06/21/19, Vol. 10 Issue 8

voice

georgia VOL.10 • ISSUE 8

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

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EDITORIAL

Editor: Patrick Colson-Price pcolson-price@thegavoice.com Editorial Contributors: Conswella Bennett, Cliff Bostock, Camryn Burke, Melissa Carter, Mariah Cooper, Aidan Ivory Edwards, Jim Farmer, Luke Gardner, O’Brian Gunn Elizabeth Hazzard, Ryan Lee, Rose Pelham, Jamie Roberts, Berlin Sylvestre, Dionne Walker

PRODUCTION

Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com

ONLINE

Digital Content Senior Staffer: Katie Burkholder kburkholder@thegavoice.com

BUSINESS

Managing Partner/Publisher: Tim Boyd tboyd@thegavoice.com

SALES

Sales Executive: Dixon Taylor dtaylor@thegavoice.com Sales Executive: Jim Brams jbrams@thegavoice.com Business Advisor: Lynn Pasqualetti Financial Firm of Record: HLM Financial Group National Advertising: Rivendell Media, 908-232-2021 sales@rivendellmedia.com

FINE PRINT

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

This is Why We Have Pride Month Patrick Colson-Price

ATLANTA PRIDE PARADE FILE PHOTO

I hate confrontation.

I absolutely hate it! In the midst of a heated exchange with someone, my heart starts to race and I sometimes even lose the ability to speak.

It’s even more intense when I feel I’ve been disrespected and treated unfairly. It happened to me on June 13 just one day after the three-year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando and nearly 50 years after the Stonewall Riots in New York City. I say this because no matter the period of time, we still have to fight for our right to exist amongst this sea of heteronormativity that seems to plague even the gayest of cities.

It was a Thursday morning and my husband and I were off to the gym. I’m very comfortable in my own skin, wearing pretty much whatever I want because I have a right to and if you got it, flaunt it! I was in a crop-top shirt and some tight shorts for our workout. I understand that my attire gets looks and even some stares, but what we experienced once we left the gym was beyond just a glance. As we were walking out to our car, two men (employees of another store in the Ansley Mall shopping center) were giggling and over-dramatizing their mannerisms to be more feminine. The two were staring and pointing at us. I assume it was because of what I was wearing even though I never knew a guy wearing a crop-top constituted as feminine.

I just thought clothing was clothing, but apparently not. Our next stop was the grocery store to pick up a few items before we headed back home. As we checked out, I noticed a group of Kroger employees behind two glass swinging doors by the checkout area giggling, pointing at us, and laughing. I caught them in the act and made hardcore eye contact followed by my comment, “Do you have a problem?”

A few seconds later, the handful of employees scurried off out of sight. A woman next to us saw the entire incident and wasn’t happy. As I asked for a manager, she spoke up saying she didn’t like how we were treated. I breathed a sigh of relief and felt like I had at least one person that was an ally to us in that store.

A manager came shortly after the incident and I told him exactly what happened. His response was, “It doesn’t matter what you wear, you spend money in our store and this isn’t ok.” Again, I breathed a sigh of relief feeling as if there were more people supporting us than against us. He swiftly walked into that office where the employees were standing and had a few heated words with them. We walked out and went on with our day, but the feelings from that incident continue to sit with me. I know I wasn’t gay-bashed or called a faggot, but the stares, laughs, and pointing fingers felt like it. I was treated differently because of what I was wearing, just like drag queens are treated differently or someone else who stands out for their self-expression.

On this anniversary of the Stonewall Riots where Marsha P. Johnson threw the first brick to jumpstart the LGBTQ rights movement, our bricks in 2019 are our words when we speak up to closed-mindedness. I know it will truly never go away, and that’s why each of us, straight or gay, have an obligation to stand up to any type of injustice. I thank the woman in the Kroger checkout line for speaking up alongside us when something went wrong.

The LGBTQ community isn’t an exhibit at the zoo or a performing act under the big top circus to be gawked at, we are humans who deserve respect. Although I am very confident

and comfortable in my own sexuality and skin, I still am deserving of respect whether or not you like what I wear or who I love.

To the men and women at the Kroger near Ansley Mall, just because I am gay and wear different clothing than you doesn’t make me any different than you. Shame on you for making our community feel less than when we spend money at your store so you can have a job! There’s no excuse for this type of behavior, especially during PRIDE MONTH, let alone any other time of the year! This is why we have pride marches, pride festivals, pride events, and pride parades! Your straight pride is being able to walk into a store without being called a faggot or having fingers pointed at you like you’re an escaped animal.

To those of you reading this who’ve experienced some type of discrimination, don’t stop doing what you’re doing because of hurtful words or actions. For nearly 50 years, members of our community like Harvey Milk and Silvia Rivera have spoken up and continued to shine in the midst of injustice. They weren’t silenced and continued to fight for our rights. That’s what we should continue doing today. Soon, the world will realize that we’re human beings too and that we’re damn good at loving who we love and fighting for equality in the face of hate and intolerance.

June 21, 2019 Editorial 3

NEWS

Georgia Transgender Police Chief Fired Staff Reports Transgender fire chief of Byron, Georgia, Rachel Mosby, has been terminated from her position, reported 13MWAZ Mosby has served as fire chief for about 11 years in Byron, but did so for eight as a man before transitioning in 2016, a decision she said made her “happier” than she had ever been.

Now, Mosby has lost her job for a number of reasons, says Byron’s mayor pro tem Michael Chidester.

“The chief was required in her job description to obtain and maintain a certification as an arson investigator and she failed to do that,” Chidester said.

Mosby also reportedly failed to attend a majority of fire-chief training classes the city paid for her to attend, as well as

failing to process business licenses quickly enough. However, she did improve the city’s insurance safety rating. “Chief Mosby was charged with working to improve the ISO for the city of Byron and I will say that he, and subsequently she, did a great job,” said Chidester.

RACHEL MOSBY SCREENSHOT VIA 13WMAZ

However, Mosby’s lawyers say the reasons Chidester has given are “untrue.” While Mosby has not responded or commented, her lawyers claim that she was “shocked” by her termination, which they call “discriminatory.”

“Over the last 12 years, Fire Chief Rachel Mosby has proudly served the residents of Byron, where she has built Byron’s Fire Department from an all-volunteer organization into the professional agency that it is today,” they said. “She was shocked on Tuesday when she was notified of her termination, effectively immediately, and escorted out of her office by a police officer the same day.”

“While her coming out as transgender at work received local media attention, nothing has distracted Chief Mosby from her duties of protecting the citizens of Byron,” Mosby’s lawyers continued. “Chief Mosby has and

maintained all of the necessary certifications for her position, and there is nothing about Chief Mosby’s performance that warranted her termination. Quite simply, the City’s stated reasons are untrue. If this termination had occurred just a few months ago, Chief Mosby would have requested an appeal.

However, due to a recent change in their policies, Chief Mosby is the first department head in Byron who has absolutely no recourse internally with the City.”

“The City’s termination of Chief Mosby was, in fact, discriminatory and a violation of her constitutional right of due process. It is unfortunate that the City chose to single out one of its long-time employees because of her gender. We hope that the City will reconsider its termination and allow her to continue serving her fellow residents of Byron as its Fire Chief. If we are unable to resolve this matter, Chief Mosby is considering all of her legal options.”

Atlanta Gay Man Killed Near MARTA Station Staff Reports An Atlanta Gay man, Ronald “Trey” Peters, was shot early Tuesday morning (June 4) after attackers shouted homophobic slurs at him.

Peters, 28, was walking home from a MARTA station in Stone Mountain when he was approached by two men, who a witness described to the Georgia Voice as African American. The men reportedly were in a car and demanded Peters give them his backpack.

RONALD “TREY” PETERS COURTESY PHOTO

4 News June 21, 2019

“When Trey jerked away from him and said, ‘It’s my bag you’re not getting it,’ the driver got out with a louder voice yelling, ‘Give him the f***ing bag, f*g,” witness Kevin Pickering told CBS 46. “The passenger walked back toward the vehicle and the driver got out and started firing.” Peters was reportedly shot twice. According to a neighbor, Peters had been targeted because of his sexuality.

Pickering was the one to call 911 and he stayed with the victim until an ambulance arrived.

Peters was one of three people killed within 24 hours in DeKalb County.

Community member Bill Kaelin posted on Facebook mourning the loss of Peters while also putting the tragedy into a larger perspective.

“This is a sad reminder as pride month begins that HATE is still alive and well against the LGBTQ community,” Kaelin writes.

Police have classified the shooting as hate motivated, according to the AJC. “Unfortunately, this deadly attack is not a rare or isolated event. Rather, this is the latest in a long string of hate-motivated incidents,” Allison Padilla-Goodman, the Southeast regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement.

Peters’ death comes at a time when more and more people are being targeted for being LGBTQ. Since the beginning of 2019, nine transgender people have been murdered in the US. A study also found an uptick in hate crimes in counties were President Trump rallied, suggesting a correlation between hate crimes and his rhetoric.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover the costs of Peters’ memorial. “[Trey] was taken from this earth in act of violence, but we will not let hate win!” the description of the page reads. “Trey was always giving so much to others, sharing his talents and energy with those around him.

