04/24/20, Vol. 11 Issue 3

voice

georgia VOL.11 • ISSUE 3

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GUEST EDITORIAL

Déjà Vu All Over Again Cathy Woolard If you are LGBTQ and over 50, you’ve been in this movie before. If you are an ally of the same age—in health care or the funeral business, you’ve been here too.

And Dr. Anthony Fauci? Well, here he is again, helping us sort out the science from the fear, delivering messages that no wants to hear but that everyone must heed. Heck, we even have a President who doesn’t want to acknowledge how bad things are, much less do anything timely about it.

I don’t know about you, but I’m already reading the obituaries every day looking for people who’ve died that I may know or know of. Reading between the lines to see if the cause of death was COVID-19.

Wondering if shame and stigma keep families from acknowledging the truth. And shaking my head and feeling sad when I see people, particularly young people, not listening, not understanding, not obeying the warnings to change their behavior in order to curb the spread of the virus, to stay healthy and avoid infecting others.

Yes, it’s like déjà vu all over again, as baseball great Yogi Berra once said.

There’s no real good news about the coronavirus right now. I’ve got nothing good to say about HIV or AIDS either, but it did teach us a few things. First, we have to rely on community to get us through this. For the LGBTQ community in the late ’80s it was particularly hard, because many of us weren’t out and we had to build a community. Fast. And because our people were dying all around us, we took the risks, kicked open the closet doors, and built and embraced our chosen families in unprecedented ways. We were young, afraid and fighting for our lives.

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

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condoms and washing hands can defeat something we can’t see. We know that helping other people makes us better and stronger. We know we are going to lose a lot of people we love and some we don’t. It’s going to hurt. And the people who will hurt the most will be those most marginalized and isolated already.

We did the hard stuff. Nursed people we knew, and when they died, we kept

We know that challenging the political status quo is necessary to replace the people who refuse to act on behalf of people and instead exploit this crisis for politics and personal gain. building on what we learned and nursed people we didn’t know. We helped people with massively compromised immune systems survive isolation, unemployment, rejection, depression, and serious, mostly deadly, illness. We built organizations like Open Hand to feed people. Like ACT UP, which challenged Dr. Fauci, our President and anyone else who wouldn’t listen to us— until they did. Like multitudes of political organizations, urging them to start changing the leaders who, at best, wouldn’t help, and at worst, tried to punish us.

And a million of us converged on Washington to march for our lives. Get someone to tell you what it was like that day in 1987 when Pee-wee Herman’s word of the day was “OUT” and we all converged on the subway and saw each other in such numbers for the first time.

None of these actions stopped HIV or AIDS. But they changed us for the better.

Our community emerged more connected, healthier, and better equipped to change our future for the better. If you didn’t live through this, now you know how we got here. A virus propelled us down the path to who we are now.

We have a responsibility to share what we know with the rest of the world. We understand the need to practice safe sex as well as physical distancing. We know that

Start with yourself. Change your behavior.

Stay home. Wash your hands and wear a mask. Get your friends to do the same.

Then start reaching out. Make some phone calls. Check on people and see how you can help. Use our considerable creativity and connections to teach the world what we learned 40 years ago about conquering a virus.

Follow the lead of Rep. John Lewis and make “good trouble.” Do the easy stuff first—participate in the census so we get our share of public health dollars. Register to vote so you can help turn Trump, Kemp, and others out of office. Get your absentee ballot and cast a vote in the primary on June 9. A high turnout will send a message to our Governor, the President, and political leaders up and down the ballot that the reckoning is coming. We have a responsibility to take what we know and make a better world out of it. Create the kind of community that you want to see when we all emerge, blinking in the light, with bad hair, (COVID-)19 extra pounds, and the opportunity to hold and behold one another again.

Cathy Woolard served on the Atlanta City Council from 1998 to 2002, and was President of the Council from 2002 to 2004.

When she began her term, she was the first openly gay elected official in Georgia history, and she was the first woman to be President of the Council April 24, 2020 Editorial 3

NEWS

Coronavirus Hits College Campuses Students are adjusting to a new way of life

Emory University PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

Katie Burkholder Everyone’s life has been touched by the coronavirus pandemic, including college students. One by one, colleges and universities in Atlanta and across the state have closed to protect students from the virus. Classes have moved online, kids were forced out of housing, and graduation ceremonies have been canceled. Daily college life has completely changed, forcing many students to quickly adjust.

As news of the coronavirus unfolded last month and the severity of the pandemic became clearer to everyone, student housing was one of the first things to go. Before classes even moved online, students living in dorms were told to vacate—some quicker than desired. Mary Mangual, a senior at Emory University who has written for Georgia Voice, was one such student. However, with family living in McDonough, Mangual was luckier than most.

“We had only a week to move out,” Mangual told Georgia Voice. “I know for some people, that turnaround logistically and financially couldn’t work. Most people were on spring break and now had to buy two plane tickets … It was a lot [of Emory] to ask.” According to Mangual, students who were worried about going back to older parents and highrisk family members for fear of infecting them were still forced to move out. “I had a very big problem with the way they handled requests for [housing] extensions,” she said.

“That was way too much uncertainty to be throwing on people who desperately need to stay … that, to me, is absurd.”

Liam Oweida, a junior at Georgia Tech, had a similar experience. He moved back in with family in Georgia after getting kicked out.

He said a select few students were allowed to stay on campus. “[Y]ou could only stay if you were in one of a few specific cases, like if 4 News April 24, 2020

“We had only a week to move out. I know for some people, that turnaround logistically and financially couldn’t work. Most people were on spring break and now had to buy two plane tickets … It was a lot [of Emory] to ask.”

– Mary Mangual, a senior at Emory University

you’re an international student and travel to your country is banned,” he said.

Soon after students were told they would need to leave their dorms came the news of online classes. For many, especially those who hadn’t taken an online class before, this adjustment was not an easy one to make. “It’s been far more difficult to do schoolwork,” Oweida said of the online transition. “It definitely doesn’t feel like I’m in school anymore. Three of my classes aren’t doing videos or [virtual] meetings at all, so I just have to scrape together what resources I can find online.”

Reagan Sapp, a senior at Georgia State University, also found the transition difficult, but says professors have so far been understanding. “It was slow going at first,” Sapp said. “I feel like this caught all of us, including the administration, off guard … [but] the faculty at Georgia State are so amazing, they’ve been cool about it.”

While the online transition has affected all students, some were caught in extenuating circumstances because of the pandemic.

Morgan Wiese, also a senior at Georgia State, had a spring break study abroad trip to Italy canceled. The trip would have accounted for credits she needed to graduate. After weeks of communication with the professor—“It took two or three weeks before we got the full picture of what the semester was going to look like for us”—Wiese finally learned the credits wouldn’t be dropped; the trip would just be replaced with a paper. Apart from the communication issues, Wiese said she was disappointed about the trip’s cancellation, but understanding. “There was some sadness and fear [about graduating], but after that blew over, I just accepted it was the new normal,” she said.

One of the most disappointing effects this pandemic, though, is on the class 2020. Mangual, Sapp, and Wiese will graduate this semester, but none will

of of all be

having a commencement ceremony. “[I]t is disappointing to go through all four years and [not get] graduation and the opportunity to be recognized with everybody else you’ve worked so hard with,” Sapp said.

Wiese agreed, saying the end of her college career will be anticlimactic. “For me, graduation … was more just a way to have a conclusion, to actually know I’m done with college and my bachelor’s degree,” she said.

Mangual was also disappointed, but felt even worse for the students who were the first in their families to graduate college. “The people it really sucks for are the first-generation students,” she said. “That’s a big blow for their families to not be able to see that.”

According to Mangual, Emory has reached out to students regarding somehow replacing the ceremony, but a conclusion has yet to be made. Sapp said she hasn’t yet heard anything from Georgia State about making up the ceremony.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

NEWS

Gov. Kemp Announces Plan to Reopen Businesses Amid COVID-19 Pandemic Katie Burkholder

Gov. Brian Kemp PHOTO VIA TWITTER

Governor Brian Kemp has announced that several businesses will be allowed to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, body art studios, barbers, cosmetologists, hair designers, nail care artists, estheticians, and their respective schools, and massage therapists will be allowed to reopen on Friday, April 24 “due to favorable data and more testing,” Kemp, a Republican, announced Monday.

