

(Premieres April 28 on Netflix) “Sense8” May the gender-bending trippiness begin yet again. The Wachowski sisters return with this sci-fi drama about strangers with mysterious links to each other. Sense8 is a hotbed of LGBT characters and themes, so get ready for another season of can’t miss moments.

(Premieres May 5 on Netflix) “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” It’s already season 3 of the critically acclaimed Netflix sitcom, and that sound you hear is NBC still kicking themselves for passing on it a few years ago. Ellie Kemper is back in the title role, and Georgia native (and openly gay) Tituss Burgess is along for the ride yet again as well.

(Premieres May 19 on Netflix) “Orange is the New Black” Attention inmates! There was heartbreak in season 4 of the Netflix comedy-drama as viewers said goodbye to a beloved character, so what could be in store this time around?

No matter what, expect lots of same-sex love to be in the mix.

(Premieres June 9 on Netflix)

28 Spring Arts Preview March 17, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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FoxTheatre.org/Bodyguard • 855-285-8499 The role of Rachel Marron will be played by Jasmin Richardson for the Saturday matinee and Sunday evening performances.

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Number of choice music artists coming to town this season

By SHANNON HAMES Take your pick of genres and you’ll find it on an Atlanta stage this spring, whether you’re a fan of gentle guitar plucking, soulful R&B singalongs, pop perfection or dial-itup-to-11 rock.

Antigone Rising March 17 Eddie’s Attic Always an Eddie’s Attic favorite, the ladies of Antigone Rising involve their audiences in their unique brand of progressive country rock with hits like “That Was The Whiskey.” In addition to being a voice advocating for LGBT and human rights, they recently started a 501c3 non-profit to empower girls called Girls Rising.

Catie Curtis March 26 Eddie’s Attic Folk-rock singer, songwriter and marriage equality advocate Catie Curtis, an Eddie’s Attic mainstay, will perform her music to appreciative listeners. Her songs have been featured on television shows such as “Alias,” “Chicago Hope,” “Felicity” and “Dawson’s Creek.” Curtis also received a Gay and Lesbian American Music Award for her 1997 self-titled LP, “Catie Curtis.”

Michelle Malone April 1 Eddie’s Attic Atlanta native Michelle Malone hits Eddie’s Attic on April 1 (a venue just around the corner from her alma mater, Agnes Scott College). Malone is supporting her new album, “Stronger Than You Think” – a musical palette of bluesy slide guitar and rich, soulful vocals. Malone is also known for packing the house with her enthusiastic local fan base.

LeeAnn Womack April 7 City Winery Just having wrapped up tour dates with country crooner Alan Jackson, Grammy winner and Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year LeeAnn Womack will perform her feminine style of contemporary country at the intimate City Winery.

With hits like “I May Hate Myself in the Morning” and “I Hope You Dance,” Womack’s performances remind her audiences why she has had such a lengthy and successful country music career.

Duran Duran April 8 Chastain Park Ampitheatre Everyone’s favorite new wave and synthpop band is back in the ATL touring behind its latest release, “Paper Gods.” The group has no shortage of hits in its arsenal though, be it “Girls On Film,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Rio,” “Ordinary World” or many, many more. Parachute pants encouraged but not required.

Olivia Newton-John April 9 Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Olivia Newton-John is hot off a three-year Las Vegas residency at the Flamingo called “Summer Nights,” and now she’s coming to Atlanta to spread a little Aussie love. There’s much more to the ageless singer-actress than just “Physical” and her “Grease” output, as evidenced by her selling an estimated 100 million records worldwide.

Angie Stone April 12 City Winery Columbia, South Carolina native Angie Stone began singing gospel music as a child

PWR BTTM comes to Atlanta on June 12 at the Masquerade. (Courtesy photo)

in church. Trained by her father, a gospel quartet singer, Stone started her musical career in the rap trio Sequence. Stone has worked with futuristic rap group Mantronix and rocker Lenny Kravitz and she later formed the classy R&B trio Vertical Hold, which first charted with the single “Summertime.” Stone is also an actress and can be seen in films such as “The Fighting Temptations” and “Scary Movie 5.”

Ariana Grande April 12 Philips Arena The pint-sized powerhouse vocalist is touring in support of her third and latest album, “Dangerous Woman.” Fresh off an appearance on NBC’s “Hairspray Live!,” the singer is sure to wow the crowd with a growing list of pop hits.