He always was willing to help people and had a huge heart. Now it is our turn to give back in honor of him.”

More than $4,000 has been raised since the GoFundMe page was launched. To donate, go to thegavoice.com.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

cdc.gov/StartTalking /StartTalkingHIV /StartTalkingHIV

SPOTLIGHT

More Than Just a Flag Trans Activist Writes on Beginnings of Trans Flag

had been treated. Helms acknowledges that there is still work to be done for transgender women to have equal rights even among the LGBTQ community. But, what she finds even more horrifying is the number of trans women of color who are being murdered, she noted.

Conswella Bennett There is more to the life of local transgender activist, Monica Helms, than being the creator of the transgender pride flag.

In her latest book, “More Than Just a Flag”, Monica tells her life story from the early beginning until now.

With a chuckle, Helms recalled that she actually began working on a kind of different story in 2005. A story on her activism work with trans community building, creating a union at Sprint and a number of other work with transgender in the military, but said the book just wasn’t coming together so she put it in on hold. Then as the years passed, more life lived and experienced, Helms said her thoughts turned to finally finishing that book.

After all, the former U.S. Navy submariner who was once a married man and the father of two sons did more than just create the flag known for its two light blue, two pink and one white stripe in 1999. “It’s a good thing I waited because I got to write about a lot of cool stuff,” she added. Of the early details of her life before she transitioned from male to female, to help recall some details for her memoir, she said she still had her mother to ask questions. The eldest child, Helms also had her two younger sisters and a brother to turn to for information. “It was very interesting to go over all of it,” Helms recalled.

Recalling the U.S. Navy stuff would be easy because she had the journals where she wrote all the details of her military life from 1970-1978.

The book also tells of a number of organizations she founded and the time she was Georgia’s first transgender delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. “I felt I needed to put down all the stuff that had happened in my life,” Helms said of the decision to bring her book to fruition. In her book, she said she writes about “The women I met, bad and good decisions 6 Spotlight June 21, 2019

made through the years and meeting her current wife, Darlene Wagner.

“I talk about many different things. It’s very personal,” she added. “I think people will be very surprised that I opened up with all this stuff. I’m 68 years old. I did those things so why should I hide it? I’ve reached the age where it doesn’t matter.”

But, perhaps more importantly for Monica, she hopes that her book will, “Show other trans people that you can do it if you put your mind to it,” Helms said. “I had to go through some crappy stuff in my life, but you can do it.”

Despite a constant barrage of discrimination and a continued fight for equal rights for the LGBTQ community - even among the gay community, she added, “The entire community has gotten much better at accepting the trans community but, it took some time to get there.

I remember when people only saw the gay and lesbian. They forgot all about the “Bi” and the “T” and now people are adding “Q” to it.”

Now, Helms said people introduce themselves and give the pronouns they use. “I don’t do it because I’m not used to it, but people are being a lot more respectful,” she noted.

While there have been a lot of positive strides made, transgender women continue to make headlines because of the violence against them.

This pride marks the 50th year since the Stonewall riots in New York, where it is said that some transgender women fought in the riots against the police fed up with how they

According to the HRC website, in 2018, advocates tracked at least 26 deaths of transgender people in the U.S. and the majority of them were black transgender women. The website also added that in 2019, there have been at least 10 transgender people fatally shot or killed by violent means. All of them were black trans women.

“Our sisters are turning up on ‘Remembering Our Dead Lists’, she said of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, the day set aside to memorialize those who have been killed because of transphobia.

Not only are the trans murders making the headlines but the fight for transgender men and women to serve in the military continues to be a topic for conversation among politicians.

“We’re visible, and we’re out there now,” she added. “The ‘T’ is actually becoming more known and accepted. It’s not 100%, but it’s a lot more than it used to be.

Her new book covers a number of periods of her life and events. Helms describes her book as “enlightening. It shows people what trans people have to go through with their families, work, the public and what they have to do to fight for their rights,” she said.

It’s true she is more than just the trans flag but Helms admits she is surprised when she sees the transgender pride flag. “It’s the second most popular flag out there. It’s all over the place,” she said proudly.

She hopes to see a lot of her flag later this month when she serves as one of the grand marshals for the NYC Pride March June 30.

The book, “More Than Just a Flag” can be found at Charis Books & More located at 184 S. Candler St., Decatur and online at Amazon.com for $14.99.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

ASK THE DOCTOR

Practicing Safe KINK Play Patrick Colson-Price For many in the LGBTQ community, sexual activity behind closed doors involves more than just the generic sexual intercourse practice. Like anal intercourse, these types of activities require a level of hygiene and care to prevent infection.

“It’s a door to any kind of infection like Hep B, Hep C, or syphilis,” said Katie Liang, a nurse practitioner with Absolute Care in Atlanta. “It’s not just STD infections, but bacterial infections that can lead to fistulas and abscesses.”

The topic of conversation steers towards activities found in the kink world, like sounding or fisting. Liang says finding someone that you trust and are comfortable with is the first step in performing these acts safely.

“I would also hesitate using drugs during those kinds of interactions where power is at play,” she said. “Drugs and alcohol do lower inhibitions and it increases the likelihood of not taking the time to play safely.”

She says when it comes to fisting or the use of any types of toys in the anus, lubrication is key. “Using a lubricant that is either water or silicone based is important, and not using things like Vaseline, baby oil, olive oil, or coconut oil,” said Liang. “We want to make sure that we’re maintaining lubrication because the rectal cavity does not self-lubricate. It’s got to be maintained so that the integrity of the skin and rectal membranes can be maintained.”

8 Health June 21, 2019

Although studies vary, an estimated 10 percent of the US population has engaged in kink activities, with a much larger proportion interested in it. Within the gay community, those numbers significantly increase.

Among those activities, sounding is becoming popular with gay men. But infection with this type of kink can be dangerous, if not practiced safely.

“The closest thing I can relate that to in the medical world is like putting in a catheter,” she said. “When we do that in the hospital, we are using sterile techniques to prevent infection, and we’re using a lot of lubrication.”

If not done correctly or safely, the risk of urinary tract infections increases significantly.

Liang suggests using gloves and surgical lubricant, and cleaning the sounding rods thoroughly before and after use.

Safe play is one of the areas of expertise for Liang, and her patients know they can open up to her confidentially about any type of play they may be having or interested in.

“Having a medical home where you can go and have non-judgemental care, is a beautiful thing, and that’s what I love most about Absolute Care,” she said. “If we don’t have someone who can answer it, we are certainly going to find out for you.”

For more information on services that Absolute Care in Atlanta provides, visit their website at absolutecare.com.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

HEALTH

Marc and Walter:

Life with Alzheimer’s Katie Burkholder While most of our readers recognize this month as Pride month, June holds another title that affects many in our community: Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month.

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that 5.8 million people are living with Alzheimer’s in America right now and 16 million provide unpaid care for them. Included in the more than 20 million people affected in some way by the disease are Walter Allen and his partner Marc Moss. Walter was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in May 2015, only a year into his relationship with Marc; Marc has been acting as his caretaker ever since. Marc talked to us about how Walter’s diagnosis has affected him and their relationship, advice he had for others taking care of their partners, and the importance of bringing Alzheimer’s awareness and education out into the world.

While to someone unaffected by Alzheimer’s a day in the life of a caretaker can seem daunting and even overwhelming, Marc says that they live their days as anyone else would, it just takes a little more work. “Caretaking is just a matter of giving direction,” Marc said. “Walter is a very smart man and takes very good care of himself, it’s just a matter of oversight. My work is to just confirm everything that he might need help with along the way. For example, it might be hard for him to prepare a really good breakfast at this point. It’s just a matter of getting his day started and making sure he’s ready.”

“We plan our days just like anyone else would,” Marc continued. “We just have to give extra thought to things like schedules, how long it’s going to take to get ready, and if we have everything we need. We don’t go out as much as we did. The time constraints we have are unique; sometimes the plan will change last minute because we can’t find something or we forgot to do something.”

However, even with the slight adjustments 10 Health June 21, 2019

they’ve had to make, Walter and Marc still make sure to stop and enjoy life. “Walter still enjoys the life that he never thought he would have,” Marc says. “We take a lot of trips and when we can we entertain. It’s just a matter of paying different kinds of attention; everyone needs their shower, everyone wants to go to the movies. We just have to plan it differently.”

While Marc contends that Walter’s diagnosis creates no obstacles to daily life — “they don’t really exist” — he finds the most difficulty in ensuring that Walter never feels incapable while he helps him. “It’s difficult because I don’t want Walter to ever feel as though I don’t think he can do something,” he said.

“Because he can, I just find that sometimes we need to do utilize a slower schedule. When he was first diagnosed, I was not prepared to have to think for Walter like I do. I just hope he’s happy with what I’m doing.”