“Georgia: 14th highest infection/7th lowest testing rate … [thousands] of low-wage workers [are] already forced to risk their lives to make a living,” former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams wrote on Twitter. “Weakened healthcare [with] closed rural hospitals, no Medicaid expansion & a doctor shortage. Reopen?

Dangerously incompetent.”

However, it will not be “business as usual,” as these businesses must follow 20 “minimum basic operations:” 1. screening workers for fever and respiratory illness 2. requiring symptomatic workers not to come into work 3. enhancing workplace sanitation 4. requiring hand washing or sanitation by workers 5. providing personal protective equipment as available 6. prohibiting gatherings of workers 7. permitting outdoor breaks and meals 8. holding meetings and conferences virtually when possible 9. delivering intangible services remotely when possible 10. discouraging workers from using other workers’ tools and equipment 11. prohibiting handshakes and other unnecessary person-to-person contact 12. placing notices encouraging hand hygiene 13. suspending the use of keypads and similar technology 14. providing alternate points of sale outside of buildings 15. increasing physical space between workers and customers 16. wearing masks and gloves if appropriate 17. separating workspaces by six feet TheGeorgiaVoice.com

Protective Equipment] because Kemp has failed again and again at handling this crisis,” the Georgia Democrats tweeted.

“Today’s choice will endanger more Georgians’ lives.”

Charlotte Clymer, the Rapid Response Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, called the decision “a recipe for disaster.”

18. teleworking if possible 19. implementing staggered shifts, and 20. providing disinfectant and sanitation products to workers.

Phase One allows for large venues like movie theaters to reopen, as long as they follow social distancing protocols (patrons must be kept six feet apart).

Additionally, movie theaters, private social clubs, and dine-in restaurants will be allowed to reopen on Monday, April 27. These businesses will remain subject to social distancing and sanitation mandates, however.

Bars, nightclubs, amusement parks, and live performance venues will remain closed.

Georgians will also be allowed to attend in-person church services, though Kemp advised churchgoers to “always practice social distancing” and encouraged “online and remote services.”

Despite confirmed cases in Georgia rapidly nearing 20,000, Kemp said the state is “on track” to reach the Phase One plateau of the White House’s guidelines to state reopenings, which were released last week.

To enter Phase One, a state must show either a “downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period” or a “downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period.” Arrival into

In a press briefing on Monday, Kemp claimed that, according to the Department of Public Health, “reports of emergency room visits for flu-like illnesses are declining, documented COVID-19 cases have flattened and appear to be declining, and we have seen declining emergency room visits in general.”

This decision has garnered ample criticism against Kemp. “Georgia is already lagging behind on testing and our health care providers don’t have enough [Personal

“Friends in Georgia: I am urging you to stay home as much as possible, regardless of what your governor says,” she said in a tweet.

“This is a recipe for disaster, and I cannot stress enough the danger at hand. Please protect yourself and those around you: if you’re able, stay home.”

According to the AJC, Kemp said he doesn’t “give a damn about politics now” and that he’s more concerned about residents “going broke worried about whether they can feed their children and make the mortgage payment.”

Kemp’s Shelter-in-Place order, which he issued in early April, will remain in place until April 30. The statewide public health emergency status does not end until May 13, and the governor has advised that elderly and medically fragile residents should stay sheltered in place until then.

At press time Georgia Voice was in the process of contacting local restaurants to see what their plans were for reopening on 4/27. Visit www.thegavoice.com for updated information on restaurant openings and their restrictions.

April 24, 2020 News 5

NATIONAL NEWS

New York Nurse Describes a City in Crisis Philip Van Slooten, Writer for Washington Blade

Day notices a lot of changes in a short amount of time. He rides the subway to work and notices the E train during rush hour between Manhattan and Queens is usually standing room only even on a “slow” day. Now, there are only the “essential” and the financially desperate wearing masks as they warily eye one another.

Jeff Day, a post-op nurse at a Mount Sinai hospital in New York, used to celebrate with patients recovering from gender-affirming surgeries. Now, he informs callers if they’ve tested positive for COVID-19.

Almost overnight this 49-year-old gay nurse and displaced southerner, found himself like many health care workers on the frontlines against a global pandemic. And once again, New York City is ground zero.

Less than two months ago, Day was assigned to a post-surgical care unit where he worked with transgender patients who had just completed gender-confirmation surgery. When those surgeries were categorized as “elective” at the start of the crisis in New York, he was redeployed to another Mount Sinai hospital where he answers phone calls for patients who have been seen by their physician and now are awaiting COVID-19 test results.

“Earlier in this crisis when I would call a patient and let them know they have COVID, I would receive a much stronger reaction,” Day said. “Before I would get: What does this mean? I live with my grandmother! Do I have to move out? It was all very doomsday.”

Now, callers worry about jobs and lost wages.

Others quietly accept their fate.

Day said it feels surreal to leave his apartment building in Queens, and see all the old familiar places now quiet and almost dormant during his eerie walk to work.

“I certainly fear bringing COVID back home,” he said, thinking of his partner, Matthew, who also works in health care. “I fear that just leaving to go to the grocery store.”

It has only been a little over a month since the first coronavirus case was confirmed in New York on March 1. Since then, the state has seen more than 195,000 cases and more than 10,000 deaths, including that of Kious Kelly, an assistant nurse manager at a Mount Sinai cardiac observation unit. His death 6 National News April 24, 2020

Firefighters applaud New York City health care workers earlier this month. (Photo courtesy of Washington Blade)

from coronavirus on March 24, prompted protests from healthcare workers demanding more protective gear.

“At this point we assume everyone is positive,” Day said. “I got to that point about a week ago when I saw somewhere in the media that we should behave as if everyone is positive, and that made sense for me.”

Despite the danger, Day continues to report to work and perform the often grim duty he’s been assigned. For him, this is his new routine under New York’s shelter-in-place order implemented on March 20.

As he walks the streets in his mask, with a jacket covering his scrubs against the early morning chill, a few scattered people wear masks of their own and stare suspiciously at one another. He quickly heads into a Dunkin Donuts for coffee.

“One change that I can now recognize, and that I take as a small win, is the reduction of hysteria in the phone calls that I receive.

I think that is because of the education that the public has received.”

As he leaves the donut shop, a man sees his scrubs and shouts thanks through a mask for Day’s service as a health care worker. The middle-aged nurse’s heart melts from the love New Yorkers are unafraid to show for their first responders.

“It reminded me of 9/11,” he said, becoming emotional as he remembered a police officer he saw and thanked during that grim time.

But he admits there are some things that are the same that shouldn’t be.

“The blood donation ban is a problem,” Day said, his voice taking a serious tone. “It went from 12 months to a three-month ban.

But in my opinion that is still too long— it should be a zero-day ban. It is based too much on perception still. Science does not support a ban of any kind, as evidenced by the lifting in numerous countries.”

Day is also upset by his transfer from working with post-op transgender patients.

“I personally view it as life-saving surgery, like a coronary bypass,” he explained.

“Something that someone needs urgently.

Ultimately, the decision is a collaboration between the patient’s primary care provider, surgeon and other professionals such as social workers and psychologists. There are a number of experts who chime in in order to prepare the patient for surgery.”

Day added that the patient often waited a year or longer to finally have the surgery only to have it canceled as “elective.”

“That compounds the anxiety for patients who have been waiting so long to get to this point,” he said.

“I don’t feel as safe on the train as before all of this started,” Day admitted. “It’s a very different world now. The number of homeless makes me feel less safe because since there are fewer riders, there is more room for them.

The beggars are more aggressive since there aren’t as many people to beg from.”

While he makes the perilous train ride to a virus ground zero, he looks out the window and notices what he feels are far too many people still on the streets.

“People need to stay at home and they are just not staying there,” he said in frustration.

“Ideally, I would like to see no one on the streets at all. And that’s coming from someone who just cannot stand to be cooped up. But things aren’t improving. Not even close.”

Still, the ride gives Day time to think about how he ended up in this situation. The memory brings a smile. His thoughts drift to his childhood in the South.