Panic! At The Disco April 12 Infinite Energy Arena The Death of a Bachelor Tour rolls on with this Atlanta stop, which finds the band (and its bi-curious lead singer Brendon Urie) hotter than ever nearly 15 years into its career. Original hits to be hoped for at the

show include “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” “Nine in the Afternoon” and “Victorious,” but keep an eye out for Panic’s epic cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Sonia Leigh April 12 Eddie’s Attic Influenced by her father’s country music collection, her mother’s love for classic rock and her own taste for the grunge that was popular when she was a teen, Sonia has never strayed from those roots in her own music and prides herself on playing a variety of musical genres. Her song “When We Are Alone” was featured on the television show “Nashville.” Sonia calls Nashville home, but is a staple of the Atlanta music scene.

PWR BTTM June 12 The Masquerade This queer punk duo is relatively new to the scene, but is making some serious waves.

PWR BTTM released its debut album “Cinderella Beauty Shop” in 2014 and just signed a deal with Polyvinyl Record Co. The duo is in the process of writing and recording its next album. It will be loud.

30 Spring Arts Preview March 17, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

An exhibition featuring 30 iconic images from Ansel Adams’ famed Museum Set. Believed to be among the best he ever captured, these works are from the private collection of Virginia Adams Mayhew, Ansel’s granddaughter.

OPENING APRIL 8 THROUGH OCTOBER 29 501 MUSEUM DRIVE CARTERSVILLE, GA 30120 BOOTHMUSEUM.ORG 770.387.1300

OPENING APRIL 15 RECEPTION APRIL 22 THROUGH AUGUST 28

EATING MY WORDS

By CLIFF BOSTOCK

My one-week food diary People always ask me what I like to eat.

“Nothing special,” I always say. Here’s the evidence.

Monday: Breakfast is a chocolate-mint protein bar that makes me gag. I wash it down with lemon-ginger tea. I rarely eat lunch before 2 or 3 p.m, usually at Panera Bread just before I go to LA Fitness at Ansley Mall. I always get half a steak-and-arugula sandwich, without onion, on flatbread, warmed on the panini press. Chips. Water.

Less than $7. Low calories, high protein.

From Panera, I walk to Starbucks and order a triple-espresso macchiato with extra foam to-go. I carry it with me to the gym and sip it at a table outside the locker room while I write my workout plan for the day.

Dinner is usually around 8 or 9. Today, I go to Taqueria del Sol on Cheshire Bridge. I usually go only at lunchtime, but I don’t want to miss this week’s special – jambalaya made with hatch green chiles that supercharge the spiciness.

Tuesday: Same breakfast and lunch as Monday, except I also buy a palm-sized cookie at Panera. I rationalize this because I didn’t eat any “added sugar” the day before.

That’s right, I reward myself with sugar for not eating sugar. I grab my drink at Starbucks and head to my table at the gym.

For dinner, I cook a pork tenderloin in a cast-iron pan on the stove and top it with this weird Korean stuff called Honey Citron Tea. On the side: some mashed potatoes, turnip greens and an avocado. I eat a whole avocado nearly every day. I have no idea why.

Wednesday: I skip the protein bar and toast two crumpets from Trader Joe’s and slather them with lemon curd. Not a single gram of protein. I lunch most Wednesdays with two friends. This week we go to Masti, the crazy-good Indian street-food café in Toco Hills Shopping Center. I head to the gym. I sigh. I do some work instead. Dinner Wednesday night is always the same: the chicken picatta special at Grant Central.

Thursday: I ate too much yesterday. No breakfast today. Lunch will be at Green Sprout Vegetarian Cuisine. So healthy. Bean sprouts and shaved carrots wrapped in thin, crunchy tofu skin. I rush to the gym, feeling super-aer-

Midtown French restaurant Atmosphere offers a two-course lunch for $15, of which the charcuterie is a favorite choice.

(Photo by Cliff Bostock)

obic, then rush home to do some work, then decide to make a salad for dinner. I even go to bed early. At 2 a.m., I am in front of the open refrigerator, absolutely ravenous. I throw strawberries, grapes and blackberries into a bowl with some crème fraiche. I eat a cantaloupe.

Friday: This is my heavy eating day. I go to lunch with a friend and dinner with three or four others. Lunch is at Atmosphere. The restaurant offers a two-course lunch for $15.