With these changes, Marc has to be very active in Walter’s life regarding his decisions and plans, but he makes sure Walter maintains his independence for as long as possible. Walter takes care of their pet cat, volunteers weekly with Meals on Wheels, and runs errands and gets lunch with friends.

While the diagnosis brought some changes to daily life, the only changes it made in Marc and their relationship were for the better. “We’re both exactly the same people as when we first met,” Marc said. “As our relationship has grown throughout the years, his diagnosis has remained only one part of it. Walter’s diagnosis changed me because it made me aware that life will go on and is going on. I have to be more self-aware in our relationship — paying attention to how I might sound to Walter, what he needs help with, how he responds to my words — and it made me better able to adapt.”

Marc had some pieces of advice for those who may find themselves in the role of

WALTER (LEFT) AND MARC COURTESY PHOTO

caretaker for their partner. “I’d encourage them to be open to seeing things differently and realizing that every day is a different normal,” he said. “For me, it’s important to never correct Walter or to never try to get him to see it my way.” He also encouraged those who know someone with Alzheimer’s, even if they’re not caretaking, to talk to them openly about the disease. “I’d suggest that people ask the person with Alzheimer’s how they’re doing,” Marc said. “Walter’s biggest thing is getting people involved and teaching them so that they can possibly help someone else. Just to understand the situation is helpful to everyone.”

After the diagnosis, Walter realized how important and helpful Alzheimer’s education and advocation can be. “Walter wants other people to talk about it and try to understand it,” Marc told us. “It’s so important to help others — talking about something and

bringing something into your life, not making it your life, is so important.”

Even though Alzheimer’s can cast a dark shadow over life, Marc and Walter don’t allow it to affect their happiness. “We’re just about as happy as can be,” Marc says. “Walter is the happiest and most positive and inspirational person I could ever imagine considering what’s going on with his brain. Our lives and our world have become much smaller, but much much richer. People sometimes ask me, ‘Do you feel like you’re saying goodbye a little bit every day?’ My answer is absolutely not.

Yes, things do change every day, but this is part of our lives; we’re not letting it become our whole lives. It’s the same thing as being gay. There are so many wonderful aspects of life, this just happens to be one of them.”

“In Walter’s words, we’re moving forward, every day.”

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH, ATLANTA!

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5877 Buford Highway Doraville, GA 30340

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on June 23rd!

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FEATURE

Making History:

Norcross Holds First Pride Festival Elizabeth Hazzard ​ ride month is in full fabulous swing and P as celebrations are underway, we would like to shine a light on one local group who has managed to organize Norcross, Georgia’s first ever pride celebration.

Rolando Guzman, the lead organizer of the upcoming Norcross Pride 2019, is a member of the Norcross Gay Club — a social club that strives to unite both members of the LGBTQ community as well as supporters of the LGBTQ community. Rolando states, “Our goal is to connect our community by creating local activities and at the same time support local businesses. Events are held at least once a month and everyone is welcome to join; we strive to be a true community, where everyone is, and feels, welcomed.”

It is within this group that members began floating around the idea of hosting a special event to honor the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, with quick and collaborative planning they have managed to gain a lot of support and awareness for their celebration — “We only started planning less than a month ago, on May 16. On that day I told the team, let’s do our best to have 40 people show up, then we’ll work harder every year until it becomes a full festival, everyone agreed; we secured permits from the city for less than 100 people. But destiny had other plans. Our Facebook page event, which was our only promotion tool, started getting tons of attention. Then, the AJC picked up the story and as they say, the rest is history. This amazing response from everyone, perhaps more than anything, validates our initiative and speaks volumes about the need for more events like this.”

As they work hard to kick off this debut event and grow it over time, Rolando explains why it was so important to them to form a pride festival specific to their area. “In my mind, every town, and even 12 Feature June 21, 2019

THRASHER PARK NORCROSS, GA PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

down to every organization, should have a day to celebrate who we are, acknowledge the accomplishments of our community in the pursuit of equality, and commemorate those who paved the way for us. These events create safe spaces where the members of our community and our allies can feel acknowledged, welcomed and validated.

They send a clear message that there is a place for us in our communities and that place is equal to the place available to a heterosexual person.”

For those wondering what fun activities they can expect at this powerful premier pride, Rolando detailed some of the event’s main amenities; he states, “Norcross Pride is taking place in the heart of Norcross at Thrasher Park, a two-acre open green space with an outdoor performing stage surrounded by historical buildings and within walking distance of the top restaurants in the city.

We’re keeping the original picnic theme, so we’re encouraging people to bring their blankets and baskets and enjoy the live music.

If bringing your own food is not your thing, there are several amazing restaurants within

walking distance and we’re also working to have local neighborhood restaurants offer food on site.”

Besides excellent food and togetherness, attendees can also expect to be well entertained as local artists take to the stage — including Jazz/Blues artist Leah Maloof, Folk-rocker Debra Lynn Rodriguez, as well as, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalists Jeremy Keen and Ashton May. Rolando and his team have done amazing work to pioneer this festival, they have transformed a simple idea into an inspirational event which will increase awareness and support within the local community.

“Locally, I want to raise awareness of the presence of the LGBTQ community in the suburbs. There seems to be this misconception that everyone lives in midtown when there are many of us living in the suburbs,” he said. “This lack of visibility has generated underrepresentation and because of that, the laws, protections and the attitudes, in general, are not as LGBTQ friendly as they are in the City of Atlanta,

and we have to change that. I believe that the vast majority of detractors are so because they haven’t had the chance to really get to know someone from our community. Our differences become insignificant when we take the time to understand each other, so hopefully visibility will eventually lead to a better understanding.”

They are hoping to create an environment where people can not only come together, but they can do so while simultaneously learning to respect and appreciate each other’s differences. For Rolando and his team, Norcross Pride 2019 is much more than a celebration in the making — it is a revolution in the making.

Rolando encourages any and everyone to attend and/or join the Norcross Gay Club, whether a member or a supporter, they welcome with open arms. To join the club all one has to do is like their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/norcrossgayclub where they publish all of their events, from here participants are free to volunteer their time and efforts to the group’s numerous efforts.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

STONEWALL

Stonewall: A Personal Memoir Mark S. King: Member of the Gay Liberation Front 1969-1971 That night, standing in Stonewall, I could not have imagined what the next few hours would do to change the gay and lesbian community around the world. I doubt anyone else could have known. How could we have known, on June 28th, 1969, that we’d be participating in history?

It started when the lights flickered on and off, alerting the patrons to something imminent, though I had no idea what. It was my second month in New York, my second month walking Christopher Street, my second month being an out and proud gay. Looking over at my friend, I asked what was happening and he said, nonchalantly: “oh it’s just a raid.” As an 18 year old new to everything, his words were frightening.

The police barged in, pushing around anyone who was in drag or stereotypicallooking. They hurled insults and hurled people around. Anyone who looked like they were successful, anyone who had a few bucks, were forced to take out their wallets and, in the bright light, give their money to the cops, who slid the bills in their pockets.

Welcome to Extortion 101. They robbed us in plain sight, and we had no possible recompense. That is how they felt about us.

That’s how they felt they could treat us: any way they wished.

As this was happening, they began to clear the bar by carding people. To this day I don’t know why they were carding since it was an illegal bar and drinking age didn’t matter, but that was the procedure. At 18 and fresh from Philadelphia, I looked like the boy next door. They had little use for me and I was one of the first to be carded and let out, and I was glad about that.

But as I came out, I saw an obvious difference 14 Stonewall June 21, 2019

GAY LIBERATION FRONT COURTESY PHOTO

in what certain clientele were doing. Those with family ties, those with a good job, those on the fast track to a professional career, all ran for the subway as soon as they could get out that door. People like me, a street kid living at Sloane House YMCA on 34th street, and others, who today you’d call trans, just stuck around. We had nowhere safe to go. Our safety was with each other, right there, watching what was transpiring.

Eventually, there were more of us outside, and inside the bar remained only the police and employees. Those of us who stayed formed a semi-circle around the double doors into the street. My memory tells me that there were between fifty and a hundred of us.

The doors opened and the police shouted out a few insults and told us to disperse. We didn’t. They opened the door a second time and again spewed insults and demanding we disperse. We didn’t, and we this time we yelled insults back at them. They closed the door, and at that point, people picked up whatever there was around them. Stones, discarded soda cans, and bottles. For the first time in history our community wasn’t just fighting

back. We had imprisoned our oppressors, the police. They were now our prisoners.

Christopher Street, I wrote. “Tomorrow Night, Stonewall.”

This continued for some time, and it was a while before police re-enforcement came to their rescue. It is my belief that the reason for the slow re-enforcements was the police inside that gay bar were so embarrassed to call their station house and have to tell their fellow officers: We’re trapped and surrounded by angry fags and dykes. Please save us.

People ran and screamed and laughed. It was a joyous evening. We were fighting off 2000 years of oppression, though we didn’t realize it at that moment.

