04/09/21, Vol. 12 Issue 2

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

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

(bik-TAR-vee)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:  Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:  Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.  Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.  Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.  Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.  Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.  The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:  dofetilide  rifampin  any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you:  Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.  Have any other health problems.  Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.  Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:  Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.  BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other.

Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION  This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.  Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5  If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, KEEP ASPIRING, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: February 2021 © 2021 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0369 04/21

BVYC0369_BIKTARVY_B_10X10-5_GeorgiaVoice_Dimitri_r1v1jl.indd All Pages

DIMITRI LIVING WITH HIV SINCE 2018 REAL BIKTARVY PATIENT

KEEP ASPIRING.

Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

See Dimitri’s story at BIKTARVY.com.

Featured patient compensated by Gilead.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

March 19, 2021 Editorial 3 3/31/21 12:27 PM

voice

georgia VOL.12 • ISSUE 2

ABOUT THE COVER: Photo by Shutterstock / Lightspring

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

PO Box 77401 • Atlanta, GA 30357 P: 404-815-6941; F: 404-963-6365

BUSINESS

Principal/Publisher: Tim Boyd tboyd@thegavoice.com

EDITORIAL

Deputy Editor: Katie Burkholder

kburkholder@thegavoice.com

Editorial Contributors: Melissa Carter, Maria Helena Dolan, Anthony Eaton, Jim Farmer, Buck Jones, Ryan Lee, Sydney Norman, J. Tebias Perry, Duane Reynolds

PRODUCTION

Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com

SALES

Sales Executive: Dixon Taylor dtaylor@thegavoice.com

Sales Executive: Jim Brams jbrams@thegavoice.com

Business Advisor: Lynn Pasqualetti Financial Firm of Record: HLM Financial Group National Advertising: Rivendell Media 908-232-2021 sales@rivendellmedia.com

Publisher Emeritus: Chris Cash

FINE PRINT

All material in Georgia Voice is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of Georgia Voice. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons. We also do not accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

Unsolicited editorial material is accepted by Georgia Voice, but we do not take responsibility for its return.

The editors reserve the right to accept, reject, or edit any submission. Guidelines for freelance contributors are available upon request.

A single copy of Georgia Voice is available from authorized distribution points. Multiple copies are available from Georgia Voice office only. Call for rates. If you are unable to reach a convenient free distribution point, you may receive a 24-issue mailed subscription for $60 per year. Checks or credit card orders can be sent to Tim Boyd, tboyd@thegavoice.com Postmaster: Send address changes to Georgia Voice, PO Box 77401, Atlanta, GA 30357. Georgia Voice is published twice a month by Georgia Voice, LLC. Individual subscriptions are $60 per year for 24 issues. Postage paid at Atlanta, GA, and additional mailing offices.

The editorial positions of Georgia Voice are expressed in editorials and in editor’s notes. Other opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Georgia Voice and its staff.

To submit a letter or commentary: Letters should be fewer than 400 words and commentary, for web or print, should be fewer than 750 words. Submissions may be edited for content and length, and must include a name, address, and phone number for verification. Email submissions to editor@thegavoice.com or mail to the address above.

GUEST EDITORIAL

In Health Care, the Value of the LGBTQ Dollar is Growing Duane Elliott Reynolds, Founder and CEO of Just Health Collective Health care access, quality, and experience are not equal.

We still live in a world where providers turn away lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people because of their sexual orientation and gender identities. Our youth are more likely to be bullied, isolated and rejected. Our seniors fear that as they lose personal agency they’ll lose the rights for which they fought so hard.

We are more likely to experience major depression, bipolar disorder and substance abuse. We are at higher risk for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and obesity compared to the general population. Sadly, we are also more likely to die by suicide.

health services that are traditionally not covered by insurance and/or that the medical establishment has ignored. They are often led by queer or trans staff. They follow a digitally accessible model, and they are giving traditional providers a run for their money.

I offer the following examples:

Despite these risks, we are often on the receiving end of providers’ stigma, lack of awareness, and insensitivity when we do receive care. We worry, for legitimate reasons, that our pronouns will not be respected, our decisions and directives will be ignored, and we will not be able to visit our partners and our children when we most need to.

Plume (getplume.co), a trans and queer-led, venture-backed telehealth startup, directly and remotely connects patients in 11 states (including Georgia) with providers. You can use your phone to confidentially order gender-affirming hormone therapy through this site.

The health care system’s traditional access points have historically underserved us. Even in the Atlanta area, our major health care entities have not done enough.

As I write this, health care is undergoing a paradigm shift. Patient-experience-focused ventures backed health care companies are already swooping in to fill consumer needs neglected by traditional providers, including those in the LGBTQ community.

Join us online: facebook.com/thegavoice twitter.com/thegavoice instagram.com/thegeorgiavoice youtube.com/user/GAVoice

4 Editorial April 9, 2021

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / NIYAZZ

These direct-to-consumer startups now offer LGBTQ-focused, difficult-to-find

Folx (folxhealth.com) covers doctor visits, lab work and some hormone medications for consumers in 12 states. Their tagline?

“No ignorance, no judgment, no hassle.”

While they don’t yet serve Georgia, it looks like they are expanding.

Included Health (www.includedhealth.com), a concierge platform, promotes their expertise in LGBTQ+ health. They can guide you through gender-affirming surgery, find you an LGBTQ+ therapist, and even walk you through the process of coming out at work.

And although we certainly have room to

improve here in Georgia, there are still some rays of light. Queermed.com (queermed. com), based in Decatur, provides respectful and affirming care for transgender people.

Isabel Lowell, M.D., started this practice after failing to receive needed financial investment and internal support for the transgender care clinic she started at Emory Clinic. We also have Atlanta-based InTown Primary Care (intownprimarycare.com), which offers hormone replacement therapy and HIV treatment, among other services, in a safe, nonjudgmental environment.

Our community—in Georgia and beyond— gets bigger and stronger every day. A recent poll (news.gallup.com/poll/329708/lgbtidentification-rises-latest-estimate.aspx) shows that 5.6% of the general U.S. population identifies as LGBTQ+, up from 4.5% in 2017. Society is changing, and so is our collective buying clout. Investors are finally seeing the enormity of our unmet needs and our growing economic power.