“I worked at McDonalds and I was fired because I was was a stupid high schooler who didn’t take it seriously,” he laughed, recalling his youth in Columbia, S.C. “I needed a way to supplement my income. I saw on a career board a post for a nursing assistant and I saw it paid more money.”

The experience was challenging, but he quickly fell in love with it.

“I found rewards working as a nursing assistant that I didn’t find working at a drive thru,” he explained. “I enjoyed the ‘thank yous,’ the smiles, the appreciation, the admiration and the respect.”

To read more of the story, go to www.thegavoice.com TheGeorgiaVoice.com

NATIONAL NEWS

Trump Executive Order to Suspend US Immigration for 60 Days Michael K. Lavers, Writer for Washington Blade Advocacy groups on Tuesday sharply criticized President Trump over his executive order that will effectively stop immigration into the U.S. “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our great American citizens, I will be signing an executive order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States,” proclaimed Trump late Monday in a tweet that referred to the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump during the White House Coronavirus Task Force’s daily press briefing on Tuesday announced the “temporary suspension of immigration into the U.S.” will remain in place for 60 days.

The New York Times reported the order only applies to those who are seeking green cards that would allow them to permanently live and work in the U.S. It is not immediately clear if the order would apply to refugees or asylum recipients.

Trump said he will likely sign the order on Wednesday.

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf on Monday announced the U.S.Canada border and the U.S.-Mexico border will remain closed to non-essential travel for an additional 30 days. Wolf at the March 20 press conference that announced the closures said undocumented immigrants will not be allowed into the U.S. “As President Trump stated last week, border control, travel restrictions, and other limitations remain critical to slowing the spread of coronavirus and allowing the phased opening of the country,” said Wolf on Monday in a tweet.

The suspension of international flights and border closures have essentially stopped immigration into the U.S. Trump’s announcement also coincides with continued criticism of the White House’s response to TheGeorgiaVoice.com

Above: Thousands of migrants currently live in a camp in the Mexican border city of Matamoros, which is across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas. The Washington Blade visited this camp in January. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers) Right: A man uses a makeshift ladder to scale a fence that marks the Mexico-U.S. border in Tijuana, Mexico, on Feb. 26, 2020. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest statistics from Johns Hopkins University and Medicine indicate there are 820,104 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and 44,228 deaths. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, among many others, have said the White House needs to do more to address the shortage of testing in the country before stay-at-home orders can be relaxed and businesses are able to reopen.

the Washington Blade on Tuesday noted “immigration processes are largely frozen across the world; many borders remain closed and international travel is negligible.”

“As such, President Trump’s tweet announcing an upcoming executive order temporarily banning all immigration is redundant and only serves to blame foreigners for effects of the pandemic, instead of seeking solutions to the global problem,” said Stern.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday said there are 253 confirmed coronavirus cases among detainees who are in their detention centers. Immigration Equality is among the groups that continue to demand ICE release people with HIV and detainees who are at increased risk for th virus.

The Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration is a Minnesota-based organization that works with LGBTQ migrants and refugees around the world. Jardín de las Mariposas, an LGBTQ migrant shelter in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, is among those with which ORAM has partnered.

Immigration ‘largely frozen across the world’ OutRight Action International Executive Director Jessica Stern in a statement to

ORAM Executive Director Steve Roth on Tuesday sharply criticized Trump.

“What the president is proposing is not only in

violation of international and domestic law, it will also have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers,” Roth told the Blade in a statement. “This is especially true of LGBTQ migrants who face higher rates of violence and discrimination at the border due to their sexual orientation and gender identity and who have higher rates of HIV and other underlying health conditions.”

“This is a travesty and a new low for this administration,” he added.

Roth and Stern spoke with the Blade before Trump addressed his executive order at the White House. The Blade will provide additional details and reaction when they become available.

April 24, 2020 National News 7

YOUR VOICE

Census 2020 is Complicated for the LGBTQ Community, but It Counts Glenn D. Magpantay, Executive Director National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA)

traditionally underrepresented, a voice in the halls of power.

It’s Mandatory and Ensuring Safety The census is required by law. People can be fined $100 for not responding. Federal law also ensures that personal information is private and may not be shared with the immigration service, IRS, or law enforcement.

By now, everyone should have received a mailing from the U.S. Census Bureau to get counted. I have complicated feelings about the census.

While the census is critically important to ensure a fair allocation of funding for services and political representation, it will not deliver the full acceptance and freedom of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. After all, it’s a government survey. It will not capture the breadth of human experience in America today. So why are my feelings about it “complicated?

It’s About Me and Who I Am Some aspects of my identity are reflected in the census. I’m gay. There is no census question asking about sexual orientation.

Yet, the relationship question counts same-sex married spouses and unmarried partners. While being a same-sex couple is a poor proxy for sexual orientation, the 2010 census uncovered over 700,000 same-sex couples in the U.S. I’m a dad of an adopted African American child. Many LGBTQ people build families through adoption. The census counts transracial families. In fact, every year census data is used to allocate $8 Billion for foster care and adoption assistance that can help queers start families.

But It Doesn’t Reflect My Community At the same time, my community is erased. Trans and gender non-conforming people must respond to a binary sex question. They must choose between their sex assigned at birth or how they identity today. The census asks about biology, not identity, and today while Facebook has over 52 genders, the U.S. government 8 Community Strong April 24, 2020

Glenn D. Magpantay COURTESY PHOTO

only has two. It sucks.

Even India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Washington, and Oregon states recognize a third gender. I and my organization, the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) have urged the Census Bureau to recognize all of our community.

It’s Critically Important In the midst of the CO-VID 19 pandemic, health care is especially critical. The census is used to allocate $311 Billion in medical assistance annually, according to the George Washington University Institute for Public Policy. More resources flow to where there is greater need based on the relative size of the population.

I teach a class on Asian American Queerness at Hunter College CUNY. So many of my students benefit from the $29 Billion in financial aid (Pell Grants) for college every year.

I came out in the 1980s, at the height of the AIDS crisis. When I was in ACT UP, I fought hard to stop the spread of HIV/ AIDS. The census continues to be used to allocate $645 Million in HIV funding.

I could go on and recount the importance of an accurate census: • $457 Million for community mental health services • $133 Million for domestic violence prevention programs that guard against same-sex intimate partner violence • $48 Million for community arts programs and for queer and trans artists • $4.7 Million to prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation of elders The more people who respond to the Census, the more likely resources will flow to under-resourced communities.

It’s About Political Power and Influence But for me the most importance aspect of the census is the political influence that the data drives. The census can be a check on the outsized political influence that some intolerant states command when apportioning congressional seats among the states based on population.

Census data is also used to redraw Congressional, State Legislative and City Council district boundaries to make them equal in population. Sure, some districts can be gerrymandered. But voting rights advocates can also use the data to draw districts that give communities of color, and those who have be

I am a lawyer. I reviewed the law and was delighted to find that the confidentiality protections have been upheld and strengthened by the courts. Yet, even in light of the strict penalties for those who violate the protections, I am still concerned.

NQAPIA is monitoring the census to keep our community safe. We have lawyers ready to sue if there are breaches and who are available to answer questions. You can report problem to us at http://bit.ly/2ULyiLy The way I see it, getting LGBTQ people to participate in the census is ultimately about harm reduction. The data collected is inherently under-represents the multiplicity of our identities. It can feel reductive and often dehumanizing, but it is necessary because of the very real implications towards how the government will allocate resources and representation. The census holds a lasting impact. To be missed is to be gone for the next ten years.

Let’s be counted.

Glenn D. Magpantay is a long-time civil rights lawyer who led community education and advocacy efforts for Census 2000 and 2010. He is Executive Director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA)—a federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander organizations.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

YOUR VOICE

Twisted Soul Cookhouse and Pours owners Deborah VanTrece (l) and Lorraine Lane COURTESY PHOTO

Eat, Drink, Wash Your Hands Lorraine D. Lane Co-Owner of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours

my breath. Tables were cleared. The bar was missing its mats. The silence was deafening. No one was cooking, no vendors coming in, nothing new on the menu or bar for me to try. The sounds of Twisted Soul were gone and I immediately worried that the “soul” of our restaurant had been stolen by the coronavirus.

