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EDITORIAL
Editor: Dyana Bagby dbagby@thegavoice.com
IN THIS ISSUE OF GA VOICE
05.23.14
THE GEORGIA VOICE
PO Box 77401 | Atlanta, GA 30357 404-815-6941 | www.thegavoice.com
NEWS
Deputy Editor: Patrick Saunders psaunders@thegavoice.com
6 | Statewide primary election results 12 | National Center for Civil and Human Rights opens soon
Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Adam Carpenter, Melissa Carter Jim Farmer, Vandy Beth Glenn, Shannon Hames, Ryan Lee, Tina Tian, Steve Warren
TRAVEL 14 | Take a ‘family’ vacation at any of these fabulous places 17 | Georgia gay campgrounds offer alternative vacation spots
BUSINESS
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7 |
Meet the lesbian plaintiffs suing for the right to marry in Georgia
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FINE PRINT
“These people that will now receive $220 million from the state of Florida, unless this is stopped, will promote double-mindedness in state education and will attract every one of your children to become as homosexual as they possibly can.” — Florida Republican Rep. Charles Van Zant in a speech at the Operation Education Conference in Orlando in March concerning the American Institutes for Research, the company hired to develop Common Core-based tests for Florida. Video of the speech became public this week. (ThinkProgress, May 19)
“With discernment we see not shadows lurking in closets or the stereotypes of what was once believed; rather, we see families committed to the common purpose of love, devotion, and service to the greater community.” — U.S. District Judge Michael McShane in his ruling striking down Oregon’s 2004 same-sex marriage ban. (May 19)
COLUMNISTS 35 | Topher Payne reveals painful marriage reality 37 | Melissa Carter stresses rape is not a four-letter word 39 | Ryan Lee on black athletes, straight and gay, advancing LGBT equality
“When we were recording Craig Ferguson, I had written the line, ‘This is why I never got married,’ and he, as he often does, added it as an ad lib and he said, ‘Yup, Gobber is coming out of the closet.’ I think that’s a really fun [and] daring move to put in. I love the idea that Gobber is Berk’s resident gay.” — Writer-director Dean DeBlois on Gobber coming out at as gay in the upcoming “How to Train Your Dragon 2” (Queerty, May 19)
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FRIENDS & FOES IN THEIR OWN WORDS
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All material in the Georgia Voice is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Georgia Voice. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons. We also do not accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Unsolicited editorial material is accepted by the Georgia Voice, but we do not take responsibility for its return. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject or edit any submission. Guidelines for freelance contributors are available upon request. A single copy of the Georgia Voice is available from authorized distribution points. Multiple copies are available from the Georgia Voice office only. Call for rates. If you are unable to reach a convenient free distribution point, you may receive a 26-issue mailed subscription for $60 per year. Checks or credit card orders can be sent to Tim Boyd, tboyd@ thegavoice.com Postmaster: Send address changes to the Georgia Voice, PO Box 77401, Atlanta, GA 30357. The Georgia Voice is published every other Friday by The Georgia Voice, LLC. Individual subscriptions are $60 per year for 26 issues. Postage paid at Atlanta, GA, and additional mailing offices. The editorial positions of the Georgia Voice are expressed in editorials and in editor’s notes. Other opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Georgia Voice and its staff. To submit a letter or commentary: Letters should be fewer than 400 words and commentary, for web or print, should be fewer than 750 words. Submissions may be edited for content and length, and must include a name, address and phone number for verification. Email submissions to editor@thegavoice.com or mail to the address above.
OUTSPOKEN
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Business Advisor: Lynn Pasqualetti Financial Firm of Record: HLM Financial Group
24 | Music: Neon Trees Mormon lead singer comes out 25 | Film: HBO’s ‘The Normal Heart’ will break yours 26 | Books: Memoir ‘Body Counts’ recalls early AIDS crisis 27 | Actor’s Express brings Judy Garland to life in ‘End of the Rainbow’ 28 | Queer Moxie Cabaret gives peek to performance art documentary 29 | Food: Give your palate a vacation at some of these local restaurants 30-33| Calendar
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NEWS
05.23.14
www.theGAVoice.com
Kyle Williams loses in state Senate Democratic primary State Rep. Simone Bell coasts to victory for third term
GA EQUALITY ENDORSED CANDIDATES
These results are from the unofficial results from the Secretary of State and Fulton Elections Office.
By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com LGBT history was not made in Georgia this week. Kyle Williams, who was seeking to become the first openly gay man elected to the Georgia Senate and the General Assembly conceded the Democratic primary for state Senate District 42 to Elena Parent late Tuesday, bringing an end to what turned into a bitter campaign in its final days. Parent will now move on to the general election in November and face Republican Greg Williams. Because District 42 is considered one of the most progressive districts in the state, Parent is expected to defeat Williams. According to unofficial results from the Georgia Secretary of State’s website at press time, Parent had 65 percent with 3,527 votes and Williams had 35 percent with 1,844 votes. “My friends, it appears we have come up short,” Williams said in a statement released shortly before midnight on Tuesday. “We have worked hard, we have worked true. We ran a campaign that you can be proud of. Thank you to all of my friends who believed in me and this campaign from the very beginning and worked for the future of District 42. Political discussions and debate are essential to a vibrant community, and I congratulate Elena Parent on a hard-fought campaign. This is my home and I look forward to working with all of you to continue to make our community a better place.” Parent, who served as a state representative from 2010 to 2012, released a statement shortly after Williams conceded the race and promised to work with the LGBT community. “Kyle Williams is my friend. He has a bright future ahead of him in Georgia politics. We have a lot of work ahead of us and we need his help. I am committed to working with Kyle and the entire LGBT community to promote equality, end discrimination, and to fight for our progressive values,” said Parent.
CONTROVERSIAL CAMPAIGN
Williams’ supporters hung around until the “bitter end” at Universal Joint in Oakhurst Village, where his team—including campaign manager Beth Cope, director of field operations Tim Cairl and Victory Fund deputy political director Ian Sugar—huddled around a table checking election results all night, before finally agreeing to concede just before midnight. It was a highly controversial fight for the state Senate seat in District 42, which covers Decatur, Avondale Estates and portions of DeKalb County including neighborhoods from Buford Highway to DeKalb Avenue such
State Rep. Simone Bell and Kyle Williams greeted supporters Tuesday at the Georgia Equality election night watch party at Radial Café. (Photo by Patrick Saunders)
as North Druid Hills, Morningside, Druid Hills, East Lake, Kirkwood and Edgewood. The drama began early on in the race with a Parent campaign push poll that tried to link Williams to a Republican group. Then Williams accused Parent of attending a Tea Party conference while she was a state representative. Wiliams later sent out a mailer about Parent’s vote to make cuts to the HOPE scholarship when she was a state representative, tying her to Gov. Nathan Deal and the Tea Party. With a week to go before the primary election day, the Parent campaign got former Gov. Roy Barnes to issue a robocall which accused Williams of using “Karl Rove-style dirty tricks” with the Nathan Deal mailer. Then Parent’s campaign sent out a mailer attempting to link Williams with Mitt Romney, saying both were endorsed by the same Republican organization. That was incorrect, though, because the national gay Log Cabin Republicans endorsed Romney, and it was the local Georgia Log Cabin Republicans who endorsed Williams during his 2009 run for Decatur City Commission. The Parent campaign also came out with a Sarah Palin mailer the weekend before the election attacking Williams for accepting the LCR endorsement and a robocall from a group calling itself DeKalb Citizens for Elena went out the day before the election that said Parent was the only candidate who knew how to raise a family, was a “straight shooter” and would uphold the state’s values. Parent denied the robocall came from anyone in her campaign but Georgia Equality’s leadership denounced the call and said the call was proof Parent was using anti-gay tactics to win.
“We worked until the bitter end. We worked to identify our voters, get our voters out. I’m proud of the campaign. We ran a hell of a campaign that was based on what this district needs, what this district deserves and the issues that face this district. I’m proud of it. I’m at peace,” Williams told GA Voice. “It’s disappointing we can’t have a conversation on the issues. The district deserves better than that. The voters deserve better than that. Progressives, liberals, the LGBT community deserves better than that. This is not the campaign that we would have run, this is not the campaign that we wanted to have to respond to, but we met it and we responded to it and I am OK and proud of what we did,” he added while waiting for returns to come in.
STATE REP. BELL COASTS TO VICTORY
State Rep. Simone Bell cruised to victory in her Democratic primary battle against Erica Long for State House District 58. She won with 63 percent, or 2,255 votes, to Long’s 1,312 votes, or 37 percent, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State. There was a bit of controversy in this race as well. Shortly before Sine Die this session, Bell got into a spat on the House floor with Ralph Long, her opponent in the 2012 general election. Bell claimed Long threatened that he would run against her again if she did not back out of supporting a Fulton County Commission candidate he was planning on running against. Bell said she would not back down and on the last day of qualifying, instead of Mr. Long paying the $400 qualifying fee to run for the state legislature, his wife, Erica Long, signed up to challenge Bell. Supporters of
• Alisha Morgan is in a runoff for the Democratic nomination for state School Superintendent with Valarie Wilson. Wilson received 85,574 votes, or 31.94 percent, to Morgan’s 70,707 votes, or 26.39 percent, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State. The runoff will be in July. • Harold Jones is in a runoff for state Senate District 22 against Corey Johnson. • State Sen. Nan Orrock holds on to state Senate District 36. • State Sen. Horcena Tate retains her state Senate District 38 seat. • State Sen. Gail Davenport retains her District 44 seat. • Erica Thomas wins the Democratic nomination for State House District 39; she has no opposition in November. • Openly gay Democrat Bob Gibeling will face a Republican in November but which Republican that will be will be determined in a July runoff between Beth Beskin and John McClosky. • Lesbian State Rep. Keisha Waites had no opposition and has no November opposition. • State Rep. Valencia Stovall defeats GE endorsed challenger Roberta Abdul-Salaam. • State Rep. Karla Drenner, the first openly gay person elected to the Georgia General Assembly, had no opposition and has no opposition in November. • State Rep. Michele Henson easily defeats her challenger and faces none in November. • State Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler coasted to victory and has no November challenger. • Openly gay Tim Hur was unable to win the Democratic primary against Renita Hamilton for State House District 105. • State Rep. Pam Dickerson holds on to House District 113 seat.
Bell said this was nothing but a “personal vendetta” by Mr. Long against her, but Mrs. Long told GA Voice she has always wanted to run for political office and this year was the right time to do so. “We worked hard as a team as we always do,” Bell told GA Voice as she waited for results at the Georgia Equality election night watch party at Radial Cafe. “I think my record at the Capitol stands on its own. I’ve got a lot more work I want to do. I love my job, I’m good at it, and I want to keep it.” Bell, who became the first African-American lesbian elected to a state legislature in 2009, faces no Republican opponent in November.
FULTON COUNTY COMMISSION RACE
The Georgia Stonewall Democrats endorsed many of the same candidates as Georgia Equality but the two groups split on support for Robb Pitts and John Eaves for Fulton County Commission chairperson. Eaves eked out a victory over Pitts with 50.39 percent of the vote. Lesbian Joan Garner was easily reelected to Fulton’s District 4 seat. Dyana Bagby contributed.