The fact that we had them trapped created a certain joy on the street. People began to run to other bars in the area, passersby turned their heads as they came around the corner.

While this riot was happening, Marty Robinson, who had created a group called the Action Group, came up to me with chalk, and said: “Write on the walls and street, ‘Tomorrow Night, Stonewall.’” I have no idea where he got the chalk, but I’m thankful he got it. That chalk was a catalyst for much more than one night of rebelling.

From the river to Greenwich, all along

Amid the joy and the excitement, I had a light bulb moment. Standing across the street from Stonewall, watching everything around me, I thought to myself: Black people are fighting for their lives, Women are fighting for their lives.

Latinos are fighting for their lives. What about us? What about me?” It was at that point that I finally knew what I’d do for the rest of my life. I would be something that didn’t exist yet, something that didn’t have a title, something that had no salary: a gay activist. I didn’t know, and I didn’t care, how difficult it would be. All I knew at that moment was that I found what I was meant to do.

I was at a riot that started a revolution, and I would be a part of it.

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STONEWALL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

GAY LIBERATION FRONT COURTESY PHOTO

In the commotion, I saw a window broken.

I didn’t see any Molotov cocktails. I saw a feather boa being put on the statue of General Sheridan in Sheridan Square. I wasn’t there when anyone was arrested, but I was there each and every night that followed, along with all of us who would later call ourselves the Gay Liberation Front.

It was the members of GLF who wrote on the street that night, members of GLF who stood proudly at the front doors of Stonewall the second night to hear Marty Robinson and Martha Shelley speak, members who understood the changes we were demanding, not asking for.

The third and fourth nights were filled with organizing and a circus atmosphere that continued the entire week. We were joyous since from the ashes of Stonewall came Gay Liberation Front, a group that would turn our community and the world upside down.

Also from the third night on, leafleting began on Christopher Street. For the first time, we were united, and for the first time, we were a diversified community.

Let’s make this clear, before GLF, you didn’t see anyone but white men in suits and ties and white women in dresses representing the LGBT community. Those earlier organizations wouldn’t have anyone else as spokespeople. That is why I was in the Action Group. Mattachine didn’t want me, a youth of 18, in their office since they felt they could be raided for corrupting the morals of minors. And drag queens, people of color? They were ignored by those groups.

But we in GLF welcomed all. From lesbian separatists to radical fairy collectives, youths, street kids, and yes, drag queens, they were all part of the GLF. You may have heard about a couple of our members: Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, they were welcomed.

GLF is the most important LGBT Organization to have ever existed, we made more change in one year for this community than any other organization since and we also were certainly the most dysfunctional, and we are all proud of that! That first year, from Stonewall to the first Gay Pride in 1970, was pure magic, and it made our community TheGeorgiaVoice.com

what it is today. It changed our lives in so many ways that no organization had.

We would no longer be invisible, we were out, loud, and proud of who we were and we would no longer accept society’s labels, we would tell them who we were. We were not “homosexuals.” We were gay men, gay women, lesbians, dykes, drag queens. Not only would we be open about who we were, but we’d also be in your face to fight for our rights, not merely plead for them. This was all revolutionary since 99.9% of our community was in the closet, and in 1969 before the GLF there were only four types of places to go. Illegal gay bars, cruising areas, private parties, and secret meetings of organizations, which were hidden so the police would not raid them.

GLF advertised our meetings. We advertised that we were going to have a dance, women dancing with women, men dancing with

men and not in an illegal bar but in public.

We dared the police to raid us, and they were afraid to. That was rebellious! We also publicly took back our street Christopher Street by leafleting every night and facing off against the police. We did legal alerts, medical alerts, and notices to gather for our next demonstration, handouts for Gay Youth meetings, a hotline, the nation’s first trans organization, and the nation’s first LGBT Community Center. And if all that were not enough, we were the organizers and marshals for that very first Gay Pride in 1970, which was called Christopher Street Liberation Day March originally dreamed up by Craig Rodwell and Ellen Broidy.

Stonewall was not one night, it was a year, and GLF was its spirit. That spirit of rebellion transformed our world. Before Stonewall, less than a hundred out people represented us, all white men and white women, no diversity allowed. One year later at Gay Pride, people

of color, trans people, and youth gathered under a grassroots movement that welcomed all segments of our community. We were not 100 picketing once a year. We were now thousands picketing all year round.

I wasn’t just at Stonewall, more importantly, I was with the Gay Liberation Front.

Stonewall and GLF are synonymous, One night led to one magical year. A year that changed the world.

MARK SEGAL, is the publisher of The Philadelphia Gay News and last year his personal papers and artifacts including some from this article were inducted into The Smithsonian Institute American History Museum in Washington DC. His Memoir “And Then I Danced, Traveling The Road To LGBT Equality was named book of the year by the National Lesbian Gay Journalist Association.

June 21, 2019 Stonewall 15

FEATURE

Life in Porn

JACK DIXON COURTESY PHOTOS

with Jack Dixon Patrick Colson-Price

In today’s society, the adult entertainment business is still considered a taboo filled playground with artificial orgasms, overzealous “stars” looking for the next big scene, and in some cases, those scenes many would deem completely unacceptable to mention over a glass of wine. If you ask Jack Dixon, an adult entertainer born outside of Seattle and raised in Florida, there’s a lot of stereotypes that follow his line of work.

Dixon moved to Atlanta in 2002 where he worked through several careers, most recently as a chef, and the owner of a local bakery up until 2017. He then moved away to San Francisco where life evolved rather quickly. So how did he fall into the lap of the adult film industry, and why is his line of work considered so taboo to many here in the Southeast? We caught up with Dixon and he opened up about his life in front of the camera!

First off, it’s obvious you love tattoos!

How many do you have, and do you have any piercings?

“If you count each sleeve as one and my entire back as one it would be 17. I have a Prince Albert piercing, and my ears were pierced as a kid but they have grown in since.”

When and how did your career in porn industry begin?

“I started escorting on a bit of a fluke in March of 2017. I was propositioned by a guy to pay me to have sex with him. I was slightly hesitant at first but I agreed because I was broke. Owning my bakery had zapped my financial resources and while the bakery was successful in many ways, I was never able to pay myself consistently. I was partially living on credit cards and slowly going into more debt. While sex work had never been 16 Feature June 21, 2019

DEFINITION Taboo [Ta·​boo] Something that is viewed as forbidden by society’s standards and therefore is rarely talked about openly. Some topics are less taboo then they were in the past and some are more taboo than ever. While most have to do with sex, some taboos have to do with food, and others religous beliefs.

on my radar, it wasn’t because I had any moral issue with it. Everyone pays for sex, whether directly with cash or by making accommodations with a partner or a person you’re dating. People do certain things with the expectation of sex being involved. At any rate, this guy became a regular and I thought if he will pay, I wonder if I could get other people to pay? So I did some research, got some pictures made, and started placing escorting ads. It slowly grew, and then I was approached in June of 2017 to do porn.

Many of the porn companies will poach escorts to do porn. While not everyone who does porn is an escort, many of us are. So I agreed to do the two scenes and it was fine. Porn isn’t my favorite or most lucrative aspect of my profession today, but it is a great marketing tool. I don’t pursue a lot of porn as far as chasing studios for scenes but I’ve built a good reputation for being a reliable person. I usually average one to four scenes a month lately. Hairy, hung, tattooed bearded daddies are popular now so it’s kind of the perfect timing for me!”

you’re in. Humans are sexual beings and sex is a natural human function. Just because you have a certain kink doesn’t mean you’re a bad person (with the obvious exception of injuring others, children or animals without consent), you’re just different, not bad.”

Why do you think people consider porn such a taboo subject, especially in the South?

“I think there is a lot of religious influence telling people at a very young age sex is bad, being gay is bad, your genitalia should only be used for reproduction, so on and so forth.

If you step out into the world, sex is viewed very differently depending on the country

Why did you choose Jack Dixon for your stage name?

“I was sitting at my computer and was like I need a name for this escorting ad. I just thought of Jack Dixon like Jack dick. It was kind of bad humor in my brain. I found out three months later there is another guy by the same name in the industry. He’s cool

with sharing the name so that was a good thing because it would have been confusing to change.”

What do you like most about your career as an adult entertainer?

“I like the flexibility and being able to have a personal life, which I didn’t have when I owned my bakery. I am well compensated for what I do and I’m very grateful that this has worked out so well for me thus far. I am also able to travel a lot which can be good and bad.”

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FEATURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16

sex. Chances are everyone knows someone who has had sex for money, been a cam model, a stripper or some other sex worker at some point. I’d just say not to judge someone’s character by their profession.”

What do you hate the most about your career as an adult entertainer?

“It can be lonely because I travel a lot.

Sometimes I’ll have friends meet me on trips which is nice, but I’m usually traveling up to 50% of the time. The social media upkeep and aspect can be a lot too. I know I’m putting out an image of a sex object but that can also wear on me too. Additionally, I can be a bit of a hard sell for someone looking to date; there can be a jealousy component of some sort to it all. People love a porn star, not as many people want to actually date one.”

