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GEORGIANEWS
LGBT Kennesaw State students, faculty protest Sam Olens hiring Georgia Attorney General is reportedly the only candidate under consideration By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com Kennesaw State University appears poised to name Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens to replace Dan Papp as school president, a move that’s drawn protest from students and faculty upset over his LGBT rights record. But the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported on Sept. 27 that the move was a done deal after months of rumors swirling around the Capitol. And an AJC report on Oct. 4 said that Olens was indeed the only candidate for the position. The state Board of Regents was scheduled to vote on the matter on Oct. 12 and the results were not available as of press time. Students and faculty are upset not only by the lack of input on the matter from either group, but also by Olens’ stances on marriage equality and transgender rights as attorney general. He famously decided to fight a Lambda Legal lawsuit challenging Georgia’s same-sex marriage ban in 2014, saying marriage equality is not a “fundamental right.” And this May he joined Georgia with 10 other states in a lawsuit fighting the Obama administration’s protections for transgender students. Students create petition, on-campus rally For Lane Hunter, a current KSU student who is transgender, the opposition to Olens becoming president is primarily about experience, followed by his LGBT rights record. “We do not want or need a politician in office,” Hunter tells the Georgia Voice. “We need an educator with managerial experience and higher education experience, and one who is accepting of all students.” Hunter, along with transgender KSU alumnus Sarah Rose, created an online petition in response to the news about Olens, demanding a national search be conducted to fill the position. The petition has garnered over 16,000 supporters as of press time.
Kennesaw State University students march in the Oct. 9 Atlanta Pride parade as the school considers hiring Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens. (Photo by Patrick Saunders)
“We do not want or need a politician in office. We need an educator with managerial experience and higher education experience, and one who is accepting of all students.” —Lane Hunter, a transgender Kennesaw State University student who co-created a petition against the hiring of Sam Olens as school president Hunter holds out hope that Houston Davis will remain as interim school president while a search is done. “Olens is welcome to apply as well, and if he happens to be the best candidate, so be it. But now he’s not even a ‘candidate,’” Hunter says. “He’s being moved to this position. He has done absolutely nothing to deserve it.” Rose and Jessica Fisher, a transgender KSU student, also organized an Oct. 4 on-campus protest against the move. Olens not ‘eligible to be a faculty member’ Scott Ritchie, a queer KSU faculty member, echoes Hunter’s concerns about Olens’ background and LGBT record. “All 28 public colleges and universities in Georgia have a president with an academic background. Each president holds a doctorate and is qualified to be a faculty member
at his/her institution. The vast majority of these presidents went through a hiring process that included a national search. Those that did not served first as interim president and then were appointed,” Ritchie tells the Georgia Voice. “Sam Olens does not have an academic background, nor does he hold a doctorate. He would not be eligible to be a faculty member because of this. Olens was tapped to be appointed behind closed doors without input from faculty, staff, students, alumni, or community members. This threatens KSU’s overall accreditation as well as the accreditation of certain colleges such as education.” Ritchie adds that Olens’ lawsuit against the transgender directive and opposition to same-sex marriage puts in danger the strides the school has made regarding LGBT rights, including having a presidential commission on LGBT initiatives (which Olens would
oversee as president) and being the first university in Georgia to have gender neutral campus housing. “I have heard from over 300 full-time faculty who are opposed to Olens’ appointment. When the faculty senate recently polled departments whether they believe the Board of Regents should conduct a national search, over 25 departments conducted the poll. Each department polled reported that the majority of faculty said yes,” says Ritchie, who is the professional liaison for diversity at the school’s College of Education. “Over 50 faculty and administrators attended the student rally ... to show support for LGBTQ students. I support the students’ efforts and will continue to work with them as we move forward.” For now, Ritchie, Hunter and other LGBT students, faculty and allies can only wait in anticipation of what the Board of Regents decides on the matter on Oct. 12.
4 News October 14, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
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GEORGIANEWS
How a transgender Atlanta boy ended up on ABC’s ‘Modern Family’ Jackson Millarker’s whirlwind ride from community theater to international headlines By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Atlanta Pride and 8-year-old Jackson Millarker is having a blast running around the playground outside the Piedmont Park Aquatic Center. He and his family—little sister Layla and his moms Jen and Stacey—just got done taking part in the Trans March, and Jackson’s still working off some excess energy before grabbing something to eat. It’s exactly that kind of energy and enthusiasm that led Jackson to go from playing Baloo in a local community theater production of “Jungle Book” to being picked for a part in the Sept. 28 episode of the long-running ABC hit “Modern Family.” With that appearance, the Decatur boy became the first openly transgender child to appear as a transgender character in a mainstream sitcom—generating international headlines in the process. And the whole thing came together faster than Jackson can do a lap around that playground. From Decatur to Hollywood Jackson started doing community theater a year ago with the Decatur Community Players, a children’s musical theater company. He was instantly hooked, telling the Georgia Voice that acting is “really fun” and that he likes making people laugh. Then in early August of this year, a family friend they know through local transgender organization THEA (Transgender Health & Education Alliance) let them know about a transgender casting agency that put out a call on Facebook for a trans boy around Jackson’s age. It was a rapid turnaround from there according to Jackson’s mother, Jen. “We submitted his resume, a week later we did the taped audition and two weeks later we were out in L.A.,” she says. Needless to say, Jackson was excited after getting the call that he had been picked for the role.
8-year-old Jackson Millarker broke a TV barrier when he appeared as a transgender boy named Tom in a recent episode of “Modern Family.” (Photo by Patrick Saunders)
“He kept saying, ‘I’m going to Hollywood!,’” says Stacey laughing. Jackson didn’t know much about the show, but he became more excited as they showed him more of it. “He was really excited to play a role that was so similar to himself,” Jen says. The world reacts to the casting After a day filming his scene with castmembers Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons (“They were really nice,” Jackson says), he was back home in Decatur. No one except some friends and other families knew about the big casting news, that was until a Sept. CONTINUES ON PAGE 11
Jackson with his scene partners in “Modern Family.” (Screenshot)
6 News October 14, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
Instagram post announced casting to world CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 26 Instagram post by the episode’s director, Ryan Case. “This is Jackson Millarker,” Case wrote in the post with a picture of the two. “He’s 8 years old, from Atlanta, and just happens to be transgender. He plays Lily’s friend Tom in this week’s Modern Family and he’s wonderful. One of the many reasons I love being a part of this show.” National and international headlines followed, with interview requests for the Millarkers from all over, including for an Oct. 7 New York Times story on young transgender actors. In the episode, married couple Cam and Mitch (Stonestreet and Ferguson) allow their daughter Lilly (Anderson-Emmons) to have her trans friend Tom—played by Jackson— over for a play-date. Their pride in raising an open-minded daughter diminishes when Lilly insults her new friend, which they use as a teachable moment. It’s a brief appearance by Jackson but he’s part of a storyline that is central to the episode. “I think the way they did it was perfect,” Jen says.
“My hope is that you can provide the same support to your students. Please remember that we are all human. We must treat each other with kindness and love, and please continue supporting your children through their journey. Thank you for being a part of mine.”
“He kept saying, ‘I’m going to Hollywood!’”
