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Lessons from Our Pets
Katie Burkholder
“You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”
—Mary Oliver,
“Wild Geese”
It’s hard to be human. There are so many ever-changing standards we judge ourselves against and responsibilities that pile up: we have to maintain jobs and relationships and hygiene and chores and car maintenance and social obligations and exercise and nutrition, and that only scratches the surface of everything we need to handle on a dayto-day basis. It easily feels overwhelming, and it’s been hard, at least for me, to know exactly how to live. How do I make and achieve goals, how do I be a good friend and partner and daughter, how do I foster and maintain self-esteem, how do I keep my life from unraveling out of control?
In the face of the so-much-ness that life as a human can hold, it can be healing to turn to our animal side and take notes from our furrier peers.
Generally speaking, American culture is centered around the notion that human beings are not animals — or are, rather, distinct from and better than animals. Humans are more intelligent and worthy of respect than animals, therefore we can use animals to whatever ends we wish. Animals in American and Western culture are seen largely as nothing more than sources of money, whether we trap them in zoos, forcibly breed them, or farm them for their flesh.
Whenever the boundary between animals
and humans is blurred for rhetorical purposes, it’s often to naturalize phenomena like gender roles (“women are more passive and men more aggressive because we evolved that way) or admonish same-sex sexuality (“we are built to reproduce, therefore nonreproductive sex is not natural”). If animal rights activists point to the similarities between humans and animals, it’s always to the end of raising animals up to the status of humans — animals are also intelligent and emotional and sentient just like us. It is generally the qualities of animals that mirror those of humans that make them worthy of our care. I can’t think of an aspect of American culture, even on the side of animal advocates, that lauds animals as creatures from whom we can learn and whose qualities we should emulate.
I’m not going to argue that humans aren’t more complex and capable of thought, reason, and ingenuity than animals. But at the end of the day, we are animals, and there is something distinctly healing about embracing our animality. I’m not saying you should go alpha mode and live off the land in the woods, nor am I necessarily lauding the qualities we stereotypically associate with animality, like aggression or hyper-independence. Instead, I am suggesting that we take notes from the animals who live most like us: our pets. When animals are domesticated and no longer have to fight for survival, how do they live? And how can we learn from them and let the soft animals of our bodies love what they love?
Animals love food
Our pets know that not only is eating
necessary, it’s also enjoyable! There’s nothing our pets love more than a good meal, and as fellow animals, it’s okay for us to enjoy our meals and not feel shame around eating.
Animals love rest
If your dog is anything like the pups I spend most of my time with, they sleep — a lot. Obviously, the human lifestyle is a lot more demanding than that of a dog or cat (not because it’s “natural” for humans to work 8–12 hours a day, but because of the constructed demands of capitalism), but we can find some peace of mind in the fact that if it’s okay for our pets to rest for most (if not all) hours of the day, it’s okay for us to take a break every once in a while.
Animals love being embodied
Human life is stressful, but sometimes all you need to feel better is to get back into your body: let out your zoomies, get a good stretch in, and snuggle up with the person you love the most.
Animals love their humans
If you’re anything like me, you feel a lot of anxiety when it comes to interacting with other people and ensuring that you are showing up to the best of your ability for your loved ones.
Relationships are complicated and require maturity and good communication, but as long as you’re following in the footsteps of your pets and being loyal, present, and openly loving, you’re probably doing a great job.
PHOTO BY PEXELS.COM/BETHANY FERR
Staff reports Read these stories and more online at thegavoice.com
Trans Housing Coalition Receives Grant to Fight Trans Homelessness in Atlanta
Trans Housing Coalition will be expanding its Housing First Program after receiving a grant from Health Care Advocates International’s HCAI Fund.
The non-profit, an Atlanta-based trans-led organization aimed at getting chronically homeless Black trans women off the streets, received $35,000 to support their housing program.
“The HCAI Fund grant empowers the Trans Housing Coalition to expand their Housing First Program, providing a crucial lifeline to transgender and gender non-conforming individuals experiencing homelessness in Atlanta,” Mary Wilson, Trans Housing Coalition Executive Director, said in a statement to WSB-TV. “Many individuals in the transgender community need more than housing, they need a community of support. By establishing stable housing, fostering social connections, and ensuring access to healthcare, we can significantly improve
health outcomes and quality of life for this vulnerable population.”
According to a report by Covenant House Georgia, about 40 percent of Atlanta’s homeless youth population are LGBTQ. In a survey of transgender women in Metro Atlanta from 2019-2020 done by the Georgia Department of Public Health, 53 percent of respondents had experienced homelessness in the last year, and 34 percent were currently experiencing homelessness at the time of the survey.
“The state of homelessness within this community exposes this population to heightened health and safety vulnerabilities, including increased risks of hate crimes, mental health challenges, and sexually transmitted diseases,” the Coalition said in a statement.
Pattie McKnight, the Executive Director of HCAI, said the funds will support the “life-saving shelter and support for LGBTQ individuals” that the Trans Housing Coalition provides.
Trump Supports Anti-Trans Sports Ban in RNC Speech
Former President Donald Trump voiced his support for banning transgender women and
girls from competing on girls and women’s athletics teams during his speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday.
The proposal was included in the Republican Party’s official platform, along with plans to cut federal funding for “any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”
Trump had a major hand in shaping the two-page document, though apart from the sports ban his remarks closing out the RNC did not otherwise address LGBTQ matters.
Nor did the Republican presidential nominee mention Project 2025, the 900page governing blueprint for a second Trump term that would radically reshape American government including by advancing a Christian nationalist anti-LGBTQ, antichoice policy agenda.