This is just the beginning of a paradigm shift in health care. If we are treated poorly, we can take our care needs and business elsewhere.

Remember that.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

CELEBRITY CLOSE-UP!

Celebrity Briefs

LGBTQ celebs discuss their identities and experiences growing up, making art, and coming out.

“You wanna know what’s new about me? I finally know I’m a lesbian!”

—Kehlani (Instagram Live)

“I also don’t know if I’m going to end up with a guy, so I can’t really see myself maybe getting pregnant. I’m so fluid now — and a part of the reason why I am so fluid is because I was super closeted off.”

—Demi Lovato on having children and being pansexual (The Joe Rogan Experience)

“For a long time, I thought there was something a bit wrong with me, or that I wasn’t the gender I was meant to be. It took years, but eventually, I came to a place where I went: ‘OK, I think I’m just very androgynous and very in tune with masculine energy.’”

(PHOTOS VIA FACEBOOK)

—Ruby Rose (The Guardian)

“CALL ME BY YOUR NAME [is the] NUMBER ONE SONG IN THE WORLD… LET’S GO GAY AGENDA!!”

—Lil Nas X (Twitter)

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

April 9, 2021 Celebrity Close-Up! 5

NEWS BRIEFS Staff Reports In First, Biden Issues Presidential Proclamation for Transgender Day of Visibility President Biden, in a first for any U.S. president, issued on March 31 a formal presidential proclamation recognizing the Transgender Day of Visibility.

At a time when states are advancing and enacting into law measures that would essentially bar transgender girls from participating in school sports and restrict access to transition-related care for transgender youth, Biden signals support for transgender people by commending their “struggle, activism and courage” and including fellow athletes and students in a list of allies.

“This hard-fought progress is also shaping an increasingly accepting world in which peers at school, teammates and coaches on the playing field, colleagues at work, and allies in every corner of society are standing in support and solidarity with the transgender community,” Biden writes.

But Biden also recognizes long-standing issues facing the transgender community, calling ongoing violence against transgender people “a stain on our nation’s conscience.”

“In spite of our progress in advancing civil rights for LGBTQ+ Americans, too many transgender people — adults and youth alike — still face systemic barriers to freedom and equality,” Biden writes. “Transgender Americans of all ages face high rates of violence, harassment, and discrimination.”

Biden also points out the accomplishments his administration has already achieved on behalf of transgender people, including the executive order he signed on his first day in office fully implementing in all federal agencies the U.S. Supreme Court decision against anti-LGBTQ discrimination, the restoration of open transgender military service and the Senate confirmation of Rachel Levine as assistant secretary of health.

In terms of the tasks ahead, Biden enumerates the Equality Act, legislation to expand the prohibition on anti-LGBTQ discrimination under federal law he pledged to sign within 100 days of his administration. Although the 6 News Briefs April 9, 2021

U.S. House passed the legislation, the U.S. Senate has yet to advance the bill. It remains unlikely 60 votes are present in that chamber to end a filibuster on the legislation.

“To more fully protect the civil rights of transgender Americans, we must pass the Equality Act and provide long overdue federal civil rights protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity,” Biden writes. “The Equality Act will deliver legal protections for LGBTQ+ Americans in our housing, education, public services, and lending systems. It will serve as a lasting legacy to the bravery and fortitude of the LGBTQ+ movement.”

Although Biden is the first U.S. president to issue a proclamation for the Transgender Day of Visibility, other U.S. presidents have announced support for the LGBTQ community by formally proclaiming June as Pride Month. Bill Clinton issued the first LGBTQ Pride proclamation, a practice former President Barack Obama renewed in each of his eight years in office after George W. Bush ignored the annual celebration.

Donald Trump became the first Republican U.S. president to recognize Pride Month with a tweet in 2017, although he never issued a formal proclamation.

Former Armorette Arrested for Prostitution in Fayetteville Anthony Blackmon, a former Armorette known as Autumn Skyy, was arrested on March 25 in connection to a human trafficking operation in Fayetteville, Georgia.

In a sting operation, the Fayetteville Police Department identified victims of human trafficking and forced prostitution at the Holiday Inn Express on Highway 54 West.

Blackmon was charged with Prostitution and two counts of ID fraud. He was arrested, charged, and transported to Fayetteville County Jail along with eight other suspects, according to CBS 46.

Other suspects arrested include Henrietta Haney, charged with Prostitution; Satiera Sims, charged with Prostitution; Margaret Hamby, charged with Prostitution; Lawrence Youch, charged with Pimping; Melisha Davis, charged with Prostitution; Melisha Davis, charged with Prostitution; Tabitha Parham, charged with Prostitution;

Arrest photo

Anthony Blackmon, a former Armorette known as Autumn Skyy, was arrested on March 25 in connection to a human trafficking operation in Fayetteville, Georgia.

Shamorris Wright, charged with Prostitution; and Nation Gohlester-Jackson, charged with Prostitution.

“We are grateful to the [Holiday Inn Express] management, who cooperated with our agencies as we carried out the operation,” Fayetteville Police Chief Scott Gray said in a statement. “We are all committed to the cause of ending human trafficking and keeping our community safe.”

IGLTA Global Convention Coming to Atlanta This Fall The 37th Annual IGLTA Global Convention is coming to Atlanta on September 8-11.

The convention is the world’s premier educational and networking event for LGBTQ tourism professionals.

LGBTQ-friendly travel and tourism suppliers and buyers from around the world will gather to take part in a buyer and scheduled appointment program, numerous educational workshops, and networking receptions. The event is hosted by couple Suzanne Baugh and Colleen Wogan, co-owners of Q&A Events.

Registration for the event is open now.

Both IGLTA members and non-member businesses are eligible to register online at igltaconvention.org.

Read these stories and more at thegavoice.com.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

YOUR VOICE

The New Old South of Jim Crow J. Tebias Perry

explaining how slave master Willie Lynch taught this maxim to other slave owners.

It made me sick to my stomach to hear it a second time.

On March 25 at the Georgia State Capitol, I witnessed something America has become infamous for: racial inequality. As I clutched my TV remote until the whites of my knuckles were showing, I was reminded of the anger and disdain that I have felt most of my adult life.