—Stacey Millarker, one of Jackson Millarker’s mothers, on his reaction to being cast in “Modern Family”
‘Elf’ and a keynote speech next As for what’s next for Jackson, he’ll be playing Fake Santa in the Decatur Community Players’ holiday production of “Elf.” And he’s already been named the keynote speaker of THEA’s Family Symposium next May. There aren’t many 8-year-old keynote speakers out there, but there’s no reason for concern on Jackson’s part—he just gave a speech in June in front of 400 nurses at the Georgia Convention for School Nurses. He stood on a chair so he could reach the podium microphone and talked about his experiences as a transgender kid in the Dekalb County school system. “I know there’s lot of talk about which bathroom kids that are transgender should use. People are worried about what their kids will think, see or hear. But I have the inside scoop, and it may not be what you think,” he said. He talked about identifying as a girl in kindergarten before identifying as a boy in second grade, and how his anxiety over it disappeared because of the support from his family, his school and his peers. www.thegeorgiavoice.com
October 14, 2016 News 11
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NEWSBRIEFS Transgender activist Cheryl Courtney-Evans dies Pioneering Atlanta transgender activist Cheryl Courtney-Evans died on Oct. 2 after battling cancer and other health issues. News of Courtney-Evans’ death led to an outpouring of online tributes across the country, and her passing comes on the heels of the deaths of two other Georgia LGBT luminaries—Atlanta drag icon Diamond Lil in August and Savannah drag legend Lady Chablis last month. Courtney-Evans was the co-founder and executive director of Transgender Individuals Living Their Truth (TILTT) and often shared her thoughts on trans issues on her blog, A Bitch For Justice. Courtney-Evans was also recently named one of the 12 grand marshals for the Oct. 9 Atlanta Pride parade. She was honored both at the Oct. 8 Trans March and at the Pride parade the following day. If there was a trans issue in Atlanta, Courtney-Evans was usually at the center of it, whether it be a now former Georgia ACLU leader’s stance on bathrooms and gender identity, trans voter disenfranchisement, trans inclusion at Atlanta Pride and Atlanta Black Gay Pride, attacks on trans and gender nonconforming people on MARTA and in Little Five Points, violence against trans women of color, passage of the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and the CDC’s handling of rising HIV rates among gay men and trans women. Courtney-Evans’ final Facebook post was a shared photo of African-American abolitionist Frederick Douglass with his quote, “A slave is someone who sits down and waits for someone to free them.” LGBT ally Mary Norwood is running for Atlanta mayor In 2009, Mary Norwood fell 700 votes short of defeating Kasim Reed to become Atlanta mayor. Now she’s ready to take another crack at it. Norwood filed paperwork Oct. 5 to start raising money for the 2017 election to succeed Reed, who is up against term limits. “Today I’m taking the first step in becoming your next Mayor. I’m following the law and filing to accept contributions. Over the next several weeks, I will continue to be in communities throughout our city with Atlantans from every part of our great city,” she said in a statement sent to the Georgia Voice. “I am running for Mayor of Atlanta to give all Atlantans a responsible, transpar-
Pioneering transgender activist Cheryl Courtney-Evans died on Oct. 2. (File photo)
ent and accountable government that will ensure that we have a safe city, a sustainable city and a prosperous city for ALL of our citizens. With over 25 years of citywide service, I have a unique understanding of our city’s communities–their issues, needs, and aspirations. As this city’s next Mayor, I will make certain that every community in this great city has the quality of life they deserve. Your issues will be my issues and they will be addressed so that our city will be safe and you will have the accountability that you desire and expect from your city government.” Norwood, who was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 2013 (a second time), joins a crowded field of candidates that includes Atlanta lesbian pioneer Cathy Woolard. Georgia congressman introduces LGBT student equality bill Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) on Sept. 26 introduced the Inclusive Campuses Act of 2016 to authorize the use of Title III funds to establish on-campus resource centers for LGBT students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other minority serving institutions. Title III provides federal grant funding to assist state and local education agencies. It began as part of the Higher Education Act
of 1965, which authorizes funds to enhance and strengthen HBCUs and other minority servicing institutions. “We should be doing all we can to help everyone feel welcomed and included,” said Johnson, a graduate of Clark Atlanta University and The Thurgood Marshall School of Law, in a statement. “As a proud graduate of two HBCUs, I feel this legislation is crucial in continuing the legacy of community and inclusion I felt as a student.” Less than 30 percent of HBCUs have active university-sanctioned LGBT-specific organizations on their campuses. Additionally, less than 20 percent of HBCUs include gender identity/expression and sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination statements. Oftentimes, this has led to the alienation and emotional distress of LGBT students while creating campus environments of fearful silence and passive intolerance. Johnson says the bill will promote full diversity, acceptance and inclusion of all students who attend HBCUs and other minorityserving institutions. Organizations endorsing the bill include the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals, Campus Pride, the National Black Justice Coalition, Trans Student Educational Resources and Fayetteville State University.
12 News October 14, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
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14 Outspoken October 14, 2016
“He’s a revolutionary, a genius, and my hero, as are all my children.” —Actor Warren Beatty on his transgender son, Stephen Ira (pictured), in an interview with Vanity Fair—his first interview in 25 years. (Vanity Fair, Nov. 2016 issue)
“Sulu comes back, picks up the little girl and hugs her, and then puts his arm around a guy and they walk off … not even a kiss. Just hugging the baby and arm around the guy … and it’s over.” —George Takei, who was not a fan of the decision to make Sulu gay in “Star Trek Beyond” in the first place, has more criticism now that he’s seen the movie. (Hitfix, Oct. 10)
“So many of our youth experiencing homelessness are youth whose lives touch on many intersections — whether they be gender identity, gender expression, race, class, sexual orientation, religion, citizenship status. “And, because of the intersections that exist in my own life—woman, multi-racial woman, woman of color, queer, bisexual, Mexican-Irish American, immigrant, and raised by families heavily rooted in Catholicism on both my Mexican and Irish sides—I am deeply invested in projects that allow our youth’s voices to be heard, and that support our youth in owning their own complex narratives so that we can show up for them in the ways they need us to.” —”Grey’s Anatomy” actress Sara Ramirez comes out as bisexual at the True Colors Fund’s 40 to None Summit. (YouTube, Oct. 8) www.thegeorgiavoice.com
IN THE MARGINS
Creepoftheweek
Rest in peace and power, Cheryl Courtney-Evans
Larry Klayman ‘totally’ thinks Hillary Clinton is a lesbian
By Ashleigh Atwell
Ashleigh Atwell is a queer lesbian writer and organizer born and raised in Atlanta, GA.
“I’ve written about a lack of community in Atlanta and if Ms. Cheryl’s passing has taught me anything, it’s that we need each other more now than ever.” When I met Cheryl Courtney-Evans for the first time, two years ago, she was mad as hell. I invited her to speak to my student group at Georgia State for a meeting about police brutality against LGBTQ people. The directions I’d sent her to get to the building resulted in her walking in circles across campus to get to the room. I had no idea until she got to the room. She was out of breath and walked with a slight limp and told me about her trek. I gave her a nervous laugh and apology to which she responded that nothing was funny. She wasn’t happy but she made it and the meeting went as planned. I got an earful that day but I’ve loved her ever since. On October 2, she passed away. I am devastated. Ms. Cheryl was a pioneer for the transgender movement in Atlanta. Before we knew about Laverne Cox and Janet Mock, she was down here doing the work. She was the founder of TILTT (Transgender Individuals Living Their Truth) and did everything she could to make sure transgender people were that much closer to liberation. Whenever I saw her, she usually had a young woman with her and the mother-daughter aspect between them was obvious. Even though I am a cisgender girl, I still felt her love. Talking to her felt like I was talking to my aunt or grandmother. There were times she’d say something that I might not agree with but her conviction to her beliefs and ability to stand her www.thegeorgiavoice.com
ground were admirable. I haven’t been able to do as much activism and organizing as I’d like, so I wouldn’t see Ms. Cheryl very often but that changed after I got a second job at Michaels. Unbeknownst to me, she was a crafty person and my store was the most convenient to her. I turned out of one of the aisles and ran right into her. She seemed standoffish at first so I backed off. About 15 minutes later, she sent her young friend to find me and bring me to her and explained that she was having a panic attack, a feeling I know too well. Then, I got one of her lovely hugs. After that, I’d see her whenever she’d come in. I had no idea that Michaels would be the last place I would see her. I had no idea that the hug I got during her visit would be the last one. This isn’t my first, second or even third time losing someone so I should be used to it but still, it hurts. I still have my what-ifs and should haves. I’m sure many of us that knew and loved her do. I’ve written about a lack of community in Atlanta and if Ms. Cheryl’s passing has taught me anything, it’s that we need each other more now than ever. Her death is the third prominent LGBTQ death we’ve experienced in 2016. We need to reach back and grab the young queers and trans babies that are coming behind us. The people that pulled us up in our youth are getting older and joining the ancestors, so we will be left to pick up their torches. Rest in peace and power, Cheryl Courtney-Evans. You’ve earned it. I am honored to call you an ancestor.
