Georgia Voice 04/19/24, Vol. 15 Issue 3

About the cover:

Photo by Art Morrison

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

PO Box 77401 • Atlanta, GA 30357

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Business Principal/Publisher: Tim Boyd tboyd@thegavoice.com

Editorial Editor: Katie Burkholder kburkholder@thegavoice.com

Editorial Contributors: María Helena Dolan, Jim Farmer, Luke Gardner, Adalei Stevens

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Business Advisor: Lynn Pasqualetti

Financial Firm of Record: HLM Financial Group

Crochet and Womanhood

Burkholder

“Like every woman on the planet, I am descended from women who created things of use and beauty with their hands.”

—Carol Christ, “Weaving the Fabric of Our Lives”

While I am not and have never been particularly interested in sports, I am a big hobbyist. In this year’s spring arts issue, I wrote an editorial about my increased creativity this year and my addiction to crochet. In the month since writing that, my love for crochet has only deepened. It’s meditative, it’s relatively inexpensive (especially if you can thrift your yarn), and it has helped counteract the desire for instant gratification fostered by our culture’s obsession with social media, streaming, and two-day shipping. It is an activity that has brought sweet slowness into my life and has grown beyond hobby territory into a spiritual, ancestral practice.

line of women I never knew.

My late grandmother was an incredibly talented fiber artist who worked primarily with knitting and embroidery. She died when I was 20, only on the cusp of womanhood, and so much of the grief I still feel about her death comes from the fact that she would never get to see the woman I would become. With two dead grandmothers and a fraught relationship with my own mother, it is not often I get to feel connected to a matriarch, an older woman I can look up to and trust. I deeply wish that I could’ve shared fiber art with my grandmother while she was alive, but every time I crochet or sew, I feel connected, not only to her, but also to a long

Textile practices like crochet, knitting, embroidery, quilting, lacework, and sewing have long been considered “women’s work,” due to the historical confinement of women to domestic spaces and the accessibility of these skills intrinsic to those spaces. Because of this association with womanhood, they have been relegated to, in the words of Julia Halperin for the New York Times, “a cousin to so-called real art, trapped in the liminal space between high art — painting, sculpture and, increasingly, conceptual art — and its ignoble cousin, craft.”

So many of these textile practices are intricate and delicate, requiring focus, presence, intentionality, and artistry, and engaging in

them feels so distinctly, divinely feminine. It feels like my birthright as a woman, and that is such a fulfilling feeling as someone who feels disconnected from a lineage of femininity. Because I am not yet at the skill level to create my own patterns, it is also a cooperative practice in which I follow beautiful patterns created largely by other women, customizing and changing them to fit my particular tools or desires. It has a rhythm to it that’s addictive, and at the end, I have a piece that feels so made of me, covered in my fingerprints, shaped by my hands, and born of that divine rhythm.

While she is no longer here, through crochet I can feel my grandmother and every woman before her guiding my hands and holding me in the loving embrace of femininity.

Katie

PHOTO BY KATIE BURKHOLDER

Staff reports

Read these stories and more online at thegavoice.com

Atlanta the First American City to Host Global Black Pride

Atlanta has been announced to be the host city for Global Black Pride 2024, the world’s first and only Pride event dedicated to Black LGBTQ communities worldwide.

This is the second ever in-person Global Black Pride and the first held in the United States, making Atlanta the first American city to host. The event will be held from August 26 to September 2.

“Atlanta proudly stands as the LGBTQ capital of the South and a champion for human rights, not only in our region but on a global scale,” Malik Brown, the City’s Director of LGBTQ Affairs, said in a statement. “We are honored to welcome the first-ever Global Black Pride gathering in the United States to the vibrant City of Atlanta.”

Events will include a human rights conference, a Black trans rally, a karaoke kick-off party, a Black LGBTQ political leader round table, a Black film festival and fashion week, an awards gala, empowerment brunches, the annual Pure Heat festival in Piedmont Park, the annual All-White party, and so much more.

To learn more, visit globalblackpride.org.

Vatican Announces Opposition to Anti-LGBTQ Laws, Surrogacy, and Gender-Affirming Surgery

On April 8, the Vatican issued a new document, the Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith “Dignitas Infinita” on Human Dignity, approved by Pope Francis. The 20-page Dignitas Infinita, five years in the crafting, makes a range of statements on what the Vatican calls “human dignity” issues: poverty, the situation of migrants, violence against women, human trafficking, war, abortion, in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, the death penalty and gender-reassignment surgery.

For queer and trans people, the document provides, yet again, seemingly conflicting

statements regarding LGBTQ people and the Church. The document states that the Church believes that gender fluidity and transition surgery as well as surrogacy and in vitro fertilization and artificial insemination — which gay and lesbian couples often use to create their families — are ultimately affronts to human dignity, yet it makes the same statement about anti-LGBTQ laws.

The sex a person is assigned at birth, the document argues, is an “irrevocable gift from God” and “any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception.” The document explains that individuals who “desire a personal selfdetermination, as gender theory prescribes,” in turn put themselves at risk of “the age-old temptation to make oneself God.”

It seems a contradiction when as recently as November, Pope Francis widened the door to acceptance of trans people within the Church by announcing that trans people can be baptized and be godparents. As GLAAD noted, “Pope Francis’ ministry has been defined by putting people at the center, and he has met with and blessed transgender people, insisting that they are part of the Church and should be included

and treated with respect. This document from the hardliners in the Vatican reveals the threat they feel from the Pope’s inclusion and acceptance.”

As it is laid out, the document is an indepth explanation of the Church’s view on human dignity and its many facets, most notably in protecting vulnerable people and populations. The Vatican stated that in the current climate of upheaval, restating where the Church stands on these issues was an important point to be made.

The Vatican also takes a strong stand against anti-LGBTQ laws in the new document and particularly cites and chastises Catholic groups that support such laws, like those in the U.S. The U.S. funded such programs during the Trump administration via then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s USAID programs.

