10/12/18, Vol. 9 Issue 17

The Premier Media Source for LGBTQ Georgia

thegeorg iavoi ce. com OCTOBER 1 2, 201 8 • VOL 9, ISSUE 17

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7 MUST-HAVES FOR PRIDE II ATLANTA PRIDE SCHOOL SAYS GOODBYE NEW CHARITY FOR LGBTQ YOUTH SAYS HELLO YOUR GUIDE TO ATL PRIDE EVENTS

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Thank you to the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce for the “2018 Corporate Ally of the Year Award.” At Georgia Power, we understand the importance of a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve—communities that are unique across not only race, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation, but also creativity, experience, upbringing and educational backgrounds.

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

PO Box 77401 • Atlanta, GA 30357 P: 404-815-6941; F: 404-963-6365

EDITORIAL

Editor: Berlin Sylvestre bsylvestre@thegavoice.com Editorial Contributors: Cliff Bostock, Melissa Carter, Joshua Davidson, Aidan Ivory Edwards, Jim Farmer, Morgan Nicole Fletcher, Cemberli Grant, Elizabeth Hazzard, Ryan Lee, Emerald Lingerfelt, Jason Rhode, Jamie Roberts, Catharine Romero, Dionne Walker

The Black Sheep of Journalism

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

All material in Georgia Voice is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of Georgia Voice. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons. We also do not accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers.

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The editorial positions of Georgia Voice are expressed in editorials and in editor’s notes. Other opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Georgia Voice and its staff.

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4 Editorial October 12, 2018

Berlin Sylvestre I’m going for complete honesty here, no matter how many hackles it raises, but I’ve embraced the title of the “Black Sheep of LGBTQ Journalism” bestowed to me by a younger, “smarter” journalist who writes outrage pieces for a much bigger outlet, making what’s (no doubt) a much bigger salary that comes at (no doubt) a much bigger karmic cost.

This individual — quite comfortable in his Twitter-verified professional “maturations” — lobbed mass-email bombs at me across a platform I share with other journos and editors.

He called me many things that one normally reserves for the lowest of the low (chief among them a woman-hater and a racist), then dubbed me a black sheep in dripping, seething sarcasm without realizing he was addressing a woman which, granted, is something the name “Berlin” doesn’t immediately give away.

Why? I’ll get to that. But it sickened me.

I’m a half-Asian woman from the swamps of South Georgia. Further, I’m a survivor of very gnarly ordeals who’s dealt with the sickest of traumas a tiny “half-breed!” (per my actually white grandmother) can deal with, while also being a woman who taught her illiterate Thai mother (via my kindergarten schoolbooks) how to identify letters and numbers, and how they’re sounded out. Sadly, I’m a member of the #MeToo movement, but I’ve not (until now) been open about it. That’s because I haven’t been sure it’s a good call (ethically) to say much about my personal experiences when, honestly, I’m an editor (not a columnist) and

should make sure I don’t give the impression of interest conflict in my reporting.

Frankly, I’m just a writer. I’ve designed the feel of many newspapers and magazines, sure. I’ve penned many curious and twisted pieces on my own, only to be recognized by other weirdos as someone with a sickening backstory and a knack for hammering keys to convey it. But I’m just a writer. That’s it.

College confirmed my innate storytelling ability by offering me a spot on the university paper’s roster, then unanimously voting to make me its editor. (Color me “daggum.”)

I learned the professional way to go about this business and was set free to do so. Then I entered the “real world,” where clicks from sensationalist pieces (no matter how awful and without due diligence of reporting the other side) were items that brought home better bacon. The nastier you were, the more you manipulated your readers into anger and fear, the “better” you were as a “journalist.”

This went against everything I was taught. It went against everything I believed in.

Working for publishers who care more about stupid clicks that leave people angry than they care about writing stories that give equal weight to both sides? THAT, my beloved reader, is what creates disenfranchisement and burnout in people like who vie for truth over yellow journalism. Using this powerful platform to drum up terror via one-sided reporting is something that will never happen under my watch. Thankfully, I have a publisher who gets that. (Thank you, Tim.)

So why would that “gentleman” call me such awful things? Because I wasn’t taking sides in a coordinated, political frenzy that I naturally, as an LGBTQ journalist, was “supposed” to.

I remained neutral and reported things as fact once they became fact, regardless of the political season.

I abide by a code of ethics, specifically the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics.

Do me a favor and imagine a Superbowl coach announcing via Twitter who he/she wants to win a week before the game. Can you see how each flag thrown on the play would look biased and unobjective? How everyone watching would go, “Of COURSE that biased jerk threw a flag!” only to leer at the motives, to call into question the ability of this person to be objective? Then you can imagine how devastated I would feel if any of my articles had that distinctly “biased” feel. I’m the one who reports; not opines. (Except for in these editorials. I can cut a little loose. Here, these are clearly marked as editorials, so I’m able to speak freely, as a writer with her press badge off.)

Yes: I’m human. No: My ethics can’t be bought. What you’ll see in our pages is news as news should be, and opinions as opinions should be — defined and clear, no matter who calls me what in front of other reporters.

So to all my friends (including those I have yet to meet), I raise a glass of cheap sparkling water and say: Here’s to getting back to being reporters — to making the term “the black sheep of journalism” the next big thing. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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NEWS

New Charity (Rainbow House)

RICK WESTBROOK FILE PHOTO

Aims to End LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Berlin Sylvestre This year, Atlanta’s beloved Lost-n-Found Youth, an organization that aims to end homelessness among LGBTQ youth, saw the departure of its co-founder and former executive director, Rick Westbrook.

As of Oct. 1, Rick will take the reins on another like-minded project with an aim to continue raising funds and awareness for young ones in our community who are experiencing life without stable homes.

“I’m tired of these kids getting apartments and not having the money when some emergency comes along,” an impassioned Rick told a 50-strong audience of FB Live listeners today. “To us, an emergency is a transmission going out, or a tree falling on their house.” He notes other things like doctor visits, or ways to get themselves to an unexpected funeral — very real things to our community that can take precedence over, say, rent or a power bill. “We can give them a little nest egg that they can draw on, and I think we’ll see a lot more successful outcomes with that.”

“I’ve been on the frontlines and behind the scenes, and seen many experiences first-hand, the amazing change [when] the community can educate to eradicate youth homelessness.

This experience along with this leadership and tireless dedication [has] led to the Rainbow House coalition.” He says he’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done, noting he’s got “at least 10 or 15 good years” at it.

“We can take this to other cities in the Southeast. These are our kids. Yes, they’re 18 or above, but these are our kids. It’s not like it used to be. When I came out, I had couches to sleep on. I was lucky; I survived.

A lot of these kids don’t. The city’s doing

6 News October 12, 2018

With this new “non-profi t, we can go out and rent new houses and work with the city toward tiny houses and container homes.

”

what it can, but it’s just not quick enough.

Our community can step up and knock it out of the ballpark.”

When asked by Georgia Voice how Rainbow House diverts from his old stomping grounds (Lost-n-Found Youth), Rick says: “I plan to work hand-in-hand with Lost-n-Found. Lostn-Found does incredible with wrap-around services, where they can get meals. We are just going to do housing.”

He notes [Lost-n-Found’s] expanded hours that include pickups for food and clothes, but admits there’s a lack of housing, though some are employed full-time and living in tents under bridges.

“With this new non-profit, we can go out and rent new houses and work with the city toward tiny houses and container homes,” he says. Even in nicer, OTP areas, Rick is pushing toward assistance with the cause. “We’ll put these houses wherever they need to be.”

He says that there’s a lot of money to be spent helping people in need of a solid place.

He counts on trained individuals in the community to help keep the fundraising up on their behalf. “I just want to assure these kids are safe, and see to it that agencies get government grants and things like that to take care of the kids for mental needs, physical needs.”

The future is wide open. Rainbow House wants to take care of the kids first, but they want to make sure the aging LGBTQ community gets their needs fulfilled as well, whether through condos that are specifically for our community who have aged out of certain governmental assistance and (frankly, sadly) social concern.

He speaks of a renaissance where high-rise apartments and condos can be replaced by tiny-home villages that serve a similar and more affordable purpose — with a smaller ecological/economical footprint at that.

Rick, ever on the forefront, includes LGBTQ allies, adding that if straight people “want to live with a bunch of [gays] and lesbians and want to go golfing, [go on] field trips … I believe in unity among the community, and I want to push that as much as possible.”

But it’s small steps for now: “We’re looking for environments with no holes in the wall … like a normal apartment,” Rick says. “They’ll get a final inspection and we’ll write a final check for what they’ve got in the bank, something they can build on.”

“We will be up and running today as we are a product of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

until all of our submitted paperwork goes through,” Rick tells Georgia Voice. “[Rainbow House] will just be housing … all wrap-around services will be coordinated through the other agencies in town.”

Thus far, a brief press release tells us that Rick has formed a new committee and board of directors to lead the Rainbow House coalition to end LGBTQ youth homelessness in Atlanta.

The board is as follows: Rick Westbrook, Executive Director Victor Brady, Deputy Executive Director Adam Rimes, Accounting & Finance Chris Griswold, Events Coordination & Fundraising Mark D. Gibson, Communications Rick adds: “We will start collecting money today and as soon as we reach a goal of $50,000, we will be able to start finding housing.”

Visit RainbowHouseATL.org for more info on the upcoming project.

[Note: The address listed on the website, according to Mr. Westbrook, “is simply a placeholder until we have an office. It is actually our accountant’s office.”] www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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NEWS

Pride School Atlanta Shutters Its Doors GEORGIA’S FIRST SCHOOL FOR LGBTQ AND ALLIED STUDENTS, PRIDE SCHOOL ATLANTA, OPENED IN 2016 WITH EIGHT STUDENTS. NOW, ONLY TWO YEARS LATER, PSA HAS CLOSED ITS DOORS. Katie Burkholder After Christian Zsilavetz, transgender educator and founder of Pride School Atlanta, moved to Atlanta for a teaching job, he was told by his boss that coming out as trans to his new school was a bad idea. He realized then that he was on the verge of something bigger.

According to the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) National School Climate Survey, nearly three out of four LGBTQ students reported verbal harassment at school, and more than half reported physical incidents. Zsilavetz wanted to avoid these statistics by starting a full-time school free from bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

So, he did.

The K-12 school opened in August 2016 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta with a vision to “create an openly affirming space for youth, families and educators.” The innovatively inclusive school received a lot of support from the community. PSA was a finalist for the Guardian Angel Award at the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Community Awards Dinner in 2017. In February of 2018, queer state Rep. Park Cannon commended the school, saying it has “provided a safe and affirming educational home to 17 students in a multi-age school that is free of homophobia and transphobia, as well as a place of employment for LGBTQ and ally educators who encourage authenticity in their interactions with students, parents, and with each other.”

However, enrollment quickly dropped. “By Summer 2017, several of our students had 8 News October 12, 2018

organization “hasOur run its course, but our impact will be long lasting, thanks to all of you and those with whom you have connected to us over the last four years.

”

moved back to public school, a few had moved away, some had bigger fish to fry than full-time school, and we were down to five students,” Zsilavetz wrote in the statement posted on the school’s website announcing its closing.

The school’s website explains the closing, saying that the objective of the school “was to create an environment that was a safe space for LGBTQIA and ally students, educators, and families to be themselves and have a full seat at the educational table.” The statement added that many school systems in Metro Atlanta have made dramatic changes to be more inclusive, and the ones that haven’t made those changes are in cities where the students who need them live.

“Even our best efforts to meet their needs still create both travel and financial hardship, and [that] is not our intent,” the website says.

PRIDE SCHOOL ATLANTA

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBIN RAYNE NESLON

Although supporters of the school were saddened by the news, Zsilavetz’s statement assured them that even though it was closing, Pride School Atlanta was a success.

“Some may find it sad that we are closing our operations as an organization and school, but we have done great work all around the world thanks to all of you,” he said in his goodbye message. “While we served about 17 students and their families in our brickand-mortar school, our organization has empowered hundreds of youth, educators, families, and organizations all around the world in our efforts to make this world a kinder place for LGBTQQIA and Ally people where they go.”

“Our organization has run its course, but our impact will be long lasting, thanks

to all of you and those with whom you have connected to us over the last four years,” the statement continued. “This organization is closing, but you will see us around the community for sure! Each of us [is] continuing to do great work in and for our country’s LGBTQQIA and Ally youth, educators and families.”

School officials are asking for donations to meet close-out financial obligations. If you wish to donate, you can via PayPal to PrideSchoolAtl@gmail.com or send a check, made out to Pride School Atlanta, Inc., to: 2277 Eastway Rd. Decatur, GA 30033. All donations that exceed the school’s financial obligations will be sent to another small local LGBTQ non-profit organization. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

VOICES

BRIAN KEMP OFFICIAL PHOTO

Kempt Unkempt Jason Rhode The mystery of wannabe governor Brian Kemp is the most important riddle in Georgia politics since “What’s Jimmy going to do in retirement?” Not that Kemp will ever be president, or win a Nobel Prize. Forget awards: Kemp couldn’t keep a kissing booth solvent. Instead, the big question with Kemp is: Why is he so repellent? His politics are the same as any other right-wing yahoo. But there’s some unspoken part of him that makes all decent people nauseous. Kemp makes Ted Cruz look like a Kennedy. Wait, that isn’t fair.

Kemp makes Cruz look human.

Picking the worst thing about Kemp is like picking out the drunkest man in Florida — you’re spoiled for choice.

Do we go with Kemp’s predictable backstory?

Do we go with his garbage taste in politics?

Do we mention how he’s pledged to sign anti-LGBTQ Religious Freedom Acts? Do 10 Voices October 12, 2018

we discuss the commercial where he stuck a gun in an actor’s face? How about his cosplay truck, where he claimed he’d round up all the illegals? God, how do we choose?

The trail of documents isn’t flattering to the man. Many experts claim that Kemp in Georgia, like Kris Kobach in Kansas, is using his once-neutral office to strip voters of their rights. Critics say Kemp launched petty investigations into African-American and Asian-American registration groups. Pure intimidation tactics, they claim. According to these experts, the Georgia GOP is so terrified of a diverse, blue state that they’ll do anything to keep their decaying, gerrymandered majority intact.

In one recorded speech, Kemp warned that “Democrats are working hard ... registering all these minority voters that are out there and others that are sitting on the sidelines.

If they can do that, they can win these elections in November.” Carol Anderson, a

voter suppression scholar, wrote a New York Times editorial titled “Brian Kemp, Enemy of Democracy.”

According to Anderson, Kemp’s bag of tricks is as deep as he is shallow: “Hackable polling machines, voter roll purges, refusing to register voters until after an election, the use of investigations to intimidate groups registering minorities to vote — Mr. Kemp knows it all.” Refusing to recuse himself during an election is the least of these. The facts say voter fraud is an almost nonexistent crime. But don’t worry: The fabulous Sherlock Kemp is on the case. Anderson said Kemp used Exact Match to put tens of thousands of voters in “electoral limbo” by faulting them for misplaced hyphens.

Strange, said Anderson, that Kemp doesn’t care about the security of the voting machines. He refused federal funds to protect them against hacking.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 11 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

VOICES

BRIAN KEMP COMMERCIAL SCREENGRAB PHOTO

protecting our hearts can’t wait one more second.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 I have to admit, Kemp appalls me on a physical level. My man looks like he got a crumpled grocery sack for a head. My man looks like he comes from central casting for the movie “Pleasantville.” My man looks like they blended twelve high-school gym coaches from Macon and poured the gunk into an melted head mold.

My man looks like he writes fan-fiction about Men’s Warehouse. My man looks like he’s tried to conceive a child on Robert E. Lee’s birthday.

My man looks like he’s going to cruise the food court in Dunwoody right after he pawns his saber collection. When drunk dudebros ask cops, “Do you know who my father is?” this is the father they’re referring to. Kemp’s face looks like he’s exactly one martini away from slurring the busboy at a country club.

In all honesty, picking the worst thing about Kemp is not hard. Of all the cancerous parts of our Secretary of State, the most grotesque is this: He’s a monster straight from the past.

Kemp wants to drag us back into history, back to the days when Georgia meant masters, and Jim Crow democracy, and being laughed at by the rest of the world. He’s a dumber, uglier version of Trump — such a thing shouldn’t be scientifically possible, but it has happened, somehow. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

No wonder polls have him and Stacey Abrams neck and neck.

Kemp is a typical clueless prep-school dunce.

He’s so entitled, he thinks the governorship belongs to him. He’s so entitled, he doesn’t have to explain presiding over his own election.

He’s so entitled, he thinks he can strip away the rights of others. Like, for instance, the right for LGBTQ people to exist.

How satisfying it will be in November, when he discovers what is actually coming to him: a long, sad trip back to Athens.

Kemp can prance around with his shotgun and his truck and try every pathetic little gimmick in his book. But there is this thing called “the voting population of Georgia” that he can’t get around. He knows it, I know it, we all know it. No wonder he’s so scared: The numbers are not his friend.

You’d panic too.

I imagine him in his political retirement, sitting next to his faded UGA cheerleader uniform, screaming about minority voters into the owl-haunted night. You have to pity him. Brian Kemp may find his supporters eventually forgive him.

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Math never will.

October 12, 2018 Voices 11

NEWS

Still no justice for slain Tech student?

Katie Burkholder A year after Scout Schultz was shot and killed by Georgia Tech campus police, a civil lawsuit against the school is in the works.

Schultz was the 21-year-old leader of Tech’s Pride Alliance. They identified as nonbinary, intersex, and bisexual. In September of 2017, Schultz was killed by Officer Tyler Beck, age 23 at the time.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, campus police responded to a call, made by Schultz, alerting them of a suspicious person on campus who was possibly intoxicated, holding a knife, and possibly armed with a gun. Officers arrived and saw Schultz, armed with a knife. The officers attempted to speak with Schultz, but they would not comply. Schultz continued to advance on the officers with the knife, and Officer Beck fired.