This past week, I was sitting in the restaurant my wife and I own, Twisted Soul Cookhouse and Pours. Just like every other locally owned restaurant, we are in a daze. Some moments we seem to think we may have the answers, then other moments we are trying to figure out what is best for our employees, our family and the business overall.

The memories of who we were as a business just three weeks ago haunt me. I can see the guests at the tables and servers doing what servers do. The restaurant was alive—unlike what I am experiencing now.

I wasn’t home when we had to shift gears from being a full-service restaurant and bar to a takeout service. The impact for me was delayed. When I got home, I immediately went to the restaurant like a parent rushing TheGeorgiaVoice.com

My composure was wavering, and I needed to keep a brave face so that those around me didn’t despair. I went into the restroom to pray and cry. to the emergency room after hearing that their child had been harmed. Deborah had warned me over the phone that the place would look and feel different. How could that be, I thought, as the Uber driver pulled up to our Huff Road address.

As I walked into Twisted Soul; I lost

This pandemic has affected the hospitality industry in ways no one could imagine. As we are navigating this crisis, I have come to realize that the hospitality industry understands and readily demonstrates the true meaning of caring for your neighbor. We have come together to feed each other, pass a few dollars that we have stowed away for a rainy day, and drink on Facebook live to keep each other

grounded and numb to the political foolery.

Our chefs are cooking online, cooking in their kitchens for us, and trying to find some form of normalcy in this crazy time.

This weekend I went into the restaurant to nurture our outside plants. The plants looked as sad as I felt. As I removed weeds from the planters, I realized that some of their roots had grown deeply into the metal containers. They had taken hold and made it difficult for me to remove them. I was determined, and I pulled and pulled until old roots were gone and new soil was ready to be put into the pot. I believe that we are at a place where we have the opportunity to plant new flowers, replacing with new soil and new ideas. We can press forward to create a beautiful new planter of gorgeous flowers.

Remember, my fellow hospitality gurus: Eat, Drink and Wash Your Hands.

April 24, 2020 Community Strong 9

YOUR VOICE

Urban Body Fitness Hopes to Re-open After Pandemic Rad Urban Body Fitness I am the owner of Urban Body Fitness (UBF) in Midtown. I would love to give you an update on UBF, but first let me tell you that everyone at UBF is concerned about those impacted by this pandemic— from both a health and a financial standpoint.

I have owned a fitness center since 2002 and have just turned 60. I have never witnessed anything like this. With the COVID-19 outbreak, we were forced to close, despite being the cleanest gym in Atlanta.

On March 19 of this year, we closed and mothballed the space to save money on utilities.

Luckily for us, we had been in communication with our members since the beginning of March. We had covered items like our enhanced cleaning procedures and additional hygienic requirements for our members (like washing their hands both on the way in and on the way out of the gym). We actually used so much Lysol on the equipment that we were concerned about overdoing it.

Once we received the closing order, we reached out again to our members to discuss membership dues. Not a single member asked for their March dues back. The week following the March 19 shutdown, we had another discussion with our members about their April membership dues. Without the April billing, we could not pay our employees. As I expected, our membership was overwhelmingly on board with running the April billing. Some members even offered us extra money, and a couple of unpaid trial members even joined just so they could also help!

Of course, not all members were able to do this. Some requested a freeze or termination, some because they had lost their jobs. We processed those, but they were less than 5% of our total membership.

10 Comunity Strong April 24, 2020

• Allowing a maximum capacity of 50 people in 14,000 square feet, including staff

Moving forward, we have made the decision that we will not run our May monthly billing. We have applied for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) with the hope that we can get that money before May 1.

This will allow us to pay our employees for another month and pay the rent.

• Following social distancing recommended guidelines • Adding more spray bottles of Lysol throughout the gym

Our trainers are another situation. All our trainers are tenants; they pay rent to us to use the space. Some of them have started training in parking lots and garages, and a couple have started online training.

These trainers are the folks I am the most concerned about. We loaned them most of our equipment that was not bolted down so they could continue to train clients while we were shut down. I don’t know how else to help them.

Being realistic, we don’t expect to be allowed to open prior to mid-May. Assuming we do get to re-open in May, we

• Requiring everyone to wash their hands on the way in with a touchless soap dispenser.

• Instituting touchless thermometer checks have a special surprise for all the members who paid in April and never got to use the gym, as a “thank you” for supporting us through this difficult time.

Georgia Voice spoke with Rad Slough, the owner of Urban Body, who says they plan to reopen on April 25 with the following restrictions:

• Removing the towel bins in the bathrooms (Urban Body has included towel service including wash cloths to dry hands in the bathroom). They will be dropped in the main drop area to help reduce the handling of used towels.

Workout towels are required, so they furnish them.

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April 24, 2020 Ads 11

CELEBRITY CLOSE-UP!

Celebrity Brief

(SOCIAL DISTANCING EDITION) From playlists and video games to helping out and staying productive, these LGBTQ celebs are making the most of their quarantine.

“OK, y’all, the [Human Rights Campaign] asked me to create a playlist to help raise some spirits! Check out my “Raise You Up” Playlist on Spotify, get up, and get groovin’!”

—Billy Porter (Twitter)

“Being a gay teen really prepared me for all of my closest relationships to exist entirely online during quarantine.”

—Out writer and comedian Jaboukie Young White (Twitter) (PHOTOS VIA FACEBOOK AND TWITTER)

12 Celebrity Close-Up! April 24, 2020

“Productivity Update: I pulled the new treadmill in pieces outta the box, got some essential groceries at Walmart (I’m in Paris y’all), completed two phone interviews for [the new HBO show ‘We Are Here’] and had a socially distant lunch with my Granny. I’m on a roll!”

—RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Shangela (Twitter)

“This is life for a little longer I guess but we did 2,000 more masks in 2 days. We are going to keep going as long as we can.”

—Out fashion designer Christian Siriano on spending his quarantine making masks for health care professionals (Twitter)

“Going strong, playing video games and cards, and taking care of ourselves. Important reminder: keep your mind as stress free and possible and your body moving.”

—Lady Gaga on her quarantine experience (Instagram)

FEATURE

Cooking Your Way Through the Madness Two tasty recipes to alleviate stress; get your tastebuds energized

Georgia Beer Garden Flatbread Submitted by baker Molly Follett Makes eight pieces. When cooled—if they last that long—any leftovers can be stored in a plastic bag for a few days, and can be reheated before serving.

Dallas Anne Duncan

Ingredients: • 3 cups all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoons sugar • 1 teaspoon salt • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1 cup cold water • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Between the 24/7 news cycle and parents suddenly finding themselves working from home and subbing as home-school teachers, the weeks since COVID-19 made itself known in the US have been a time of transition for all Americans. Some refer to it as a “collective trauma,” but many are searching for ways to cope with the unexpected stress and changes.

Suggested toppings: freshly chopped and seasoned vegetables, cheese and braised meat of choice Instructions: 1. In one bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. In a second, larger bowl, measure the cold water and oil.

And if the internet offers any suggestion as to what people are doing, cooking seems to be a top choice of therapeutic activity.

2. Take the dry mixture, one-third at a time, and add it to the wet mix, stirring to combine with each addition. Once the dough starts to come together enough to pick up, pour it onto a clean surface and knead with your hands until it’s smooth and not tacky. Form the dough into a large ball.

“I’m not aware of any scientific journal that talks about baking as a way to alleviate stress and pressure. I know there’s lots of good research on mindfulness and being present in the moment. I do think, anecdotally, you’re on safe ground saying it’s a therapeutic practice,” said Drew Adelman, an out licensed psychologist in Midtown Atlanta. “When I think of something that’s therapeutic, it is anything that can help alleviate psychological, emotional or physical pain.”

Get in the zone Julie Ohana, a culinary art therapist and licensed social worker in Michigan, has studied and practiced culinary art as therapy for nearly two decades. She wrote her master’s thesis on it, and two years ago opened her own practice.