The Vatican is against laws that criminalize same-sex acts, even when Catholic groups support those laws, the head of the Vatican’s doctrine office said. Like the laws recently enacted in Uganda, Russia and Ghana, the head of the Vatican’s doctrine office said April 8, “punish LGBTQ people,” which is against the church’s stance on LGBTQ+ people as defined by Pope Francis.

Atlanta is the first American city to host Global Black Pride. PHOTO VIA GLOBAL BLACK PRIDE

Midtown Fears for Safety After Mugging at Rainbow Crosswalk

Two suspects accused of robbing and pistolwhipping a man in Midtown near the rainbow crosswalk at the intersection of 10th St. and Piedmont Avenue are still wanted by Atlanta police.

Surveillance video from Atlanta Parking Solutions, obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta, captured two men loitering in the area March 22 at 3am. A few minutes later, a group of three men approached them, coming down Piedmont Avenue. The two men followed them before the group went into Ten for about 10 minutes. When they left and began walking to their car, the two suspects appeared to be waiting for them. One of the victims ran away and the two suspects robbed the remaining two victims of their phones and car keys. According to police, one of the suspects pistol-whipped one of the men so hard, he was hospitalized.

“Call 911, call 911,” a bystander can be heard yelling in the video.

This happened mere hours after a man was shot while trying to stop people from breaking into his car at the luxury Dagny Midtown apartments on Juniper Street, only a few blocks away from the rainbow crosswalk. Police say the victim was a resident of the apartment complex and confronted a man wearing a ski mask who was trying to get into his car. The suspect fled in an SUV, and while he was driving away he fired a shot, hitting the victim in his lower abdomen.

It is not clear whether the two incidents are related, though neither of the men caught on camera during the mugging incident appeared to be wearing ski masks.

There have been no updates on either case and the news of these crimes may understandably

leave Midtown residents fearful — especially considering the high incidence of gun violence in homophobic and transphobic attacks. In 2023, of the 35 homicides of trans and gender-expansive people in the United States, 80 percent were committed with a gun, according to data from the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund — and LGBTQ people in general are more than twice as likely to be a victim of gun violence than their cisgender and straight peers, according to the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data.

However, despite what these visible and sensationalized crimes may suggest, violence is down in Midtown — and has been steadily decreasing for decades.

The Midtown Alliance, a nonprofit organization of business and community

leaders in the neighborhood, was unable to comment on the ongoing situations, as they are still open investigations. However, they shared their Midtown Public Safety Report, released in February, with Georgia Voice. It found that Midtown achieved its lowest crime rate in 25 years last year. From 2022 to 2023, violent crime was down 20 percent and property crime was down 24 percent. Theft from auto, the most prevalent type of crime experienced in the neighborhood, was down 35 percent from 2022 to 2023, with car breakins decreasing by nine percent. Similarly, pedestrian robberies like the one on March 22 have also significantly decreased over the last 25 years: 92 percent since 1999. In 2023, the Midtown Improvement District experienced only 12 stranger-on-stranger crimes.

While these numbers paint a picture of

increased safety, residential fears may not be quelled without more direct action. A user on Nextdoor, a forum for locals to share information and recommendations relating to their neighborhood, suggested that business owners in the surrounding area increase their security.

“During the week sometimes there is no armed security,” the user wrote. “… Every few months something big happens there, and the owners aren’t held accountable. Collectively, it doesn’t have to be difficult. They can easily hire one or two off-duty officers or security for the area.”

In the meantime, anyone with information on either the shooting or pedestrian robbery are urged to call the Atlanta tipline at 404-577-8477.

Katie Burkholder

Two suspects (pictured) are still at large for mugging and pistol-whipping victims in Midtown. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ATLANTA POLICE DEPARTMENT

Best in the Biz: Barking Leather Celebrating ten years

we reopened, business just took off. Last year was the best year that we've ever had.

Welcome to Best in the Biz, Georgia Voice’s new monthly series spotlighting locally-, LGBTQ-owned businesses in Atlanta. This month’s spotlight is on Barking Leather, a shop specializing in adult leather clothing and accessories. We sat down with owner Ray Stewart to discuss the ins and outs of his business.

When was Barking Leather founded?

Barking Leather was formed in 2006. We were only doing road shows at the time, then it was founded because of my husband, Tory, who’s also an owner.

We were sourcing things from Mr. S Leather out of San Francisco to harnesses, vests, pants, things of that nature. When we moved out of the 450-square-foot place, we moved into a 3000-square-foot place. That’s when my husband got serious and started training me to make harnesses.

Why was your business founded? [Tory] worked at any leather shop that you can mention. He was like, “I should just open my own.” So, that’s what we did… I had lost my corporate job. It was during, you know, a bad economy. Nobody was hiring and I had to do something.

How is business now compared to prepandemic?

Business started to pick up when things started moving again. Business picked up, and we were able to pay our rent. When the pandemic occurred, I said, “I don’t understand why we’re not in essential business.” Things of that nature should be essential because people are at home, doing what? Being bored and doing what? Once

What are the greatest challenges of running your business?

“The supply chain still has not recovered from COVID. At least that’s what I’m being told. It’s still a COVID issue. So that had been the biggest headache to keep stuff in the shop.”

What are the greatest rewards?

My repeat customers. We are very proud of our algorithm and customer service. If you look at Google [reviews], we have a 4.9-star rating. We may you know we want all our customers to feel welcome and the quality of our clothes the quality of our leather…When our customers come in, they’re happy with their purchases when they leave. I’ve seen customers you know that bought things for me three, four years ago that still have them and talk about how great our product is, and how well it’s lasted. So that's the reward for us.

Anything you want to share with readers?

Any new products, sales/deals, events, etc.  We are constantly bringing in something new. There’s always a new item. Right now, we’re working on a harness called The Rookie. It is brand new to us. We’re working on a more accessible harness for beginners, like let’s say the price point is $109, whereas my other ones are all sitting at $160 to $200.