Schultz was shot once in the heart and died about 30 minutes later at Grady Memorial Hospital. A total of three suicide notes were later found in their dorm room.

Many groups on campus mourned the death of Schultz. The organization of which they were president, the Pride Alliance, said collectively that they were the “driving force behind Pride Alliance” and had a message for the deceased: “We love you Scout and we will continue to push for change.”

The Georgia Tech Progressive Student Alliance said Schultz was “an incredible, inspirational member of our community and a constant fighter for human rights.” The tragic death of Schultz raised the question: Why weren’t the responding officers equipped with tasers and training to de-escalate the situation in a less violent way?

This was the question on the minds of the almost 50 people who marched from Schultz’s 12 News October 12, 2018

SCOUT SCHULTZ COURTESY PHOTO

One year after an “easily preventable and

devastating killing of our member and fellow student, these underlying structural conditions remain unaddressed, meaning that the tragedy may very well be repeated.

”

candlelight vigil to the Georgia Tech police headquarters, where a police cruiser was set on fire and some in the crowd fought with police. Among the chants: “Shoot to kill!” “We deserve better healthcare!” “It was murder!”

“Why didn’t they use some non-lethal force, like pepper spray or tasers?” Schultz’s mother wanted to know, as did Chris Steward, the attorney hired by Schultz’s parents. “The area was secured. There was no one around at risk,” Steward informed the AJC. One year later, many — including Schultz’s father, Bill — believe the issue hasn’t been resolved.

There are reportedly more than 50 moves by teams appointed by Georgia Tech President Bud Peterson that are either in the works or have been completed in order to better support LGBTQ students and improve mental health services, including the expansion of Tech’s LGBTQIA Resource Center. However, the Young Democratic Socialists of America at Georgia Tech — of which Schultz was a member — said the moves made by Peterson were merely for show. The group added that a tragedy like

this could easily happen again.

“One year after an easily preventable and devastating killing of our member and fellow student, these underlying structural conditions remain unaddressed, meaning that the tragedy may very well be repeated,” they contend. They also mentioned that, while 50 recommendations were enacted, Peterson’s office omitted more than 100 others, including several for both mental health and LGBTQ accommodations that the group viewed as vital.

While all sworn officers reportedly now have tasers, Officer Beck has been on paid administrative leave since the shooting, much to the outrage of Bill Schultz. “That doesn’t sound like a punishment. It sounds like a reward,” he told the AJC.

Schultz stressed his frustration that no criminal charges have been filed against Beck. He added that he’s planning to file a civil lawsuit against the university. “They are willing to do some of the public changes with the officers,” he told WSB-TV, “but of course whenever it comes to writing a check, that’s a totally different ballgame.”

Halle Lieberman, who teaches science journalism at Tech and has written extensively about the aftermath of Schultz’s death, told the AJC that their death has led to conversations that are long overdue.

“Scout’s death pulled back the curtain on a number of issues that had been simmering under the surface, not only at Tech but on campuses everywhere,” she said. “It’s important to bring awareness to it, but there needs to be actual, sustainable change. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

FACEBOOK BLOCKS LGBTQ-THEMED ADS

(…BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE TAKE A DIGITAL DETOX.)

Facebook’s new advertising policy has resulted in the blocking of many gay-themed ads, according to Washington Post. The company’s system, which is both automated and human monitored, flagged ads featuring LBGTQ themes and words as “political,” even though they didn’t involve advocacy or any explicitly political views.

We understand you need an info break. Or maybe you were just in the mountains. Either way, Georgia Voice has you covered. Here’s a selection of recent story snippets you might have missed. Find the rest of them and more at TheGaVoice.com, or like us on Facebook for all the latest in local and national news that affects our community.

David Kilmnick, the chief executive of the Long Islandbased nonprofit the LGBT Network, told the WaPo that he’s had about 15 advertisements for his organization blocked as “political since around the time Facebook officially changed its ad policy.” Kilmnick said he was at first confused about why advertisements for events, like Long Island Pride Parade, a beach concert, and an LGBTQ youth prom were being blocked. The more ads that were blocked, the more he realized his organization was “being targeted” for being LGBTQ.

Katie Burkholder

“For what we’re advertising – ads that promote our programs that help support the community and celebrate pride – there’s nothing political about that,” he said. Other ads blocked for political reasons included a clothing company for survivors of sexual assault that advertised that its clothing “empowers men, women, gender-neutral,” a promotion by Lyft to raise money for the San Diego LGBT Community center, an LGBTQ night in California, and an LGBTQthemed tourist expedition to Antarctica.

“X” GENDER AVAILABLE ON MINNESOTA IDS A third gender option, “X,” is available for Minnesotans applying for driver’s licenses who do not want to identity as male or female, reported the Star Tribune. A statement issued by the Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) division said the change “was a business decision to offer a third option to better serve all Minnesotans.”

However, many in the state, including Republican Sen. Scott Newman, don’t support the change. “This change was made … without legislative approval, and I have questions about its legality,” Newman said in a statement. “Will this change hamper law enforcement’s ability to properly identify suspects, or hinder the investigative process in any way?”

The DVS statement said the expanded gender menu falls within the bounds of federal ID requirements. Applicants that wish to select “X” do not need to provide any documentation in order to do so. The new gender-neutral choice is not only available for driver’s licenses, but also state ID cards.

M.J. Zappa, a nonbinary volunteer firefighter who has utilized the new gender marker, told KMSP that they are happy to have identification that more accurately represents them. “I feel good … more and more people are recognizing that nonbinary people exist and we ought to be legally recognized,” they said. “I think this is one more step in recognizing trans people to be who they are and that we’re legitimate and that we’re out here so it’s good,” Zappa added.

16 News October 12, 2018

KSU REMOVES LGBTQ PAMPHLETS FROM CAMPUS Kennesaw State University pulled its logo from two LGBTQ pamphlets and removed them from a KSU website and the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses, reported Project Q Atlanta.

The alteration and removal of the two pamphlets — one on gender-neutral pronouns and the other detailing the locations of single-stall and gender-neutral bathrooms — from KSU’s LGBTQ Resource Center’s website was uncovered by the school’s American Studies Student Organization (AMSTO).

In a statement from AMSTO posted on Facebook, the group called for KSU’s president, Dr. Pamela Whitten, to reverse the decision. “We believe that these resources should be made available online once again, and that Dr. Pamela Whitten and her administration need to come out in support of LGBTQ students broadly, and transgender students specifically,” they wrote.

The group said the school removed the logos and pamphlets earlier this spring. The Sentinel, the campus newspaper that originally reported on the story, reached out to Whitten for a response. University Spokeswoman Tammy DeMel reportedly responded with a statement from K.C. White, the Vice President of Student Affairs.

“We deeply value the broad range of experiences and perspectives our students bring to KSU, and remain steadfast in our commitment to promote a supportive and inclusive environment where all students can be successful,” said White.

The pamphlet about gender-neutral pronouns, entitled “Pronouns Matter,” provoked national controversy earlier this year. News outlets, like Fox News and Campus Reform, reported on the pamphlets, leading to a wave of criticism.

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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VOICES

Use it or Lose it.

Your guide to the Midterm Elections Morgan Fletcher I am a firm believer that every vote matters.

In the terrifying 2016 election, an estimated 231,556,622 of eligible voters did not vote at all. In a system based on electoral votes rather than the popular vote (I’ll save that soapbox for another day) these votes can and will change the course of American history. This year, we have a nearly unprecedented ballot for November 6th. The first black woman to be nominated for governor (Stacey Abrams), the only open LGBTQ woman elected for the City of Atlanta (Park Cannon), the first openly gay man elected to office in Georgia (Sam Park), as well as a glorious amount of open LGBTQ candidates for other local offices.

In the 2016 election, 85% of legislative races in Georgia were unopposed, many of whom were Republican. For the 2018 election, we have progressive candidates running for many 18 Voices October 12, 2018

of these seats. The midterm ballots can be a little intimidating. We’ve all seen the campaign ads for Stacey Abrams, who is “too extreme for Georgia,” according to commercials from Brian Kemp, who apparently points guns at people. But I haven’t seen any commercials for Commissioner of Agriculture or Public Service Commission District 5. There are large amounts of candidates for each individual district, and I encourage you to check out Georgia Equality Pac for a thorough list.

Following are the statewide nominees that Georgia Equality Pac has endorsed.

GOVERNOR: STACEY ABRAMS “I am proud to have earned Georgia Equality’s endorsement, and am privileged to have been a strong ally to the LGBTQ community in the legislature. I have a vision for Georgia where equality fosters prosperity, and every family has the

opportunity to succeed – not just survive.

LGBTQ Georgians are critical partners in ensuring that vision becomes a reality. “ LT. GOVERNOR: SARAH RIGGS AMICO “I am running to be the next Lt. Governor of Georgia to improve the lives of all Georgians. This includes protecting the LGBTQ community from discrimination.

Individuals should be able to pursue their goals no matters what they look like, how they pray, or who they love. Although I attend an Evangelical Christian church, I have always been vocal in my disagreement with their anti-LGBTQ stances. I am not afraid to stand up for what is right.”

SECRETARY OF STATE: JOHN BARROW “From the time that I was in college through my time in Congress, I’ve worked with members of the LGBT community to promote equal rights. I’ve spent my life working to make life better for folks all over east Georgia

and south Georgia, and I’d be honored to have the opportunity to make it easier to do business, protect the right to vote, and ensure the security of our elections from fraud and foreign interference.”

ATTORNEY GENERAL: CHARLIE BAILEY “The Attorney General is supposed to be the one entity above all that is entrusted to protect the people of Georgia. That is my first and only priority as Attorney General.

Whether it is protecting Georgians from gangs, stopping scammers, standing up to Federal overreach, or ending discrimination I am here to protect every Georgian. If some of us are not protected, none of us are.”

LABOR COMMISSIONER: RICHARD KEATLEY “Working in higher education over the past twenty years, I have developed many close relationships with LGBT students and friends and am acutely aware of the challenges they often face at home and in the workplace.” www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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October 12, 2018 Ads 19

VOICES

You Say You Want A Revolution

AMAZON’S CEO JEFF BEZOS

PHOTO BY SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL FROM SEATTLE/WIKICOMMONS

Jason Rhode LGBTQ politics are inherently revolutionary.

The community hasn’t had a choice. When you’re up against an oppressive system that doesn’t want you to exist, you’re obliged to become a radical. Sure, your emotional, social, economic, and temperamental barometer might be set to “conservative.” In a different life, who knows? But it this world, where heteronormativity reigns, LGBTQ Americans are forced to stand against the grain.

So it’s a bit strange to see the LGBTQ community embrace the Corporate Rainbow.

What’s the Corporate Rainbow? Look around at the next Pride, and you’ll see. Companies have embraced the cause of liberation. At least, on the surface. But have they really?

In 2017, the Human Rights Campaign gave Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos their National Equality Award. The HRC praised Bezos’ support of same-sex marriage. And I’m glad he got the prize.

It’s appropriate: Bezos and the HRC are themselves a perfect marriage. Bezos is the ultimate corporate overlord, and HRC is the ultimate corporate charity. There’s a reason they’ve been called “Gay, Inc.”

HRC, essentially “co-opted the possibility of a radical queer social movement and turned it into a mainstream machine for maintaining the status quo.

”

Caryn Riswold, a writer for Patheos, attacked HRC for being run by rich white men.

Riswold explained how HRC has historically soft-peddled trans rights, ignored POC organizations, fawned over billionaires, and pushed a version of equality “for those who can afford it.” “HRC,” wrote Riswold, “essentially co-opted the possibility of a radical queer social movement and turned it into a mainstream machine for maintaining the status quo.”

of as seedy. But soon, business realized the LGBTQ buying power that Madison Avenue had ignored for decades. Yet as The Advocate pointed out two years ago, LGBTQ Americans are more likely to be poor than privileged. Mainstream images of glossy gay luxury are just that — images.

That particular cultural stereotype — what’s been called “the myth of gay affluence” — comes from media portrayals during the ’90s, when lesbian and gay characters were more or less universally portrayed as highliving yuppies.

The Corporate Rainbow played a large role in this. And for good reason. In the Stonewall era, LGBTQ culture was thought

If these companies really cared, they’d treat LGBTQ people as more than unicorns with pocket money.

22 Voices October 12, 2018

A June article in Mic noted that LGBTQ Americans are “disproportionately food insecure.” A significant portion of the community lacks the funds to adequately feed themselves or their families. An estimated 2.2 million people, or 27% of LGBTQ adults, went through a period of food insecurity in 2016. The average rate for the rest of the hetero population was 17%. One in four LGBTQ grownups is on food stamps.

There’s more. A fifth of LGBTQ adults report mistreatment at the hand of their employer. LGBTQ adults are forced to apply for many more jobs than straight people.

On average, bisexual and gay men earn an estimated 11% less than their equivalent heterosexual competitors.

The same inequality that leads to LGBTQ suffering makes Bezos excessively wealthy.

Through our taxes, the American public is forced to subsidize him. His workers depend on food stamps, Medicaid, and federally funded housing. Without us, Bezos couldn’t underpay his workers: They simply would

drop dead. This is the man that HRC wanted to give an equality award to — a man who makes as much in ten seconds as his average employee makes in a year.

Here’s the deal. Equality means equality.

You cannot pretend to advocate for LGBTQ equality on one front only. You cannot say you are for LGBTQ equality and not stand with poor LGBTQ people. Social equality is economic equality too. Indeed, equality is meaningless without food. And unless it also applies to the workplace, equality is useless.

In fact, economic disparity is the bedrock on which most other inequality is established.

You cannot be for same-sex marriage and then turn around and let a real estate broker refuse to sell a gay couple a house. That’s not how justice works. A supposed civil rights organization supports a man who pays poverty wages. That contradiction is at the heart of the Corporate Rainbow. The one thing that HRC cannot actually award, and Bezos cannot actively sell, is real equality.

The community must make that for itself. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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FEATURE

MITCHELL ANDERSON AND KEVIN SPIRTAS STAR IN ‘AFTER FOREVER’ PUBLICITY PHOTO

Local Actors Scores with Amazon’s

‘After Forever’

Lyrik Courtney I recently sat down under editorial impetus to watch “After Forever,” a short-form Amazon Video release whose first season has a total running time of 88 minutes (roughly 11 minutes per each of the eight episodes). While the narrative arc of the show is easy to pin down — it follows the romantic and social life of a gay man named Brian (played by Kevin Spirtas of “Days Of Our Lives” fame) after the unexpected death of his husband, and his struggle to find stability while still in the throes of his loss — I found myself pleasantly surprised by the show’s emotional core, and its earnest (if at times a little offbeat) depictions of middle-aged gay adulthood.

Both Brian and Jason (the aforementioned husband as played by Mitchell Anderson, a 24 Feature October 12, 2018

“

I opened MetroFresh and hadn’t ever thought about coming back to acting. The fact that I can be apart of this at all is so astounding. former Hollywood star newly out of acting retirement and the owner of Midtown restaurant MetroFresh) are depicted on-screen bearing all the supposed unpleasantries of aging. The two leads, as well as the supporting cast of close friends and potential love interests — all well-into adulthood in their own rights — bear the brunt of wrinkles and gray hair, and while this may not be a new sight for on-screen heterosexual couples, much of LGBTQ and film and media prioritizes romanticized portrayals of the lives of young gay men, mostly white, and their whirlwind first loves.

”

While the relevance of productions like “Moonlight” (Barry Jenkins, 2016) and its Oscar win show that this tide might be shifting, the narrative potential for speculation about the lives of older gay people still goes largely unexplored, making “After Forever” a novel venture. Upon interviewing Mitchell Anderson, I was even more delighted to weigh in not only on the broader cultural significance of this show as part of a wave of new and refreshing queer media, but also its importance to Mitchell as a means for contextualizing his own lived experiences. (Note: this correspondence has

been paraphrased for clarity and cohesion.

Warning: Spoilers for the Amazon Prime release, “After Forever.”)

What sort of challenges did you face, if any, in portraying this sort of situation, this unique depiction of loss and love for a middle-aged gay man, particularly from your character’s perspective as the source of the loss?

Well, it’s interesting because … I think, for me especially, having moved to Atlanta in 2002 after living in New York in the ’80s, and having watched so many friends fall at the height of the aids crisisPractically an entire generation of queer people, almost.

Right, nearly an entire generation … I found CONTINUES ON PAGE 26 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

FEATURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24

are able to benefit from now.

that the focus on grief and death felt less central to my life at the time that I was building Jason’s character last year. What’s kind of crazy, though, is that for me, nearly a year before I got the call about “After Forever” and agreed to come on board for the show, my father passed away, and I was in the position to watch him take his last breath, and, well, in the last episode of the season, viewers get to see that happen for Jason. And even sitting in the doctor’s office — when he gets that announcement — felt so real and immediate for me. I’m lucky to be in that position, y’know, as someone who survived and is aging out of the youth I spent in the ’80s and ’90s watching friends and loved ones die, where injuries now are the result of life well-spent.

Do you think that these new short-form video productions have contributed to the influx of new queer media, particularly digital?

For sure. “After Forever” was nominated for twelve International Academy of Web Television Awards (IAWTV), and I flew out for the ceremony expecting, well, not to sweep the awards [Mitchell laughs], but we walked away with three, which is pretty good, and I was just astounded by the amount of amazing talent I saw, and the number of truly inventive shows. It was such an amazing experience. I opened MetroFresh and hadn’t ever thought about coming back to acting. The fact that I can be apart of this at all is so astounding, and [“After Forever”] is definitely easily digestible because of the form, right? We shot it like a movie, like a single storyline, and I hope the viewers feel that coherency, too.

And it’s a kind of a privilege, in that way.