“In a nutshell, [culinary art therapy] is using cooking as a means of expression. Cooking becomes the vehicle to connect, express oneself and learn an assortment of life skills and coping skills,” she said. “After even just 20 minutes of this practice, participants see a difference in mood and attitude.”

14 Feature April 24, 2020

3. Use a knife to cut the dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece into smaller balls, set aside and cover with a clean kitchen towel.

Allow balls to rest for five to 10 minutes.

4. While the dough rests, heat a 10- to 12inch flat pan or skillet on medium-high heat.

Do not oil the skillet.

5. Once the dough is rested, dust a clean surface with a light amount of flour and roll the balls into seven- or eight-inch circles. If you don’t have a rolling pin, a clean wine bottle will work.

As Americans work to cope with the recent transitions in life due to COVID-19, many turn to therapeutic creative pursuits like cooking or baking. Molly Follett, baker at LGBTQ-owned Georgia Beer Garden, finds flatbreads easy to make for beginning bakers and easily elevated depending on the toppings selected. (Photo courtesy of Molly Follett)

Ohana calls it mindfulness; Adelman refers to it as a flow state. Name aside, it means cooking gets them in the zone, focused on the moment at hand.

“You’re so invested and so right in it that the rest of the world kind of drops away. What

psychology tells us is it reduces your heart rate, all the anxiety-reducing thoughts. You just get to be, and practice a mindful state,” Adelman said. “I find creative endeavors are extraspecial as flow states. With a creative endeavor, it activates different parts of your brain.”

6. Place a piece of the flattened dough in the heated pan. Allow it to cook for approximately one minute on each side, until it is lightly browned. When each flatbread is done, be sure to set it aside and stack them, as the remaining heat steams the bread and keeps it both warm and soft.

He referred to this phenomenon as like a “mental massage exercise” to alleviate stress, and said baking in particular is a great example, as it requires measurements, calculation, time and specificity.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 15 TheGeorgiaVoice.com

FEATURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

websites that cater to the LGBTQ community.

“It’s that nice nexus, and then you get to eat the results,” Adelman said.

Ohana recommends working to create new rituals.

Practicing mindfulness like this helps to put aside feelings of anger, anxiety and depression in order to be present in the recipe, Ohana said. She said it primarily assists with anxietybased disorders, but also helps with feelings of self-worth and confidence.

Reclaiming recipes Oftentimes, recipes are handed down through generations—Adelman has his father’s chocolate Cowboy Cake recipe—but when biological families aren’t affirming, it can make a once-beloved meal less beloved to make. This is where families of choice come into play, a reminder that “we have always developed our own sense of community out of necessity,” Adelman said.

Adelman specifically searches for queer bakers or chefs, or even community-driven blogs and

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“So much about cooking and eating is about ritual. When a person doesn’t have these rituals from their past that they want to continue, sometimes we need a reminder that we have the ability to create new rituals for our families,” she said. “There is so much power in the ability to create for yourself.”

In the meantime, she said to focus on what is available to be social about this time: social media.

“Take to Instagram—photograph your hard work and share virtually,” she said. “I have been doing a lot of that, even doing Facebook live cooking classes. Again, it helps to connect and build community, even if it is a cyber community.”

Many cooking rituals are based on shared experiences, which are on hold right now due to shelter-in-place and social distancing guidelines.

But just because it’s on Instagram doesn’t make cooking the ideal therapeutic activity for everyone. Adelman cautioned against folks jumping on the “quarantine baking” bandwagon because everyone else seems to be doing it.

“We need to think a little more creative right now,” Ohana said. “Instead of hosting a dinner party, you can pack your dinner to go and drop off at someone’s house. Leave it on the doorstep of a loved one with a special note and let them know you are thinking of them. If loved ones are too far, consider surprising a neighbor.”

“If people hate to cook, this is not the time to take up cooking … it’s not going to give them the same flow as if they’re doing something they really enjoy,” he said. “If people want to engage in an activity that gets them into a flow, maybe watch a Netflix series or reading; something somebody loves is the way to get to that state. Not by

Cowboy Cake A family recipe from Drew Adelman Ingredients: • 2.5 cups flour • 1.5 cups sugar, plus an extra quarter-cup • Half-cup cocoa • 2 teaspoons baking soda • Half-teaspoon salt • Two-thirds cup cooking oil • 2 tablespoons vinegar • 1 tablespoon vanilla • 2 cups cold coffee • Half-teaspoon cinnamon Instructions: 1. Put the flour, 1.5 cups of sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a 13 by 9 inch pan.

Stir together and make three wells.

2. Add oil, vanilla and vinegar. Pour coffee over it all and stir until it is well mixed.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

4. Sprinkle cinnamon and the remaining sugar over the hot cake.

doing what they feel like they are obligated to do because people are telling them it’s the trendy thing.”

April 24, 2020 Feature 15

FEATURE

Mask On, Mask Off Experts weigh in on effective cloth face masks, why average Atlantans don’t need N95s Dallas Anne Duncan Move over, fanny packs—face masks are the must-have new accessory for 2020.

Emphasis on the “must-have” part. With COVID-19 continuing to spread, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently enacted guidance for Americans to wear cloth masks when in public places like grocery stores.

“COVID-19 infections don’t necessarily all show symptoms, which means people can be infected and at risk of spreading infection if they feel fine or if they have a minor sniffle,” said Dr. Mike Bell, deputy director of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion for CDC. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is spread through respiratory droplets. Bell said speaking is enough to spray respiratory material in a general area, and because of that, the CDC now encourages source control.

“Source control implies that you’re stopping respiratory secretions where they start. By wearing a cloth mask in public, we’re able to keep people from spreading secretions even if they’re not ill,” he said.

Makers came out in force, producing cloth masks of varying layers, fabric types and sizes with their home sewing machines. The CDC has instructions on its website for sewn and no-sew versions. Bell said there are a few guidelines people should consider when designing or picking out their face mask.

He suggested choosing a mask that had several layers of thinner fabric versus one with a layer of dense fleece or felt, and finding one that fit without too much gaping 16 Feature April 24, 2020

on the sides of the face. Cloth masks should be washed and dried on the hot dryer cycle.

Some sewing patterns suggest adding a coffee or air filter layer in between the cloth layers.

“The reality is, I think that adding coffee filters or other filter material is more of a comforting concept than an effective addition,” Bell said. “If you get filter material in there, for it to do anything, you have to breathe through it. And by and large, you’ll be breathing around it.”

Who’s wearing what?

Bell said there’s an important distinction to be made between the virus getting in and getting out of a person’s airways. Breathing, coughing, sneezing and speaking result in respiratory droplets of various sizes. The further these droplets travel from the nose or mouth, the smaller and more spread out they get. But at the source, they tend to be bigger and clumpier, and thus easier to contain.

“Cloth coverings of many different descriptions do a perfectly good job of doing that,” Bell said.

He referenced a recent advertisement out of the Czech Republic, which shows two individuals wearing masks and the slogan, “My mask protects you, and your mask protects me.”

For those working at close range with COVID-19 patients, it’s important they have added protection.

Above: Respirator-style masks like the N95 are more suited for health care workers who are in close contact with patients exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. For the rest of Americans, cloth masks with multiple layers of fabric create an acceptable mask that prevents them from unintentionally spreading the virus. (Photo by Dallas Anne Duncan) Left: Microscope detail shots of the inner and outer polypropylene fiber layers of N95 masks. When someone is fitted to an N95 mask and breathes through it, air and humidity are able to get through, but 95 percent of microscopic particles are trapped in the filter. (Images courtesy Gajanan Bhat, University of Georgia)

“That’s where the professional masks like N95 come in,” Bell said. “It forces you to breathe the air through the filter. Respirators are filters that are sealed tightly around your face, by elastic or a rubber holder like scuba gear.”

The “95” in N95 means the mask filters 95 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns or less in size, said Gajanan Bhat, textile engineer and head of the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors at the University of Georgia.

“You don’t need 95 percent or higher protection if you are not close to or working with those people, or not in a contaminated area,” Bhat said. “If somebody is working in a contaminated environment, and you are working in an area with COVID-19 … the unique structure [of N95] offers that level of protection, but also the breathability. Once you are wearing it, you should be able to breathe easily six to eight, eight to 10 hours without fatigue.”