Adalei Stevens

Cutting Things Short with Lyons at Cortex Hair Studio

If you’re anything like me, you tend to take your impulsivity out on your hair. Whether you’re doing it yourself or going to the professionals, nothing feels better than a new hairstyle that looks as good as you thought it would.

Hair has the power to completely transform, and it can be vital to affirming one’s gender. For someone seeking gender affirmation, a barber shop or hair salon can be the first stop. At least, it was for one transgender stylist.

Lyons Parker-Shockley, a stylist at Cortex Hair Studio in Virginia-Highland, was inspired to go to cosmetology school after getting his first short haircut at a barber shop. He told Georgia Voice that the experience was scary, but said the environment ended up being “welcoming.”

“The reason that I went to cosmetology school was my experience of transitioning and my experience of that first haircut and how anxiety-provoking that can be,” Lyons said. “It’s my mission to have a chair that's open and nonjudgmental.”

Cortex Hair Studio opened in 1989 in Virginia-Highland. Like Lyons, the stylists at Cortex are creatives, from writers to musicians to painters. For years, Cortex has been a go-to salon for the queer community.

Lyons said he’d like to see more LGBTQ people in his chair and the salon. Meeting and connecting with other trans people inspired Lyons to pursue his transition.

“Over time, I’ve gotten to know people who have made the transition. Those people made a huge difference in my life,” they said.

“Just seeing them go through it and seeing myself in them … I think that was kind of what finally enabled me to say this is me, this is something that would solve a lot of things. For me, [it solved] a lot of dysphoria that I’ve lived with for a very long time.”

Before they began their hairstyling career, Lyons taught and created art in multiple media. Of the shift, Lyons laughed as he recalled his teachers at cosmetology school likening haircuts to sculpting.

“When I went to cosmetology school, they referred to a haircut as a hair sculpture, which I thought was hilarious,” Lyons said. “But it is an artistic medium. It’s more in the

range of, say, textiles or something. I mean, you are making a sculpture with hair.”

When looking for your next hair sculptor, Lyons wants you to do your research and make the drive to a queer-friendly salon, if you can.

“Do your research, take pictures and be as specific as you can about what you want,” Lyons said.

Advocating for yourself in any situation can be difficult, especially as a trans person in the South. Legislation and religious doctrines have continually targeted trans and genderqueer people, but these attacks

have increased enormously since 2020. Anti-trans legislation surged last year at 600 total bills. These bills limit access to genderaffirming health care, updating government documents, and education and sports opportunities. At the time of publishing, 544 bills have been introduced in 2024 alone. The Trans Legislation Tracker reports that 23 bills have already passed and 16 of those have been signed into law since January. Despite affirming same-sex attraction and rejecting discrimination based on sexual orientation, the Vatican published a doctrine on April 8 “offer[ing] some points of reflection,” including restrictive thoughts on gender. The 20-page document titled “Infinite Dignity” declares that, “any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception.”

While “transgender” is not used explicitly, the rhetoric of this document reflects the increasingly discriminatory attitudes toward genderqueer and transgender people.

“I know that transitioning can be a very isolating and lonely place and just want people to know they have a friend and someone who’s been through it,” Lyons said. “I would have felt less vulnerable, I think, going to a trans barber or somebody who’d been through it themselves. I think it’s because there’s this huge self-consciousness to overcome.”

Sculpting a new gender identity as a trans person can be scary, so Lyons wants to offer his services to his fellow trans and gender nonconforming Atlantans. Follow Lyons on Instagram (@LyonsMane1). Cortex Hair Studio is at 1177 Virginia Avenue NE. Schedule an appointment with a Cortex stylist at cortexsalon.com/appointments or call (404) 874-6913.

Adalei Stevens

Editor’s note: Lyons uses he/they pronouns.

Cortex Hair Studio hair stylist Lyons Parker-Shockley COURTESY PHOTO

FALCON PRIDE: Sitting Down with Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader Dante Sanders

at potential colleges.

The NFL sent shockwaves through the football fandom when it opened the doors to male cheerleaders in 2018. That move towards inclusivity has since ignited the dreams of many talented professional male cheerleaders, including Atlanta Falcons cheerleader Dante Sanders.

“As a male, you are held to the same standards,” Sanders told Georgia Voice. “We are not afterthoughts as males on the team, we are equals. The team is like a family. We are embarking on a journey all of us could’ve only dreamed of. They truly do become your best friends. We are all one unit, with no different roles between males and females.”

Growing up in a small town in Mississippi, Sanders was always extremely involved in extracurricular activities like soccer, track, and swim team. He found his passion for cheering in eighth grade and continued pursuing the sport throughout high school.

“In 9th grade, it was me and one other male [on the team], and then I became the only one,” Sanders said. “I made a bold statement, and people knew it was something I was good at and passionate about. There probably were some negative words, but if there was negativity, I didn’t hear it. If you have a dream or goal that’s been put on your heart, you don’t hear or see negativity. For me, people were very supportive.”

Sanders continued to cheer throughout high school with the support of both his parents. He knew he wanted to continue his cheering journey as long as possible, and he held cheering close to his heart as he looked

Before long, he was cheering at East Mississippi College, where he stayed for two years before transferring to Ole Miss. While there, the cheer team went to national competitions in 2014 and finished fourth.

Despite all his collegiate success and having grown up watching NFL cheerleading, Sanders always believed that his cheer career would end after college. When the NFL introduced its first male cheerleaders in 2018, a new world of opportunity opened up for Sanders.

The following year, he tried out and was officially cast as a part of the New Orleans Saints Cheer team, where he cheered for two seasons.

“I was in New Orleans for about three years,” Sanders said. “It’s great for the culture and history and fun, but it wasn’t necessarily home. I didn’t want to settle there. Meanwhile, my mom moved from Mississippi to Atlanta. She encouraged me to try out for the Falcons. I took a leap of faith; I tried out and made it. Now, I’ve been on the team for three years, and it’s the best decision I made.”

