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GEORGIA NEWS

Atlanta LGBT leaders grade Kasim Reed’s performance Room for improvement in police-to-citizen relationship, diversity in appointed positions

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has seven years’ tenure under his belt, and the field is stacked for the next city leader to take over his office. As the election nears, Georgia Voice asked a few LGBT activists, and Reed himself, to grade Reed’s performance on LGBT issues, and share how the next mayor could do better.

The good Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, said one of the biggest positives is Reed’s openness about his changing feelings on marriage equality. In late 2011, Reed came out in support of gay marriage.

“Most Americans over the last 15 years have dramatically changed their views on the freedom to marry, and I really do appreciate that the mayor was very open with his own process,” Graham said.

In fact, after marriage equality became the law of the land, City Hall was decorated with rainbow lights.

After former Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran released a homophobic book, Reed gave him the boot. He was also strongly against the anti-LGBT House Bill 757, and following the Pulse shooting in June 2016 immediately met with LGBT Atlantans to talk about public safety concerns and attended the city’s vigil in honor of the victims. Reed was also honored by GLAAD. But some LGBT leaders feel that’s not enough.

The bad Micky Bradford, a transgender activist, gave Reed an overall grade of F. “What do rainbow crosswalks do for us?

What does closing down the largest homeless shelter in the city that actually houses transwomen do for us?” Bradford said. “I think the next mayor has to have a deep understanding that to actually have LGBTQ

As Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s time in office comes to a close, Georgia Voice asked several LGBT leaders how they would grade his performance on LGBT issues. (File photo)

people thrive in the city, we actually have to have more work that looks at where LGBT people are intersecting with the police department; where we’re being criminalized; where rates of HIV are highest.”

Fulton County is tasked with targeting the elimination of HIV infection rates, but there are opportunities for the mayor’s office to affect those resources. Mary Hooks, founder of Southerners On New Ground, feels Reed failed there.

“There needed to be a more intentional taskforce, a more intentional distribution of resources to black organizations that are doing that work,” she said.

When it comes to the relationship the Atlanta Police Department has with the LGBT community, Bradford said the Reed administration had the wrong idea from the start. One issue continuously brought up is the Eagle Raid, which happened before Reed came into office. Graham said the mayor had some issues in the way the aftermath was handled.

“Certainly the lawsuits around the Eagle Raid, the re-training of police officers, I would have to give the mayor very low marks

on that. His administration was very resistant to owning up to the fact that the city had just had a grievous error … and was very slow to respond to what the courts had ordered them to do,” he said.

A more recent incident, where Atlanta police shut down parties during Black Gay Pride, is under investigation.

“We are conducting a review of the circumstances around that incident,” Reed told Georgia Voice. “We’re going to publicly report on it. We’re going to make sure it’s a learning experience for us and I have complete confidence that Chief [Erika] Shields will handle that matter in a fair way.”

Bradford feels Reed avoided working with “more radical folks” and groups that “challenge, frankly, the city of Atlanta to do better” because they express anti-police sentiments, but did appreciate some of the LGBT appointments he made.

Hooks, however, said that transgender activist Tracee McDaniel’s appointment was “tokenizing” her activism.

“What actually reflects your values — that you are about LGBTQ lives and black LGBTQ lives — is how you invest money in

resources,” Hooks said. “That is a measure of what it means to push an agenda of centering LGBTQ people as mayor.”

Reed said he does not believe in LGBT appointments.

“I believe in full LGBTQ integration throughout every aspect of government, and I think that is one of the reasons we received four perfect scores on the Human Rights Campaign Municipality Index. We’re the only city in the Southeastern United States to do that and the only city in Georgia to receive a perfect score,” he said.

Reed said at the end of his time in office, he’ll “take whatever tomatoes or warts or demerits folks offer,” and asks they point out an Atlanta mayor who did a better job.

“Show me a mayor of Atlanta that’s had a better record on the issues than we have,” he said. “There’s certainly more room for improvement. That’s why running a city is a relay race: you pass the baton.”

The next steps “I think there certainly have been some good points and then some real troubling areas. I think that does a little bit of a disservice that there’s not one LGBT issue, there are so many LGBT issues,” Graham said. “In terms of helping keep an inclusive environment, I think that again, something like that would be relatively good. But in terms of advancing innovation on LGBT issues, that’s where the city has just kind of supported the status quo.”

He offered a grade of C+.

“I hope the next mayor will have a stronger record than mine,” Reed said. “I think that we need to work harder regarding young gay and lesbian and transgender individuals who are homeless. I would really like to see greater coordination between the Rush Center and the Atlanta Housing Authority so that young people who find themselves in difficult circumstances … have a safe haven.”

Hooks graded Reed’s administration with F. “The next mayor needs to listen to those who are most impacted,” she said. “We need a mayor that’s going to be led by the voices of those in the community who have been there the longest, not the developers, but real people with real lives who actually have a vision for the community that they live in.”

4 News October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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GEORGIA NEWS

Atlanta church honors defrocked LGBT clergy Details

LGBT pastor, organizer: ‘It is a story of resilience, and the power of hope and struggle’

Shower of Stoles Project All Saints’ Episcopal Church 634 West Peachtree St. N.W. Atlanta, GA 30308 Wednesday through Sunday Oct. 11-15 in the chapel 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Wednesday through Friday 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Sunday welcomingresources.org/sosp.htm allsaintsatlanta.org

By DYANA BAGBY Rev. Kim Jackson knew as a child she wanted to be a pastor.

Raised near rural Cowpens, South Carolina, in a small Baptist Church, she said the people in her home church “nurtured me in the faith, encouraged me to participate in children’s and youth ministries.” When she expressed at age nine she wanted to become a pastor, she was told that was impossible.

“I was told that I couldn’t become a pastor because I was a girl,” she told Georgia Voice.

She moved to Atlanta a decade ago, when she was 22, where she came out as gay, another blow, she was told, in her journey to become a pastor.

“For the Baptist church that I was raised in, I now had two strikes,” she said. “When it became clear that I wasn’t going to be celibate, that was my third strike, and I knew that ordination in my home tradition was not possible.

That realization was deeply painful.”

But Jackson then found kindred spirits in the Episcopal Church, and in 2010 she became the first black LGBT person ordained a priest in the Episcopal diocese of Atlanta. She was the chaplain at Absalom Jones Episcopal Center and Chapel at the Atlanta University Center, which serves the students and faculty of Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, Morris Brown and Spelman.

She is now an associate rector at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in the heart of Midtown, married to a Muslim woman and imam. Her story and spiritual journey, she said, is like so many of those honored in the “Shower of Stoles” exhibit she is organizing at her church to be on display during Atlanta Pride weekend.

“For me, it is a story of resilience, and the power of hope and struggle,” she said.

300 stoles on display at All Saints’ exhibit A stole is a religious symbol worn by clergy. Being forced to give it up because of who

ways that activism, struggle, prayer and hope have helped the Church open her doors to all of God’s children.”

Rev. Kim Jackson, wearing her stole, and with the some 300 stoles of defrocked clergy that will be on display over Atlanta Pride weekend at All Saints’ Episcopal Church. (Photo courtesy Kim Jackson)

you are is often painful for LGBT persons of faith. In 1995, the Shower of Stoles Project was started to commemorate ministers, pastors and others in church that were defrocked because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

“The collection bears witness to the huge loss of leadership that the church has brought upon itself because of its own unjust policies,” according to the National LGBTQ Task Force Institute for Welcoming Resources.

The national organization makes the stoles available to be exhibited across North America and online, “bearing witness to the lives and voices of GLBT persons of faith who have been silenced by the church.”

Jackson said the Shower of Stoles Project inspires her, and gives her a glimpse of what could have happened in her own life.

“I loved my church home and I knew that my calling to become a pastor was in large part due to the formation that they gave me,” she said of her Baptist upbringing. “If I were 20 years older, then my journey towards ordination would have ended there and perhaps I would have my own stole in this collection.”

There are more than 1,000 liturgical

stoles and other sacred materials in the collection. Jackson said there would be 300 stoles on display at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, each with their own story.

“In many ways, the Shower of Stoles tells a part of my own story, but we are hosting this exhibit at All Saints’ because this is an All Saints’ story, an Atlanta story, and indeed, a Pride story,” Jackson said. “So many people who had the gifts and graces to serve as ministers in this city were rejected and banned from ministry because of who God called them to love. Even within our own parish, we hold the stories of gay men who would have made great priests, but they were not allowed to do so because they were honest and unapologetic about their sexual orientation.”

Jackson said these stories are very much like hers, of having to leave and find another church where she was accepted.

“And this is in particular why the project is near and dear to me,” she said. “Their stories represent thousands of stories just like mine.”

“Today, many mainline denominations have welcomed the ordination of people within the LGBTQIA community,” Jackson added. “This exhibit is a testament to the

‘We walk this journey together’ The fight for LGBTQ people to be recognized as people who can serve as ordained ministers in America’s mainline churches has been long and difficult, Jackson said.

“The journey is fraught with pain and rejection, but the stories contained within the collection of the Shower of Stoles demonstrate that the journey has also been permeated with prayerful people full of hope,” she said.

Atlanta Pride plays a special role in Jackson’s life, including her spiritual life.

“When I first arrived in Atlanta 10 years ago, from Smalltown, South Carolina, I was literally brought to tears by the amount of people and clear displays of love and hope at Pride,” she said.

“I’ve always appreciated the amount of faith groups that are represented in booths and in the parade, but I knew that the story of how, especially, mainline Christian denominations came to the place of accepting gay people was much more complicated than the floats in the parade display,” she said.

She knows there will be plenty of people partying in Piedmont Park over the festival weekend. But she said she hopes some will come visit the church and soak up a positive spiritual experience as part of Atlanta Pride.

“It’s really helpful to have a positive spiritual experience, just as much as our party spirit,” she said. “I hope people visit and walk away feeling a fuller story of the gay experience. As queer people, as people of faith, we walk this journey together.”

6 News October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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NATIONAL NEWS

Sessions issues ‘religious freedom’ guidance undermining LGBT rights Guidance follows Trump executive order; LGBT groups react

By CHRIS JOHNSON, WASHINGTON BLADE courtesy of the National LGBTQ Media Association

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Oct. 6 issued broad guidance allowing individuals and businesses to act in the name of religious freedom — often used as an exercise for anti-LGBT discrimination — without fear of government reprisal.

Sessions said in a statement his action — which consists of a memo to administrative agencies, and another memo to Justice Department attorneys — would enhance the bedrock principle in the United States of religious freedom.

“Our freedom as citizens has always been inextricably linked with our religious freedom as a people,” Sessions said. “It has protected both the freedom to worship and the freedom not to believe. Every American has a right to believe, worship and exercise their faith. The protections for this right, enshrined in our Constitution and laws, serve to declare and protect this important part of our heritage.”

A background memo accompanying the new guidance insists the move “does not authorize anyone to discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity in violation of federal law or change existing federal and state protections.”

But key portions of the memos should be troubling to proponents of LGBT rights.

Assurances against discrimination lacking The memo to agencies allows individuals to act or abstain from action according to their religious beliefs and prohibits the government from targeting religious individuals and organizations for acting on those beliefs.

The memo asserts the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act applies not just to people, but organizations and some for-profit companies. Further, the guidance says RFRA doesn’t permit the federal government to second-guess a religious belief and asserts the strict scrutiny standard under the

The Justice Department under Jeff Sessions has issued broad guidance asserting primacy of religious freedom. (Photo by Gage Skidmore; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

law is “exceptionally demanding.”

In the memo to Justice Department attorneys, Sessions urged his subordinates to keep in mind the primacy of religious freedom in actions such as drafting rules within the administration.

Although the memo asserts the change won’t enable anti-LGBT discrimination under the law, that language is found nowhere as a limiting principle in the memos themselves. That assurance is left out in important passages asserting the primacy of religious freedom that could be construed to allow anti-LGBT discrimination.

Under the principles of the guidance, for example, a Social Security administrator charged with processing benefits applications could see an application for same-sex spousal benefits and refuse to process that application for religious reasons.

Also included in the guidance is a section asserting religious organizations acting on their beliefs shouldn’t be penalized in competition for federal contracts. That could conflict with former President Obama’s 2014 executive order barring anti-LGBT discrimination in the workplace, which President Trump said he’d uphold, and green-light anti-LGBT discrimination among federal

contractors in other capacities, such as the denial of services.

Guidance follows Trump executive order Rebecca Isaacs, executive director of the Equality Federation, said in a statement the religious freedom guidance is a “license to discriminate” and “an attack on the values of freedom and fairness that make this nation great.”

“It opens the door for discrimination in the workplace and public services, flying in the face of the majority of Americans of whom over 70 percent believe laws should protect LGBTQ people from discrimination,” Isaacs said.

Commending the Trump administration for the memoranda was Tony Perkins, president of the anti-LGBT Family Research Council.

“President Trump and the Department of Justice are putting federal government agencies on notice: You will not only respect the freedom of every American to believe but live according to those beliefs,” Perkins said in a statement. “This is a freedom that has been a fundamental part of our society since the beginning of our nation.”

Sessions issues the guidance as a result of an executive order Trump signed in May empowering the attorney general to issue re-

ligious freedom guidance. Although the executive order said nothing about LGBT issues, many feared handing that authority to Sessions would enable to him direct the government to discriminate against LGBT people.

Drew Hudson, a Justice Department spokesperson, echoed the sentiment that the guidance doesn’t enable discrimination — anti-LGBT or otherwise — in response to a Washington Blade inquiry on how that could be the case given the language within the document.

“The guidance does not authorize anyone to discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity in violation of federal law,” Hudson said. “The guidance also does not change existing state or federal protections for minority groups, including members of the LGBT community. The guidance explains the relevant protections for religious liberty that already exist within federal law.”

Lawsuits may be coming The memos are the latest in a string of actions from the Trump administration, and Sessions in particular, undermining LGBT rights.

It comes one day after Sessions instructed the Justice Department to no longer interpret the prohibition on sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to apply to cases of transgender discrimination.

The religious freedom guidance also comes on the same day the Trump administration rolled back a mandate under the Affordable Care Act requiring businesses to include birth control as part of insurance coverage. Both actions were the result of Trump’s executive order in May. It remains to be seen if legal organizations will file lawsuits over the guidance for compromising the rights of LGBT people and others.

Rachel Tiven, executive director of Lambda Legal, said in a statement her organization will hold the Trump administration to its assertion the religious freedom guidance doesn’t allow anti-LGBT discrimination.

“Today’s DOJ memo is a road map for federal agencies: guiding them to discriminate against women and LGBT people,” Tiven said.

“The White House says the guidance ‘does not authorize anyone to discriminate’ – and Lambda Legal will make sure it doesn’t.”

8 News October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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NATIONAL NEWS

Trump administration: Legal challenge to trans military ban ‘premature’ Justice Department brief seeks to block LGBT legal groups from putting policy on hold

By CHRIS JOHNSON, WASHINGTON BLADE courtesy of the National LGBTQ Media Association

The Trump administration called a legal challenge to President Trump’s transgender military ban “premature several times over” in a brief filed Oct. 4 seeking to block LGBT legal groups from putting the policy on hold as litigation against it moves forward.

In a 49-page filing, the U.S. Justice Department responds to a request for a preliminary injunction in Doe v. Trump, the lawsuit filed by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and GLBTQ Advocates & Defenders pending before federal court in D.C. The lawsuit was assigned to U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton appointee.

The brief takes issue with the filing of the lawsuit, noting it was filed after Trump tweeted he’d ban transgender service members, but before he formally directed the Pentagon to take that action in a White House memo.

“The president’s memorandum states that no policy changes to the status quo will be effective until at least after January 2018,” the brief said. “The president further directed the secretary of defense to determine how to address transgender individuals currently serving in the military and that no action be taken against such individuals until after a policy review is completed.”

Moreover, the brief points out that a review at the Pentagon on implementation of Trump’s ban is ongoing and Defense Secretary James Mattis has issued interim guidance barring separation of transgender service members and allowing them to re-enlist in the armed forces.

“Plaintiffs’ current complaint and motion account for none of this,” the brief said. “The amended complaint does not even mention, let alone challenge, the interim guidance in effect today. Similarly, plaintiffs declined to bring the interim guidance to the court’s attention in connection with their pending mo-

The Justice Department argues a legal challenge to President Trump’s transgender military ban is ‘premature.’ (Photo by Michael Vadon; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

tion, even though the guidance plainly constitutes a significant development that negates their demand for emergency relief.”

Justice Department: Policy ‘plainly lawful’ The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are six anonymous transgender service members who are currently in the armed forces and fear discharge under Trump’s policy, as well as two named plaintiffs: Regan Kibby, a student serving at the U.S. Naval Academy, and Dylan Kohere, who’s participating in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at the University of New Haven.

The Justice Department argued these plaintiffs lack standing because none of them “face a current or imminent threat of injury during the interim period while the policy is being studied.” With respect to the two named plaintiffs, the brief maintained “they will not be in a position to apply for an officer’s commission until after they complete their respective courses of study in 2020, at the earliest.”

In the event the court were to allow plaintiffs to challenge the policy, the Justice Department argued such a challenge would fail because the policy “is plainly lawful.”

The filing argued that courts have traditionally deferred to the military on its on defense policies on the basis the judiciary isn’t suited to second-guess the military on the issue. Further, the Justice Department argues an injunction would compromise the ongoing study on transgender service at the Pentagon.

“The public interest would be significantly harmed if an injunction precluded the president and secretary of defense from receiving expert advice on important issues of military personnel policy and acting in light of the results of that study,” the brief said.

“And even if plaintiffs somehow hurdle every problem with their challenge, there is no basis for the worldwide injunction against the military they request.”

The Justice Department concluded the court should grant its motion to dismiss the case and reject the LGBT legal groups’ request for a preliminary injunction.

Signing the brief is Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Chad Readler, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, Branch Director John Griffiths, Deputy Director Anthony Coppolino, Senior Trial Counsel Ryan Parker and Trial Attorney Andrew Carmichael.

Filing ‘reads like pure fiction’ Absent from the brief is the widely held perception that although Mattis set up a review to study transgender military service, the outcome is predetermined and just a process to implement Trump’s ban on transgender people in the military. The brief also ignores the perception the ban originated with Trump, not the military.

LGBT groups responded to the brief by ridiculing the assertion a request for legal relief at this time for transgender service members is premature.

Jennifer Levi, director of GLAD’s Transgender Rights Project, said in a statement the filing “reads like pure fiction.”

“It states a fantasy that the president’s announcement of a ban on military service for transgender people has changed nothing,” Levi said. “That’s simply not true. Every day this reckless ban stays in place, our military strength is diminished and our country is less safe for it. We are optimistic the court will see through this smokescreen and halt the ban.”

Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said in a statement the Justice Department is “asking the court to turn a blind eye to the devastation the President has caused in the lives of real people and real families.”

“Because of the President’s ban, smart, dedicated, and idealistic young people like our plaintiffs Regan Kibby and Dylan Kohere are barred from fulfilling their dreams of military service,” Minter said. “And transgender people who are already serving have been told that their skills, training and years of dedicated service are not valued. The ban has left them scrambling to make new plans for their futures, just as it has undermined our nation’s security. This is the exact opposite of how military policy should be made.”

The brief responds to one of the four pending lawsuits in federal court against Trump’s transgender military ban. In the three other lawsuits — one filed by OutServe-SLDN and Lambda Legal, one filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, one filed by Equality California — the pro-LGBT legal groups have similarly requested preliminary injunctions against the ban, although the Justice Department hasn’t yet responded in those cases.

10 News October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

VOICES OF NOTE PRESENTS

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City Council seeks money to fight LGBT youth homelessness The Atlanta City Council on Oct. 2 approved a resolution requesting a portion of the $51 million Homeless Opportunity Project be allocated to fight LGBT youth homelessness. $26 million of those funds come from the City of Atlanta and $25 million come from matching funds from the United Way. The City Council claims the investment will create 254 “housing interventions” for the youth.

“I am proud to have worked with the Council President in addressing the needs of homeless members of the LGBTQ community and those aging out of the foster care system,” said Councilmember Alex Wan, the council’s only openly gay member, in a prepared statement. “Too often, these populations are alienated from family and immediate shelter is not always an option.”

Wan co-sponsored the legislation.

City Council President Ceasar Mitchell said, “This legislation speaks to the importance of addressing homelessness in the Atlanta community. The City of Atlanta and the United Way are setting the example for the region and the nation on how we can work together to eliminate or greatly reduce homelessness in Atlanta.”

According to an oft-cited statistic from The Williams Institute at UCLA, nearly 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBT.

A Georgia State study released last year showed that over 950, or 28.2 percent, of the 3,374 homeless and runaway youth surveyed in the metro Atlanta area self-identify as LGBT. Invest Atlanta is to report to the council’s Finance/Executive Committee within 60 days of the issuance of bond funding to detail how the funding will be appropriated.

Georgia Equality releases second round of endorsements LGBT advocacy organization Georgia Equality on Oct. 5 released its second round of endorsed candidates for the upcoming November 2017 elections. In this round, the group endorsed candidates for state House and Senate special elections, as well as an additional endorsement in the City of Clarkston.

The newly endorsed candidates for the November 7, 2017 elections are: n Jen Jordan in Senate District 6 n Nikema Williams in Senate District 39 n Bee Nguyen in House District 89 n YT Bell for Clarkston City Council These candidates join the list of Georgia Equality endorsements announced on Sept. 22: n Cathy Woolard for Atlanta Mayor n Alex Wan for Atlanta City Council President n Courtney English for Atlanta City Council Post 1 At-Large

n Matt Westmoreland for Atlanta City Council Post 1 At-Large n Carla Smith for Atlanta City Council District 1 n Amir Farhokhi for Atlanta City Council District 2 n Liliana Bakhtiari for Atlanta City Council District 5 n Kirk Rich for Atlanta City Council District 6 n Howard Shook for Atlanta City Council District 7 n Anna Tillman for Atlanta City Council District 8 n Andrea Boone for Atlanta City Council District 10 n Joyce Sheperd for Atlanta City Council District 12 n Leslie Grant for Atlanta School Board District 1 n Tony Burks for Atlanta School Board District 2 n Eshé Collins for Atlanta School Board District 6 n Kandis Wood Jackson for Atlanta School Board District 7 n Ted Terry for Clarkston mayor n Laura Hopkins for Clarkston City Council n Joseph Geierman for Doraville City Council District 2 n Stephe Koontz for Doraville City Council District 3

12 News October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Making those unforgettable Pride memories

BY PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com PO Box 77401 • Atlanta, GA 30357 P: 404-815-6941; F: 404-963-6365

EDITORIAL

Editor: Patrick Saunders psaunders@thegavoice.com Editorial Contributors: Ashleigh Atwell, Cliff Bostock, Dyana Bagby, Melissa Carter, Dallas A. Duncan, Jim Farmer, Shannon Hames, Just Toby, Bill Kaelin, Ryan Lee, Robbie Medwed, Matt Schafer, Dionne N. Walker, Simon Williamson

PRODUCTION

Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com

BUSINESS

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

SALES

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

FINE PRINT

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14 Outspoken October 13, 2017

“I have to be mindful of not taking for granted how important this is, and I usually snap out of it when I view Pride through the eyes of others.”

And here we are. Everyone’s finalizing plans and figuring out which events they’re going to hit up. The bars are putting up the last of their rainbow-colored decorations.

Final decisions are being made on what to wear to the Kickoff Party at the Aquarium.

Groups of friends are figuring out who’s bringing what to the tent in the meadow.

Final touches are being put on the floats for the parade.

It’s Atlanta Pride time.

I have somewhat of a difference experience during Pride weekend than most as I’ll be working all weekend. I’m not complaining — it’s one hell of an interesting work environment, I’ll tell you that.

But as the event approaches every year, and the more years that I do it, I sometimes find myself getting mechanical about it. Set up in the park Friday, stuff the bags with the Pride issue, cover the party that night, work the booth Saturday and Sunday, cover the marches and parade, finish giving out the issues, pack everything up and leave at the end of the day Sunday.

I have to be mindful of not taking for granted how important this is, and I usually snap out of it when I view Pride through the eyes of others. There’s the 14-year-old kid who’s not out at school yet, but he’s here and his mind is blown. The parent whose daughter just came out to them, and they’re experiencing this community for the first time in a massive way, and, after seeing the spectacle and love shown during the parade, leaves that day feeling less anxious about the path their kid is having to go down.

These kinds of feelings were reinforced this year as we prepared the Pride issue. We

asked people to submit their memories of their first Atlanta Pride — and wow did y’all come through.

Responses poured in and they stretched all the way back to the first march in 1971 to as current as someone saying this year would be their first.

The passion with which people described those memories was palpable. You can tell they can go right back to that place in time with the snap of a finger and remember that face, that conversation, that moment that they’ll never forget.

That’s why I know there will be nothing mechanical about what I do at this year’s Pride.

This is a time when we all need each other — as I find myself saying more and more these days — now more than ever.

That being said, I hope you enjoy this issue we made for you. We’ve got our hardhitting news as always, but since this is an extra large issue — our biggest ever! — we’ve got a lot more in store for you.

A ton of photo galleries from events around town recently. All of our usual columnists plus our occasional ones and even a new one (it was all hands on deck!). A handful of guest editorials from various voices around the community, including our very first Spanish-language editorial.

And of course our Pride pullout section, with all the events to check out, interviews with musicians performing in the park, maps to the festival and marches and parade, the Pride memories and more.

Come say hi to us at the booth in the park.

Get your picture taken. Tell us your story.

Make this Pride the one that you’ll be telling people about for years to come.

FEEDBACK Re: “Ryan Lee: LGBT and taking a knee,” Sept. 28 “Excellent points. I do wonder in what universe the APD thinks what they did during Black Gay Pride was OK. That simply changing a shift commander was going to suffice for what was and is clearly a racist act on the part of the police department. Let’s just keep pretending everything is cool, that there is nothing to see here and be warned trouble for our community is on the way.”

-Rev. Paul Turner via www.thegeorgiavoice.com Re: “Fenuxe, Peach ATL, Goliath now under same ownership,” Sept. 30 “What the hell? I am over a lot of evil people there.”

-Steve Gatt via Facebook “Atlanta … keeping the fun in dysfunction.”

-John Junkins via Facebook Re: “November special elections will fill vacated state House, Senate seats,” Oct. 5 “I live in East Atlanta and wasn’t really sure who to vote for. I was impressed that I’ve had two visits from Sachin’s campaign.

Once from a volunteer and once from him.

I also ran into him at the Strut. Seems like a really nice guy who knows his stuff.”

-Aisha Jackson via www.thegeorgiavoice.com Re: “Ramon Johnson: Help me win a scholarship to improve LGBT lives at Morehouse,” Oct. 7 “Woo-hoo! Go Ramon!”

-Jennifer Lutz via Facebook Re: “Melissa Carter: When a quick errand turns awkward,” Oct. 7 “Thank you for being a tastefully funny representation of our community. Can we have more columnists like Melissa please?”

-Melissa Ann Klein via Facebook Re: “Photo Gallery: Still Too Busy To Hate building wrap unveiled in Midtown,” Oct. 9 “I love living in Atlanta!”

-Mark Collins via Facebook Want to be featured in Feedback? Leave a comment to a story via social media or on our website, or email editor@thegavoice.com with the subject line “Feedback.” www.thegeorgiavoice.com

In adults with HIV on ART who have diarrhea not caused by an infection IMPORTANT PATIENT INFORMATION This is only a summary. See complete Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com or by calling 1-844-722-8256. This does not take the place of talking with your doctor about your medical condition or treatment.

What Is Mytesi?

Mytesi is a prescription medicine used to improve symptoms of noninfectious diarrhea (diarrhea not caused by a bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection) in adults living with HIV/AIDS on ART. Do Not Take Mytesi if you have diarrhea caused by an infection. Before you start Mytesi, your doctor and you should make sure your diarrhea is not caused by an infection (such as bacteria, virus, or parasite).

Possible Side Effects of Mytesi Include:

Tired of planning your life around diarrhea?

Enough is Enough Get relief. Pure and simple. Ask your doctor about Mytesi.

Mytesi (crofelemer): • Is the only medicine FDA-approved to relieve diarrhea in people with HIV • Treats diarrhea differently by normalizing the flow of water in the GI tract • Has the same or fewer side effects as placebo in clinical studies • Comes from a tree sustainably harvested in the Amazon Rainforest What is Mytesi?

Mytesi is a prescription medicine that helps relieve symptoms of diarrhea not caused by an infection (noninfectious) in adults living with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Important Safety Information Mytesi is not approved to treat infectious diarrhea (diarrhea caused by bacteria, a virus, or a parasite). Before starting you on Mytesi, your healthcare provider will first be sure that you do not have infectious diarrhea. Otherwise, there is a risk you would not receive the right medicine and your infection could get worse. In clinical studies, the most common side effects that occurred more often than with placebo were upper respiratory tract (sinus, nose, and throat) infection (5.7%), bronchitis (3.9%), cough (3.5%), flatulence (3.1%), and increased bilirubin (3.1%).

Should I Take Mytesi If I Am: Pregnant or Planning to Become Pregnant?

• Studies in animals show that Mytesi could harm an unborn baby or affect the ability to become pregnant • There are no studies in pregnant women taking Mytesi • This drug should only be used during pregnancy if clearly needed A Nursing Mother?

• It is not known whether Mytesi is passed through human breast milk • If you are nursing, you should tell your doctor before starting Mytesi • Your doctor will help you to decide whether to stop nursing or to stop taking Mytesi Under 18 or Over 65 Years of Age? • Mytesi has not been studied in children under 18 years of age • Mytesi studies did not include many people over the age of 65. So it is not clear if this age group will respond differently. Talk to your doctor to find out if Mytesi is right for you

What Should I Know About Taking Mytesi With Other Medicines?

If you are taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicine, herbal supplements, or vitamins, tell your doctor before starting Mytesi.

What If I Have More Questions About Mytesi?

For more information, please see the full Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com or speak to your doctor or pharmacist.

To report side effects or make a product complaint or for additional information, call 1-844-722-8256.

Rx Only Manufactured by Patheon, Inc. for Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. San Francisco, CA 94105 Copyright © Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

For Copay Savings Card and Patient Assistance, see Mytesi.com

Mytesi comes from the Croton lechleri tree harvested in South America.

Please see complete Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com.

NP-390-14

• Upper respiratory tract infection (sinus, nose, and throat infection) • Bronchitis (swelling in the tubes that carry air to and from your lungs) • Cough • Flatulence (gas) • Increased bilirubin (a waste product when red blood cells break down) For a full list of side effects, please talk to your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

RELIEF, PURE AND SIMPLE

IN THE MARGINS

By Ashleigh Atwell

Cliques harming Atlanta’s women’s spaces Ashleigh Atwell is a queer lesbian writer and organizer born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia.

A couple of months ago, I went to a lesbian party by myself. I’m used to going out alone so I had no reservations about attending this event. Initially, I waited at the bar for more patrons to arrive before I went to the dance floor. As time progressed, I noticed that the environment looked less like a nightclub and more like a middle school dance.

The dance floor was mostly empty while the wall was cluttered with women staring into the middle of the club. They were sectioned off into cliques and those that weren’t in cliques were one half of a couple. There was little to no socializing. If I looked at someone with a smile, I got an icy stare in return. The most interaction I got was when I asked the bartender for

a refill. I usually stay at a party until the lights come up, but I left early. I sat in my Uber feeling like I’d wasted my time and an outfit.

A few weeks later, I decided to try another lesbian party. This time, I met up with a few friends and had a fun time. Still, I noticed the same type of cliquishness. Everyone, myself included, stayed with their crew. No one danced or talked to anyone outside of their group. And like the previous party, there were numerous people leaning against the walls.

I’ve been to several mainstream gay events and I’ve never experienced this type of behavior on a large scale. If I stand around long enough, some twink will walk up to me and strike up a conversation. We might even

“While it’s true that women’s spaces don’t get half the care or attention that men’s spaces receive, I can’t help but wonder if this herd mentality I’ve witnessed is part of the issue.

Dyke culture, while beautiful, can be awfully rigid.” dance to a couple of songs. For a lot of them, my Black girl existence is enough to elicit a “yasssss.” I don’t experience that in lesbianand women-centered spaces.

If you Google the term “lesbian spaces,” a list of editorials lamenting the lack of women’s spaces will appear. Some of them even claim that “dyke culture” is disappearing. There are a variety of theories around this issue ranging from lack of economic power to the increasing acceptance of gender and sexual fluidity.

While it’s true that women’s spaces don’t get half the care or attention that men’s spaces receive, I can’t help but wonder if this herd mentality I’ve witnessed is part of the issue. Dyke culture, while beautiful, can be awfully rigid.

Bisexual and transgender women are viewed as intruders. If you don’t subscribe to the strict masc-femme dichotomy, good luck on getting a date. Not to mention, women, regardless of sexual orientation, are conditioned to see each other as competition. I value sisterhood and hate stereotypes about women not being able to get along, so I desperately want to be proven wrong.

It’s Pride week and thousands of LGBTQ people will be descending upon Atlanta for the festivities. I hope my mind will have changed when it’s time for me to write another editorial. If you see me in these streets, don’t be scared to speak to me. I don’t bite, unless that’s what you like.

Happy Pride, family.

BILL POWELL FOR COUNCILMAN DISTRICT 1 ✔ Support Atlanta’s

Sanctuary City efforts ✔ Greater HIV access to health resources ✔ Develop Grant Park electric shuttle service The City Council constantly ignores available federal funds for vital city services.

I will seek every available federal dollar for crucial projects in Atlanta.

POWELLDISTRICT1.com 404-627-6685 16 Outspoken October 13, 2017

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

PRIDE

WE MAKE PRIDE A YEAR-ROUND CELEBRATION

Learn more at aarp.org/pride

Like anyone else, people in the LGBT community want to live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives. AARP is committed to creating a new vision for aging—one complete with diverse stories and innovative ways for everyone to pursue their passions—equally, openly and proudly.

is ageless

facebook.com/aarpgeorgia @AARPGA

BE YOURSELF IN DEKALB

Enjoy Year-Round Festivals in DeKalb DeKalb is home to some of the best festivals in North Georgia. Whether you are looking for arts, crafts, music, dance or festival food, we have outdoor festivals and events for everyone. Explore our progressive communities and discover your niche in DeKalb. Visit us at DiscoverDeKalb.com to learn about all the great things happening in DeKalb.

#DISCOVERDEKALB

OUT IN THE WILD

By Simon Williamson

Left out, kept out Simon Williamson lives with his husband in heteronormatively-assimilative fashion in Athens, after a year of surviving rural Georgia.

It didn’t register much earlier this year because of the chaotic presidency that has scrambling journalists fixated on what “this is not normal” aspect of the Trump presidency to focus on (spoiler: racism, prejudice, stereotypes are all classically American). But in March, the US Census Bureau removed any references to LGBT+ members of the American public from a draft of the 2020 US Census.

To be clear, LGBT questions have never been a part of the census: America has done gloriously throughout most of this country’s history at removing us from where it likes looking. But since we won the right to marry, and had the audacity to ask for a rainbow crosswalk despite the heavy panting and furious typing in Facebook comments, we have actually arrived

as part of the American landscape.

Not until the Obama presidency were we taken seriously by any president. Not until Loretta Lynch did we have an attorney general who said to transgender people, “We see you.”

But arrive we did, and although it took until 2013, we were recognized mostly as human beings on equal footing with, you know, REAL Americans, like gun owners and violent police.

As such, it would be great if the census would acknowledge us and measure whether we are enjoying an equitable distribution of what society has to offer. As Meghan Maury, Criminal and Economic Justice Project Director at the National LGBTQ Task Force, asked when this story broke, “If the government doesn’t know how many LGBTQ people live

“To be left out of the census is a victory for the people who don’t want to register us as full members of society.” in a community, how can it do its job to ensure we’re getting fair and adequate access to the rights, protections and services we need?”

Dare we ask for equality? Not at this time. Since the census bureau is supposed to release the categories it intends to ask about three years ahead of time, that means the George W. Bush administration got to do it last time, President “Defense of Marriage Act” before him and the Reagan administration before that. In all likelihood, we may have to wait until a Democratic administration is in power three years before a census to see if we are allowed to be recorded.

Make no mistake: the debates about bathrooms and marriages and RFRA are to keep us out of the society in which we are not wanted.

Society at large may be growing in its respect for us, but we live under a government that supports our demise. The vice president has made it his life’s work to vanquish us. And because he can’t rid his life of us, he aims to make it more difficult for us to live day-to-day.

To be left out of the census is a victory for the people who don’t want to register us as full members of society. In this instance, Pence won and we lost. The federal government gives no shit about you whatsoever.

It is as easy to get distracted now as it was in March, but we shouldn’t forget that behind the loud noises, this administration is packed with people who detest us and have made it their mission to erase us from public life.

NOVEMBER 7

FOR CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT Real-world experience, solid record, proven leadership and temperament, representing all of Atlanta’s diverse stakeholders.