NEWS
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05.23.14
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‘Team Chandler’ fights for family Meet the Atlanta police officers suing for the right to legally marry in Georgia By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com One Tuesday morning late last month, Rayshawn Chandler and her wife Avery Chandler pulled into the parking lot at the 730 Midtown building and began walking towards the entrance. “Baby, you see the news trucks?” Rayshawn asked Avery. Avery looked over, then back to Rayshawn. “Why would you say that?!” she asked laughing, since Rayshawn was well aware that Avery was nervous. They continued on into the building and the reason for Avery’s nerves—they were heading for the Southern Regional office of Lambda Legal, and about to step out of the shadows and in front of a horde of local and national press to be introduced to the world alongside their five fellow plaintiffs in Inniss v. Aderhold, the federal class-action lawsuit attempting to strike down Georgia’s 2004 same-sex marriage ban. Avery recalls talking “a million miles a second” on the way to the press conference. “I was freaking out,” she says. However, her wife balanced her out. “I used that time to just think about the success of what’s going to happen,” Rayshawn says. “I’m really positive that things are going to come around for us.”
‘THE SKY JUST OPENED UP’
Rayshawn, 29 and a Miami native, and Avery, 30 and an Atlanta native, are both officers with the Atlanta Police Department. Avery is also in the Army Reserves. They met at the police academy in 2010 and occasionally worked out or went on runs together. It was strictly a colleague relationship until the following March, when they worked a few extra jobs together and began to talk and learn more about each other. And it was clear who was chasing whom. “I thought I was going to have to go get a rope and tie her down,” Rayshawn says laughing. “Oh my God, she was running.” Avery thought Rayshawn was straight and told her she “didn’t need another straight friend.” “My gaydar was broken,” Avery says. She finally picked up on Rayshawn’s intentions and ended up accepting an invitation to Rayshawn’s June graduation from the police academy. “She surprised me and came and I just thought that it was the sweetest thing,” Rayshawn says. “She went out to dinner with
Rayshawn, left, and Avery, right, Chandler are one of the couples that filed a class-action lawsuit in April taking on Georgia’s 2004 same-sex marriage ban. (Photo courtesy Lambda Legal)
my family and I after graduation and it was wonderful.” They consider that graduation day, June 26, their anniversary and have been dating ever since. They moved in together the following October, then were married the following June in West Hartford, Connecticut, on their two-year anniversary. The ceremony occurred in a rose garden in Elizabeth Park. “It seemed like it blossomed just for us because we were told that prior to our wedding day, it had rained the entire week,” Rayshawn says. “The sky just opened up on our wedding day.”
FIGHTING FOR THEIR FAMILY
Like many of the other plaintiffs involved in Inniss v. Aderhold, neither Rayshawn nor Avery, who call themselves “Team Chandler, has any background in LGBT activism. They live a quiet life together in Jonesboro, getting together with friends and family for the occasional barbecue or bowling night. So how did they get from there to walking through Lambda Legal’s doors on April 22 and telling their story to the world? The decision to join the suit didn’t come without concerns, with Rayshawn mentioning having their “life on a platter for everyone to look at and pick at and make their assumptions and put their opinions on,” and Avery was worried about “being vulnerable and exposed for everybody to look at.” But the Chandlers want kids, and they were more concerned about moving forward with that plan without the legal protections afforded to straight families throughout Georgia than
they were concerned about the intrusion a lawsuit would bring on their private lives. “We want a family dynamic that’s fair and that receives the same respect that others get,” Rayshawn says. “That’s a pet peeve of mine. We don’t want to be tagged as ‘that lesbian couple.’ We’re just a couple. We just want to be normal.” The perils of their jobs also factored into the decision, since their choice to protect the city of Atlanta (and in Avery’s case, the nation) increases the risk to their personal safety. Avery says that they want to ensure that “if anything were to happen to Ray or to me, we wouldn’t have to worry about having to fight anyone for our child,” she explains. “Or fight for the right to see my wife in the hospital.” They’re in the planning phase of becoming parents and hope to take that step in the next year or so. “This is a really important issue and it’s near and dear to my heart,” Avery continues. “And if it’s near and dear to your heart then you want to fight for it and make things right.”
‘SHOCK AND AWE’
The press conference ended up being an emotional scene, with several plaintiffs and even an attorney or two wiping away tears as each of the plaintiffs’ stories were told. “To finally know the background of everybody and that we’re all fighting for the same mission, it meant so much,” Rayshawn says. “All of us have our own individual reasons for why [we’re joining the suit], so it was kind of like an ‘ah-ha’ moment. They all make sense. Look at that. They’re all valid reasons why this thing should be recognized.”
Following the press conference, and especially after segments on the lawsuit ran on the 12 o’clock news that day, came what Rayshawn called “shock and awe”—a barrage of phone calls, text messages and Facebook messages and friend requests from people far and wide trying to make a connection with this suddenly public couple. Although well prepared for the attention the lawsuit would bring, the size of the initial onslaught still surprised them. “The support was amazing,” Rayshawn says. “When we went into it, we didn’t look at how big it would be and how it would impact so many people. We were in a bubble. In our eyes we were just looking at our situation.” Things have quieted down since then and gotten back to normal as Lambda Legal and the rest of the legal team await a response from the defendants in the lawsuit. The couple posts the occasional video to their YouTube channel, OurNormalLifeAtlanta, giving an update on their lives and fielding questions from viewers. They’ve also bonded with the other plaintiffs, meeting up for the occasional bite to eat and they’re planning a group outing soon. “It’s like a little family,” Avery says. If the lawsuit goes as they hope it to, Rayshawn, Avery and the rest of Georgia’s LGBT community will be able to rest easier knowing each of their little families will have the same rights and protections, no matter whom they love. *Visit Rayshawn and Avery Chandler’s YouTube channel OurNormalLifeAtlanta at www. youtube.com/channel/UCWKT-wBeguIuqrGk2-c1GA.
GA VOICE | 12
NEWS
05.23.14
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National Center for Civil and Human Rights to open Officials confirm extent of LGBT civil rights content By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com After years of fundraising and development, a major delay due to the Great Recession, and a scaling back of original designs, doors are set to open June 23 on the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The 42,000-square-foot facility had an original price tag of $125 million, but that was dialed down to $75 million. While the major focus of the center is the AfricanAmerican civil rights movement, the inclusion of LGBT rights history has been a part of the plan from the beginning. But LGBT activists have been raising questions about how much these post-recession revisions have affected this, and how much real estate LGBT civil rights history should cover at the Center in the future. The Center was able to confirm with GA Voice that the following LGBT content will be present on opening day: • In the American Civil Rights Movement gallery, there will be an exhibition area that highlights the story of Bayard Rustin, including his role in the African-American civil rights movement and the discrimination he faced as a gay man. • In the Global Human Rights gallery, there’s the “Who like you like me is threatened?” exhibition, an interactive mirror that lists several descriptors that visitors can select to see and hear personal stories of individuals around the world whose rights have been threatened because of that selected trait. One of the personal stories is that of an LGBT individual. • Russian LGBT activist Anastasia Smirnova is featured in the Human Rights Defenders exhibition. Smirnova was arrested during the Sochi Olympic games for protesting the country’s law banning “gay propaganda.” •Numerous other LGBT rights and marriage equality issues in the United States are covered in detail in the Center’s U.S. and Human Rights area, say Center administrators. Missing from the list is any mention of Winston Johnson, the longtime gay Atlanta activist who was instrumental in helping Coretta Scott King become the first AfricanAmerican civil rights leader to actively support gay rights. Johnson’s story would seem to align with the Center’s mission, but they were not able to confirm by press time whether he would be included. And in a review of the Center’s website, GA Voice found just two references to “LGBT” or “gay.” In a section on why the Center is located in Atlanta, it states, “From women’s
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights opens June 23 and will include the stories of national and international LGBT activists, including Bayard Rustin, but local gay heroes are still left out. (Courtesy photo)
DETAILS National Center for Civil and Human Rights Grand Opening June 23, 10 a.m. www.cchrpartnership.org
rights to gay rights to freedom movements across all of the continents, Atlanta is a key place for discussing these issues.” The other reference is on the donation page. “Help the Center be a leader in exploring and creating a deeper understanding and dialogue about LGBT issues. Donate today!” the page says.
VARIETY OF LGBT VOICES INVOLVED For its part, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights has enlisted a variety of LGBT individuals to serve in various positions along the way, from conception to the eve of opening the doors. Openly gay Tony Award-winning playwright and director George C. Wolfe serves as Chief Creative Officer. Wolfe conceived the overall storytelling approach and directed the design approach. He is also the curator of the American Civil Rights Movement gallery. Edie Cofrin, a well-known Atlanta lesbian philanthropist, serves on the Center’s board
of directors. Laura Douglas-Brown, former GA Voice editor, served as a consultant to the Center in the fall and winter of 2013 The Center also engaged several Atlanta LGBT leaders for their input on issues and programs over the course of the Center’s development these last several years, including: • Abby Drue, executive director of the Ben Marion Institute for Social Justice • Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality • Cain Williamson, board member of Atlanta Pride Committee • Duncan Teague, minister at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta • Dave Hayward, founder of Touching Up Our Roots The Center also says they have had a number of other LGBT individuals on their Global Advisory Board, exhibition design team and involved in their fundraising efforts. And the Center’s CEO, Doug Shipman, is considered by many to be an ally to the LGBT community.
‘GIVE IT A CHANCE’
The Center is unique in that it is designed to accommodate future expansion, and officials say that just because a vital piece of LGBT civil
rights history is not included there on opening day doesn’t mean it can’t be added later. “We will also be taking [LGBT] issues into the community via partnerships, programs and our broadcast facility,” the Center’s Director of Communications LaTasha Smith tells GA Voice. “Currently we are working to secure long-term funding support for ongoing LGBT initiatives, which will allow us to partner with local universities to combine programming and academic research.” Smith also says there are already LGBT groups requesting to use the Center for events and programs as well. Drue, who has been involved with the project since its inception, counsels patience to her fellow LGBT community members. “Knowing that this is going to be done in phases is great because it will give an opportunity for people to begin to experience what’s meaningful and leave open dialogue for what more can be, especially when it comes to issues with the GLBT community,” Drue tells GA Voice. “The most important thing is to allow it to at least open and give it a chance,” she continues. “It’s a learning process like any other as to how we go about making social change and I’m hoping the Center will be a coming of age place for our community in a way we never realized before.”