While cheering for the Falcons is a dream come true for Sanders, it still requires ample work. Those unfamiliar with the world of cheerleading might be inclined to believe that the sport always includes yelling out and performing actual cheers, but that is not always the case.

High school and college cheering included a lot of chants and call-and-response, but Sanders said that NFL cheering differs in

that it is largely based on dance routines, and the cheerleaders don’t do any yelling. As with any professional sport, these vigorous cheer routines require skill, training, and practice.

“We have to train like athletes, eat like athletes, and take care of our bodies,” Sanders said. “It’s truly a sport; the sport of dance. We practice two days a week from 6:30pm to 9pm. We all have jobs and lives, as soon as we walk in, we stretch and work on routines, polishing up a routine or learning a new one. It also involves practicing outside of practice. We practice by ourselves at home for the following day’s practice.”

Outside of cheering, Sanders has a fulltime job in Atlanta. He also has a passion for pageants, having won the title of Mr. Universal USA in 2021. He’s been involved in pageants since childhood and credits this

background to his success in dancing and goal setting.

These days he even helps others by offering consulting services for pageant contestants. Moving forward, Sanders plans to try out for a fourth season with the Falcons and to expand his pageant consulting business.

“I feel like I’ve prepared for this my whole life without knowing it,” Sanders said. “It’s incredible to look back at the people who have supported me and stuck with me. My parents are very supportive. I joke with my dad that I made it to the NFL before him. I’ve always wanted to do this and never thought I would have the opportunity.”

To find out about the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders’ upcoming season, follow them on Instagram @atlcheerleaders.

Luke Gardner

Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader Dante Sanders PHOTOS BY ART MORRISON

Spring Queer Sports Return to Atlanta

Katie

Burkholder

As the weather warms up, outdoor sports return to the city. This season brings with it special events across Atlanta’s sports teams, from LGBTQ clubs to pro teams.

Beer Run: Front Runners

APRIL 24, 6:30PM

VICTORY SANDWICH BAR

On the last Wednesday of the month, Front Runners meets at a local brewery or bar after the run! The routes are generally three to six miles long, starting at Cunard Memorial Playground and ending this month at Victory Sandwich Bar. The run is open to everybody, regardless of pace or athletic ability.

Purple Dress Run: Atlanta Bucks Rugby

APRIL 27, 11:45AM

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Your ticket gets you 11 drinks across five of Atlanta’s favorite LGBTQ bars in this bar crawl benefitting Atlanta Bucks Rugby as they prepare to go to Rome, Italy, to play in the Bingham Cup. The route also includes The Eagle, Oscar’s, The Nook, Blake’s on the Park, and My Sister’s Room. Tickets are $45 at atlantabucksrugby.org/Events.

Beer Bust: Front Runners

APRIL 27, 6PM

MY SISTER’S ROOM

Get ready for a night of fun, music, and of course, plenty of beer, all benefitting Front

Runners! Tickets via Eventbrite.

Beach Peach Tournament

MAY 25-26

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

LGBTQ softball teams from across the country come to Atlanta Memorial Day weekend for the most anticipated tournament of the year. Learn more at bigpeachtournament. sportsengine-prelive.com.

Braves Country 5k

JUNE 1, 7:30AM

TRUIST PARK

Join Front Runners at this year’s Braves Country 5k. The course will take you

through the streets surrounding Truist Park, before heading back to the ballpark to cross the finish line on the field! Your registration gets you a commemorative t-shirt! Registration begins at $25 at mlb. com/braves/fans/experiences-and-merchandise/ braves-country-5k.

Atlanta Pride Run 5k

JUNE 2, 8AM

PIEDMONT PARK

The Atlanta Pride Run provides a safe space for ALL to explore the world and be their true self, all benefitting local organizations fighting against HIV and AIDS. Runners, walkers, and supporters can expect a place

of acceptance, safety, and respect. Register at frontrunners.org.

Pride Night: Atlanta Dream

JUNE 2, 3PM

THE GATEWAY CENTER

The Dream Pride game, where the Dream will take on the Connecticut Sun, will celebrate contributions from LGBTQ Georgians, spotlight local LGBTQ organizations, and share special Dream Pride swag items – plus, a portion of all ticket proceeds will support the OUT Georgia Impact Fund. Sign up for ticket pre-sale at dream.wnba.com/singlegame-tickets.

Pride Night: Atlanta United

JUNE 2, 4:30PM

MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM

Join Atlanta United as they take on Charlotte FC and celebrate Pride month. Your ticket includes a limited-edition Pride towel and a $5 donation to Lost-N-Found Youth. Tickets at atlutd.com/tickets/promotions/2024/06-02pride-night.

Pride Night: Atlanta Braves

JUNE 18, 7:20PM

TRUIST PARK

Not only will you get to see the Braves take on the Detroit Tigers, you’ll also get access to a pre-game Pride party at the Coca-Cola Roxy at 5:20pm and a Braves Pride t-shirt –plus, every ticket includes a $4 donation to the OUT Georgia Impact Fund. Tickets at mlb.com/braves/tickets/specials/pride.

Pride Night: Atlanta Braves PHOTO BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD

Pride and Pins

Atlanta’s bowling community seeks to grow this summer with accessible bowling camp

Katie Burkholder

Every Easter weekend, gay and allied bowlers gather for the Dogwood Invitational tournament, the oldest International Gay Bowling Organization (IGBO) tournament and the largest in the Southeast. Bowlers exhibiting “anywhere from great to mediocre to terrible bowling” according to Martin Erbele, the secretary of Atlanta’s IGBO league, compete in singles, doubles, and team competitions, finishing off the weekend on Easter Sunday with a brunch and awards ceremony. This year, 232 bowlers from across the country and Canada came to Atlanta for a weekend of fun, competition, and community.