N95 masks are made from polypropylene fibers.

“From that plastic, you make really fine fibers and it is like multiple layers of spiderweb. When you have multiple layers of spiderweb, which is also electrically charged, it is porous enough to breathe so

the air and the humidity goes through, but it will capture tiny bacteria and in some cases even a virus so it does not allow them to go through,” Bhat said. “That’s why people are scrambling, because there are not many who can make that kind of specialty fabrics.”

Even surgical masks, though a step up from cloth masks, aren’t ideal for those working directly with COVID-19 patients. Their primary role is as a liquid barrier between a surgeon and an open wound. Plus, like cloth masks, surgical masks don’t fit to the face the way N95s do, Bell said.

But no matter what type of mask a person is most suited for, the CDC still wants folks to wash their hands.

“The hand hygiene is something that needs to be underscored just as much as the concept of covering your nose and mouth. If you’re wearing a mask and having to touch it and adjust it, you want to touch and adjust it with clean hands. If you take your mask off, you want to wash your hands after,” Bell said.

For tutorials on how to make your masks, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/ coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-gettingsick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html TheGeorgiaVoice.com

A&E SPOTLIGHT

Sean Hayes Wants You to Meet (Lazy) Susan Actor on playing a woman in earnest, “Will & Grace” ending, and his upcoming Netflix show

Sean Hayes PHOTO BY HAZY MILLS/Q SYNDICATE

I don’t have time for any of those people.

That’s my answer. Those people are way overthinking all of this.

Chris Azzopardi Under any other conditions, it might seem strange to tell Sean Hayes what I’m wearing.

Given that Hayes slips into some sweats to play a do-nothing cisgender woman named Susan O’Connell—hence the movie’s name, “Lazy Susan”—it makes some sense that I tell the Emmy-winning “Will & Grace” star that I’m lounging in athleisure like a lazy Susan.

(And, well, he did ask me if I was working from home—our new not-normal normal) Where do you go with Hayes from there?

Everywhere: from developing Susan to why it was time to end “Will & Grace” (for real this time) and how his best lazy days involve his husband and Sigourney Weaver.

What’s a lazy day in your life like?

A lazy day in my life is usually Sundays. My husband Scotty and I don’t do anything and we call it Cinema Sunday. We pick a movie out and we just sit there on the couch and watch it, and we usually have the doors open to the backyard and we take naps. Or I’ll put on “This Old House.” I love that show so much.

So you guys will watch that together or you’ll do the movie and then you’ll nap?

Yeah. Doesn’t that sound exciting? (Laughs.)

What was your last Cinema Sunday flick?

The original “Alien.” There’s nothing more relaxing than “Alien.” Nothing more relaxing than watching somebody’s stomach burst open.

I’ve read that Susan is based on a character you initially developed for an audition for a sketch show years ago. Is that true?

No—yes, of course! I just like to make things up! No, it was. I had a call from my agent when I was 21 years old living in Chicago to come in and audition to replace quoteunquote “the white guy” in “In Living Color,” which was Jim Carrey because I guess he was 18 A&E Spotlight April 24, 2020

“With a guy playing a cisgender woman, does this not fall into the same issue of caucasian actors playing Asian characters or cis actors playing trans characters?”

leaving the show. So I go into the audition with a bag full of wigs and props and just tons of stuff to do, tons of characters. One of those characters was Susan, and I did it and that’s the story.

all three sat down and wrote it together.

It’s good to know people—otherwise Susan might’ve still been dormant.

I think she wakes up dormant!

And so here we are decades later, and at the suggestion of my very good friend Reyna Larson, who I went to high school and college with. She was like, “You should do something with that character you did but name her Lazy Susan.” I thought, “That’s such a great title,” and then I worked backward from the title and that character. I wrote a TV pilot in one day. It was awesome.

It was so fun. It just came out of me.

Then after I shared it with my friend Darlene Hunt, a prolific TV writer who created “The Big C” on Showtime, she was like, “Honey, I think this is a movie,” and I was like, “Really?” She goes, “Yeah, this script is the first act of the movie.” And I was like, “That’s really interesting.” And so there we go. Then I brought it to Carrie Aizley, who’s another good friend—they’re all good friends—and Carrie also read the pilot and she came up with some really witty, amazing dialogue for the rest of the characters. So we

Oh, touché!

But Darlene I’ve known since I was 27 years old. I got her her first writing gig on “Will & Grace.” So I’ve known her for years and years. And Carrie too. I was a guest star on (the 2006-2007 Oxygen comedy) “Campus Ladies,” which she was a star of.

But back to Susan: I didn’t want the joke to be a man playing a woman, as we’ve seen so many times. I wanted it as an acting challenge. I thought it’d be really interesting to feel extremely uncomfortable in woman’s clothes but acting like I’m not.

This character might’ve played differently 15, 20 years ago.

Sure.

But now there’s heightened sensitivity around who is playing what. For instance, I read a comment on your Twitter that asked:

You mentioned not playing her gender as a joke, like it was in films like “Some Like It Hot,” “Tootsie,” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.”

In those films, the joke was a man, or men, in a dress.

They were men playing a woman to reach a certain goal as a man. This is not that movie. This is a character that I’m playing, just like Jared Leto, who I think is a brilliant actor and who won an Oscar for playing a trans character (in “Dallas Buyers Club”). That’s why we’re actors. We like to play different parts, period. We shouldn’t be thrown into the social conversation of what’s right or wrong when it comes to the craft of acting.

How did Susan initially come to you?

Is she based on anyone in particular?

Yes, but I can’t say who. (Laughs.) It’s based on a few people. By the way, men and women.

Famous people?

Maybe, maybe not.

Like Jack, she’s pretty self-absorbed.

Do you see any similarities?

I don’t see them that similar at all. I think Jack is very put together, and when given a task very responsible, shows up, has a bunch of different jobs. Susan can’t even get out of bed.

What’s the message that you hope people take away from “Lazy Susan”?

You know, I haven’t thought of that. I hope people enjoy the film, period. You know, there’s a lot of movies with something deep to say and what I love about this film is, sure, if you connect with it and find something for yourself to pull from, great. But my intention was just to entertain.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 19 TheGeorgiaVoice.com

A&E SPOTLIGHT

Sean Hayes stars in “Lazy Susan” PHOTO BY SHOUT! STUDIOS/Q SYNDICATE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 It’s a Cinema Sunday flick.

It’s a Cinema Sunday film. I really, really have an incredible affinity for those films from the ’90s that were Sundance or independent films and film festival films.

You mean the ones we don’t really see anymore?

Right, exactly. And so the Oscars have become an independent film festival, that’s all. But I love “Welcome to the Dollhouse” and I loved “Napoleon Dynamite” and I loved all those films. Now it’s huge studio films that open these film festivals when it’s like, what about the little films that we all used to go to discover at independent film festivals? I wanted to make one of those. I mean, hopefully we succeeded. I think we did. But those are close to my heart. Probably because that’s what started my career too (Hayes starred in the 1998 gay-themed romcom “Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss”).

As far as “Will & Grace” goes, after its recent revival, it’s been said that it will absolutely not return, ever.

There will be no more. That is 100 percent for sure.

How did you and the rest of the cast reach the decision to end it for good?

It’s time. We were supposed to come back for 10 episodes and that’s it, and then because of the response we just kept making season after season. I think we ended up making something like 52, 53 episodes and it was so fun and I’m so, so grateful and honored and privileged to have that experience again, but everybody knows when it’s time to move on. I thought eight seasons was long. Then here we are with three seasons. I mean, they weren’t quote-unquote “full” seasons like they used to be, but in the world we live in three seasons seems to be plenty.

It had nothing to do with any cast member feuds on set? Because my heart was hurting when I read about that as a possibility for the show ending.

Yeah. Look at you. The hard-hitting-questions journalist getting in there.

No, no, no. I was just like, I hope it’s not true. I don’t want it to be true because I grew up with these characters.

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No, no, no, no. It was a very mutual decision between the cast and the producers together.

I’ve grown up with all of you—you guys changed my life as a little gay boy.

I love that.