Why do you think people consider escorting a taboo subject?

“It’s an annoying American double standard.

They think escort and think street hooker.

They think you’re doing it against your own will. They have been told by the government that it’s illegal therefore it must be bad.

Prostitution is God’s work. If I can provide

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someone with a connection they are craving, then that’s a great gift to give someone. Plus, we all know how hard it is to find a well-hung man who knows what he’s doing, right?”

Is there a dark side to escorting that maybe makes it more taboo than other forms of sex work?

“I think there is a lot of drugs associated with the industry because a lot of the industry is young and want to have fun, or people are escorting for other reasons than to make an income. Drugs have been in any industry I’ve ever worked in. There are good sober people in the sex industry who have a lot of knowledge and a lot to offer other than just

What’s the most taboo scene you’ve done in porn, escorting, or on OnlyFans?

“Most of my scenes for kink are more extreme. I wouldn’t consider them anything crazy, but they involve a lot of BDSM. I suppose you could say “Family Dick” because of the heavy father/son incest. I like fisting and have yet to even be asked to do a video for that. Also, there are a lot of rules in the industry of what can and can’t go together.

Alcohol, sometimes water sports, obviously drugs and animals. If these are insinuated then credit card processing companies will not process their transactions because of the high risk.”

Still wanting more!? We’ve got the full interview with Jack Dixon online at thegavoice.com.

June 21, 2019 Feature 17

FEATURE

My Piercing Experience

“I Promise, It Doesn’t Hurt … Too Much” Patrick Colson-Price Throughout my life, I’ve done some crazy things that I never imagined I’d even utter thoughts about. My move to Palm Springs was one. After arrived in the desert paradise, something told me to be more adventurous and live life unafraid. In June of 2018, just four days before I would make my first overseas trip to Paris, I walked into the Palm Springs Piercing company, a tiny gay-owned shop nestled among the bars on Arenas Road (the gay strip). Why in the hell was I here?! How did this thought get into my head?! I’d always been intrigued by genital piercings and had seen my fair share, but I never considered it for my little man. Here I was though, inquiring about getting my own genital piercing. My first question to the piercer was which piercing “down there” would hurt the least. My second question was which piercing required the shortest recovery time. Both questions let me to my Prince Albert piercing!

There’s a lot of taboo behind anything odd or unique in your pants. Big dicks, huge balls, and yes, genital piercings. I remember the experience like it was yesterday, even though the two-year anniversary of my penis piercing just passed a few days ago. I walked in with a friend, you know, to emotionally support me through this penis-altering time.

He held my hand as the piercer asked me to remove my shorts and lay down on the table. The back room looked like a makeshift operating room. I avoided looking at any “tools” or “needles” at all cost, but eventually, my eyes made contact with the item that would terrorize my dick head in the near future.

until bam, they’re being put under and their two veggies are being snipped away.

That’s how my dick felt. It was unaware of what was about to happen, although as I laid on the table, I swore it shrunk a few inches. The piercer walked me through the procedure and I reluctantly smiled while my head shook side to side. What the hell was I doing?! If this wasn’t a crazy idea, I don’t know what was! Two minutes later, I felt the cold steel rod insert my urethra (this goes through the piercing hole afterward in order to easily slide the jewelry in) and then a few seconds later, a BIG deep breath. As soon as I blew that breath out, it happened. My dick was not happy. In fact, it shriveled up and for the next two weeks decided not to look at me or stand up straight. He needed his space apparently after what I decided to do.

I can only use this metaphor to describe how my dick probably felt. Remember when you’ve taken your dog or cat into the vet to get spayed or neutered. They probably had no idea what was about to happen

Here’s the part where you’d expect me to say it felt like I just got stabbed a thousand times in my crotch. Wrong! It’s the number one question people always ask me when I expose my jewelry-ed junk to them. “Did it

18 Feature June 21, 2019

hurt?!” My response is always, “On a scale from one to ten, it was about a four.” That’s the pain equivalent of zipping your foreskin up in a zipper, I believe. I actually think the healing period of the piercing is worse than getting the piercing itself. There was blood — lots of it, but nothing I couldn’t handle!

I dirtied up a few coffee mugs through soaking my junk in a saltwater solution and spent many nights cringing at my raging boners that seemed to make the healing process even more painful.

I jerked off two weeks after I got my new piercing. It wasn’t pleasurable. The semen making contact with open wounds was excruciating pain. I was quite disappointed and only hoped the next time would be better. Months went by and the healing continued until I was able to perform with my PA as I’d always wanted to. There were no complaints on my end at all. As for the little one that experienced all the trauma, that’s something you’ll have to ask him. I think he’s gotten over my evil deed.

The most intriguing part of my piercing hasn’t been the pleasure from re-wired nerves in my dick head or the gauging up process (when you increase the size of the piercing ring), but the fact that I was able to do something I’d never in a million years thought I would do. I was also able to realize that the taboo of genital piercings allowed me to explore it more in my own time and space. I saw plenty, asked many questions, and even had my feels inside and out. It’s only until you explore your own taboos that you may realize they’re more normal than you’d even have thought. That’s the true pleasure and that’s what you’ll enjoy the most.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

FEATURE

Atlanta Ink Artists, Historians Reflect on Changing Culture Norms Dallas Duncan Rich Parker has three significant tattoos on their left leg: their mother, the late artist Prince and English singer/songwriter FKA twigs.

“When I first started coming out and telling people, FKA twigs was my wall,” Parker, who is nonbinary and uses the singular they pronoun, said. “[Prince] was the first person I ever looked up to and I was like, there is a lot to that. That’s my safety blanket. I have my mom on the back of my leg too; that’s my strong point.”

Now a tattoo artist at Royal Ink Studio in Marietta, Parker’s interest in the career began some 14 years ago in their home state of New Jersey, inspired by shows like ‘Miami Ink.’ “We went to the library for like three hours or something and we just sat there and looked at a bunch of stuff and read a bunch of stuff,” Parker said. “It took forever to try and find an apprenticeship.”

Parker spent a few months after high school homeless, but their mother convinced them to move to Atlanta. The final straw? They realized so many of their favorite tattoo shops called Atlanta home.

“I packed up my cat, my skateboard, my guitar and straight came down here,” they said.

Parker got a second apprenticeship and their style began to evolve, inspired by artists such as Grime, Victor Chil, Juergen Eckel, and Joe Capobianco. Parker’s style today blends aspects of traditional American and new-school tattoos, and utilizes figures with hairstyles and clothing representative of their love of ’80s synth wave, punk and metal music. A number of designs also toy with the erotic, including bondage and chain imagery, as well as figures that toe the line between masculine and feminine, male and female.

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“The cooler we can get with it, it’s always a good way to challenge yourself and tell a story about yourself with your own artwork,” Parker said.

‘Sexual Outlaw’ Paves the Way Parker is “unapologetically myself ”, and because they are up-front about their sexuality and chooses to work in supportive shops, hasn’t experienced much negativity for being nonbinary — though they are aware of other artists and customers who are not treated as positively. They took it upon themselves to help bring other queer individuals up in the industry by taking on LGBTQ apprentices, too.

Before there was a designation of LGBTQ, certain tattooed symbols were a way for those who knew to know each other, tattoo historian Carmen Nyssen said. As tattoo culture evolved in America, particularly in the ‘60s, more artistic elements and custom pieces replaced traditionally monochromatic tattoos.

In Chicago, only one tattoo shop was open at that time — it belonged to Cliff Ingram, a gay man known as Cliff Raven. According to a 2019 Pride month write-up from Chicago’s Great Lakes Tattoo, Raven apprenticed under fellow gay artist Samuel Steward, who went by the pseudonym Phil Sparrow.

Steward was a “sexual outlaw” with “so many identities in an era when homosexuality could land a person in jail,” according to a 2010 New York Times piece. He wrote gay pulp fiction and cataloged more than 740 sexual encounters for biologist Alfred Kinsey’s Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University. He was a college professor until 1954 when he abruptly transitioned to a tattoo artist. After learning one of his freshmen classes had no idea who Homer was, Steward looked to Plan B. “I wanted to get as far away as I could. That was tattooing. The mysterious and dark

RICH PARKER

PHOTOS BY DALLAS DUNCAN

side of tattooing attracted me as well,” he recalled in a 1993 interview for GLBTQ encyclopedia.

Steward told Keehnen he took up the tattooing pseudonym partially to protect his identity. He felt his academic colleagues would not have looked favorably upon it.

Ink Explosion It was only in recent years that tattoos became more accepted.

Jasmine Maskell, owner of Timeless Tattoo in Atlanta and daughter of famed artist Jerry “Cap” Szumski, recalls a day trip she and her family took to Helen, Georgia.

“People were grabbing their kids from my dad; this burly biker dude and they didn’t know what to do with that,” she said.

“Now people come up to you, they ask you questions, they want to know where you got tattooed. It’s a complete shift in attitude.”