Oh, absolutely, but I think it definitely resonates with the character. I mean [Mitchell gestures to the crutches nearby, evidence of his pulled hamstring] this is just from playing tennis, but those first few days, hell, weeks,

26 Feature October 12, 2018

after, I felt so feeble, and so aware of my own mortality, too, because of course that’s an integral and inevitable part of it. And I definitely brought those feelings and that experience into playing Jason and embodying that sort of decline.

Relatedly, what do you think is the importance of having varied gay experiences portrayed in film and on-screen?

Well, it’s obviously a necessity. I think the prevalence of blind-casting definitely

helps; there are so many kinds of actors — really talented performers — who wouldn’t have had the opportunities I had when I was active in the industry. Even I barely got the opportunities I did. When I came out in 1999 at the GLAAD Music Awards, it was such a struggle for me as a gay actor to even get roles despite having industry friends in higher positions who were also gay … you know, there really wasn’t that kind of industry support or even a safety net that I think so many younger actors

*** You can watch After Forever on Amazon for free with Amazon Prime.

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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Free 24/7 Helpline: 800.272.3900 Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiver Center: alz.org/care

ASK THE DOCTOR

The necessity of taking your meds daily Why do I need to use my asthma inhaler even when I feel fine?

“If I am not wheezing, then my asthma is well controlled.” I hear this quite often from many of my asthma patients, especially the patients who do not experience frequent flare-ups.

But asthma is sneaky — most people feel fine … until they don’t. Most often, asthma is either intermittent or chronic. People with intermittent asthma can do well using a short-acting or “rescue” inhaler to manage symptoms. Those with chronic asthma who tend to have more “flare-ups” need to use a daily maintenance inhaler to reduce airway inflammation, especially during the “high peak” seasons such as spring and fall.

For those with chronic asthma, skipping a daily maintenance inhaler could mean more flare-ups and worsening asthma down

the road. Not using a maintenance inhaler daily can also increase your risk of a hospital admission for an acute asthma attack. It is not hard to do. Keep your inhaler next to your toothbrush to remind you to use it and do so every day. Your lungs will thank you for it!

Allene Harrison, NP-C AbsoluteCARE Medical Center & Pharmacy

Do I have to take antidepressant medication every day for it to be effective?

Yes! Antidepressant medications need to be taken daily to truly be effective. This is primarily because it can take at least a few weeks, even up to four to six weeks, to experience the full clinical effect of antidepressant medications. If you begin to feel better or choose to take the medication

on an as-needed basis, they are less likely to be effective. Additionally, it is a best practice to take antidepressants at the same time or close to the same time every day. Like other medications, if you develop a routine

by which you take your antidepressant, it’s easier to remember to take them.

Felicia English, LCSW AbsoluteCARE Medical Center & Pharmacy

Ask The Doctor is a monthly health column where the experts at AbsoluteCARE answer your pressing medical questions. Have a question you want answered? Email it to askthedoctor@thegavoice.com!

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OBITUARY

BERL BOYKIN SCREENGRAB PHOTO

In Memoriam: Berl Boykin Dave Hayward

Born on April 7, 1944 in Miami, Florida, lifetime activist Berl Boykin entered Emory University in the fall of 1961 when he was 17. After hosting a man in his dorm room in the winter of 1963, Berl was expelled from Emory, but continued to agitate for LGBTQ rights along with Emory student body president, the late Steve Abbott, subject of the memoir “Fairyland.”

Berl passed away this Saturday October 6, 2018. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

A pioneer for human and civil rights in Georgia, he joined Atlanta native, the late Shelby Cullum, to petition the Georgia General Assembly and Atlanta City Hall for LGBTQ rights on behalf of the Georgia Mattachine Society.

Following the August 1969 police raid on the Ansley Mall showing of Andy Warhol’s “Lonesome Cowboys,” Berl and a host of others founded the Georgia Gay Liberation Front in October 1969. As the first marshal for Atlanta’s first Pride march in June 1971, Berl says, there were 125 marchers. I know

— I counted them twice!” While the City of Atlanta refused the GGLF a permit for the march, Berl asked the Atlanta ACLU to help only to be told, “You are not a minority.”

On July 14, 1971, Berl, along with Klaus and Bill Smith (both late), met with Governor Jimmy Carter to press for LGBTQ rights and freedoms to an emphatic, “no!” In December 2004, Berl and I helped Carter partly redeem himself by cajoling him to come out for samesex civil unions.

As a staff member for Atlanta’s alternative

newspaper “The Great Speckled Bird,” Berl wrote and published both as a journalist and as a poet, and acted and directed in plays and music videos. For many years, Berl was the chief drama critic for WABE 90.1, the local NPR affiliate.

[Our thanks to Dave Hayward who, along with Mr. Boykin, co-founded Touching Up Our Roots, Inc.: Georgia’s LGBTQ Story Project. Our deepest condolences to Mr. Hayward and all the friends and family of Mr. Boykin. May his soul rest in power and his work continue to affect change in our state and beyond.]

October 12, 2018 Obituary 29

VOICES

Ally in the South Emerald Lingerfelt I have always been, for as long as I can remember, one to stand up for others. Maybe it’s because I know — all too well — that feeling of being ridiculed and singled out. I know what it’s like to be on the other side, to silently beg for someone, anyone to stick up for me.

I can’t say this trait made me exactly popular with my schoolmates, because it was often them I stood up to whenever they felt like ridiculing others to hide their own insecurities. Even when they turned their attention to me as the punchline of their joke, I didn’t particularly care. No, I guess you could say my true test came the day my family took it upon themselves to make fun of a 16-year-old boy. (We’ll call him Brian.)

Brian has been a friend of mine since elementary school and has always been a little feminine, and by ‘feminine,’ I mean more Dame Maggie Smith than Kylie Jenner. Brian is elegant, mature, and has always held himself like a queen. Honestly to this day, I envy his ability to present himself so confidently. It wasn’t much of a surprise when he came out in middle school.

On this particular day, his hair was pulled back into a man bun and he had a tie-dyed satchel slung over his shoulder. We were at graduation for the Class of 2016, my family 32 Voices October 12, 2018

and I present to support my brother. As I sat down, I noticed Brian was sitting alone.

Preferring his company to that of my relatives, I made my way down the crowded bleachers and invited him to come sit with me. We scooted past my family and it was then that I heard snickers. I looked over to see them — my own family — shooting Brian glances and laughing. I ignored it at the moment, shocked and embarrassed at their behavior.

On the way home that night, they asked me if he was gay and I hesitantly confirmed his sexuality. Again, they laughed, turning to each other saying, “I told you so!” like they had placed bets on a winning horse.

I was disgusted (still am) at this particular memory. They had judged him without even talking to him, without even giving him a chance to introduce himself. They treated his sexuality like it was a joke, like it was somehow comical to be attracted to the same gender. I didn’t say anything at first, torn between holding my tongue and not even dignifying their hate with a response, but when they said how they felt sorry for his parents to have a gay son?

I absolutely lost it on them. I called them out on their intolerance and their blatant lack of basic respect.

“What does it matter if he’s gay? What’s so terrible about that!?” Of course, they defended themselves by immediately launching into the

infamous: “Gays go to hell.”

“Like you’re any better?” I retorted. “Looking down and judging others? Walking around acting like you’re better than everyone else?

Last I checked, pride was a deadly sin — not homosexuality.”

I was grounded and from that moment on, we were forbidden from even saying the word ‘gay,’ especially in front of my grandfather.

Of course, some still jeers and hissed insults when they thought I couldn’t hear. “She must be gay herself,” they would say behind closed doors. “It would explain why she hasn’t had any boyfriends. And she did cut her hair real short like that queer Ellen!”

I didn’t truly realise exactly what homophobia was until that moment. It was more than just having conflicting beliefs — it was dehumanizing, it was telling people they didn’t deserve to be treated like human beings because they were different. Kids are being kicked out to live on the streets by their parents, friends turning on one another, hatred and disgust everywhere they turn, simply for loving someone who just so happens to have the same gender identity.

You don’t have to be the target of persecution to know what’s right and what’s wrong.

You don’t have to be gay to support samesex couples, nor do you have to be trans to demand they have equal rights. You don’t

have to be black or white or asian or latino to stand up for your fellow human beings.

I’m not a hero for doing defending people and I don’t do it to change hateful, closed minds. There will always be people with whom who you can neither rhyme nor reason. I do it so the bullied know they aren’t alone. That’s the most important thing, that they know those jerks are just that. Jerks.

These days, with technology, it can often feel like you are outnumbered and surrounded by bigots and other morons. Social media has a way of giving hate a big platform and an even bigger voice.

I promise you: Hate isn’t everywhere. For every parent disowning their child, there are other moms offering free ‘mom’ hugs at Pride rallies, even offering to stand in at weddings.

For every church banning gay weddings, there are more houses of worship inviting gay couples with open arms. There is so much love out there — you just need to look.

Hate is the new minority.

The old ways of intolerance and prejudice are dying. They won’t go quietly; they’re going to fight tooth and claw every step of the way. Rest assured, however, these will be times in which we look back and be proud of how far we have come. Until then, you’ll find that you have allies everywhere, even here in the South. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

September 14, 2018 Photo Gallery 35

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PRIDE

To Those New to the City, A Word From our Mayor As the 60th Mayor of the City of Atlanta, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our city.

city is dedicated to protecting the dignity and freedom of all who call Atlanta home.

Atlanta is the cradle of the civil rights movement and strives to be a safe and welcoming city with world-class employees, infrastructure and services, an ethical, transparent, and fiscally responsible government, thriving neighborhoods, communities and businesses, and residents that are equipped for success. We value the protection of human rights and our mission is to provide equal opportunity to all people. With one of the most vibrant LGBTQ communities in the country, our

While visiting, I encourage you to explore the wonderful attractions Atlanta has to offer including: the Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Center, the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, CNN Center, Centennial Olympic Park, Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Children’s Museum of Atlanta, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, College Football Hall of Fame, and many more. I hope you enjoy our Southern hospitality, sample our great restaurants, and experience the rich

and diverse heritage of our historic city.

for a wonderful visit.

On behalf of the people of Atlanta, I welcome you to our city and extend best wishes to you

Sincerely, Keisha Lance Bottoms

Happy Pride, LGBTQ Georgians and Allies!

Stacey Abrams I am honored to join Atlanta Pride to speak and to march alongside your community.

I know that allyship requires both showing up and speaking out, and as your next governor I intend to do both to lift up the LGBTQ community in every corner of our state.

I have been marching with your movement since my teenage years. My parents moved to Atlanta when I was in high school to answer the calls of God to become United Methodist ministers and earn their degree in divinity from Emory University. A deeply religious family, we joined a church committed to living out our faith. Thus, when an anti-LGBTQ group organized a march in Atlanta, we joined together and counter-protested to affirm that all of God’s children were worthy of His love.

Continuing this tradition, I have worked with organizations like Georgia Equality and the Human Rights Campaign to ensure the LGBTQ community’s priorities were 40 Pride October 12, 2018

reflected in Democratic and bipartisan legislation.

As House Democratic Leader, I opposed every form of so-called “religious freedom” (RFRA) legislation that came to me. I corralled my caucus to do the same. As a candidate during the 2018 legislative session, I called on our legislature to oppose discrimination against LGBTQ couples to undermine our progress on adoption reforms.

I am the only candidate who has disavowed these bills and, as governor, I will proudly veto any bill with RFRA language. It is both morally right and economically sound — if we allow discrimination in our state, many businesses that bring good jobs will stop doing work in Georgia. From our film industry to manufacturing to tech, key sectors will suffer and they will leave if we tell them our state does not welcome each and every one of their employees.

An effective government must protect civil rights and fight discrimination based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation,

immigration status, disability, or gender identity. I have proposed plans that will end discrimination in the workplace so that LGBTQ Georgians will have full access to economic success.

Our state has an obligation to keep Georgians healthy, but Georgia currently has the highest rate of HIV diagnoses of any state. Medicaid expansion — my top priority — will cover more Georgians so they can be tested earlier and access mental health services that can combat opioid addiction, a leading cause of HIV. I have always centered LGBTQ Georgians in my plans. I was the first statewide candidate to hold a public LGBTQ meet and greet because I knew from the beginning that I needed to include your voices in my campaign. I marched in Pride last year because it was critical for me to see you on the ground and show that I was with you.

I am with you. I will always be with you.

Because I know that in order to build a Georgia where everyone can succeed, we

must all work together and lift each other up. LGBTQ Georgians, African American, Latinx Georgians, Asian Americans, immigrants, rural Georgians, Georgians with disabilities, suburban Georgians, women, educators, nurses, business leaders, veterans — every Georgian must band together so that we can build a state where equality fosters prosperity and every family has the freedom and opportunity to thrive.

Thank you for marching with me, Stacey Abrams Democratic Nominee for Governor Former House Democratic Leader www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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PRIDE

The Guide To Pride

Dionne Walker With its eye-catching floats, huge crowds, and traffic-snarling route, it’s easy for a newbie to think the parade is all there is to Atlanta Pride. In actuality, Atlanta Pride is an amalgam of several events that starts with a huge kickoff at the Aquarium and culminates in the outdoor party-to-end-all-parties in Piedmont Park. Scattered in between are three days’ worth of activities celebrating the unique persona and contributions of Atlanta’s LGBTQ community. With so much going on, where does one start their Atlanta Pride experience? Here, of course, with our Georgia Voice Guide to Pride! We’re highlighting the main events and attractions that make Atlanta Pride the largest and most exciting celebration in the Southeast.

Pride runs Oct 12–14, starting that Friday with the Official Kickoff Party at the Georgia Aquarium. This typically sold-out event draws LGBTQ folks and allies out for a night of celebration, unity, and of course great music, provided by Atlanta DJs Mark 42 Pride October 12, 2018

Gordon and Kevin Durard. The party takes place from 7–11:30pm. Tickets are $30 for general admission in advance and $40 at the door (if available) or $90 for lounge tickets.

Saturday brings two marches that are smaller than Sunday’s main attraction, but no less colorful, well-attended, and central to celebrating Atlanta’s LGBTQ community. The Annual Trans March brings together members of the non-gender binary community and their allies for a show of visibility, solidarity and — of course — pride. Assembly begins at 1:15pm at the Charles Allen Gate at Piedmont Park; the march steps off at 1:45pm and snakes down 10th Street and Peachtree Street before hanging a right at 14th Street and ending in the park. Bring your comfy shoes and your signs for an afternoon of trans visibility.

Stick around and you’ll catch The Annual Dyke March, another niche celebration, this one dedicated to “the empowerment of the women of Atlanta and beyond.” Assembly starts at 5:30pm at the Charles Allen Gate;

the march steps off at 6pm. Marchers will follow the same path as the trans march — a horseshoe snaking up 10th, down Peachtree, and back into Piedmont Park, through the 14th Street entrance. With its focus on inclusion and community, the march is trans-friendly and open to all women who love women. Organizers describe it as a time to demonstrate commitment to nurture and build a new tomorrow, united for equality and justice. This is always a rollicking good time and truly a crowd favorite.

Throughout the weekend, Piedmont Park will be Pride central, packed with booths vending the latest rainbow swag, as well as sharing information and freebies from advocacy groups like Lambda Legal and LGBTQ-friendly corporations such as The Home Depot. The park will also feature three stages filled with acts all weekend long. Performers include New York singer/songwriter Bebe Rexha and vocal powerhouse CeCe Peniston, as well as a comedy block, a youth variety show, and more throughout the weekend. Visit the Nissan Partners of Progress Stage at Oak Hill between

the 12th Street and Charles Allen gates. Stop by the Heineken Stage next to the pavilion by the active oval near the tennis courts; find the CocaCola Stage at 10th Street near the Charles Allen Gate. All are within Piedmont Park.

The highest profile event, for which Pride is best known, unfolds Sunday — the parade! This parade draws countless onlookers for a spectacle of colorful floats, rousing cheers, and booming music. Some of the biggest corporations in the nation take part, from Wells-Fargo to Target, each seemingly trying to top the other for the most creative float. That makes this one of the most exciting events of the weekend! Assembly begins at 9:30am on the streets near the Civic Center MARTA Station, with the parade stepping off at 12pm. Participants will head down Ralph McGill, merge onto Peachtree Street northbound, finally turning onto 10th, and winding down at the Charles Allen Gate entrance of Piedmont Park.

It’s clear to see that Pride weekend is truly action-packed. Keep our list handy and make sure you take in all there is to see. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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PRIDE

Atlanta Pride: Great and Growing Dionne Walker There’s a lot to celebrate this Pride season.

Pride organizers are nearly halfway through an ambitious five-year strategic plan they hope will create a more active, diverse, and fiscally stronger Pride organization.

Goals include growing Pride attendance some 25% by 2020, bumping up Pride funds that are reinvested into the community, and building more and stronger partnerships with the exploding LGBTQ community of color.

It comes as the group grapples to keep pace with changing demographics and challenges to the relevance of Pride in a society where LGBTQ men and women have more rights than ever.

Group goals are spelled out in the Atlanta Pride Strategic Plan, an eight-page roadmap detailing key performance indicators and timelines for success. Available online at the Atlanta Pride website, the document focuses on five strategic impact metrics: Number of Festival attendees annually Number of annual attendees at Pridesponsored year-round programs and events � �

46 Pride October 12, 2018

Number of formal participation with LGBTQ partner organizations � Number of formal participation with non-LGBTQ partners in social change events � Number of partnerships with organizations that primarily serve communities of color �

AN ORGANIZATION AT A CROSSROADS The Atlanta Pride Committee may be known for organizing one of the city’s most entertaining LGBTQ-centric events of the year, but the organization has a long history of broader commitment to raising community visibility and acceptance one affirming event at a time.

It was June 1970 when a group of Atlantans gathered in Piedmont Park to hand out leaflets about the treatment of gays and lesbians in the city. That simple action would evolve into a march in June 1971 and eventually a Pride gathering. The effort lead to the Atlanta Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee in 1991 — the name was changed to Atlanta Pride Committee in 1995. Originally centered on the annual Atlanta Pride Festival, APC has gradually expanded its focus to include June events commemorating the Stonewall uprising, as well as year-round programming

to advance unity, visibility, and equality among persons with widely diverse gender and sexual identities.