In a statement following Trump’s speech, Biden-Harris 2024 Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon pointed out that the former president also neglected to discuss “how he had inflicted pain and cruelty on the women of America by overturning Roe v Wade” or “his plan to take over the civil service and to pardon the January 6 insurrectionists.”
Atlanta Loses Shannon Boswell and Deundray Cottrell
Atlanta is mourning the loss of two Black queer people who have been killed this month.
Shannon Boswell, a 30-year-old trans woman, was found dead on the scene of a hit-and-run car crash on July 2. Authorities found that she had been shot and a witness described the incident as “a gun shot and then a few seconds later… a car crash or someone going over the media or something like that. It was very fast.” However, the Medical Examiner’s office has not determined whether the crash or shooting caused Boswell’s death, according to a report from Fox 5 that misgenders her. Investigations are still ongoing, so those who know any information are urged to contact the DeKalb County Police Department.
Boswell’s mother, Tammy, reported that she received calls on Tuesday evening from her daughter’s boyfriend and friends saying someone had shot and killed her.
“They killed my baby,” Tammy told WSBTV. “I mean, [she] was shot and then left in the street like a deer.”
“Shannon lived her life out loud,” Tori Cooper, the Human Rights Campaign Director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, said in a statement. “Her death is a tragedy for her friends and family and the Atlanta community. And those who knew her, loved her. Too often trans women like Shannon are killed by people that we know. If we can’t trust people that we know, then who can we trust?”
Boswell is remembered in her obituary as “one of a kind” and a “sweet soul” who “loved people.” Boswell was at least the 20th transgender person killed in 2024 and the second from Atlanta, along with Righteous TK
“Chevy” Hill, a Black trans man and barber for Black queer men who was shot in February.
Only a couple days later, Atlanta resident
Deundray Cottrell, a 31-year-old Black gay man, was found dead after being reported missing after visiting his sister in Birmingham, Alabama for the Fourth of July with his partner.
Angelica Harris, Cottrell’s sister, told AL.com that around 10pm on July 4, Cottrell went inside to check on his dog as fireworks were going off.
“He went and checked on the dog, and I never saw him again,” Harris said.
Julian Morris, Cottrell’s partner, told Harris that Cottrell went running through the backyard, where they found some of his belongings, including a shoe and his phone. His family searched for him through the night and tracked down Ring camera footage at several homes showing him running
through yards and jumping over a gate.
“It looked like he was looking for refuge,” Harris said. “He was running for his life.”
On July 6, Cottrell’s body was discovered in the shed of a vacant house at 78th Street and Fifth Avenue South in Birmingham, just one block from his sister’s home. His death was ruled a homicide by the Jefferson County Coroner on July 7.
Cottrell was a member of the Atlanta dance trio Skiiboyz Entertainment, worked in marketing, and was in the process of getting his doctorate.
According to Cottrell’s family, Morris had been acting erratically prior to his partner’s disappearance and went missing shortly after Cottrell did. According to AL.com, Morris’ report of what happened to the family changed; he would later tell them Cottrell jumped off a balcony and would later say he committed suicide.
Morris was not Cottrell’s primary partner; he joined a polyamorous relationship with Cottrell and his partner of more than a decade, DeEric Williams.
“It’s a complete nightmare,” Williams said. “Deundray was my person, definitely my soulmate.”
Morris is a person of interest in the case, but his attorney released a statement denying his involvement in Cottrell’s death and saying his client would not be making any further statements. According to Sgt. LaQuitta Wade, police had not spoken with Morris as of July 18.
“We were each other’s Yin and Yang,” Williams wrote in a tribute to Cottrell on Instagram. “I was the crazy energetic spirit while you complimented me with your suave, chill vibes. We watched each other grow from little boys to handsome grown men. We stood 14 years strong! We graduated together. We started our lives in Atlanta together.”
Katie Burkholder
Shannon Boswell and Deundray Cottrell COURTESY PHOTOS
The Dangerous Affability of JD Vance
Victoria A. Brownworth, Washington Blade via the National LGBTQ Media Association
Read the full article online at thegavoice.com.
The only people surprised that Donald Trump chose a white man as his running mate were a couple of senators who had twisted themselves into obsequious knots in an effort to prove they were worthy of being on a ticket with a card-carrying racist.
Enter JD Vance, working-class hero, veteran, entrepreneur and quintessential American success story. As his 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” (a New York Times bestseller and later a feature film) details, his thrice-married mother struggled with addiction, and he and his sister were raised primarily by their grandparents, in poverty.
The people Trump hopes to attract with this choice is the disaffected white working-class in the Rust Belt of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania that has seethed with anger over immigration, wage stagnation, and what they perceive as a “woke” and DEI takeover of well-paying jobs. That theme constantly harped on by Trump has gained more ground over the past few years since the pandemic put many working-class people out of work and plunged them into precarious financial circumstances.
There is a chronic misreading of Vance that allowed him to win the Senate seat in 2022 — his first run for any office. Vance presents a warm and affable demeanor and is an intellectual — a fact seemingly at odds with his political stances and choices. But Vance’s writings, his commentaries on his decision to convert to Catholicism in 2019, and his marriage to Usha Chilukuri, a corporate lawyer and practicing Hindu, all point to a vastly different persona than what we have come to expect from the MAGA crowd. MAGA has become synonymous with inchoate toxic rage, bigotry, and antiintellectualism. Those who dismiss Vance as classic MAGA do so at their peril.
JD Vance PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/LEV RADIN
At the same time, Vance is the least qualified vice-presidential pick in a century. He has no executive history, he’s a Senate newbie, he’s the youngest VP pick in a century, and in many respects is himself a DEI hire.