While this year’s tournament has passed, the summer offers an opportunity to become involved with Atlanta’s bowling community. Local bowling enthusiast and United States Bowling Congress certified coach Brian Gordon will be hosting a six-week bowling camp from June 1 to July 6.

“My mom and my dad bowled, so we took it up because they had,” Gordon told Georgia Voice. “My mom kind of coached us, so we joined the Junior League when I was a kid. When I joined the service — I joined the Air Force — I bowled while I was in the service, probably five days a week I bowled when I was in the service. I played football, basketball, and baseball, but bowling was the one that you can kind of do for the rest of your life.”

While Gordon has been bowling for almost his entire life, you don’t have to be a lifelong bowler to participate. The camp, which will

be held every Saturday at noon at Bowlero Lilburn, is open to everyone: beginners looking for coaching, more seasoned players looking for some tweaking, those wanting to test some new equipment or techniques, or people looking for a fun, inexpensive Saturday afternoon activity. While bowling can get pricey (two hours at Bowlero on a Saturday afternoon costs $60 for two people), this commitment-free, drop-in camp costs $16 a person for three games.

“You can come and meet some people, see if you like it, and then see if you want to join the league later,” Gordon said.

While over 200 bowlers showed up for this year’s tournament, Atlanta’s bowling community has dwindled over the years.

According to Erbele, what used to be upward of six leagues shrank to just two last year, and those two leagues will be merging into one this year. Both Gordon and Erbele are interested in growing Atlanta’s gay bowling community.

The Rainbow Humpers league begins in the fall and bowls on Wednesday nights at 7:15 at Bowlmor Atlanta. Both the league and the Dogwood Invitational tournament are handicapped, which means that lower-level bowlers will be given a boost in score based on the percentage of the difference between their bowling average and an established basis average — meaning anybody can win, regardless of skill or ability. Whether you consider joining the league or just dropping in for this summer’s camp, bowling offers

an accessible opportunity to connect with others in Atlanta.

“I just think it’s a great all-levels, all-skills opportunity, regardless of your ability; the Dogwood tournament is a handicap tournament, and all of our leagues are handicap leagues,” Erbele said. “There’s no limitation on ability. You still compete, but it’s so much more than just the competition … It’s given my time in Atlanta really meaningful connection. I’ve met a lot of great people.”

To register for the summer bowling camp, contact Brian Gordon at briankgordon@ gmail.com or 954-610-4916. To learn more about the Dogwood Invitational tournament, visit dogwoodbowl.org.

The 2023-2024 Executive Board of the Dogwood Invitational Bowling Classic during a 9-pin no-tap event December 2, 2023, raising funds for the tournament and hosting a toy drive for Atlanta kids. From left: Martin Erbele (Secretary), Mike Tamburrino (Co-Director), Chas White (Co-Director) and Terri Paulk (Treasurer). COURTESY PHOTO

MAY 11–JUN 16

A stirring new musical inspired by the beloved blockbuster film and starring Amber Riley, Loretta Devine, Akron Lanier Watson, Donald Webber Jr, and many more!

The ‘Red Rose of Anarchy’: Rose Schneiderman, 1882–1972

This charging Aries with flaming red hair was born in Poland and grew until she reached 4’9” tall. Her tailor father and seamstress mother, unlike many Orthodox Jews, prioritized education for daughters. Precocious, Rose eventually learned to speak and write in four languages (English, Yiddish, Hebrew, and Russian). The family immigrated to the gritty tenements of the Lower East Side when she was five, joining the eventual two million Jews, Italians, etc. who landed there, largely to enter the garment manufacturing industries.

Her father died when she was 10 and the four children went into an orphanage for over a year. Reunited, Rose — as the eldest at age 13 — had to enter the workforce. Her factory burned down and the employees had to buy their own sewing machines to work again at this sweatshop. She witnessed girls getting their fingers, hands, and scalps maimed and saw workers with entire limbs torn off. Plus, she noted that the women workers were paid much less than the men.

Infuriated by the unfairness of it, more seasoned women workers schooled her in the important trifecta: socialism, trade unionism, and feminism.

In 1905, Rose co-organized a citywide strike that resulted in raises for women hat-makers.

“Each boss does the best he can to squeeze the workers to get the last penny out,” PBS’s “American Masters” quotes her as saying. “We must stand together.”

She caught the eye of the mostly Christian, middle-class women who’d formed the Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL). They pushed for worker legislation, such as the eighthour day. The wealthier WTUL members, dubbed “the Mink Brigade,” marveled at this natural-born leader and orator.

Rose manically organized 1909’s “Uprising of the 20,000,” when women garment workers struck. The Mink Brigade picketed alongside them as a buffer against the police, who physically attacked any strikers anywhere.

The 11-week strike, with newspaper accounts of police brutality and horrific working conditions, resulted in most garment factories signing protocols about wages, safety, and working conditions. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory didn’t sign, and on March 25, 1911, its fire killed 146 people, mostly young immigrant women.

At a commemorative meeting for the victims, which WTUL women and sympathizers attended, Rose exclaimed, “I would be a traitor to these poor burned bodies if I came here to talk good fellowship. We have tried you … and we have found you wanting … The life of men and women is so cheap and property is so sacred. There are so many of us for one job it matters little if 146 of us are burned to death.”

Mourning and organizing, Rose helped New York State in 1914 usher in the most progressive labor legislation of that time. And then there was suffrage. Clearly, women must have the vote!

Rose lectured on suffrage and labor and at a 1912 rally she met Maud O’Farrell Swartz, Irish-born printer and activist. Their “close friendship” was ended by Maud’s death in 1937. Today, we assume theirs was a lesbian relationship.

In 1926, Rose was elected president of the National WTUL. This brought her to the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt, which led to visits at Hyde Park and with Franklin. Rose so impressed him that she served on the National Labor Advisory Board, the sole woman to do so.