The group includes some 40+ dues-paying members who volunteer in a variety of event-specific committees year-round. The result of their efforts is one of the largest Pride events in the nation.

But like other Pride organizations in the country, APC is facing changes, both good and bad. While a stabilizing economy means many sponsors are coming back to the event, leaders say rising numbers of LGBTQ baby boomers mean shifting community needs.

One goal is to become more of an integral part of Atlanta’s LGBTQ equality movement. To do that, leaders are looking to beef up formal relationships with other LGBTQ community groups, especially groups of color. They also hope to increase the percentage of annual revenue poured into the Pride Community Reinvestment Fund, from 3% to 5% by the end of 2020.

At the same time, they point to legal advances as a double-edge sword — increasing acceptance and visibility of LGBTQ men and women will challenge the viability of traditional Pride organizations.

Leaders hope to more than double the number of LGBTQ organizations listed in the Atlanta Pride Annual Report Community Partners List. That means increasing the amount from 29 in 2014 to 60 by late 2020 in order to ensure that APC’s focus remains on the LGBTQ community. They also hope to close out 2020 with more formal partnerships with self-identified LGBTQ-people of color organizations, a step they believe will help them better support communities APC has not traditionally had strong ties with.

EVOLVING GOALS The strategic plan reflects responses to those challenges and more, spelling out steps for improving community reinvestment, broadening participation, and better serving niche communities within the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

Perhaps most ambitious is their goal to create social change by improving Pride attendance by 5% annually from 2016 to 2020. Other goals include boosting annual revenue from $798,000 in 2015 to $1 million by late 2020; building $500,000 reserve fund; and increasing membership to 150. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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PRIDE

Introducing Your

Pride Grand Marshals Dionne Walker At the helm of any parade is a leader, someone whose expertise and character has earned them a spot above the rest. Atlanta Pride calls theirs “grand marshals,” and this year, eight unique Atlanta activists and groups will share the role, ceremonially leading the parade as it winds through Midtown. They range from HIV care providers to rabbis and transwomen to prison activists. Though they come from a wide swath of backgrounds, all share a profound commitment to Atlanta’s LGBTQ community.

The grand marshals are comprised of individuals and organizations “who are recognized for their outstanding work advancing LGBTQ equality in the metro Atlanta area and across all of Georgia,” according to the Atlanta Pride Committee, which names them each year.

Joining their ranks this year is Mickyel “Micky Bee” Bradford, a regional organizer at TLC@SONG, a collaboration between the Transgender Law Center and grassroots organizers Southerners on New Ground.

Bradford brings a fiery commitment to raising awareness of the needs of trans folks, people of color, and people living with HIV. Born in Germany, this self-described Army brat co-founded “Southern Fried Queer Pride,” organized TransLiberation Tuesday, and was recognized as one of the top local black trans activists fighting for liberation.

Monica Helms earned her grand marshal spot following a career that’s taken her from the depths of the ocean to the spotlight for transgender rights. Serving in the Navy from 1970 to 1978, this former submariner had two sons and a wife before beginning her transition in 1997. Two years later, she created the now famous Transgender Pride flag. Helms also co-founded the Transgender American Veterans Association to advocate for trans veterans and has served 50 Pride October 12, 2018

as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention — the first trans Georgian to hold such a spot.

Building transgender acceptance in the Jewish community has been the unique calling of Rabbi Joshua Lesser, an Atlanta native who serves Congregation Bet Haverim and founded Sojourn: The Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender & Sexual Diversity. A staunch advocate for racial justice, gender equality, interfaith partnership, and transgender rights, Lesser also chairs the City of Atlanta s Human Relations Commission and serves on the Mayor s LGBTQ Advisory Board — efforts that all helped earn him a grand marshal spot.

Scott Titshaw has made his mark for the LGBTQ community in the courtroom and classroom. A professor and associate dean at Mercer University Law School, Titshaw spent over a decade protecting the rights of LGBTQ men and women as an attorney in Atlanta.

His caseload included work for LGBTQ and HIV-positive asylum seekers, as well as highschool students fighting to form a gay-straight alliance. For his efforts, he’ll be rewarded with a grand marshal spot this Pride.

AID Atlanta’s Craig Washington earned his grand marshal spot for his tireless work to provide accessible care to persons living with HIV. As Manager of Prevention Programs at AID Atlanta, the largest AIDS services organization in the Southeast, he oversees a slate of intervention programs targeting black men, youth, and other high-risk groups.

His advocacy extends to writing editorials for Georgia Voice, The Atlanta JournalConstitution, The Washington Blade, and many other publications, giving a voice to those often marginalized by fear and ignorance.

Providing comprehensive HIV/AIDS care is the mission of Grady’s Infectious Disease Program (IDP) at The Ponce de Leon Center, a nationally recognized force in the

MICKYEL BRADFORD PHOTOS VIA FACEBOOK

SCOTT TITSHAW

MONICA HELMS

RABBI JOSHUA LESSER

CRAIG WASHINGTON

battle against HIV/AIDS in Atlanta and the region. Since 1992, this center has served as a one-stop center for medical and wrap-around social services for men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS. Decades after its founding, the center is serving some 6,000 patients a year, with plans to begin a renovation and expansion of the center in 2018.

Loving kindness is the tool of choice for Angels in Action, a self-described “barrier of love and compassion between those who chose to protest the differences that make us who we are.” Founded in 2009, this gathering of Atlantans uses messages and symbols of peace and faith-based love to promote unity across people of all sexualities. A parade fixture often seen in all white holding signs

with messages like “hope,” “unity,” and “coexist,” this group is the brainchild of Romaine Patterson. It began to promote tolerance following the death of her friend Matthew Shepard and has made enough impact to earn a grand marshal designation.

Poor women of color shouldn’t languish in jail due to high bail. This simple concept is at the root of Black Mama’s Bail Out Action, a project of Southerners on New Ground and a grand marshal for this year’s Pride parade. The program aims to shine a light on the cash bail system, which it says targets black women at higher proportions than other community populations. In addition to raising awareness of the issue, the group raises money to bail women out of jail. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

PRIDE

7 Must-Haves In Your Pride Survival Guide Dionne Walker You may know where to go and what to do during Atlanta Pride, but do you know what to bring? There are lots of little things that only veteran Pride attendees know to pack, but fear not: Georgia Voice is going to get you up to speed. Check out our list of Pride must-haves. Put them in your Pride survival pack and you’ll be good to go!

SUN PROTECTION Fall may have officially arrived, but in Atlanta, the sun is still likely to be intense for at least a few more weeks. That means high temperatures, but also some serious potential for sun damage. Too much sun can cause wrinkles, dark spots, or much worse, so don’t take any chance — block the rays!

Whether you plan on swinging by Piedmont Park for a hot minute or posting up along the parade route for a few hours, make sure you pack a good, high SPF sunscreen to ensure both you and your skin can enjoy the festivities.

54 Pride October 12, 2018

COMFORTABLE SHOES Featuring multiple marches, a huge parade, and a weekend-long festival with three stages full of events, Pride is one time when it’s easy to wear your feet out fast. Be kind to your feet during Pride by wearing sensible shoes. And no, sensible doesn’t have to be ugly! A sexy sandal or swanky sports shoe can accent your outfit and keep your feet, ankles, and knees feeling good for hours — which is exactly how long the parade runs. Take it from us, leave the death heels to the drag divas.

Your feet will appreciate it!

AN UMBRELLA & SUNGLASSES It wouldn’t be Atlanta if at least once a week, we didn’t manage to have a sun shower — an episode of rainfall coming from a bright, sunny sky. That can make it pretty hard to know how to prepare for the weather. Cover your bases by packing an umbrella and sunglasses. The former will come in handy if it literally begins raining on the parade. The latter, especially paired with a sexy sun hat, can keep the sun out of your eyes and ensure you get the best gander at all the amazing floats.

SWAG BAG With everybody from Macy’s to Suntrust setting up booths at the park festival, it’s inevitable that Pride goers snag a bunch of swag. We’re talking frisbees, cups, Mardi Gras beads, even umbrellas and rolls of paper towels. It’s hard to cruise with an arm full of home-cleaning supplies, so make sure you bring a good-sized bag to carry all your goodies. Different booths often hand out bags at the park, but they go fast. Hedge your bets with one of those reusable grocery bags and you’re all set.

FOLD-UP CHAIR There’s no ifs ands or buts about it: Pride involves a lot of standing. Standing along parade routes, in lines at the festival, in front of the performance stages, the list goes on.

It’s one big workout! After a while, you’ll be ready to take a load off, and you’re unlikely to find a bench or even a spare ledge in sight.

Get ahead of the game by bringing your own travel chair. Pack yours up and take a seat along the parade route or on the green in Piedmont Park.

A FAN Autumn or not, Atlanta is still in the sticky, warm phase during early October, and a good fan is a lifesaver. If the past is any indication, many of the corporate sponsors and parade participants will be handing out simple cardboard versions. For those of us looking to make a statement, there’s always a flashy snap fan that can keep you cool and win you a few admirers in the process.

TISSUE While we’re on the topic of warm, muggy weather, make sure to pack a little extra tissue or an old-fashioned handkerchief. It doesn’t take too long in the Georgia heat before even the most perfect of flowers is wilting, and nobody wants to be wilted at Pride. Extra points for bringing baby wipes — cleansing and cooling!

There you have it, your foolproof Pride survival kit. Now pack up your gear and have a great time! www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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PRIDE

The Reachback

HOW PRIDE SPENT SOME OF ITS REVENUE IN 2017.

Berlin Sylvestre Not only does the Atlanta Pride Committee (APC) work hard throughout the entire year to “keep Pride free” (a popular chant from those with buckets for donations in the park), they also work hard to ensure that some of the money they gather — from sponsorships and said donations — goes back into the community. Nearly $200,000 has gone into reinvestment via organizations that strive to keep the LGBTQ spirit alive here in Georgia. More than 50 different groups have seen direct results of their efforts in many forms including more than $40,000 in “cash, event sponsorship, and festival assets in the last year including the recipients of the 2017 Election rapid response grants,” according to their website. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

CHARIS CIRCLE Charis Circle has been the the 501(c)(3) nonprofit programming arm of Charis Books since 1996. Charis, in Little Five Points, is America’s oldest independent feminist bookstore, and they work with Southern authors, artists, and activists to provide the city with top-notch and enlightening events and programming. Much like Waffle House, the place is open to the public dang-near everyday — that’s 7 days a week, 360 days a year, to be precise. Is it a poetry open-mic you 58 Pride October 12, 2018

want? They got it. How about a story hour for the kids? On deck. Yoga? Pfff. Been had it. As a matter of fact, there are more than 270 events per year hosted by this beloved education resource. And don’t get it twisted: Though it’s a feminist bookstore, men and women of all types and stripes are welcome.

BLACK LIVES MATTER ATLANTA Black Lives Matter Atlanta has a huge mic and they’re using it to demand — not ask — that certain needs and desires be met. Key among them, per their website: End the war on black people. Named and unnamed, they want the wars on their community to stop, and that means ending mass incarceration, criminalization, and the killing of their people.

Reparations. From colonialization and housing redlining to surveillance and mass incarceration, the group wants a fix and some backpay for the oppression. Not soon, not slow and systemic — now.

Political Power. BLMA demands “full and independent Black political power and Black self-determination in all areas of society.”

While BLMA recognizes not all of their needs and visions can be placed into policy immediately, they’re fully aware that “policy

change is one of many tactics necessary to move us towards the world we envision.”

They’ve come together because now is the the time to forge a new bond of dreamers and does, and feel this platform is precisely the way to get this done.

TRANS HOUSING ATLANTA PROGRAM Trans Housing Atlanta is on a mission to provide safe shelter and supportive services to trans and gender-nonconforming folks who are experiencing homelessness. They want to help these individuals find independent living and secure jobs, while helping stamp out the unfortunate reality of risky behaviors in their community.

How? For starters, job training and referrals; access to mental-health services; an actual space that provides beds, a communal kitchen and dining facilities; a recreation and library/ media space; and a welcoming spot for trans and gender non-conforming people to hang out and feel safe. Is that really too much to ask? APC doesn’t think so, which is why it’s doing its part to help make this a reality.

OUTLANTACON Outlantacon is a queer, geek-centered, Atlanta-based event. The festival features gaming, costuming, shows, fashion shows, and discussions. The event’s been running for ten years, but their focus on fandom and nerd culture — with concern for the LGBTQ community — is going strong. And there’s an added feature: This year, Outlantacon hosted

Gaylaxicon, a national gaming-geek group which travels from Con to Con every year.

Will the successful team-up happen next year?

We nerdly types most certainly hope so.

SOUTHERN FRIED QUEER PRIDE Southern Fried Queer Pride is held in the latter parts of May and is a homegrown version of Pride that puts the spotlight on queer and trans Southerners, offering an inclusive atmosphere at each of its parties, potlucks, pop-ups, and workshops. Atlantabased, it features arts advocacy and celebrates the happenin’ LGBTQ scene from all the Southern states. As their site puts it, “[Southern Fried Queer Pride] is arts and politically based and serves to provide an annual intersectional and radically inclusive festival, along with monthly programming.”

WONDERROOT ATLANTA Now in its fourteenth year of existence, WonderRoot, a 501(c)(3) arts and services organization with a mission to unite artists and community to inspire positive social change, is stronger than ever and on the verge of a major expansion. The organization was founded in 2004 by Chris Appleton, Alex West, and Witt Wisebram as a way to bring people together people who were disaffected by the atmosphere during the presidency of George W. Bush (a feeling shared by many in this current regime). They set out to leverage the power of public participation in art to amplify the demands made by the community. So far, so good. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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All Saints’ parishioners Jesse Furr and EJ Jimenez with their son

A Heart for the City in the Heart of Atlanta At All Saints’ Episcopal Church we believe in loving our neighbors as we would love ourselves, and our neighbors include Atlanta’s LGBTQIA+ community and their families. Whether you call Atlanta home or you’re here for a visit, we invite you to come and share in worship with us.  Worship Times: Sundays at 8:00, 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Wednesdays at 12:05 p.m.

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PRIDE

Atlanta’s Churches

That Will Welcome You Home

Morgan Fletcher I caught myself recently in a “grass is greener on the other side” moment, looking at the website of a local church. They have the worship band, they have a coffee bar, they have small groups, they have it all — except for anything on their website that affirms that they would be open to someone like me worshipping with them. Thankfully, I have found a church home, a home that I looked for, for a very long time. In the months after my twin daughters were born, I had a nagging, aching feeling that I had to go to church. It wasn’t guilt or an attempt to be a “good mom;” it was a pure and intense need that I tried desperately to ignore. I live in Gwinnett County — I am not hurting for lack of churches. The problem was, I was terrified to walk into a church, with my thenwife and daughters, and face the fact that we 62 Pride October 12, 2018

would not look like many of those families.

And there was a dark, looming possibility that we would not have been welcome.

I stayed up late in the night searching websites for an affirmation that my family would be welcome inside those sanctuary walls. Phrases such as “all are welcome” felt like a trick and I was never quite sure if it actually meant “all of those, whom we approve, are welcome.”

Thankfully there are churches all around Atlanta who truly welcome all. Many of these churches will be walking in this year’s parade. Attempting to remind those, who may have been pushed out in the past, that God’s grace does not care who you love, as long as you live in love.

Church, especially many Christian churches,

open wounds for members of our community.

The Bible has long been used as a weapon against many of us. Its words twisted and filled with hatred. For those of you who have left the church, I deeply encourage you to check out one of the many Atlanta area churches that will welcome you, just as you are, with open arms.

n Kirkwood United Church of Christ. n North Decatur Presbyterian Church n Oakhurst Baptist Church n Oakhurst Presbyterian Church n Park Avenue Baptist Church n Virginia Highland United Church

of Christ Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church n Saint Mark UMC n St. Matthews Episcopal Church n

FOR THOSE WHO ARE WARY OF TRADITIONAL CHURCH: n Atlanta Friends Meeting n Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta n Shambhala Meditation Center of Atlanta

NON-DENOMINATIONAL n Neighborhood Church n The Gathering Place Worship Center

WELCOMING “TRADITIONAL” CHURCHES: n Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception n Central Presbyterian Church

SYNAGOGUES n Congregation Bet Haverim n Congregation Or Hadash n The Temple in Midtown n Temple Sinai www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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The Ride to Pride A look at transportation to the festival Joshua Davison Pride is upon us again, and though we may be eagerly awaiting an occasion to celebrate it in our great city, there is one specter in the ATL that will forever haunt its residents: the multi-headed beast that is transportation, traffic, and parking in Atlanta, Georgia.

Thankfully, we here at Georgia Voice have looked into this ahead of time and want you beautiful people to get to the festival safely and in a timely manner to enjoy the occasion.

Public transportation is an underrated and incredibly helpful commodity, so MARTA trains come to mind first in the trek to Piedmont Park. The nearest stations are 68 Pride October 12, 2018

the Midtown and Arts Center locations, both of which are on the gold line and will require about a 15-minute walk to reach the Pride Festival. The nearest MARTA with free parking is at Lindbergh Center, but the Doraville, Chamblee, Brookhaven, and Lenox stations are also on the gold line and have free parking. MartaGuide.com has useful tips on how to get to the park.

If you dare to navigate the Atlanta roads and highways in your own vehicle, parking is an option. Atlanta Pride is working with ParkWhiz, a service that allows you to purchase parking ahead of time. Check out their site at Try.ParkWhiz.com/AtlantaPride — it will allow you to book parking spots around the major events of the festival.

As far as free parking goes, it seems it will always be a gamble. Much of the surrounding area is reserved for residential parking, and there will be a competition for what spots are available. In this scenario, parking at a nearby MARTA station with free parking and riding the train to Midtown or the Arts Center stations are ideal.