#AtlantaWinsWithWan Early Voting Begins October 16 Endorsed by Georgia Equality and The Victory Fund

AlexWanForAtlanta.com Paid for and authorized by Alex Wan for Atlanta City Council President

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October 13, 2017 Outspoken 19

YOUR VOICE, YOUR WORDS

Say yes to HIV decriminalization laws

“As a [person living with HIV], these laws have hovered over me as I established new relationships and even as a deterrent of going to medical school when I first learned of my HIV status in June 2008.”

By DANIEL D. DRIFFIN Daniel D. Driffin is co-founder of Atlanta-based HIV/AIDS nonprofit THRIVE SS. This past weekend, legislation in California was passed to update its HIV criminalization laws. Since the earliest days of the epidemic, more than 33 states have passed some version of legislation criminalizing the lives of people living with HIV (PLWHIV).

In many states, these laws carried felony offenses with high fines and even decades of incarceration. Having a felony can render you ineligible for many safety net programs, like housing, food security and even voting. When the Ryan White CARE Act (federal resources providing medical care for PLWHIV) was passed in the early ‘90s, criminalization laws were written in as a requirement to receive these resources. At

“Our nightlife — bars, strip clubs, drag shows — brought people in from around the country. Places like Backstreet, a 24-hour gay club, were the places of legend. As we’ve worked to make Atlanta a denser, nicer, more livable city, we’ve discarded what we’re good at — having fun.”

When the Jungle announced its imminent closure, I was deeply saddened because this was a staple of nightlife for me. The “neutering” of Cheshire Bridge is about more than losing the spaces that made the area cool and interesting; we are losing an economic driver that got consumers like me to spend money in the area. There’s something both sad and ironic about this kind of gentrification.

The very thing that made Cheshire Bridge appealing and livable is removed to make way for more people to live there. Without a nightlife industry, will neighborhoods lose their value and appeal?

Atlanta, for all our focus on being businesses-oriented, does not know the economwww.thegeorgiavoice.com

the most basic level, legislators, community members, nay-sayers and even other PLWHIV believed this would decrease new infections and keep this sexual virus at bay.

Two decades later, we now see the many negative ramifications of what these laws have caused. This includes disproportionate numbers of Black and Latino men, women and trans-identified people living with HIV being imprisoned, fined in civilian courts, not eligible for SNAP or to vote and even the worst cases placed at risk of heightened levels of violence or killed.

As a PLWHIV, these laws have hovered over me as I established new relationships and even as a deterrent of going to medi-

cal school when I first learned of my HIV status in June 2008. I was fearful of passing the virus in a needle stick or something farfetched at the time.

Sitting here in October 2017, as a PLWHIV who is undetectable or routinely taking my HIV medication to prevent the transmission of HIV to others, I am happy to see three states begin to right the wrongs. Those states include Iowa, Colorado and now California.

This past Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown lowered from a felony to a misdemeanor the act of knowingly exposing people to an HIVtransmission risk (e.g. PLWHIV giving blood without telling the blood bank they are living with HIV). Till Friday, HIV was

the only communicable disease carrying a felony offense in California.

Changes like this are needed as we think of new ways of counteracting new infections.

New biomedical research is continuing to show us, if we get PLWHIV in culturally-competent medical care and prescribed HIV medications, we can substantially decrease transmission. We must pair these approaches with increased free HIV testing everywhere and outside of 8 a.m.

– 4 p.m. or 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. in underserved communities. Creating better policy ultimately allows people to be better. And we have to be in the business of improving all communities.

What can you do? Become an advocate and let everyone know HIV is not a crime.

One way to save Atlanta’s nightlife scene

BY MATTHEW TERRELL Matthew Terrell is an artist and writer whose work has appeared in Vice, NPR, SF Weekly and Huffington Post. ic impact of the nightlife industry in our city. How much money do restaurants, bars and clubs contribute to our local economy?

How many people does this industry employ? How much in tax revenue does nightlife generate for our city?

For Atlanta, we don’t know.

Other cities have realized the value of their nightlife industries and have commissioned studies to gauge their economic impact. San Francisco studied its nightlife industry in 2012 and found that their nightlife establishments generated a whopping $4.2 billion dollars annually in spending. Furthermore, San Francisco found that nightlife establishments employed more

than 27,000 people, generating $55 million in payroll taxes.

If we want to see places like the Jungle continue to thrive and not be replaced by condos, we need data to show our government leaders why they are important, and just how much they contribute to our local economy. Bar, restaurant and club owners need to step up and demand Atlanta commission such a study, because then we can create better policies for this industry.

Furthermore, a study on Atlanta could and should get granular enough to show the different categories of nightlife industry — queer-themed, adult entertainment, upscale, etc. — so we know the impact and

needs of these different areas.

Atlanta used to be known as a party city. Our nightlife — bars, strip clubs, drag shows — brought people in from around the country. Places like Backstreet, a 24-hour gay club, were the places of legend. As we’ve worked to make Atlanta a denser, nicer, more livable city, we’ve discarded what we’re good at — having fun. There’s immense value to maintaining our nightlife, and bringing back our value as a destination for partying.

This would add value to our conferencing industry—people want to get a strong drink or good lap dance when they’re in Atlanta.

After all, doesn’t everyone just want to have fun?

October 13, 2017 Outspoken 23

YOUR VOICE, YOUR WORDS

Why coming out is vital to our community

“The political climate in which we find ourselves literally demands that we be out, loud and proud of who we are and what we have accomplished.

Our detractors need to see visible evidence of those whose lives they intend to impact. Even enough snowflakes can bury someone in an avalanche!”

By BRUCE GARNER Bruce Garner has been actively involved in Atlanta nonprofits for over 35 years. ????

Pride in Atlanta is celebrated around National Coming Out Day. Some may find that quaint and others may find it odd and some will understand the importance.

We all encounter on a daily basis a collection of LGBTQ+ kids/teens/youth who are coming to terms with their sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity and many other issues in their lives. They need and seek role models from those who have been there before. Like it or not, others watch what their “elders” are doing and saying. We may never even be aware that someone was looking at how we live our lives.

24 Outspoken October 13, 2017

Those of us who have “come out” have an obligation to all who follow us to be visible and open about who we are. We teach by example. We teach by our visibility. We let those who will cross the bridges we have already crossed know that their lives are valued, precious and worthy of all the same accolades as their straight counterparts. If we do not own who we are, if we are not our own authentic selves in every way possible, we are being irresponsible and selfish. How can future generations learn if they do not see examples?

I literally bristle when I hear excuses

about coming out and visibility being a “personal matter” or that visibility is not needed.

I would ask those who hold such opinions to take a moment to pause and ask themselves how they think they got to the point where they could be out, open and their authentic selves. It didn’t just happen. It was the result of years of incredibly difficult work by literally millions of people. Every person who comes out and owns who they are does so standing on the shoulders of all of those people who did the same thing before them.

It has taken a community to get us where we are … even as we see our accomplish-

ments being jeopardized by mean, nasty and ill-informed officials in our current political administration.

The political climate in which we find ourselves literally demands that we be out, loud and proud of who we are and what we have accomplished. Our detractors need to see visible evidence of those whose lives they intend to impact. Even enough snowflakes can bury someone in an avalanche! So be out, be who you were created to be, be your authentic self … not just for you but for that young person who looks up to you even when you do not know it.

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

YOUR VOICE, YOUR WORDS

Para este Orgullo: Debemos unirnos contra el desafío

“El espíritu latino es fuerte, lleno de esperanza y fe, ¿a poco no? Es nuestro deber comprometernos a ese futuro que queremos para los bebes recién nacidos, para nosotros mismos.”

No sé ustedes, pero yo me siento agotada, cansada y enojada. últimamente no puedo abrir ni una sola red social sin saber del sufrimiento de alguien por tantas situaciones ahogantes. Que la pared entre Estados Unidos y México, DACA, terrorismo en Las Vegas, el que hace de la masacre en Orlando parecer ya historia lejana; los huracanes en el Caribe y la manera en la cual el gobierno estadounidense se ha demorado en ayudar a levantar a Puerto Rico.

El viernes pasado fui al entierro de la abuela de mi mejor amigo en Alabama. En ese mismo día, dos de mis mejores amigas dieron luz a dos hermosos bebes – el primer hijo de cada una. El ciclo de la vida en plena marcha. Pronto recordé que la vida sigue,

Por IVETTE LÓPEZ SISNIEGA Ivette López Sisniega fue la co-directora de la noche de gala de la Human Rights Campaign Atlanta del 2016 y 2017. que las situaciones frustrantes de hoy en día cambiarán – es inevitable.

Es fácil querer rendirse, pero el riesgo de hacerlo es demasiado. Hay que cargar nuestras baterías. Esta será mi intención para este Festival de Orgullo en Atlanta. Encontrar la fuerza dentro de mí para hacer lo posible para avanzar en comunidad. Acompáñenme, ya que hay mayor poder si somos muchos.

Entonces, ¿cómo lo hacemos?

Primero - Hay que recordar lo bueno que hemos logrado: la igualdad del matrimonio gay y otros avances inclusivos para la comunidad LGBTQ o la simple existencia de un papa católico con filosofía un poco más moderna. Hay que buscar lo que nos brinda

sentimientos de logro, de éxito y felicidad y usar esa energía para seguir adelante.

Segundo – Debemos extender la mano al prójimo. Muchos de nosotros somos activos en la comunidad porque hemos superado desafíos – de hecho, quizás seamos más afortunados que nuestros mismos amigos o personas conocidas de otros grupos. Tenemos que formar relaciones fuertes entre nosotros mismos para llegar a ser indestructibles. Hay que crear conexiones con personas diferentes a nosotros mismos, sea de género, raza, orientación sexual, religión, profesión, en fin.

El punto es de expandir nuestras redes para formar un movimiento más grande. El crear conciencia sobre los temas que enfrentamos

Make Georgia Tech safer for LGBTQIA+ students

By JADE SAMUEL Jessica (Jade) Samuel is a queer, non-binary second year Materials Science and Engineering student at Georgia Institute of Technology. ????

In the midst of mourning for a fellow student and offering support for survivors through chalk art and volunteer efforts, I stumbled upon a message on the sidewalk that blindsided me. Someone had chosen to write the following: “If minorities want to be treated as equal, then they should stop asking for special treatment.”

This anonymous opinion is not uncommon, and this insensitivity creeps up in other aspects of life at Georgia Tech. Thankfully, I have never heard another student or a professor overtly express revulsion or hatred toward LGBTQIA+ people on campus, but the unresolved marginalization of queer students speaks loudly enough.

The lack of gender-inclusive housing on 26 Outspoken October 13, 2017

campus poses a challenge for genderqueer students, and it puts us at a disadvantage. It is difficult to find roommates who are willing to live with a genderqueer person, and it can be even more difficult to be paired up with them by the housing department.

The Georgia Tech campus also lacks gender-neutral restrooms in most buildings. I personally feel uncomfortable when entering a women’s restroom because I feel like I am violating their space, and sometimes I experience body dysphoria because I do not look or feel like a female. Those of us who feel this way would greatly benefit from neutral spaces because it is frustrating to have to walk across campus to find a restroom where we feel safe.

Every day, I walk past athletic fields, disabil-

ity services, the women’s resource center and nursing rooms for new mothers, and I wonder why my needs are any less important than anyone else’s. I appreciate that Georgia Tech has provided for all of these groups, and I would never want to take away their resources for my own benefit; however, I don’t understand why Tech hasn’t worked just as tirelessly to accommodate LGBTQIA+ students in similar ways.

I hope that GT will continue to grow its LGBTQIA+ center so that students can receive the support we need. I would love to see an office space where we could submit gender change forms and apply for inclusive housing at the same time; additionally, more available staff members would help us address our concerns so that we could spend more time being students

en la comunidad Latina queda en nuestras manos. Si no nosotros, ¿quién entonces?

Tercero – Debemos comprometernos a ser el cambio que deseamos ver. Se puede formar parte de una organización, o acudir ayuda si es necesario. Votar, ser voluntarios o simplemente salir a tomar un cafecito con alguien – lo que sea mientras que no nos quedemos sin hacer nada.

El espíritu latino es fuerte, lleno de esperanza y fe, ¿a poco no? Es nuestro deber comprometernos a ese futuro que queremos para los bebes recién nacidos, para nosotros mismos. Debemos usar nuestro espíritu latino, porque efectivamente “el pueblo unido, jamás será vencido.” ¡Feliz Orgullo a todos – a cargar baterías!

“I know that the [Georgia Tech] community can grow and become more supportive of its students and that we can be better than the chalk writer who broke my heart with their callousness.” and less time struggling to fit in. It would also be incredibly helpful if campus services converted at least one restroom per classroom building into a gender-neutral space, and I hope to see inclusive bathrooms in dormitories and the campus recreational center as well.

I know that the GT community can grow and become more supportive of its students and that we can be better than the chalk writer who broke my heart with their callousness. I hope that LGBTQIA+ students will receive the care and respect that we deserve and that people like that anonymous writer will no longer deny us the privileges that they take for granted. I hope that when we speak up for ourselves, we will be heard and answered and not met with uncaring stares. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Believe in the Believe in the the

“ This election is our opportunity to advance Atlanta together. As a champion for an inclusive city, I will continue working on of the LGBTQIA+ community. ” This is our opportunity opportunity to advance advance “behalf election to “ This election Atlanta together. together. As a champion Atlanta champion for foran an inclusive city, city, I will continue inclusive continue working workingon on behalf of of the the LGBTQIA+ LGBTQIA+ community. behalf community.””

Peter’s Plan for LGBTQIA+

I will offer Atlanta Police Department 4 Peter’s Plan LGBTQIA+ resources to our schools so that they can Peter’s Plan for for LGBTQIA+

share best practices in reducing bullying and suicide rates for LGBTQIA+ students.

I will offer Atlanta Police Department I will offerto Atlanta Policeso Department resources ourAtlanta schools that they to can I will lobby the City Council resources to our schools so that they can share best workplace practices intransgender reducing bullying mandate workplace share best practices in reducing bullying and suicide rates for LGBTQIA+ students. transition guidelines for city employees. and suicide rates for LGBTQIA+ students.

IWe willwill lobby the Atlanta City Council tofor HIV/ update the city application I will lobby the Atlanta City Council to mandate workplace transgender workplace AIDS relief to remove gender binary while mandate guidelines workplace for transgender workplace transition city employees. expanding transgender interaction training transition guidelines for city employees. policies for our police force.

We will update the city application for HIV/ AIDS relief to remove gender binary while We will update thewill city application for HIV/ My administration focus on combating expanding interaction training AIDS relieftransgender to remove gender binary while homeslessness, especially among policies for our police force. expanding transgender interaction training LGBTQIA+ youth. policies for our police force.

My administration will focus on combating homeslessness, especially among My administration will focus on combating LGBTQIA+ youth. homeslessness, especially among LGBTQIA+ youth.

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4

@PeterAmanATL #BelieveInTheA peteraman.com @PeterAmanATL #BelieveInTheA Paid for

by Friends of Peter Aman, Inc. @PeterAmanATL peteraman.com

CATCHING UP WITH …

Victory Empowerment Fellow Eric Paulk Tyron Garner Fellow at Lambda Legal focuses on the intersection of LGBT discrimination and racism

By ELIZABETH FRIEDLY As a black gay man from rural Georgia, Eric Paulk utilizes his experiences to promote intersectional advocacy on a number of levels.

A Tyron Garner Fellow at Lambda Legal, Paulk served on the Advisory Board of the Counter Narrative Project, discussing advocacy focused on black gay men. He works with the Southern HIV Decriminalization Network, in coalition with Georgia Equality, and serves on the board of the Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition to focus on gay and black communities. He holds degrees from Morehouse College and Pace Law School.

Paulk was most recently chosen as one of 12 Victory Empowerment Fellows for 2017.

The Victory Institute promotes the election of LGBT leaders to public office and draws from candidates all across the nation to participate.

Georgia Voice spoke with Paulk to learn about coalition efforts in divided times, being a Victory Empowerment Fellowship participant and what it takes for our movements to succeed.

Where were you when you found out that you had been chosen as a Victory Empowerment Fellow?

I was probably in a coffee shop like this when I got the email about the fellowship. I applied to the fellowship because I felt it was a good continuation to my work in public service. I thought it would be a good addition to the work I was doing – to learn about advocacy in a more formal way.

How did it feel?

I was very excited. I was also little bit nervous. I consider myself a public servant, but not a politician, so I definitely had some hesitation about what the process would look like, what the expectations would be. But afwww.thegeorgiavoice.com

ter going through the first training, which I learned a lot, I felt like I was pretty prepared.

My work l’d done previously was good preparation for what they were teaching as well, so it was a compliment to that. It’s an opportunity to sharpen skills and network with a lot of like-minded, progressive people and who are looking to make change and impact in their communities. I’m looking forward to utilizing the tools that I’m learning to increase the level of work that I’ve been doing, and to continue to raise the bar.

Do you see yourself ever running for public office?

I think growing up in a working-class family, there’s an understanding of what everyday people are dealing with and facing.

Going to law school and bridging that understanding of how legislation and policy work, and how it effects communities, it provides a unique perspective. So maybe at some point, but the jury’s still out.

Why prioritize electing people from the LGBT community to office?

There are qualified LGBT folks and we need to make sure that those voices are being elevated. The people with solutions are often the ones that have the most intimate relationship to them.

“Intersectional” is the word that comes to mind to describe your advocacy. Could you elaborate?

Yes, a lot of my work is about intersectionality of race, gender and class. Beyond a buzzword, I think intersectionality is about coalition building.

Working on HIV criminalization is one of the areas that I’m particularly passionate about. We bring in people who are directly impacted by these laws and then we bring

Eric Paulk is focused on a number of issues surrounding LGBT discrimination and racism, but he says the school-to-prison pipeline is one of the most pressing to him. (Photo by Johnnie Ray Kornegay III)

in people who are suburban moms who have never heard of those laws. Those conversations aren’t always pretty and neat, but they’re conversations that need to be had. It’s about hearing different voices and trying to find some middle ground.

I also know New York City recently strongly suggested there be GSAs [gay-straight alliances] in all public middle and high schools.

I think that’d be a wonderful policy for the Atlanta City Council to consider, in terms of addressing the school-to-prison pipeline.

What has your experience been like in Atlanta’s LGBT community?

It’s been a really welcoming community. I think it’s really important to have that to go to.

I grew up in a very small town in South Georgia, so being able to have the community that embraces you and cares about you, and that you can work with has really been important for me.

Any other goals?

I’d like to see more conversations between the LGBTQ movement and the racial justice movement, so how do we start? We talked about police shootings earlier, but some of these people being shot by the police officers are queer folks.

In the case of the HB 1523, which is the “religious freedom” law that’s in Mississippi, how do we bring more communities of color into that conversation to strengthen the advocacy efforts? I don’t think people have been focused on that. How will this impact communities of color? How will it impact HIV services? People need to consider these things to succeed.