What boundaries are you proud of breaking with the “Will & Grace” revival?

I think our jobs are never done as a society and a gay culture to educate America. It’s never done. It’s never done to educate people about diversity and inclusion, so for that reason I’m sad the show is over, because somebody needs to do it and somebody needs to do it in a big way for lots of eyeballs and ears to see and hear.

The last time we spoke we talked about how much of “the slap” between you and Megan Mullally is really kind of a dance.

How much of “Just Jack” was improv?

Well, the hand gestures were me. On paper it just says “Just Jack,” but we had the best writers in television ever on the show, in my opinion, and at the same time I had a director that’s the best director in television. He was the best for many reasons, one of which is letting me experiment with physical comedy. So that’s where some of that comes from—just experimenting.

You don’t count yourself as an activist, but do you think you’ll see a gay president in your lifetime?

I have to believe we will, yes. And I have to believe that he will be referred to as a president, not a gay president. That’s the other thing: I would never say you are a gay journalist or I’m a gay actor. I’m an actor. You’re a journalist.

Why do we have to preface every single title with our sexual orientation?

What’s next for you?

What I’ve been working on is the Netflix

series “Q Force,” which is (laughs) … you know, OK, the short description is “gay James Bond.” (Laughs.)

But, Sean, we can’t preface it with “gay.”

(Laughs.) I KNOW. That’s why I’m laughing because I just said that. But in that sense, you have to because it’s the person’s name, not the title: gay James Bond. I wouldn’t say gay spy or gay agent. That’s the short answer.

Gabe Liedman—he runs “PEN15,” which is such a funny show—is the creator and showrunner of “Q Force,” and Mike Schur is supervising producer. Mike Schur created “Parks and Rec,” and “Brooklyn 99,” and “Good Place,” and wrote on “Saturday Night Live.” So we’re surrounded by incredible talent and then incredible writers, but it’s really … I can’t wait for people to see this show. It’s super, super fun.

And it’s a great cast—but I can’t say who it is yet.

But you, of all people, your mind will be blown.

You weren’t out during the first part of your career, and so much has changed just in the years since then. What do you appreciate most about this current moment for LGBTQ actors?

Just to clarify, the first part of my career I was out. I just wasn’t out to the press. Had we met at a cafe, I’d be like, “Yeah, I’m out and proud!” But you can read all about my issues about that online.

Anyways, I think the tide continues to change in the favor of being historically on the right side, in that I think finally people in decision-making roles are becoming aware of the sensitivities that they should have had years prior. I mean, I’m a fan of “best actor gets the part,” no matter what. No matter what. No matter if you’re gay, straight, bi, lesbian, LGBTQ, black, Asian, whatever.

April 24, 2020 A&E Spotlight 19

JIM FARMER BINGE WORTHY

Finding a TV Series (or Two or Three) to Binge Those of us at home practicing social distancing probably never realized we had so many viewing options.

Between network TV, cable TV, and streaming services, offerings are aplenty.

Bingeing is becoming the norm, whether it’s an all-day event or something you do at night after work or on the weekends, and TV series seem to be the perfect binge material. Netflix has two series that everyone is talking about now. “Tiger King” is a documentary series that follows Joe Exotic, a country singer who runs an Oklahoma zoo populated by large creatures. The show is filled with the colorful characters who inhabit Joe’s universe, including his various husbands. Most notable is Carole Baskin, who owns a big cat sanctuary and becomes a rival to Joe. Many people believe Carole killed her husband and inherited his millions (the body was never found). The show can be absurd, but it’s absorbing fare.

“Ozark,” shot in Georgia, just dropped its third (and best) season. Jason Bateman and Laura Linney star as Martin and Wendy Byrde, a couple who move from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where Martin has to launder money for a drug boss. The show doesn’t currently have any significant LGBTQ characters—one was killed off last season—but is dark and riveting. Linney and Tom Pelphrey (as Wendy’s brother Ben) are the Season Three VIPs. Anyone not watching and raving about those two series was probably watching the beloved “Schitt’s Creek.” Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara star as a well-off couple who lose their fortune and are forced to move to a small town they bought as a joke. Levy and his out son Dan created the series, and Dan is also in the cast, which includes LGBT characters. The series just concluded its six year run, so this may be an opportune time to watch all 80 episodes again or for the first time. “Schitt’s Creek” airs on IMDb TV and Netflix.

Two series that premiered in the winter on 20 Columnist April 24, 2020

Clockwise from left: Cate Blanchett stars as real-life conservative Phyllis Schlafly fighting against the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s in “Mrs. America.” Joe Exotic poses with one of his tigers in the docuseries “Tiger King.” Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer star in the BBC America spy 0drama, “Killing Eve.” HBO’s docuseries, “The Atlanta Child Murders,” looks at the 1979-1981 Atlanta murders of twenty-nine African American children. (Publicity photos)

Apple TV Plus are well worth bingeing.

“Visible: Out on Television” is a fascinating five part series that looks at LGBTQ representation on the small screen. Directed by former Atlantan Ryan White, the series does a masterful job of showing early depictions of the LGBTQ experience from the ’60s and ’70s and onward. The dozens of interviews with television notables are fascinating. “The Morning Show” may be the best TV series of the season. After a network morning show (think “Good Morning America” or “Today”) fires its long time co-host (Steve Carrell) for sexual misconduct, it hires a relatively unknown reporter from the South (Reese Witherspoon) to pair up with its remaining co-host (Jennifer Aniston). Funny at times, but eventually dark and unsettling, the show is extremely timely during the #MeToo movement.

Witherspoon is also in the new Hulu series, “Little Fires Everywhere” with Kerry Washington. It’s based on Celeste Ng’s bestselling novel.

Also on Hulu is the new limited series, “Mrs. America,” featuring Cate Blanchett as reallife conservative Phyllis Schlafly fighting against the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. Among the heavy hitters in the supporting cast are Uzo Aduba, Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash, Tracey Ullman, and Rose Byrne.

It’s hardly peppy fare, but HBO recently aired the documentary series, “The Atlanta Child Murders.” Twenty-nine African American children were found dead in Atlanta between 1979 and 1981. Wayne Williams was tried

and convicted for two of the murders, but most of them remain unsolved. The series looks at the aftermath.

Also worth bingeing are the dark BBC America spy drama, “Killing Eve,” starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, now in its third season, and the remarkable, Emmy-winning “Pose,” whose first season is available on Netflix. Ryan Murphy’s drama—starring a record number of transgender performers— had a second season that is arguably stronger than the first, with standout work from the likes of Billy Porter, Mj Rodriguez, and Angelica Ross.

If you’ve seen all of these shows already, grab your remote and start flipping. It’s likely you’ll find another binge-worthy series soon.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

CLIFF BOSTOCK OLD GAY MEN

Fear of COVID-19 brings back exacerbating memories Partly because the restaurant scene has disappeared and partly because I need something different in my writing life, this week inaugurates a column about becoming an old gay man. It will alternate or sometimes hybridize with my usual food column. I know the last thing you want to read about is the travails of creepers with severe abdominal distension who endlessly shuffle from the gym sauna to their locker. But I have news for you. We all have an inner old gay man who is emerging with each breath we take, no matter how we carve and reshape ourselves. When he steps fully forward, invisibility—or denial— too often descend and life seriously changes.

I need to confess upfront: Any friend can tell you I am more neurotic about age than anyone they know. I’ve always regarded each birthday as a commemoration of unaccomplishment, going back to childhood when I always hid under my birthday cakes. So, this is also about working out my own anxieties. Still, as embarrassing as mine are, I know you have some I don’t!

If you’re as old as me, you are likely experiencing some intense anxiety right now.

We’re in the middle of a pandemic in which people over 60, especially men, are most likely to die. For me and many other gay men, the anxiety is significantly compounded by memories of the first 15 years of the AIDS pandemic. The coronavirus is different, of course, but there are distinct parallels and associations that remind us that we never exorcise the fear and sorrow of that time.

AIDS was not simply an untreatable disease; it was a holocaust perpetuated by a society and government that literally made jokes about our dying. Politicians advocated “quarantining” us in concentration camps.