Uber and Lyft are newer and popular options for transportation in Atlanta, even though the driver will also have to fight the wild dog that is Atlanta traffic. That said, surge pricing is a big problem during big events, and it will likely be no different during Pride. For new (and sometimes existing) users, there are promo codes to use such as TRYFREE for Uber and LYFTCOUPON for Lyft, but, even then, there will likely be waits for rides.

Bird scooters are available through a new app-based infrastructure in Atlanta. This

one is a bit strange; Bird scooters are electric scooters spread throughout various “flocks” in Atlanta. You use the app to actually find these “flocks” and your scooter. They are a dollar to rent and charge 15¢ per minute for the ride. They are generally intended for trips too long to walk but too short to drive, and employees begin tracking them down after 8pm each night for charging.

Biking is an option too, and Atlanta has become more accommodating to bicyclists in more recent years. There is good, old-fashioned hoofing it, but you didn’t need me to tell you that one. Neither are ideal for people who live too far outside the city, of course, which brings us back to the previous suggestions.

And there is your survival guide to navigating Atlanta during the weekend of Pride. Hopefully, some of these tips will be useful to you wonderful people. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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PRIDE

15 Facts About Georgia Pride Josh Davison To get everyone ready and excited for Pride, we’ve searched far and wide for 15 facts about the Atlanta Pride movement. We hope you find something helpful and informative. For those interested in more information about Atlanta Pride, its website has an expansive history of the movement and its progression.

Atlanta Pride began in 1970. It was the one-year anniversary of the New York City Stonewall Riots.

The first Pride event wasn’t a festival or march. Instead, activists handed out flyers.

The first Pride march in Atlanta was in 1971 and held by the Georgia Gay Liberation Front. It went from Peachtree Street to Piedmont Park.

In 1973, activists at the Pride rally in Piedmont Park wore paper bags over their heads. The sacks conveyed the message, “Do You Know Who is Under Here?”

1976, six years into the Atlanta Pride movement, Mayor Maynard Jackson declared June 26 Gay Pride Day.

Four buses of Atlantan activists attended the 1979 Gay Pride march on Washington.

In 1991, attendance jumped from 5,000 to over 20,000 attendees at the Atlanta Pride festival.

In 1996, the year of the Atlanta Olympics, over 100,000 were counted over Pride weekend.

That same year, the Indigo Girls performed for Atlanta Pride, and Mrs. Coretta Scott King spoke.

In 1997, Cathy Woolard was elected the first openly gay official in the city of Atlanta.

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In 2000, the B-52s performed at Atlanta Pride.

In 2008, a drought forced Pride to a different date and out of Piedmont Park.

In 2009, the festival returned to Piedmont and moved to October.

The Trans March joined the Pride Festival that same year.

In 2017, over 300,000 people attended Atlanta Pride Festival.

I hope to see you all at Pride this weekend. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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Then. Now. Always.

Standing together with the LGBTQ community. It’s a commitment we made 30 years ago.

Since then, we’ve contributed over $50 million and countless team member volunteer hours to organizations that are making a difference. We’re proud to stand together with the LGBTQ community now, and we promise to be there always.

Visit wellsfargo.com/standingtogether to watch our video series about inspiring organizations that are having a positive impact in the LGBTQ community, and learn how you can help.

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PRIDE

Atlanta Pride Nightlife Roundup Ashleigh Atwell Atlanta is a huge city and sifting through the shindigs for Pride weekend can be stressful so we did it for you! Here’s a list of the best place to turn up for Pride. These events are officially endorsed by Atlanta Pride so you don’t have to worry about partying with folks who aren’t down for the cause.

ATLANTA PRIDE OFFICIAL KICKOFF PARTY This is the first official event of the weekend so you have to be there. The party is in the Georgia Aquarium so you get to party with the fishes.

October 12 7pm–11:30pm The Georgia Aquarium, 18+ $30 Advance/$40 at the door

SOUND OFF™ X ATLANTA PRIDE PRESENT: SILENT DISCO @ ESTABLISHMENT If you throw a stone, you’ll hit 10 silent parties in Atlanta but disco parties are rare. Atlanta Pride and Sound Off teamed up to throw a silent disco Pride pre-party.

Time to dust off your bellbottoms or hit the thrift store. Heads up, you have to reserve your headphones in advance.

October 11 8pm–midnight $10 Advance/ $20 at the door, 21+

PRIDE @ THE HERETIC The venue has a roster of events planned for the week of Pride. All events are for patrons 21 and older. Tickets for the paid events can be found at HereticAtlanta.com.

The events include: Warzone: Pride Edition and Boys Night Out

ATLANTA PRIDE OFFICIAL KICKOFF PARTY @ GEORGIA AQUARIUM

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

Heretic before 9pm to get a free two-step lesson. There is a dance party after the lesson if you want to show off your new moves.

October 11 8pm–TBD No cover

PRIDE FRIDAY WITH TONY MORAN Famed producer Tony Moran will host the party with Mike Pope on the turntables.

Singer Jason Walker will perform a set.

October 12 9pm–TBD $20

PRIDE SATURDAY DJ Phil B will be on the ones and twos.

There will also be an opening set from Stan Jackson.

October 13 9pm–TBD $15

DILF ATLANTA “OUT & PROUD” PRIDE PARTY BY JOE WHITAKER PRESENTS This will be a jock party so clothes are definitely optional, if not discouraged.

If you decide to be sinful and show up dressed, there will be a clothing check.

October 14 9pm–TBD $15 General/$20 VIP

PRIDE @ MY SISTER’S ROOM MSR has the girl parties on lock. Tickets for the paid parties can be found at MySistersRoom.com. Go ahead and practice in your mirror. Or the shower. Or in the car while sitting in Atlanta’s parking lot -- err, traffic.

the building and performers include Trey Alizé, Dahlia Grey, Drew Friday, and Candida Valentina.

October 12 8pm–TBD

BLITZ GIRL PARTY If you’re not feeling the glow party or are too young to buy a beer, MSR has options.

There will be four DJs spinning that night, go-go dancers, and two dance floors.

There will also be a free.99 photo booth and concert ticket giveaways.

October 12 9pm–TBD , 18+

$40 general admission, $25 General admission, $40 VIP private bar (21+ only)

TOSSED SALAD The best way to end Pride is a drag show!

Brigitte Bidet will be the hostess with the most, per usual. Kia Comedy, the mayor of lesbian Atlanta will be there, and Outsiders Ent will also be present. DJ Annalyze, DJ Wulf, and DJ K Squared will provide the soundtrack.

October 14, 21+ No cover on the main level

October 10 9pm–TBD No cover

Karaoke Kickoff Party October 10 7pm–TBD No cover

ELECTRIC CIRCUS Todrick Hall will be in the building along with Bedroom Burlesque, pole dancers, and even circus performers!

MONSTERS OF PRIDE Dragula winner Biqtch Puddin will be performing with Celeste Holmes, Mona Lott, and newly crowned Miss Atlanta Pride, Sheena Cassadine.

PRIDE THURSDAY: COUNTRY PRIDE Throw your cowboy boots on and get to the

ATLANTA PRIDE GLOW PARTY The Queerly Beloved Revue will be in

October 13 9pm–TBD, 18+ Opera Nightclub

October 13 10 pm-until, 18+ Table reservations available.

74 Pride October 12, 2018

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Georgia Voice Best of Atlanta 2018

PRIDE

Atlanta Pride Parade Routes

THE ANNUAL TRANS MARCH

THE ANNUAL DYKE MARCH

Atlanta’s transgender community and allies will march through the streets of Midtown, showing pride in the trans community and honoring those we’ve lost. It steps off from the the Charles Allen Gate onto 10th Street and goes west, then north on Peachtree Street, and east on 14th Street, and back into the park.

This march is dedicated to the empowerment of the women of Atlanta and beyond. The Dyke March, with its focus on women, unites to create an atmosphere of inclusion and community. The march is open to all women loving women (transinclusive) of any race, culture, orientation, ability, health, socioeconomic level, family

Steps off: Saturday, Oct. 13, 1:45pm Assembly begins at 1:15pm at the Charles Allen Gate

Steps off: Saturday, Oct. 13, 6pm Assembly begins 5:30pm at the Charles Allen Gate

structure, faith, or age. The route mirrors the Trans March route.

the Charles Allen Gate entrance of Piedmont Park, where the Parade officially ends.

ATLANTA PRIDE PARADE

Security Please be advised that the Atlanta Police Department is responsible for enforcing all applicable state laws and local ordinances during Pride events. Such statutes may include, but are not limited to: public decency, alcohol, controlled substances, public safety, and standard vehicle insurance requirements.

Steps off: Sunday, Oct. 14, Noon Assembly begins at 9:30am on the streets near the Civic Center MARTA Station

Route: The Parade will step off from the Civic Center MARTA Station. The parade merges off Ralph McGill onto Peachtree Street and travels north. It then turns east on 10th Street and follows 10th Street to

76 Pride October 12, 2018 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

PRIDE

Atlanta Pride Festival/Vendor Map G: 1 100% Cool Efi Designs G: 4 2UMedical G: 5 4th Inning Y: 18 AAA - Georgia Y: 24 Access Reproductive Care Southeast O: 24 ACLU of Georgia G: 2 Adoption Resources & Counseling, Inc O: 22 Advanced Urology G: 6 Ahisma House P: GATE AID Atlanta P: GATE AIDS Healthcare Foundation Y: 2 Alex and Ani R: 16 Alternative Apparel B: 20 Alzheimer’s Association O: 34 American Cancer Society O: 23 American Family Tax Services G: 15 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention O: 32 American Haircuts P: 28 Amerigroup G: 14 Aravay Y: 10 Ariel La Boutique O: 12 AT&T G: 49 Atlanta Bucks Rugby G: 9 Atlanta Center for Reproductive Medicine G: 9 Atlanta CVB Y: 31-32 Atlanta Freedom Bands G: 18 Atlanta History Center G: 11 Atlanta Prime Timers G: 48 Atlanta Rainbow Trout R: 9 Atlanta United B23: Atlanta Veterans Admin.

Health Care System R: 36 B98.5 Y: 1 Bank of America O: 3-4 Barefoot

Y: 29-30 Barking Leather Y: 28 Bath Fitter Y: 20 BCBS Georgia Y: 9 Bear and Butterfly Bed and Breakfast R: 42 Berkshire Hathaway G: 25 Bishop Cuts/Color G: 26 Bootsie’s Buddies G: 29-30 Bounce Back Sports G: 8 Bukhosi Accessories G: 31 C4 Belts G: 20 Canton Counseling G: 37-38 Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception R: 14-15 CBS46/Peachtree TV O: 32 Charis Circle G: 76 Charlotte Latin Pride G: 32 CHRIS 180 G: 33 City of Doraville G: 10 Clack That Fan G: 62 Coffey Agencies G: 19 Color Street R: FREE Comcast/NBC R: 34-35 Cox O: 7 – 8 Colgate-Palmolive G: 16-17 Culture Cross Y: 23 Daftboy P: 1 Davis Broadcasting/La Raza G: 22 Decatur United Church of Christ Y: 3-4 DeKalb Fostering Love and Grace Association P: 35 DelPriore’s Realty LLC R: 5 – 7 Delta Air Lines G: 23 Dementia Spotlight and Alzheimer’s Music Fest G: 69 Deviant Leather G: 54 Diamond Resorts G: 24 Dirt Squirrel Co. B: 25 disABLITY LINK G: 22 Dove and Serpent Oasis

O: 5 Edge Media Y: 19 Elope to Savannah B: 32 Emory Hope Clinic B: 31 Emory University-Ponce CRS B: 33 Emory University Prism Health G: 55-56 Emory Women’s and Reproductive O: 25-26 Empire State Development/ILNY Y: 21-22 Enterprise Holdings G: 35 Episcopal Diocese G: 21 Everymemorabilia.com O: 33 FCKH8 B: 9 Feminist Women’s Health Center O: 9-10 FHI 360/CDC G: 34 Flaura Botanica O: 15 Frida Kahlo R: 43 Fulton County Board of Health R: 26-28 Gayborhood P: 15 Georgia Carry Y: 13–14 Georgia Equality G: 63 Georgia Lutherans Welcome You O: 1 Georgia Power R: 20–22 Georgia Voice R: 17–19 Gilead Sciences P: 22 Girls Rock Camp ATL G: 36 Good Mews Animal Foundation B: 15–16 Grady Ambulance P: GATE Grady Ambulance B: 17 Grady Health Care P: GATE Grady Medical Tent O: 16-18 Greystar G: 64 happitees R: 44 Hilton R: 46 Honest Tea G: 47 Hotlanta Softball G: 43 Hotlanta Volleyball O: 27-30 Human Rights Campaign

R: GATE iHeart Media P: GATE iHeart Media R: 11–13 IHG G: 67 Immigration Education Project G: 71 JasonSellsMoore.com G: 79 Jonathan DiMarco at Principal G: 27-28 Key West and Florida Keys R: 45 Kilpatrick Townsend G: 59-61 Kimberly-Clark G: 66 KRF Cards B: 37 Lambda Legal B: 44 Larabar B: 38 LASIX B: 34-36 Latino LinQ G: 65 Lawyers for Equal Justice G: 68 Libertarian Party of GA B: 47 Life University G: 74 Lincoln Financial Group B: 51 Lion’s Den P: 5 Living Room P: 16 LookCuter G: 72-73 Louabull R: 33 Macy’s Y: 11-12 Marquis Leo Collection R: 29–31 Marriott International B: FREE MARTA P: 4 Martava Paris B: 4 Matthew Klyn & Co. P: 19 Messy Unicorn P: 38 Mettle and Pluck O: 13 Mondelez G: 82 Mosaic Georgia G: 42 National Flag Football P: 11 National Gay Pilots G: 83 Nest Realty Atlanta B: 11 Neighborhood Church Y: 33-35 New Covenant Church of Atlanta G: 50–53 Nike P: GATE Nissan B: 7 North and Line

B: 39 North Atlanta Area of Narcotics Anonymous B: 8 North Decatur Presbyterian Church G: 57 North Ga. Premium Outlets G: 75 Northwest Mutual P: 20 NYS Collection Eyewear B: FREE Oasis Med Spa G: 80 Only Human B: 5 Our Song Y: 6 Out Front Theatre G: 12-13 Out Of Bounds P: 29 Outer Peace G: 81 Outloud Magazine P: 31 Paws Atlanta B: 6 Peace Corps R: 32 Peach Media B: 45 Peachtree NORML P: 46-47 PFLAG R: 10 Piedmont Hospital P: 48 Piedmont House G: 77 Pinnacle Home Improvements G: 19 Pilgrimage UCC B: 19 Planned Parenthood B: 12-14 PNC B: 26-30 Positive Impact P: 32 Power Home Remodeling G: FREE Project Q hair trailer B: 43 Qmed LLC R: 37-38 Quest Diagnostics B: 40 Rainbow Island G: 7 Raksha B: 3 Recovery LGBT Y: 5 Redfox B: 49 Reproductive Biology Associates P: 6 Reproductive Enfocrinology & Infertility Group P: 7 ReUp Décor P: 17 RTI International O: 6 Salesforce

O: 11 Selva Ray Rum B: 50 Shaking Hands with HIV P: 9 Shimmer Down O: 7-8 Siemens P: 33 Simply Tafari Y: 8 Slalom P: 24 Snap Fitness P: 42 SNaPCo/Women on the Rise P: 45 SOJOURN P: 42 Someone Cares Atlanta P: 40 Something New P: 18 Southwire P: 21 SpayGeorgia P: 12-13 Spiritual Living Center P: 23 Springer Wellness and Restorative Health R: FREE Starz R: 23–24 State Farm P: 8 Stonewall Bar Association P: 2-3 Strongest Link G: 70 Stuzo Clothing G: 40-41 SunTrust P: 22 Suzette Morrison P: 37 T-Mobile Y: 25 Tettleton Agency-Farmers Insurance P: 25 The Change Project R: 1-2 The Coca-Cola Company P: 39 The Crazy Vinyl Lady P: 30 The Gathering Place Y: 7 The Hairy Bastard Y: 15-16 The Health Initiative B: 46 The Honey Pot P: 10 The J Subset Y: 36 The Last Straw B: 41 The LGBT Therapists Resource B: 18 The LITE Trans Health Study B: 48 The Trevor Project P: 14 The Vape Café P: 34 The Village

B: 10-11 This Free Life O: 31 TomboyX G: 58 Trans Housing Authority P: 44 Trancending Barriers O: 35–36 TreeHug Trading Co. B: 22 Tribal Son Inc G: 3 True You (Katie Leikam, LCSW) G: 44-46 truth R: 41 Turner P: 43 Twuktrunks P: 36 UGA Health and Behavior Program R: 39 UPS O: 18 Urban Tree Cider P: 26 US Canine Y: 26 USA Sunglasses G: 84-85 Vacation Getaways R: GATE Vehicle R: 25 Verizon B: 24 Veterans Crisis Line B: 21-22 ViiV Healthcare O: 14 VmWare R: 40 Walgreens Y: 19 Vision Group Holdings/ LASIK Vision O: 20-21 We The People B: 1-2 We The People Y: 17 Wear It Clothing O: 2 WellStar P: 41 Whispering Oaks Campground O: 19 Wicked Weed P: 27 Wilderness Network of Ga. Y: 27 WMI G: 78 YIP and More *All Listings as of Oct. 3, 2018.

If you can’t find the booth you are looking for, look for volunteers in orange shirts roaming the park.

78 Pride October 12, 2018 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Brian Kemp BAD FOR LGBTQ GEORGIANS. BAD FOR BUSINESS.

How do you speak to the LGBT community?

Through the publications they know and trust.

Brian Kemp would sign anti-LGBTQ legislation, including “religious freedom” legislation that would legalize discrimination against Georgians and drive businesses away from our state.

STACEY ABRAMS

STANDS UNITED WITH THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY AGAINST RFRA GEORGIADEMOCRAT.ORG/VOTE

Representing the “best of the best” in LGBT media, with over a million readers weekly in print and online.