I always get the same thing: a small plate of charcuterie and a croque monsieur. That’s cold cuts and a gigantic grilled cheese sandwich in English. I waddle to the gym with my espresso and begin swapping texts with friends to decide where we’re going to dine tonight. We decide to make the journey to Muss & Turner’s in Smyrna. Many regard this as the best deli in the metro area. Though the dinner menu offers dishes like crawfish carbonara, grilled octopus and chicharrones, I am craving the Reuben. I eat the whole thing, plus sample the hummus and the pimento cheese.

I’m agonizingly full. Nonetheless, I take a brownie home to eat at 2 a.m.

Saturday and Sunday: Believe it or not, I rarely eat more than one meal on weekend days. Actually, I often fast on Sunday. That probably has something to do with the fact that I seldom get out of bed on Sunday.

Cliff Bostock is a former psychotherapist now specializing in life coaching. Contact him at 404-518-4415 or cliffbostock@gmail.com.

32 Columnists March 17, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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EVEN FRIDAY, MARCH 17

In recognition of Women’s History Month, the Auburn Avenue Research Library, in collaboration with the Atlanta Branch of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH) and Georgia State University’s Department of African American Studies, will host “When Black Lives Matter: A Historical Perspective.”

This lecture will be facilitated by Dr. Evelyn Higginbotham, national president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. This program is free, 7 p.m., 101 Auburn Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30303, www.afpls.org/aarl The drama “Exit Strategy,” which deals with education and has a gay subplot, has an 8 p.m. performance tonight, running through March 19, Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road. S.W., Atlanta, GA 30331, www.truecolorstheatre.org

SATURDAY, MARCH 18

State legislatures the nation over are making strides to deny trans folks access to public facilities. Come to the “No One Pees” event and share your voice today from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Georgia State Capitol, 206 Washington St. S.W., Atlanta, GA 30334, www.facebook.com/ events/307663799648200 Celebrated Grammy–winner Craig Hella Johnson and The UGA Hodgson Singers & Glee Clubs will perform Johnson’s new masterwork, “Considering Matthew Shepard.” Led from the piano

by Johnson, this performance speaks with a fresh and bold voice, incorporating a variety of musical styles seamlessly woven into a unified whole. 7:30 – 9:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, 1328 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook.com/

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SATURDAY, MARCH 18

Actor’s Express opens “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” about an Elvis impersonator who, through a chain of events, turns to drag performing, 8 p.m., running through April 16, 887 W. Marietta St., Atlanta, GA 30318, www.actorsexpress.com (Photo via Facebook) events/583792458480928 Icon, a celebration of Lady Gaga, is tonight at Jungle Atlanta, with performances from Biqtch Puddin’, Michael Robinson, Jeremy Christensen, Jackson Crawford, Andi Monroe, Royal Tee, LaRico Potts, Diego Serna, John James, Phoenix and Barry Brandon. Doors open at 10:30 p.m. with the show at midnight, 2115 Faulkner Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.jungleatl.com

Sex Ed Burlesque is a smart and bawdy cabaret exploring sexuality, gender and consent. The show’s foundation is built on sex positivity, education and intersectional feminism. It curates some of the best poets, comedians and burlesque performers from Atlanta and surrounding cities. Items from local sexpositive organizations will be raffled to benefit the Feminist Women’s Health Center. Performers include Dee Flowered, Mary Strawberry, Theresa Davis,

Coquette de Jour, Diego Wolf, Dani Herd, Bubble Bordeaux, Estella Zorn, Kitty, Scarlett Noir, Lola Deveux, Misty Tetons and Mz. Sassi & Diamond, 11:30 p.m., Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.shakespearetavern.com

SUNDAY, MARCH 19

The Victory Fund Bubbles and Biscuits Brunch brings together members of the Atlanta LGBT community, business

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leaders, elected and endorsed officials and Victory supporters from across the region. This year’s brunch will feature Charlotte Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield who has been at the forefront of the battle against the bathroom bill, House Bill 2. The event will also feature Cathy Woolard, candidate for mayor of Atlanta and Alex Wan, candidate for president of the Atlanta City Council. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting the following link: victoryfund.org/get-involved/events/ victory-fund-atlanta-bubbles-and-biscuitsbrunch, 12:30 – 3 p.m., The Wimbish House, 1150 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook.com/ events/1134706383306340 The PFLAG support group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people and their parents and family meets tonight from 2:30 – 4 p.m., Spiritual Living Center of Atlanta, 1730 Northeast Expressway N.E., Atlanta, GA 30329

The premiere production of Out Front Theatre’s Spectrum Spotlight Series is a reading of Bixby Elliot’s “Abraham Lincoln Was a Faggot,” a topical look at one of America’s most beloved heroes, 6 p.m., Out Front Theatre Company, 999 Brady Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318, www.facebook.com/ events/148235109021776

MONDAY, MARCH 20

Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender and aspiring allies.