Gov. Kemp called the bill an “Election Reform Measure.” He signed into law a bill that makes it a crime to serve or offer water to desperate voters in the Georgia heat. I can see the late Rep. John Lewis rocking back and forth in disappointment.

Picture two burly men dragging a small Black woman backward by her underarms while handcuffed. She is not alone; this is the reality of many others who have suffered the same indignation in the name of oppression.

I sat watching the arrest of an elected state legislator, Representative Park Cannon.

Representative Cannon was at the Georgia State Capitol all day waiting for a “meeting” that took place behind closed doors in Governor Brian Kemp’s office. A simple knock was given by Representative Cannon prior to her swift arrest by law enforcement.

This is definitely deplorable!

The treatment of people of color in Georgia versus how whites are treated can no longer be denied; it is now crystal clear.

In a 13-page incident report, one of the arresting officers noted that “January 6th was in the back of his mind.” I bet it was.

Cannon was charged with obstruction of law enforcement and preventing or disrupting a general assembly, although a behind closed doors meeting is not normally considered a “General Assembly.”

A knock on a door was compared to the full-on insurgency of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, which resulted in deaths and over 200 arrests!

This single event, while minor in comparison to the aforementioned insurgence, is a palpable indication that Jim Crow is far from dead.

All elected representatives are entitled to the same protection, no matter their race.

We marched for George Floyd, Breonna 8 Your Voice April 9, 2021

As of December 2020, African Americans make up more than 31.3% of the population of Georgia and account for 48% of eligible voters in the state. Not only has Rep. Park Cannon labored to get Georgia voters eligible, but Stacey Abrams with the Fair Fight campaign has broken records registering voters in the now blue Georgia!

Park Cannon is arrested on March 25 at the Georgia State Capitol.

SCREENSHOT PHOTO

Taylor, and countless others; the same fervor and outrage should apply when a black woman is dragged out of the Capitol by police. This and many other occurrences are a constant reminder that while my ancestors were brought to this country, the country never welcomed them.

The Governor’s attempt to lock out and lock down Georgia voters with secrecy and intimidation of this magnitude should be seen as unconstitutional, but it’s not! By targeting specific Georgia voters with fewer drop boxes, secrecy, and intimidation, Georgia has proven to its voters that a change must be made in 2022. Why would any intelligent person vote to return to the tactics of the ’50s and ’60s?

Sen. Raphael Warnock said it best: “They are trying to fix something that is not broken.

We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder.”

As big Georgia businesses choose to speak loudly in support of this voter suppression bill, justice must reign in Georgia.

Democracy must be granted to all Georgians without restraint. To make an offer of food and water to voters standing in line a prosecutable offense is an affront to the very core of what this country is supposed to stand for. We have come too far to allow these petty attempts to derail our efforts to sustain peace.

Since the Governor’s optics are of such concern, six white men and the Governor posed in front of a portrait of well-known Callaway Plantation. The plantation owned well over 100 enslaved people who cared for 56 acres in Wilkes County, Georgia.

I was instantly reminded of the stories my stepfather shared about Jim Crow and Bull Connor. He would say in his husky voice, “Keep the body and take the mind,”

“[Kemp] is putting in place advantages for himself and others who look and think like him. Georgia voters aren’t this gullible. They have gone beyond this,” said Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC).

There are so many young Black members of our community to continue this fight against voter suppression and other topics that concern the Georgia voters.

Tobias Jackson-Campbell is a young voter who is gaining traction and is potentially running for a future seat. Among his many other accomplishments, Campbell is the Democratic Party of Georgia African American Caucus’ 4th Vice Chairman.

Many of Georgia’s young legislators must be taught to stay engaged and push the narrative that positive young Black voices are just as effective as the ones who “get in trouble, good trouble and necessary trouble,” and are what we need to focus on!

Rep. Cannon and those fighting for our inclusion and equality remind me of why we must remain vigilant in keeping Georgia “Democratically Blue.” We have repeatedly witnessed the results of the alternative, and cannot go backward.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

April 9, 2021 Ads 9

NEWS

Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore is Running for Mayor Moore plans to address crime and HIV/AIDS issues in the city Katie Burkholder Come November, Atlanta will once again be voting for mayor. Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore announced earlier this year that she will be in the running against incumbent Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Moore has a track record of more than 20 years of public service after being elected in 1997 as a member of the Atlanta City Council. After serving five terms, Moore was elected in 2017 as City Council President.

Over the years, Moore has garnered multiple awards for her public service, including being named one of the Outstanding Women in Leadership by the Lt. Governor of Georgia in 2019 and 2021’s Most Influential Georgian

by Georgia Trend magazine.

Now, Moore is looking to keep moving on up and serving the people of Atlanta more directly. Moore told Georgia Voice that she’s been preparing to become Atlanta’s mayor since last year’s presidential election. “[I]t was apparent that [Mayor Bottoms], who had spent a lot of time supporting now-President Joe Biden, was interested in a vice-presidential post and later, a Cabinet post,” Moore said. “The way our charter reads is that the president would fulfill the unexpired terms of a mayor. I’m someone that likes to be prepared, so I started preparing to be mayor. Then, as time went on, that didn’t occur.”

“I made the clear decision to continue to run for Mayor because I’d been hearing 10 Local News April 9, 2021

someone needs emergency housing, [the city] should have an opportunity to do that,” she said.

Atlanta’s LGBTQ community plays a significant role not only in Moore’s platform, but in her campaign as well.

from citizens, business owners, and [City] employees that they felt neglected or not tended to,” she continued. “I wanted to be in a position to get things done.”

Moore’s platform includes a few key issues, foremost among them being public safety.

She says this platform was directly influenced by her constituents.

“My platform is informed by the people and will be developed by what the citizens want,” she said. “I have to speak to the issue of the day, and people want to hear about what we’re going to do about crime.”

Her public safety platform uses a four-pronged approach, addressing issues with police, perpetrators, places, and the people. Along with public safety, Moore is advocating for partnership with Atlanta schools, accountability, fiscal stability, ethics, and transparency.

In terms of LGBTQ issues Moore plans to address, she is keeping her focus on HIV/ AIDS. In particular, she wants to address issues she sees with the management of Housing and Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) funding.