But Vance has an affability that Trump and his cadre hope will lure more people in those key states Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020. All of which makes it far more essential that Democrats vote better — that is, for the Democratic ticket — than they did in 2016.
Another thing Vance brings with him to the ticket is money. Vance has connections to major donors, chief among them Peter Thiel, who donated $15 million to Vance’s Senate run, helping him out-raise Democrat Tim Ryan.
Thiel — co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund and the first outside investor in Facebook — is the wealthiest gay man in the U.S. — an unlikely match-up given Vance’s stunningly
anti-LGBTQ record and rhetoric. In 2017, Thiel hired Vance at his global investment firm, Mithril Capital. He mentored Vance and propelled his Senate run.
Thiel introduced Vance to other megadonors and Vance has in turn brought millions to the Trump campaign—most recently a $12 million fundraiser. That a gay man is ostensibly fronting the return of Trump to the White House is a brutal irony.
Vance is a radical extremist able to smoothtalk the worst aspects of MAGA politics. Vance is opposed to abortion even in cases of rape and incest. Vance has criticized exceptions to abortion laws for rape and incest survivors, saying “two wrongs don’t make a right,” even if the circumstances are “inconvenient.” (It’s important to remember many victims of incest are children.) While Trump has claimed recently that he doesn’t support a national abortion ban, Vance does.
Vance proposed a bill that would make
“Vance is a radical extremist able to smooth-talk the worst aspects of MAGA politics. Vance is opposed to abortion even in cases of rape and incest. Vance has criticized exceptions to abortion laws for rape and incest survivors, saying “two wrongs don’t make a right,” even if the circumstances are ‘inconvenient.”’
gender-affirming care for minors a federal felony and block taxpayer funds from being used for it, saying, “Under no circumstances should doctors be allowed to perform these gruesome, irreversible operations on underage children.”
Vance opposes same-sex marriage but also says there’s no move to overturn that, now.
Vance supports Israel, but opposes American military aid to Ukraine and says China is the biggest threat to the U.S. and has close ties to the dangerous Project 2025.
While not a full-on climate denier, Vance has opposed any climate-related legislation and this is yet another area where he will likely fare well with working-class voters who have been led to believe President Biden’s climate initiatives will take away manufacturing jobs in the Rust Belt.
The Inquirer noted July 16 in an op-ed, “Hillbillies don’t need an elegy, and the U.S. doesn’t need JD Vance.” Maybe not — but it would be unwise to ignore such a smooth talker whose affability has netted him a very big purse and a future moving at warp speed through the top echelons of first business and now politics. Should Trump win in November, Vance is both a heartbeat away from the presidency and from a 2028 run of his own. Beware that affability — it’s dangerous as hell.
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Outsiders Farm Seeks Homes for Discarded Pigs
When it comes to pets, pigs don’t immediately spring to mind. While pigs make great pets, many people who do pursue pig ownership don’t fully understand the responsibility, which has led to an epidemic of pigs without homes — a problem Outsiders Farm and Sanctuary seeks to address.
When Corrine Baker founded Outsiders with her husband, she didn’t expect the animal sanctuary to become one with a pig specialty. While she loved pigs, the focus on the creature came not from a particular passion, but from a need in North Georgia.
“Someone had called needing to get rid of a bunch of pot belly pigs,” she told Georgia Voice. “I thought, ‘Well, we have almost 12 acres, we've been in animal rescue for a while, maybe we can help this person out by taking some piglets and finding them homes — and if we don't, we have the space.’ I was only supposed to go and get 10 piglets, and when I got there, it was just a really awful situation. I ended up coming home with 26 pigs in the back of my Honda Pilot.”
Baker’s husband is just as much an animal lover as she is, so he immediately responded to the car full of pigs by figuring out what needed to be done to care for them. They started a Facebook page to try to find these pigs a home, but what started out as a rehoming project turned into a beacon
for those looking to get rid of the pigs they already had.
“The more that we tried to get the word out to find homes for those pigs, we just started getting all these requests for taking people's unwanted pigs,” Baker said. “It wasn't just one pig at a time; it was four pigs at a time, six pigs at a time. Ninety-five percent of pet pigs are rehomed before their second birthday. It was an issue that just fell into our laps, and we're committed to doing what's best for this group of pigs.”
Now, Outsiders is home to 350 pigs, along with other animals, including cows, goats, chickens, ducks, cats, dogs, rabbits, and “anything you can think of that needs a home.” With so many animals, the day-today maintenance is a hefty responsibility.
“My husband and I are both the full-time
caregivers,” Baker said. “We have a small group of volunteers that helps us on their own schedules, but there's no paid staff right now. We just don't have the resources for that. The day-to-day is 14 to 16 hours of taking care of the animals, we’re using over 2,000 gallons of water a day just to make sure everybody has enough. We feed over 4,000 pounds of pig food a week alone. The vet is here probably once a week, and I'm probably at the vet three times a week. We're kind of just pig servants all day, and it’s great. It’s a super rewarding job, but it’s a big production.”
While Outsiders is always looking for volunteers and monthly donors who can help support the day-to-day operations, there is also an urgent need for people to adopt some of their pigs.