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TRAVEL
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Key West Pride is June 11-15 this year and attracts close to 10,000 visitors each year. (Photo via Key West Pride)
WHERE TO GO ON YOUR
gay vacay Take a ‘family’ vacation to any of these popular LGBT spots By MATT SCHAFER
S
ummer has arrived, and with it a bountiful number of opportunities to get out of Atlanta during the sweltering, 90-degree plus days ahead. While New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco are always some of the top destinations, many Georgians like to
kick off their summer with a trip to the Florida panhandle for Memorial Day weekend. While Destin, Florida, is popular with the family set, Pensacola kicks off the summer with one of the biggest beach parties—many beach parties to be exact—of the summer. There’s also the hottest lesbian party, billed as “Sexacola,” put on annually at Captain Fun’s Beach Club by the owners of Atlanta’s My Sister’s Room. This year’s headliner for the weekend party is Uh Huh Her on Saturday, with the popular White Party on Sunday hosted by Sarah Bettencourt and Whitney Mixter. There are numerous other parties dur-
ing the Memorial Day weekend with events throughout the city’s gay bars and clubs. Emerald City bills itself as the largest gay dance club on the Gulf Coast, and General Manager Ted McCrary says that Pensacola will be awash with people looking for a good time in and around the city. “Memorial Day is our weekend of the year, “ McCrary says. “We have people driving in from as far as Texas, Tennessee, Georgia—it’s a big weekend.” Long known for its history of conservative politics, Florida bills itself “family friendly.” But Pensacola is a dot of blue sea in the middle of the red state and the beach
parties last all summer. “Because we’re a beach town we have a pretty consistent flow of people coming in for a week or a weekend. Most people come here for the beach. There are very few places in the country where you have that white sugar sand beach, and we have it here,” he says. “Pensacola is like an oasis in (the Panhandle), there’s a large gay population, and most people feel very comfortable here… most gay people find coming to Pensacola very relaxing. From my talking to customers they don’t find Pensacola uncomfortable like they sometimes do other towns in the Panhandle.”
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KEY WEST AND NAKED BOYS
Further down the Florida Gulf Coast lies an archipelago of small islands that terminates in Stock Island, home to a friendly little town with a history of inclusiveness that goes back to before gay rights were cool. In the ’80s, Key West launched a flippant secession protest once authorities started searching inbound cars for drugs and illegal immigrants. Matt Hon, event coordinator for the Key West Business Guild, says the island’s dedication to self-determination remains. “That’s another reason to come to Key West—naked boys. Key West has not changed one bit on acceptance of the LGBT community, and public nudity,” Hon says. “On my way to work today I saw a boy riding a skateboard in his boxers. Key West is a place where if you want to be with someone of the same gender, that’s fine, if you don’t want to wear a lot of clothes, that’s fine.” Key West boasts three clothing-optional resorts: New Orleans House, Equator and Is-
Need another reason to come to Key West? There are plenty of naked boys, says Matt Hon, event coordinator for the Key West Business Guild. (Photo via Facebook)
land House; and one of the more unique Pride celebrations in the country, held June 11-15. “Typically Key West Pride fills up the hotel
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rooms, and we expect 7,500 to 10,000 visitors,” Han says. That number might not sound like a lot, but there are only about 23,000 full-time residents on the island. “There are basically people hanging from the rafters on Key West, which is kind of awesome. What’s cool about Key West is we’re basically small town, and our Pride has a small-town feeling. Duval Street will line up with not only a lot of tourists, but a lot of locals, who will come out with their entire families, and everyone is supportive, and everyone has a good time.” Key West also has separate weekends targeted at lesbians and gays, with Womenfest Sept. 4 — 7 and Tropic Heat set for Aug. 14 — 17 “Womenfest is geared towards women, not necessarily all lesbian women, or biological women, it consists of pool parties, home parties, home tours … this year we will also have Hunter Valentine down to for a concert,” Hon says.
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WEST COAST CHARMS
Grr. Provincetown Bear Week will be July 12-20 this year with entertainment provided by John Waters and Armistead Maupin among others. (Photo by Tom Hurlbut/www.PhotoBearNE.com)
LGBTS LOVE P-TOWN
For those wanting a different take on a small town beach community, Provincetown, a tiny Massachusetts beach village tucked away on the tail end of the peninsula protecting Cape Cod Bay, has long been a destination for LGBT travelers attracted to the small town with a “Hamptons” feeling to it. Thomas Masters is the house manager of Crew Quarters, an all-male guest house in the heart of Provincetown’s small downtown that caters exclusively to gay travelers. “All the beaches are national parks and so the beaches are protected, and there are hundreds of restaurants and bars you can walk to,” Masters says. “The way I describe it is that it’s very much like Michael Cunningham’s novel ‘Land’s End.’” Eric Hoop, director of social media for Crew Quarters, says Provincetown offers a mix of small-town charm with an illustrious pedigree. “This is where the Kennedys vacation,
H and if it’s good enough for Jackie O, it’s good enough for us,” Hoop says. “There’s also the social aspects of the town that people are attracted to, like going to Spiritus Pizza at night. Our bars shut down at 1 a.m. and so a lot of people will head to our restaurants and it’s a very nice social scene.” The entire town is involved in the open atmosphere as a series of themed weeks during the summer, including Bear Week in July, a super-hero themed Carnival Week in June, Tennessee Williams festival in March and Fantasia Fair, a week-long transgender festival in October.
With one of the largest gay populations of any city in America, Seattle has become a growing destination for gay vacationers since Washington state legalized same-sex marriage in 2013. Rachael Brister, deputy director of the Greater Seattle Business Association, the city’s LGBT chamber of commerce, says that 20 percent of the samesex marriages performed in Seattle were from out-of-state couples. “We have this program where if you don’t know anyone locally you can call my office and get witnesses for the marriage permit,” Brister says. “We have volunteers who will come out and witness your marriage. I’ve personally witnessed five marriages since it was legalized in 2013.” Marriage is just one potential draw for travelers, many of whom visit for the mild weather and to go to Capitol Hill, the city’s historically gay-friendly district. “Weatherwise, Seattle in the summer, there is nothing like it. It’s sunny, very pleasant and we also have a lot of outdoor events,” Brister says. Seattle’s Pride is one of the largest outdoor events and starts during the last week of June with a transgender Pride event and climaxes in a massive outdoor festival at Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World’s Fair and iconic Space Needle. Seattle is host to a number of picturesque and historic attractions, but Brister says to skip the “original” Starbucks in Pike Place Market. “The thing is it’s not the original Starbucks, and it’s just like every other Starbucks,” she says. “The thing is Starbucks has built some other locations in town with really beautiful architecture, and it’s the same coffee you get at Pike Place Market.” The city offers walking tours, LGBT film festivals, and a thriving foodie scene, but one of the attractions Brister recommends
Washington state may be known for drab weather, but it’s always sunny for Seattle Pride. (Photo via Facebook)
isn’t in Seattle, but under it. “One of my favorite things, and it’s not necessarily a gay thing, is the Seattle Underground tour,” she said. Seattle was basically built twice, and they rebuilt the waterfront and there are all these tunnels you can access that used to be above ground, it’s really interesting.” This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Seattle Pride. Seattle celebrates Pride with numerous events throughout the month of June, including a Trans March, a Dyke March and a Family Pride Day. The month concludes on June 29 with a huge festival and parade. Celebrity grand marshal for this year’s parade is George Takei.
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Oz Campground, located two hours from the Atlanta airport, has a full bar, dance floor and live entertainment during many weekends. There is also a pool and hiking trails to help people get away from city sounds and worries. (Courtesy photo)
Campy summer fun Check out some of Georgia’s LGBT campgrounds when planning to get away By DYANA BAGBY dbagby@thegavoice.com
Oz Campground
Private, clothing optional About 120 miles south of downtown Atlanta, or 2 hours from the Atlanta airport Available: Everything from double sleeper cabins, deluxe studio cabins, tent sites, RV sites, • Heated saltwater pool • 4,000 square-foot bar 50 Hwy. 30 Unadilla, GA 31091 www.ozcampground.com
UPCOMING EVENTS Memorial Day weekend: May 23-26 with Del Shores of “Sordid Lives” Music Fest: June 13-15 featuring Lindsey Hinkle and Halcyon
At Oz ‘we make sure everyone is included’ “We have a bar, a dance floor, club, and for a lot of people who live nearby, there are no gay bars around here,” says Steve Cramer, owner of Oz Campground in Unadilla. “As far as Middle Georgia goes, we’re it. A lot of guys come here looking for something besides Grindr or a blind hookup.” But there are also plenty of people who travel from all around Georgia and surrounding states to stay in a cabin, RV or a simple tent to enjoy a little bit of the great outdoors while still having the benefits of a bar and dance floor.
“For people who come here, this is our family of choice,” Cramer says. “There is a strong community plus new people come in every weekend.” Oz Campground has 1,800 members with about 10 people who live full-time on the 150 acres of land that makes up the site. There are plenty of hiking trails and a 2-hour “hay ride” (well, actually, everyone sits on a mattress) takes place every night. The land is surrounded by cotton fields and tree farms. “We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Cramer says. The best part about owning a gay campground is the people, Cramer adds. “When I see someone new come and they’re shy and then within an hour they have new friends—I love to see that. We make sure everyone is included.”
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CAMPY FUN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17
Swiftwaters Campground Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year Opened as a safe space for all women 22 acres of campsites along the Etowah River • Two rustic cabins • Dog and children friendly 830 Swiftwater’s Road Dahlonega, GA 30533 www.swiftwaters.com
UPCOMING EVENTS Nothing organized for this summer, but the Fourth of July weekend is always a popular weekend
‘We have become a tradition’ at Swiftwaters “It’s still hanging in there,” says Pat Roberts, owner of Swiftwaters. “There’s always women who want to get away, from the city or home life, and do something different. All campsites are right on river. All you hear are the birds. There’s no city noise, nothing but peace and the quiet and tranquility. Here you can relax,” she adds. Many women who visit Swiftwaters say they feel like they are home, that this is where they belong, Roberts says. And now, women who came to the campground when younger are now bringing their daughters—so visiting is becoming generational. “They bring their daughters here, they joke, because we have bad cell phone reception and
they can’t text their friends,” Roberts adds. Women can raft down the Etowah River and grill by the river and many like to sing and play music around campfires. There is also a volleyball court, a place to play horseshoes and also badminton. “Hopefully we will be here again another 35 years,” Roberts says. “As long as it pays its taxes and upkeep I will keep it going. The community has been very good to me and I like to repay the community by keeping this place going. We have become a tradition.”
OTHER LGBT GEORGIA CAMPGROUNDS In The Woods Campground
’80s Disco Weekend: June 6-7 Daddy’s Day Weekend: June 13-14
River’s Edge • Clothing optional • Banana Cabana Café • Clubhouse • Work out room • Pool and hot tub • Free wi-fi at clubhouse and pool • 95 campsites • 9 campsites with electricity • Creek that flows through campground • RV sites • Sleeper cabins • Loft cabins 2311 Pulliam Mill Road Dewy Rose, GA 30634 www.camptheriversedge.com
• Clothing optional • Members only • Drinking allowed for 21 and up • 2.5 miles of walking trails • Indoor video lounge • Spacious rooms • Large RV sites • Wooded, electric tent sites • Air-conditioned clubhouse • Hot tub and swimming pool • Exercise and dining rooms
Roy’s Hideaway
142 Casey Court Canon, GA 30520 706-246-0152 www.inthewoodscampground.com
268 Catfish Lane Collins, GA 30421 912-225-3900 www.royshideaway.com
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Memorial Day weekend is the campground’s summer kick off Events include bingo, hot tub parties, DJ and dancing, grilling out
Summer kicks off with Memorial Day weekend Silver Daddy Weekend: June 13-15 Country Weekend: June 20-22 Motorcycle Weekend: June 27-29
• Members only • Clothing optional • Electric and primitive tent camping • RV sites • Bear Den Cabin • Stable House • Queen Suite • Eduardo’s Café at the pool serving lunch and dinner
Plenty of outdoor activities are available at Roy’s Hideaway in Collins, Ga., located about three hours from downtown Atlanta. (Courtesy photo)
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What is STRIBILD? STRIBILD is a prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before. It combines 4 medicines into 1 pill to be taken once a day with food. STRIBILD is a complete single-tablet regimen and should not be used with other HIV-1 medicines. STRIBILD does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses you must keep taking STRIBILD. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about STRIBILD? STRIBILD can cause serious side effects: • Build-up of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include feeling very weak or tired, unusual (not normal) muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold especially in your arms and legs, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat. • Serious liver problems. The liver may become large (hepatomegaly) and fatty (steatosis). Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice), dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored bowel movements (stools), loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach pain. • You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking STRIBILD for a long time. In some cases, these serious conditions have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions.
• Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you also have HBV and stop taking STRIBILD, your hepatitis may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking STRIBILD without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health. STRIBILD is not approved for the treatment of HBV.
Who should not take STRIBILD? Do not take STRIBILD if you: • Take a medicine that contains: alfuzosin, dihydroergotamine, ergotamine, methylergonovine, cisapride, lovastatin, simvastatin, pimozide, sildenafil when used for lung problems (Revatio®), triazolam, oral midazolam, rifampin or the herb St. John’s wort. • For a list of brand names for these medicines, please see the Brief Summary on the following pages. • Take any other medicines to treat HIV-1 infection, or the medicine adefovir (Hepsera®).
What are the other possible side effects of STRIBILD? Serious side effects of STRIBILD may also include: • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do regular blood and urine tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with STRIBILD. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking STRIBILD. • Bone problems, including bone pain or bones getting soft or thin, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones. • Changes in body fat can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicines. • Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking STRIBILD. The most common side effects of STRIBILD include nausea and diarrhea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking STRIBILD? • All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection. • All the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. STRIBILD may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how STRIBILD works. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. Do not start any new medicines while taking STRIBILD without first talking with your healthcare provider. • If you take hormone-based birth control (pills, patches, rings, shots, etc). • If you take antacids. Take antacids at least 2 hours before or after you take STRIBILD. • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if STRIBILD can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking STRIBILD. • If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk. Also, some medicines in STRIBILD can pass into breast milk, and it is not known if this can harm the baby.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Please see Brief Summary of full Prescribing Information with important warnings on the following pages.
STRIBILD is a prescription medicine used as a complete single-tablet regimen to treat HIV-1 in adults who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before. STRIBILD does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.
I started my personal revolution Talk to your healthcare provider about starting treatment. STRIBILD is a complete HIV-1 treatment in 1 pill, once a day. Ask if it’s right for you.
Patient Information STRIBILD® (STRY-bild) (elvitegravir 150 mg/cobicistat 150 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/ tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg) tablets Brief summary of full Prescribing Information. For more information, please see the full Prescribing Information, including Patient Information. What is STRIBILD? • STRIBILD is a prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before. STRIBILD is a complete regimen and should not be used with other HIV-1 medicines. • STRIBILD does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. You must stay on continuous HIV-1 therapy to control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses. • Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others. Do not share or reuse needles, injection equipment, or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them. Do not have sex without protection. Always practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to lower the chance of sexual contact with semen, vaginal secretions, or blood. What is the most important information I should know about STRIBILD? STRIBILD can cause serious side effects, including: 1. Build-up of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis). Lactic acidosis can happen in some people who take STRIBILD or similar (nucleoside analogs) medicines. Lactic acidosis is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Lactic acidosis can be hard to identify early, because the symptoms could seem like symptoms of other health problems. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms which could be signs of lactic acidosis: • feel very weak or tired • have unusual (not normal) muscle pain • have trouble breathing • have stomach pain with nausea or vomiting • feel cold, especially in your arms and legs • feel dizzy or lightheaded • have a fast or irregular heartbeat 2. Severe liver problems. Severe liver problems can happen in people who take STRIBILD. In some cases, these liver problems can lead to death. Your liver may become large (hepatomegaly) and you may develop fat in your liver (steatosis). Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms of liver problems: • your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice) • dark “tea-colored” urine • light-colored bowel movements (stools) • loss of appetite for several days or longer • nausea • stomach pain You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking STRIBILD for a long time. 3. Worsening of Hepatitis B infection. If you have hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and take STRIBILD, your HBV may get worse (flare-up) if you stop taking STRIBILD. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before. • Do not run out of STRIBILD. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your STRIBILD is all gone
• Do not stop taking STRIBILD without first talking to your healthcare provider • If you stop taking STRIBILD, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your HBV infection. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking STRIBILD Who should not take STRIBILD? Do not take STRIBILD if you also take a medicine that contains: • adefovir (Hepsera®) • alfuzosin hydrochloride (Uroxatral®) • cisapride (Propulsid®, Propulsid Quicksolv®) • ergot-containing medicines, including: dihydroergotamine mesylate (D.H.E. 45®, Migranal®), ergotamine tartrate (Cafergot®, Migergot®, Ergostat®, Medihaler Ergotamine®, Wigraine®, Wigrettes®), and methylergonovine maleate (Ergotrate®, Methergine®) • lovastatin (Advicor®, Altoprev®, Mevacor®) • oral midazolam • pimozide (Orap®) • rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®, Rimactane®) • sildenafil (Revatio®), when used for treating lung problems • simvastatin (Simcor®, Vytorin®, Zocor®) • triazolam (Halcion®) • the herb St. John’s wort Do not take STRIBILD if you also take any other HIV-1 medicines, including: • Other medicines that contain tenofovir (Atripla®, Complera®, Viread®, Truvada®) • Other medicines that contain emtricitabine, lamivudine, or ritonavir (Atripla®, Combivir®, Complera®, Emtriva®, Epivir® or Epivir-HBV®, Epzicom®, Kaletra®, Norvir®, Trizivir®, Truvada®) STRIBILD is not for use in people who are less than 18 years old. What are the possible side effects of STRIBILD? STRIBILD may cause the following serious side effects: • See “What is the most important information I should know about STRIBILD?” • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys before you start and while you are taking STRIBILD. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking STRIBILD if you develop new or worse kidney problems. • Bone problems can happen in some people who take STRIBILD. Bone problems include bone pain, softening or thinning (which may lead to fractures). Your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your bones. • Changes in body fat can happen in people who take HIV-1 medicine. These changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), breast, and around the middle of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the legs, arms and face may also happen. The exact cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known. • Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having any new symptoms after starting your HIV-1 medicine.
The most common side effects of STRIBILD include: • Nausea • Diarrhea Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. • These are not all the possible side effects of STRIBILD. For more information, ask your healthcare provider. • Call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking STRIBILD? Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including: • If you have or had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis B infection • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if STRIBILD can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking STRIBILD. - There is a pregnancy registry for women who take antiviral medicines during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk with your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry. • If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take STRIBILD. - You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. - Two of the medicines in STRIBILD can pass to your baby in your breast milk. It is not known if the other medicines in STRIBILD can pass into your breast milk. - Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements: • STRIBILD may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how STRIBILD works. • Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you take any of the following medicines: - Hormone-based birth control (pills, patches, rings, shots, etc) - Antacid medicines that contain aluminum, magnesium hydroxide, or calcium carbonate. Take antacids at least 2 hours before or after you take STRIBILD - Medicines to treat depression, organ transplant rejection, or high blood pressure - amiodarone (Cordarone®, Pacerone®) - atorvastatin (Lipitor®, Caduet®) - bepridil hydrochloride (Vascor®, Bepadin®) - bosentan (Tracleer®) - buspirone - carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®) - clarithromycin (Biaxin®, Prevpac®) - clonazepam (Klonopin®) - clorazepate (Gen-xene®, Tranxene®) - colchicine (Colcrys®) - medicines that contain dexamethasone - diazepam (Valium®)
- digoxin (Lanoxin®) - disopyramide (Norpace®) - estazolam - ethosuximide (Zarontin®) - flecainide (Tambocor®) - flurazepam - fluticasone (Flovent®, Flonase®, Flovent® Diskus®, Flovent® HFA, Veramyst®) - itraconazole (Sporanox®) - ketoconazole (Nizoral®) - lidocaine (Xylocaine®) - mexiletine - oxcarbazepine (Trileptal®) - perphenazine - phenobarbital (Luminal®) - phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek®) - propafenone (Rythmol®) - quinidine (Neudexta®) - rifabutin (Mycobutin®) - rifapentine (Priftin®) - risperidone (Risperdal®, Risperdal Consta®) - salmeterol (Serevent®) or salmeterol when taken in combination with fluticasone (Advair Diskus®, Advair HFA®) - sildenafil (Viagra®), tadalafil (Cialis®) or vardenafil (Levitra®, Staxyn®), for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). If you get dizzy or faint (low blood pressure), have vision changes or have an erection that last longer than 4 hours, call your healthcare provider or get medical help right away. - tadalafil (Adcirca®), for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension - telithromycin (Ketek®) - thioridazine - voriconazole (Vfend®) - warfarin (Coumadin®, Jantoven®) - zolpidem (Ambien®, Edlular®, Intermezzo®, Zolpimist®) Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. Do not start any new medicines while you are taking STRIBILD without first talking with your healthcare provider. Keep STRIBILD and all medicines out of reach of children. This Brief Summary summarizes the most important information about STRIBILD. If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider. You can also ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about STRIBILD that is written for health professionals, or call 1-800-445-3235 or go to www.STRIBILD.com. Issued: October 2013
COMPLERA, EMTRIVA, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, GSI, HEPSERA, STRIBILD, the STRIBILD Logo, TRUVADA, and VIREAD are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. ATRIPLA is a trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb & Gilead Sciences, LLC. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. © 2014 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. STBC0080 03/14
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The psychology of pop Neon Tree’s Tyler Glenn talks about coming out as a gay mormon, new release By SHANNON HAMES Last October, Tyler Glenn, lead singer for the Neon Trees, had plans to celebrate his birthday by getting his driver’s license (for the first time in his life). Instead, he came out as a gay man to his family and friends. Five months later, Rolling Stone published his coming-out interview and the rest of the world got to know Tyler Glenn in his authentic glory. The buzz surrounding Neon Trees is partially about Glenn’s coming out, but also about their new release, “Pop Psychology,” just released last month. Neon Trees have been on television nearly every week since the release and will be playing Friday, May 23, at the Tabernacle in Atlanta. The Georgia Voice spoke to Tyler Glenn about coming out as a gay Mormon when you’re a rock star. Here’s what he had to say: Shannon: The interview you did a few weeks ago with Chelsea Handler was interesting. She was sharing with you her own ideas about what it means to be a Mormon and you told her that it didn’t sound like your Mormon faith at all. I think it took her aback for a gay man not to jump on the anti-Mormon bandwagon. Tyler: Yeah, we could have really explored that but that show isn’t the best platform to discuss those deep things. Shannon: You said that you were loved by the Mormon community when you came out and received more hatred from gay atheists. Tell me about that. Tyler: As a lifelong Mormon, I have come to expect that if someone is going to give me grief, it’s going to be a conservative, religious person. I expected it. But I got a very loving response from the people who were Mormon.