By D’ANNE WITKOWSKI Hey, have you heard the one about Hillary Clinton? Yeah, she’s a lesbian. I know what you’re thinking: That joke was poorly constructed and executed and was not funny at all. And you’re right! Because it is NOT A JOKE. But don’t take my word for it. Just ask Larry Klayman, who made a name for himself representing women who claimed to have had affairs with Bill Clinton. He lays it all out in an insightful piece posted to World Net Daily titled, “Hillary’s Biggest Lie?” Before you dismiss Klayman as an antigay bigot, know that he means no ill will! “Let me make one thing clear,” he begins. “I totally respect a person’s right to live his or her life as he or she may choose, so long as no one is hurt as a result. And, that goes for someone’s sexual preference, even though homosexuality is not endorsed in the Bible, and it is not my ‘cup of tea.’” See? He’s “totally” a respectful guy even if he doesn’t like “tea.” He says that gays and lesbians “are generally very nice and kind, and they have a right to be treated equally, not discriminated against. They should be frankly left alone to be what they want to be. That’s called ‘freedom.’” So far Klayman’s looking pretty fly for a right guy. Since he’s being so “nice” I can “totally” trust him and can’t wait to hear what he has to say. “In today’s world, it is no longer a social stigma to be gay or lesbian, and as a result the Supreme Court has even ruled that they constitutionally are to be accorded the right to marry each other,” he continues. “As a result, I have much less respect for those gays and lesbians who continue to live in the closet and hide their lifestyle.” Ah, I see. Apparently Klayman used to have some level of “respect” for closet cases, but now he doesn’t because the Gay Good Life is legal and discrimination is a thing of the past. Thank you, Mr. Klayman! But wait, there’s more: “Case in point,
one Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has apparently lied about her sexual preference for decades to help pave the way for her presidential candidacy.” Larry Klayman The rest of his column is full of rehashed rumors and accusations that have been following Clinton for years (and yet somehow, after decades in the public eye, there exists no evidence that she is a lesbian. So I guess she’s a ninja lesbian). Klayman then writes, “[G]ays, lesbians and transgenders have to wonder why Hillary would call Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump a ‘racist’ against people of an alternative lifestyle, and then continue to lie about her own sexuality.” I’m not totally sure what he means here, but apparently he thinks that black and brown people are “of an alternative lifestyle,” which makes sense since he’s white. And he apparently also thinks that LGBT people are going to buy his concern that Clinton isn’t a true champion of their rights since she’s “ashamed” to be one of them. WND readers, however, bought it hook, line, and sinker. The comments section is awash with people who think that Klayman is drinking the left’s Kool-Aid to dare say “nice” things about LGBT people. They apparently believe him sincere. I, however, do not. There are also many claims in the comment pit that President Obama is gay and that Michelle Obama is a “tranny.” It’s no wonder that WND readers have no problem believing Hillary Clinton is a lesbian. They just think that Klayman should have been “meaner” about it. Klayman and these deplorables truly deserve each other. October 14, 2016 Outspoken 15
ATLANTA
LGBT
HISTORY The long, wild ride of Backstreet
Club memories remain ingrained in city’s LGBT culture By DYANA BAGBY It was 1983 and Mitch Grooms had just moved to Atlanta from rural Paris, Tenn., where he found work at a Krystal restaurant on Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Norcross. One Friday night, a co-worker told the 20-year-old Grooms, “I’m going to take you to a fag club.” “That’s what we were called back then,” Grooms, now 56, said of the invitation. That club was Backstreet. And when Grooms entered the legendary nightspot, he was overwhelmed by what he saw and felt. The expansive 47,000-square-foot building with three levels at the corner of Peachtree Street and 6th Street was alive with hundreds of men dancing together to booming beats under an electric light show and that unforgettable, giant shimmering disco ball. “I started crying. I broke down on the dance floor,” he said. “I thought I was the only person like me. It was something I never experienced before in my life.” Ask anyone who danced at Backstreet during its heydays in the 1980s and 1990s and you will likely hear similar stories. The club became a home while the bartenders, the staff, the drag queens, the partiers were their family. Featured on HBO, the Travel Channel, MTV, VH1 and numerous Atlanta TV shows, Backstreet welcomed everyone and provided that safe haven so many sought. “It wasn’t safe anywhere, but it was safe there,” Grooms said. “It was a place where we could be ourselves. It was an incredible feeling being there.”
“It wasn’t safe anywhere, but it was safe there. It was a place where we could be ourselves. It was an incredible feeling being there.” –Mitch Grooms, who first went to Backstreet in 1983 Move to 24 hours leads club to take off Backstreet was purchased by Vicki Vara’s father in the mid-1970s and the club was first named Encore. Before it became a 24hour club in the mid-1980s, Backstreet was known for its Sunday T-dances, Vara said. “We would bring in big entertainers. Sylvester came. I thought it was just wonderful,” said Vara, who later owned the club with her brother, Henry. “It was strictly gay and exclusive in the beginning.” When Backstreet became a private 24hour club around 1985 or 1986, the club truly took off, Vara said, and on a good weekend, some 6,000 people would pass through the front doors. “When we went 24 hours, crowds sorted and the straight people went upstairs,” Vara said. “I loved it because we finally had such a good reputation … it always had been like a family.” Backstreet earned national and international acclaim during these years and attracted some of the hottest acts of the time – Sylvester, Gladys Knight, the Weather Girls. “The first song I ever danced to with a guy
Backstreet was the place to be in Atlanta until it closed in 2004. (Courtesy photos)
was ‘It’s Raining Men,’” remembered Grooms. “And years later I got to meet the Weather Girls when they performed at Backstreet.” The disco stars always brought in huge crowds. But the star every night for more than 20 years was drag legend Charlie Brown. The birth of Charlie Brown’s Cabaret Charlie Brown was doing a drag show at Tallulah’s, a lesbian bar in Buckhead, when he got the boot from that club. That same night, he was offered the third floor at Backstreet and in 1991 Charlie Brown’s Cabaret was born,
featuring the best in Atlanta’s drag scene. “I promise you we did shows from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and people would still be begging us to do more,” Brown said. “We’d be standing out there in our beards doing drag all night.” In 1993, former gymnast Cathy Rigby was starring in “Annie Get Your Gun” and after a performance at the Fox took in some Atlanta nightlife at Backstreet. “I said there was no way Cathy Rigby would come to my show, so I told her if you’re really Cathy Rigby, do a back flip—and she back CONTINUES ON PAGE 17
16 Atlanta LGBT History October 14, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
Unforgettable Backstreet memories
Georgia Voice readers weigh in on the Backstreet moments that have stuck with them over the years
Georgia Voice readers weigh in (right) on those long, crazy Backstreet nights. (Courtesy photo)
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 flipped all the way across my floor,” Brown said. The crowd exploded with shouts and applause and security raced to see what was happening, Brown said. “And it made it in Peach Buzz [in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution] the next day,” Brown said. Plenty of other celebrities came to Backstreet and witnessed the showstopper that was Charlie Brown and his cabaret, including Elton John and even Janet Jackson, he said. They would come in incognito, with no fanfare, and enjoy the show and dancing just like everyone else. “[Backstreet] was the grandmother club of Atlanta’s nightlife,” Brown said. Politicians and the beginning of the end The club also was a popular stop for politicians stumping for votes and seeking the gay vote. Former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank made a stop one night, Brown said. Atlanta politicians including U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Cathy Woolard, Bill Campbell, Shirley Franklin and Vincent Fort also made speeches to the crowd. Eventually, some of those politicians who came to the club in the middle of the night and sought out the support of Backstreet voters decided it was time to do away with 24-hour nightlife in Atlanta and supported closing down such clubs. Backstreet’s last call was New Year’s Eve 2004 after the club lost a protracted legal www.thegeorgiavoice.com
battle to keep pouring at all hours. Members of the Midtown Ponce Security Alliance flooded the City Council with complaints, alleging there was rampant drug use and prostitution taking place at the club. “Developers were coming in and they wanted our property. They [MPSA] hired Peggy Denby to be a thorn in our side, and boy, was she,” Vara said, referring to the notorious member who is credited with being a main force leading to Backstreet’s closure. Backstreet tried to stay open after Jan. 1, 2004 by not serving booze and remaining open as an all-night dancehall. In July 2004 the club was cited for not having a dancehall license and Vara said she knew the war to stay open was over. The club closed down forever in August 2004 and Vara sold off the club’s memorabilia a month later. The building was torn down and in its place now stands the 36-floor condo high-rise Viewpoint. “It was very, very sad,” Brown said. “We were pushed out by the neighborhood association, which put 120 employees out of work. The old Buckhead Bettys got liquor out of Buckhead and then came to Midtown and came straight after us,” Brown said. Brown now performs weekly at Lips Atlanta on Buford Highway and said young people regularly attend the show with their parents who met at Backstreet. “I could never ever begin to thank Lips Atlanta and Backstreet and the people that love and support me … thank you, Atlanta, I’m still your bitch.”