“So many people say they wish they could have a pig,” Baker said. “If you can have a dog, I feel like you can have a pig as long as your zoning will allow for it. We're just trying to reach as many people as we can — if they're an animal lover and they're not going to eat a pig, we would love to talk to them ... If you have a nice piece of property, or not even a ton of land but a nice yard that you can designate a spot for a pair of pigs, they’re actually very low maintenance animals when it comes to their day-to-day
care. A lot of people want to adopt a piglet, because they think, ‘Oh, we can bond with them and train them.’ But we have a lot of older pigs here, and they're so laid back and calming and they love affection. Pigs are just super emotional, and they know their people. When a pig picks an adopter, there's just so much love between them.”
Because pigs are social animals, Outsiders generally requires you to adopt two or more at a time — unless you already have a pig or are an experienced pig owner. While the prospect of adopting multiple pigs can be daunting, you can take a visit to the farm, and they will walk you through what it’s like to be around a pig and the expectations of pig ownership. Pigs are highly intelligent and exhibit multiple types of personalities, so there’s sure to be a piggy that’s perfect for you.
If you can’t adopt, Outsiders has multiple fundraising events coming up. Now through August 11, you can help them raise money for a new big pigs barn by joining a team and doing your own “OlympiGs” event at givebutter.com/olympigs. They will also be hosting a fall festival on October 12.
You can apply to adopt, sign up to volunteer, or donate to Outsiders Farm and Sanctuary at outsidersfarm.com.
Katie Burkholder
The farm takes in any animal you can think of that needs a home. COURTESY PHOTO
Outsiders is home to 350 pigs COURTESY PHOTO
Paws Between Homes Supports Pet Owners Facing Eviction
Rising eviction rates in Atlanta are impacting families, including their pets. In the first six months of 2023, the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank recorded over 72,000 evictions across a five-county region, marking a 12 percent increase from 2022.
While pets can improve an owner’s health, including lowered risk for cardiovascular disease and decreased anxiety, housing instability can exacerbate health problems. Tenants facing evictions and housing insecurity are more likely to develop suicidal thoughts, depression, and anxiety, according to a 2022 study.
Confronting the ongoing housing crisis is crucial in addressing mental health problems and overcrowding in shelters. DeKalb County Animal Shelter recently reported that it is in dire need of dog adoptions. Currently sheltering 561 dogs, it is well over its humane capacity of 475.
Lightening the shelter’s load is Paws Between Homes, a local organization that provides temporary foster homes for pets of Atlanta residents facing eviction or otherwise dealing with housing instability.
Founded in 2019 by members of local animal welfare and legal aid agencies like the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF), Paws Between Homes served its first client in January 2020. AVLF offers the Saturday Lawyer program, which supports low-income tenants who often face illegal evictions and unsafe living conditions.
Through his work as an AVLF volunteer with the Saturday Lawyer program, Paws Between Homes Board President and co-founder
Cole Thaler saw the impact of eviction on families and their pets.
“I thought Atlanta needed a safety net to keep loved and wanted pets out of the shelter,” Thaler told Georgia Voice. “I reached out to some of my contacts in the animal welfare and human services world and found that lots of people agreed with me.”
A relief for owners and pets alike, most foster placements adapt to the short-term stay and return to their owners within 90 days. Thaler says the reunions are his favorite moments.
“Dogs absolutely lose their minds when they see their owners again after three months,”
Thaler said. “Jumping, tail wagging, so many kisses. When the family has children and I get to see the kids reunite with their beloved dog, it’s beyond heartwarming.”
Providing a safe home for a pet while its family faces housing instability is just one piece of the puzzle, but it can make all the difference during an uncertain time. Paws Between Homes needs more foster homes to meet the current demand and is always looking for like-minded volunteers.
“I knew that shelters were full of pets surrendered by loving owners who had fallen on hard times and lost their housing,” Thaler said.
Paws Between Homes offers assistance to Atlanta residents within the I-285 perimeter, but one organization saw the potential to ameliorate the issue of unhoused pets on a larger scale. In January 2024, the Atlanta Humane Society hired Thaler to manage Pets in Crisis Support to expand the work of Paws Between Homes and Ahimsa House, which fosters pets for people experiencing domestic violence.
“It’s amazing that animal welfare organizations with a greater reach are starting to use their resources to help people, not just pets,” Thaler said. “People don’t lead single-issue lives, so we have to break down our silos to help in truly impactful ways. A person may need help with stable housing, access to medical care, and a temporary foster home for their pet. They should have access to all those things with as few barriers as possible.”
Beyond offering support for animals and families in need, Thaler’s mission is multifaceted with the ultimate goal of seeing a “liberated world.”
“To me, liberation looks like unrestricted access to opportunity and the agency to chart our own paths,” Thaler said. “A liberated world is one of abundance, where all beings are safe, supported, and have what they need to thrive.”
The waiting list of pets in need is available on the organization’s website at pawsbetweenhomes.org/pets. To learn more or sign up to volunteer or foster, contact general@pawsbetweenhomes.org or (404) 548-8805 or visit pawsbetweenhomes.org. Active Atlanta Humane Society fosterers interested in fostering one of the waitlisted pets are encouraged to email Cole at cthaler@atlantahumane.org.
Adalei Stevens
Paws Between Homes offers assistance to Atlanta residents within the I-285 perimeter. COURTESY PHOTO
Miss Vanjie Talks Animals and ASPCA
As fans prepare for the finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Season nine this week, queens made history all season long by using the platform to donate their winnings to charity. One of this season’s top contenders is Miss Vanjie, who is competing on behalf of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Georgia Voice sat down with icon Miss Vanjie to discuss her love of animals and why she chose ASPCA.
Hey Vanjie! How are you enjoying watching yourself this season?
I’m enjoying the season; it’s kind of like watching the Super Bowl of the gays. All the girls are doing so good. I’m enjoying watching myself and how much I’ve grown since season 11 and season 10. Of course, getting the money for charity is exciting. I like the season, and these runways and the challenges have been so good.