“I just don’t understand why we can’t get it right,” she said of the HOPWA program. “It seems to me to be a managerial issue. I want to, as Mayor, get in there and get this fixed.”

Moore believes HOPWA can be strengthened with her three-pronged approach: First, getting money into the hands of providers who have been backlogged. Second, developing the system so providers can be reimbursed in a timely manner. Third, having the City itself look at more innovative ways to find locations to house people.

“If we run into an issue with a provider and

“I’ve enjoyed, over the time I’ve been elected, support from the LGBTQ community,” Moore said. “I have a volunteer director focused on making touchpoints with the community because I want to hear … I want to make sure our workforce is diverse. My campaign is diverse. I want to make sure LGBTQ people are part of my campaign and the discussion and the platform development.”

Moore’s campaign currently boasts over a thousand volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering can do so in a number of areas, including LGBTQ voter outreach. She urges prospective volunteers to register through her website, feliciamooreformayor.com, but you can also get connected on Facebook at Moore for Mayor and Volunteers for Felicia Moore.

“I believe my message of change and my vision for Atlanta will be enthusiastically embraced throughout the city,” Moore said.

“I am ready to be the next Mayor of Atlanta.”

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

April 9, 2021 Ads 11

FINANCIAL NEWS

The American Rescue Plan Act and Vaccinations Give Hope to Restaurants and Live Venues Sydney Norman As we enter the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, caution fatigue runs high, but hopes are beginning to run higher. Georgia has opened up vaccination centers to all residents over the age of 16, and new case numbers have continued to fall since the astronomical spike in January.

Now Americans have another reason to feel hopeful.

President Joe Biden and Democratic senators worked together to pass the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Receiving zero support from Republican senators, the act is the first COVID-19 economic relief effort to specifically target the dire needs of those in the hospitality and entertainment industries, and it has not come too soon.

A recent survey taken by the National Restaurant Association found that the pandemic has forced roughly 100,000 restaurants to close their doors. “That’s one in six restaurants,” the survey reads. “Some 40% of operators also said that ‘it is unlikely their restaurant will still be in business six months from now [without] additional relief packages from the federal government.’”

The study also shows that overall, Americans are spending less at restaurants now than they did before the pandemic, even with increased takeout and delivery options.

Colder weather decreased the amount of revenue many establishments were bringing in from outdoor dining options. They have also found that servers are likely to see a reduction in the number of tips they receive when they enforce CDC guidelines like wearing masks and social distancing inside establishments.

Some efforts have been made to prevent larger businesses from snapping up relief funds. For the first 21 days after the bill goes into effect, priority will go to establishments owned by veterans, women, and other 12 Financial News April 9, 2021

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK / NATTAKORN_MANEERAT

disadvantaged groups. Publicly traded companies and restaurants with 20 or more locations will be excluded from the bill, and “over $5 billion will be set aside for smaller venues whose annual gross receipts were below $500,000, leaving $23.6 billion for everyone else.”

Unlike with previous relief efforts, companies will not be penalized if their grant money isn’t spent on payroll, meaning they are free to use the money for other overhead expenses like rent or utilities. Whatever they spend it on, it has to be used up by the end of the year.

The amount each business will receive will be determined by subtracting their receipts from the pandemic-ridden 2020 fiscal year from the “normal” 2019 fiscal year.

The bill also allows for citizens with individual earnings under $80,000 and joint filers earning under $160,000 to receive $1,400

stimulus checks and extends the $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment checks through the first week of September. Under this bill, parents receive $3,000 per child in 2021 or up to $3,600 per child under the age of 6.

This means that while the efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15 may have failed in Congress, the vast majority of hospitality and entertainment industry workers will be receiving some financial support.

The entertainment industry has also been hit hard by the pandemic-induced recession.

Due to social distancing guidelines, many venues have not hosted a single event in over a year. Many local venues like The Masquerade have relied on live streaming tickets, merchandising sales, and donations to remain above water since March 2020.

Many venue owners are hoping to rehire their staff from March of 2020, repair or maintain their property, and get ready for

Some efforts have been made to prevent larger businesses from snapping up relief funds. For the first 21 days after the bill goes into effect, priority will go to establishments owned by veterans, women, and other disadvantaged groups.

Publicly traded companies and restaurants with 20 or more locations will be excluded from the bill, and “over $5 billion will be set aside for smaller venues whose annual gross receipts were below $500,000, leaving $23.6 billion for everyone else.” when they are able to reopen their doors.

The small business-oriented portions of the American Rescue Plan Act targeting live venues should work to help venue owners achieve those goals.

While the past year has been difficult on everyone, there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful. Over 3,880,000 vaccines have been administered in the state of Georgia, COVID case numbers are down, and this new bill is allowing small business owners in some of the hardest-hit sectors to seek relief while providing some monetary support to their employees. These may be the first steps to finally getting back to normal.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

Find Your Way Home!

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

April 9, 2021 The Pink Page 13

FEATURE

Fighting for Our Rights:

A Conversation with Wesley Bizzell, National LGBTQ+ Bar President “Despite these enormous strides, our community — particularly those who are trans and people of color — continues to face crises even today.

These critical issues are why the LGBTQ+ Bar must continue to exist.

To borrow the lyrics of Tracy Chapman, the LGBTQ+ Bar continues to: “hunger for a taste of justice” and “hunger for a world of truth.”

Anthony Eaton We often forget about all the work that is required to gain and maintain the rights we have. One of the organizations leading this fight is the National LGBT Bar, soon to be the National LGBTQ+ Bar. I had the honor to virtually sit down with Wesley Bizzell, who is the current President of the National LGBTQ+ Bar, to discuss the Bar, its work on behalf of the community, and his role as president. While in college at Georgetown University, he joined the Bar after attending his first Lavender Law Conference and stayed connected after graduating. In his second year as an associate with the firm Winston & Strawn, he convinced them to sponsor Lavender Law and recruit at its job fair.

Wesley had served as treasurer for several years, and in 2020 he became president of the NLGBTQ+ Bar, serving a two-year term.