“The one thing Backstreet offered to Atlanta was a true all-inclusive environment to be exactly who you wanted to be. It was both fantasy and reality. The drag shows there will be forever stamped in my soul. Atlanta was a great place to come out of the closet and Backstreet was just the epicenter of adult nightlife for a lot of people with no place to turn to. After a 24-hour slumber on that dance floor you felt like you had lived! Backstreet was such a special place!” —Sam Acker
Sweet Daddy would drop the video screen to play George Michael. Or staying to be the last one on the dance floor to help Erik Hayes lug his records out. And the time the electricity went out when Rob Reum was spinning. No one wanted to go home, and my dear friend Robin Cross and little Chris ran out to his vehicle, grabbed his boombox with a Rob cassette in it and came back in with it thrown up on his shoulder, blasting! The crowd went wild and we continued dancing like nothing ever happened!” —Jimmy Sugarbaker
“My best friend at the time said I needed to meet this friend of his so we all met at Backstreet one evening - he introduced us, ‘David, meet David.’ Yes, both our names are David. Over the years we dated, moved in together, got married - it’s been, what, 22ish years, and it all started with a friend introducing us at Backstreet. No, it wasn’t a flashy dance and drink-fueled encounter that maybe the place is known by many for, we just sat at one of the bars and got introduced and chatted, but, it’s my best Backstreet memory.” —David Bradford Jr.
“Backstreet was my first gay club when I turned 21. It was like Studio 54. There was nothing like it. Lots of great cocktails, boys, drag queens and great sex and blow in the bathroom stalls. A place to let your freak flag fly. It was a night of debauchery. Backstreet lives up to its name ... sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. There will never be another club in Atlanta like Backstreet. I miss you every day.” —Donnie Hall
“I actually celebrated my 21st birthday at Backstreet. It was a Wednesday night, so not super busy, but I remember the drag show had a performer that could play the violin and did so during one of her numbers, and it made me want to do anything possible to get back to Atlanta and experience everything gay life could be.” —Luke H Thornton “Busting state elected officials on the dance floor!” —Beth Borror Cope “Watching The Goddess Raven onstage with my then-boyfriend, now my husband, Brandon—together 14 years! Or dancing downstairs as Ziggy threw dozens of glow sticks in the dark into the crowd while ‘Sandstorm’ was spinning by DJ Rob Reum! Magical place, we’ve never been to a place like it, there’ll never be another one.” —Dane Griffith “Meeting my soulmate, the love of my life, Richard Silveira on the dance floor on Nov. 3, 2002. He watched me dance for about an hour and never said a word. I finally walked over to him and said, ‘Hi, are you gonna watch me all night or are you gonna say hello?’ Backstreet was our weekend home, pretty much. When Backstreet closed, nothing was ever the same. It wasn’t fun going out any longer. Now, we don’t go out at all. There will never be another like Backstreet.” —Rodney Burns “I’m torn...so many moments! Any night
“The blind man that stripped naked, then unscrewed his glass eyes and threw them on the dance floor! The security found one!” —Derek Freeman “I accepted a job in Atlanta in the summer of ‘97. Then I immediately got cold feet and backed out. I came to town to tell the potential boss why I had changed my mind. That night I went out to Backstreet. As I leaned on the railing across from the upstairs bar, I watched the writhing mass of shirtless men on the dance floor below. And it hit me: ‘All professional concerns aside, I personally need to live freely and openly like that, to experience that.’ And I felt a great peace about it. Called my future boss the next morning and said that I was taking the job - for sure!” —John Bernhardt “Meeting the young man who became my second partner almost immediately. Stunning young college sophomore. I’d admired him for an hour but didn’t have the confidence to approach him. Then I’m on the balcony overlooking the dance floor and to my left he appeared, smiling at me, then speaking. He came home with me that night and we were inseparable for a year. But he felt he’d committed prematurely before ‘sowing his wild oats’ and we separated, remaining friends. My heart was broken. He died of AIDS in 1989. His name was Ed. I’ve never stopped loving and missing him.” —Terry Wood “Dancing on the boxes at the back of the dance floor. Watching Raven set the stage on fire, literally...weekly. Every performance by Shawnna Brooks! Charlie’s amazing monologues. It was the cornerstone of the gay community.” —Alan Rogers
October 14, 2016 Atlanta LGBT History 16
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LGBT Atlanta: A timeline AUG. 5, 1969 Atlanta police raid George Ellis’ Film Forum, which was showing Andy Warhol’s movie “Lonesome Cowboys,” and take photos of audience members. 1971 Local activists form a Georgia chapter of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF). In June, the GLF organizes Atlanta’s first permitauthorized Gay Pride March, with 125-150 people participating. JUNE 23,1972 First meeting of the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance (ALFA), a major force in the local lesbian community for the next two decades. 1972 Atlanta mayor Sam Massell appoints Charles St. John to the city’s Community Relations Commission, the first appointment by a city official of a spokesperson for local gay and lesbian communities. 1974 Atlanta resident Linda Bryant opens, in Little 5 Points, Charis Books and More, the first lesbian/feminist bookstore in the Southeast in November. Bill Smith begins publishing The Barb, a free gay newspaper distributed in gay bars locally and elsewhere until 1983. JUNE 11, 1978 Approximately 1,800 to 2,000 Atlanta gay men, lesbians, and their supporters from a coalition of human rights groups picket Anita Bryant’s keynote speech to the Southern Baptist Convention’s conference at the Georgia World Congress Center. JUNE 24, 1979 Atlanta’s annual Gay Pride Day parade celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Over 700 attend. AUGUST 1979 Some 200 people show up for the first “Hotlanta Raft Race” down the Chattahoochee, an annual event eventually attracting gays and lesbians from around the country. JUNE 21, 1980 Gay Pride Day renamed Lesbian, Gay, Transperson Pride Day; 1,200 people attend the annual march. JUNE 1980 Gene Loring opens Christopher’s Kind, a gay bookstore, in Midtown.
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Clockwise from left: Ready to help: Michael Wilson mans the phones February 1985 at the Gay Help Line; 2,000 march from the Civic Center to Peachtree and 10th Street. For the first time a “Stop AIDS” banner is carried in the march. This is also Atlanta’s first Dyke March; Gene Loring relaxes Sept. 12, 1984 in his gay bookstore, Christopher’s Kind. Loring was arrested at least twice for selling gay pornography. (Photos courtesy of Georgia LGBTQ Archives Project) AUG. 29, 1981 Auditions are held to form the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus. 1981 Georgia Dept. of Human Resources begins tracking AIDS cases in the state. Three are reported this year. 1982 AID Atlanta, a social service agency for people with AIDS, is formed. OCTOBER 1983 Atlanta’s first candlelight AIDS vigil is held, in Piedmont Park. MAY 1985 A synagogue for local gays and lesbians, Bet Havarim, forms. MAY 21, 1985 U.S. Court of Appeals rules in the Michael Hardwick case that Georgia’s sodomy statute infringes on the privacy rights of U.S. citizens and is therefore unconstitutional. Georgia Attorney General Michael Bowers appeals the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. JUNE 15, 1985 Three gay men, Pat Coleman, Jaye Evans, and Jim Heverly, launch the first issue of Etcetera Magazine. Before its 10th anniversary, it becomes the
JUNE 30, 1986 With a 5-4 vote, U.S. Supreme Court justices announce their decision in Bowers vs. Hardwick that Georgia’s sodomy law, when it is enforced against gay people, is constitutional.
Circle K stores to protest discriminatory employment practices, the Governor’s Mansion to object to the unavailability of the AIDS treatment drug AZT, and Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza to protest those shopping centers’ bookstores who censor an issue of SPIN Magazine that includes a free condom.
1986 The AIDS Survival Project forms in Atlanta.
The AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta forms.
Christopher’s Kind bookstore closes its doors.
MAY 20, 1989 Atlanta’s Virginia-Highland Park is renamed for the late openly gay local citizen and political activist John Howell. This is the first dedication of public property in the city to an openly gay person.
Southeast’s largest lesbian and gay publication.