They have been, especially the runways this season; everybody has been killing it. As far as charity, I’m wondering what it was that stuck out to you about the ASPCA? When they told me we got to pick a charity I knew I wanted to do something with animals. I’ve always been passionate about animals. If I didn’t do drag, I’d probably do something within that type of field. I knew I wanted to give back to the pets … so I asked if I could pick the ASPCA and they told me yes. I had no other charity in mind.
In an interview with People magazine, you discussed how pets always give us unconditional love. Did you grow up with any pets?
I’ve always had cats and dogs; I had a Yorkie growing up. When I was little, I used to perform in my room to the pets and be my
“When they told me we got to pick a charity I knew I wanted to do something with animals. I’ve always been passionate about animals. If I didn’t do drag, I’d probably do something within that type of field. I knew I wanted to give back to the pets … so I asked if I could pick the ASPCA and they told me yes. I had no other charity in mind.”
—Miss Vanjie
outrageous self and hide in the room and not tell no one. That’s why I always felt like pets were such good little buddies for me when I was growing up in Florida, not knowing what was going on and why I was so crazy and hyper and liked to perform and do music videos. I feel like that’s something I’ve always connected my childhood with.
Do you have any favorite memories of growing up with your pets?
I think I was in middle school or going into high school. When we were growing up, we lived in an apartment that didn’t allow dogs, so we had a cat. But then we moved into a nice little house and my mom let me pick out my first dog, so that always sticks out as a core memory of mine. She took me to go pick up the dog, and I picked up this little Yorkie that I ended up growing and getting older with. His name was Meeko, like Meeko from Pocahontas.
Do you have any pets now?
Yeah, now I have two cats of my own. They’re
little Himalayan Persians. One of them is Thackery Binx and his brother is Saint Augustine. They got first and last names.
I’ve always loved cats and I noticed that you have a cat tattoo. Is it a cat you know?
No, everyone always asks that. It was one of my first tattoos. I told the artist the inspo and he drew it up and then that was it. I guess that’s how passionate I am, cause I said ‘I want some kind of kitty, some pussy on my chest.’
[laughs] I love it! There are some online accounts of cats and dogs doing drag inspired by Drag Race. Have you ever seen them?
Yeah, I know the accounts. They dress them up in the little getups and recreate the outfits. I’m like, ‘How can y’all make the outfit and I’m over here struggling with the glue gun? ’
It’s super cute.
Would you ever put your cats in drag?
I try, but they don’t even like to wear their collar. I’m always chasing them around. And their hair gets like big and fluffy. He would probably wear it for like two seconds and
I was wondering how you get a cat to wear all that!
I want to see what kind of training or what kind of cat whispering they got going on.
You have DragCon coming up — what else is next for you?
I'm gonna be on an All-Stars season nine tour that we’re gonna be doing all over the U.S. It’s the whole cast of All-Stars 9; we’re basically recreating the whole season on stage. And then I do Werq the World, which goes all over Europe and Asia and Australia. Hopefully, I get to do some kind of animal work or like — put me in a zoo, let me do a little zookeeping. I think I need a little web series, kind of like “Simple Life” when they brought them to do animal stuff. Clean up giraffe shit, ride horses you know, on a budgey or something.
The web series is a really cute idea. That’s kind of the fun part of filming AllStars: it opens up more opportunities.
Luke Gardner
then I would find it somewhere on the floor.
Miss Vanjie poses out of drag with her cat Thackery Binx. PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM
The Day I Met Pepe: Grieving the Loss of a Pet
Earlier this year, my childhood dog, Pepe, had to be put down. He was ancient in dog years, and his quality of life was poor. It was the right and humane thing to do, and I cried for days afterward.
I felt ridiculous for feeling unbridled grief over a pet, even though it was involuntary and objectively sad. In search of validation and comfort, I wondered if it was normal to feel grief like this over a pet.
People under 35 are more likely to consider their pets “members of the family,” according to a study published in 2022, and this fact can greatly affect the grieving process and subsequent emotional support following the death of a pet. A similar study conducted in 2020 found that people are less likely to receive substantial emotional support when a pet dies, despite exhibiting equivalent symptoms of grief to people grieving another person’s death.
In honor of my grief and loss of a once-ina-lifetime companion, I wanted to share the story of the day I met Pepe.
Some years ago, my maternal grandma and her mother lived in a brick house on a hill on the back roads of Cartersville, Georgia. The hill was not especially steep, and the house was not particularly grand, but it was perfect and magical to a wide-eyed and insatiably curious child like me.
Each time my parents rounded the curved driveway lined with tall trees that hid the house, I pressed my face against the window to see the sturdy structure reveal itself. The scene was pictorial, complete with a thick tulip poplar in the front yard, its base usually
The keeper of the house, my great-grandmother, whom we simply called “Grandmother,” sat on a porch wrapped in wrought iron rails as my siblings and I stumbled over each other to escape our minivan, racing for that first hug and the first of many secret treats that she kept well stocked for our visits.
My sister is ten years older than my brother and me and went to a college close to Grandmother’s house, so we visited regularly. During one particularly uneventful Spring Break visit, my grandma took my eight-yearold brother and 10-year-old me to a park to kill an afternoon.
After we’d played and scraped our knees for some time, a strange, but friendly woman approached us with a small, white ball in her hands. My grandma spoke with the stranger while my brother and I fawned over the sweet puppy before us.