Szumski was a revolutionary for Atlanta’s tattoo sphere. His shop opened on Cheshire Bridge Road in 1995 near Ansley Mall.

“I think my dad was always a really openminded person coming from California. It’s one of those places that welcomes everyone,” Maskell said.

As the culture itself shifts, so have the tattoos.

Recently Maskell noticed people turning to tattooing as a sort of catharsis.

“Tattoos as a whole is taking ownership of your body. It’s about being in control of those things. So when you have a trauma, if something happened to you and it wasn’t by your choice, every decision you make after that with your body becomes more important,” Maskell said. “I don’t think tattooing is that for everyone, but I think it is a healthy expression of that.”

Parker and Maskell both see LGBTQ clients request the equality symbol, rainbows, Harry Potter and anime references. Rainbows incorporated into other elements, such as the suicide awareness semicolon and a heart with EKG lines, are also popular.

One design prominent a few decades back was a pink triangle, which Nyssen said is the LGBTQ community, particularly gay men, reclaiming a symbol rife with negative connotations.

“The pink triangle was used in Nazi camps to identify gay men and that was a signal to the Nazis that they could treat them horrifically and do these experiments on them,” she said.

“They flipped the script. They said, ‘You don’t get to tell us what this symbol means.’”

June 21, 2019 Feature 19

FEATURE

VOICES OF NOTE COURTESY PHOTO

Voices of Note to Sing a Tribute to Stonewall Katie Burkholder

needs to be done.”

Voices of Note, made up of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus and the Atlanta Women’s Chorus, has been changing hearts and minds through music since 1981. Launched when the gay rights movement just started to gain momentum, Voices of Note shares the voices, talents, and stories of LGBTQ Atlanta. In their upcoming concert, I See You, the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus will share the story of the most significant moment in LGBTQ history: The Stonewall raids of 1969. We talked to Voices of Note executive director Eve Campbell about what fans can expect from the concert, the importance of remembering Stonewall, and the power of music in spreading the message of love and acceptance.

For Campbell, remembering Stonewall and recognizing the impact it’s had not only nationally, but locally as well, is of the utmost importance. “If we fail to learn from the past, it is inevitable that we will repeat the actions,” she said. “To express remembrance and gratitude for the individuals who finally said, ‘Stop!’ is a way to never forget.”

Without these individuals, Campbell says Atlanta would be completely different.

“Atlanta’s rainbow crosswalk, storytelling at City Hall by a local drag queen, an LGBTQ reception sanctioned by Mayor Bottoms, the ability to marry and the freedom to walk hand-in-hand are just a few commonplace events that would not be ours without the events at Stonewall in 1969,” she said. “We are so grateful.”

The I See You tribute concert tells the story of LGBTQ liberation from its inception on that fateful day in 1969. Campbell told the Georgia Voice that fans can expect to not only hear great music but also be reminded of the weighty importance of the work done by past LGBTQ activists.

For Bill Paden, a long-standing member of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, the difference between the chorus, as well as the world, between when he joined in 1989 — already twenty years after Stonewall — and now is like night and day.

“Expect to be both reminded about what started the gay rights movement and hear the music that supported many calls to action from that period,” Campbell said.

“We hope people will feel pride, remember, and be both grateful for how far we’ve come and recognize that much more work still

“In my early years with the chorus, the AIDS crisis was at its worst and many friends’, loved ones’, and chorus members’ lives were cut drastically short,” he recalled, remembering the memorial services and funerals the chorus performed at to honor members. “The chorus was small when I

20 Feature June 21, 2019

joined and presently there are about four times as many members. Obviously issues and messages changed over the years and the chorus sang about them.”

“Personally, the possibility of legally marrying a member of the same sex was not even in the realm of possibilities for me at that time,” Paden continued. “Public displays of affection between persons of the same sex such as hand holding (much less kissing in public) were quite risky in many places and the LGBTQ community was not considered part of mainstream society much less embraced by it.”

The progress made because of organizers, protestors, and groups like Voices of Note since Stonewall in the ’60s and the AIDS crisis of the ’80s makes Paden hopeful for the future. “Fortunately, today the world is more accepting, and members of our community can express themselves much more freely than was every possible in the early ‘80s and before,” he said. “Hopefully, progress will continue to be made and one’s sexuality will become a non-issue in their acceptance and treatment by society.”

As for the kind of music the audience can expect to see the choir members perform, Campbell says they will “cover a wide range of emotions that accompanied the birth of the LGBTQ liberation movement.” Voices of Note will be performing songs like Holly

Near’s anthem “We Are a Gentle Angry People,” Paul Simon’s “Bride Over Troubled Waters,” “I Am What I Am” from La Cage aux Folles, and “Sticks and Stones” from I Am Harvey Milk.

“The ’60s was an amazing time of protest, change, and involvement,” says Campbell, and the music of the time reflects that.

Campbell noted the power of music to share the messages of resistance and change from the Stonewall-era gay liberation movement in a way that speech alone can’t. “We can say things and present issues through music that are much more difficult to discuss one on one,” she said. “Music has a way of evoking feelings that can truly open a heart to experience change.

Music has also been Voices of Note’s tool to reaching out both to Atlanta’s LGBTQ community and those who may be ignorant to their struggles and oppression. “With music it is possible [for Voices of Note] to reach people who might not turn out to an LGBTQ community event but may see and hear us in a collaborative performance or in a community outreach concert,” Campbell said. “We make LGBTQ easy to access for Atlanta audiences.”

I See You: 50 Years After Stonewall will be held on June 22, with shows at 3pm and 8pm, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. You can learn more and buy tickets at VoicesOfNote.org.

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June 21, 2019 Ads 21

ACTING OUT

Fox Theatre Welcomes “Come From Away” Jim Farmer It was a day most people will never forget – the morning of September 11, 2001, when two planes were flown into the World Trade Center. The extraordinary musical “Come From Away” – opening next week at the Fox Theatre courtesy of Broadway in Atlanta - charts what happened in the aftermath, when 38 planes were re-routed and landed in Gander, Newfoundland.

The townsfolk had to quickly adapt to the visitors - and the emotional turmoil they were going through - over the course of five days and make them feel welcome.

The cast includes performers playing the townspeople as well as some of those on the planes. Gay actor Michael Brian Dunn plays Claude Elliott, the mayor of Newfoundland.

The actor joined the company in August as the first national tour began. The road team rehearsed in New York for five weeks and then opened in Seattle in the fall. Dunn himself had seen the show in previews before it opened on Broadway and knew it would be right up his alley as a performer.

“It absolutely blew me away,” he admits.

“The production is staged so beautifully and seamlessly. It just moves so rapidly. That is true watching it and performing it. You get on the ride and it carries you through.”

Before the musical was in development he read a story in the New York Times about the townspeople of Gander and what happened and thought it was interesting.

He didn’t realize there would be a future in it for him. “It hits all my marks about what a great show should be – an ensemble, strong storytelling and really interesting music.” Once aboard, he met many of the real people the show is based on. “They are delightful people and their lives have changed because of the event and because of ‘Come From Away,’” Dunn says.

22 Columnists June 21, 2019

His character, Claude, is the mayor of a small town and is very down to earth and practical. “He and everyone here live their lives from day to day. They’re just normal people; they don’t take anything for granted.

They live a life of doing great deeds without realizing it. They opened their entire town without realizing it was nice. It was just what you do. It’s a great example of selfless good deeds. The townspeople did it out of necessity. They didn’t know if the visitors would be there a few hours or a few weeks.”

The actor enjoys playing Claude, whom he describes as colorful and happy, a character who has an easy life and good nature. Dunn is excited that the real Claude Elliott will be in Atlanta for the show’s run.

“Come From Away” changed how people look at Newfoundlanders. “Newfoundland has been the butt of jokes along the way and this show has changed people’s outlook,” says Dunn. “They are looked at with much more respect and regard now and tourism

has gone through the roof.”

The production won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical but had the misfortune to come out the same season as “Dear Evan Hansen” and lost other key awards to that blockbuster. Nonetheless, it’s still playing to near-capacity crowds on Broadway. Dunn has his own theory as to why the musical resonates.

“Even if you were too young to remember that day, your parents or siblings did. It’s a standout day in our history and will continue to be. As people listen to other people’s stories, they put themselves into that place.”

“Come From Away” also feature two gay characters in its cast, based on real people Kevin Tuerff and Kevin Jung, a couple from Los Angeles.

SHOWING TIMES “Come From Away” Fox Theatre June 25 - 30

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EATING MY WORDS

Asian Spice and Everything Nice Cliff Bostock

server to help you create a menu of dishes with diverse flavors, so you don’t get stuck in the common soy-sauce black hole. (661 Auburn Ave. 470-809-1586, eathawkers. com/atlanta-oldfourthward.)

Hawkers Asian Street Fare is an engaging, affordable new chain restaurant that has opened in the StudioPlex Alley on the East Beltline, near Auburn Avenue. The colorful new restaurant is a stark contrast to an area of the Beltline that always reminds me of the Berlin Wall before its fall. It’s edged with brutally bland, beehive architecture mainly occupied by white busy bees. They angrily scorn the word “gentrification,” but I do wish they’d do the right thing and get behind the effort to create affordable housing for the people they have displaced.