There were others who tweeted very negatively to me – they seemed to be part of an atheist LGBT group. It was bizarre because if anyone should be rallying with you, it should be the gay community. Shannon: What was the problem? Tyler: (California’s) Proposition 8 (banning same sex marriage) was the thing that really started the division between Mormons and gays. My family and friends and conservative people that my parents associate with – I wasn’t sure how they’d react but I was definitely curious. But I didn’t think they would shun me. And they didn’t. I’ve always felt comfortable in the Mormon Church. I’ve felt more uncomfortable when I’ve chosen to do other things that were not … it wasn’t being gay that made me feel uncomfortable. It was other life choices that made me uncomfortable. Shannon: You were having some issues prior to your coming out and your mom intervened and set you up with a therapist. Do you think she had any idea about what you were struggling with? Tyler: I’ve known I was gay since I was 6. It was something that I learned when I started school that I had to hide. I don’t think my parents expected me to say that I was gay when I told them I had something to tell them. They almost didn’t believe me. I have always been a unique kid and a bit different. When I went to therapy, it was more of me trying to figure out why I was one version of myself while I was on stage
NEON TREES 8 p.m. Friday, May 23 The Tabernacle 152 Luckie St NW, Atlanta, GA 30303 404-659-9022
and why I was another version of myself with certain friends. It was a lot about finding a balance and not acting so isolating and alienating when I was on the road. I knew deep down a lot of it had to do with my identity and being comfortable with who I liked. Shannon: Wasn’t it a relief? Just not having to hide who you were anymore? Tyler: The first person I came out to was my producer who I was intensely working with on this record. He knew me for years and I just wanted to share with him what the songs were about because I was writing songs that were obviously about someone and he knew me well enough to know I didn’t have a girlfriend. I finally just told him. What flipped everything for me is when he reacted with such love and even excitement, which I could have never before associated with coming out as gay. Someone being happy for you? Being excited for you? That went so well that I then I told my parents and family. It’s been since October
that I came out and I’m a really happy guy. It’s been great. Shannon: The first single on your new album, “Pop Psychology,” is called “Sleeping with a Friend” about hooking up with a straight guy … Tyler: That was me, for the first time, talking openly about my sex life so there was a little bit of curiosity about how people would react. Again, my close friends and family circle knew me well enough to know I wasn’t seeing anyone so would they wonder, ‘Who is he talking about in this song?’ Shannon: The general response to your coming out has been positive? Tyler: I venture to say overwhelmingly positive. Ellen DeGeneres was the big celebrity that I remember coming out and I remember how it destroyed her career at the time. I love that it’s not like that anymore. You can just say it and move along. Shannon: The Neon Trees are going to be in Atlanta on May 23. What do you want to say to your Atlanta fans? Tyler: I’m excited to tour. Being able to love and accept myself with a real fullness has given me a new energy and the band a new energy. We can’t wait to connect with our fans in Atlanta.
Neon Trees band members from left: Chris Allen, Elaine Bradley, Tyler Glenn and Branden Campbell. (Photo via band)
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FILM BY JIM FARMER
‘The Normal Heart’ is likely to break yours Emotional HBO film captures essence of Larry Kramer’s play about early AIDS crisis
Ned Weeks is played by Mark Ruffalo, right, a character based on longtime activist and writer Larry Kramer, in HBO’s ‘The Normal Heart.’ In the film based on Kramer’s play of the same name, Weeks dates closeted New York Times reporter Felix Turner, played by Matt Bomer, left. (Publicity photo)
For decades, longtime LGBT and HIV/ AIDS activist Larry Kramer wanted to bring his play “The Normal Heart” to life as a feature-length film. At one time Barbra Streisand was looking to direct, but the project eventually wound up in the hands of the incredibly talented and busy Ryan Murphy, with his show “Glee” still going strong and his other project “American Horror Story” returning in the fall. As a gay man, Murphy takes enormous pride in the material of this new project, “The Normal Heart,” and he’s fortunate that HBO has allowed him to make the movie he wanted to make with no compromises. Before officially debuting May 25, “The Normal Heart” had a special VIP screening May 14 at the Carter Center, presented by HBO, AID Atlanta, Emory University’s Center for AIDS Research, Interfaith Health Program and the Rollins School of Public Health. Panels from the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial
DETAILS ‘The Normal Heart’ Debuts May 25 at 9 p.m. HBO www.thenormalheart.hbo.com
Quilt were on display at the event. Mark Ruffalo, who also executive produced, stars as writer and activist Ned Weeks, the character based on Kramer. We meet him in the early ’80s in New York joining friends at Fire Island. Shortly after, he reads a newspaper article about a disease sweeping through the gay community. His friend Craig Donner (“Looking’s” Jonathan Groff) dies quickly, and suddenly a nurse— wheelchair-bound polio survivor Emma Brookner (Julia Roberts)—is inundated with patients. Like Ned and his friends, she is trying to understand what is going on. Her suggestion to gay men that they stop having sex doesn’t go over well. Ned visits Felix Tuner (Matt Bomer), a closeted New York Times reporter, to see what kind of help he can provide. An oddball pairing, they nonetheless begin dating each other. Others in Ned’s circle include closeted investment banker Bruce
Niles (Taylor Kitsch) and Tommy Boatwright (Jim Parsons), a transplant from the South who assists in getting the Gay Men’s Health Crisis going. As the number of deaths is escalating, Ned’s activism grows—and his style is not quiet. He is particularly irate at the perceived-to-begay mayor Ed Koch and his nonresponse to the health crisis. Ned butts heads with many, including his own brother Ben (Alfed Molina). Murphy has turned Kramer’s ambitious 1985 play into an equally ambitious movie. (Kramer himself adapted the screenplay). If the early scenes seem a little rushed, be patient; the film clicks when Ned and Felix meet. Their relationship is complex and eventually heartbreaking. “The Normal Heart” works sharpest at detailing the confusion and climate of the time, as well as attempts to get respect for the disease and a cure. It certainly makes for compelling drama—and captures an era when a lot more LGBT people were closeted and afraid to be out. “The Normal Heart” is just over two hours and easily could have been turned into a miniseries or a longer feature. In fact, a sequel is already being discussed.
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BOOKS BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER
A story of coming of age in era of AIDS and politics Activist Sean Strub’s ‘Body Counts’ sure to resonate with gay men You didn’t want to look. When you bought the ticket, you knew the movie was going to be scary, but you had
to see it for yourself. Kind of. Peeking between your fingers. You couldn’t look… but you couldn’t look away, either. In the early 1980s, when AIDS was barely understood, Sean Strub decided something similar: he’s gay and had engaged in risky behavior, but he didn’t want to be tested. In his book “Body Counts,” he writes about HIV,
the House and Senate, and how they set the course of his life. At a time when most kids want to be cowboys or ballerinas, Strub wanted to be a politician. He was obsessed with politics and, by time he moved to Washington to work as an elevator operator in the Capital, he also fixated on losing his virginity.
For years, Strub had hoped his attraction to men was “a phase that might pass.” It was 1976, and being gay was scary for a smalltown Iowa City boy. He wasn’t even sure if sex between men was possible but after he moved to Washington and then to New York, it didn’t take long to find out. “If Washington was a staging area for my life,” says Strub, “ New York was the destination.” Being a 20-something gay man in the Big Apple was exciting and liberating. Strub found a thriving, politically strong LGBT community, immersed himself in activism, and discovered gay bars, bath houses, and an abundance of available men with whom he “was playing catch-up sexually…” By the fall of 1980, Strub had been treated for STDs, hepatitis B, and “a mysterious swelling” of his lymph nodes. Quiet, urgent reports of the death of “a handful of gay men” began surfacing months later, and that scared him but he was told that his immune system was strong, that he probably didn’t have AIDS. Some time later, however, after contracting shingles, Strub was tested. The man he’d fallen in love with, Michael, was “matter-of-fact” when the results came back positive, but the diagnosis of “AIDSrelated complex” was the catalyst for Strub to settle “into my first extended period of monogamy, or close to it.” But at that point, for Michael, it was too late. As memoirs go, this is definitely a different kind of animal. Though it begins with goings-on and inner-circle politics (and though it visits that circle often), “Body Counts” ultimately becomes more of a coming-of-age comingout that will resonate with gay men who remember the post-Stonewall, pre-AIDS years that’s wrapped in tales of the infancy of LGBT activism. What will keep readers rapt though, are the horrifying jewels of this book: author Strub’s howl-of-grief memories of the earliest of the AIDS epidemic; of dying friends; of visiting a hospital—not to see anyone specifically, but because he knew there’d be someone there he’d know. Strub leaves such images scattered here like potholes in springtime, and they’ll stick with you for a long time. For sure, those stories make “Body Counts” worth a look.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
THEATER BY JIM FARMER
‘End of the Rainbow’ charts Judy Garland’s last days Local performers shine in Actor’s Express production Freddie Ashley, the artistic director of Actor’s Express, usually doesn’t take pitches for future programming. Yet when actress Natasha Drena contacted Ashley a few years ago and suggested the Judy Garland musical “End of the Rainbow” to him, he knew it was a great idea. “Rainbow” runs through June 15 at Actor’s Express. Peter Quilter’s musical looks at the legend in the months leading up to her 1969 death. She is staying in London with her fiancé Mickey Deans and dealing with her drug addiction and a career that has faded. A five-week concert gig, she hopes, will push her back into overdrive. Written in 2005, the musical features close to a dozen songs such as “The Trolley Song,” “Get Happy,” “The Man That Got Away” and—of course—“Over the Rainbow.” “Rainbow” is directed by Ashley with Drena playing Garland. He feels the actress is a natural for the part. “My first reaction (when she contacted me) was Natasha was Judy Garland,” he says. “She has such an affinity for Judy. She wants to take care of her.” Drena has played Garland once before, in Georgia Ensemble Theatre’s “Beyond the Rainbow.” Ashley felt the London gigs were an opportunity to escape some of the bad press Garland had gotten around that time. “She was the greatest talent of her time, and she has this last chance to achieve greatness and she does it,” he says. He did extensive research to doing a lot of research on Garland before diving in— watching tons of footage and interviews with her, particularly from the last years of her life. One misconception he had was that those last concerts were failures. In fact, they were the opposite. “They were killing her—literally—but she was reclaiming her crown,” Ashley says. “Those last concerts were a triumph.” Eventually, though, she was not destined to live a long life, he says. Radio personality John Lemley of WABE’s City Café has s small role in “Rainbow” as a radio announcer interviewing Garland. Many don’t know that he has a degree in musical theater and a huge passion for it.
DETAILS “End of the Rainbow” Runs through June 15 Actor’s Express 887 W. Marietta St., Atlanta, GA 30318 www.actorsexpress.com
Natasha Drena portrays Judy Garland in the Actor’s Express production of ‘End of the Rainbow.’ (Publicity photo)
“That was my life for the first 25 years or so,” he says. By the time he was about to walk across the stage at Birmingham Southern to grab his degree, he had a change of heart. “As much as I love theater, an actor’s life was not for me,” he says. “I needed a little more. I was seeking more normalcy. Theater and acting don’t afford you that. I rarely long for it, unless I go and see a really great show. Then I think, ‘That looks like fun.’ The remedy for that is seeking out a really bad show somewhere and thinking, ‘Thank God that is not me.’” But while a student, Lemley had Broadway and London’s West End as a goal. “I don’t want to say I chickened out but I really just decided there had to be something that would scratch that performance itch without taking such a crazy bite,” he says. Lemley and Ashley, who are both gay, worked together in a staged reading of the play “8” several years ago. Lemley afterward had mentioned he would be game for future work to the Express casting director, Sheila Oliver, who also works in sales at WABE. He laughs that his role in “8,” a play about the Propositon 8 trial in California, was almost typecasting. “That was very much like this role only even closer to who I am Monday to Friday,” Lemley says. “I played the role of a NPR reporter/anchor. I played myself. It was a great way to get my feet wet for the first time in a few decades after having done no theater at all.” He does a good bit of emceeing, narrating and hosting events, but “8”was his first theater gig in a while. “Thank heavens it was a staged reading and I had my script,” he laughs. “My biggest fear (in this show) was going off book and I’m only onstage for two or three pages at most. It’s a cameo with a small c.”