SPRING 1987 Threatened with a gay boycott, Atlanta-based Delta Airlines apologizes for discriminating against people with AIDS. MARCH 1, 1988 The local gay newspaper Southern Voice, originally a project of Southeast Arts and Media Education (SAME), is launched as a 16-page newspaper published every other week. JULY 18-21, 1988 The Democratic Party National Committee holds its presidential convention in Atlanta. An Atlanta chapter of the national AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT/UP) forms during the convention to push for increased attention and funds for AIDS sufferers. 1988 The Atlanta chapter of ACT/UP pickets local
1990 PALS (Pets Are Loving Support) is formed by two Atlanta businesswomen to provide pet care to people living with AIDS. 1991 The first AIDS Walk in Atlanta is held in Piedmont Park. Queer Nation’s Atlanta chapter organizes a nationwide boycott of the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain after it fires lesbian cook Cheryl Summerville from a suburban Atlanta Cracker Barrel.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 25
October 14, 2016 Atlanta LGBT History 19
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LGBT Atlanta: A timeline CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 1992 Positive Impact, Inc. is formed to provide mental health services for people living with or affected by HIV. It’s later renamed Positive Impact Health Centers. 1993 Olympics Out of Cobb is formed to protest an anti-gay ordinance in Cobb County to make sure that Cobb would not benefit from Olympic activity in Atlanta. The city establishes its domestic partner registry for city employees after the city council approves workplace benefits for the partners of city employees. Atlanta’s Outwrite Bookstore opens its doors for business. JUNE 10-12, 1994 An estimated 150,000 attend the local Pride celebration, making it the fifth largest in the nation. JULY 29, 1994 The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games faxes its decision to move the upcoming Olympic volleyball venue out of Cobb County. 1995 The Georgia Equality Project (later Georgia Equality), the state’s first statewide gay political organization, is organized. APRIL 1996 The Atlanta Lesbian Cancer Initiative is formed, later called the Atlanta Lesbian Health Initiative, and then The Health Initiative. FEBRUARY 1997 A bomb explodes at The Otherside Lounge, a local gay and lesbian nightclub, and injures five people. Investigators later charge Eric Rudolph with the bombing, along with others, including one that killed a visitor to the 1996 Olympic Games. MAY 30, 1997 A federal appeals court rules 8-4 that Georgia attorney general Mike Bowers did not violate the constitutional rights of staffer Robin Shahar when he withdrew a job offer after learning she and her partner had been married in a religious ceremony. Shahar loses her subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court in 1998. LABOR DAY WEEKEND 1997 Although a gathering of African-American lesbians and gay men in Piedmont Park had been a tradition for many years, 1997 marks the first official Black Gay Pride event.
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JULY 2000 Unopposed by a Republican Party opponent in the primary round of voting, Georgia’s Democratic Party voters select suburban Atlanta Avondale Estates resident Karla Drenner as Georgia’s first openly-gay representative to the State Legislature. 2001 The AIDS Memorial Quilt moves its headquarters from San Francisco to Atlanta. Atlanta voters elect Cathy Woolard as City Council president. NOVEMBER 2004 Georgia voters overwhelmingly approve a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. JANUARY 2005 Druid Hills Golf Club, cited by the city in 2004 for discriminating against two gay members by not offering spousal-equivalent benefits to their domestic partners, sues the city to avoid paying a $90,000 fine. Georgia legislators introduce legislation that prohibits the city from punishing private groups for discrimination. The law is later passed and approved by the governor. JUNE 2005 The Indigo Girls perform at the local Pride festival, which draws over its three days an estimated 320,000 participants. JUNE 2008 Due to a major statewide drought, city officials ban all large festivals from Piedmont Park.
Clockwise from left: The local gay newspaper Southern Voice, originally a project of Southeast Arts and Media Education (SAME), is launched as a 16-page newspaper published every other week. Gay activists from ACT UP stage a ‘die-in’ to protest the CDC’s handling of the AIDS crisis Jan. 9, 1990 as police stand in front of the Centers for Disease Control. Gay activists join hands during rally May 7, 1988 at the state Capitol; outlines of bodies on sidewalk represent AIDS victims. (Photos courtesy of Georgia LGBTQ Archives Project) Atlanta Pride is forced to move to the Atlanta Civic Center and is held over the Fourth of July weekend. SEPT. 10, 2009 The Atlanta Police Department’s Red Dog Unit raids the Atlanta Eagle, an action later deemed unconstitutional. The city later settled with patrons of the bar for $1 million and promised to change procedures. OCTOBER 2009 Atlanta Pride returns to Piedmont Park and is held for the first time in October. The Trans March becomes a part of the fest. NOV. 16, 2009 Southern Voice shuts down after the collapse of parent company Window Media. The team behind Southern Voice soon formed Georgia Voice in its place. JAN. 26, 2012 Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse closes down. APRIL 22, 2014 Lambda Legal files a lawsuit on behalf of nine plaintiffs challenging Georgia’s same-sex marriage ban.
2015 In January Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed fires Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran after Cochran published an anti-LGBT book. Cochran later filed suit against the city and became the face of so-called “religious freedom” bills. Senate Bill 129, an anti-LGBT so-called “religious freedom” bill authored by state Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus), fails to pass in April before the end of the legislative session. JUNE 26, 2015 Georgia celebrates as the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down same-sex marriage bans nationwide. The state of Georgia followed the law and marriages proceeded across the state, and Atlanta’s LGBT community congregated at the corner of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue to celebrate well into the night. MARCH 28, 2016 Gov. Nathan Deal vetoes House Bill 757, a controversial anti-LGBT so-called “religious freedom” bill that passed both chambers of the legislature and caused a national backlash. *Sources: Southern Voice archives, Georgia Voice archives, and “Atlanta Since Stonewall, 1969-2009: A Local History”
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Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance left wide footprint Group formed in 1970s to counter city’s male-dominated gay scene By DIONNE WALKER Last Sunday, throngs of onlookers cheered as rainbow-festooned floats wound through Midtown, led by LGBT men and women working in unity. For Lorraine Fontana, a founding mother of Atlanta’s lesbian feminist scene, the united front represented a major turn from the Atlanta of old. Fontana remembers being a young graduate student, falling in love with the city, yet feeling shunned by its male-centric gay scene. It was the early 1970s and gays were becoming liberated, but not, as she and other women soon discovered, integrated. And so Fontana and a group of largely lesbian activists formed the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance. The group would last until the early 1990s before fiscal strains and social shifts caused it to disintegrate. As we celebrate LGBT history this October, Georgia Voice is looking back at local LGBT icons and examining their role shaping today’s queer Atlanta. For ALFA, that legacy includes being among the first such groups of its kind in the country, formed to tell lesbians it was okay to demand their own voice. “We were part of making ourselves more public and connecting our struggle with other peoples’ struggle,” she said. Their place at the table Formed in 1972, ALFA lasted a relatively short amount of time, yet its legacy is wide. Academics still study archives of the group’s monthly publication, Atalanta, and other documents now housed at Duke University. Meanwhile, references to everything from the group’s newsletter to minutes from its
“These women all came together and decided we were feminist and we were lesbians and we wanted to have a social justice organization where people would be encouraged to come out and be who they were.”
Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance co-founder Lorraine Fontana says the group was formed to tell lesbians it was okay to demand their voice. (File photo)
–Lorraine Fontana, co-founder of the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance
dances and tried to socialize, but quickly found their gender being sidelined. Soon a separate organization just made sense.
frequent meetings pepper many books. Its staying power is strong – though Fontana said that’s not what motivated the group of women. Rather, she said they were simply a group of radical, progressive women frustrated with a gay movement they saw as exclusive. Graduate school led Fontana to Atlanta, where she studied psychology and envisioned herself working in education. Before long, Fontana said she fell in with a circle that helped her recognize two passions: women and social justice. “I met a lot of other women who were feminist who were also coming out as lesbians and I discovered who I really was,” said Fontana, who laughs when she recalls her life in a glass closet. “I never dated in high school or had boyfriends,” she said. Her coming out coincided with the emergence of what was then called “gay liberation,” the movement that urged queer men and women to use radical action to move their sexual orientation into the mainstream. When the movement spread to Atlanta, Fontana said she and her friends attended
Creating change The women had no blueprint when they started. “These women all came together and decided we were feminist and we were lesbians and we wanted to have a social justice organization where people would be encouraged to come out and be who they were,” she said. The result was a group that was a few hundred strong, she said. The group focused on creating safe spaces for women, including hosting queer-identified parties and social justice events. ALFA published the periodical, and even rented a series of houses where women could hold gatherings and live communally. “ALFA was a broad group where we tried to include everybody in everything,” Fontana said, adding that the group gradually came to include broader ethnicities and political affiliations. The formula worked for years before the passage of time took its toll. For one, Fontana said the LGBT community became much more integrated, minimizing the need for such a strongly female-aligned group. Then there were the inevitable social changes in many members’ lives. Some formed more niche groups; others
drifted toward new political identities. And still others, like Fontana, simply moved further into the suburbs and had less time to be active with the Candler Park-centered group. By the time the remaining members renovated a house in Kirkwood – ultimately a huge time suck, Fontana said – the group was on its last legs. “It was a combination of just the normal kind of growth process,” she said. “People [were] leaving and not having the energy for ALFA.” The group disbanded in 1994. Lasting legacy Years later, the spirit of activism is alive and well in Fontana, though she’s not sure if she thinks Atlanta’s social justice scene is as strong as it could be. Fontana, 69, points to groups like the shortlived Queer Progressive Agenda as evidence that social justice movements struggle to maintain similar agendas long enough to create change. Still, as she prepared to celebrate the city’s multi-gender, multi-cultural Dyke March on Oct. 8, it was hard not to see the growth in the queer scene – even if ALFA hasn’t played a recent role. “I don’t think there was a need for that organization [anymore],” Fontana said. “But what came later was more diverse, more colorful and complete.”