212-242-6863 info@nationallgbtmediaassociation.com www.nationallgbtmediaassociation.com

Questions about Voting? Call the Voter Protection Hotline at 1-888-730-5816.

Early Vote Begins Oct. 15. Mandatory Saturday Voting on Oct. 27.

Election Day is Nov. 6.

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PRIDE

Pride Before It Was Popular Compilation via Reddit In the late ’60s and early ’70s, my Canadian high school made sure our existence went unspoken, never taught, and kept invisible.

Being different was survivable if no-one called you out on your flavour of “different.” I was lucky: My Dad was a cop and knew about such things, and we lived in a large city where underground cultures thrived, good and bad.

But outside of those core neighbourhoods, there was seemingly no LGBT presence — if you didn’t look with knowing eyes. I existed. I knew from Dad that I wasn’t unique. I knew of a boy a few streets over who was gay, and some people knew about me. I knew of adult clubs I could enter during daylight hours (after school, which was right downtown) to talk to the staff and entertainers. So there were “out” people, too. Those performers taught me more life skills than all my professors ever did. This was before the internet, but I read every book in the libraries I could find. Semi-pornographic little ‘zine booklets were available in dirty book shops, if I was lucky enough to find any (they’d import maybe a half-dozen from American publishers, and they were often seized at the border). But I had a few, and they had some factual articles and real-life letters.

Real gold.

There were raids (one at a club I went to some afternoons), arrests, names in the paper alongside mentions of “lewd conduct,” shaming men and ruining their lives. Never women. The papers pretended lesbians didn’t exist. My Dad started showing me those small articles when I was still very young as a warning, even though he let me go to the clubs after school. There were beatings and killings, too, gay bashers, mostly of prostitutes, but sometimes just men walking, or same-sex couples in the open or even at home — men and women. The ’60s and ’70s were bad times that way. Pride was just starting in Canada, just 80 Pride October 12, 2018

the minority. I also know that our invisibility contributed to the AIDS epidemic, a disease we never knew existed until it had spread. So many gay men kept themselves apart from the community, just dropping in for nights in the clubs, hooking up for sex, and then leaving, anonymous. They had lives outside that they protected, or no lives at all … just fear. I had friends who got sick in ’82 and ’83. WE never knew what killed them. The disease never had a name except ‘pneumonia,’ or ‘skin cancer.’

When AIDS was named it blew the community apart, everyone choosing a camp.

Some isolated themselves, some organized politically, or to set up care cooperatives, raised funds, or started self-educating about safer sex and whatnot.

The clubs all changed or closed from lack of business, or became ‘tea houses’ compared to what they’d been before. Our culture changed.

It led to the public learning that we existed, as good and bad as that was. But since we were in the public eye, we spoke out. Discriminatory laws were questioned, homophobia was called out for what it was. The Pride movement and AIDS activists and other civil rights groups began to compare notes and cooperate. AIDS treatments and research were pushed by our communities. Even the psychiatric ‘labels’ that had empowered discrimination were changed.

We — all of us — voted in representatives who changed the system. I was bullied, I was scared out of my wits sometimes! I was harassed on the street, but I made it through it all without any physical scars.

hate). There are still homophobic assholes being elected, and still laws and governments that need voting out.

Overall it’s much better now. But there were times in the late ’70s and early ’80s that were absolute heaven.

– Redditor A40 I’m not “old old” — only in my 30s — but I definitely distinctly remember being gay before the recent decade or so when it became much more acceptable to be publicly “out.” Specifically: My middle school and high school years were in the late ’90s to early ’00s. Resources were not easy to come by. I basically thrived off of reading memoirs and stories of other gay people, none of which could be found in my school libraries or in my local. I had to order them in through inter-library loan and met with plenty of disapproval from a few of the older librarians there that it wasn’t material “suitable” for a teenager. Resources are easier to come by now, but there is a lot of pushback.

My local library has a great YA LGBT collection but has faced down attempts from “concerned parents” about either removing the materials, censoring them, or making them require parental permission to check out.

I also buried five close friends.

I have one friend who is healthy though living with HIV for 44 years. He’s alive because the AIDS community shared information about treatments. There are still gay bashers. There is still religious hate (it’s not “intolerance” — it’s deliberate, knowing propaganda and

We’re still afraid of hate crimes. This doesn’t go away. My husband and I don’t hold hands in public for this reason.

Hiding was definitely a key aspect of gay life (and still is). In the McCarthy days, homosexuality was one of the things that

was used to turn lots of Federal government workers out of their jobs. In the heights of the AIDS crisis, being outed as gay was enough for you to be turned out of housing or denied insurance under the presumption that you’d eventually get AIDS. In a lot of places even today we can be fired for being gay or kicked out of our houses.

– Redditor Mariscachan Being bi in the ’80s did not mean you were cool, flexible, evolved, or woke. It meant the straight people didn’t see you as “belonging” any more, and the gay people didn’t want to welcome you into their fold either. Straight men were suspicious that you’d get into a relationship with them only to bail for a lezzie the moment they weren’t “understanding and sensitive” enough — except for the guys who only hung out because they were hoping for a threesome.

Fully lesbian women didn’t want to get involved because what if it’s just a phase?

Both men and women saw you as a conquest: “Ahh, I’ll be the one who’s man/woman enough make her give up the other side!”

And some of the older gay folks — who’d truly been on the barricades at times/places like Stonewall — harbored this resentment that you didn’t get it about fear or selfloathing or discrimination, because you could always opt out.

It was like being half-Jewish, and not being allowed in either country club, combined with survivor’s guilt. And all of it was actually pretty much true/understandable.

— Redditor JapaneseKnotWeed www.thegeorgiavoice.com

PRIDE

Downtown: The Future of LGBTQ Atlanta Ashleigh Atwell In early September, Keith Young and Hoosh Mishu announced they would be opening a new club — Future — in Underground Atlanta. The pair co-owns Xion and Young is co-owner of Midtown Tavern. He told recent media that he wanted our downtown area to be the epicenter of LGBTQ culture.

“I come from Pittsburgh, and downtown is everything; everything happens downtown,” Young said. “To me, the future of Atlanta is shifting to that area. Ever since we started working on this deal down there, so much has happened in the past six months — it’s just totally changing.”

At a superficial level, this seems promising.

Underground is very accessible compared to other parts of the city. It’s a straight shot up the freeway for folks who live outside the perimeter and it sits in the middle of all of the MARTA lines.

When I started college in 2008, there used to be a few hole-in-the-wall clubs that were dingy but good enough for a quick turn-up when I needed to escape the pressures of academia. When those 82 Pride October 12, 2018

clubs left, Underground became a ghost town.

The resurrection of its nightlife is a thrilling prospect but the skeptic in me is cautious.

I was born in Atlanta and raised on the East side. I have sat through many announcements that promised to revitalize the city for all of its residents and usually, I’m left disappointed.

The new developments are usually targeted toward people who can afford to pay $2000/ month for a studio apartment and spend their disposable income on overpriced appetiz(whoops) “tapas.”

The scrappier, browner parts of the LGBTQ community aren’t usually in the room when these decisions are made. We can’t afford to be because we’re too busy surviving. When we manage to carve spaces for ourselves, they’re already snatched up.

In April, we lost the Mammal Gallery, Murmur, and Eyedrum to a fatal fire, and to developers who were unwilling to work with the burgeoning arts scene. Writer Jacob Chisenhall’s summary of this loss is painfully accurate.

“It finally felt like part of downtown Atlanta belonged to the people. Now just seeing not

one, but all three of these venues being quashed out at the same time, [that part is] taken away,” Chisenhall told The Signal. “People are just trying to survive and give people a space to share their various forms of art, which is really noble and honorable … I don’t think that the developers care about that at all.”

While the community was recovering from that damage, we lost Matt Jones, Monte Qarlo, and Kiwan Benson. Those three souls were living, breathing testaments to the artistry and innovation that comes from Atlanta DIY queer and trans community.

They published words, gave life to visuals, and sang songs that did not win a Pulitzer, hit a best-seller list, or some other bougie white milestone, but they made an indelible mark on this city. When they died, the community was engulfed with grief. I barely knew them as people but I know their art.

Atlanta cannot afford to lose anymore of its culture. The energy that created greats like Outkast, T.I., and Donald Glover is being decimated by construction, gentrification, and displacement. The grit of the Underground should not be discarded for generic techno music and over-priced, watered-down drinks.

If Future wants to live up to its name, it should interact with the whole community.

Young said he wanted to work with other venues instead of competing with them.

“We’re going to work with Heretic, work around their schedule,” he said. “So, the nights that they have something big, maybe that’s the night that we rent the club out to somebody else and collect income that way instead of trying to fight for the same crowd.”

That is a great idea and an even greater idea is ensuring creators of all income levels would be able to use the space. My Sister’s Room already does this by offering one of their levels for free to interested parties. That’s one way to reach out and establish our trust. Another way they can help the scene out is being intentional about booking musicians, drag queens, artists, DJs, and other creative folks of color. They’re often left fighting for scraps and a new venue filling that void would be ideal.

Those are a couple of ideas I have for Future.

Hopefully, they can prove me wrong and do right by this community. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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HIGH MUSEUM OF ART ATLANTA

ART+YOU Refreshed. Reimagined. Revealed.

Visit our reinstalled permanent collection galleries for a new experience at the High Museum of Art. With old favorites, new acquisitions, and previously stored artworks now on view, the redesigned collection embraces growth and diversity while creating dynamic and engaging experiences for visitors. It’s Art + You. 1 2 8 0 P E A C H T R E E S T R E E T, N . E . , AT L A N TA | H I G H . O R G | # H I G H M U S E U M Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Cadmium), 1984, purchase in honor of Lynne Browne, President of the Members Guild, 1992–1993, with funds from Alfred Austell Thornton in memory of Leila Austell Thornton and Albert Edward Thornton., Sr., and Sarah Miller Venable and William Hoyt Venable, 1993.3. © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat/ADAGP, Paris/ARS, New York 2018/Photo by James Schoomaker, 204 Studios. Harry Callahan, Eleanor, Chicago (detail), 1947, purchase with funds from the H. B. and Doris Massey Charitable Trust, Dr. Robert L. and Lucinda W. Bunnen, Collections Council Acquisition Fund, Jackson Fine Art, Powell, Goldstein, Frazer and Murphy, Jane and Clay Jackson, Beverly and John Baker, Roni and Sid Funk, Gloria and Paul Sternberg, and Jeffery L. Wigbels, 1997.7. © Harry Callahan, Courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York/Photo by Mike Jensen. Nellie Mae Rowe, What It Is, 1981, gift of Judith Alexander, 2003.215. Joseph Stella, Purissima (detail), 1927, purchase with funds from Harriet and Elliott Goldstein and High Museum of Art Enhancement Fund, 2000.206. Mende Artist, Sierra Leone, Mask, gift of Bernard and Patricia Wagner, 2006.227. Mary Cassatt, Sketch of a Mother Looking Down at Thomas (detail), ca. 1893, gift of Jacqueline and Matt Friedlander, 2005.277.

GA Voice_fall2018_art+you ad.indd 1

10/8/18 2:01 PM

FEATURE

House Party: Kid N’ Playin’ Aidan Edwards Sure, partying out in civilization has its perks.

You won’t break your things, your stepfather Todd doesn’t drink all the tequila, someone will make your drinks for you, and talking to strangers can be an opportunity to share your profound wisdom with other party-goers, or hear a story that comes at the perfect time in your life. That’s why we’re told not to talk to strangers while growing up — all that intellect can fire up a revolution.

However, sometimes the networking of intoxicated ideas can be problematic. You also have to shell out cash if things break, Todd can still follow you to every bar, you can get into trouble for peeing in the alleyway, and certain strangers want to talk to you about their love for ferrets over the blaring sound of Cher’s “Believe.”

That’s why you party in the comfort of your own home. You can choose the music, invite the number of people you want, ask Todd 86 Feature October 12, 2018

to leave for the third time, make ramen noodles, and most importantly, your cats are allowed to be there. (They never let my orange tabby into the bar with me.) Here, I got some ideas for you.

THE PLAYLIST: SOPHIE - Ponyboy This Scottish producer knows how to whip up an electronic masterpiece, which has led her to produce for the biggest names in rap.

She recently released her debut album; it’s a masterpiece. This track is erratic and damn, does it thump.

Rico Nasty - Ice Cream Brooklyn Boss Rico Nasty spits infernos over Kenny Beats Nintendo bit melody with non-stop ticking hi-hats and the 808 that makes you want to break the law.

Dave B. & Sango I Rhymed King with King Seattle reppin’ rapper Dave B ignites over Sango’s beat that samples ATL’s Da Brat’s

2000 song “That’s What I’m Looking For.” Crash Course In Science - Flying Turns Philly post-punk legends know how to make a dance track that sounds made with toys, well, because they do. And it’s amazing.

79.5 - Terrorize My Heart (Disco Dub) The original is a catchy simple R&B song that reflects 79.5’s talent extremely well. But this disco dub, oh my God. It will be stuck in your head, and you will love it.

THE GRUB: Bangin’ Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers � whole jalapeno peppers � 6 oz cream cheese � 1 green onion finely minced � 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder � 1.5 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded � 12 slices bacon Directions 1.) Cut the stem off each jalapeno (obviously)

and cut in half lengthwise.

2.) Scrape them seeds out unless you want that burn.

3.) Combine some cream cheese, green onion, garlic powder, and cheddar cheese.

Stuff that into the jalapeno halves.

4.) Wrap each jalapeno entirely with bacon.

5.) Then stab ’em with toothpicks.

You can grill them or bake them.

To grill them, just sear them and flip them over.

To bake them, do 425 for 20 minutes.

BEVERAGE: The (underrated) French 75 � 1 oz gin (Bombay Sapphire for a kick) � 3 oz champagne � 1/2 ounce of simple syrup � 1/2 ounce of lemon juice Directions Shake, pour, garnish with a lemon — or a lemon twist, if ya fancy. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

2018-2019 S E A S O N AWC: Holidays Together DECEMBER 13 & 16, 2018

What says “holidays” better than AWC’s beautiful music and looking at the world through the eyes of children? We welcome Ford Elementary Chorus (12/13) and Atlanta Music Project Chorus (12/16) as our special guests.

AWC: Nature’s Voice MARCH 23, 2019

AWC ushers in spring with music that honors Mother Nature. Inspired by spring showers bringing May flowers and summer sunshine that warms the soul, join us for music that celebrates the beauty all around us in nature.

AWC: Legendary!

JUNE 8, 2019

Female icons of the music world thrill us all! Come celebrate some of the most powerful female legends the world has ever known with the AWC’s entertaining close to the season. It’s sure to be Legendary!

Season subscriptions can be purchased at www.voicesofnote.org or by calling (404) 320-1030

AGMC: Holly, Jolly & Gay 38TH Annual Holiday Concert DECEMBER 7 & 8, 2018

The holiday concert that is an Atlanta tradition! Share the magic of the season with the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus as we bring you beautiful music to warm your heart.

AGMC: Sound Off! APRIL 5 & 6, 2019

From politics to social media, current events to the power of music, there’s a lot to Sound Off about. Come hear the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus Sound Off in the way only a gay men’s chorus can do!

AGMC: I See You JUNE 21 & 22, 2019

AGMC looks beyond the stereotypes to see the beauty in all of us. Through music we will see and celebrate each other in new and meaningful ways.

Sponsored By:

Funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and is supported in part by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Written by Christina Ham | Directed by Michele Shay September 25 - October 21 Southwest Arts Center SKELETON CREW Written by Dominque Morisseau

Directed by Jamil Jude

Feb 12 - Mar 10, 2019

EAST TEXAS HOT LINKS Written by Eugene Lee Directed by Eugene Lee

July 16 - Aug 11, 2019

WWW.TRUECOLORSTHEATRE.ORG | 1.877.725.8849

ENTERTAINMENT COCA-COLA STAGE NISSAN PARTNERS OF PROGRESS STAGE HEINEKEN STAGE BEBE REXHA, MIKE POSNER, CECE PENISTON, MADISON BEER ADA VOX, DJ JOHN MICHAEL, LOGAN HENDERSON MICHEL JONS BAND, STARLIGHT CABARET, DJ TRACY YOUNG BRYCE VINE, SOCIAL HOUSE, AJ MITCHELL, RAHBI AFRICAN SPACE PROGRAM, BRODY RAY, HEATHER MAE LILY ROSE, CHELSEA SHAG, MICHELE MALONE SHOOTING STARS CABARET, QUEER YOUR GENDER DANCE PARTY SWEET TEA, OUT FRONT THEATRE, EXQUISITE GENDER ALISSAH BROOKS, J. TAYLOR, DANII ROUNDTREE, J LINE

FOR THE FULL TALENT LINEUP AND SCHEDULE, PLEASE VISIT ATLANTAPRIDE.ORG/ENTERTAINMENT

OCTOBER12-14,2018 atlantapride.org

A&E

ADA VOX

ROX

(WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY SHE WAS CHOSEN TO TEAR UP THE STAGE AT IN THE PARK.) Ashleigh Atwell Adam Sanders auditioned for “American Idol” over a dozen times before he struck gold as Ada Vox. The 24-year-old San Antonio native went from the verge of homelessness to national stardom. She is currently touring her ass off and will headline Atlanta Pride on October 14. Georgia Voice spoke to Vox about her plans for the future, her Idol experience, and the tea on her love life.

How did you become Ada Vox? I was on “American Idol,” season 12, and I made it to the top 50 as Adam. I was exposed to a lot of things that I wasn’t exposed to before such as the huge thing that is the LGBTQPOC community. I didn’t know we had Pride, clubs, bars, and things geared toward people like myself. I stayed busy in school and activities [so] I never got out and I never did anything. I never had any experience with any of this so after that, I was invited to perform at San Antonio Pride. That was the first time I had ever been to Pride and it was the first time I had ever seen a drag queen.