From the woman, we learned that a river behind the park had nearly swept him and his sister away. My naive heart broke as I heard the tragic tale (though in hindsight she was likely trying to get rid of the dogs, as we saw other young children play with an equally small white puppy across the playground — not to mention that neither pup was wet nor seemed traumatized by a recent brush with death).
Regardless, my brother and I loved the puppy instantly. He was white with light brown spots, including one shaped like an upside-down heart on his side. We called him Lucky and silently willed Grandmother to distract the woman with conversation, hoping to spend just a few more moments with the cutest ball of energy we’d ever seen.
To our delighted surprise and our parents' disappointment later that afternoon, the woman abandoned us with the puppy to “check on something” and never returned. We convinced our grandma to let us bring him back and present the adorable case to our parents.
Whether we swayed them with his puppydog eyes or ours, our parents let us keep him. Originally called Lucky, our newest member of the family was Pepe before we made it home.
Pepe lived a long life and was deeply loved. He saw my family when it was whole and when it was not. He could do lots of tricks and loved to nap. He sat with me when I cried, seeming to know that I needed nothing more than quiet comfort. He was also annoying and needy and shed too much hair. He barked at random sounds and peed on the floor often. He was as strange and imperfect as the rest of his family, and I miss him all the time.
He passed away earlier this year at 15 years old. He was old and sickly the last time I saw him, but was still as much himself as the day that strange lady brought him to us on a random Wednesday in a random park in Cartersville. Despite the numerous days I spent and countless memories I created there, I cannot think of Grandmother’s idyllic house on the hill without thinking of the day I met Pepe.
Adalei Stevens
skirted by fallen buds.
CULTURE
PEACHFUZZ: How a Queer-Led Atlanta Literary Journal is Dismantling Institution-based Writing
Cynthia Salinas Cappellano
Inspired by the community they found in the punk scene, PEACHFUZZ journal founders Mads Gordon and Sophia Tone wanted to cultivate a similar scene for writers based in Georgia.
“It started with the Atlanta School of Poets,” Gordon, a writer from South Georgia, told Georgia Voice
The pair wanted to prove the literary scene could offer an alternative to the pervasive culture of ivory tower academics often associated with literary spaces.
As young creative writing students graduating from their respective universities, they wanted to revitalize the creative outlet they found in their workshop classes.
“I realized I was graduating [from college],” Gordon said. “I wanted a space for community with writers. I kept going to all these DIY shows and punk shows. I saw how much community was being built in the music scene in Atlanta. The kids who go to these shows — that is their life. I wanted that for writers — to be out doing things and not just holed up in their bedrooms.”
“Sometimes you forget that good writing necessitates having a fun life,” Tone said.
The Atlanta School of Poets was a community of writers in the Atlanta creative scene looking for a non-university affiliated space to meet with other poets. Meetings were impromptu in parks, bars, concerts, over dinner, and in writers’ apartments. It’s a very “Frank O’Hara approach” according to Gordon, who was inspired by how O’Hara himself often met with his peers at Fire Island and gay clubs in New York. She describes her poetry as autobiographical and rooted in her family.
This writer’s experiment spawned the basis
for the literary journal they debuted this year, PEACHFUZZ.
The goal was to make the journal an independent, accessible space for writers who may feel like they’re “floundering in Atlanta’s writing scene” or struggling to have their work published for an audience.
“We’re not spending money on big submission websites, we’re doing it all ourselves,” Gordon said.
No fee waivers, essays, or prior publications are required to enter a work into PEACHFUZZ.
“It gives us the flexibility and freedom to give people the benefit of the doubt and put people who haven’t officially submitted before in the journal,” Tone said. “I think because we’re not a part of an institution, people feel comfortable fully expressing themselves.”
The lack of institutional and financial barriers to the journal means writers feel empowered to send in submissions centered
around queer love and erotica.
To promote the journal, and for their love of poetry, Tone and Gordon often do poemson-the-spot on the Beltline. Armed with two vintage typewriters, a pack of cigarettes, and a stack of paper, the pair write poems upon request for pedestrians. Participants give them a prompt of just three words of their choice, and the poets hammer out a personalized poem accompanied by the chime of their typewriter keys.
Often, the requests will be as random as “cicadas/beam/blush,” or as sentimental as “can you write me a poem that reminds me of my girlfriend who loves tulips.” In the spirit of spreading the joy of performance poetry, poems are free — but tips are always accepted.
Tone started doing the poems-on-the-spot by herself on the Beltline a few years ago. She characterizes her writing as narrative-focused meditations on childhood.
“It’s something I saw this woman doing in
Boston when I was ten, and it’s always been in the back of my mind that [poems-onthe-spot] is something I could be doing,” she said.
Tone documented her process on Instagram, where Gordon quickly reached out.
“I thought what she was doing was awesome and I wanted to be a part of it,” Gordon said. The pair were fast friends and have been doing poems-on-the-spot for six months now.
“We met at Joe’s coffee shop, and I was doing Atlanta School of Poets,” Gordon said. “Sophia wanted to start a journal, and I made an Instagram page to hold us accountable.”
Social media has often been the tool to connect them to eclectic writers and lovers of literature. PEACHFUZZ offered ten free submissions for Black, Indigenous, people of color and queer writers each during their inaugural application season. Submissions were sponsored by donations made in PEACHFUZZ’s Instagram DMs.
Their success is based in their grassroots mentality toward building a collective without the need for a creative authority, “It’s totally a bell hooks, queer way of living life to say, ‘I’m going to function outside of institutions as much as possible,’ because you don’t need [institutions] if you have community and you’re ready to connect with people,” Gordon said.