Charis Books provides a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources and activism around social issues. 7 – 8:30 p.m., Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.charisbooksandmore.com “The Power of Protest: ACCESS Black-Jewish” event, in partnership with the Center for Civil & Human Rights, examines how current leaders in the black and Jewish communities are using historic movements as a template for change today.

Panelists include Xernona Clayton, openly gay Rabbi Joshua Lesser and moderator Sherry Frank. Registration will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the program will begin at 7 p.m. Appetizers will be served. 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30313, www.civilandhumanrights.org

TUESDAY, MARCH 21

EVENT SPOTLIGHT THURSDAY, MARCH 23

Do you want to read books by amazing black women writers? Do you want to discuss works from a black feminist perspective in a feminist bookstore?

Then the Black Feminist Book Club is for you. Charis Circle board chair Susana Morris will be the facilitator of this group. This season’s theme is radical memoirs by black women and the March book is “A Taste of Power: A Black Woman’s Story” by Elaine Brown. 7 – 9 p.m., Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.charisbooksandmore.com (Photo via Facebook)

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The Office of LGBT Life at Emory presents “Out In Healthcare Networking Night” tonight. Connect with other LGBTQ-identified professionals and learn more about what it’s like to be out in the healthcare field. 6 – 8 p.m., Grace Crum Rollins Building, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, www.lgbt.emory.edu/programs_events/ queer_connections/out_in_healthcare.html “Pardon Moi French Presents: Queens For The Cure Tour” benefiting Until There’s A Cure & AID Atlanta, starring: Detox Icunt, Ivy Winters, Jade Jolie, Jiggly Caliente, Manila Luzon, Sharon Needles and Victoria “Porkchop” Parker, with DJ Drew Wafford from Chemistry Nightclub in Greensboro, NC. Doors open at 6 p.m. with a meet and greet at 6:30 p.m. and an 8:15 showtime, The Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303, www.facebook.com/ events/1141244822662104

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22

Angelica and Malibu host the raucous The A.M. Show at 10:30 p.m. at Burkhart’s, 1492 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.burkharts.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 23

Sing “Summer Nights” and more as Serenbe Playhouse stages an outdoor version of “Grease,” directed by openly gay Serenbe artistic director Brian Clowdus, opening tonight at 8 p.m., running through April 16, 10642 Serenbe Lane, Chattahoochee Hills, GA 30268, www.serenbeplayhouse.com (Photo courtesy of Serenbe Playhouse)

THURSDAY, MARCH 23

SAGE Atlanta’s social hour begins at 10 a.m., followed by a program/meeting at 11 a.m., Phillip Rush Center Annex, 1530 DeKalb Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.rushcenteratl.org

FRIDAY, MARCH 24

Wasabassco Burlesque is worldrenowned for its disarmingly sexy combination of contemporary striptease and top-tier variety. Bringing together retro-glam sophistication and a playful sense of humor, events are carefully curated to feature

only the finest talent, an eclectic range of jaw-dropping acts that change nightly.

Hosted by Sapphire Jones and featuring Dee Flowered, Evelyn Vinyl, Freya West, GiGi La Femme, Talloolah Love and Sunny Midnight. Doors open at 6 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m., $20 – $25, City Winery, 650 North Ave. N.E., #201, Atlanta, GA 30308, www.citywinery.com/atlanta/tickets/wasabassco-burlesque-3-24.html

SATURDAY, MARCH 25

Join Charis and ZAMI NOBLA for a

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favorite pop tunes from the Motown music scene and the premiere of a new work

by Connor Sullivan from Kennesaw State University. 8 p.m., Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, 1026 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30306, www.facebook. com/events/131388660717731/

TELL US ABOUT YOUR LGBT EVENT Submit your LGBT event for inclusion in our online and print calendars by emailing event info to editor@thegavoice.com

Atlanta Opera opens its new take on “Don Pasquale” at 8 p.m. tonight with performances through April 2, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339, www.cobbenergycentre.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 reading in the round celebrating the life and works of Pat Parker, with a beautiful new collection edited by Julie Enszer that allows an opportunity to historicize Parker’s significance to black women’s literary traditions, lesbian erotica, to black queer struggles and black feminism, and to global social justice movements. The suggested donation is $5. 7:30 – 9 p.m., Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, ww.charisbooksandmore.com The ART Station Cabaret will present Lori Divine and her ladies of the evening tonight in the Trolley Stop Cabaret.