This working class, probably lesbian, Polish-Jewish immigrant who quit school at 13 to support her family wrote National Recovery Administration labor codes

“for every industry with a predominantly female workforce. She also helped to shape Social Security and the Fair Labor Standards Act,” according to the Jewish Women’s Archive.

Rose is best known for her speeches featuring “Bread and Roses” as things female workers deserved. Bread: sustenance, roses: art, schools, recreation, fresh air.

“What the woman who labors wants is the right to live, not simply exist ... the right to life, and the sun and music and art ... The worker must have bread, but she must have roses too,” she said.

In 1949, after almost 50 years of public life, Rose retired so she could write her memoirs and make the odd labor rally or radio speech. This first-wave feminist lived long enough to see the bubbling up of a new women’s movement, which also led to queer liberation. I think she would approve of all we’ve accomplished since.

María Helena Dolan

Rose Schneiderman PHOTO BY RECORDS OF THE NATIONAL WOMAN'S PARTY

In Unison: In Review

In Unison at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, one of the most unique and memorable event series in Atlanta, closes its current season on May 18. Next season’s launch is in September.

In Unison combines networking and the symphony for Atlanta’s LGBTQ community. Members enjoy a pre-show reception with a free buffet, open bar, and opportunities to connect with other symphony lovers before the show — along with complimentary tickets to other series concerts, discounts on additional performances, complimentary access to the Behind the Curtain virtual concert series, and presale access to special events.

I had the privilege of attending ASO’s most recent performance, the cantata “Carmina

Burana,” on March 24. If you are unfamiliar, the show puts to music excerpts from 13thcentury poems about hedonism, eroticism, and spring. The orchestra was accompanied by opera soloists and a choir, and to say the performance was breathtaking would be an understatement. Most are familiar with the opening and closing piece, “O Fortuna,” as it is often used in advertisements and television. The drama and emotion of the iconic piece perfectly encapsulate the swell and power of the entire cantata. It's sweeping and overwhelmingly beautiful, but also really funny and easily enjoyable — something you maybe don’t expect to get from the symphony.

That was the greatest part of the event: how accessible something as cerebral as classical music was made to be. This was my first ever visit to the symphony, and the formatting of the performance — with English translations

of the Latin lyrics projected on a small screen above the performers and ample background information included in the program — made it so that a world that I was once not a part of was made open to me.

This accessibility was emphasized by the pre-show In Unison reception. To not only be able to enjoy the distinct beauty of the symphony, but also to bond with new people over it too — people you know are either queer or LGBTQ accepting — is such a special opportunity that makes the symphony, a space that can be perceived as exclusive and cost prohibitive, feel like home.

This season ends on May 18 with Robert Spano conducting Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.” Many have speculated about the riot that disrupted the 1913 world premiere of “The Rite of Spring.” What

incited such a reaction? Was it the music or the choreography? Was it the subject matter (human sacrifice), or was it personal? No one knows for sure. “The Rite of Spring” might not incite a riot at the ASO, but it will deliver a thrilling sound experience and serve as the perfect celebration of the wellunderway springtime.

If you are not yet a member of In Unison, you can buy a single ticket to May 18’s performance and any of next season’s performances, which begin with Nathalie Stutzmann conducting “The Boy’s Magical Horn,” a wondrous world of storytelling drawn from centuries of folk poetry, on September 27. If you are interested in an In Unison membership, it is $200 per person and includes a total of eight tickets. To sign up, visit aso.org/concerts-tickets/specialoffers/in-unison.

In Unison at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA VIA FACEBOOK

Katie Burkholder

Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers Discusses ‘Revival’ Event and the Pair’s Huge Last Year

Jim Farmer

Indigo Girls have never rested on their laurels. Even now, with a new documentary about them out and “Closer to Fine” an integral part of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” Emily Saliers and Amy Ray are taking time to headline the August 28 “Revival” event at the Fox Theatre.

It’s a benefit that means much to both women. Hosted by Kevn Kinney of Drivin N Cryin and featuring special guests, “Revival” will raise money to help to restore and preserve historic theaters in Georgia, as well as Fox’s educational programs.

They felt honored to be invited, Saliers told Georgia Voice

“Kevn and Drivin N Cryin gave us a spot on the stage when we wanted to play clubs instead of folk,” she said. “He has been such an inspiration. It will be great to join him. It will be a whole hootenanny because we have Shawn Mullins, Matthew Sweet, and we look forward to meeting the guys from Blackberry Smoke.”

She calls the Fox one of the greatest venues in the country, a place where she has seen the likes of Janelle Monae, “Hamilton,” and many more artists and events. Saliers bristled when remembering there was once talk of tearing it down.

“Revival” raises money for community and small theaters.

“For the sheer goodness of the benefit itself, I am in 100 percent and so is Amy,” Saliers said. “This is the way we grew up playing at Little 5 Points with a bunch of people just sharing the stage. It’s a very community-oriented event, so it is in our wheelhouse for sure.”

The night is billed as a celebration of the area’s rich music and theater culture.

“Amy and I started when we were babies — we started when we were in high school,” she said. “There were all these opportunities to play all over Atlanta and then we got settled into Little 5 Points clubs and we started recording independent albums with John Keane, who was working with R.E.M. There was a strong connection between Atlanta and Athens’ music scenes, almost like sister cities.” She loves the rich culture and diversity of the live music scene, which she added also includes the rap and hip-hop scenes.

Saliers also acknowledged how much theater means to her. A fan of the local playhouses, her daughter is in a community theater — Decatur Community Players. The musician has also started to write music for musical theater.

“Everywhere I look there is an example of how live theater and live music enriches the community and Atlanta is chock-full of

that,” she said. “To get on the grand stage of the Fox with some local homeboys and play in celebration of that culture of art and the history of it is super cool.”

“It’s Only Life After All,” director Alexandria Bombach’s documentary about the musicians, recently played in film festivals and had a one-night national theatrical release. Saliers said Bombach edited “for like 3,000 hours or something inhuman” and was able to use Ray’s treasure trove of all their history.