In May, when his term ends, he will assume the Immediate Past President’s role for an additional year. Read the full interview at thegavoice.com.

What was the driving factor of the establishment of the Bar? The LGBTQ+ Bar was founded at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis by a small group of family law practitioners who provided pro bono legal services to those dying of AIDS, helping these young people create wills and get their legal affairs in order before their tragic deaths.

In October 1987, 750,000 people gathered at the U.S. Capitol for the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. By then, almost 50,000 of our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters had died of AIDS. The majority of those being gay men in their 20s and 30s.

At the March in Washington, a group of lawyers came together and decided to form a 14 Feature April 9, 2021

Wesley Bizzell, National LGBTQ+ Bar President COURTESY PHOTO

national organization for LGBTQ+ attorneys to enable LGBTQ+ lawyers to advocate for societal change. From this moment of crisis, the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association was born.

What was important is that the organization’s name had the words lesbian and gay in the title. While there were local bar organizations in existence, none unequivocally indicated they were organizations for LGBTQ+ lawyers.

But we did.

has confronted a multitude of crises within our country. Our members have been instrumental in achieving many successes, including creating visible spaces for LGBTQ attorneys within law firms and corporate law departments, enacting a federal hate crimes statute, advocating for the Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality, and abolishing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the transgender military ban.

What kind of work has the Bar been involved in since then?

In the last 30 plus years, the LGBTQ+ Bar

Despite these enormous strides, our community — particularly those who are trans and people of color — continues to

face crises even today. These critical issues are why the LGBTQ+ Bar must continue to exist. To borrow the lyrics of Tracy Chapman, the LGBTQ+ Bar continues to: “hunger for a taste of justice” and “hunger for a world of truth.”

How has the Bar helped to shape and change things for the LGBTQ community?

As a legislative and political law attorney, I’m incredibly proud of the LGBTQ+ Bar’s policy work. We are leading the effort to ban the LGBTQ+ “panic” defense across the U.S. This horrific defense is a legal strategy that asks a jury to find that a victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression is to blame for a defendant’s violent reaction, such as violent beatings, other assaults, and even murder.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 16 TheGeorgiaVoice.com

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FEATURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 In 2013, as a result of our efforts, the American Bar Association unanimously approved a resolution calling for an end to this heinous defense strategy. Since then, 12 states (California, Illinois, Rhode Island, Nevada, Connecticut, Maine, Hawaii, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Colorado, and Virginia) and the District of Columbia had banned such defenses.. Virginia is our first state to ban the defense in 2021, and it is also the first Southern state to do so.

I spent a substantial amount of time working closely with the sponsor, Delegate Danica Roem, on this effort and assembling a remarkable coalition of organizations that supported the bill. Delegate Roem was the first trans legislator elected to any state legislature, and she was an incredible and passionate advocate. We were blessed to have Matthew Shepard’s mother, Judy, testify before both the House and the Senate committees and be an active part of our coalition fighting to pass this bill.

We are working with several other state legislators on bills, and I know we’ll see several other states ban this defense in 2021.

The Bar doesn’t just focus on LGBTQ legislation and representation; can you talk a little about its work around minority diversity and legal issues?

Within the legal community, we still have not achieved fulsome diversity and full inclusion. That is true for female attorneys, attorneys of color. It’s true for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans, and queer attorneys. Thus, addressing diversity and inclusion is necessary. The National LGBTQ+ Bar partners in this work with other affinity bars: the National Bar Association, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the National Native American Bar Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association, the National Association of Blind Lawyers, the National Filipino American Lawyers Association, and the South Asian Bar Association of North America.

We know that by working together, we can better advance the cause of diversity and inclusion and be a unified voice to speak 16 Feature April 9, 2021

out against racial inequity and injustice wherever we see it. For example, the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association has joined NAPABA’s Stand Against Hate Campaign, recording a joint video with other national bar associations that denounced the antiAsian hate, violence, and racism related to the coronavirus. I’ve also joined the presidents of NBA, SABA, NAPABA, and HNBA in a Belonging Project webinar to discuss how the minority bar associations are working to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion as our country battles two pandemics—coronavirus and systemic racism. The affinity bars recognize that we must stand united against bigotry and hate and work together to make the legal profession more diverse and inclusive.

Despite significant advances in legal protections and rights, the LGBTQ community still faces many challenges related to discrimination in employment, housing, and having or adopting children.

Does the Bar have a primary focus right now, and what do you think is the biggest challenge we face?

We are thrilled that our members have played significant roles in winning historic legal protections for the LGBTQ+ community, and that was also the recent Title VII cases. The National LGBT Bar Association submitted an amicus brief supporting the employees in these cases. In June 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, ruled that Title VII’s

prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex includes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

But our journey to equality is not finished.

We are committed to continuing to fight for equality for all.

Like the rest of the country, I think our LGBTQ+ community must address racism and racial inequity not only within our society but within our community itself.

The sad fact is that racism still exists within our LGBTQ+ community, and we must call it out when we see it and work to eradicate it. Our community’s unfortunate reality has often only focused on issues of importance to white cisgender gay men.

As a result, we have ignored what must be done to make our society better for those in our community who are trans, nonbinary, Black, Indigenous, or persons of color. We must do better. What makes our community beautiful and magnificent is our intersectionality, and we have often failed to understand that. Our LGBTQ+ community is comprised of individuals from every gender, race, and ethnicity. We need to do a better job celebrating this.

We need to do a better job of amplifying the voices of diverse LGBTQ+ individuals and honoring those diverse LGBTQ+ individuals who have come before us.

For too long, we have whitewashed our history. We’ve ignored the contributions of people like Bayard Rustin, Sylvia Rivera,

“Like the rest of the country, I think our LGBTQ+ community must address racism and racial inequity not only within our society but within our community itself. The sad fact is that racism still exists within our LGBTQ+ community, and we must call it out when we see it and work to eradicate it. Our community’s unfortunate reality has often only focused on issues of importance to white cisgender gay men.”

Marsha P. Johnson, José Sarria, Miss Major, and the list goes on and on. Remember, the Stonewall riots were led by trans women of color and drag queens who united against the discrimination they were facing daily.