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Queer artists take the stage all over Atlanta nearly every weekend and plenty of other days of the week. And when they do so, they are helping all LGBT people get closer to full equality. That’s the loose thesis of Heather Provoncha’s documentary “Queer Moxie,” a film she’s been working on for five years with help from Leo Hollen Jr. “It was performance artists that started Stonewall,” she says. “It takes a lot of moxie to get on stage as a marginalized group, especially queer people—we have men dressing as women, women dressing as men, burlesque, spoken word, women of size, comedians who are telling jokes about being gay and not being the punchline. All of this is helping us get our rights for the queer community.” That moxie, that “Queer Moxie,” is what Provoncha set out to document in 2009 when she organized burlesque shows featuring various performance artists who weren’t able to get stage time anywhere else. “It was a natural evolution of the cabaret and me trying to take pictures,” she explains. Basically, Provoncha says she sucked at taking photos. So she got a video camera and hit record. “And I was good at it, or good enough. And I looked around and nobody else was documenting this,” she says. “So I kept recording. And I really liked to watch the numbers again.” With more than 20 interviews of Atlanta drag artists, comedians, burlesque performers and more plus five years and hundreds of hours of film, Provoncha and Hollen are now finalizing the film for public viewing. A May 28 show at Jungle hosted by gay comedian Ian Aber will feature such drag legends as Nicole Paige Brooks, Heather Daniels and Drue Lingue, drag king Devin Liquor and local celebrities Brent Star and Ellisorous Rex. These are a few of the some 250 Atlanta stars featured in “Queer Moxie” and the cabaret fundraiser will just give partici-
A ‘Queer Moxie Cabaret’ is set for May 28 to highlight some of the performers featured in the documentary about performance artists and their contribution to social change. (Courtesy photo)
pants just a taste of what the film is about with the show. Two trailers from the film will also be shown. At one time, queer artists such as those in this film were considered “freaks in a cage” for people to gawk at. Now, mainstream artists are taking their cues from those waving their freak flag proudly, Provoncha says. “One of the young artists in the film said they used to watch ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ in middle school. There are also older artists who could be arrested for wearing women’s clothing. We’ve come a long way.” This film is not about Atlanta, however, Provoncha says. “It has been filmed in Atlanta and is paying tribute. This is a love letter to Atlanta, but the film is about the art and the world. There needs to be more conversation about queer performance in the south,” she adds. “Atlanta and the south are still underdogs in the fight for equality and it’s important as people everywhere are getting rights we pay attention and celebrate these performance artists.”
DETAILS Queer Moxie Cabaret May 28, 8 p.m. $5 cover Jungle www.queermoxie.com
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Eating my words BY CLIFF BOSTOCK
Eating out during your staycation Try these dining spots to give your palate a taste of something new So, no vacation for you this year? Stuck in town with your spoiled Chihuahua and the new boyfriend you wouldn’t consider leaving alone in Atlanta’s shark pond for even a week? Consider breaking your routine—which is the point of a vacation, right?—by visiting a few new restaurants. I haven’t been to all of these but they’re all making news and you’ll impress your friends by hitting them first. Sweet Auburn Barbecue. This is the fullservice follow-up to Howard Hsu’s food truck and his popular, original booth in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. The gimmick is classic Southern ‘cue—from Memphis to Texas—with some occasional but unchallenging Asian twists and turns, especially in the use of Korean barbecued short ribs. The latter shows up as the filling for a taco in one case. I’ve tried it, liked it, gone back. (656 N. Highland Ave., 678-515-3550, www.sweetauburnbbq.com.) Sobban. Yep, more Korean fusion. It’s not brand-new but the gimmick, a KoreanSouthern diner, remain low on the lists of a lot of folks with scaredy-cat palates. Man up your damn tongue! Think of the ways you already use it! I confess I wasn’t very impressed my first visit, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it recently. The patio has reduced the maddening effort to get a table that seats more than two and the kitchen seems to have more finesse. Go for dinner instead of lunch. You’ll find deviled eggs spiked with kimchi, “shrimp and rice grits, hushpuppies, and lots more—all weirded-up, fun, and mainly delicious. (1788 Clairmont Road, 678-705-4233, www.sobban.com.) Ration and Dram. This family-friendly pub/sports bar/restaurant in Kirkwood’s Arizona Lofts was bound to be a hit. The owner is Holeman & Finch’s former partner and bartender Andy Minchow. That makes him a star in the world of cocktail sorcery. The menu is not complicated and, of course, is locally sourced whenever possible. As a result, it changes frequently. Examples are buttered radishes, fried duck hearts, fried baby catfish, a bowl of quinoa with fresh vegetables, and a patty melt. Weekend brunch looks promising. Go have a trendy $12 cocktail and some trendy fried bologna. (130 Arizona Ave., 678-974-8380, www. rationanddram.com.) Varuni Napoli. This pizzeria is an absolute must-try. I’ve tried three times and failed to get in, but that’s an indication of its immediate popularity. Why? The co-owner and chef Luca Varuni was with the groundbreaking Antico Pizza for four years. His critique of Antico, in an
Take your palate for a vacation with these deviled eggs spiked with kimchi at Atlanta’s own Sobban on Clairmont Road. (Photo via Facebook)
interview with Atlanta Magazine, boils down to rather dishy matters of authenticity. Whatever, the menu is out-of-sight. Architect and coowner Giancarlo Pirrone’s design is gorgeous, far more hospitable than Antico’s madhouse. As Varuni suggests and I often do, try the Margherita, the true test of any pizzeria. I’m excited to see a lot of white pizzas on the menu. (1540 Monroe Drive, 404-709-2690, www.varuni.us.) Bar Meatball. Find this in the cottage formerly occupied by Pozole. It is, of course, a paean to the meatball, an up-and-coming trendy food. There are six regular sauces to top orders of four ($8). You can mix and match, even order them as sliders or a sub if you choose. There are also sides of pasta, salads, and more, plus a lasagna plate. It’s pretty damn brilliant. (1044 Greenwood Ave., 404-228-2901, www.barmeatball.com. Lusca. This is probably the most anticipated restaurant of the year but the press has been relatively quiet since its opening. It’s the project of Angus Brown and Nhan Le. They operated the amazing Octopus Bar, a late-night eatery catering, at least at first, to restaurant industry folks. They have been joined at this spot by a cast of star chefs. There’s a raw bar, fascinating seafood dishes, and stuff for carnivores. (1829 Peachtree Road, 678-705-1486, facebook.com/luscaatl.) Be on the lookout for The Pig and the Pearl (1380 Atlantic Station, 404-835-4363, facebook. com/thepigandthepearl). Chef Todd Richards will be serving smoked meats and seafood. There will be a raw bar. This is from the folks at the Shed at Glenwood. For those who miss HD1 in Poncey-Highland, you can soon head to a West Midtown rooftop location of the farmore-lovable Delia’s Chicken Sausage Stand in East Atlanta.
Cliff Bostock, PhD, besides being a longtime Atlanta dining critic, is a psychotherapist-turned-life coach, specializing in creativity, midlife transition and gay issues. He offers individual sessions and group workshops. www.cliffbostock.com.
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FRIDAY, MAY 23 – SUNDAY, MAY 25
The Big Peach softball tournament features players throughout the area and region competing in a round robin format. More event information and locations can be found at http://hslbigpeach.org/
FRIDAY, MAY 23
Come meet celebrity chef Shane McIntosh at one of AGLCC’s (Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce) newest culinary members, Ocean Market Atlanta/Ocean Catering Company, for the 4th Friday networking event, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., www.oceanmarketatl.com
FRIDAY MAY 23
via Facebook
Edie Cheezburger and her usual assortment of special guests present “The Other Show” drag event weekly at Jungle, 9:30 p.m., www.jungleatl.com
Stevens Layne and The Black Feathers appear at Red Clay Theatre with special guest Bridget Vogel, 8:00 p.m., www.eddieowenpresents.com B.I.G. Productions presents Bear Invasion with special guests Craig C from Denver and DJ Sean Mac, as well as a house full of hairy men, Heretic Atlanta, 9 p.m., www.hereticatlanta.com The M4M Hardbody Revue, hosted by Envy Van Michaels, is a competition for men with a $100 cash prize weekly, LeBUZZ, www.thenewlebuzz.com
SATURDAY, MAY 24
SUNDAY MAY 25
Devious planet: Dina Regine
Decatur Women’s Sports Night at the Atlanta Dream is tonight. The tip-off for the game against the Indiana Fever is at 6 p.m. at Philips Arena. www.philipsarena.com
Saturday, May 31 Local favorite Michelle Malone visits Eddie’s Attic tonight at 8 p.m., www.eddiesattic.com
LovHer, Ladies at Play and LilBad AzzDJ E present free Memorial Day party at Krave Lounge from 6-10 p.m., www.ladiesatplay.com
SATURDAY, MAY 24
Actor’s Express’s musical “End of the Rainbow” finds Judy Garland trying to make a comeback with a series of high-profile London concerts. Gay radio personality John Lemley is in the cast, 8 p.m. tonight with performances through June 15, www.actorsexpress.com
SOMETHING GAY EVERY DAY!
LovHer: Memorial Day edition with sounds by MJQ’s resident spinner DJ Majestik aka Skenny Kravitz along with Deejay Deliver. Doors open at 10 p.m. with $10 cover, $15 cover after midnight. Takorea, 818 Juniper St. NW, Atlanta, www.ladiesatplay.com
Bookmark www.thegavoice.com to get your daily dose of local LGBT events.