Your advocacy also includes education, correct?

The school-to-prison pipeline is a huge, huge issue for me. The focus in that conversation has largely been on black, heterosexual men in school settings. So my focus has been on how does the school-to-prison pipeline impact black, queer youth.

If we look at the stats on bullying, we know that it’s affecting LGBT students more than it is their straight counterparts. We also know from the school-to-prison pipeline that [bullying] is something that’s impacting black youth.

I have to ask, are you as busy as it sounds?

[Laughs] I really am that busy, but it’s good. I feel like I’m doing the work that I’m supposed to be doing.

October 13, 2017 Community 29

What is TRUVADA for PrEP?

Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP?

TRUVADA for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a prescription medicine that is used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex.

This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1. To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health.

Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.

Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: ® Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. ® Also take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA for PrEP? Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-negative. ® Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin.

While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. ® You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP: ® Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. ® If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. ® To further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: ® Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners. ® Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you. ® Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners. ® Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. ® If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.

TRUVADA can cause serious side effects: ® Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV and stop taking TRUVADA, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include: ® Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA. ® Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. ® Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. ® Bone problems, including bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.

Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TRUVADA for PrEP? ® All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis. ® If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA can harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA. ® If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can be passed to the baby in breast milk. ® All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. ® If you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose. These medicines include certain medicines to treat hepatitis C (HCV) infection.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following page.

TVDC0153_PrEP_B_10-10-5_GeorgiaVoice_Apt_p1.indd 1-2

We're open, not unprepared.

We know who we are. And we make choices that fit our lives.

TRUVADA for PrEP™ is a once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when taken every day and used together with safer sex practices. ® TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex. ® You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you.

Learn more at truvada.com

8/7/17 3:20 PM

IMPORTANT FACTS

This is only a brief summary of important information about taking TRUVADA for PrEPTM (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.

(tru-VAH-dah) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP Before starting TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must be HIV-1 negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative.

• Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include flu-like symptoms, tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP: • You must continue to use safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1.

• You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you think you were exposed to HIV-1 or have a flu-like illness while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.

• See the “How To Further Reduce Your Risk” section for more information.

TRUVADA may cause serious side effects, including: • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. TRUVADA is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA for PrEP is a prescription medicine used together with safer sex practices to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This use is only for HIV-negative adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1.

• To help determine your risk of getting HIV-1, talk openly with your healthcare provider about your sexual health.

Do NOT take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status.

• Take certain medicines to treat hepatitis B infection.

HOW TO TAKE TRUVADA FOR PrEP • Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1.

• Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection.

• Use TRUVADA for PrEP together with condoms and safer sex practices.

• Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months. You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About TRUVADA for PrEP” section.

• New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure.

• Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.

• Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.

• Bone problems.

Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP include stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight.

These are not all the possible side effects of TRUVADA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP.

BEFORE TAKING TRUVADA FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis.

• Have any other medical conditions.

• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

• Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. If you become HIV-positive, HIV can pass to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

• Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with TRUVADA for PrEP.

HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK • Know your HIV status and the HIV status of your partners.

• Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV to infect you.

• Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior, such as having fewer sex partners.

• Do not share needles or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them.

GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about TRUVADA for PrEP. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more, including how to prevent HIV infection.

• Go to start.truvada.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit start.truvada.com for program information.

TRUVADA FOR PREP, the TRUVADA FOR PREP Logo, the TRUVADA Blue Pill Design, TRUVADA, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

Version date: April 2017 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. TVDC0153 07/17

TVDC0153_PrEP_B_10-10-5_GeorgiaVoice_Apt_p1.indd 3

8/7/17 3:20 PM

COMMUNITY

Athens AIDS Walk raises $10,252 for HIV/AIDS resources

By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN Each fall, citizens of Athens-Clarke County come together to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and fundraise for much-needed health resources and outreach programs via the Athens AIDS Walk. This year’s event was no exception, as dozens of walkers and teams raised more than $10,200 to support the mission of Live Forward.

The walk group didn’t let a little bit of rain stop them from gathering at Creature Comforts in downtown Athens on Oct. 7. Participants were encouraged to fundraise from friends, family and colleagues beforehand, working towards the overall goal of $25,000.

Live Forward, formerly AIDS Athens, focuses on providing affordable, stable and safe housing for those who use its services. It provides a number of resources, including support groups, a food pantry, free HIV testing and prevention counseling. The organization serves 10 counties in northeast Georgia, including Barrow, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Oconee and Walton.

The Live Forward team itself raised more than $2,300, and the team in second place was #DLRS — a team that walked in memory of Darnel Lamar Ray Scott, who passed away in 2013 at age 21 from AIDS. The #DLRS team raised $1,900.

Walk participant JP Lemay, whose fundraising profile says, “I walk so that one day, we won’t have to,” was the individual who raised the most: $1,255.

(Photos by Dallas Anne Duncan)

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

October 13, 2017 Community 33

COMMUNITY

6th Annual Gentlemen’s Ball Weekend Atlanta event celebrates LGBT men and women of color The 6th Annual Gentlemen’s Ball took place Sept. 30 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis honoring a slew of LGBT men and women of color as well as allies. It was the main event in a full weekend of events that included an opening reception, panel discussions, a health and wellness fair, after-party and a brunch and dialogue with Atlanta’s mayoral candidates at the Center for Civil and Human Rights.

(Photos by Ryan Lee)

36 Community October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

for Fulton County Chairwoman

For the last 5 years Keisha has fought for us at the State Capitol. Join us on Tue, Nov 7th in standing with Keisha as our next Chairwoman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.

During former State Rep. Keisha Waites 5 year tenure in the Georgia House of Representatives, she authored and sponsored various pieces of legislation that directly impact and protect the LGBT community: A B C D E

Sponsored HB 492 Hate Crimes legislation Sponsored HB 40 Anti bullying legislation with LGBT inclusions Sponsored HB 53 HIV/AIDS Sponsored HB 716 Anti Conversion Therapy legislation Supported and co-sponsored Rep. Karla Drenner’s bill, HB 323, the Fair Employment Practices Act, which would prohibit discrimination against state employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

“During my tenure in the Georgia House, I served as an outspoken champion and vocal proponent for LGBT rights and equality. With the recent attacks on our transgender community, I was proud to join in organizing and participate in rallies and forums to advocate in support of the Transgender community. My colleages and I, released unified press release statements following the Orlando Pulse Night Club shooting and North Carolina HB 2, LGBT discriminatory legislation. During the 2016 legislative session, my colleagues and I organized a joint press conference at the State Capitol calling for the veto of HB 757. We fought, love won.”

—Rep. Keisha Waites • Past Endorsements include: Georgia Equality, Georgia Stonewall Dems and Victory Fund

HAPPY PRIDE ATLANTA!!!

COMMUNITY

Night owls out at Mary’s The night owls were out at Mary’s in East Atlanta Village on Oct. 7. The crowd later enjoyed a drag show with the likes of Ellasaurus Rex, Brigitte Bidet, Dax Martin, Chelsea Daggers and Daniel Lomax.

(Photos by Russ Youngblood)

38 Community October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

COMMUNITY

Out On Film 30 opens with a ‘Happy’ affair The 30th Annual Out On Film festival kicked off on Sept. 28 with a screening of the top-selling documentary “Happy: A Small Film With A Big Smile” at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. The screening was followed by a Q&A with director Michael Patrick McKinley and the film’s subject, artist Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman, moderated

by Richard Eldredge of Eldredge ATL. It was the first of over 130 films that screened at the festival over 11 days.

(Photos by Patrick Saunders)

40 Community October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

VINCENT D. FORT has been a state Senator in the Georgia State Senate since 1996. His last years were served as the Democratic Whip.

As a candidate for Mayor of Atlanta, Vincent Fort has been endorsed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, former Democratic Governor of Georgia Roy Barnes, Atlanta Hip-Hop artist and business owner Michael Render, also known as Killer Mike, as well as 28 local labor unions. His key campaign issues include affordable housing and stopping gentrification in Atlanta, as well as providing two free years of community and technical college to graduates of Atlanta public schools.

He supported Bernie Sanders for President of the United States because, as he said, “After months of looking at Bernie’s record and studying his positions on healthcare, Wall Street, predatory lending and the minimum wage, I came to the conclusion that Bernie’s position on the issues that affect my constituents in Georgia the most conform most closely to my positions.”

Fort has served on committees dealing with the judiciary, education, State institutions and properties, MARTA, appropriations, redistricting and reapportionment.

He knows how Atlanta should be run.

For centuries, our nation’s promise that we are all created equal has gone unfulfilled. I believe in an Atlanta where we judge people by the content of their character, and nothing else.

That’s why I support equal protections for all under the law, no matter your race, religion, creed, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, age, class, or ability.

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

n n n n n n n n

Appropriations - Member - (Until 08/23/2017) Government Oversight - Member - (Until 08/23/2017) Interstate Cooperation - Member - (Until 08/23/2017) Judiciary - Member - (Until 08/23/2017) MARTOC - Member - (Until 08/23/2017) Reapportionment and Redistricting - Member - (Until 08/23/2017) Special Judiciary - Member - (Until 08/23/2017) Urban Affairs - Member - (Until 08/23/2017)

Before his Senate service, Senator Fort was the President of Atlanta’s Community Planning Advisory Board, where he worked successfully with city leaders to improve Atlanta’s neighborhoods.

ATLANTA PRIDE

Taking it to the MAX Surging ‘Lights Down Low’ singer on playing Atlanta Pride, fighting stigma

By J. MATTHEW COBB In 2010, a 17-year old Maxwell Schneider made headlines working as a model while posing with Madonna for a Dolce & Gabbana campaign.

“It was surreal,” he told Georgia Voice by phone. “Every time I tell the story, it doesn’t feel like a real day in my life. I’ll never forget that headline my dad saw in the newspaper the next day and that paparazzi shot saying ‘Who’s Madonna’s new fetus boyfriend?’”

Schneider, 25, is now making his own headlines without the Material Girl on his shoulders.

Known simply as MAX to his fans, this young, gorgeous sensation with a crisp tenor is now storming the airwaves with a refreshing hypnotic sound, one that blends dubstep, alternative R&B and a splash of pop. Songs like “Gibberish” and “Wrong” firmly plant him in the realm of Nick Jonas and The Weeknd.

Meanwhile, a cornucopia of musical influences — James Brown, Etta James, Marvin Gaye, Prince, even 21st century titans like Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake — keep him rooted in the lane of soul.

But it’s the sultry, melodic ballad “Lights Down Low” featuring gnash, the lead single off his debut studio album “Hell’s Kitchen Angel,” that has MAX sailing towards pop star status.

Weeks after cracking the Billboard Top 40, the song was certified gold in late September and was even used during Drew Scott’s rumba on this season of “Dancing with the Stars.”

“It’s been so incredible,” he said. “A lot of people in my realm of music thought it was career suicide to put this song out and to say I wrote it about my wife. And so the fact that this has been the one that has traveled to more ears than any other music of mine is so humbling.”

To his credit, MAX has latched onto a host of careers, from acting in television

MAX is scoring with his hit single ‘Lights Down Low,’ featuring gnash. (Photos courtesy Crush Management)

and movies (Nickelodeon’s “How to Rock,” “Law and Order: SVU”) to Broadway (he worked with Ariana Grande while on the musical “13”). But he said music is where he belongs and where he intends to stay.

“I’m completely committed to it,” he affirmed. “This is all I wanna do. I’m having the time of my life honestly.”

The making of a proud ally Raised in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen and surrounded by an environment of tolerance and sexual fluidity, MAX is proudly standing up as an ally for the LGBT community. And yes, he’s quite aware that such a move can still sometimes be risky for younger artists. But this straight ally isn’t concerned over any backlash that may rise from the fringe far-right or the loudest critics.

“You know … there’s definitely a fear of people in general [with that], especially in music as a solo pop male act,” MAX recalled.

“People think there’s a stigma, which I think is really sad. It’s so wrong. We should be an ally with everything that we believe in, regardless of the fears that come with it.”

MAX admits that his own experience of opening up about his marriage while still in the infancy of his career helped him to face any qualms. And yes, even Madge proved to be a valuable inspiration. “[Madonna’s] been such a powerful voice to the LGBTQ community for so long,” he added.

‘Dancing, lots of high energy music’ at Pride MAX will perform at Atlanta Pride on the Coca-Cola Stage in Piedmont Park on

Oct. 14. And although the North American leg of his Meteor Tour has the talented heartthrob returning to Atlanta’s Aisle 5 later this month, he promises to bring the maximum experience to Pride.

“There’s going to be dancing, lots of high energy music,” MAX said. “We’ll go from performing like we’re in a stadium and then switching it right away like you’re in a small room of a hundred people.” And expect some covers of popular hits, even a few peppy synthfunk jams from his side project Party Pupils.

“We’re definitely playing the Party Pupils jams in Atlanta as well,” he said.

This won’t be MAX’s first performance at a Pride festival.

“Actually I just had a Pride event in Kentucky [Louisville Pride] about a week and a half ago,” he said. “There were a couple of aggressive drag queens who were very touchy, but they were awesome.”

Then, a jovial laugh permeates the room right before MAX describes the beauty of Pride events.

“They are so wonderful,” he said. “I love seeing the people expressing the energy and seeing themselves in their most true way.

There’s nothing more beautiful.”

Of course, security will once again be a top priority at Atlanta Pride as the nation processes yet another tragedy — the mass shooting at a Jason Aldean concert in Las Vegas on Oct. 1 that led to 59 deaths and over 500 injured. Months prior, the Manchester terrorist bombing at an Ariana Grande concert dominated the news cycle. And this year in June marked the one-year anniversary of the Pulse massacre. Still, MAX believes we must not wallow in fear.

“I would say it’s heartbreaking; it’s terrible, because music festivals and concerts should be the safest place in the world,” he said. “We should feel lost [there]. We should be able to find inspiration and feel our safest at shows. I think our only response is to show up more, to show people that we don’t fear. And I think Pride is a great example of [us] coming together, to show love and to not be afraid. It’s a beautiful thing to be comfortable with who you are.”

46 Atlanta Pride October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

ATLANTA PRIDE

Arrested Development hits home Alt-hip hop group’s message resonates in 2017 as group plays first ever Pride show

lease new music,” she said, pointing to such recent albums as “Changing the Next America.” “Various members have kind of come and gone to keep the legacy.”

Don’t expect to see the same old faces during Pride.

Speech, the bespectacled artist who founded the group and who is easily among its most recognized faces, continues to lead as the only remaining original member. Other originals such as Headliner have gone on to solo work, starting families or as in the case of the ubiquitous gray-haired elder Baba Oje, retirement, Aleem said.

In their place are members like Aleem, who joined 12 years ago, and LaRae, who’s been with the group for a decade.

By DIONNE N. WALKER The year was 1992. The first Bush was in office, the internet was barely a whisper and on the radio, an eclectic, Atlanta-grown musical collective was capturing the public consciousness with a southern-tinged tune, ironically titled “Tennessee.”

They called themselves Arrested Development, and the next few years would see the ensemble group rise to the top of the charts on the strength of down-home hits like “People Everyday” and “Mr. Wendal.” By the mid’90s however, the group seemed to vanish just as fast as it appeared, leaving a hole in the burgeoning socially-conscious music scene that would stand empty for years.

On Oct. 14, their unique brand of alt-hip hop will return to the stage as the group plays the main stage at Atlanta Pride. The group will join hip hop artist Dej Loaf, R&B icons The Pointer Sisters and other artists performing for the city’s largest Pride celebration.

Social media raises interest in group The performance is the group’s first Pride show and comes at a particularly auspicious time: social media has raised interest in both ’90s nostalgia and the community issues Arrested Development championed way back when.

“With everything going on in the world right now, our message is even more relevant today than when we first came out,” said dancer/vocalist Fareedah Aleem.

That message includes tolerance, respect and understanding for people regardless of politics and other divisions.

“Regardless of your race, your gender, your background, as long as you are living a positive life and upholding your community, we should all support that,” she said.

Aleem will join founder Speech, as well as

Fareedah Aleem, second from left, and Arrested Development perform on Saturday, Oct. 14 on the Coca-Cola stage in Piedmont Park for Atlanta Pride. (Courtesy photo)

newer members like vocalist Tasha LaRae for a set that will include some of their classics as well as material from newer albums.

“We don’t actually get a chance often to perform in Atlanta,” Aleem said. “We’re really excited to have a hometown crowd.”

Evolution of a group Make no mistake, the group has kept busy over the years — just not stateside.

The Afrocentric clan spends most of its time touring overseas, enjoying popularity in Asia and Europe in particular, Aleem said.

In America, meanwhile, their mainstream popularity peaked in the early ‘90s.

Back then, the group gained runaway success with their freshman album “3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of…”, a collage of anti-misogynist rap, bluesy-sing-

ing and acoustic soul, uttered from a group that included African dancers and even a resident spiritual elder. Lyrics were laced with everything from calls to help the homeless to spoken prayers for survival in an unfair world. Critics and audiences alike embraced the group’s sound as a refreshing contrast to the gangsta rap emerging at the time.

But it would be years before artists like Erykah Badu and The Roots truly mainstreamed consciousness hip-hop. By then, internal conflicts and a series of poorly charting albums had taken its toll on the two-time Grammy-winning group. The original Arrested Development split in 1995, according to LaRae. Speech and other members pursued new projects before the group resumed.

“The band got back together in the early 2000s and now continue to record and re-

Promoting pride in self Despite the changing personnel, the group continues to focus on lyrics that uplift communities and promote pride in self and general positivity.

Aleem said they’re particularly excited to bring their woke-soul message to new fans looking for music that reflects their concerns.

“A lot of the problems that were present back in the ’90s are still present now,” she said. “When we talk about the truth, it’s always going to be relevant.”

Arrested Development will perform on the Coca-Cola stage, one of three stages now playing music throughout the park since the Pride committee added the Nissan stage this year.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer a third stage to festival goers this year, and we are especially proud to be able to expand our lineup and provide great entertainment across all three of our stages. We have so much talent in our community and in our allies — to have the opportunity to feature these performers and showcase their support, is especially exciting,” Atlanta Pride Committee Executive Director Jamie Fergerson said in a press release.

“While many other large Pride celebrations have moved to ticketing portions of their festival, thanks to the support of Atlanta’s LGBTQ community and our sponsors alike, we can stay true to our commitment of keeping the festival and our entertainment free of charge.”

48 Atlanta Pride October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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ATLANTA PRIDE

David Cowan expands the movement to all Freelance deaf interpreter one of this year’s Atlanta Pride grand marshals

By SHANNON HAMES On June 27, the Atlanta Pride Committee announced the eight individuals and organizations chosen to lead this year’s Pride Parade. Among those selected for the honor was Indiana native (and current Georgia resident) David Cowan. Cowan works as an American Sign Language (ASL) translator for deaf and hard of hearing people. He’s been a deaf interpreter at Atlanta Pride since 2000 and has played the same role at a number of social justice marches and other events over the years.