We’re standing on their shoulders today, and we should not forget that. While we’re getting better and being more inclusive as an LGBTQ+ community, we still have a ways to go.

How can members of the community who are not in the legal profession help to support the Bar? We welcome anyone to attend our Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair or join one of our Lavender Link webcasts. Additionally, for states where we are advocating to ban the LGBTQ “panic” defense, we always love to have constituents call their elected officials to support the issue.

To learn more about the National LGBTQ+ Bar, visit lgbtbar.org.

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MARÍA HELENA DOLAN REELING IN THE YEARS

Dr. Marie Equi: Medical Doctor, Abortionist,

Feminist, Lesbian, Anarchist, Labor and Prison Activist María Helena Dolan

Dr. Marie Equi: PHOTO VIA WIKICOMMONS

A Massachusetts native, Dr. Marie Equi was born into an Italian and Irish home. She spent much of her early life in Italy. As a 21-year-old, she moved with her “Boston Marriage” wife, Bess Holcomb, to The Dalles, Oregon, in 1893.

During the shamelessly sham trial, Special Agent William Byron of the Department of Justice testified. He gave detailed reports garnered by relentlessly tailing and investigating her. On the stand, he denounced her as “an anarchist, a degenerate, and an abortionist.” She was unsurprisingly convicted of sedition.

Bess had been offered work there as a teacher. According to subsequent newspaper accounts, Holcomb’s employer, Reverend Orson D. Taylor, refused to pay the promised $100 salary. In a heated and loud confrontation, Marie threatened to publicly beat him with a horse whip.

Her lawyers were unsuccessful in overturning the conviction. In October 1920, she began her three-year sentence at San Quentin Prison (later reduced to one and a half years). By all reports, she was an extremely difficult, uncooperative prisoner.

While incarcerated, she tried to ameliorate the horrendous conditions of the women there. At Christmas, she begged friends to send gifts for 20 or so women whose lives of deprivation particularly touched her.

And she carried out her threat! Regrettably, Bess didn’t receive the promised $100, but the community very much supported this action, and so the whip was raffled off.

Marie and Bess received the proceeds, which exceeded $100.

The couple moved to San Francisco, but Marie went on to Portland, Oregon, where she graduated from medical school and then set up her practice in 1903. She became one of the very few doctors who openly performed abortions, and she did so for women of any class, race or ethnicity, including non-English speaking immigrants.

Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Marie organized a group of Portland doctors and nurses to provide humanitarian aid to the devastated city, an action which earned her a special commendation from the U.S. Army.

Soon after, she met Harriet Speckart, who began to work as Marie’s assistant. The two began a 20-year relationship, sharing residences in San Francisco and various locations in Portland. Harriet was an 18 Columnist April 9, 2021

was only months away. During this terrible time, racial conflict and “Red” hysteria boiled over and then reigned unchecked in much of the U.S. The government swept up tens of thousands, jailed many, and deported thousands of “Anti-Americans.”

Olympia Brewing Company heiress. Her family threatened her with disinheritance if she did not leave Marie. Harriet refused to abandon her lover. The two eventually adopted a daughter and raised her together.

Sanger in writing pamphlets advocating birth control, and the two women became lifelong friends. In 1916, they were arrested together as they promoted a national campaign to advance the use of contraceptive devices.

In 1921, then Assistant Director of the Bureau of Investigation J. Edgar Hoover charged that Marie was “associated with Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Anita Whitney and Emma Goldman … and was a professional abortionist.”

In 1913, Marie joined a strike action organized by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), in support of women workers fighting terrible conditions at the Oregon Packing Company. Police viciously assaulted her while she was attending to a striker they’d beaten to the ground. The systematic brutality employed to end the strike proved a last straw, leading Marie to denounce capitalism, become an anarchist, and join the IWW.

As the specter of the United States joining the war in Europe loomed, Marie joined the American Union Against Militarism. During an anti-war protest in downtown Portland in 1916, she unfurled a banner reading:

From 1928 to 1936, well-known IWW agitator and Communist Elizabeth Gurley Flynn lived with Marie. A few years earlier, Marie had nursed Flynn back to health following a heart attack while the firebrand was on a speaking tour of the West Coast on behalf of Sacco and Vanzetti.

A staunch advocate for women having control over their own bodies, she assisted Margaret

“PREPARE TO DIE, WORKINGMEN, J.P. MORGAN & CO. WANT PREPAREDNESS FOR PROFIT.” The ensuing riot, while minor, led to her arrest. In December of 1918, she was tried under the newly revised Espionage Act for her opposition to the war. “The Red Summer”

As she aged, Marie appeared less in the public eye. But a childhood friend of her grandson visited Marie’s house many times during her old age. He described Marie decades later as a “Holy Terror.” She died in Portland at age 74.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

BUCK JONES THE FRENCH CONNECTION

I Swear!

Buck Jones Prior to my move to Paris, you might be forgiven for ever thinking that I grew up in a Christian family from a small town in the South. Now that I don’t have to drive anymore, my swearing has dramatically decreased. The idiocy of that BMW driver who cut me off on the interstate off-ramp or the timidity in turning during the yellow light at the intersection by the SUV driver obviously talking on the phone would send me into apoplectic bouts of road rage. A sailor could reasonably suggest that I might want to dial it back a bit.

My parents never swore. Or rather, they did, but they used the kind of bland Protestant curses such as “shoot” and “crap” that had all of the heft of a bag of cotton candy. A childhood of listening to mom’s Barry Manilow albums, as well as the much more rigorous enforcement by the three television networks’ “Standards and Practices” censors protected my ears from hearing anything vulgar. It is still a recurring holiday joke with my husband, who grew up TheGeorgiaVoice.com

on a farm as a nonpracticing Catholic, for us to sing along with the bland but earnestly festive Ray Conniff singers “Oh By Gosh By Golly, It’s Time For Mistletoe And Holly.” For me, the worst insult I could muster to call my brother when he was being annoying was that he was “a poopy dumb-dumb.” Yeah, that really taught him.

My evolution with swearing began in high school, timidly at first, as I learned the many possible permutations of f***, but continued to stumble over the proper delivery, adhering to a grammatically correct usage of keeping the complete gerund suffix “-ing” instead of the more authentic “-in’.” I might as well have had “nerd” stamped on my forehead.