The Atlanta Eagle hosts the Panther Leather/ Levi Club Night, 10 p.m., www.atlantaeagle.com
Transgender dancer and choreographer Sean Dorsey’s acclaimed “The Secret History of Love” closes today at 7 Stages, with a final show at 2 p.m., www.7stages.org
Bedlam presents CirqueDeCabaret, a dance party with performance art, 10 p.m. at a TBD location. My Sister’s Room is the home for the Official Glow Party as part of Memorial Day Weekend, www.mysistersroom.com Producer/DJ Tracy Young returns to Jungle Atlanta, www.jungleatl.com
SUNDAY, MAY 25
Not ready to go home just yet? Join the early morning fun at Xion Atlanta with DJ Stan Jackson, 3 a.m., www.xionatlanta.com
No need to go to Pensacola for some fun in the sun. Joining Hearts and Heretic have teamed up for an all out Beer and BBQ Extravanganza for $15. DJ Mike Pope will be spinning with Angelica D’Paige hosting an afternoon of fun activities including frozen t-shirt contest, Twiter, Bust My Bubble and more. Proceeds benefit Joining Hearts. 3-9 p.m., Heretic, www.hereticatlanta.com DJ Kidd Madonny visits the Heretic Atlanta for a Memorial Day Weekend dance event, 9 p.m. – 3 a.m, www.hereticatlanta.com
Ladies at Play 10th anniversary at Tongue and Groove, 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m., www.ladiesatplay.com
MONDAY, MAY 26
The official Rooftop Farewell Day Party (rain or shine, indoor/outdoor) presented by LovHer and Ladies at Play, 3-8 p.m., Café Circa Atlanta, www.ladiesatplay.com Monday Night Trivia, emceed by Wild Cherry Sucret, offers chances to win up to $250 in cash and prizes, 11 p.m. at Blake’s, www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com
TUESDAY, MAY 27
Fourth Tuesday dinner at Tin Lizzy’s in Grant Park. 6-9 p.m., www.facebook.com/FourthTuesdayAtlanta
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The Atlanta Eagle hosts its Wednesday Cubby Hole Underwear Night. $1 off drinks for those in their underwear as well as an underwear contest, 9 p.m., www.atlantaeagle.com
31 Photo via Facebook
Photo via Facebook
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THURSDAY, MAY 29
SAGE Atlanta’s games and social hour kicks off at 10 a.m., followed by a potluck lunch at 11 a.m., Phillip Rush Center, www.rushcenteratl.com Classical musician Joshua Bell performs at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra tonight and Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., www.aso.org
FRIDAY, MAY 30
Serenbe Playhouse opens its 2014 season with the family show “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”
“Unleashing the Muse” - a five week writing course with author Tamara Madison - begins tonight at Charis Books. This workshop will focus on identifying censorship (even your own) and freeing creativity to burrow past writer’s block. 7 – 9 p.m., www.charisbooksandmore.com
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28
Private to Public: The Art of Activism brings together 7 Stages artistic director Heidi S. Howard and transgender dancer/choreographer Sean Dorsey with panelists Melissa Carter, Theresa Davis, Topher Payne, and Scott Turner Schofield in a conversation about bullying, 6:30 p.m., 7 Stages, www.7stages.org Charis presents its Advanced Sexuality Series: “Using Your Power to Initiate.” Have you ever felt so attracted to someone that you just wanted to jump their bones? Are you in a LTR and for some reason your confidence in approaching your partner for sex seems scary? The workshop in this series is to help you with your power and how you can you use that power to initiate what you want, especially when it comes to sexual desires. This is a Charis Circle Urban Sustainability and Wellness event. The suggested donation is $15. 7:30 – 9 p.m., Charis Books, www.charisooksandmore.com The Queer Moxie Cabaret is a variety show fundraiser starring Heather Daniels, Devin Liquor, Brent Star, Iysis Dupree, Nicole Paige Brooks and many more, hosted by Ian Aber, helping to raise money to complete the queer performance documentary “Queer Moxie,” 8 p.m., Jungle Atlanta, www.jungleatl.com Monica Van Pelt, Angelica D’Paige and Viola Chachki are the hosts for Lips Atlanta’s Bitchy Bingo event, with showtime at 8:45 p.m., www.lipsatl.com
Decadence: A Night of Drinking and Debauchery is every Thursday starting at 10 p.m., hosted by Adam Bland and Ashley Mitchell with beats by DJ Daryl Cox. A wet underwear contest begins at 11 p.m, with a cash prize and dancers galore, TEN Atlanta, www.tenatlanta.com
FRIDAY, MAY 30
Dinner with the Bears offers an opportunity to mix and mingle and eat with members of the Southern Bears, with 7 p.m. coffee at the Ansley Starbucks and 8 p.m. dinner at Cowtippers. Boys Room is a Friday night dance party with DJ Headmaster and all sorts of retro music videos, Mary’s Atlanta, www.marysatlanta.com Traxx Girls night at My Sister’s Room offers drink specials, great music and lots of beautiful women, 10 p.m., www.mysistersroom.com Destiny Brooks hosts Femme Fatale at 11 p.m. at Burkhart’s, www.burkharts.com
SATURDAY, MAY 31
A new organization for LGBTQ youth—Real Youth— is starting up in Atlanta and it will hold its first picnic from noon to 3 p.m. at Bernard Halpern Park, 4150 Tilly Mill Road, Doraville. www.facebook.com/RealYouthAtl Free Texas Hold ‘Em poker is available from 4 – 8 p.m. followed by various DJs at 10 p.m at Mixx Atlanta, www.mixxatlanta.com “Let’s Make a Deal,” hosted by Ken, is on tap tonight at Friends on Ponce, 6 – 10 p.m., www.friendsonponce-atl.com Monica van Pelt brings Synergy to Burkharts, 11 p.m., www.burkharts.com
SUNDAY, JUNE 1
Jazz @ 781, a series sponsored by St. Mark United Methodist Church, runs through June 8, Sundays at 6:30 p.m., www.stmarkumc.org Lateasha Shante Shuntel, Nicole Paige Brooks, Shawna Brooks and more divas present Cell Block Sunday at 8 p.m. at Blake’s, www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com Angelica D’Paige hosts Sex Kitten Sundays,
TUESDAY, JUNE 3
Recording artist Morrissey visits Atlanta as part of his new U.S. tour, with special guest songwriter and keyboardist Kristeen Young, 8 p.m., Cobb Energy Centre, www.cobbenergycentre.com
with $5 burgers and Smirnoff cocktails, 8 p.m., 10th & Piedmont, http://www.communitashospitality.com/ 10th-and-piedmont/ $2 well drinks are on tap all day and night at Sunday Funday at Bulldogs, 893 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30309
MONDAY, JUNE 2
The Atlanta PFLAG support group meets tonight from 7:30 – 9 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, www.uuca.org
TUESDAY, JUNE 3
The musical “Evita” comes to the Fox Theatre, telling the tale of Argentine Eva Peron. Tonight’s opening night is at 7:30 p.m. with performances through Sunday, June 8th at the Fox Theatre, www.foxtheatre.org Free dance lessons are on the menu courtesy of Two-Step Tuesdays at the Heretic Atlanta, 8 – 9 p.m., followed by an open dance from 9 – 11 p.m., www.hereticatlanta.com Sasie Monroe brings Pop! karaoke to the night time crowd at Blake’s beginning at 11 p.m., www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4
Loosen up and settle in for some exercise with yoga at the MISTER Center, 5:30 p.m., www.mistercenter.org Bring an empty stomach to Taco, Tequila and Beer Night at Amsterdam Atlanta, with $5 tacos, 6 – 11 p.m., www.amsterdamatlanta.com Primetime Wednesdays dance party revs up from 10 p.m. – 3 a.m. at Sutra Lounge, 1136 Crescent Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30309
THURSDAY, JUNE 5
Dirty Boy Bingo at Cockpit Atlanta is hosted by the inimitable Ruby Redd, 10 p.m., http://thecockpit-atlanta.blogspot.com/ Sisters’ Night at Woof’s sports bar features bingo, more jello shots, more prizes and fun. Tonight’s funds support Georgia Safe Schools Coalition’s mission to eliminate LGBTQQ oppression in Georgia schools! 7 – 9 p.m., www.woofsatlanta.com
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UPCOMING FRIDAY, JUNE 6 – SUNDAY, JUNE 8
Atlanta Poly Weekend is a three-day international conference for the polyamorous and non-monogamous community, their friends, and allies, hosted by Relationship Equality Foundation and Atlanta Polyamory. In its 4th year, the event features over 20 educators from all across the globe, including experts in the field of nonmonogamy research such as Dr. Elizabeth Scheff and Dr. Susan Mayer, to advocates and community leaders such as Franklin Veaux and Samantha Frazier, $60.00 at the door or via pre-registration, Holiday Inn Perimeter-Dunwoody. www.atlantapolyweekend.com
FRIDAY, JUNE 6
The gay-themed military film “Burning Blue” opens in Atlanta area theaters, www.burningbluefilm.com Softball begins tonight as part of the Decatur Women’s Sports League, https://www.facebook.com/pages/DecaturWomens-Sports-League/189642967730965 Creedence Clearwater Revival kicks off this season’s Concerts in the Garden series at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, 8 p.m., www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org
SATURDAY, JUNE 7
The Atlanta Gender Variations: Parents of gender variant/trans children support group meets in Atlanta today from 2 – 4 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, www.uuca.org CHRIS Kids Premiere Party will be at Mason Murer Fine Art from 6-10 p.m. Suggested attire is all white. www.chriskids.org Join your favorite village queens for ’90s Pride Prom and Gurlfrandz, a prom evening to support Atlanta Pride, 10 – 11:45 p.m., Mary’s, www.marysatlanta.com
TUESDAY, JUNE 10
HBO, Human Rights Campaign and Out On Film present the Atlanta premiere of the Sundance Award-winning “The Case Against 8,” a documentary about the 2013 Supreme Court Prop 8 hearing. Director Ryan White and plaintiffs Sandy Stier and Kris Perry will be in attendance, SCADshow (formerly 14th Street Playhouse). More information TBA.