But I’ll put all my socialist carping aside long enough to acknowledge that Hawkers itself is a quick transit to a delightful, not dystopian, other world. First, there’s the brilliant aesthetic of Kenny and Leslie Ellsworth, who operate Studio SOGO Architecture & Design. They have turned Hawkers’ 4500 square feet into a three-dimensional collage whose overall effect is delightfully chaotic, campy, and kitschy. When you look closer, you see that the countless posters and graffiti both honor and shake-up the memes we associate with Asian pop culture in its so-called native and Westernized versions.

Who doesn’t love a taxidermied squirrel dressed as a monk with prayer beads draped about his paws? I would be happy to sit there and meditate with him all day.

But I’m not going to go hungry. The food, mainly served as inexpensive shareable

plates, is irresistible. The menu is large, divided into small plates, salads, noodle soups and plates, rice plates, and sweets.

There’s a full cocktail program and the front of the restaurant is a long bar that seems to wander in and out of the restaurant’s garagestyle front doors.

We sampled a few dishes from the menu and encountered no fails. One of my favorites was the “chicka-rones,” whose name alludes to “chicharrones,” which are the fried chunks of pork skin so popular in Mexico. But these “chicka-rones” are a Filipino dish of fried chicken skin seasoned with jerk seasonings and served with a

roasted tomatillo sauce. Your lips are going to sting in the very best way. Three other simple dishes I can recommend include fivespice, fried green beans; pad Thai; and roti canai (Malaysian flatbread) with curry sauce.

A new-to-me dish was “caulini,” a veggie that is the bastard child of broccoli and cauliflower. It was cooked with celery, red peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns. Finally, we ordered the Shanghai stir fry, which included steamed, chewy rice cakes, pork strips, shiitake mushrooms, scallions, and bean sprouts, all in a lo mein sauce. I confess I don’t care much for soy-based brown sauces that over-douse so much Chinese cooking.

When you visit, I urge you to ask your

BACK TO LITTLE REY: I’m happy to update my report of the new Little Rey in the Voice’s last edition. After four visits, I found two dishes at the restaurant that were stunningly good.

One was the pozole rojo. It’s a popular soup usually reserved for weekends at “authentic” taquerias all over Atlanta. Rey’s portion is small but its guajillo-chile broth is among the most flavorful I’ve ever encountered. The soup swims with hominy and smoked chicken. You add jalapenos, cabbage, cilantro, and onions in the quantity you want. The other stunner was the sandwich (torta) that features a brioche bun, a fried chicken breast, guacamole, a spicy cabbage slaw, and Jalapenos. Interestingly, the sandwich’s chicken is not smoked. Thanks to places like Hattie B’s, we’re seeing fried chicken sandwiches everywhere these days. This is the best I’ve had in a long time.

Cliff Bostock is a longtime Atlanta restaurant critic and former psychotherapist turned life coach; cliffbostock@gmail.com.

MORE INFO Hawkers 661 Auburn Ave. NE • Suite 180 Atlanta, GA 30312 470-809-1586

24 Columnists June 21, 2019 TheGeorgiaVoice.com

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BEST BETS Our Guide to the Best LGBTQ Events in Atlanta for June 21-August 4 Friday, June 21

“Altar Boyz” is a foot-stomping, rafterraising, musical comedy about a fictitious Christian boy-band on the last night of their national “Raise the Praise” tour. The Boyz are five all-singing, all-dancing heartthrobs from Ohio: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham. With their tight harmonies and spectacular choreography, the musical will delight audiences of all ages.

8pm, through June 22 Marietta Theatre Company

Saturday, June 22

Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus’ “I See You: 50 Years After Stonewall” pays tribute to brave activists from diverse ethnic, racial, sexual, and gender identity backgrounds. Together, they ended the silence with their voices, their actions, and the coming together of a liberation movement. This concert weaves a story through LGBTQIA history, recounting the struggle of early activists who sacrificed to protest police brutality and unjust treatment of a marginalized community. What once was routine police raids of gay establishments in the 1960s sparked a revolution for the modern fight for LGBTQIA rights. “I See You: 50 Years After Stonewall” features pieces such as “Over the Rainbow” (paying tribute to Judy Garland), “Sticks and Stones” from the musical “I Am Harvey Milk,” and “I Am What I Am” from “La Cage Aux Folles.”

3 and 8pm St. Luke’s Episcopal Church If you enjoyed the Life’s a Drag: Lip Sync for the Crown then you don’t want to miss the send-off party to help send the softball team Atlanta Chargers to the World Series. Tonight’s event promises an amazing lineup of girls to give you a night to remember as well as some amazing raffles and Jell-O shots.

5 – 9pm Midtown Moon Horizon Theatre continues the LGBTQthemed “The Cake.” When Della, a North Carolina baker and devout Christian, is asked to bake a wedding cake for her best friend’s daughter, she is overjoyed. That joy is short-lived, though, when she learns that the intended is another bride. Struggling to reconcile her deeply-held belief in

EVENT SPOTLIGHT Friday, June 21

What feminine part of yourself did you have to destroy in order to survive in this world? At what point does femininity become synonymous with apology? Who hurt the people who hurt you? Alok Vaid-Menon is trying to figure it out. Join for an evening of poetry, stand-up comedy, drag, and more as Alok takes the audience on an emotional roller coaster all the way from the personal to the political. The event is hosted by Wussy Magazine. 8pm, 7 Stages (PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK) “traditional marriage” and the love she has for the woman she helped raise, Della finds herself in strange new territory. Inspired by a story still in the headlines, this is a new play

by Bekah Brunstetter (TV’s “This is Us”).

8pm, through June 23 Spanning the entirety of her life, “Over the Rainbow” highlights the incredible career and legacy of Judy Garland, including some of her most famous songs, films and milestones, such as “The Wizard of Oz,’ “A Star is Born,” “Judy at Carnegie Hall” and more. This cabaret celebrates all that Garland lived and left behind, acting as a showcase for her constant struggles, resilience and everything that makes her a lifelong icon.

8pm Out Front Theatre Company

BrutBears presents Decadance with DJ Alex Ramos! Grab your friends for a night of the best beats in Atlanta!

10pm – 3am Heretic Atlanta Sock and Jocks returns with DJ Neon the Glowgobear! As always, no cover!

10pm – 3am Atlanta Eagle

Sunday, June 23

Stay up until the sun rises with DJ Steven Radant at Xion After Hours!

3 – 7am BJ Roosters Don’t miss the 50th anniversary of Stonewall event presented by Lexus today. Revel in sounds by special guests

DJs Anonima and Alexander atop the Fox Theatre’s iconic rooftop overlooking the Midtown skyline while enjoying light bites, curated cocktails, and free swag provided

by Lexus.

Noon The Marquee Club The LGBTQ History Tour celebrates another year of sharing Atlanta’s LGBTQ history.

1pm The Center for Civil and Human Rights Join in the sun for a Deep South pool party to honor the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. Music will be provided by Deep

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26 Best Bets June 21, 2019 TheGeorgiaVoice.com

BEST BETS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26 South ATL residents Vicki Powell, Brian Rojas and Ash Lauryn.

2 – 6pm Altitude Apartments Onstage Atlanta continues Topher Payne’s comedy “Morningside” — directed by Cathe Hall Payne.

3pm, through June 29

Monday, June 24

Enjoy DJ Kaye G and free pool at Bulldog’s tonight.

Tuesday, June 25

The excellent, Tony Award-winning musical “Come From Away” — about planes that landed in Gander after 9/11.

7:30pm, through June 30, Fox Theatre

Wednesday, June 26

Join together with community and local faith leaders to remember and honor those who have gone before us at the Stonewall Interfaith Celebration.

Hosted by Saint Mark United Methodist Church, Atlanta Pride and Black Gay Pride, the event is designed to foster strength and encouragement to continue the work of liberation.

7pm Saint Mark United Methodist Church

Friday, June 28

From the friendly neighborhood gays who brought you “Queer Drunk History,” Fruits and WUSSY Mag present “The FLY: Trashy Queer Stories Told Live.”

Organizers believe it’s important for queer people to tell their own narratives, no matter how vile and disgusting they may be. Join in for a night of filthy and hilarious stories told by drag queens, improvisers and stand-up comics. Upon arrival, you will be able to sign up to share your trashiest story. Please keep your uncensored stories and around five minutes. The event is hosted by Molly Rimswell and features stories from the likes of Biqtch Puddin’, Brigitte Bidet, Meatball, Priscilla Chambers and Taylor Alxndr.