One of the first things that Cowan wanted to point out is that the term hearing impaired “is no longer appropriate use. It’s considered offensive.”

Instead, Cowan said, “Please use these wording, ‘deaf and hard of hearing’. It’s like calling you ‘sign language impaired’ because you don’t know sign language. We do not consider ourselves as ‘impaired’; we were born this way. Impaired means being in an imperfect or weakened state or condition, such as a diminished in function or ability or lacking full functional or structural integrity. It diminishes who we are. We have a language and culture.”

Thriving deaf LGBT community in Atlanta Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Cowan lived in several northern states growing up, and described his childhood as “Amazing. I had wonderful parents.” He had an active youth, spending his time traveling, boating, driving cars and snowmobiling.

As a young man, Cowan attended Gallaudet University located in Washington, D.C. It is the only liberal arts college for the deaf in the world.

“This is where I started working as deaf interpreter,” he said. “Now I am a freelance deaf interpreter. It’s been my passion to make lan-

David Cowan has acted as deaf interpreter at Atlanta Pride and a number of social justice marches and events over the years. (Photo courtesy David Cowan)

guage accessible in our community. It’s a privilege to break down the communication barrier.”

Cowan is a mainstay at social justice events and has translated at the Women’s March this past January, for Black Lives Matter and anti-Trump rallies in addition to Atlanta Pride.

“I have interpreted and worked with marginalized groups of people. I enjoy working with these groups who share the same principles as ours,” he said. “For example, American Sign Language is our language. No more language appropriation for profits. No more cultural appropriation. No more language deprivation. As for Atlanta Pride, Black Lives Matter, Anti-Trump, Women’s March, it’s really all about equality. No more oppression based on our skin color, our gender, our differences, our languages and our sexual orientation.”

With all of the rallies, protests and

demonstration, Cowan admits that he has a favorite.

“My favorite and most memorable event was to see the interaction of deaf people in the LGBTQ community,” he said. “They were able to participate in the community events without having to worry about the communication barriers.”

Cowan said that the deaf gay and lesbian community in Atlanta is vibrant and thriving.

“There’s a deaf gay and lesbian community in Atlanta as well as almost everywhere else,” he said. “Usually, we meet for coffee or we get together for dinners once a month at different restaurants and coffeehouses to socialize. We also have different events that allow our hearing friends to come along and enjoy socializing with all of us. For example, we have ASL poetry nights, ASL jam nights, deaf professional nights and other types of activities that include everyone.”

‘We are not a silent community of people’ Cowan doesn’t limit his activity to the LGBT community, though.

“I am a member of an organization called ‘Deafhood’” he said. “We have monthly meetings to ensure that our deaf children, deaf adults, deaf senior citizens and deaf and hard of hearing friends and families are not suffering from language deprivation, language appropriation and cultural appropriation from businesses, workplaces, schools, public events and community events. We are not a silent community of people. We are loud in ASL.” In addition to his work as an interpreter for deaf and hard of hearing people, Cowan has also geared his talents towards acting.

ASL Films is a well-known movie production company for deaf and hard of hearing people. They have made several movies with deaf actors and actresses using ASL. Cowan auditioned for a film called “Beyond Embers” and nabbed the role.

“It was an amazing experience working with the staff, movie production people and the other actors and actresses,” he said.

Cowan is single, but said he is meeting new people.

“Hopefully someday, I will meet my soulmate. I was in a relationship with my ex-partner. He is the father of our two beautiful children. We have a 19-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old son.” Then he added, “I’m the ‘mommy with a beard’”.

Cowan was, in his words, “shocked” after finding out he was named one of the grand marshals of this year’s Pride parade.

“I feel so honored to be recognized by these amazing people in our community,” he said. “It touches my heart.”

Cowan is the first deaf gay man to receive the honor of grand marshal — he’s quick to note that there was one deaf transgender person that was named grand marshal at San Francisco Pride.

“I want to thank the LGBTQ community in Atlanta for allowing me to bridge the communication between hearing people and the deaf LGBTQ people” said Cowan.

“It’s been my passion to make all of our deaf LGBTQ feel welcome and included in all community events in Atlanta.”

52 Atlanta Pride October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

ATLANTA PRIDE

Project raises money for local nonprofits Rainbros unveils building wrap at the intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue Just in time for Atlanta Pride, local LGBT nonprofit Rainbros unveiled a building wrap at the intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue on Oct. 7 funded by donations from across the city. The wall in-between restaurants G’s and 10th and Piedmont now reads “Still Too Busy To Hate,” with the letters spelling “hate” filled with messages of love from the fundraiser’s donors. There is also a wall with the same message now on the south side of 10th and Piedmont in the Blake’s parking lot.

Rainbros co-founder James Brian Yancey said the project raised $11,400, which, minus $7,800 in expenses, will be split between local nonprofits Trans Housing Atlanta Program, Lost-n-Found Youth, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, The Link Counseling Center and The Atlanta Women’s Foundation. During the unveiling ceremony, audience members were given cards each with the names and ages of the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas and others lost to violence, which they passed around a microphone to read off. Included in the names were Tee Tee Dangerfield, a trans woman who was murdered in a College Park apartment complex this summer, and Scout Schultz, the president of the Georgia Tech Pride Alliance who was shot and killed by campus police last month.

(Photos by Patrick Saunders)

54 Atlanta Pride October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

ATLANTA PRIDE

Memories from your first Atlanta Pride …

“I was there in 1971, but I had just graduated from high school and was really nervous. I watched and waited in Piedmont Park until the march arrived. Not a lot of people. I regret not having joined at the start. I have since marched about 10 times in Atlanta Pride.”

-John A. Leopard

the way to be introduced to the Atlanta gay community and I really loved it!”

-Glenn Bernard “1996 when The Olympics came to Atlanta! It looked like over 300,000 people attended. Most fun I’ve ever had! The Indigo Girls performed and Mrs. Coretta Scott King was a guest speaker.”

-Angelia Love Henderson

“1989. There were a mere 13,000 marchers in the whole event, yet we felt empowered … even with armed guards and chains and lock on the First Baptist Church on Peachtree, while across the street Saint Mark welcomed marchers with water.”

-Gre Chanda

“Volunteered first aid as I had just finished EMT school. Worked under Dr Roth.

Was a blast.”

-Andrew Martz “1977. Exhilarating!”

-Cindy G. Thompson

“Last year. I had just come out, and my mother completely stopped talking to me. I went with all my siblings, my dad and my stepmom. It made me feel amazing to see the community, and to get to enjoy that with the family that accepted me.”

-Courtney Boutwell “1982. We all gathered near the corner of Peachtree Street and Forrest Avenue, now called Ralph McGill Boulevard.

There were maybe 500 of us. No corporate sponsors. No floats. No politicians. Just a few hundred of us brave men and women.

We marched down Peachtree to the steps of the State Capitol. Speeches. Pride. Protesters. Police. I was 20-years-old. We’ve come a long way baby, and still got a long way to go.”

-Lenny Berman “Shaun Alex getting lost and peeing in a bush holding hands with a stranger I had just met and then becoming good friends.”

-Bryant Couvillon “I moved to Atlanta in the summer of 1978 and [it was] my first Pride parade ever since I moved from a very small southern town that was not gay friendly. Since I had a 3’x5’ size gay flag, I walked in the front of the parade along side of a gay friend of mine that carried the US Flag. We walked together side-by-side. We were not many then, yet it was important. My Georgia Tech co-workers

“I was marching with PFLAG ATL and the crowd was going wild! I really felt the love! Then our group came upon ‘the haters.’ Luckily for us, the Pansy Patrol was out doing their thing, helping to create a safe space for the LGBTQ community through a non-violent, proactive act of love. I was so moved by their presence that I took my PFLAG sign and joined them. It was a life-changing event. Now I look forward to working with Thom and the rest of the pansies every year!”

-Deb Wise on the Monday afterwards said they saw me on TV and I expected hell from them. Instead it was support, joy and happiness from them. My first Pride parade!”

-George Smedberg

“My first Atlanta Pride was 2016. That’s because I relocated from Chicago Sept. 8. A friend of mine who works for UPS asked if I wanted to march in the parade. Of course I said yes and the rest is history! I felt this was

“It must have been 1990. On Peachtree Street, there used to be a Baptist church directly across the street from Saint Mark Methodist Church and we were marching between the two. I was nervous anyway, but I really got scared when I saw the signs and heard the chants from the people in front of the Baptist church. They definitely were angry we were there. I looked to the right and saw another crowd in front of Saint Mark. A woman came running straight to me from the sidewalk and I braced myself for whatever she had in mind to do, but as she got close enough for me to hear what she was screaming, I realized she only wanted to invite me to Saint Mark. She said ‘Jesus loves you and you are welcome at our church any time!’ I burst into tears as I took the flier from her hand.”

-Margaret Ruth Mitchell “Meeting Chasity Bono and seeing Montel Williams and Rupaul. It was my first Pride in 1996. What a star-struck day.”

-Day Landseadel “My first Pride was in 2003. A few of us queers drove down to Atlanta from Gainesville for the parade. I had no idea how many LGBT people were in Atlanta alone! And it was so hot! I can’t tell you how glad I was when Pride was rescheduled for October a CONTINUES ON PAGE 58

56 Atlanta Pride October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

ATLANTA PRIDE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 56 few years later. About halfway through the parade, I got bored and went to check out the vendors. I bought my first Pride souvenirs: a keychain and an embroidered T-shirt. I still have them, faded and ripped as they are.”

-Dale Jackson “My friend Todd Green. He had VIP invitations to all the clubs and parties in 1990 and we went to them all.”

-Dixon R Smith “Being in the PFLAG group in the parade … a long time ago!”

-Mary Kolcum Warwick “1987. Not my first Pride parade but it was the first for my partner, now wife. Susan worked for DeKalb County Schools so she marched wearing a huge sun hat and large dark sunglasses, so afraid that a parent or teacher would recognize her from the news coverage and end her career. But she marched and I was so proud of her. Still am.”

-Nancy Wilkinson “I was 16 and it was 1986. My grandmother saw me marching with the Armorettes in a bright yellow sun hat and marching dress.”

-Kelly Mathison-Voltz “My girlfriend and I went to Pride and set up our tent in the lawn. We left our tent and went and walked the market. When we returned, I could tell our tent had been moved.

As anyone that has been to Pride knows, you can’t stake your tents and wind is a problem.

Two guys came running up to us to tell us that there was a gust of wind that blew our tent down the lawn and they chased after it, drug it back and tied it to our cooler for us.

This is my go-to story when I explain to people why Pride is important to me. There is just such community and love. It is the one weekend a year I can just go and be with my people and be surrounded by love and happiness. You need a paper towel? Here I’ve got plenty. Need help putting up your tent? I’ve got arms to help. One time a stroller started rolling down the hill with kids on board and someone reacted quickly and grabbed it.

I have experienced countless incidents like these at Pride and it’s why I go.”

-Dallas Colla

“Marching with ACT UP in the early ’90s with my friend Anthony Ricciardi. That period of my life would change forever as I became more involved with fighting for LGBTQ rights.

I am now one year shy of 25 years working for gay publications.”

-Rob Boeger “Mine was 1978. I was 7-years-old marching with my uncles, cousins and aunts. It was a great time had by all. I have been marching and supporting since that time. We used to gather at Forrest Avenue and Peachtree Street. Family fun.”

-Charlton Singleton “The first that I remember was in 1981.

Everyone gathered in the park at 10th and Charles Allen. Ron Beazley had just opened The Atlanta Balloonery (at 14th and West Peachtree) and so he brought a tank of helium and 1,000 lavender balloons, which we proceeded to inflate and give out. Then we marched down 10th to Peachtree and continued south on Peachtree with 1,000 lavender balloons waving in the air to the Georgia State Capital where several gay leaders made short speeches, after which we all released our balloons into the air. Little did we know what madness was in store for us all and how many would be gone far too soon from the plague.”

-Gary Dixon “2008. Just came out and my mom stopped talking to me. PFLAG had a booth where you could get a hug from a mom or dad. There was a line for people waiting to be held by an accepting parent. I got choked up wondering if that would be me one day.”

-Shannon Hames

“My first Pride, 2013, made tears well up in my eyes. I didn’t see a community, I saw a huge gathering of family that supports each other. I felt proud to be part of this family.”

-Robert E. Dukes “This will be my first Atlanta pride.”

-Tia Burton “I am a school counselor. I am 40 years old. My training was and is always about being an advocate, an upstander and an ally. Those terms weren’t used when I was in grad school, but the message certainly was there and it has always stuck with me. A few short years ago, my co-counselor and I were approached by a middle school student to see if it was “OK” to start a GSA in our middle school. This grade seven kiddo also told us “GSA” was outdated in name and would like it to be promoted as the “Rainbow Club” for LGBTQ+ and allies. We received immediate support from admin. The Rainbow Club, now known officially as LGBTQ+, is thriving. Last year, our middle school kiddos asked if we could be officially represented as a school at Pride in Atlanta. As a school, we embraced this. Last year was our first year at Pride.

We did our best. We created T-shirts, bought every flag we could when we arrived. We even had a banner. We marched at Pride alongside Angel Action with our kiddos, parents, staff and faculty. I worried about the ‘freedom of speech’

corner and my middle and high school kiddos.

How would the hate speech impact them? I could not have been more happy for the community of Angel Action Atlanta and the crowd that embraced us. They recognized immediately a young crowd marching and cheered us on, protected us and loved us. I am proud to say we are marching again this year, larger and louder. “ -Lanie Cox “I went to my first Atlanta Pride three years ago with friends from work and it felt amazing. I had always felt kinda out of place in the gay community, but at Pride I felt accepted with open arms. I have been every year since and will continue to go every year.”

-Christopher Lee Lovett “Finding and hugging a good friend from church summer camp! Frank Colladay.”

-Hiram A. Pérez-Cordero “It was a typical hot October day, I signed up to volunteer with HRC’s booth and gathered friends and family to come out, not knowing what to expect for my first Pride. Everyone was so welcoming. It was one of the greatest days I’ve experienced in my lifetime. The park was full of laughter, and love, and Pride. It’s become one of my favorite memories and I look forward to it every year now.”

-Joey Layne Andrews

58 Atlanta Pride October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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ATLANTA PRIDE

2017 Atlanta Pride Event Guide THROUGH OCT. 15

Saint Mark United Methodist Church has an Atlanta Pride Then and Now exhibition that celebrates our history and welcomes the present Pride season.

Begins at 6 p.m. Oct. 13, begins at noon Oct. 14 and 15, 781 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.facebook.com/ events/674987806029288/ permalink/676393975888671 View the Shower of Stoles at All Saints’ Episcopal Church. It’s a collection of over 300 liturgical stoles and other sacred items celebrating the gifts of LGBT clergy who have been excluded from service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. 634 West Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.facebook.com/events/133035380653043.

See story on page 6.

FRIDAY, OCT. 13

Join Exhale Spa for a Pride Yoga Class to Benefit Lost-n-Found Youth.

The donation-based vinyasa class helps the group achieve its mission to eradicate LGBT youth homelessness in Atlanta.

5:45 – 6:45 p.m., 1065 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook. com/events/167695223786449 WUSSY MAG and Chappy invite you to a free Chappy Hour at 10th & Piedmont, including complimentary signature cocktails, plus Chappy gift totes for the first 150 through the door.

7 – 9:30 p.m., 991 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook.com/ events/1930620613844289 Join 4,000 of your closest friends at the one, the only, the Official Atlanta Pride Kickoff at the Georgia Aquarium.

The VIP reception will start the night, then it’s on to the main area for the big party, including beats from NYC DJ Joey Zeb and the AT&T Dolphin Celebration show. 7 – 11 p.m., 225 Baker St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313, www.facebook.com/

64 Atlanta Pride October 13, 2017

SUNDAY, OCT. 15

It’s the big one! The Atlanta Pride Parade steps off at noon from downtown and makes its way through Midtown and to Piedmont Park, www.atlantapride.org (File photo) events/1405126539568790 Yvonne Monet Events, Jami Atlanta and Jen-Chase Daniels present Épique Pride 2017 featuring DJ Annalyze, DJ Sed The Saint, Yvonne Monet, The Salt Shaker, a burlesque revue, go-go dancers, two dance floors, complimentary photo booth and more. 8 p.m. – 3 a.m., 1080 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.eventbrite.com/e/epique-2017-pride-party-8pm-til3am-tickets-37365533316 Bellissima Promotions present the

iconic DJ Tracy Young and DJ FreeCity at the Heaven Pride Party at Park Tavern featuring ongoing sexy performances throughout the night and one of the best patios in Midtown.

9 p.m. – 2:45 a.m., 500 10th St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook.com/ events/141086733161133 Dynasty Event Lounge in West Midtown is the spot for the FAMA party, featuring beats by international DJ Hansell Leyva, who’s in town from Miami. Also special performances by Alexia Markova,

Isabella Sarazua and Aaron Arzate.

10 p.m. – 3 a.m., 1745 Defoor Pl. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318, www.ticketbud.com DJ/Producer Gareth Emery returns to Atlanta for a performance at Opera, presented by Chris Coleman Enterprises.

10 p.m. – 3 a.m., 1150 Crescent Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook. com/events/150488108887159

CONTINUES ON PAGE 66 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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ATLANTA PRIDE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 64 Mary’s hosts Latin Discoteca Pride with DJ Brian Rojas and DJ Esme, hosted by Hydrangea Heath. 10 p.m. – 3 a.m., 1287 Glenwood Ave. S.E., Atlanta, GA 30316, www.marysatlanta.com DJ Martin Fry is on the decks at Xion late night, 3 – 7 a.m., 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.wanttickets.com

SATURDAY, OCT. 14

How about Free Maha Yoga with Atlanta Pride Grand Marshal Swama Jaya Devi Bhagavati to start the day right?

Hosted by Kashi Atlanta Ashram and featuring live music by Kashi Atlanta Kirtan Wallahs. 10 – 11:30 a.m., Piedmont Park, Oak Hill near the 12th Street Gate, www.facebook.com/ events/1576265992430522 Gray Pride is back, sponsored by AARP. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. at the 12th Street Gate Visitors Center in the park, www.atlantapride.org The Atlanta Pride Gaymer Space hosted by Atlanta Outworlders is at the bandstand in Piedmont Park, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., www.atlantapride.org Check out the Atlanta Pride Cultural Exhibit and Interactive Art from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. in Piedmont Park, www.atlantapride.org.