26 Atlanta LGBT History October 14, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
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IT’S RAINING MENZEL Idina Menzel on new album, a lesbian Elsa and angry gays who oppose her ‘Beaches’ remake By CHRIS AZZOPARDI Though it arrives nearly 20 years after her debut album, the timing couldn’t be more perfect for a selftitled Idina Menzel release. Menzel’s latest is a declaration of self – of her real self, that is. “It’s how you pronounce my name,” the Broadway star says during our recent interview about the eponymous title, “idina.” It’s a not-so-subtle allusion to that infamous name botch at the 2014 Academy Awards by John Travolta before she hit the stage to perform her career-changing song “Let It Go” from Disney’s “Frozen,” during which the Tony winner voices cold-thwarting snow queen Elsa. “Frozen” fame took Menzel to Elphaba heights, but it was “Wicked” and “Rent” that forever made her a gay fave. Imagine, then, what a new “Beaches” might do for Menzel. The Lifetime remake of the 1988 classic has the 45-year-old portraying Bette Midler’s CC Bloom, CONTINUES ON PAGE 30
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the vitriol within our country is exposed and you’re like, “What happened? We’re in the ancient times again.”
a career choice the singer-actress admits has ruffled the feathers of her loyal queer following. Menzel talked about one gay fan’s tweet that led to her almost backing out of the film altogether, how LGBT support solidified her success and why she’s “excited” that “Frozen” fans are pulling for a lesbian Elsa. When were you first aware of your gay following? The first moment was probably when I’d go to the Nederlander Theatre when I was in “Rent” (in the mid ’90s), and I’d get all these amazing letters from young kids struggling with their sexual orientation and who they were and how they wanted to come out. I’d get a lot of letters about that and how I was helping them be honest with themselves and be brave about coming out, so it started then and that was even… that was stronger than I had even anticipated or ever really had dreamed. Just on a much deeper, much more important level than singing a high note with a lot of bravado and people clapping. And it’s continued to be like that, really, with “Wicked” and “Frozen,” with Elsa. There are always these characters who are literally trying to come out of the closet – they’re hiding something within them that they’re afraid to let people see, and then finally they embrace it and change the world around them. There’s a lot of pressure on you and Disney to make Elsa gay. Are you surprised by the #GiveElsaAGirlfriend movement?
Idina Menzel released her fifth studio album “idina.”last month. (Photo by Max Vadukul)
Am I surprised? (Sighs) Maybe at first I was a little surprised because it’s Disney, but I can say that I’m excited that the conversation is happening. I can’t promise anybody that that’s what’s gonna happen. I’m just a servant at a big company called Disney and I’m happy to have a role and a job. But deep down am I really happy that it’s causing people to talk about it and have these kinds of conversations? Yeah, I am. Do you think the world is ready for a lesbian Disney princess? Umm… I don’t know about that, considering we’re having a hard time even getting Donald Trump out of the way. Sometimes it’s a little discouraging. But you never know. We keep making all these strides. We’ve made a lot of strides in the last couple of years, and then all of a sudden the hate and
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What does it mean to you to know that so many LGBT people interpreted “Let It Go” as a coming out anthem? And did you when you first read the lyrics? Yeah, umm... probably not right at first because I’m an actor first, and so I’m thinking, what is it for this character and this young girl? Having had the “Wicked” experience, I bring those themes to it as well. But then I quickly saw all of the parallels and the universality of the song and how it could speak to so many people in so many different ways. You’ve had three other studio albums– why self-title this one, and what’s the significance of the period? It’s very personal. I went through the hardest time in my life while writing this album (Menzel and her former “Rent” co-star Taye Diggs divorced in late 2014 after 10 years of marriage)–a beautiful, successful time, and also a very tumultuous, complicated time in my personal life, and so it’s very intimate. It’s my way of saying, “Hey, this is me and my barebones.” And the period is… what’s the word?... just a little nudge, like, “This is me,” with a little attitude in there, whether it’s how you pronounce my name or (directed toward) anybody who has tried to keep me down. Gay men are very devoted to “Beaches”. Have you consulted any of them for the role of CC Bloom originally played
by Bette Midler? By accident I went on my Twitter feed and saw somebody who wrote, “Idina, I love you, but it’s sacrilege that you’re doing this!” I called my agent and I was like, “Tell them I can’t do it. All these gay men are mad at me and they’re gonna hate me!” But it’s just such a great role for me and the experience of being on set and working every day on this beautiful woman that is funny and talented and she gets to do drama and comedy–it was such a great experience for me and it was just hard to turn down. So I hope they’ll forgive me! I understand if they cannot. But you know, come on, Judy Garland redid “A Star is Born” and then Barbra redid Judy Garland! So sometimes these things happen. I’m not saying I’m any of those women, but you know, sometimes we redo these movies. Are you going to be okay if “Wicked” gets made into a film with actresses other than you and Kristin Chenoweth? No, I’m gonna–no! I’m gonna have a hard time with that. (Laughs) Let’s be honest… you want me to be honest? Or do you want me to say, “Oh, sure, can’t wait for whoever looks 20 years younger than me but can’t sing as good as me gets the role?” They better not fuck it up, right? They better not fuck it up! I’m lobbying to do it like “Benjamin Button.” A little CGI on a beautiful, green face. I could look gorgeous! Like, who cares – just take out a couple wrinkles. Green and exotic. I still have a girly innocence about me. And here I am
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ACTING OUT
By JIM FARMER
A look back at 20 years of LGBT Atlanta theater Back in 1996, I moved to Atlanta from Athens – buoyed by the Olympic Games of that year – and almost immediately began writing about the local theater scene. My first theater story for Southern Voice was back in 1998, a review of the drama “Skylight” at Horizon Theatre. I’ve written about local plays for Southern Voice and now Georgia Voice since. A lot has changed since that time, most notably the number of theater companies in the area. Atlanta has always been ripe for playhouses, but the amount of theaters producing on a regular basis has grown immeasurably. Luckily, queer work has always been in the mix. The local theater company that has been responsible for the most gay fare over the years has been Actor’s Express. Notable LGBT work from the company has included “Rescue & Recovery” by Steve Murray, Terrence McNally’s “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and Paul Rudnick’s “Jeffrey.” The Express has also staged work from out playwright Steve Yockey and this spring presented Joshua Harmon’s “Significant Other.” OnStage Atlanta and The Process Theatre are also at the top of local queer work, with many Charles Busch plays behind them as well as “Designing Women Live!” The now defunct Theatre Outlanta also brought LGBT fare to town for awhile. The city’s largest theater company, the Alliance Theatre, just finished their world premiere production of “The Prom,” about a high school girl who wants to take her girlfriend to the prom. The Broadway in Atlanta series brings gay-themed productions to town, most recently “Kinky Boots,” while “Cabaret” opens in a few weeks. At some point or another, most Atlanta area theaters have produced LGBT work. Theatre in the Square, founded by Palmer Wells and his partner Michael Horne, was known for exceptional, risky productions. They made unintentional headlines when Cobb County passed an anti-gay resolution as a result of their play “Lips Together, Teeth Apart.” Yet it didn’t hinder the company’s work. In 2005 the company staged a nice version of the gay-themed “Take Me Out.” Theatre in the Square closed down in 2012 then opened back up last year under new ownership. Another major change has been the proliferation of playwrights and world premieres. www.thegeorgiavoice.com
Georgia Voice theater columnist and Out On Film festival director Jim Farmer. (Courtesy photo)
World premieres used to be a rarity. These days, a world premiere happens several times a month. Many of those premieres have come via Topher Payne, who began writing plays shortly after I began covering theater. His first was “Beached Wails.” Of all the playwrights that have made local noise, his climb has been the most notable, with shows spreading throughout the country, including off-Broadway. He is not local, but the work of playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney has made a dent in the city. His work always has an LGBT component, from “Choir Boy” to “In the Red and Brown Water” to “Marcus, or the Secret of Sweet.” One of his plays, “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue,” is the inspiration for the new film “Moonlight.” Of late, out Brian Clowdus has become the new “it boy” of local theater. As the artistic director of Serenbe Playhouse, launched in 2010, his productions are always courageous, always an event. The best was his “Hair” a few seasons ago but the recent “Miss Saigon” was also a huge success. No current company specializes in LGBT programming, but one has re-emerged. The new Out Front Theatre Company boasts the Georgia debut of the stage musical “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” next week, with two other plays this season. Personally, I am excited to see them around. I look forward to what they can bring to the ATL table, as well as seeing overall what – and who - the next decade of local theater brings with it.