“Alexandria did a brilliant job of telling the story of why we are who we are because of our community,” she said. “We have this career and this music and we have our politics and activism all because of being where we are from and meeting at elementary school, growing up at the same place. I think Atlanta and Georgia [are these] wonderful place[s] to be from and grow up and experience arts and

culture — and the queer community was always so vibrant and alive in Atlanta. It was the perfect way to grow up in the arms of a rich, challenging at times, environment.”

The film will eventually be available on VOD and, Saliers hopes, streaming.

Their signature track, “Closer to Fine,” was also prominent in the blockbuster hit “Barbie.” The two had no idea how much so until they saw the film.

“Greta did not contact us personally,” Saliers said. “I wish she had — I might have died if she had. We are such fans of Greta Gerwig. She went through the channels and our manager said, ‘What about this?’ We knew [the song] was going to be in the trailer, which was exciting enough, but we didn’t know if it was going to be in the movie or how much. To have it be an integral part of the story — I still feel like a kid in a candy store. We have been doing this for 40 years, and these gifts keep dropping out of the sky for us. ‘Barbie’ was very exciting; we are not often part of mainstream pop culture in that way. And then to admire Greta’s work and have the song fit into the story was validating and thrilling and exciting, like –how did this happen?”

The pair’s music was also prominent in the recent gay-themed film, “Glitter + Doom,” and Saliers and Ray had cameos in it as well.

Indigo Girls are touring now before the Fox event and in August will tour with a band and Melissa Etheridge for a few weeks. “We’ve crossed paths but it’s been a long time. We’ve never done anything like this together. [Everyone] is very excited.”

With so much happening, people ask Saliers if there will be a new Indigo Girls album soon — and she is hopeful the duo can release one in 2026.

Indigo Girls PUBLICITY PHOTO

Queer Characters

Feature in ‘Fat Ham’ and ‘Mercury;’

‘The People’s Joker’ is a Trans Coming of Age Story

For performer Marshall W. Mabry IV, who has lived in Atlanta most of their life, getting to be in the cast of the new Alliance production of “Fat Ham” is an absolute joy. The play, a Pulitzer Prize winner that played Broadway last year, is about Juicy, a Black Southern college kid who is queer and encounters the ghost of his dead father, who wants him to avenge his murder. Juicy is already dealing with his own issues, such as identity and loss, and now his plate gets much fuller on the day his mother is planning a barbeque.

“The play is — to kill or not to,” Mabry said. “What is at stake? Will I lose part of what makes me special if I do?”

They describe the work — written by James Ijames — as a tragicomedy, an episode of “Martin” that meets “Moonlight” with 15 minutes of “American Idol” and then “Hamlet.” Mabry has played the role of Juicy before in a Boston production that was the first regional production. Their journey started in 2021; they were 19 when they had their first audition. The script literally stopped them in their tracks. They were determined to get the role and eventually did. They said it’s an ideal fit.

“[The play] describes Juicy as soft, thick, pensive and gay,” they said. “Soft in body and temperament. It was the first time I had had a play mention me and who I was. It made me feel seen in a way I had never felt before. It was earth-shattering. It’s ‘Hamlet’

and every generation gets a ‘Hamlet,’ and I thought it was interesting that James said [the character] looked like me, loved like me. I did a Ted Talk at 17 on ‘To Be or Not to Be’ and talked about how many of us are not welcome in these classical spaces.”

Actor’s Express has staged much of the work of playwright Steve Yockey over the years, and his “Mercury” is now up and running. Yockey describes it as a revenge play — one with blood and some gay characters. It centers on several different storylines that collide with each other in Portland, Oregon.

“Things get dark,” Yockey said with a laugh.

The deep ensemble cast includes Carolyn Cook, Suehyla E. Young, and Kate Donadio MacQueen.

The show is directed by Yockey’s frequent collaborator, Melissa Foulger — who he calls a badass — and the two have been working together for two decades.

“We started listing projects together the other night and we stopped because it was not healthy,” he said. “We have always gotten along. Atlanta is lucky to have her because she is this intuitive and effective director. She is not afraid of spectacle, and she knows how to hold onto the core idea when things get crazy.”

Although LGBTQ characters appear in most of his work, Yockey said he’s more about presenting gay people living their lives rather than writing a piece that is an “exploration of.”

When Vera Drew took her parody film, “The

People’s Joker” — which she had worked on for years — to the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022, she had no idea what would happen next. The movie, which she directed, co-wrote (with Bri LeRose) and stars in, is about an aspiring clown dealing with gender identity while wanting to become part of a comedy program in Gotham City. While at the festival, Warner Brothers sent her a “strongly worded email” discussing potential infringement on its brand. That was very intimidating, and Drew wound up pulling the film for a while and has slowly been getting it back out into the world.

The idea to make it started off as a way to process what it was like coming out while working in comedy.

“I had been in comedy my whole life,” she said. “I started doing sketch [comedy] and improv when I was 13 at Second City in Chicago. I was very much a theater gay as a kid but deeply, deeply closeted — but I was also a comedy theater gay, which is kind of an aesthetic I like to think the crop of teens at Second City youth program started. It was

this space in my life where I could process identity. I did drag, and it was good for me. It really saved my ass, especially in high school and college.”

But as time went on, it also became a space that kept her locked in self-deprecation. By the time Drew was coming out as trans and settling into it, she felt she had no identity anymore and was riddled with confusion. The initial idea for the film was a story about a drag queen who was physically addicted to irony. A lot of that became part of “The People’s Joker,” but it didn’t become a queer comic book parody until the spring of 2020 when she and LeRose decided to make a “Joker” parody and make it autobiographical. After the delay, Drew is happy to see a film with a trans character in the lead get distribution at theaters around the country.

“Fat Ham” runs through May 19 at the Alliance Theatre

“Mercury” runs through April 28 at Actor’s Express

“The People’s Joker” is now in area theaters

Jim Farmer

Clockwise from top: “Fat Ham,” “The People’s Joker,” and “Mercury.” PUBLICITY PHOTOS

Katie Burkholder

Atlanta Bear Pride

Warm Up Party

APRIL 19, 7PM

WOOFS

No cover.