It’s camp drag at its best, with proceeds benefiting Lost-n-Found Youth. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. for drinks, sandwiches, snacks and desserts and the first set begins at 8:15 p.m., ART Station, 5384 Manor Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30083, www.artstation.org Atlanta Freedom Band’s “Roots &

SUNDAY, MARCH 26

DJ Billy Lace spins tonight at 3 a.m., Xion Atlanta, 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.facebook.com/events/358928607840805

EVENT SPOTLIGHT FRIDAY, MARCH 24

Now that the opening weekend crowd has lessened a little, check out the new “Beauty and the Beast” and its well-publicized gay character, various area theaters. (Publicity photo) Branches” concert explores the many different styles and influences of African-American culture in music. The program spans the decades with music from Scott Joplin, W.C. Handy and Duke Ellington, as well as American composers William Grant Still, Quincy Hilliard and Dwayne Milburn, some

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

Performer Catie Curtis has never been afraid to take a creative risk. The intimacy with which she expressed her lesbian identity helped others through their own difficult journey to openness. She performs tonight at Eddie’s Attic at 6 p.m., 515-B North McDonough St., Decatur, GA 30030, www.eddiesattic.com

MONDAY, MARCH 27

The Panther Levi/Leather group convenes tonight at 7 p.m. at the Atlanta Eagle, 306 Ponce de Leon Ave., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.atlantaeagle.com

TUESDAY, MARCH 28

Recording artist Deborah Cox takes over the Whitney Houston role in the stage musical “The Bodyguard,” with a 7:30 p.m.

curtain tonight and running through April 2, Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E, Atlanta, GA 30308, www.foxtheatre.org

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29

Enjoy Ruby Redd’s Birdcage Bingo tonight from 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. at The Hideaway Atlanta, 1544 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.atlantahideaway.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 30

Join Gallery 874 for opening night of its new art auction, benefiting the American Cancer Society and ASID Georgia Chapter. Nabil Sousa will be signing copies of his new book, 6 p.m., 874 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318, www.gallery874.com Join Charis and Atlanta Pride in welcoming two new authors from Transgress Press as they share their unique journeys to adulthood, manhood and peace. Lei Ming reads from his novel “Life Before My Body: A Transgender Journey to Manhood in China” and Samuel Peterson reads from his “TRUNKY (Transgender).” The suggested donation is $5. 7:30 – 9 p.m., Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, ww.charisbooksandmore.com Join comedian Brent Star for a fabulously free, fun Drag Bingo Thursday Nights at Pallookaville, 8 – 10 p.m., 17 N. Avondale Plaza, Avondale Estates, GA 30002, www.facebook.com/ events/375975529462191

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Mr. Carter the book critic The children in your life want you to be proud of their accomplishments, but isn’t the opposite true too? Don’t you want them to be proud of your accomplishments as well?

Of course, but I am learning there is an age restriction on that expectation, since Mr. Carter is a little young to care what Mom does in her life just yet.

A few months ago, I released a children’s book with two other authors called “Whale of An Idea.” The year-long project is geared toward toddlers like my son and is the story of a whale who discovers what ideas can do and that the size of the thinker does not determine or limit the size of the idea.

Mr. Carter isn’t much of a reader just yet. He is a guy who likes to participate in interactive play, so sitting still while Mom reads him a story is not his idea of fun. I think since he doesn’t understand what on the page I seem so interested in, he gets frustrated and would rather play with cars or laugh at a cartoon with me. Even though I have tried to point out letters he recognizes in a book, he could care less and moves on to something else.

When my book arrived, I wanted Mr. Carter to be the first to see it. Knowing he wouldn’t miraculously love books all of a sudden, I handed it to him anyway and explained that this was Mommy’s book. His response? My son immediately threw it on the floor and wanted to go outside and hunt for rocks. So much for a celebratory reception.