Today only, it’s the Atlanta Pride Car and Motorcycle Show, at the roadway inside the park between the 12th and 14th Street gates from 10:45 a.m. – 4 p.m., www.atlantapride.org The Saturday lineup on the Nissan Stage is as follows: : 11 a.m.: House Music 12 p.m.: Literary Block 2:20 p.m.: Heather Mae 3:10 p.m.: Evan Greer 4 p.m.: The Cover Girlz 4:50 p.m.: MonteQuarlo 5:40 p.m.: TOMBOi The Saturday lineup on the Bud Light Stage is as follows: 11 a.m.: House Music 12 p.m.: Comedy Block 2:10 p.m.: Tangina Stone 3 p.m.: Johnathan Celestin 3:50 p.m.: Prisca 4:40 p.m.: Norwood

66 Atlanta Pride October 13, 2017

FRIDAY, OCT. 13

Bear Invasion and the Heretic invite you to Heretic Pride Friday with DJ Shane Stiel. 9 p.m. – 3 a.m., 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.hereticatlanta.com (Publicity photo) 5:35 p.m.: Chelsea Shag 6:40 p.m.: Queer Your Gender Dance Party with DJ Canvas WUSSY MAG and Chappy host a Bottoms Up! Pop-Up Drag Brunch at Revelator Coffee Company, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., 691 14th St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318, www.facebook.com/ events/278358342657457 The NAMES Project AIDS Quilt is on display at Oak Hill in Piedmont Park today only, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., www.atlantapride.org The Atlanta Pride Family Zone presented by Turner is in the Piedmont Park meadow from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. today, www.atlantapride.org

Trans folks and allies unite! It’s the Trans March, stepping off at the Charles Allen Gate at 2 p.m. sharp, www.atlantapride.org. See march route on page 74.

Today only, it’s the Youth Liberation Space, sponsored by the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition featuring games, activities and music. 2 – 6 p.m. at the Piedmont Park Dock (near the 12th Street Gate), www.atlantapride.org The Saturday lineup on the Coca-Cola Stage is as follows: 2 p.m.: Hero the Band 3 p.m.: Jason Maek & Zaena 3:55 p.m.: Madison Beer 4:50 p.m.: MAX 5:45 p.m.: Arrested Development

6:55 p.m.: Rita Ora 7:45 p.m: DeJ Loaf 8:50 p.m.: The Pointer Sisters It’s the Annual Pride Dyke March, stepping off at the Charles Allen Gate at 6 p.m. sharp, www.atlantapride.org Kia Comedy hosts OUT Staged: Lesbian Variety Show at MSR, 8 – 10 p.m., 66 12th St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook.com/ events/123612054931111 DJ Roland Belmares is on tap at the Heretic from 9 p.m. - 12 a.m., 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.hereticatlanta.com

CONTINUES ON PAGE 69 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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., Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m., Wednesdays at 12:05 p.m.

Sponsored by GALAS, the LGBT Ministry of All Saints’ Episcopal Church

634 West Peachtree Street NW  Atlanta, Georgia 30308–1925  telephone: 404–881–0835  facsimile: 404–881–3796

w w w. a l l s a i nt s at la nt a .or g

ATLANTA PRIDE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 66 Everything’s better with a little DJ Joe Gauthreaux, appearing at Jungle Atlanta for the final time before the club closes next month. 9 p.m. – 3 a.m., 2115 Faulkner Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.jungleatl.com Soul Seduction brings the best in hip hop and R&B to Mixx Atlanta, 10 p.m. 3 a.m., 1492 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook.com/ events/225588417974772

first-serve and no reservations needed.

Be one of the first 250 people in line to receive a free solo #NOH8 photo, compliments of Nissan. Arrive cameraready with a plain white shirt to match the signature style of the #NOH8 photos, Piedmont Park. www.noh8campaign.com/event/open-photo-shoot-atatlanta-pride-hosted-by-nissan

The Sunday lineup on the Coca-Cola Stage is as follows: 3:30 p.m.: Michel Jons Band 4:40 p.m.: Ty Herndon 5:40 p.m.: DJ Nick Ayler 6:35 p.m.: DJ Tracy Young 7:30 p.m.: Starlight Cabaret DJ Tony Moran takes over at

Opera for those still living it up.

9 p.m. – 3 a.m., 1150 Crescent Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.operaatlanta.com DJ Alyson Calagna has the late night shift at Xion, 3 – 7 a.m., 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.wanttickets.com

DJ Paulo gets the boys moving at Xion, 3 – 7 a.m., 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.wanttickets.com

SUNDAY, OCT. 15

The Atlanta Pride Gaymer Space hosted by Atlanta Outworlders is at the bandstand in Piedmont Park, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., www.atlantapride.org Check out the Atlanta Pride Cultural Exhibit and Interactive Art from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. in Piedmont Park, www.atlantapride.org.

The 17th Annual Official Atlanta Pride Brunch is at Empire State South, with doors opening at 11:30 a.m. and service starting at 12:30 p.m., 999 Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.atlantapride.org Gray Pride is back, sponsored by AARP. 2 – 6 p.m. at the 12th Street Gate Visitors Center in the park, www.atlantapride.org The Atlanta Pride Family Zone presented by Turner is in the Piedmont Park meadow from 2 – 7 p.m. today, www.atlantapride.org The Sunday lineup on the Nissan Stage is as follows: 2:30 p.m.: House Music 3:30 p.m.: Youth Block The Sunday lineup on the Bud Light Stage is as follows: 2:30 p.m.: House Music 3:30 p.m.: DJ Mark DeMarko The NOH8 Campaign returns to Atlanta today. Stop by the Nissan booth at Atlanta Pride anytime between 3 – 6 p.m. to pose for an official #NOH8 photo by photographer Adam Bouska. Photos are first-come,

www.thegeorgiavoice.com

October 13, 2017 Atlanta Pride 69

ATLANTA PRIDE

Atlanta Pride

BY THE NUMBERS 75,000

Approximate number of people expected at Sunday’s Pride parade

239

190,000

Approximate number of people expected in the park over the weekend

290

3

Number of stages for entertainment this year, up from the usual two

28

Number of groups/organizations/ businesses/candidates/elected officials taking part in Sunday’s parade

Approximate number of market spaces in the park this year (including medical tents and beverage booths)

Number of performances taking place on the three stages throughout the weekend

35

400

200,000

Number of elected officials and candidates taking part in the parade this year, more than in any other year (with at least a dozen more on the waitlist that wanted to be there)

Number of volunteers helping out throughout the weekend

Ounces of beer expected to be poured

14,000

Number of cocktails expected to be served

2,000

Number of lemons to be used for cocktails

50

Number of bartenders

96

Number of port-o-potties

3

Number of hours the parade will last, at a minimum

70 Atlanta Pride October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

@ Sycamo

re Street

#decaturga

FALL

FOR

DECATUR.

Say hello to autumn with destination dining and crafty cocktails. Seasonal shopportunities start with Storefront Saturday, Oct. 28, and special holiday deals on Terrific Thursdays in November and December. Hop on MARTA to the Decatur station at our downtown square, walk to everything.

Visitors Center 113 Clairemont Ave. | visitdecaturga.com |

Decatur-ga-voice-pride-2017.indd 1

10/8/17 10:03 AM

ATLANTA 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 (trans-inclusive) of any race, culture, orientation, ability, health, socioeconomic level, family

Steps off: Saturday, Oct. 14, 1:45 p.m.

Assembly begins at 1:15 p.m. at the Charles Allen Gate

Steps off: Saturday, Oct. 14, 6 p.m.

Assembly begins 5:30 p.m. at the Charles Allen Gate

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

ATLANTA PRIDE PARADE

Steps off: Sunday, Oct. 15, Noon Assembly begins at 9:30 a.m. 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 onto 10th Street and follows

10th Street to the Charles Allen Gate entrance of Piedmont Park, where the parade officially ends.

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.

74 Atlanta Pride October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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October 13, 2017 Ads 75

ATLANTA PRIDE

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

76 Atlanta Pride October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

- Pride 2017 ATIONAL SPORTS P ERN UB INT

- since 1997 -

www.metrocafes.com

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LGBT A T L A N TA TA I N M E N

Sounding Out

Her Truth LCD Soundsystem member Gavin Russom on coming out as trans, playing Atlanta

By SHANNON HAMES After devastating fans by announcing their break up in 2011, electronic dance band LCD Soundsystem reunited last year to headline festivals including Coachella and Lollapalooza. Early last month, they released their fourth studio album, “American Dream,” and are set to embark on a national tour that will bring them to Atlanta for two sold out shows at the Coca-Cola Roxy www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Theatre on Oct. 21 and 22. Band member Gavin Russom, who came out as transgender this past July, spoke with us about her journey and the link between her music and finally understanding who she is.

Georgia Voice: What prompted you to publicly come out as trans?

Gavin Russom: I was raised in a culture that constantly told me that what I was experiencing internally was wrong. I didn’t want to believe that but it got in my head and, as a result, I had a lot of denial to wade through to get to the point where I could honestly accept and share with others that this was what is going on for me.

I came very close to coming out and beginning to transition in my early ‘20s. In

fact, I was “out” in that I told people close to me that I identified as femme, dressed femme, wore makeup, considered myself a lesbian, etc. But during that time, I was called “faggot,” harassed, robbed and then brutally beaten on the Williamsburg Bridge for having a pink scarf tied around my head.

Although I didn’t make a conscious decision to, shortly after that assault, I got into a relationship with someone who really wanted a husband. I started acting like I was a man again and trying to keep up that illusion. I just swallowed who I was and, as a result, suffered severe depression, several types of addictions and was suicidal for many years.

The cultural programming was powerful enough that I stayed in denial as long

as I possibly could. The consequences were piling up, so I finally made the decision to take care of myself. Not to come out or transition, but just to take care of myself.

Then, accepting that I was trans and transitioning was the natural outcome. Being honest about that was the only way to authentically take care of myself.

You’ve only been out for about three months. Are things naturally falling into place?

Sharing that with the world was a tough choice to make, especially so early on in my own acceptance of it. Because of my job, I have a lot of eyes on me. But it was also life CONTINUES ON PAGE 82

October 13, 2017 A&E 79

ATLANTA HAWKS // PRIDE 2017 #TRUETOATLANTA

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 79 Gavin Russom suffered severe depression, addiction and was suicidal for many years before deciding to take care of herself, and later coming out as trans.

(Courtesy photos)

or death for me because I really couldn’t hide any longer. It was just easier to face whatever consequences coming out would present because I knew it would be better than staying where I was. Consider the consequences that some people who have less privilege than I do face when they come out; it’s pretty intense!

What do you think is the biggest issue that trans people face right now?

I think the transgender umbrella is big and complex enough that there’s no easy answer. Two things I think are critical are the problems faced by people of transgender experience who are currently or formerly incarcerated, and people of transgender experience who are undocumented – especially those held in detention centers. There are so many issues there that are critical to address.

Another thing that’s important to me is finding a way to participate in the trans community in a way that honors all of the things that accepting being trans has unraveled for me – about our capitalist culture – and making a concerted effort to not reproduce or aid in reproducing the warped perspective of the culture at large within our beautiful community.

You once said “I experienced transmisogyny towards myself.” Can you expound on that?

The critical starting point for that thought is the idea that I experienced – and still do experience – internalized transmi-

sogyny. That means that it originates from an external source but buries itself into the internal world so it feels like I am experiencing those things towards myself.

At the mass media level, our culture is patriarchal, misogynist, transphobic, racist, classist and lots of other stuff. What shocked me as I began to transition was just how much these messages had infected my internal world. So much of the denial that kept me from accepting my trans identity was based on very generic societal myths of what a trans woman is and isn’t. I didn’t know this until I started to unravel it by talking to other transwomen. I thought it was a conflict between different parts of myself but, in fact, it was an internalized conflict be-

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

tween me and the society in which I was raised and socialized.

Switching gears for a moment to music, how did you develop an interest in electronic music and making electronic instruments that you are well known for?

As a teen, I became very interested in sound as a fluid medium that one could shape and sculpt with. My first forays into this were using feedback from stringed electric instruments and by creating rhythms by “looping” a portion of a song that I found most appealing.

Later, I craved a greater degree of detail in this work and encountered analog synthesiz-

Details

LCD Soundsystem Oct. 21 and 22 Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre 3110 Roswell Road N.E. Atlanta, GA 30305 www.cocacolaroxy.com ers. As I began to delve into synthesis and other forms of electronic music manipulation, there was a clear yet intuitive relationship between the abstract space created by electronic sound and a fluidity of identity. In my case, it allowed me to experience my own femininity in my body during a time when I hadn’t been able to express it through dress or presentation in the world. I have no doubt that this guided me to my initial experience of approaching coming out in my early ‘20s and also to the place I’ve found myself at now. Both of those experiences happened directly after periods of prolific creative output using electronic music techniques.

Anything you want to say to the LGBTQ+ community in Atlanta in advance of the LCD Soundsystem show?

I am so excited to learn more about it.

I know that Atlanta has long been a spot where LGBT folks from the South have gone or dreamed of going to be able to be more fully themselves, be it around their sexuality, their gender identity, their gender expression or some or all of the above. I love that and I am so proud of that. And I want to know more about why that is!

To advertise, contact: sales@thegavoice.com

PUT YOUR BUSINESS IN THE SPOTLIGHT CONTACT: SALES@THEGAVOICE.COM 82 A&E October 13, 2017

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ACTING OUT

By JIM FARMER

‘Rocky Horror Show’ gender-bends into Atlanta When Out Front Theatre Company kicks off its version of “The Rocky Horror Show” next week, it will use a variety of local drag queens and performers with famous drag personas to play its infamous narrator.

Some of those are Topher Payne as Suzanne Sugarbaker, Tony Kearney – also known as Wild Cherry Sucret – and Joshua Rackcliffe, also known as Brigitte Bidet. The narrators will rotate every night.

When Kearney went to see the company’s “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” last year, he invited the cast to his show Cherry Bomb.

“I told Paul [Conroy, the company’s artistic director] that if he needed anything to let me know,” he said. “When Paul came up with the idea of having drag queens as narrators, I told him I would help him wrangle drag queens.”

Kearney is only doing one show because he is frequently out of town. Along with the other narrators, he went to a rehearsal recently and sat and watched the entire production, giving him a sense of what the show will be like (unlike the actors, the narrators will be reading from a script). He was impressed with what he saw.

“I’ve only seen the musical a handful of times in my entire life. I am so used to the movie version,” he said. “I watched the musical on television and kind of hated it, but I like this because its gender-bending and Frank ‘N’ Furter is a woman. I like that kind of update.”

Rackcliffe also consulted with Conroy last fall.

“We have continued to support each other and talked about working on some shows together,” Rackcliffe said. “He asked me about this and I said definitely.”

His Bidet will be there on opening night.

“We basically have to remember the lines – although the narrators will be reading off a script – and to have a personality,” he said.

“I think it will be a lot like my character – irreverent, sassy, sarcastic. I emcee a lot so I’m used to being on the mic. When I’m given exactly what to say, then I am able to have more fun. I can work on the timing, how I want to deliver it. I want to make people smile. When it’s my time to speak I want

From left to right: Janet (Ally Duncan), Brad (Jacob Jones), Dr. Frank ‘N’ Furter (Kiona Reese) and Rocky Horror (Max Mattox). (Photo by Tyler Ogburn Photography)

“I’ve only seen the musical a handful of times in my entire life. I am so used to the movie version. I watched the musical on television and kind of hated it, but I like this because its gender-bending and Frank ‘N’ Furter is a woman.”

—Tony Kearney (aka Wild Cherry Sucret), who will play the narrator for one performance of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ them to look forward to hearing from me and not be nervous that I am going to mess up something.”

He created Bidet in 2012 when he performed as part of Mary’s drag shows, and kept going with it. He performs all over town now at various clubs. Being persistent and consis-

tent has allowed him to be able to do so.

“Once I got more polished, there was more space for me, and the local queens here have been supportive of me,” Rackcliffe said. “I think everyone just wants to be entertained and if you give them that people will be excited.”

Details

“The Rocky Horror Show” Oct. 19 – Nov. 5 Out Front Theatre Company 999 Brady Ave., Atlanta, GA 30318 www.outfronttheatrecompany.com

The performer has a background in contemporary dance and works with Core Dance. Having that professional experience and discipline as an artist has helped carry him into his drag.

This version of “The Rocky Horror Show” promises plenty of audience participation but is noted as well for having a female lead. Kiana Reese plays Frank ‘N’ Furter here.

86 A&E October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

arts@tech

professional artists series

SIRO-A

Friday, October 27

8:00 pm

From America’s Got Talent comes the mindblowing Japanese group SIRO-A; performing with groundbreaking visual effects, mime, and a techno soundtrack.

Tech Connect: Check out The Spirit of the Animals bikes starting at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, November 4

8:00pm

BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY

Finding fame in the swing revival of the 1990s and still going strong! Co-founded by singer Scotty Morris and drummer Kurt Sodergren, the band blends a vibrant fusion of the classic American sounds of jazz, swing, and Dixieland.

Tech Connect: Enjoy swing dancing in the lobby and The Spirit of the Animals bikes starting at 7 pm.

Buy tickets now at

404-894-9600 arts.gatech.edu

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Sugar, spice and everything nice something with life. You’re in the land of the living, so act like you’re living. I just know what gay men go through and I wanted to put that song in the air, but I will.

Patti LaBelle dishes on ‘still standing’ thanks to the LGBT community, NYC Pride and her legacy

Do you think about your legacy, Patti?

I just want to be honest and truthful, and I want people knowing that when I did whatever I did, it was all the way. Never half percent, always 100 percent. One-hundred percent in everything: my cooking, my dressing, everything. If I can’t go all the way, I won’t go halfway. I have to go all the way. And just how honest I am – they can remember that. The more honest I am, the better I get by, the more things come to my plate. Everybody knows that if you give Patti something, it’s gonna be quality. That’s just how I work.

By CHRIS AZZOPARDI Is there a singer more real than Patti LaBelle? The 73-year-old legend of song (and shade) is, refreshingly, that rare freewheeler who revels in being blunt AF. While doing promo for her new jazz album “Bel Hommage,” she who has given the gays so much, from music and pies to a bevy of side-eye-serving GIFs, still has more to give.

I was happy to see that you did NYC Pride this summer. Is there something special about performing for an all-gay audience?

That night it poured, so when Deborah Cox was on, she did three songs and then had to be rushed off the stage. It could’ve been shut down ’cause it was so bad. Everybody got drenched. So instead of my going on at 9, I went on at about 10:15 … and they were still there!

My whole thing is, when I knew I was doing Gay Pride, I said, “I’m gonna wear something beautifully outrageous, and I’m gonna have that old Patti LaBelle hair that I used to do with the fans and all that jazz.”