By college, however, I felt more comfortable letting loose with a string of epithets among my friends for select professors. As the alcohol flowed, so did the crude poetry of my choice of insults. Fast forward to driving as an adult in Los Angeles, and my speech became a fire hose of expletives.

So when we moved to Paris, speaking French on a daily basis, I realized that my ability to

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK / GREGA2205

vent my frustration through swearing had been reduced to sounding like my eight-yearold self, the equivalent of calling someone a “poopy dumb-dumb.” The quip of “pardon my French,” which I used to use in the United States to excuse away an insult, was now a limp-wristed explanation as to why I couldn’t properly express what I was looking for in a hardware store (“I am looking for a long tool that has the plus sign at the end to turn something … (blushing) … pardon my French”).

Thankfully, the French have a whole menu of swear words to partake of, and the more genteel, archaic terms that might have been used by a grandmother back in the 1950s are still commonly used, just like “shoot” or “crap” in America, so one can use “mince” in place of “merde” in polite society. It gives me the tiniest giggle to overhear someone while I’m standing in line somewhere utter “mince.” Likewise, whenever “purée” is cried, instead of the violent “putain,” I smile, remembering how I used to let loose with a curse of “fudge” back in my parents’ home.

In 2019, the winning contestant in the

Miss France pageant let out a mild swear of “sapristi” during the live broadcast on national television when her name was announced. This “holy cow” of an exclamation, a favorite of the cartoon adventurer Tintin from the 1920s onward, made a tour on French social media. One Twitter post teased that the new Miss France was apparently 87 years old. Another joked that she sounded like President Macron talking to his (much older, former school teacher) wife, Brigitte. “Sapristi” made a cultural comeback, popping up everywhere like some sort of retro-chic hipster accessory.

As I have grown older and calmer, I have found it more civilizing to rely upon the old-fashioned swear words. The bourgeois blasphemies of generations past resonate as a sort of educational marker for those in earshot.

Whereas my older gay friends still balk at hearing me use the French equivalent of “faggot” (pédé), they will grin when I remark that someone is dressed like a bigre. And if, after my second glass of wine, I exclaim that this particular bottle was fichtrement good, the clutching of one’s pearls is done for camp effect, if not ironically.

April 9, 2021 Columnist 19

JIM FARMER ACTING OUT

New Films to Check Out: ‘Love the One You’re With,’ ‘Tina’ Sampson McCormick, T.J. Martin, and Daniel Lindsay discuss new projects

The film features all sorts of new footage, as well as an interview with the singer at her home in Switzerland.

Turner had already agreed to make the film (with the producers) when the two were approached. “We were a little hesitant at first,” Martin said. “We didn’t know that two men should be authoring Tina’s story. We’ve been approached about doing high-profile celebrity driven films before. In the music space, we often find they are in search of a story. It’s usually about leveraging the celebrity. Slowly diving in, we started realizing there is an incredible saga here and we could approach it as a proper film.

It so happens that at the center is one of the most iconic entertainers in the world.”

Jim Farmer When his editor came to his house last year to transfer the film they had just made onto a computer, Sampson McCormick realized that the entire project had somehow been lost. Shrugging it off, he and his team reassembled and were able to reshoot it. It wasn’t long after that he had a finished film — one that has landed on Amazon Prime.

Written by McCormick — who is also an actor and longtime comedian performing across the country — “Love the One You’re With” is a dramatic comedy that looks at the potential end of a long-term relationship between two Black gay men. The two main characters are Miles and Avery, who have been together for six years. “It starts off great, but over the course of time something happens, and they can’t quite put their finger on it,” said McCormick.

McCormick, who is gay, plays Rene, who owns a coffee shop. “He is that best friend we all have or need that you can confide in with everything, but is always willing to let you do whatever you need to do and learn the lessons you need to learn,” McCormick said of the character.

He wrote it last summer and filmed it at the end of last year, during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was totally illegal the way we shot that film,” he said with a laugh.

20 Columnist April 9, 2021

HBO Max photo

HBO Max has released “Tina,” a documentary about the legendary Tina Turner.

“Thankfully, nobody got sick.” He and director Spencer Collins shot it quickly and minimized risks.

McCormick is quite proud of the project.

“It’s a film that Black queer people have been waiting for,” he said. “It’s very relatable. It shows what happens when you are honest in love and what can happen when you stop communicating. On a more positive side, it shows how love can land at your doorstep without you looking for it.”

The film explores issues such as monogamy and mental illness as well as the specific challenges Black gay men face in relationships and dating. “I didn’t know we dated anymore,” he said, laughing again.

“I think people are afraid to date anymore.

Dating in 2021 is a horror show, but it’s

mostly because so many of us have things to work through and that we’re afraid of. Many different things are attached, and you have to put it all out there.”

Outside of D.C, where he was born, actor/ writer/comedian Sampson McCormick calls Atlanta one of his favorite cities.

He’s performed here several times and headlined Positive Impact’s Party with Impact World AIDS Day event last year.

Later in 2021, he’ll appear in the highly anticipated film version of “B-Boy Blues,” directed by Jussie Smollett.

Having won an Oscar for their 2011 documentary, “Undefeated,” filmmakers T.J. Martin and Daniel Lindsay are back now with the excellent HBO Max presentation of “Tina,” about the legendary Tina Turner.

“We thought the documentary form in particular served this story,” Lindsay added. “In all these other stories [about her] there is some sort of separation. This was an opportunity to tell this story in her own voice.”

One thing that surprised the filmmakers was Turner’s Vegas years. After she had left Ike, she was hustling to get by, on food stamps and cleaning houses. “But that was the journey of this new coming of age of her, when she was taking control of her stage presence and the next chapter of her life,” Martin said.

The filmmakers are certainly aware of what an icon Turner is in the LGBTQ community.

“She is not on the face level a gay activist, but she has charted a life for herself in a society that told her she had to be other things,” says Lindsay. “That is so admirable.”