Our first official book signing took place at Urban Cottage in Virginia-Highlands and I wanted to make sure my son was there with me. I recruited Katie Jo’s mom and brother to come help since I not only had to sign books, but was in charge of doing the actual reading as well. The place was packed and Mr. Carter enjoyed seeing other kids and running around between family members, and I assumed he would be content to sit with his grandmother when I conducted the

“Knowing he wouldn’t miraculously love books all of a sudden, I handed it to him anyway and explained that this was Mommy’s book. His response? My son immediately threw it on the floor and wanted to go outside and hunt for rocks. So much for a celebratory reception.” reading. I sat on a couch that faced all the attentive children and was about to begin when Mr. Carter snaked his way through the crowd to sit next to me.

I was honest and warned those in attendance that my son was not yet a fan of the book, or of any books for that matter, and that I had no idea how this would go with him as my partner. I didn’t make it to the second page before he tried to wrangle the book from my hands and kept repeating, “no book.” A nice comic relief, I chose to stand instead and was able to finish the reading before Mr. Carter was able to sabotage my efforts.

Mr. Carter is my favorite thing in this world, and I hope there is a day when he can look at something I do independent of him and be proud of me as a human, not just as his mom. But that day is not now.

Since he is too young to understand what my book means, I have simply torn a page from my copy and framed it in his room. Maybe someday he’ll ask what it is and I can explain how it all happened to an interested boy.

Melissa Carter is recognized as one of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta and has been heard over the years on B98.5 and Q100. In addition, she is a writer for the Huffington Post. Follow her on Twitter @ MelissaCarter.

38 Columnists March 17, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

SOMETIMES ‘Y’

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By RYAN LEE

A brute-iful brotherhood I smirked as I took off my shirt while a houseful of young men yelled at me, tickled by a childhood whim coming to fruition.

It would be several months before I was allowed to smile again.

“YOU THINK THIS IS A FUCKING JOKE?!” a relative stranger shouted as he pressed his forehead against my temple, and I fought back the urge to laugh.

My understanding and expectations of college life were shaped almost exclusively by movies like “Revenge of the Nerds” and “School Daze.” As the first person in my family to pursue higher education, I knew next to nothing about campus culture, other than the certainty that I would join a fraternity, because that’s what you did when you went to college.

My junior year, the first year of eligibility to pledge a historically black fraternity or sorority, I attended informational sessions and interviews for several organizations, and it was in the middle of one of these gatherings when I was told to take off my shirt and the yelling commenced.

Without much warning or formality, the induction process had begun, and I envisioned myself soon participating in step shows, intramural leagues and whipped cream pie-eating contests. But before enjoying the glories of greekdom, I had to cross the burning sands.

Initiation into black Greek organizations is the ghost story of college campuses – unconfirmed horrors whispered and re-told, with everyone having a friend-of-a-friend who was hospitalized due to a ruptured spinal cord or being forced to drink a gallon of dog piss. It is a sacredly guarded process, which makes it ripe for speculation and rumors, the worst of which seemed to be confirmed by the recent release of Netflix’s “Burning Sands” (featuring Trevante Rhodes of “Moonlight”).

Without betraying the details of my process or dropping any spoilers, “Burning Sands” felt familiar enough for me to overlook whatever artistic exaggerations the filmmaker, a member of a black Greek organization, included. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

UPCOMING SHOWS “That night, that chapter meeting, with those young men, remains one of the most empowering moments of my life, and the compassion and solidarity my fraternity brothers showed has sustained me many times in the dozen years since.”

Shortly after I took off my shirt, as in almost immediately, I was consenting to rituals and relationship dynamics I never imagined I would tolerate, and I continued to do so every night for the next two months, motivated as much by pride as a sense of brotherhood.

I was desperate to affirm my manhood while allowing it to be violated on a nightly basis. There is much about the pledging process that is unnecessary and incompatible with my notions of healthy relationships, so I don’t discount its many critics.

However, on the night I was to tell my fraternity brothers I was gay, as I sat in the chapter meeting and reconsidered my decision while listening to the homophobic jokes that peppered our discourse, I drew upon the same stubborn resolve that saw me through pledging: having started the process, it was unconscionable for it to end in any way other than sharing my truth.

That night, that chapter meeting, with those young men, remains one of the most empowering moments of my life, and the compassion and solidarity my fraternity brothers showed has sustained me many times in the dozen years since. We might have experienced that bond without the aspects of the initiation process that I consider senseless; but that was not how we arrived at that moment, and whatever I went through to get there was worth it.

Ryan Lee is an Atlanta writer.

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