I said, “I’m gonna wear that hair!” And from the time I went on until the end, they never stopped yelling for more. I mean, when we were pulling out in our car, they were still, “More, more, more!” They were so enthusiastic. But what I did: I wore that old hair, and a lot of people who didn’t know me from the ’80s – we got some bad press for it – and I said, “You know what, I did that for my queens. They understand it.” It was for you guys. But I enjoyed doing it. And then the wind knocked that sucker down. I said, “OK, I’m gonna have to kick it up.” [Laughs]

So we’ve got Fantasia – who else is on this covers album?

Ledisi, Andra Day, Emeli Sandé and Leela James – my god, that girl can sing. I love these ladies.

Will it be for the gay clubs?

Oh yeah, for the gay clubs. You know what, I was so angry with myself when I did NYC Pride. There was a song that I recorded many, many years ago called “Land of the Living.” I meant to do that that particular night and we didn’t have time to rehearse it, but I’m gonna put stuff like that back in my show.

Do you pay attention to the memes and GIFs of you throwing shade that people love to share on the internet?

Yeah, I see them. And you know what, I’m

Why have you never duetted in the studio with your goddaughter, Mariah Carey?

I don’t know. We always talk about it when we see each other.

Why did you want to perform that song at NYC Pride?

Because there are so many gay men who were there who might be going through

Patti LaBelle recently released a jazz album, ‘Bel Hommage,’ and has Christmas and dance albums in the works next. (Photo by W&W)

honored! [Laughs] And whenever I see something that’s not totally positive about me, I say, “God, at least they thought about me.”

It’s really the way to look at these situations.

But at the end of the day I know who I really am … and that’s a cool chick! [Laughs] Regarding “Bel Hommage”: If there’s ever an album that pays homage to you the way you pay homage to artists such as Nina Simone and Frank Sinatra on this album, who would get your blessing to cover your songs?

Oh, I would give Fantasia blessings. The little singing girls. The ones who can really, really sing.

Maybe you two can hook up for a song on your dance album, which I believe is in the works. Hopefully we don’t have to wait as long as we waited for this jazz album.

Right?! Not 10 years, that’s for sure. I have not started working on it. I’m working on a Christmas album at the moment and old R&B favorites of mine from back in the day. And that … the uptempo music, I call it [laughs] ... that will be done as soon as I do something with these other two projects, but it’s definitely in the mix.

Any last words for your gay fans?

I just want all of my gay fans to know that I will always be here for them the way I am: honest, to the point and loving my gay fans even more and more each day. I mean, when I think about it, the gay fans are some of the reason – one big reason – I’m still standing, ’cause they loved me when other people tried not to. Everybody always says, “What makes gay men like you?” “I have no clue,” I say. I still don’t. But I know that love has lifted me up for many, many years.

As long as I can stand on stage and my gay men and lesbian women see Patti LaBelle as someone who’s always been honest on stage you know, I’ll stop and have to go to the bathroom and I’ll let them know I’ll be right back. A lot of cutie girls stand up there and they pretend for the hour or however how long and that’s just gross. It turns me off.

They pretend like they wanna be there?

Yes! And everything you see of them is gonna be mechanical. Gladys Knight – she’s a raw girl. And whenever you see Gladys, you’re gonna see a different Gladys. If you just saw her show five nights in a row, she will not do everything the same.

You just want something real.

It has to stay that way.

88 A&E October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

Supported by:

Choreography by John McFall

All performances live with Atlanta Ballet Orchestra

December 8 – 28, 2017 at the Fox Theatre

Get Your Tickets Today!

Visit atlantaballet.com or call 1.855.285.8499

Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs

Coco Mathieson.

All photos by Charlie McCullers.

Announcing our new location Virginia-Highland Centre

Opening late fall 2017!

The Official School of Atlanta Ballet

Grand opening celebration!

Virginia-Highland Centre at Amsterdam Walk 500 Amsterdam Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30306

Sunday, October 29 | 1-5 pm Enjoy free classes for kids & adults!

Learn More at centre.atlantaballet.com/open-houses Photo by Kim Kenney.

The Flying Dutchman Nov 4, 7, 10, 12, 2017 Cobb Energy Centre

The Daughter Of The Regiment Feb 24, 27, Mar 2, 4, 2018 Cobb Energy Centre

Carmen Apr 29, May 1, 4, 6, 2018 Cobb Energy Centre

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EATING MY WORDS

By CLIFF BOSTOCK

Roles of restaurants in Prides past For a few years in the late ’70s, my partner Rick and I use to hold a party in advance of the annual Gay Pride parade which began in 1971.

We called it “Gay Shame.” Its intent was not to dispute the notion of Pride but to mock the annoyingly pervasive complaints that participants, like drag queens, shamefully misrepresented our basically “normal” community. So, an invitation to our party required costumes.

You had to come in outrageous gender-fuck drag, spiked leather, a fig-leaf Speedo, religious garments – whatever might piss off the normal boys who deeply loved anal sex.

My partner always chose to impersonate his own job for a while: a server at the Pleasant Peasant, the historic restaurant on Peachtree that brought casual fine dining to our city. That restaurant and those it spawned, like the Peasant Uptown in Phipps Plaza, were infamous for their almost entirely gay staffs. “Hello, my name is Rick and I’ll be your server today,” he said, displaying one of the little green chalkboard menus that the Peasant restaurants used.

The Peasant restaurants of that time provided many jobs, especially for young gay newcomers. They were unusual in offering insurance, but when the AIDS epidemic slammed our city in the ’80s, the owners quietly announced they would no longer do that. Fortunately, they reversed themselves, thanks in part to ACT UP, the feisty organization that did more than any other to improve the lot of AIDS patients.

Not long afterward, the owner of Mary Mac’s, still a Southern favorite (now gaily owned), went on a campaign against the location of the new Grady Infectious Disease Clinic nearby on Ponce de Leon. There is no record of AIDS clients sneaking into the kitchen and spitting on the fried chicken.

She was silenced by ACT UP too. (I love their chicken, spit or not.)

Probably the most iconic “gay restaurant” of the time was the Gallus located in a rococo former funeral home on Cypress Street in

Cliff Bostock says the former owner of Mary Mac’s once went on a campaign against the location of the then-new Grady Infectious Disease Clinic nearby on Ponce de Leon Avenue. (Photo via Facebook)

Midtown. There was, as I recollect, a downstairs dining room and an upstairs piano bar.

The food sucked, but it was hella fun, even the basement bar – a total dive where many older men went to hook up with the hustlers that worked Cypress Street, one of the original cruising areas of our city. A friend and I went there a few times, feigning twangy accents and claiming we were from a Macon trailer park. We were instantly loved and offered constant shots.

My partner Rick, who later worked at beloved Gene and Gabe’s, died and so did our Gay Shame party. Pride has exploded into an event that attracts tens of thousands (and yet we still hear some gay people carping about the stereotypes … while they watch “Drag Race”). Restaurants marketing to gay people boomed like those at the corner of 10th and Piedmont and along Juniper Street. But as we have gained acceptance – including acceptance of ourselves – gay presence is not an issue in any restaurant I know. So, if you’re visiting for Pride, eat anywhere you like.

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

92 Columnists October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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Our Guide to the Best LGBT Events in Atlanta for Oct. 13-26

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SATURDAY, OCT. 14

The ELEVATE public art festival will be held in various locations in downtown Atlanta from tonight through Oct. 21. ELEVATE: Enlighten seeks to provide a platform for artists and art professionals to share and exchange knowledge and experiences that have shaped their work. Participating artists will touch on issues surrounding the plight of veterans, issues of gentrification and the power of healing through art, while art professionals will lead panels and workshops about public art trends, the business of being an artist and community-empowered projects. All events are free and open to the public. Tonight is the LEFT OUT art installation from 4:30 – 8 p.m. at Gallery 72, 72 Marietta St., Atlanta, GA 30303 (Publicity photo)

FRIDAY, OCT. 13

EVENT SPOTLIGHT FRIDAY, OCT. 13

Join Charis in welcoming Andrea J. Ritchie for a wide-ranging conversation on police violence and women of color.

7:30 – 9 p.m., Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E. Atlanta, GA 30307, www.charisbooksandmore. com (Publicity photo)

96 Best Bets October 13, 2017

Theatrical Outfit’s “Boy,” based on a true story, stars Clifton Guterman as a young man who was raised as a girl after an accident as a child, with an 8 p.m. performance running through Sunday, The Balzer Theatre at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303, www.theatricaloutfit.org

SATURDAY, OCT. 14

Join Historic Oakland Foundation for the 10th Annual Run Like Hell 5K. The largest cemetery run in the country, Run Like Hell is one of Atlanta’s favorite neighborhood 5K fundraisers.

9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Historic Oakland Cemetery, 248 Oakland Ave. S.E, Atlanta, GA 30312, www.facebook.com/ events/1599795566759175

You are cordially invited to a reception honoring Congressman John Lewis’ 30 years of service, 3 – 5 p.m., The Gathering Spot, 384 Northyards Blvd. N.W., Building 100, Atlanta, GA 30313, www.facebook.com/ events/132491434041175 Spend the evening with “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah, 8 p.m., Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Pkwy., Atlanta, GA 30339, www. cobbenergycentre.com/event/trevor-noah/ WUSSY presents: Peep Show, a titillating cabaret of live pin-ups, burlesque and drag. This one-night extravaganza will feature local LGBT performers trained in the art of seduction. Acts ranging from live

music, dance and striptease will dazzle you all night! Featuring Biqtch Puddin’ of Dragula Season 2, Ada Manzhart, Brigitte Bidet, Diego Serna, Edie Cheezburger, John James, LaRico, Melissa Coffey and Michael Robinson. Cocktails in the speakeasy will open at 10:30 p.m., the doors to Peep Show at 11:30 p.m. and showtime is 12:30 a.m. This event is for all ages, City Winery Atlanta, 650 North Ave. N.E., Ste. 201, Atlanta, GA 30308, www.citywinery.com/atlanta

SUNDAY, OCT. 15

The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBT children meets today from 2:30 – 4 p.m. at the Unitarian

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October 13, 2017 Ads 97

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 96 Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, 1605 Interstate 85/ Frontage Road, Atlanta, GA 30329, www.uuca.org “These Are The Days” to see 10,000 Maniacs at City Winery, tickets $40-$50, shows at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., 650 North Ave., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.citywinery. com/atlanta/tickets/10-000-maniacs7pm-10-15.html Ladies – don’t miss the Sexy Sunday Dance Party tonight, presented by Lesbians Love Atlanta, also featuring a drag show, Kia Comedy and DJ Kenzie Q, 8 p.m. – 3 a.m., My Sister’s Room, 66 12th St. N.E, Atlanta, GA 30309, www.mysistersroom.com

MONDAY, OCT. 16

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. 7 – 8:30 p.m., Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.charisbooksandmore.com

TUESDAY, OCT. 17

The Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority, owner of Grady Health System, presents Sheryl Lee Ralph as the luncheon speaker for the 6th Annual Health Summit – RED ALERT – Unmasking the Truth about HIV, poverty, mental health, education and violence in our communities. The purpose of the Health Summit is to build a healthy community by sharing resources and solutions through various workshops, a luncheon and wellness screenings. Nine Atlanta mayoral candidates will be discussing their views on health at the opening session, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel, 265 Peachtree St. Atlanta, GA 30303, www.eventbrite.com/e/the-fdha-6th-annualhealth-summit-registration-31716326386

WEDNESDAY, OCT.18

Jones Day and The United State of Women invite you to a cocktails and conversation fundraiser with Valerie Jarrett and Stacey Abrams, 5 – 7 p.m., Jones Day, 1420 Peachtree St. N.E., Ste. 800, Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook.com/ events/258669584642899

THURSDAY, OCT. 19

Join Gays for Plays for Out Front Theatre’s opening night of the “The Rocky Horror Show,” the kitchy sci-fri

98 Best Bets October 13, 2017

FRIDAY, OCT. 13

Atlanta Pride kicks off the weekend with its Aquarium Party, before the biggest Pride in the Southeast gets cranked up over the weekend, 7 – 11:30 p.m., 225 Baker St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313, www.atlantapride.org. See our Atlanta Pride event guide on page 64.

(Courtesy photo) gothic musical. Curtain is 8 p.m. Follow the ticketing link on the event page, select tickets for tonight and use the promo code “RAINBROS” to get the discount and admittance to the opening night reception.

7:30 p.m., 999 Brady Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318-5525, www.facebook.com/ events/115607602427490

FRIDAY, OCT. 20

A bear in spirit only – he’s married to Karen Walker herself, Megan Mullally – join Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”) for his Full Bush tour, tickets $36-$57, 7:30 p.m. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339, bit.ly/2kwbteh

SATURDAY, OCT. 21 – SUNDAY, OCT. 22

FRIDAY, OCT 20 – SUNDAY, OCT. 22

Taste of Atlanta is back and this year it’s taking over Historic Fourth Ward Park for three days of delicious bites from over 80 of Atlanta’s favorite restaurants, $25-$85, 680 Dallas St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.tasteofatlanta.com

Marietta Theatre Company announces the second production in the company’s inaugural season, “The Last Five Years” debuting tonight at 8 p.m. through Nov. 4 at the Lyric Studio on the Square, 12 Powder Springs St., Marietta, GA 30064, www.mariettatheatre.com

LCD Soundsystem rocks the Coca-Cola Roxy during a two-night stand, $56-$82, 8 p.m. both nights, 800 Battery Ave. S.E., Atlanta, GA 30339, livemu.sc/2g4kr0J. See our interview with LCD Soundsystem’s trans synth player Gavin Russom on page 79.

SATURDAY, OCT. 21

The Atlanta Women’s Chorus presents Teach Your Children Well, the first concert of its fifth season, music that speaks to the joys of childhood as well as the respon-

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EVENT SPOTLIGHT MONDAY, OCT. 16

Queer Latinx punk band Bitter joins Sheer Mag at the Masquerade, 7 – 10 p.m., 75 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive S.W., Atlanta, GA 30303, www.facebook.com/events/116464942276004 (Publicity photo)

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 98 sibility that face each of us as adults. The chorus will explore themes of self-reliance, resiliency, kindness and compassion. Teach Your Children Well will present songs that many know and love, from The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” to Elton John’s “Circle of Life” and Billy Joel’s “Lullabye,” as well as some that may become new favorites, including the spiritually uplifting “Psalm 23” by composer Z. Randall Stroope and the powerful Joan Szymko piece, “It Takes a Village.” 2 and 8 p.m., The Church at Ponce & Highland, 1085 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30306 Georgia Equality, ACFLY and Queer Youth for Equality present Queer Youth Fest 2017, a free all-ages festival at the Healium Center, 2 – 10 p.m., 344 Candler Park Drive N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307www.facebook.com/ events/439226426445090

FRIDAY, OCT. 20

Atlanta native and nationally acclaimed dancer Juel D. Lane is returning home this weekend as a featured choreographer in Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey II, the second company that supports emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers. Lane’s singular perspective typically examines political concepts, gender roles and his own intimate experiences. Centered around themes of romantic, physical and emotional intimacy, “Touch & Agree” explores the multifaceted and complex nature of human relationships, particularly same-sex love. Ailey II’s 32-city world tour stops in Atlanta at the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts, where audiences can experience Lane’s stunning piece, “Touch & Agree.” 8 p.m., 80 Forsyth St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303, www.rialtocenter. org (Publicity photo)

Go back in time with Jerusalem House as their annual Halloween party goes retro for Revenge of the 80s: De-

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100 Best Bets October 13, 2017

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MAKING AFRICA A CONTINENT OF CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART | MEMBERS ALWAYS FREE | HIGH.ORG | #HIGHMUSEUM NOW ON VIEW THIS EXHIBITION IS ORGANIZED BY

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MAJOR FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY The Fulton County Board of Commissioners

THE GERMAN FEDERAL CULTURAL FOUNDATION

PREMIER EXHIBITION SERIES PARTNER

EXHIBITION SERIES SPONSORS

PREMIER EXHIBITION SERIES SUPPORTERS

Anne Cox Chambers Foundation The Antinori Foundation Ann and Tom Cousins Sarah and Jim Kennedy Jane and Hicks Lanier Louise Sams and Jerome Grilhot

CONTRIBUTING EXHIBITION SERIES SUPPORTERS: Barbara and Ron Balser, Corporate Environments, Peggy Foreman, James F. Kelly Charitable Trust, Jane Smith Turner Foundation, The Lubo Fund, Margot and Danny McCaul, and Joyce and Henry Schwob.

GENEROUS SUPPORT IS ALSO PROVIDED BY the Alfred and Adele Davis Exhibition Endowment Fund, Anne Cox Chambers Exhibition Fund, Barbara Stewart Exhibition Fund, Dorothy Smith Hopkins Exhibition Endowment Fund, Eleanor McDonald Storza Exhibition Endowment Fund, Forward Arts Foundation Exhibition Endowment Fund, Helen S. Lanier Endowment Fund, Howell Exhibition Fund, and John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Exhibition Endowment Fund.

120+ ARTISTS | DESIGN | FILM | PHOTOGRAPHY | FASHION Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou (Beninese, born 1965), Untitled (Musclemen) (detail), 2012, chromogenic print, courtesy of Jack Bell Gallery. © Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou.

Georgia Voice PRIDE 2017.indd 1

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 100 cade of Decadence tonight. Guests will enjoy gourmet light bites and Tito’s Handmade Vodka cocktails at Atlanta’s largest open bar Halloween party while dancing the night away thanks to DJ Kimber of Nonsense ATL spinning the best party music from 1980-1989. Guests may compete in the annual costume contest for a chance to strut their stuff for a panel of celebrity judges. Prizes will be awarded for best individual, best couple or group, best mashup (combining the 1980s with Halloween) and a judges’ choice selection, 7 – 11:00 p.m. at Gallery 874, 874 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd.