In the future, you can find Gordon and Tone at Market Hugs, a pop-up vendor show, doing poems-on-the-spot. You can also find them during the week busking poems on the Beltline or at the next DIY show near you.
The inaugural issue of PEACHFUZZ will be released on August 1. It will be available online via Instagram @peachfuzzjournal and in print at Market Hugs (@market_ hugs) this fall.
Mads Gordon (left) and Sophia Tone PHOTO BY CYNTHIA SALINAS CAPPELLANO
Being a Soccer Mom
I never thought I’d ever utter the following statement, but it’s true: I am officially a soccer mom.
Katie Jo and I have had Mr. Carter in sports since he was a toddler so he’d have the opportunity to learn a physical activity and be around other kids. He played baseball for several seasons before realizing he didn’t want to commit to that sport as he aged, wanting instead to switch to soccer. Thus, here I am at a soccer game, and the environment is quite different from what I experienced at the baseball field.
Anyone who has ever listened to me on morning radio would know I am a sports fan. As a University of Tennessee alum (which often makes me a minority in my circles here in Atlanta), I can be quite obnoxious about my school. I mean, can we take a moment here to sing “Rocky Top” for our national
championship baseball team? I enjoy watching competition, but believe it or not, being competitive in everyday life doesn’t come naturally to me, and listening to the competitive nature of the other parents at a children’s soccer game is something I don’t care for.
As I write this, I am sitting at a soccer practice, wearing my Dolly Parton and Nina West T-shirt that says, “Kindness is Queen.” Maybe it’s my subtle way of rebelling against my current situation. So far, I have listened to a group of boys argue over whether one of them scored a goal or not, and another set of dads one-up each other about what sports their kids excel at. I have not seen one act of kindness yet.
What struck me most was a kid who got hurt during a play and was walking it off. His Dad called from a distance, “You good?” while his sobbing son worked hard to contain any emotion. I mean, this kid had to leave practice and sit alone in a nearby
pavilion while he tried to shake off the pain. I understand having to suck it up or handle yourself in public, but something about the father’s lack of affection struck me.
When I scream at a UT game, these are grown men and women on the field or court, and even a trainer would come check and make sure a player was okay if they had to walk something off. This was a child who was expected to “be a man” in that instant, and I couldn’t help but think, “Too soon.”
In baseball, I heard more encouraging words from parents in the stands, but I realize that was when no one expected these little ones
to be great athletes. Now, I hear parents’ jawdropping comments about someone else’s kid during matches, loud enough for them to hear.
You wonder when a kid goes from being loving and joyful to hardened and noncommunicative, it’s not in middle school. It’s on the third-grade field.
Katie Jo often smirks at my hippie-dippie, “Kumbaya” Pisces leanings, and I rely often on her more Scorpio-hardened attitude to handle being a sports mom. Yet, I wish I saw more emotional encouragement and positive attitudes on the pitch, so the childhood of these boys could last just a little bit longer.
Melissa Carter
PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/MATIMIX
Gay Couple Part of ‘Funny Girl’ Tour, New Films ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ and ‘National Anthem’ Have LGBTQ Angles
Jim Farmer
When gay couple Vinny Andaloro and Jackson Grove auditioned for the national tour of “Funny Girl” (hitting Atlanta next week) last spring, they had no idea whether either would make it. As it turned out, they both did. Grove is a member of the ensemble, appearing in the show every night, while Andaloro is a swing who understudies the male ensemble tracks. He can step in when anyone is out of the show, including his own fiancé.
The legendary musical, about Broadway star Fanny Brice and her dreams of being on stage, debuted in 1964 with Barbra Streisand in the leading role, which won her a Best Actress Oscar.
Beanie Feldstein brought the character of Fanny to life in 2022 on Broadway, but when she left Lea Michele took over to considerable acclaim. “Funny Girl” has a score that includes “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade.”
For Andaloro, it’s particularly exciting to be on the road with Groves.
“Getting to do it with my partner is a cherry on the top,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience getting to share all this, all these memories together.”
It’s also special for the duo to be in a show that is touring straight off a New York Broadway run, Grove said. It’s the first national tour since the original one.
Both men are based in New York and know the musical has a strong LGBTQIA+ appeal.
“It’s the quintessential musical theaterness of it,” Andaloro said. “Every queer person connects with theater and finds community there, especially one led by such an iconic woman.”
In the new film, “National Anthem,” Charlie Plummer stars as Dylan, a 21-year-old construction worker who joins a community of queer rodeo performers. There, he falls for Sky (Eve Lindley), who is in a complex relationship with Dylan’s boss, Pepe.
Director Luke Gilford grew up in Colorado, where his father was in professional rodeo cowboy associations. Making a habit of going to rodeos and enjoying Western culture, Gilford discovered the International Gay Rodeo Association in 2016.
“They really warmly welcomed me with open arms,” he said. “It was a beautiful experience and an electric charge of belonging, to become part of this community. It started with a book of portraits and as I was working on that, I started writing a script, reflecting
my experiences as well as those I was photographing. And now we have a movie!”
Plummer calls Dylan a sweet young man who cares deeply about his family, including his younger brother and mother. His life is about serving his loved ones.
“He has put his life on hold, definitely his personal and emotional life, and as he is feeling the results of that, that beautifully coincides with meeting Sky,” Plummer said. “It turns his world upside down.”
For Dylan, it’s his first true love.
Trans performer Lindley feels Sky is very much an enigma and hard to pin down.
“She is so free, and in her body,” Lindley said. “She does what she likes, and that was appealing to me.”
For Sky, Dylan is new, romantic, and soft — which leads the character to envision a different life from what she currently has.