Myah Ross Monroe’s House of Love

APRIL 19, 9PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

Featuring Just Jermaine, Malaysia Black, Lacie Bruce, Tatiana Tuesday Dickerson, A’Jivan Avioncé Dickerson, Chavon Scott, and Jeremiah Tymes Starr. $5 cover.

Ron Pullman

APRIL 19, 11PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

$5 cover.

Atlanta Bear Pride

Friday XION

APRIL 20, 3AM

FUTURE ATLANTA

With DJ Nick Bertossi. Tickets at atlantabearpride.com.

ATL Royals Beer Bust

APRIL 20, 4PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

$10 beer bust, Jell-O shots, and a 50/50 raffle, all benefitting the ATL Royals.

WussyFest Main Event!

APRIL 20, 8PM

UNDERGROUND ATLANTA

Featuring performances from Alt3r, AMEN, Apsen York, Chapel Beauty, Disco Dollz, EllaSaurus Rex, Ivy Fischer, KING ME, Jarvis Hammer, Phoenix, Stasha Sanchez, Taylor ALXNDR, and Symone. Tickets via Eventbrite.

Atlanta Eagle Cabaret

APRIL 20, 9PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

Starring Lena Lust, Shawnna Brooks, Misti Shores, Elea Atlanta, Niesha Dupree, and Bubba Dee. $5 cover.

Unwrapped Burlesque Show

APRIL 20, 9PM

MY SISTER’S ROOM

Featuring performances by Thomas A. Eddyson, Candi Le Coeur, Violin Hipz, Ebony Delight, and Flux Inqueerior. $10 cover.

EVENT SPOTLIGHT

Atlanta Bear Pride Friday XION

APRIL 20, 3AM

FUTURE ATLANTA

With DJ Nick Bertossi (pictured). Tickets at atlantabearpride.com. Photo via Facebook

Puff Puff Pass: A Queer 420 Dance Party

APRIL 20, 10PM

MOM SAID IT’S OK

Featuring DJ sets by Ectopus, Suga Rice, and Yoni Yacht Club. Tickets at sfqp.info/puff420.

Sidepiece

APRIL 20, 10PM

DISTRICT ATLANTA

Tickets at collectivpresents.com.

WussyFest Late Night:

Queer Dance Party

APRIL 20, 10PM

FUTURE ATLANTA

420 in the Clouds

APRIL 20, MIDNIGHT

MY SISTER’S ROOM

Featuring performances by Mrs. Ivana, Ada Manzhart, Elea Atlanta, and Taejah L. Thomas, plus music by DJ Michael Wülf and DJ Face.

Atlanta Bear Pride

Saturday XION

APRIL 21, 3AM

BELIEVE MUSIC HALL

With J Warren. Tickets at future-atlanta.com.

WussyFest Tea Dance

APRIL 21, 3PM

PARK TAVERN

With music by Abby Dear, Brian Rojas, GeeXella, JayBella Bankz, NeonHorror, and Zaida Zane. Tickets via Eventbrite.

Atlanta Bear Pride

Sunday Funday

APRIL 21, 4PM

WOOFS

Sunday Stampede

APRIL 21, 7PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

Dance lessons with Daniel and music from DJ Dice. No cover.

Karaoke Night

APRIL 21, 7:30PM

THE T

Shameless Sunday:

Atlanta Bear Pride

APRIL 21, 11:55PM

FUTURE ATLANTA

Hosted by Kyra Mora and Tristan Panucci, with music by DJ Karlitos. $10 cover.

Country Night

APRIL 23, 8PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

Dance lessons at 8pm before line dancing the night away with DJ Dice.

Trivia Night

APRIL 23, 8:30PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

With DJ DeWayne.

Karaoke Night

APRIL 25, 9PM

THE T

Rock Haus Karaoke

APRIL 25, 9PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

Hosted by Raqi.

Myah Ross Monroe’s House of Love

APRIL 26, 9PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

Featuring Just Jermaine, Malaysia Black, Lacie Bruce, Tatiana Tuesday Dickerson, A’Jivan

A joyous queer dance party hosted by DJ Kimber. Tickets via Eventbrite.

LGBTQ NIGHTLIFE FORECAST APRIL 19-MAY 3

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

Avioncé Dickerson, Chavon Scott, and Jeremiah Tymes Starr. $5 cover.

Benny Benassi

APRIL 26, 10PM

DISTRICT ATLANTA

Tickets at collectivpresents.com.

Atlanta Eagle Cabaret

APRIL 27, 9PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

Starring Lena Lust, Shawnna Brooks, Misti Shores, Elea Atlanta, Niesha Dupree, and Bubba Dee. $5 cover.

Mirage and Morphine Love Dion

APRIL 27, 10PM

MY SISTER’S ROOM

Mirage and Morphine Love Dion from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 headline this incredible show, along with Arrianna Paris, Brigitte Bidet, Drew Friday, Ganymede, JayBella Banks, and Stella Pearl Fontaine. Tickets at wussymag.com

Karaoke Night

APRIL 28, 7:30PM

THE T

Trivia Night

APRIL 30, 8:30PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

With DJ DeWayne.

Karaoke Night

MAY 2, 9PM

THE T

Rock Haus Karaoke

MAY 2, 9PM

ATLANTA EAGLE

Hosted by Raqi.

William Black:

The Nature of Hope Tour

MAY 3, 10PM

DISTRICT ATLANTA

Tickets at bit.ly/WILLIAMATL2024.

Ron Pullman

MAY 3, 11PM

ATLANTA EAGLE $5 cover.

EVENT SPOTLIGHT

Benny Benassi

APRIL 26, 10PM

DISTRICT ATLANTA

Tickets at collectivpresents.com. Photo via Facebook