I was kind of thrown into the middle of everything all at once. It was a lot of fun and it was a crazy experience. But when I showed up, I was watching the main stage and I saw these girls. None of them were singing live and I was like, “What is going on here?”

I thought, “This is something I could look into and I could sing live. I’m going to give it a shot and see what happens.” For the next two years, I auditioned for “American Idol” and tried to get another shot at it but it just wasn’t working out.

Every time I auditioned, which was 13 times over the course of eight years, I was told I wasn’t marketable enough, I didn’t have a good image, or my voice didn’t match the way I looked — it all revolved around the way that I looked. So, I said, “You know what? Maybe it’s time for a change.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 92

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

October 12, 2018 A&E 91

A&E

ADA XOX

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 91 When I turned 21, I was like, “Let’s try this little drag thing.” I started playing in makeup and started performing as Miss Ada so I could move my career forward. In the music industry, we always have some type of gimmick or some type of schtick to really stand out. I guess she was kind of born out of that necessity. I became Ada and saw that I could do a lot more things.

People see me in a different way when I’m onstage so I took it and ran with it.

How has life changed since you did “American Idol” as Ada? I have not stopped working. It’s been an absolute whirlwind. My own tour began on May 26. The Idol finale was on May 21. I did the finale, came home, and was there for two days before I flew out to start my tour — I haven’t gotten a break since Idol.

Right now, I’m sitting at the end of a little vacation I requested because after Idol, work was just exhausting. I was performing and touring the country and the world. It gets tiring. I requested a little two-week vacation for myself. I get right back to work this next week. Right now, I am booked and blessed, honey, and I’m enjoying every minute of it. My life has completely changed. A yearand-a-half ago, before Idol, I was battling homelessness. I don’t have to worry about that anymore. It’s not even a thought in my mind. I’m able to help myself and the people I love, and I’m able to live my dream while doing it. I couldn’t be more thankful.

Do you feel any pressure or obligation to be a role model for the LGBTQ community?

That’s an interesting question. I think everyone has different viewpoints. My personal view is people in the spotlight are under no obligation to be role models unless they have built a platform off being a role model. This is the entertainment industry and our job is to entertain. Our jobs are not to say, “Hey, look at me! I’m just wonderful person, do what I do, and say what I say.”

However, I have done my best to use my platform [for] positivity. I like to look at myself as someone who can be a wonderful role model.

I would like to maintain that throughout my career. However, I do not think that people in the entertainment industry are under any obligation to act as role models. The choice I have made is to be one.

92 A&E October 12, 2018

How do you identify?

I’m a boy!

What is your coming-out story?

I don’t think I have one. I never really had to hide who I was. I was not a kid who played in makeup or wore my mom’s shoes. I’ve always been expressive through my music and my artistry. I was never prancing around in heels or dresses. I never did that as a child.

I don’t think [my sexuality] was an issue. I don’t think I ever had to come out. I just lived my life as my genuine self and I didn’t care what anyone else thought.

How’s your relationship with your family?

Is it good?

Yeah! Of course they had their issues at the very beginning, but they know what’s going on. I was lead clarinet player in the band. I was a singer and I was in theater. I was dancing and having fun. I was a little flamboyant.

They were afraid for me more than anything as any family members or parents would be. They were a little more protective of me when I started getting into high school but it was for my safety. In all, I think being Ada was a shocker to them. Obviously, that isn’t something you expect right off the bat. At first, I think my grandma was scared of Ada (laughs). Before I got pretty, I was interesting.

I think the drag thing scared them more than

anything. It took a little bit longer for them accept that. My sexuality was never really an issue and I’m very thankful for that.

I see you have a boyfriend. How do you balance your obligations with your love life?

Thankfully, he gets to travel with me to most of my gigs. I said, “Hey we’re going to do this. I’m going to work my ass off. We’re going to make a lot of money and we’re going to have a good life.”

I said, “Now I’m going to give you an option: You can work for me or you can have a nice life.”

He was like, “Is that really a question?” I was like, “You can work for me or we can travel together but your job is to be my road manager. You’re going to be carrying my bags, you’re basically my assistant.” I was going to have an assistant whether it was him or someone else because traveling on the road is not easy especially, as a drag queen.

You have to do everything by yourself. You have to carry your suitcases, you got your wigs, your nails and your eyelashes, your everything! When you’re in full drag, do you think you will want to carry all of your stuff, by yourself, in your heels and gown? It’s too much. Then you have deal with gigs on your own and be like, “Where’s my money? Why haven’t I gotten paid? Where’s the person

who supposed help me backstage?”

Now, I can sit in the back and get ready while that all of that is handled. I don’t have to worry about all of that extra nonsense. I can focus on me and my performance. We worked it out to where we get to spend a lot of time with each other and we’re enjoying it. Like next month, we have a gig in Hawaii and we’re going to be there for a few days so that’ll be a lot of fun. That’s a place we’ve always talked about visiting.

Do you have any new projects?

I still have many tour dates. I’m staying active, getting out in the public, and meeting new people. I’m enjoying that. I have a couple of years of that booked already. I’m going into the studio to work on a single.

This one is going to be a little bit more me in terms of a throwback R&B love-song type of thing. That’s something I really like and it’s going to be more of that. I would like to do a short little Christmas album. I love love love Christmas and I think that would be a fun thing to do. We will see what happens. I’m trying to stay working as much as possible and not turning down any opportunities.

Work is work and a blessing is a blessing.

You can catch Ada Vox at Atlanta Pride on the Coca-Cola stage on Sunday, October 14. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Nov 3, 6, 9, 11, 2018 Cobb Energy Centre Based on a conception of JEROME ROBBINS Book ARTHUR LAURENTS Music LEONARD BERNSTEIN Lyrics STEPHEN SONDHEIM

atlantaopera.org | 404-881-8885

The Carlos Family in Honor of Thalia N. Carlos Presents

Join us for a brand-new, breakthrough production of The Nutcracker Choreographed by Yuri Possokhov with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s beloved score.

December 8th -24th at the Fox Theatre Visit atlantaballet.com/nutcracker or call 1.855.285.8499 Groups of 10+, email groupsales@atlantaballet.com or call 404.873.5811 x1207.

Sponsors

The Sara Giles Moore Foundation

Costume Sketches by Sandra Woodall

NIGHTLIFE

So Many Choices

MIDTOWN MOON FILE PHOTO

A SAMPLING OF ATL NIGHTLIFE Aidan Ivory Edwards Atlanta is nationally known for its diverse nightlife, a scene that has never identified with prudence nor begged for anyone’s attention. It’s come naturally with its numerous cultures, rapid progressiveness, and still holding true to its Southern roots while holding the gritty charm of the city. And of course, strip clubs, which are (don’t get me wrong) great, but merely a single layer of the cake. We have endless options of places where we can decompress after a long week at the office, celebrate a critical achievement, mingle with a few friends or strangers, or just let loose. Atlanta’s got you.

You can keep it low key at a hole in the wall, shake your ass in a bass-drum-thumping venue, treat yourself to the finer things at a bar with an innovative (pretentious) drink menu, or revisit your wild, reckless days. The LGBTQ bar scene is phenomenal and a heavyweight contender amongst all the scenes in this country. Here are just a few of the hot spots to visit.

THE HERETIC If you’re looking to dance with a mix of shirtless and light leather crowds, the Heretic is definitely the place to go. You’ll find a diverse mix on weekends with heavy beats from guest DJs from around the country. It’s a butch bunch, but you’ll find all types scattered about the Heretic’s labyrinth layout. 3-Legged Cowboy dancing on Thursdays draws out the ladies, too.

FRIENDS ON PONCE This legendary ATL bar isn’t called the friendliest gay bar in Atlanta for nothing. Its name reflects its atmosphere. Those who are suckers for a low-lit venue that has a jukebox, booze, pool, and a bartender who’s more than happy to tell you what they’re thinking, this is the place to be. It resides on Ponce; just a block past Ponce City Market. They are more than happy to get you sauced starting at 2pm every day. (Also: Our condolences to friends and fam of Lewis Covington, who ran 96 Nightlife October 12, 2018

the joint for a good many years. He passed on the 6th of September. Stop in and show some love for Lewis, maybe buy a round in his honor. His spirit deserves it.)

MARY’S Mary’s has been the hip bar of choice for altgays and self-proclaimed queers for several years. Proudly called East Atlanta’s gay dive bar, don’t miss Mary-oke held every Tuesday and Saturday evening, and massive theme parties almost every weekend.

MIDTOWN MOON Occupying the former space of Burkhart’s, this place has surpassed the magical chemistry between its guests and the overall love for company. It’s an all-around location that has a place for you if you want to dance, to talk privately, or to feel melded between your surroundings. If you’re going to call it an early night, a late evening, or an early morning, Midtown Moon leaves you with all these options.

BULLDOG’S This venue located right in the heart of Midtown has a reputation for its stiff mixed drinks, unfettered personalities, and trap music bouncing off its walls. This bar has catered to the black gay community for years.

If you’re looking to socialize, hear people tell you how it is, and let go of your inhibitions, then this is your cup of whiskey. A lot of guests are just there to dance. If you want an unforgettable experience, I’d recommend grabbing a round or five at this joint.

TEN ATLANTA I have been living in Atlanta for roughly seven years, five of those being by Piedmont Park. I can’t recall a weekend where I haven’t seen Ten on Piedmont Avenue completely packed — whether it be a drag show, a DJ laying down house beats, or just conversation over cocktails. It’s a hot spot nonetheless, and you’re just a block away from our beautiful Piedmont Park. You also have the option of indoor or outdoor seating. But the weather

keeps the party outside, and it most certainly will on Pride Weekend.

MY SISTER’S ROOM (MSR) SPORTS BAR & GRILL Now in Midtown, MSR is the longestrunning lesbian bar in the Atlanta area, with nightly events that cross musical genres and performances. Non-smoking with a sportsthemed menu and a fun patio. Open Monday to Friday after 5pm and Saturday and Sunday after noon. Over 21 after 8pm nightly.

MIXX Atlanta’s premier video venue hosts three different lounges for socializing with friends or hosting a party or an event. “Chill” on weeknights with piano night on Tuesdays and other weekly events, then “Sizzle” with DJs Fridays through Sundays.

BJ ROOSTERS Just your friendly neighborhood gay bar that features pool, darts, videos, and an eclectic handful of go-go boys on the bar and milling about. As they do.

MODEL T Atlanta’s favorite little neighborhood bar.

Come out for weekly events like poker and karaoke. Enjoy billiards, video games, or play a favorite song on the jukebox as the bar sings along. Known for its friendly atmosphere, great drinks, and good times, it’s “always a party.”

ATLANTA EAGLE The home of Atlanta’s leather community for more than 30 years, this is where masters, slaves, daddies, bears, and cubs dance in the den. There’s a leather shop on site for all of your naughty needs.

BLAKE’S ON THE PARK Blake’s is a must for the popped-collar pretty boy. There’s not much of a dance floor, but that doesn’t stop the party. Blake’s attracts a beautiful mix of men of all ages, a fair number of women, and boasts some of the city’s most legendary drag queens. Conveniently located just off Piedmont Park.

WOOFS Atlanta’s only gay sports bar, Woofs hosts a pretty regular bear crowd with little elbow room on game days. The weekly line-up includes trivia, poker, sports on 21 screens, pool, darts, and a popular menu of bar grub. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

w e i v e th

S R I A T S UP MIE E R P N STER A E H T U SO

Journey back to the Upstairs Lounge and see what has been gained and lost in the fight for equality.

RE!

Oct. 25 Nov. 10, 2018

Tickets: $15 and up

www.OutFrontTheatre.com

UL F T H INSIG E V I T A V O N N I E V I S U INCL

the

ethel merman disco christmas spectacular WORLD PREMIERE!

Imagining what Ethel Merman’s unaired 1979 Christmas television special would be like.

December 6 — 22, 2018

Tickets: $15 and up

www.OutFrontTheatre.com

Atlanta's LGBTQIA+ Theatre Also this season: Porcelain FEB 7 - 23, 2019

I Am My Own Wife MAR 15 - 30, 2019

The Secretaries MAY 2 - 18, 2018

Tickets and more at: OutFrontTheatre.com

MUSIC

Culture Queens From “Kissing to Be Clever” to “Don’t Mind If I Do,” Culture Club (now known as Boy George & Culture Club) have endured over the past 30 years. And now with their highly anticipated release “Life,” which drops October 26, we take a look back at the band’s albums of the past.

COLOUR BY NUMBERS

• Is the third album which was released October 25, 1984 • The album saw a decline in sales of 5 million worldwide • Reached No. 25 on the US Billboard Chart • Features the singles “The War Song,” and “Mistake No. 3”

KISSING TO BE CLEVER

• Their debut album was released in late 1982 • The album has reportedly sold over 5 million copies worldwide • Features hit singles “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” “Time (Clock of the Heart),” and “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya”

COLOUR BY NUMBERS

• Their sophomore album was released October 1983 • The album has sold more than 16 million copies worldwide • Reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Chart • Features hit singles “Church of the Poison Mind,” “Karma Chameleon,” “Miss Me Blind,” and “It’s a Miracle” 100 Music October 12, 2018

FROM LUXURY TO HEARTACHE

• The album was released March 1986 • Reached No. 32 on the US Billboard Chart • Features the single “Move Away” • Within a year of this release, the band broke up and Boy George started his solo career

FROM LUXURY TO HEARTACHE

• The fifth album was the first endeavor after the reformation of the band and released November 22,1999 • The album was only released in Europe and Japan • Features the single “I Just Wanna Be Loved” www.thegeorgiavoice.com

ACTING OUT

Keira Knightley Finds Lady Love in “Colette” Jim Farmer

Wash Westmoreland can’t help but feel bittersweet over the new movie he has directed. His “Colette,” starring Keira Knightley as influential writer Sidonie Gabrielle Colette, was a pet project of Westmoreland’s late husband, Richard Glatzer, who passed away three years ago.

“Making this allowed me to stay close to him,” Westmoreland says. “It was a project we worked on for so many years. It was, in a way, a dream project.” He and Glatzer share screenplay credits with Rebecca Lenkiewicz.

Knightley’s central character, after marrying Parisian writer Willy (Dominic West) in 1893, is taken from her home in rural France to Paris. Her husband persuades Colette to be a ghostwriter for him, and she creates a somewhat autobiographical novel dealing with a country girl called Claudine. It becomes widely beloved. Eventually, Colette grows tired of being in her husband’s shadow and finds herself — as well as her attraction to women. Denise Gough, a recent TonyAward-nominee for “Angels in America,” plays Missy, who begins an affair with Colette.

Westmoreland didn’t know much about Colette before the project came up. Glatzer was reading some of her work and thought it would make a terrific feature film. “We became excited about her as a personality, her as a writer, and her astonishing life decisions,” Westmoreland says. “He had a Ph.D. in literature and he knew the broad parameters of the story. The more you learn, the more fascinating it becomes. Her story is well known in France but not well known internationally. We thought doing an English language version would bring it a whole new audience. What we didn’t foresee is how timely it would be. What Colette and Willy deal with is bang-on the cultural conversation at the moment after the #MeToo movement, using various 102 Columnists October 12, 2018

DETAILS

“Colette” Opens Sept. 28 in metro area theaters

psychological and sexual weapons to keep a woman down, claiming her work was his own. A lot has changed in a 100 years and a lot hasn’t.”

The author always wrote about what she experienced. “She grew up in the countryside and was very connected to nature and animals and plants and seasons … that is what is very present in her writing,” Westmoreland says. “She felt that way about sexuality as well. She thought anything she was feeling was natural. She took that as her ruling principle over and above the social morays of the bourgeois Parisian society of the time. She started to explore her sexuality and feeling towards women and had several affairs with women, but we focus on one.”

Missy was a woman who identified as a

man, embraced masculinity, and used male and female pronouns, says Westmoreland.

“It was an embryonic stage of transgender identity. Colette was deeply in love with her and it affected her world view.”

Both Willy and Missy were essential to Colette’s growth, but Colette was starting to test the boundaries of her marriage when she met Missy. Missy was very much in touch with her authentic self and that encouraged Colette to look at her own life and make some changes, says Westmoreland. In 2001, when Westmoreland and Glatzer began the script, Knightley was just getting her acting start.

When the two saw “Pride and Prejudice,” however, they were affected by that. “A bit later, we thought of her,” says Westmoreland.

“We realized she had the intelligence and the sensuality and the wit. It was a perfect fit.”

Westmoreland hopes that the movie will bring its subject’s life to more people. “Colette lived large and wild and she was about her own personal freedom,” he says. “I hope this will get people talking about her.” www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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EATING MY WORDS

No Tex-Mex on the Menu? Caramba!

Cliff Bostock There’s barely an inch of intown Atlanta that hasn’t been deformed by “gentrification.”

Gentrifiers hate the word because it alludes to a prosperous class that drives traditionally poorer residents from their neighborhoods in order to create precious enclaves of privilege that don’t reach old-line Buckhead standards but exude the irresistible charm of over-priced Belt-Line beehives and arts-andcrafts bungalows. Every time I take notice of this, even as a Grant Park resident myself, I get hate mail. But I understand. The poor will always be with us … but better they be a bit farther away. Like in Jonesboro. Right?

I still do love Little Five Points and Candler Park, but, even there, the shabbiness is more studied than actual at this point. A perfect example is the Flying Biscuit on McLendon.

It opened over 20 years ago, catering to novice gentrifiers, and now it’s a chain. Directly across the street is Gato (1660 McLendon Ave.), which has long been less trendy in its weekday incarnation as an inconspicuous and very inexpensive breakfast-and-lunch diner. However, about eight years ago, the restaurant began hosting remarkable popup dinners Friday–Sunday nights. The most recent was Talat Market, which prepared brilliantly conceived “Georgia Thai” food for a year. The Talat people, who have been

106 Columnists October 12, 2018

lauded everywhere, are opening their own place next year in Summerhill.