7 – 9pm Out Front Theatre Company It’s time for Cruise Control with

EVENT SPOTLIGHT Thursday, June 27

Do you want to read books by amazing Black women writers? Do you want to discuss works from a Black feminist perspective(s)? Do you want to do all of this in an awesome gem of a feminist bookstore? Then the Black Feminist Club is for you. Charis Circle board chair Susana Morris is the facilitator of this group. This summer Black Feminist contemporary memoirs are on tap and tonight it’s “Men We Reaped” by Jesmyn Ward. 7 – 9pm (Official photo)

DJ Mister Richard! No cover!

10pm – 3am Atlanta Eagle

Charis and the Counter Narrative Project welcome authors Jericho Brown, Darius Bost and Calvin Warren for a multi-disciplinary discussion about Black Gay resilience, creativity and love in response to anti-Black and antiqueer violence and terrorism of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, moderated by Charles Stephens, founder of The Counter Narrative Project.

7 – 9pm

powerful and emotionally gripping musical journey about the life and legacy of hatecrime victim Matthew Shepard. Given the special nature of the concert, Coro Vocati is inviting select high school students from throughout metro Atlanta and members of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, Atlanta Women’s Chorus and OurSong to join in singing one of the final pieces of the program, “All of Us.” This meaningful song describes the role everyone has in creating a society that promotes love and rejects hate.

8pm Sandy Springs Performing Arts Centre

Coro Vocati, a leading Atlanta-based chamber choir, is proud to produce the Georgia professional premiere of “Considering Matthew Shepard,” a

In the predawn hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn was full to the rafters when it was raided by police. 50 years later, Dykes on Bikes® Atlanta,

Saturday, June 29

in partnership with Atlanta Pride Committee and Femme Mafia Atlanta, will pay homage to the past, present, and future of the LGBTQ movement that erupted that night. Deep within the walls of My Sisters’ Room’s Red Light District, organizers present a fabulous spectacle of queers through the years. Join in celebration of those who came before us, and look towards what’s to come.

Proceeds will be donated to Positive Impact Health Centers.

9:30pm Atlanta’s longest running queer variety show is back, loaded with sweet queer talent, and ready to quench your thirst.

Sweet Tea: A Queer Variety Show is tonight, featuring the talents of Aryeè, Edie

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28 Best Bets June 21, 2019 TheGeorgiaVoice.com

BEST BETS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 Bellini, Gabbie Watts, Kei Slaughter, °C, Matt House, Perka Stex, Semaj Onyx Coxring, and Suni MF. The event is hosted by Taylor Alxndr and is part of this week’s Southern Fried Queer Pride.

10pm The Bakery Atlanta DJ Roland Belmares from Los Angeles returns to Heretic Atlanta for a night of music, dancing and hot men!

10pm – 3am

Wednesday, July 3

Channel your inner Melissa Etheridge and Tina Turner and get ready for karaoke tonight.

9pm My Sister’s Room Celebrate the 4th of July with the Indepen-DANCE party with DJ Eric James! No cover!

10pm – 3am Heretic Atlanta

Thursday, July 4

Atlanta Bear Fest kicks off tonight and offers four days of events for grizzlies, cubs, and more, including pool parties and nightly happenings.

10pm – 3am Atlanta Eagle

UPCOMING

Thursday, July 11

MAAP – Metro Atlanta Association of Professionals, Bill Kaelin Marketing, Georgia Voice, and Out On Film team to host the Southeast Emmy Awards’ Truth Talk, a “Ted Talk” style event, presenting Jana Shortal.

7pm Lilli Midtown

Sunday, June 30

DJ Scorpio spins the beats at Xion After Hours!

3 – 7am BJ Roosters Atlanta Pride hosts its first ever Stonewall March today.

Noon North Avenue MARTA station Tum Tum is a safer space for Jewish LGBTQ+ identified youth and allies to share, learn, and connect. Participants will meet at The Phillip Rush Center and then make the short walk over to nearby Candler Park for a group picnic, water balloon fight, and more. Snacks will be provided.

2 – 4pm

Monday, July 1

Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender and aspiring allies, providing a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources and activism around social issues.

6:30 – 8pm Charis Books and More The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBTQ children opens its doors tonight.

7:30 – 9pm Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta

Tuesday, July 2

Make a night of it at Midtown Moon, with Pop Quiz Trivia followed by Soulstar Karaoke.

7pm

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June 21, 2019 Best Bets 29

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

Appointment Disappointment Melissa Carter

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There is nothing more frustrating than going to the trouble of making an appointment and the service not be worth your effort. I think the rearranging of your schedule to make these appointments possible should have a monetary value, and be deducted from your bill.

The latest incident happened with a floor cleaning company I hired. I am in the process of selling my home and made an appointment with the company to come clean some tile.

It’s worth noting that this same company had come to my home just a couple years ago for the same job, so I thought it proper to bring them back. I took my dog to a friend’s house, moved all the furniture from the room, and had my realtor meet him the morning of his arrival while I was at work.

Once there he called to let me know his concern of damaging the finish on the floor with the service. I informed him his company had been there before and nothing bad happened to my floor. He seemed to ignore this information and kept reiterating, and came dangerously close to “mansplaining,” the floor was in some kind of danger. When I suggested he contact his company about the last visit to understand they didn’t damage the floor, he again seemed to ignore that suggestion. Once the conversation became heated, I kicked him out of the house and apologized to everyone else involved in this wasted effort.

When I began my current job, I noticed there was a doctor’s facility across the street. How convenient it would be to be within walking distance of a doctor’s appointment, so I set up an initial consultation. I was put in a room after a short wait time and assumed I would see a doctor soon. Over an hour went by while I was in that exam room, and I finally left to return to work only to be told they forgot I was in the room. I never went back.

There seems to be an increase in people not giving a shit about their jobs coupled with

30 Columnists June 21, 2019

a growing lack of empathy for other people.

Companies should take responsibility for the time spent by customers to allow that company to do their job. Clients should be respected as the funders they are for these services, and individuals should stop allowing these negative experiences to go without some repercussions. Meaning, change the people you do business with while letting the other company understand why you left. If enough people value their own time maybe these companies will finally value it too.

On the flip side, make sure you say something when the service is good. People tend to be motivated by discomfit and anger, and likely only complain without ever giving a compliment when things go smoothly.

Reinforcement of what you want to happen, rather than a fatiguing assumption things will always go wrong, is the better way to go.

And for those who know you don’t care about your job, quit. Quit your job, quit wasting your company’s time, and quit wasting my time as well.

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

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

SOMETIMES ‘Y’

Booty Call-based Interventions Ryan Lee The fewer secrets you have, the more people seem willing to give you theirs. An almost reckless candor about my marijuana use and promiscuity has made me a repository for disclosures that people are reticent to make to others, namely their sexual turn-ons or asking where to get weed.

Whether interviewing someone for a story or building authentic relationships with loved ones, being vulnerable, and creating a space that promotes unguardedness, is a requisite for trust and intimacy. Throughout the years, my favorite compliment to receive from friends, lovers and strangers has been about the comfort they feel in my presence, with no weight of pretense or fear of judgment.

I’ve had friendly acquaintances who never made full disclosures about the struggles they were going through — drug use, homelessness, health problems, etc. — but made clear their appreciation for how our time together allowed them to pause their avatar, catch their breath or simply tune out the chaos outside our company. Rather than trying to diagnose or rescue them, we simply felt the breeze of each other’s exhales.

Despite my comfort in relationships with people whose default existence is turbulence, it remains startling to meet someone with an upbeat aura and see them gradually descend into instability. I was recently smoking a blunt with a longterm hook-up before we commenced the acts that have bonded us for five years, but instead of thinking about sex, I was weighing my obligation to stage an intervention.

Me and this guy had smoked weed, had flings and established an easy rapport over several months before he sent me a text asking if I knew someone with molly.

“Sorry, that’s not my scene,” was my standard response, intended to be equally non-judgmental and definitive. Our hookups continued, and eventually he asked if I had a coke connection.

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“Sorry, that’t not my scene,” I said, and repeated again when he later asked if I partied, which I always associate with crystal meth without interest in any clarification.

It’s not hard to ignore a random hook-up’s personal crisis, but someone doesn’t become a multi-year regular without having an energy that I appreciate and want to affirm. As someone who celebrates unattached sex, it’s nevertheless important for me to not reduce my partners to soulless flesh for whom I care nothing about outside of an orgasm.

We have hooked up maybe a couple of dozen times over five years, a span in which he has lost his car and job. This was my first time at his apartment, and he mentioned that he would soon be forced to move in with a friend.

“This is my baby KoJo,” he said as he rubbed his dog with lonely affection. I resisted reminding him that was the name he gave me when we first met, and which I thought was his name until that exact moment.

It was humbling to realize how futile it would be to make life suggestions to someone whose name I don’t know, and just as dispiriting to recognize that, like for many gay men, KoJo and a semi-anonymous booty call may be the closest thing he has to a lifeline. Still, I lack the tools or resolve to stage any liaisonbased intervention, so we eventually go into his bedroom to make secrets.

“I always enjoy your energy,” I say when I hug him good-bye. “I hope everything settles down for you soon.”

June 21, 2019 Columnists 31