FRIDAY, JUNE 13 – SUNDAY, JUNE 15
The Sci Fi Summer Con brings together sci-fi fans all weekend for various activities at the Wyndham Atlanta Galleria, www.sfscon.net
SATURDAY, JUNE 14
It’s back!! Atlanta Pride’s biggest fundraiser is the East Point Possum Show, with all sorts of special and unexpected performances, benefitting Lost-nFound Youth, 7 p.m., www.atlantapride.org
TUESDAY, JUNE 17
Siblings Derek and Julianne Hough, from TV’s
“Dancing With the Stars,” bring their new dance show “Move Live on Tour” to the Cobb Energy Centre, 8 p.m., www.cobbenergycentre.com
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18
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Liquid Sky, Prince Poppycock, Dragon house and Dance Crew benefitting AID Atlanta, Delta Flight Museum, 7 p.m. – 1 a.m., www.AtlantaCotillion.com
Atlanta Pride and Out On Film present the documentary “To Be Takei,“ looking at the life of iconic out actor George Takei, as part of Stonewall Month activities, 7:30 p.m., Phillip Rush Center, www.rushcenteratl.org
Georgia Equality hosts its 10th annual Evening for Equality, Twelve Hotel, Atlantic Station, www.georgiaequality.org
SATURDAY, JUNE 21
Taylor Dayne is among the acts headlining this year’s Augusta Pride, www.prideaugusta.org
The Atlanta Cotillion’s Cirque De Nuit en Rouge event features performances from
THURSDAY, JUNE 26 – SUNDAY, JUNE 29
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COLUMNISTS
www.theGAVoice.com
DomesticallyDISTURBED
State of the union
05.23.14
ATL ANTA WOMEN’S CHORUS
celebr ti g
Seeking to conclude our marriage with the respect it deserves
GA VOICE
sic for Wome Friday, June 6 · 8PM Saturday, June 7· 8PM Druid Hills Presbyterian Church
For a while after the decision was made, I really just didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything. Neither of us did. We told a few close friends, had the grim conversations with our families, and that was as much as we could handle. But a person can only maintain that for so long. There will be questions to answer. I’m a playwright. I’m better when there’s a script to follow. So I sat with my friend Mandy, and we crafted a standardized response for use in social situations. It goes like this: “Hi Topher. How’s your husband?” “Hello, person in my life. My husband is doing well, under the circumstances. We’re going through a divorce. We’re handling it respectfully and privately.” “Oh my god, what happened?” “There was no event, it’s just sad. We’re handling it privately.” I’ve tried it out a couple times. The script does not work. I’m forced to acknowledge that I’m in no position to suddenly request privacy, having never asked for it before. The night I met my husband Tommy can be found in an April 2007 issue of David Magazine. Our entire courtship was chronicled, as was our engagement and home-buying experience, leading right up to the full-page photo of our Massachusetts wedding in October of 2009. I went on to detail our suburban adventures here in The GA Voice, in my Domestically Disturbed column. I wanted to share the trials and triumphs of our relationship — to communicate the idea that “marriage equality” isn’t just lip service: When two people, regardless of gender, set out to make a home together, we all end up facing the same challenges. Unfortunately, sometimes those challenges prove insurmountable. The truth is, Tommy and I respect and admire each other far too much to continue living in a painful situation. It has been difficult, and quite humbling, for me to accept that what I thought was persevering eventually just became suffering. The logistics extend far beyond who keeps the coffeemaker. This isn’t a breakup, it’s a divorce. We stood before a judge and signed a legal
Topher Payne is an Atlanta-based playwright, and the author of the book “Necessary Luxuries: Notes on a Semi-Fabulous Life.” Find out more at www.topherpayne.com
document. But Massachusetts law requires at least one of the parties in a divorce to be a resident of the state. And because our home state of Georgia does not acknowledge our union, it also does not recognize our right to end it. Despite what the State of Georgia may claim, this has been a real marriage in every possible sense. We love each other still. I am heartbroken to see this end, but I am forced to concede the necessity. Divorce is the ugly element of the marriage equality conversation. We’re far more hesitant to discuss it — I know I certainly was. It’s embarrassing. It sounds like failure. We fear it will somehow weaken our argument if we concede that same-sex couples will be contributing to America’s divorce statistics. We want to believe our unions will be stronger, more carefully considered and nurtured. But we are achingly human and diverse. Eventually, our unions will be recognized in every state. There will be those who stay together for the rest of their lives, and there will be embarrassing weekend-long unions in Vegas which make us collectively roll our eyes. There will also be couples like Tommy and me, who love each other and work very hard for years, before arriving at the sad realization that they are simply incompatible. Whatever inspires you to marry a person should be strictly between you and the other person. And if the union ends, that’s your business as well. Once strangers are no longer able to stand in the way of either decision, then we will have achieved marriage equality. The pain will subside with time, the awkward social encounters will become less frequent. In nearly every way, we will move on. But for the foreseeable future, my husband and I will continue to fight for the validity of our marriage to be acknowledged, if only to make it possible for us to conclude it with the respect it has earned.
1026 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta
Sponsored by:
Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
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www.theGAVoice.com
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HONORING: -The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce -Grady Health System -Augusta Pride -Kevin Clark
PRESENTS
GEORGIA EQUALITY’S
10TH ANNUAL
EVENING
FOR EQUALITY JUNE 21, 2014
Host Committee: $250 Couple | $150 individual | General Admission is $75 A BENEFIT FOR GEORGIA EQUALITY AND THE EQUALITY FOUNDATION OF GEORGIA
COLUMNISTS
www.theGAVoice.com
05.23.14
GA VOICE
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THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID Rape is not a four letter word We must understand women and girls are still not safe By MELISSA CARTER I was riding back from an event with a friend when the topic of Jameis Winston came up. He is Florida State’s quarterback who was recently caught stealing crab legs from a grocery store in Tallahassee. The video of that shoplift was released this week. It wasn’t his theft that was the topic of conversation, though, but his rape allegation. A woman alleged Winston raped her in December of 2012, but a state attorney’s investigation concluded there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges against the Heisman Trophy winner. However, federal authorities are still investigating whether Florida State mishandled the woman’s complaint and committed Title IX violations. As college football fans, the two of us discussed our concerns over whether the school protected its star athlete, and purposely botched the investigation so it would get thrown out. Then my friend turned to me and asked if I’d ever been sexually assaulted. Not really, I responded. There was a close call at a hotel once when I was around 10, when another guest with a handlebar mustache tried to have his way with me and I got away. The few guys I went out with as I grew older were wonderful men, and I never had an incident with a woman who was too aggressive. My friend said she wasn’t raped, but one guy came close when she was a teenager. We then began to think of the women in each of our lives, and the stories they told us, and realized most of them had been raped or endured attempted rapes. When you factor in all the stories we never heard, we concluded that a majority of women have a personal story about sexual assault, and that’s simply pathetic. The topic is not something many want
Melissa Carter is one of the Morning Show hosts on B98.5. In addition, she is a writer for the Huffington Post. She is recognized as one of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta and one of the few in the country. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCarter
to know about or even see when they turn on or upload their news. In media, there are some stations that will purposely not use the term “rape,” and replace it with only “assault,” because the former term is—in their opinion—too harsh for air. But this replacing of words and meanings happens way too much. The victims shouldn’t be swept under the rug simply because it’s uncomfortable for us. For instance, the story about the kidnapped girls in Nigeria didn’t immediately make headlines. I first saw the story on Twitter from concerned users who were worried the story was not getting the attention it needed. Militants from the terrorist group Boko Haram dragged 276 girls out of their beds at a boarding school in northern Nigeria on April 14, and still no one knows where the girls are. According to various theories reported by CNN, the girls could be used as sex slaves for fighters or forced into marriages. In other words, they could be fated to live a life of constant rape. When stories of rape make the news, it’s both infuriating and on some level defeating for women, since you can’t help but wonder if it will ever end. Will our daughters have to endure a life of never going out to party alone, avoiding getting into an elevator with a strange man, or walking out of a store with her car keys sticking out between her fingers? To add insult to injury, will they have to tolerate the sexual insults of “slut” and “whore” when insecure men get angry with them? It’s my hope that women who suffer this crime can quickly find their voices of confidence again, and be greeted by a community that wants to hear their stories and heal their bodies and souls.
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ATLANTA THE 44 th ANNUAL
PRIDE
FESTIVAL STONEWALL JUNE 2014
For a full calendar visit
atlantapride.org/events
JUNE IS STONEWALL MONTH Look for a wide variety of events from Atlanta's LGBTQ community all month long, including:
June 14 EAST POINT POSSUMS SHOW Sponsored by the East Point Possums
June 18 SCREENING OF "TO BE TAKEI" Sponsored by Out on Film and Atlanta Pride Committee
June 21 EVENING FOR EQUALITY
Sponsored by Georgia Equality
June 22 WE ARE FAMILY!
Sponsored by Atlanta Pride Committee
COLUMNISTS
Miami Heat point guard Dwyane Wade might turn out to be as significant a figure as Jason Collins or Michael Sam in advancing LGBT acceptance in sports. While professional leagues have established a concrete party line in their acceptance of Collins, Sam and other LGBT athletes, Wade is unshielded from virulent homophobia as he challenges social norms. Wade—along with other openly heterosexual NBA players like LeBron James and Russell Westbrook—have made a fast break from the staid suit-and-tie that defined NBA fashion during the years of Jordan through Kobe. They have splintered even more sharply from the oversized, deliberately apathetic uniform of the euphemistic hip-hop generation. LeBron rocks skinny jeans and ascots, while Westbrook has been spotted in leather shirts, leopard prints, capris pants, sheer tights, and a suspenders-bow-tie-hiker-cap ensemble that made him look more like a champion yodeler than a basketball all-star. Dwyane Wintour—I mean, Wade—is the cover boy for the NBA’s new look, recently sporting a Huck Finn-inspired denim overall and white button-down muscle shirt combo that I have been unsuccessfully trying to pull off for years. When photos of these outfits make their way to blogs and social media, Wade and other fashion non-conformists are typically berated as fags and fairies, and as an affront to black masculinity. My defense of their attire likely solidifies the “gayness” of the outfits, but I don’t believe that any of these players is homosexual. Nor do I think any of them are going to let critics alter their wardrobe. With subtle grace, they continue to insist that baggy clothes or gender-restrictive styles do not determine their manhood. They offer a new model of determined, successful and stylish straight black men—a group whose expression can be stifled by rigid constructs of masculinity.
CHANGE YOUR WORKPLACE.
BE
Black athletes—gay and straight—advance the ball for LGBT rights By RYAN LEE
LEADER S
UM
Game changers
E AC
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FO R
SOMETIMES'Y'
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W O R KP L
www.theGAVoice.com
AN INCLUSION LEADER.
Ryan Lee is an Atlanta writer.
American masculinity is as potent—and more enduring—a force as organized religion in opposing LGBT acceptance. It might be wishful to believe that an expanded tolerance of fashion would bridge to, say, being able to experience a breadth of emotions without being labeled soft or suspect, but this trajectory offers hope that black males—gay and straight—will have a larger, healthier space to explore and express themselves. Prior to Sports Illustrated announcing that Jason Collins was “The Gay Athlete,” I worried how detrimental it would be to our movement if the first openly gay athlete were a punter. Punters make great allies—Chris Kluwe, bless his heart—but they outrank water boys as the most ridiculed figure in sports. Such a historic moment deserved more than to be a punchline, but that was only half of my angst. Punter is one of the most historically white positions in football, and I believed it was important—essential—for the Jackie Robinson of the LGBT movement to be African-American. The demographics of the NFL and NBA would have made a white gay athlete an anomaly, squared; and might have reassured some black folks that being gay was a Caucasian quirk. Black resistance to LGBT equality is unfortunately complemented by the failure of LGBT history to cite the contributions of black queer folks. These oversights range from the buried impact of black gay men in the heroic response to HIV/AIDS narrative, which Atlanta activist Charles Stephens is attempting to unearth, to the benign (though emblematic) shortening of the most important case in gay rights history to Lawrence v. Texas, giving no indication that Tyron Garner, a black gay man, was a co-plaintiff with John Lawrence. For that reason, it is worth highlighting that three young black gay men—Collins, Sam and U-Mass basketball guard Derrick Gordon—are carrying our cause into new arenas, inside and apart from sports.
ATTRACT TOP TALENT.
Join Atlanta’s brightest professionals for a full day of leadership development, workshop collaboration and new career opportunities with your professional LGBT peers. The day will include eight different workshops, two keynote speakers and a talent exposition for job seekers. This event is open to the public and includes breakfast, lunch and a cocktail bar in the afternoon for only $35.00 per person. Get your Employee Resource Group to fund the day! Don’t miss this opportunity to meet LGBT leaders, hiring managers and colleagues from some of Atlanta’s largest, most inclusive corporations.
Presented by:
Presenting Sponsor:
Special Guests include:
Corporate Sponsors:
JEFF GRAHAM Executive Director of Georgia Equality MARISA SANDLIN COO of Hard Rock Enterprises PAULA LARSON CHRO of Newell Rubbermaid
WHEN. WHERE. HOW. Saturday, June 14, 2014 Newell Rubbermaid Headquarters 3 Glenlake Parkway Atlanta, Georgia 30328
8:30 AM (Registration) 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (Breakfast, lunch, plenaries and workshops)
Options
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
(Talent exposition, food and cocktail bar)
Register online: www.bit.ly/OEA_WLF2014
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