Now, Gato owner/chef Nicholas Stinson is himself, taking over with “Gato Nights,” an exploration of regional, fairly complicated Mexican cuisines. Gracias a dios, his changing menu will be absent Tex-Mex dishes — even tacos, for that matter. Stinson began operation two weekends ago and my verdict is mainly good, with one notable exception. The menu included only six dishes. One, a tamale, was sold out. A few of the plates were readily shared, others not so much. So, you’re likely to spend $25–$30 per person. That includes no alcohol. It’s BYOB at Gato.

What’s good? My favorites were the two sortof-kind-of entrees. One was a lushly tender chicken leg and thigh cooked sous-vide, then set on the grill to brown and crisp the skin.

We enlivened the flavor with a dense salsa macha, typically made with fried chipotle peppers suspended in an oil. The rim of the plate was dusted with “burnt jalapeno powder” — a pale, slightly stinging novelty to me. Don’t sniff it. The chicken shared the plate with a rice that was almost risotto-like in its texture. Tear the chicken up and roll it into sunflower tortillas.

My next-favorite entrée was a small bowl of chunks of roasted pork shoulder over a delicious

green mole with multiple layers of clean flavors, further accented by slices of apple, avocado, and radishes. Roll the caramelized pork into bright orange achiote tortillas. I should note that this seems like a small portion until you grab a spoon and devour the mole like soup.

Speaking of soups, we also tried one with smoked oyster mushrooms. Despite the presence of cilantro-esque pipicha and slightly bitter epazote, the soup was nearly flavorless except for the ’shrooms. A better starter choice, quite enough for two, was an earthy dip made of ground pumpkin seeds.

The texture bordered on a weirdly wonderful grittiness. You dip into the stuff with strips of jicama, cucumber, and fried plantains.

Now, I’m sorry to say dessert, atole, was

one of the biggest misses I’ve eaten in a long time. It had the texture of dense but watery pudding with almond milk, pepper foam, and, I believe, ground corn. I can’t even begin to describe its unpleasant taste, which was underscored by an appearance that resembled … well, don’t ask.

I hate that our meal closed on that unpleasant note, because I think the rest of the food was good. Generally, however, the plating could be improved. My understanding is that Stinson will be integrating some of these dishes into his daytime menu. Let me know how you like it.

Cliff Bostock is a former psychotherapist now specializing in life coaching. Contact him at 404-518-4415 or CliffBostock@gmail.com.

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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BEST BETS Our Guide to the Best LGBTQ Events in Atlanta for October 12-25 FRIDAY, OCT. 12

SATURDAY, OCT. 13

It’s the biggest party in town. Atlanta Pride officially kicks off with its annual aquarium party.

Georgia Aquarium 7–11:30pm

Electric Circus brings Todrick Hall to My Sister’s Room as part of Atlanta Pride.

Southern Fried Queer Pride invites you out for a night of dancing, music, drag, and more. Come out to SUGAR SHACK, a queer pride dance party to celebrate Atlanta Pride in all its glory. Featuring performances by Dotte Comm, JayBella Banks, LaLa Ri, Micky Bee, Summer Solstice (Tk), and TAYLOR ALXNDR. DJ sets will be by Chel Xi, Gemynii (from NC/The Conjure), and Leonce (MORPH).

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SATURDAY, OCT. 13

The Diocese of Atlanta will have a float and a walking contingent in the Pride Parade. Sign up to carry a parish sign in the parade by going to this link: tinyurl.com/2018-Parade-Sign-Up. Stop by their booth in the park as well.

Twisted Soul celebrates October Pride with Drag Queen Brunch, with the likes of Amber Divine and Ms. Sandy Springs.

The all-you-can-eat-buffet is $25 not including gratuity.

11am–2:30pm It’s SEC Day at Woofs Atlanta. Check in at noon and watch football games all day long.

Join Miss Terra Cotta Sugarbaker for a special Pride edition of Drag Queen Storytime at the 48th Atlanta Pride Festival. Enjoy stories, crafts, and lots of fun. The event will be in the Family Fun Zone, hosted by Turner.

4pm at Piedmont Park Join your neighbors and friends to Light Up the Lake in Avondale Estates.

Kick off the night by displaying your lantern creations during the monthly ArtWalk that begins at 5pm, and later enjoy food and drink in downtown Avondale’s local restaurants or at several food vendors.

“Backstage & Other Stories” stars Terry Burrell, a hugely accomplished Broadway musical actress who resides in Roswell and performs for top theater companies around the country. Her

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Broadway credits include starring roles in major productions of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and “Dreamgirls.” “Backstage & Other Stories” is an evening of memories and melodies that offers a rare and candid glimpse of life as a performer on the Great White Way and will include special arrangements from Terry’s illustrious career, including tributes to Lena Horne, Barbra Streisand, Ethel Waters, Eartha Kitt, and Judy Garland.

Roswell Cultural Arts Center 8pm Get your ’80s Halloween Pride: Dead or Divine on tonight. It’s Atlanta’s only

’80s NewWave music video dance party.

Dance and watch music videos on multiple screens throughout the club. The event is hosted by DJ/VJ Anthony.

Amsterdam Atlanta 10pm Come out to Deep End tonight for the 2nd Annual BOTTOMS UP Drag Brunch + social. Organizers will be serving Bottomless Bloody Mary’s compliments of Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

The night includes a Lewk Photobooth, Brunch Bar Buffet, and performances by Brigitte Bidet, Molly Rimswell, and Taejah Thomas.

11pm–2am Electric Circus brings Todrick Hall to My Sister’s Room as part of Atlanta Pride.

SUNDAY, OCT. 14

Watch the Atlanta Pride parade in person today beginning at noon. It kicks off at Civic Center and weaves its way through to Piedmont Park.

MONDAY, OCT. 15

Keira Knightley stars in the lesbian-themed

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BEST BETS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 110 “Colette,” area theaters with various showtimes.

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.

Charis Books and More 7–8:30pm

THURSDAY, OCT. 18

Are you afraid of the dark? If not, take a gamble on Serenbe Playhouse’s “The Sleepy Hollow Experience” in an acclaimed new adaptation by artistic director Brian Clowdus. The spooky show continues its run tonight at 8 pm through November 4.

TUESDAY, OCT. 16

The adorable musical “School of Rock,” based on the successful Jack Black film, makes its Atlanta debut tonight at 7:30pm and runs through October 21.

Make your lunch break a networking opportunity and connect with business professionals, small business owners, job seekers, and community sponsors to expand your circle of influence and grow your business at Connecting Atlanta, a networking lunch by Metro Atlanta Association of Professionals (MAAP). Join MAAP at Ri Ra Irish Pub the third Tuesday of every month from 11:45am to 1pm for a networking lunch.

The event is limited to 20 participants. Preregister by emailing RiRaLunch@maapatl.org.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17

Join Southern Fried Queer Pride & Charis Books and More/Charis Circle for a screening of the Janelle Monae’s ‘emotionpicture’ “Dirty Computer” tonight.

The film will be followed by a discussion around its themes and its cinematography.

Charis Books and More 6:30–9:30pm Come out and enjoy Ruby Redd’s Birdcage Bingo tonight, with performances by The Belles with the Balls.

The Atlanta Hideaway 8:30 pm

THURSDAY, OCT. 18

Being out in the workplace can be difficult for some in the community, which is why MAAP wants to know: Are you out at work?

If so, what does this mean to you? And if not, why? How do you feel this impacts your work performance or opportunities to progress in your career? In honor of Spirit Day (don’t forget to wear purple!), today MAAP presents its second annual MAAP My Direction: Out in the Workplace educational panel.

For this event, organizers have gathered a diverse panel of LGBTQ individuals reflecting different areas of gender, age, race, education, sexual orientation, and culture.

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Come out to hear experiences that will not only inspire, but will also provide comfort and direction to our community.

Merchant e-Solutions 6–8pm Are you afraid of the dark? If not, take a gamble on Serenbe Playhouse’s “The Sleepy Hollow Experience” in an acclaimed new adaptation by artistic director Brian Clowdus. The spooky show continues its run tonight at 8pm through November 4.

FRIDAY, OCT. 19

The Auburn Avenue Research Library, in collaboration with Hammonds House Museum, presents a special screening event titled “Movement in Focus: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater” with a post-screening moderated

Q&A with Ailey II Artistic Director, Troy Powell. A reception will immediately follow.

6pm Midtown Moon hosts the rowdy Fierce Friday Fembots with Autumn Skyy, Lacie Bruce, and more.

Every Friday at midnight, it’s time to slip on those fishnets and makeup for the greatest live troupe in the city, Lips Down On Dixie, Inc., for a righteous party in front of the big screen for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

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SATURDAY, OCT. 20

In a setting that even Shakespeare himself couldn’t have imagined, the Alliance

Theatre will produce a whimsical, outdoor production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Atlanta Botanical Garden tonight, running through October 21.

7:30pm “Taboo: The Forbidden Show” is hosted by mistress of seduction Edie Cheezburger. “The Taboo Show” is a dirty late-night show for ages 21 and over.

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SUNDAY, OCT. 21

Now in its 28th year, AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run is a fun 3.2-mile run/walk through the historic Piedmont Park & Midtown Atlanta neighborhoods. A production of

CONTINUES ON PAGE 114 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

BEST BETS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 112 AID Atlanta, this is the largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser in the Southeast. Runners, walkers, and volunteers will be raising critically needed funds for nine participating local HIV/AIDS service organizations.

Piedmont Park 11am Lesbians Love Atlanta and Kia & Co.

present Free Sunday LGBTQ Tea Dance with drink specials and live music.

My Sister’s Room 4–8pm T-Time Atlanta Trans Youth holds their weekly meeting tonight at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. 7pm The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBTQ children meets

today at the Atlanta International School from 7:30–9pm.

BB&T Tower at Atlantic Station 9–11am

MONDAY, OCT. 22

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24

It’s All Music Monday with DJ Bill Berdeaux at Blakes on the Park.

TUESDAY, OCT. 23

The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) hosts its Membership Orientation.

TEN Atlanta will once again transform from a crowded dance club into a cozy NYC Cabaret for consecutive Wednesday nights tonight with Boys Night “OUT” on Broadway, a one-hour musical and comedy revue written by Broadway veteran performer Robert Ray. TEN Atlanta 7pm and 9pm

THURSDAY, OCT. 25

Do you want to read books by amazing Black women writers? Do you want to discuss works from a Black feminist perspective in a feminist bookstore?

Then the Black Feminist Book Club is for you. This month’s book is “Zami: A New Spelling of My Name” by Audre Lorde.

Charis Books and More 7–9pm

UPCOMING FRIDAY, OCT. 26

The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) hosts its Fourth Friday networking night from 5:30–7:30 pm at UPS. WUSSY returns for the 4th annual SHALLOWEEN Dance Party featuring Sasha Velour, winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9.” Come bump uglies with Atlanta’s undead weirdos and bring out your freakiest drag, spooky sadboys, trash queens, swamp kings, and velour-inspired couture. The night includes special spotlight performances from Edie Bellini, Dotte Com, Molly Rimswell, The House of Gunt, JayBella Banks, D’Knighten Dae, Mystery Meat, and Evah Destruction. Tonight’s DJ is Ressie Cups. The evening also features a costume contest with a fat cash prize.

The Heretic Atlanta 10pm

SATURDAY, OCT. 27

“Reykjavik” opens at Actor’s Express today. In this tour-de-force collision of sex and danger, playwright Steve Yockey propels us on a journey in which the supernatural is closer than we think.

Running now through November 18.

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CONTINUES ON PAGE 116 114 Best Bets October 12, 2018

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SATURDAY, OCT. 28

Emily Kinney plays at Eddie’s Attic tonight at 8pm.

Do you remember the old variety shows like “The Carol Burnett Show,” “The Muppet Show,” or “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour?” Did you/do you always dream of being in the audience and being a part of the show? Atlanta’s all LGBTQIA+-identifying comedy group, Queeriety, has just the show for you. Come see “The Queeriety Variety Show” on the last Saturday of every month. Each show will be jam-packed with improvisation, live sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, puppetry, and drag performances.

The Village Theater 11pm

SATURDAY, OCT. 28

Emily Kinney is a little too old to be daydreaming in the back of a classroom, soaked in unrequited love for a guitar player in a pop-punk band she used to watch on MTV, but on “Oh, Jonathan,” Kinney’s upcoming release, she just can’t seem to help herself. It’s been a couple years since Kinney’s last album, “This is War” and she’s been using the time both professionally, in acting and music, and personally to mature and explore.

She plays at Eddie’s Attic tonight at 8pm.

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THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

Where Are The Accolades For

Ted Turner?

Melissa Carter

TED TURNER SCREENGRAB PHOTO

He is the reason I moved to Atlanta. He’s also a man this city owes an incredible amount to, yet I barely see anything around town with his name on it anymore.

Ted Turner recently announced he has Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder that affects behavior, cognition, and movement. It differs from Alzheimer’s disease in that Alzheimer’s impacts memory more significantly, but they and Parkinson’s are all similar in the way they damage the body. Robin Williams was found to have had Turner’s disease post-mortem.

The news of Turner’s diagnosis made me sad.

I grew up with TBS, his “superstation” that aired in Nashville and introduced me to Bill Tush and the Atlanta Braves. It also made me curious about the man who was changing television. Turner revolutionized the 24-hour format of instant information that we are used to today. We are so quick to honor others whose similar advances have modernized our way of doing things, such as Gates, Jobs, and Zuckerburg, but Turner’s name should be top of mind as well, since without him we’d have to wait until the evening news like our parents and grandparents to find out what happened during the day.

At the same time, he championed environmental issues through his creation of “Captain Planet and the Planeteers,” and the eventual purchase of two million acres of personal and ranch land in 10 U.S. states and Argentina, most of which will be transformed into state and federal parklands upon his death. His restaurant chain, “Ted’s Montana Grill,” uses paper straws, which has not been produced in the United States since 1970. The chain has eco-friendly bathrooms, with dual flush toilets and ecofriendly soap. His company was the first I personally experienced to have recycling bins in the office. He even donated $1 billion to

the United Nations in a move that some say changed philanthropy.

I argue that without Ted Turner and his company’s efforts downtown, that area would never have evolved to the way it looks today.

And without that initial development, I don’t think Atlanta would have been awarded the 1996 Olympics. Furthermore, thousands of people like me would have never moved to Atlanta to work for his company.

Now that we know Turner will be in the final competition of his life, the one with his body, I can’t help but think how I wish Atlanta was more thankful for his influence. I was always fascinated by this somewhat eccentric man who brilliantly bought properties like the Braves, MGM, and Warner Brothers in a simple effort to have content for his television networks. I always appreciated and shared his love of broadcasting.

So why aren’t there more physical accolades to this progressive man in Atlanta? Now that the Braves are in a new stadium that doesn’t bear his name, what’s left? A street sign and his former company which, due to the latest company buyout, might change its headquarters away from Atlanta. Why is he missing from our celebrated history? Will Atlantans who aren’t old enough to remember when he was an active part of the community know who he is? For me, Ted Turner and Atlanta will always be synonymous.

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

120 Columnists October 12, 2018 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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October 12, 2018 Ads 121

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Reign of the Mean Boys Ryan Lee I happened to be wearing a pink shirt last Wednesday, which prompted an elderly coworker to greet me with, “Happy Mean Girls Day!” He had learned about the fictitious holiday while watching “Good Morning America” earlier, and assumed my attire was an homage to the Tina Fey classic.

JEFF KAVANAUGH

I thought it was a cruel coincidence that Mean Girls Day would fall amid the belligerent vindication of mean boyhood we experienced during Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court.

One of the more memorable school years during my relationship with a teacher was when he taught at a charter school that segregated students by gender and was assigned a class of second-grade girls. I wrote recently about how he’s maintained bonds with many of the young women as they now enter their first year of college, but those 7-year-old girls provided discomforting realizations to their teacher in real time.

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I remember my boyfriend telling me about the pervasive bullying he observed among his students, a harassment that lacked the physicality he was used to seeing in coed classes, but was just as bruising. From social clustering to emotional conspiring, my boyfriend witnessed his young students learning uniquely feminine ways to hurt each other, learning to become Mean Girls.

My belief that there is a similar rite in boyhood — an awakening to power — was strengthened by one of the more popular reactions among conservatives to the charges of attempted teenage rape against Kavanaugh: All men must now fear being held accountable for the indiscretions of their youth. It doesn’t occur to these folks that if every man needs to hope for a statute of limitations for childhood cruelty, perhaps we should revisit the way we raise little boys.

There is a point in the average boy’s life — whether at four years old, or as a teenager —

124 Columnists October 12, 2018

SCREENGRAB

where he discovers he is no longer the weakest creation on this earth, and he often won’t learn how to manage this newfound power until he “goes too far” against more defenseless beings, often through physical and sexual violence.

Most of these incidents go unnoticed, unbelieved, or rationalized, and the perpetrators learn to corral their darker masculine impulses; most mothers would be heartbroken to learn of the sadism of which their precious little boys are capable. We live in times where the Mean Boy ethos gets one elected president by a juvenile party whose guiding philosophy has become, “Own the Libtards!”

I was walking through the South Side of Chicago a few years ago and trying to discreetly admire the chiseled physique of an approaching man when he shouted, “Is your name Ryan?” He recognized me as a childhood friend, and we briefly caught up on our lives: I was visiting home while on vacation from my newspaper job, while he was in his fourth month of freedom after being locked up for almost a decade.

“Man, it’s good to see you!” he said with the biggest smile on his face. “You used to be a big ass bully — beating the shit out of us all the time!”

“Me?” I said, honestly not remembering, and feeling a dread that I recognize in so many of the men who defended Kavanaugh. If there’s any hope to come from the last month, may it be that we will eventually have men who won’t live with fear and guilt over childhood misdeeds, because we will have done a better job of raising boys. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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