MORE INFO “Love the One You’re With” is now streaming on Amazon Prime “Tina” is now airing on HBO Max

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April 9, 2021 Restaurant Guide 21

IF…

MELISSA CARTER THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

YOUR HANDS SWEAT AS YOU THINK OF PRIOR BAD ACTS… DON’T RUN. YOU WONDER ABOUT OUTSTANDING WARRANTS AS THE OFFICER APPROACHES… DON’T RUN. PULLED OVER WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT LICENSE AND INSURANCE… DON’T RUN. STOPPED AND QUESTIONED BY POLICE IN A WELL-KNOWN AREA FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING AND STING OPERATIONS… DON’T RUN. CAUGHT WITH AN OPEN CONTAINER OF BEER IN THE VEHICLE… DON’T RUN. NO PROOF WHEN ASKED BY COPS TO SHOW PROOF OF I.D… DON’T RUN.

YOUR CHANCE TO SURVIVE IS MUCH GREATER IF YOU

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. ATTEND OUR WORKSHOPS.

White Male Problem Melissa Carter I posed a question on Facebook earlier this month, asking if we had a white male problem in this country.

I had been asked that by a friend and was curious about what kind of response I’d get. Needless to say, it varied and grew more intense as time went on: They sure don’t have a problem. They get arrested without getting shot and get to set the narrative for their own crime.

I cannot agree with that. I know a lot of white men who are not racist or sexist or degrading or hateful. I also know white men that ARE that way. It’s not a white man problem. We have a societal problem. With EVERYONE. None of us are innocent. None of us are special. To paint one group of people with the same brush whether white, brown, black or purple is wrong. That’s what we’re trying to stop!

ONE BILLION PERCENT! I think we have a white male privilege problem, at least. Too many of them feel like they’re being oppressed, simply because others want the same rights or because they’re being called on their racist, misogynist, homophobic, or transphobic words and actions. Some of those overly entitled man-babies are reacting violently, and that is definitely a problem.

Just add guns.

ACRBGOV.ORG 22 Columnist April 9, 2021

Every single one of you who agreed with this post is a racist. You’re all a bunch of stupid, racist, assholes. You don’t understand the

meaning of the word racism. Melissa Carter, I’m deleting you for this post. I don’t want to be friends with racists.

I wasn’t attempting to argue for the sake of arguing. I indeed wanted to broach the topic, as I am raising a white man myself. To vilify this group of people I think is setting a dangerous precedent, since it seems the only group one is able to insult outright without backlash is a white man. But what purpose does that serve?

On the other hand, if an epidemic of mass shootings and hate crimes were carried out by any other group, we’d state that we had a “terrorist” problem or an “angry woman” problem. Turns out, many white men succumb to the temptation to take out a large group of people in anger and violence. So, why can’t we recognize the problem stemming from this group in order to solve the problem?

I was conducting an interview for my podcast and it was suggested to me by the teenage son of the guest to read “Boys Will Be Men”

by Paul Kivel. I must admit it was a breath of fresh air, as the author addresses such topics as racism, homophobia, pornography, and the “act like a man” mentality.

The ultimate goal is for us all to come together and enjoy each other’s company. Yet I fear many don’t understand that point and continue to label and separate themselves into factions of people just like them and stay there forever. Nature itself is built on the idea that growth and strength come from bringing things together, and as soon as we can get out of this sporting event, good team bad team mentality, the sooner we can really heal and create a better world for the girls and boys watching what we do.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

RYAN LEE SOMETIMES ‘Y’

Death After Dishonor Ryan Lee

Memorializing the victims of last month’s shooting spree at local massage parlors, Atlanta media have sounded like family members giving duplicitous eulogies for deceased relatives they trashed while alive. Unfortunately, one way for anyone with proximity to the sex industry to be respected in America is for them to be gunned down in a senseless massacre.

“The four women now identified as victims on Piedmont Road are being remembered as loving mothers and good friends,” WSB anchor Lori Wilson said a few days after a gunman opened fire at three metro-area massage parlors, murdering eight people.

The ensuing news segment featured a photo of one of the victims with her two sons, one

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

of whom spoke about his mother’s nightly ritual of checking on her boys to make sure they were OK. Another report described the anguish of a husband being separated from his fatally injured wife after “the newlyweds had gone for a date night massage.”

Media outlets have focused on the racial elements of a white gunman targeting Asian women, and a podunk sheriff’s spokesperson minimizing Christian terrorism by saying the sexually deranged shooter “had a bad day.”

News organizations have not yet contemplated how their coverage of Asian massage parlors prior to the shootings uniformly characterized these “loving mothers and good friends” as menaces to an area’s residents and property values, or a “date night massage” as a felony.

Television crews have spent countless sweeps weeks embedded with law enforcement agencies conducting raids on massage parlors, adult bookstores and other venues

where consenting parties engaged in mutual (or assisted) masturbation, oral sex and intercourse — whether for satisfaction or a salary. The same photo collages aired to mourn the recent shooting victims have been used by news agencies to display the mugshots of patrons and employees who may soon be placed on a sex offender registry.

Located just off Cheshire Bridge Road, the massage parlors match the profile of what Atlanta Magazine classified as “less-thandesirable businesses” in 2013, when then-City Councilmember Alex Wan was trying to untwist the bulb of Atlanta’s red-light district. Wan, who is gay, derided opposition to his campaign by accusing his critics of reducing “the gay agenda [to] 24-hour bars and sex clubs.”

Sadly, queer folks can toward sex workers pandering politicians. most popular online

be just as condescending as corporate media or It’s unclear whether the activity for gay men is

climaxing to pornographic videos or belittling the performers in them, a dichotomy that sits on the same twisted spectrum that made the Atlanta shooter desire Asian women so much he was supposedly trying to assassinate his temptation.

The men in the clips, like the women in the parlors or the dancers on a stage, provide invaluable escapism, erotic education, companionship and couples’ therapy, yet they are considered classless or criminal the moment they ask for compensation. They are beloved sisters and sons, helpful neighbors and active parents, until they clock in for work and become undesirables.

It should not take bullets to deliver dignity to their experiences, nor death for the media and our society to recognize their humanity.

Part of the LGBTQ agenda since before Wan or I hit puberty, the freedom to fuck is not only about orgasms, but making sure sexual pleasure and proficiency are no longer grounds for the denial of grace.

April 9, 2021 Columnist 23