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October 14, 2016 Columnists 31
EATING MY WORDS By CLIFF BOSTOCK
In search of good, authentic New Orleans-style restaurants For mysterious reasons, authentic New Orleans-style restaurants have never been very popular in Atlanta. Even when a few refugees after Hurricane Katrina opened restaurants here, they didn’t last long. The problem seems to be “authenticity.” Much of Louisiana’s cuisine is moderately spicy, which is a plus for many people, but apparently terrifying to most Atlantans. So what we mainly get here is menus of toned down jambalayas and gumbos plus entrees that barely relate to Louisiana’s classic dishes. The latest to open is Louisiana Bistreaux (1496 Church Street, 404-963-1463, louisianabistreaux.com) in Decatur’s hugely expanded Suburban Plaza. This is actually the sister of a popular restaurant of the same name near the airport. Both are operated by Fred Delawalla, a man of Indian heritage who has lived in the states for many years. No, I don’t detect Bollywood in any aspect of Delawalla’s cooking. In fact I find it more reliably authentic than most in town. Louisiana Bistreaux’s website describes the restaurant’s fare as “Inspired Cajun Seafood.” That brings up a point of common confusion. There’s Cajun cooking and there’s Creole cooking. What’s the difference? Creole is a city style. It’s more complex and uses tomatoes, while the Cajun, originating outside the cities, uses no tomatoes and is for the most part the spicier of the two. They also begin with a different roux – typically butter and flour for Creole, oil and flour for Cajun. Of course, both styles overlap, so it gets confusing. An example is the Bistreaux’s crawfish etouffee, my usual test of Louisiana cooking. The version at Bistreaux seems to make use of tomatoes, so it would be Creole instead of Cajun, despite its labeling as the latter. I’m not complaining – the crawfish were plump and juicy, the brownish red sauce was subtly piquant, and the serving, like all here, was huge. I’m talking take-half-the-plate-home huge. Despite my usual preference for “classic” Cajun, the best dish at my table was a totally wacky tower of grilled grouper coated with crumbled Crawtator potato chips, made by Zapp’s. It
The crawfish are plump and juicy, the sauce is subtly piquant and the serving of Louisiana Bistreaux’s crawfish etouffee is huge. (Photo by Cliff Bostock)
was served over jalapeno-gouda grits, awash in a creamy crawfish sauce. Picture a volcano surrounded by the delicious magma it just spewed. The restaurant buys its seafood from sustainable sources, so most of it has great flavor. Another friend also ordered grilled grouper, this time topped with lemon-butter sauce, crawfish, and lump crabmeat. The fish was surrounded by dirty rice and corn maque choux – basically ultra-rich creamed corn. Flawless. Another tablemate ordered, for reasons I don’t understand, a burger with a floury-tasting crab and corn chowder that he loved but I found far inferior to the restaurant’s gumbo. A fourth friend got an ordinary oyster po’ boy. The only serious yawner at the table was a gigantic wedge of lettuce with blue cheese dressing, bacon, cucumbers and so forth. We shared a dessert of Southern Comfort pecan pie with Chantilly cream. Skip the lettuce and order it. The menu here is diverse, with quite a few steaks and fried shellfish and seafood, as well as the classics like my etouffee. The jambalaya, which I have not tried, seems to get especially high marks from many diners. Service is great and the restaurant was crowded. I recommend you get a reservation. Cliff Bostock is a former psychotherapist now specializing in life coaching. Contact him at 404-518-4415 or cliffbostock@gmail.com.
32 Columnists October 14, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
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Our Guide to the Best LGBT Events in Atlanta for Oct. 14-27
BETS T ES
T A T B G L
A T N LA S
T N EVE
FRIDAY, OCT. 14 – SATURDAY, OCT. 15
This year’s ELEVATE public art festival will feature work by some of Atlanta’s most interesting and thought-provoking artists. The annual block party will take place on Friday from 6 – 11 p.m. Adding international flavor to the festival, FranceAtlanta is partnering with the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs to bring in some special guests. The festival will take place primarily on Broad Street, in Atlanta’s emerging cultural district downtown. www.ocaatlanta.com/?programs=elevate
FRIDAY, OCT. 14
The 7th annual 2020 Leading Women’s Society Awards is tonight. Each year, SisterLove honors 20 HIV+ women from around the country who have been HIV positive for 20 years or more. This community-oriented honors ceremony celebrates the belief that these women possess the rare hindsight and foresight to help eradicate the HIV/ AIDS pandemic through their outstanding leadership and dedication. In addition to the 20 women who are honored, 10 HIV+ women who have less than 20 years are recognized. 6 - 10 p.m., Georgia Freight Depot, www.facebook.com/ events/995115927283741 Atlanta photographers Bhargava Chiluveru, Keith Jackson, and Aaron Coury are pleased to announce their group exhibition and artist talk, Storytellers, presented by fourofour.co and Chil Creative. This one-night only exhibition will feature a wide range of work and intimate conversation from a few of Atlanta’s most prolific photographers. 6:30 – 11 p.m., Switchyards Downtown Club, 151 Ted Turner Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30303
34 Best Bets October 14, 2016
SUNDAY, OCT. 16
The annual AIDS Walk Atlanta and 5K Run kicks off today. Now commemorating 26 years of walking and running, the event continues to raise much-needed funds for AIDS service organizations in 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. The run and walk begins at 1 p.m. and winds up in Piedmont Park, www.aidswalkatlanta.com/AIDSWalkAtlantaHome (File photo) Rollins Student Government Association presents Fall Fling 2016. Beer from SweetWater Brewery will be flowing on draft along with healthy and delicious hour d’oeuvres, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks for everyone. Bumping jams will be brought to you courtesy of Atlanta’s own DJ YounJosh aka “King of Electro.” 9 p.m. – 12 a.m., SweetWater Brewery, 195 Ottley Drive, Atlanta, GA 30324, www.facebook.com/ events/197106337378130
to raise money for charity. Kicking For a Cause is a double elimination tournament. Awards will be given for the top two teams as well as team shirts for everyone. 1 – 7 p.m., Active Oval at Piedmont Park, www.facebook.com/ events/1427256867301120
SATURDAY, OCT. 15
Southern Fried Queer Pride presents Sweet Tea Variety, a show that serves as an open stage for queer and trans talent, art, music, performance art and overall creativity, 11 p.m. – 12 a.m., Eyedrum
Dust off those shoes and reminisce of days gone by to your early childhood and play some good ole fashioned kickball with Joining Hearts and GoKickball
Join Team Woofs in raising money for the AIDS Walk, with raffle prizes, giveaways, Jell-O shooters and more, 4 – 7 p.m., www.woofsatlanta.com
Art & Music Gallery, 88 Forsyth St. SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
SUNDAY, OCT. 16
The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBTQ children meets today from 2:30 – 4 p.m. at the Spiritual Living Center of Atlanta, 1730 Northeast Expressway NE, Atlanta, GA 30329 Come out for Sunday Funday with the Armorettes. In the show are Lori Divine, Autumn Skyy, Betty Bennett, Ginger Bred Man, Eden Cakes, Gary Todd Drews, Electra Bell, Kitty Love Antoniette, and Sharon
CONTINUES ON PAGE 36 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
professional artists series
The Second City: Free Speech (While Supplies Last) Saturday, October 22,
8:00pm
The comedy spotlight falls on America’s electoral insanity with Chicago’s famous sketch and improv comedy troupe. Fresh, fast, and always spectacularly funny, when The Second City opened its doors on a snowy Chicago night in 1959, no one could have guessed such a small cabaret theater would become the world’s most influential and prolific comedy venue. Look for Georgia Tech’s improv group Let’s Try This to join the troupe on stage!