According to Plummer, this new community offers radical acceptance and overflowing love, as well as no judgment about past experiences or relationships.
“Luke has spoken about it — it’s a world that you can’t fathom exists but does and that is
the real power of it,” Plummer said.
Out director Greg Berlanti’s new film, “Fly Me to the Moon,” is a romantic comedy set against the NASA Apollo 11 moon landing. Channing Tatum is Cole Davis, the NASA director responsible for the launch, and Scarlett Johansson is Kelley Jones, a marketing whiz who’s installed to help NASA’s public image. Out actor Jim Rash plays Lance Vespertine, a gay filmmaker hired to film a fake landing if needed.
“He is — at least in his own mind — a highly skilled and overlooked director,” Rash said. “He’s stuck in the commercial world, upset that [Stanley] Kubrick has the career he should. Personality-wise, there is a dash of narcissism. He would be described as ‘a lot’ when he comes into a room, very opinionated and unapologetically honest and candid about how he feels about you.”
Although Rash — also seen in the 2022 comedy, “Bros” — says he loves a bit of dry humor in his life, he would never behave like Lance.
“I would like to believe I am not that difficult to work with or be around,” he said.
This is the first time Rash has worked with Berlanti and he’s a huge fan of what the director has pulled off.
“This was a huge undertaking in so many aspects,” he said. “What he did was beyond some can even handle, so many tones that have to cohabitate. You have this romantic comedy bounced in an action-adventure space with drama. It certainly elevated the Greg Berlanti game that was already strong.”
MORE INFO
“Fly Me to the Moon” and “National Anthem” are now in area theaters
“Funny Girl” runs July 30–August 4 at
“National Anthem” PUBLICITY PHOTO
Vinny Andaloro and Jackson Grove star in “Funny Girl” PUBLICITY PHOTOS
Katie Burkholder
Getting Knotty July Rope Practice
July 27, 1pm
Atlanta Eagle
Getting Knotty is a quarterly rope practice and knowledge share hosted by members of Atlanta's Men in Rope, Hitchin' Bitches, Rope Bite Atlanta, Atlanta Leather Pride, & Southeast Black and Blue. These organizations have joined forces to provide a safe space for all identities and orientations to participate together in Erotic Rope Arts regardless of your skill level. Register for $5 at givebutter.com/GettingKnottyJuly2024.
Atlanta Eagle Cabaret
July 27, 9pm
Atlanta Eagle
Featuring Lena Lust, Shawnna Brooks, Misti Shores, Elea Atlanta, and Niesha Dupree. $5 cover.
Plasma
July 27, 10pm
My Sister’s Room
The gorgeous old Hollywood glamour-pu$$ from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 16 Plasma headlines, along with Chucky Deville, Cici Nicole, Damien Grey, Drew Friday, Jesus N Drag, and Orchid. Tickets via Eventbrite.
Utopia
July 27, 10pm
District Atlanta
Featuring Calderoky, Rob Session, Candy Club, and Mateo. Tickets via Eventbrite.
Weird but F*ckin’ Beautiful: Taylor x Lana Dance Party
July 27, 10pm
The Basement
Calling all the sad girls, boys, and friends beyond the binary! How the kingdom lights will shine for just us as we dance to all the biggest Taylor Swift and Lana del Rey hits and remixes, deep cuts, unreleased songs, and fun surprises (like life-size cutouts, perhaps?) Tickets at basementatl.com.
XION Saturday
July 28, 3am
Future Atlanta
Alex Acosta is back at XION for Joining Hearts Weekend! Tickets at gaboyevents.com.
Joining Hearts Closing Party
July 28, 9pm
Future Atlanta
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
AUGUST 2, 10PM DISTRICT ATLANTA
Supported by Dave Summer and Subrinse. Tickets at collectivpresents.com. Photo via Facebook
Cesar Hernandez and Ruben close out Joining Hearts Weekend! Tickets at gaboyevents.com.
Trivia
Night
July 30, 8:30pm
Atlanta Eagle
Hosted by DJ DeWayne.
Woofs Family Feud
July 31, 7:30pm
Woofs
The Vast Unsaid
August 1, 6pm
Wild Heaven
Come out to meet other folks, share experiences,
District Atlanta
Supported by Dave Summer and Subrinse. Tickets at collectivpresents.com.
Ron Pullman – 1st Friday
August 2, 11pm
Atlanta Eagle $5 cover.
The Kitty Pool
August 3, 2pm
Midtown Beach Club
This sexy lesbian pool party brings you the sexiest entertainment from gogo dancers, fire shows, and more! Tickets at mysistersroom.com.
Atlanta Eagle Cabaret
August 3, 9pm
Atlanta Eagle
Featuring Lena Lust, Shawnna Brooks, Misti Shores, Elea Atlanta, and Niesha Dupree. $5 cover.
Club XOXO:
#AliyahCoreRave
August 3, 10pm
Underground Atlanta
Performances by Aliyah’s Interlude, Baby Spider, Greedy Girlz, and Jash Jay, and hosted by Alt3r and Canzara SZN. Tickets at dice.fm.
InvAsian
August 3, 10pm
District Atlanta
It’s customer appreciation night! They’ll be raffling off a VIP table, a complimentary bottle, and more fun prizes – plus drink specials, an array of local vendors, and music by Hoang, Peaches, Thrill Bill, Vizza, and DJ Beignet. Tickets via Eventbrite.
Trivia Night
and share your music, poetry, or resources at this lesbian open mic and meet-up! Sign up for the open mic at sfqp.info/tvuopenmic. $5-$20 sliding cover.