N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318 The Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers flies solo tonight at Buckhead Theatre, $20$40, 8 p.m., 3110 Roswell Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30305, livemu.sc/2hXLz2i Jungle Atlanta closes in November, so why not head to Atlanta’s favorite glow-in-the-dark body paint party WackedOutBlackOut? Tickets $13.65, 10:30 p.m. – 3 a.m., 2115 Faulkner Road N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.facebook. com/events/497586770586288

102 Best Bets October 13, 2017

SUNDAY, OCT. 22

Produced by AID Atlanta, AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run is the largest AIDSrelated fundraising event in the Southeastern United States. Now commemorating 27 years of walking and running, AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run continues to raise much needed funds for AIDS service organizations throughout the metro-Atlanta area. These organizations provide essential programs and services for men, women and children who are infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Register today at www.aidswalkatlanta.com, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Piedmont Park Against Me! is fronted by transwoman Laura Jane Grace and she’ll be ready to rock tonight at Center Stage Theater, $20 general admission, 8 p.m., 1374 West Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, http://bit.ly/2g3cDMY The So You Think You Can Dance Live Tour hits Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre tonight, $41-$179, 8 p.m., 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339, bit.ly/2xqCQfM

CONTINUES ON PAGE 104

SUNDAY, OCT. 22

David Sedaris, author of the previous bestsellers “Naked,” “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” and a regular National Public Radio contributor, will be appearing for one night only at the Fox Theatre tonight at 7 p.m., following the release of his newest book, “Theft By Finding Diaries (1977 – 2002).” Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N. E., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.foxtheatre.org (Publicity photo)

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AILEy II: THE NExT GENERATION Of DANCE Troy Powell, Artistic Director

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CAPITOL STEPS Putting the MOCK in Democracy

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bUY ticketS Now! Rialto.gSU.edU • 404.413.9tix (9849) FRee paRkiNg For Rialto Series Shows in the 100 Peachtree Parking Garage (formerly the Equitable Deck) on Fairlie Street.

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Get those Madonna tunes down and join Blue Monday Karaoke with Angelica D’Paige, 10:30 p.m., Burkharts, 1492 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309, www.burkharts.com/

that inspires you to explore your sense, enveloped in light and nurtured by rain.

LUZIA is the newest Cirque du Soleil experience to come to Atlantic Station. Shows run through Nov. 19, 8 p.m., 1380 Atlantic Drive N.W., Atlanta, GA 30363, www.facebook.com/ events/285797858498680

TUESDAY, OCT. 24

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 102

MONDAY, OCT. 23

Discover LUZIA, where a waking dream transports you to an imaginary Mexico. Experience a wondrous world

The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) hosts AGLCC U: Presented by First Data,

6 – 8 p.m., First Data’s Learning & Innovation Center, 5565 Glenridge Connector, First Floor, Atlanta, GA 30342

THURSDAY, OCT. 26

SAGE Atlanta’s bi-monthly meetings occur from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, Phillip Rush Center Annex, 1530 DeKalb Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.rushcenteratl.org Core Performance Company and

international choreographer Germana Civera will present the world premiere of Human Landscapes, a new collaborative dance piece that is a featured work of France-Atlanta 2017, a series of events centered on innovation and designed to foster cooperation between France and the Southeast. The performances start tonight and run through Oct. 29, at The B-Complex. Tickets are $15 and are available at www.coredance.org, 1272 Murphy Ave. S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310, www.thebcomplex.com 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 book store? Then the Black Feminist Book Club is for you. Charis Circle board chair Susana Morris will be the facilitator of this group. This season’s theme is radical memoirs by black women and the October book is “We Are Never Meeting in Real Life” by Samantha Irby, 7 – 9 p.m., Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.charisbooksandmore.com City Winery takes you to school – Wine School that is. This installment of the popular series focuses on wines from Northwest Spain, with Mani Gonzalez guiding you through the history and trending wines of Galicia and Castilé and Leon, like Rias Baixas, Valdeorras, Toro, Rueda and Ribera del Duero. Tickets $65, 7 p.m., 650 North Ave., Atlanta, GA 30308, http://bit.ly/2gmid9T

UPCOMING FRIDAY, OCT. 27

Don’t miss the Horrors Of Old Hollywood Halloween Party, raising money for Lost-n-Found Youth, 8 p.m. – 12 a.m., 2585 Chantilly Drive N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324

TELL US ABOUT YOUR LGBT EVENT Submit your LGBT event for inclusion in our online and print calendars by emailing event info to editor@thegavoice.com

104 Best Bets October 13, 2017

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YOU CANNOT SPELL CARTERSVILLE WITHOUT art.

booth museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, houses the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art in America.

Find out more at boothmuseum.org.

JUST TOBY LIKES

By TOBY

Out-of-towners guide to Atlanta Pride

Jerusalem House presents

Atlanta’s most triumphant

OPEN BAR

Halloween Party Totally radical costume contest with bodacious prizes!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 21, 2017 7:00–11:00 p.m.

Gnarly new venue!

Gallery 874 874 Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard NW Atlanta, GA 30318

Tito’s Handmade Vodka!

Slammin’ complimentary cocktails!

Totally primo food!

Fresh beats by DJ Kimber!

www.jerusalemhouse.org/halloween

Grab your fab friends, score an outrageous costume, and buy your tickets for a righteous

good time!

21 and up, ID required

It’s that time of year again where I get to see the community that has embraced me for the last four years come together and celebrate diversity, equality and love. For me it’s one of the busiest weekends of the year, but it is also one of my favorite weekends.

Since I moved here, I have been working hard to be part of our LGBT+ community and make my own mark, either through photographs, events, fundraisers, drag or just by networking. During Pride, I get to be part of many events that I enjoy and in a blink of an eye the weekend is gone and sometimes I’ve asked myself, “Where did the Pride weekend go?”

There are a quite a few things that I am definitely excited to be part of this year! If you’re new in town, visiting or just one of the locals, by now you have heard about the Official Atlanta Pride Kickoff hosted by the Georgia Aquarium. This is by far my favorite event of the year; the whole Aquarium becomes a party of your closest 4,000 friends. It’s the one time a year I see most of my friends from all around the country in one space. The energy is indescribable, the people behind this party make sure that everything runs perfectly and the ambiance is set for you to have an amazing weekend. The greatest thing for me about this event is that you never know who you will see in the crowd, from business executives, politicians, artists, your favorite local drag queen/king or even a queen from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Once the party is over at the Aquarium, your choices to keep on celebrating are really endless throughout the weekend. It is almost like the city has multiple heartbeats around town during Pride. The atmosphere that you’re searching for will determine which area of town you will want to go to.

Most people tend to go to the heart of our gay district which is 10th & Piedmont in Midtown Atlanta, where your choices are quite vast, from Blake’s on the Park, Ten, Bulldogs or Joe’s on Juniper. If Midtown is

“Just like the Aquarium Party, thousands of people gather to watch the Atlanta Pride parade, and then head over to the park to enjoy all the festivities that the Atlanta Pride Committee has planned all throughout the year, finishing off with the legendary Starlight Cabaret Show.” not your scene, the Ansley Mall area might interest you with bars like the Hideaway, Felix’s, Oscar’s or Burkhart’s, where you could enjoy the performances of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestants Phoenix and Aja all within walking distance. In my case, I will end up going to the Cheshire Bridge Road area, where you can find me taking your pictures at the Heretic.

When the desire arises, I’ll walk over to Jungle to listen to their beats or to see some of my favorite drag queens from The Other Show, or I might pop into an Uber and head to the Atlanta Eagle. The best thing to do is plan accordingly so that you may experience all these fine establishments in one weekend!

Sunday is by far my favorite day. Just like the Aquarium Party, thousands of people gather to watch the Atlanta Pride parade and then head over to the park to enjoy all the festivities that the Atlanta Pride Committee has planned all throughout the year, and finish off with the legendary Starlight Cabaret Show. If this is your first Pride or you’re just enjoying another Atlanta Pride, one big piece of advice is to stay hydrated because Atlanta Pride is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.

Just Toby is an award-winning Atlantabased photographer, promoter and social media manager who indulges in drag queens, food, local establishments and shiny things.

108 Columnists October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

By MELISSA CARTER

Halloween candy hijinks I admit October is my favorite month of the year. With it comes my son’s birthday, Atlanta Pride and, of course, the greatest holiday of the year ... Halloween! But as you go out to get candy for the little trick-or-treaters over the next couple of weeks, just know that one item on the shelf is currently involved in a federal class action lawsuit.

It started with a quick trip to a store in New York last month, when Biola Daniel grabbed a $1.49 box of Junior Mints on the way out. She got frustrated upon opening it when she saw it was only about half-full.

It’s called “slack fill,” and it’s the same process that you discover when opening a bag of chips. The bag seems to have as much air as it does chips, making you feel cheated.

But it is intentional on the part of the manufacturer in order to protect the chips during shipping. And it’s not just regular air, since oxygen can cause the potatoes to spoil and the oil to go bad. They use nitrogen, yum.

But what about the candy? Biola says when she opened the box of Junior Mints, she found 40 percent air. She later compared this to other boxed candies and found Milk Duds had 23 percent and Good n Plenty had 12 percent slack fill.

Enough is enough. Biola filed a class action lawsuit alleging she “was financially injured as a result of Defendant’s [Tootsie Roll Industries’] deceptive conduct as alleged herein because she did not receive the quantity that she paid for.” Because the box was cardboard, the suit notes, she had no way to know she was buying less candy than she expected.

As much as I want to applaud her efforts, history frowns upon her success. A case is currently pending in Los Angeles and involves Sugar Babies candy. Lawyers for Tootsie Roll Industries argued in a motion to dismiss the suit that the plaintiff ’s slackfill arguments fell short.

Here in the South last year, a court tossed out a suit against Sour Patch Watermelon

“I do hope Biola’s fight – or any that follow – changes the way manufacturers rob us of what we paid for; and after the days of anticipation and costuming efforts, our kids don’t have to rip open their Halloween goodness only to find their booty half-full.”

Candy filed because of too much slack fill.

The judge said they had failed to prove they were injured.

I can understand an argument that slack fill is necessary for chips because of the delicate nature of the product, even though I’m not sure half the bag needs to be empty.

However, in the case of candy, I don’t think the extra air is necessary or will do anything to protect the heavy substance anyway. You’d think packing more pieces in those packages would do more to help keep the pieces from getting knocked around.

When at first you don’t succeed try, try again. I do hope Biola’s fight – or any that follow – changes the way manufacturers rob us of what we paid for; and after the days of anticipation and costuming efforts, our kids don’t have to rip open their Halloween goodness only to find their booty half-full.

Sacrilege.

Melissa Carter is recognized as one of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta and has been heard over the years on B98.5 and Q100. In addition, she is a writer for the Huffington Post. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCarter.

110 Columnists October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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OUTSIDE THE BOX

By BILL KAELIN

Take your pride to the polls

Halloween

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It’s hard to believe it is election time again. We are living in a much different LGBTQ America than we were less than a year ago. There is no rest for the weary and it is more important than ever for us to come together as a community.

Since 45 took office, the Republicans have slowly tried to erase us. Our community has been completely removed from the 2020 Census. Donald Trump has banned transgender Americans from the military. He refused to acknowledge June as Pride month. Federal programs for HIV have been slashed and Attorney General Jeff Sessions just recently argued that businesses have the right to fire people for being LGBTQ. Unfortunately, every Georgia Republican running for governor in 2018 has followed this lead by promising to sign a “religious freedom” bill making LGBTQ discrimination legal in Georgia.

These are scary times for our community, and in the era of Donald Trump, citizens in the LGBTQ family need to run for office and win.

I have heard people say, “Just because I am gay doesn’t mean I’m going to vote for someone because they are gay too,” which is a valid argument if I was trying to get you to elect “Just Jack” for mayor.

Fortunately, organizations like HRC, Victory Fund and Georgia Equality have endorsed a few LGBTQ candidates that will help give you more than enough reasons why it is OK to vote gay.

The mayoral race is one of the biggest contests to support and includes our own Cathy Woolard. Cathy was the first openly gay elected official in Georgia history and then became the first openly gay City Council president in the country. In 1999, she successfully sponsored legislation to add gender identity to Atlanta’s nondiscrimination policy for city employees. Cathy personally led the Atlanta City Council to pass what is still the only comprehensive civil rights bill in the state of Georgia that protects LGBTQ people from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. In recent

“These are scary times for our community, and in the era of Donald Trump, citizens in the LGBTQ family need to run for office and win.” years, she also worked tirelessly to stop attempts to pass dangerous, anti-LGBTQ “license to discriminate” bills at the state Capitol.

Other gay candidates running for office include Alex Wan for City Council president, who has already had success as the first Asian-American gay man elected for City Council District 6.

Looking to replace Wan for District 6 is Phoenix Award-winner Kirk Rich. Rich is also the former board president of the HIV/AIDS nonprofit Jerusalem House. Queer political activist Liliana Bakhtiari is the perfect example how voting for “family” can help ensure your gay voice is heard.

Liliana has always been active with our city’s LGBTQ homeless community, and her own family falling victim to the Donald Trump Muslim travel ban was the catalyst for this first-time candidate to run for office.

It is important for us as a community to have people from our community represent us.

We have proven that when we stick together, we have amazing amounts of power. Starting with Stonewall, we alone fought for ourselves.

If it weren’t for gay organizations like ACT UP, Ronald Reagan would have continued to ignore the AIDS crisis while millions of us died.

Our relentless fight together helped pass marriage equality and proved that when we join forces, we can change the world.

The time has come to bring your pride to the polls and support all of our LGBTQ candidates. If we don’t vote for candidates in our own community, who can we rely on to speak for us and help protect us all?

Bill Kaelin is the owner of Bill Kaelin Marketing Events and Consulting Agency in Atlanta. www.BillKaelin.com

112 Columnists October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

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A MODICUM OF DECORUM

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No two people who are living or have ever lived or ever will live will agree on everything 100 percent. I would like to think of the rainbow, a symbol of our differences, as a representation of how beautiful each person and their own unique beliefs can be.

But that would be bullshit.

If I could love and respect everyone and their different beliefs, I would be like a god.

No – in fact, I would be better than a god. Because even in religions that have gods, those gods also get annoyed AF with humans.

It’s hard when you believe a certain way and you feel so aggravated with someone who thinks differently. You can fall into that ego-driven judgment mode where you feel superior to others.

Our queer culture has been evolving since the Stonewall Riots. We see more and more acceptance and far less rejection than some of our elders lived through back in the day.

Despite the improvement about how we are seen and treated by society, we sometimes forget to treat each other with an extra measure of kindness and respect.

I work as a Realtor at a mostly gay company. I occupy a rotating guest chair on a LGBTQ+ podcast. I have written for the Georgia Voice for over seven years interviewing dozens and dozens of people in our queer culture. I am surrounded by LGBTQ+ people and I talk to them every single day.

One of the most common themes that I’ve noticed in these conversations is judgment and criticism from our own community. Why is our community (who know how it feels to be judged) so quick to judge its queer brothers and sisters?

Whether it’s our body type, the social group we are in, how (or if) we choose to come out, what we wear, whether or not we listen to show tunes (that’s a hard NO for me) … we judge each other. And I’m here to tell our community that it’s time to level up and be the example that we ought.

It’s time to recognize that some people

“It’s time to recognize that some people are on a different journey than you. Some people are learning different lessons than you are.

Some are learning at a slower pace.

Some aren’t learning at all and keep repeating the same mistakes over and over. And that’s OK. It’s their journey. It’s not your place to shame them or to take their differences personally.” are on a different journey than you. Some people are learning different lessons than you are. Some are learning at a slower pace. Some aren’t learning at all and keep repeating the same mistakes over and over. And that’s OK. It’s their journey. It’s not your place to shame them or to take their differences personally.

Pride week is about celebrating who we are and being proud of the fact that we’re different. Don’t judge me on the fact that I have masculine energy but also wear makeup. Don’t judge me for having a man-crush on boys who wear eyeliner. Just love me for the person that I am right now and the person that I am trying to become.

In return, I will do the same for you. I will not judge you for liking musicals, roller skating in your banana hammock wearing a Pride flag as a cape or for knowing way more about skin care products than me. I will love your differences and support you on your path – wherever it happens to be going.

We’re all in this together so let’s celebrate our rainbow of differences. Happy Pride, y’all!

Shannon Hames is a mom, writer, realtor, volunteer, rocker chick, world traveler and ’80s hair band aficionado. She loves babies, observing people, reading great books and taking hot baths. She has been writing for Georgia Voice since 2010.

116 Columnists October 13, 2017 www.thegeorgiavoice.com

SOMETIMES ‘Y’

By RYAN LEE

Anybody but Mary Mary Norwood is nothing. That is not (entirely) shade, but the image the city councilmember has crafted while running for mayor of Atlanta for the past 10 years: a political outsider who has been in public office since the turn of the century, a populist from the Buckheadiest enclave of Buckhead, Tuxedo Park.

Norwood insists she has no ideology, neither liberal nor conservative, Republican or Democrat. The only thing she believes in is better neighborhoods.

Some folks might consider non-partisanship refreshing during these fiery times, but Norwood’s born-again independence is her only hope of becoming leader of a city as progressive as Atlanta. Prior to running for mayor in 2009, Norwood served as a delegate to the National Republican Convention, and after losing that race was a Republican representative on the Fulton County board of registrations and elections.

Her campaign treasurer, Jamie Ensley, is the immediate past chair of the national Log Cabin Republicans, and is as enthusiastic about President Trump as he is the possibility of Mayor Norwood. As cities form the backbone of resistance to the madness of the current administration, it is inconceivable we would put control of Atlanta in the hands of a closeted Republican.

Norwood’s eyes are as vacant as her beliefs. She prides herself on being so colorblind she wouldn’t have even realized she could be the first non-black mayor of Atlanta in four decades if someone hadn’t told her she was white.

No honest or serious leader is irresponsible enough to ignore the dynamics that bind our society, and when you naively pretend skin color and sexual orientation are nonfactors in our culture, you default to a system that has never valued black or LGBT lives.

Nowhere is Norwood’s conservatism more conspicuous than her assumption that the system is fundamentally fair. www.thegeorgiavoice.com

“No honest or serious leader is irresponsible enough to ignore the dynamics that bind our society, and when you naively pretend skin color and sexual orientation are non-factors in our culture, you default to a system that has never valued black or LGBT lives.”

Following the illegal Atlanta Police Department raid on the Atlanta Eagle in 2009, Norwood encouraged citizens to have faith in law enforcement, and had three questions she wanted answered before rendering judgment, the first being: “Were there crimes being committed at the bar?” No, Mary, there were no crimes, but even if someone had been caught giving a blow job in a darkroom, it wouldn’t have justified police berating patrons as cockroaches and faggots, and violating their civil liberties.

Norwood was equally deferential to APD last month when officers swarmed Black Gay Pride and closed bars two hours before the city’s last call, saying she accepted the police chief ’s explanation that the raid was the result of “miscommunication,” rather than the recidivist targeting of Black Gay Pride.

Indeed, the only progressive position Norwood has trumpeted was on an issue that was outside the responsibility, and accountability, of mayor. And LGBT Atlanta fell for her con in 2009, dumping an ally who had fought for hate crime protections in favor of someone who had refused to vote for expanded domestic partner benefits.

We must not be duped again. The next mayor of Atlanta should be anybody but Mary Norwood.

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Ryan Lee is an Atlanta writer.

October 13, 2017 Columnists 117

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