We were still largely pathologized by the law, religion, and psychiatry, thus enabling indifference to our suffering until Reagan’s fellow movie star, Rock Hudson, showed up emaciated on camera and died soon after.

You decide if Donald Trump’s slow, petulant responses to COVID-19 resemble Reagan’s.

Once again, we listen to the ticking timebomb.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

Gay activists join hands at rally, Georgia State Capitol, outlines of bodies on sidewalk represent AIDS victims May 7, 1988 in Atlanta.

(Photo courtesy of Atlanta Journal-Constitution Photographic Archives. Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library)

I cough. I wait to see if I’ll continue coughing.

Maybe I should check my temperature. Back then, a bad cold might be pneumocystis and a livid bruise could be Kaposi’s sarcoma.

Eventually we learned we can be completely asymptomatic and transmit HIV, just as we can now with the coronavirus. I could go on and on. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which these anxieties resemble, makes you obsessive.

Psychology offers no miracle fixes. The threat of the present is a reality and the terror and sorrow of the past it reanimates never stops haunting us. Most old AIDS survivors don’t want to talk about their experiences. I’ve tried time and again to discuss those years with clients, in workshops, over dinner.

Someone, usually me, starts to get tearful.

Another might get angry and the subject is quickly changed. The coronavirus has us in great fear now. Many of us are still without families and many close friends have died

of “old age” already. Awfully, you can’t head to the Colonnade with friends to remind yourself there is still love in the world.

I do have simple suggestions that may help you if you don’t expect too much. Most important, call friends regularly. I was chatting online with my friend Brad last week and he suddenly said, “You need to call me.” He was so right. I didn’t even recognize my own anxiety. It all came pouring out in 90 minutes and I’m so grateful.

Another thing that helps me enormously is taking a walk in nature. I live across from Grant Park, so it’s convenient. I’m even doing it with clients. I’m into ecopsychology and with age I’ve learned that identity really is not confined to the brain or body. The world is compelling and reaches out to us.

Nature provides context. The Greeks and many indigenous religions understood that love and the soul don’t dwell so much in us

as we dwell in them. I know it sounds woowoo, but try it. Take a walk with or without friends and hug a fuckin’ tree. Read “The Spell of the Sensuous” by my professor, David Abram.

In the meantime, here’s a tip about shopping: Most grocery stores have set aside early morning hours for people over 60 (65 at Publix) only. I’ve done it and liked it. Here’s a list: Publix: 7–8am. Tues. and Wed.; Kroger: 7–8am. Mon.–Thurs.; Whole Foods: 7–8am. daily; Sprouts: none, but the stores are often deserted at 7am.; Costco: 8–9am.

Tues. and Thurs.; Sam’s: none; Walmart: just don’t. Honestly, I suggest you call, because I’ve seen these hours change all over. I’ve shopped during these special times and liked it.

Cliff Bostock, PhD, is a longtime Atlanta food critic and trained psychotherapist turned life coach. Cliffbostock.com, 404-518-4415, cliffbostock@gmail.com.

April 24, 2020 Columnist 21

MELISSA CARTER THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

Staying Happy During Coronavirus Shut-In There seems to be a lot of debate about when our lives will, or should, go back to normal. Protesters are feeling like prisoners who are forced to stay inside their homes, while other seemingly more responsible Americans are voluntarily staying indoors to protect themselves and those they care about. I’m sure these types of conversations permeate most households, but here in my new abode, different debates are much more intense, at least to a 5-year-old.

The other morning Mr. Carter woke up with a puzzled look on his face.

“Mama?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Who is faster? Santa Claus’s sleigh, Sonic, or Flash?”

I had to think for a moment, since I’ve made it a habit never to dismiss my son’s musings.

I finally answered, “I’d have to say Santa, since he visits every single house on the planet in one night.”

My son looked at me with a blank expression, as if already challenging my choice.

“But, Mama,” he said. “Remember that half the Earth is sunny and half the Earth is dark.”

In other words, Mr. Carter was suggesting that Santa has a full day on Christmas Eve to get the job done, meaning he’s not as fast as the others.

What I love about being quarantined with a young man like him are these very conversations.

The fact that the first thing he was concerned about when waking up was who would win a race between characters (spoiler alert) who don’t exist in the real world. He is at an age when imagination is taking flight, and the most 22 Columnist April 24, 2020

serious question he asks me on a given day is whether or not we can play a live version of PacMan around our kitchen island. This is more real to him than what’s going on outside, and I’m happy to join him on that journey.

I sense an impatience and cabin fever among the healthy in our world, a dangerous combination when battling an unknown entity like COVID-19. Feeding off insecurity and negativity will only lead to panic and poor decisions, and death for the most unfortunate among us. I understand the worry over money and our economic recovery, but to simply piecemeal a reaction to our current situation rather than study historical similarities and create modern strategies could have catastrophic results. It can be quite stressful for me to see how our lack of leadership points us into that reactionary category, and there are days I just can’t watch the road for fear of what we’ll crash into.

I try to stay away from the news as much as I can, since no one really has a solid answer to what we should do … or has the courage to make sure it gets done. My ability to feed off the curiosity of a little boy has been a godsend, and the main thing I’ll remember about this time in my life. Like his follow-up to the speed debate: “Mama, do Santa Claus and God have a birthday?”

I’m afraid I was stumped at that one.

One of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta, Melissa’s worked for B98.5 and Q100.

Catch her daily on theProgressive Voices podcast “She Persisted.” Tweet her! @MelissaCarter TheGeorgiaVoice.com

RYAN LEE SOMETIMES ‘Y’

So, When Can We Fuck?

With masturbation becoming our national pastime, I recently saw a video that made me wonder whether the skankiest type of sex is now the safest. The amateur clip showed its star being penetrated through a glory hole, and seemed to model responsible social distancing.

I have neither the credentials nor studies for any of this to be mistaken for medical advice, but thus far we know COVID-19 is contracted through one’s eyes, nose and mouth—all of which were obstructed by the setup in the video I was watching. While unconfirmed, the virus does not appear to be transmitted via sexual fluids, although we know neither the rectum nor vagina are channels to the respiratory system.

Converting a spare closet into a glory hole is unlikely to catch on as quickly as wearing facemasks, but as the social distancing net broadens from two weeks to a month, from the rest of 2020 to a date unknown, more people are wondering: When can we have sex again?

Evidence exists that an individual can contract COVID-19 from a single exposure, and even if that individual has no underlying conditions, the virus can ravage his or her respiratory system and lead to hospitalization, assisted breathing (possibly at the expense of someone more vulnerable who also needs a ventilator) and ultimately death. For many, that possibility is not worth satisfying whatever sexual urges they may feel during lockdown.

It’s also possible a person can contract COVID-19 in the course of a sexual encounter, then experience a week of debilitating fever and body aches or have no symptoms at all before fully recovering. For many, that will be a risk worth taking, and some have been testing those odds since the widespread quarantines began.

Social distancing implores us to consider not only our own health, but also our potential TheGeorgiaVoice.com

to unknowingly pass COVID-19 to those susceptible to its worst manifestations. This responsibility must be accounted for when engaging in sex throughout the pandemic; or walking the BeltLine or grocery shopping, or having any type of human contact that could spark a chain reaction of infections or extend our civic paralysis.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease and not a sexually transmitted infection, which is worth noting given the social media trend of gay men moralizing a hookup as especially reckless or debased behavior when it might be safer than going to work. One of my more romantically inclined flings suggested watching a movie over wine and desserts but feared having sex, as if COVID-19 would wait for us to sin before jumping to a new carrier.

We wound up not getting together at all, which is undoubtedly the safest thing we could have done. However, it’s just as certain that no level of risk—whether unplanned pregnancy or a virus once considered a death sentence—has ever stopped people from fucking, and indefinite abstinence is as doomed a strategy for eliminating COVID-19 as bombing 5G towers.

Until a vaccine or full-body condom comes along, folks will develop strategies based on their comfort level and risk assessment, with some opting for chastity, others hooking up after 14-day waiting periods, and a few eliminating all human contact except with their sexual partners. Whichever strategy each of us chooses, may we remember none of us are immune to this novel virus, nor can any of us know the only way forward.

April 24, 2020 Columnist 23