Shadowland by Pilobolus Thursday, October 27, 7:30pm Back for an amazing display of shadow theater, dance, and circus, the show incorporates multiple moving screens that merge projected images and live choreography. In the more than four decades since its launch at Dartmouth College, dance company Pilobolus has performed at the Academy Awards, on Broadway and at the Olympics. A returning favorite for Georgia Tech audiences, Pilobolus continues to propel the seeds of expression via human movement. Call now for tickets!
404-894-9600 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
details and more events at
arts.gatech.edu October 14, 2016 Ads 35
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 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34 Needles. 7:30 p.m., free, Burkhart’s, www.burkharts.com
MONDAY, OCT. 17
Actor’s Express in collaboration with the Atlanta University Center and the Alliance Theatre present Every 28 Hours, a national collaboration of theater artists that gather for one night to read works inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. This event is free and open to the public, 7 p.m., Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College. 830 Westview Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30314 Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender, and aspiring allies. Charis provides a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources and activism around social issues. Whether silently or aloud, please come ready to consider your own gender in a transient world. This is a project of the Feminist Outlawz and is co-sponsored by Charis Circle’s Strong Families, Whole Children, 7 – 8:30 p.m., www.charisbooksandmore.com Blake’s hosts the Party with the Players event after tonight’s Atlanta kickball session, 8 p.m., www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com
TUESDAY, OCT. 18
ART Station’s spooky “A Tour of Southern Ghosts,” now in its 31st year, runs through Oct. 30 at Stone Mountain Park, www.artstation.org
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 19
EXPOSED, a six-week contemporary dance and physical theater festival featuring Israeli and local artists including gay couple Niv Sheinfled and Oren Laor, runs through Nov. 19 throughout the Atlanta area, www.exposedfestivalatl.com
THURSDAY, OCT. 20
Join The Metro Atlanta Association of
36 Best Bets October 14, 2016
MONDAY, OCT. 24 – TUESDAY, OCT. 25
The iconic Carol Burnett answers questions from the audience, 8 p.m., Cobb Energy Centre, www.cobbenergycentre.com (Publicity photo) Professionals (MAAP) for an evening of networking. Meet and connect with Atlantaarea professionals and business owners, beginning at 6 p.m., Loca Luna, 550 Amsterdam Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306 Out Front Theatre company, dedicated to producing LGBT-themed theatrical work, opens “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical,” based on the cult classic movie about drag queens Tick, Bernadette and Adam, 8 p.m., through Nov. 6, www.OutFrontTheatre.com
FRIDAY, OCT. 21
Arts patrons have a new option to kick off the weekend with First Fridays, which feature combinations of music, art-making workshops, performances, films, artist talks and more on the first Friday of every month from 6 to 9 p.m. Part art party, part happy hour, the evening will also feature drinks and light bites for purchase. High Museum of Art, www.high.org Enjoy Mr. and Mrs. Atlanta Eagle Bar with JD Eric, 10 p.m. – 3 a.m., www.atlantaeagle.com
SATURDAY, OCT. 22
Georgia Equality, ACFLY and Queer Youth for Equality present Queer Youth
Fest 2016, a free, inaugural festival showcasing some of the coolest LGBTQ artists and musicians around Atlanta, 2 p.m. - 10 p.m., Healium Center, 344 Candler Park Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30307, www.facebook. com/events/1876367932586286/ Calling to the stage Roxie Hart, Sweeney Todd, Elphaba and more for “A Night on Broadway: Razzle Dazzle,” Jerusalem House’s premier open bar Halloween party. This year’s fundraiser will feature more bars, more gourmet lite bites, DJ Bill Berdeaux spinning dance floor beats, and the famous costume contest featuring over $3,000 in cash and prizes. 7 – 11:59 p.m., W Atlanta Midtown, 188 14th St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30361, www.facebook.com/ events/1116796561708682
MONDAY, OCT. 24
Bring your furry friends to Otters, Cubs and Bears, Oh My! at the Hideaway Atlanta, beginning at 2 p.m., www.atlantahideaway.com
TUESDAY, OCT. 25
Join the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) for the Fall Membership Orientation from 9 – 11 a.m. at First Data’s Learning
& Innovation Center, 5565 Glenridge Connector, First Floor, Atlanta, GA 30342 “RuPaul’s Drag Race” fan favorite Bianca Del Rio brings her Not Today Satan tour to town tonight at the Variety Playhouse. 8 p.m., www.varietyplayhouse.com
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 26
The 2016 GLAAD Atlanta event, a celebration of national and local leaders accelerating LGBT acceptance through the media, will take place tonight. Guests will enjoy a cocktail reception with great drinks, fabulous food, a silent auction, performances by Ty Herndon and others. Radio personality Melissa Carter will be the Master of Ceremonies, 6 – 9 p.m., Atlanta History Center, www.facebook.com/events/1069875913060408
THURSDAY, OCT. 27
Do you want to read amazing books by black women writers? Do you want to discuss works from a black feminist perspective? Then the Black Feminist Club is for you. Charis Circle board co-chair Susana Morris will be the facilitator for this group. October’s book is “Leaving Atlanta” by Tayari Jones, 7 – 9 p.m., Charis Books, www.charisbooksandmore.com
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www.thegeorgiavoice.com
October 14, 2016 Ads 37
THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID By MELISSA CARTER
Real talk on traveling with sex toys It’s time for some real talk. We are all adults here, and there seems to be an error in judgment that needs to be addressed. Especially if you plan on traveling during the holidays and intend on taking everything with you. Crews in Thailand were recently getting a flight ready for takeoff when baggage handlers noticed a green rucksack shaking. They detected a humming sound coming from the bag and got so concerned it was a bomb they contacted authorities to come check it out. Bomb disposal experts raced to the runway and carefully ripped open the bag only to find someone’s silver bullet sex toy had accidentally been turned on. Mortifying for the woman who owned that bag, but quite entertaining for everyone else. Look, I’m grown and not embarrassed to say I know firsthand these devices have a battery compartment, and I question why in the world someone would leave the batteries IN while packing their suitcase. You aren’t in that much of a rush to make sure that these little embarrassing accidents never happen. However, it’s not always the adult toys you need to be concerned about where batteries and vacationing are involved. I once took a girlfriend on a cruise with Olivia, a company that specializes in lesbian travel. If you have never traveled overseas on a ship, there is a complex system upon your return to check all the luggage back into the U.S. We passengers stood in what looked like a warehouse while staff lined up all the bags from the ship to one side, which took up about a quarter of the space we were in. Of the hundreds of lesbians gathered together in this room only one bag was vibrating … and it was ours. This motion off the ocean was detected by the staff workers, who had to publicly ask whose bag this was. Reluctantly we had to make our way over to the luggage, my mind racing the whole time of what it could be. That is because I knew we did not take any “little helper”
“Reluctantly we had to make our way over to the luggage, my mind racing the whole time of what it could be. That is because I knew we did not take any ‘little helper’ along with us on the voyage, and recognized the irony that ours was likely the only bag in this sea of lesbians without a sex toy.” along with us on the voyage, and recognized the irony that ours was likely the only bag in this sea of lesbians without a sex toy. My girlfriend opened the bag to reveal her vibrating toothbrush at the ready. Somehow the off button had been turned on in the transport from the ship. Not the result the crew was hoping for I am sure, but nonetheless it made us red-faced as we re-entered the country. I know preparing for vacation can be stressful, especially when making sure you have made all the preparations before heading out of town. While away I say you do you, or anyone else you please, but let’s make sure any tools you need for the job are kept securely in your checked luggage so that only those who are involved can see them. Batteries not included. Melissa Carter is one of the Morning Show hosts on B98.5. In addition, she is a writer for the Huffington Post. She is recognized as one of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta and one of the few in the country. Follow her on Twitter@MelissaCarter
38 Columnists October 14, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
SOMETIMES ‘Y’ By RYAN LEE
Season of love songs My musical tastes don’t really match my worldview. Even as a teenager in the ’90s, my Walkman presets and cassette tape mixes were likely to be playing Motown and similar R&B from the ’70s, a genre that is predominated with unresolved heartbreak and the undying pursuit of perfect love. Despite my disinterest in a long-term romantic relationship, despite not having someone to whom I want to direct such emotions, I still get lost in my feelings when I hear someone like Teddy Pendergrass or Deniece Williams sing about the heart. A friend and I went to a party that was hosted by my job last Saturday, and afterward we stopped by a Kroger that was playing Atlantic Starr’s “Always” over its sound system. For the next three days I was singing the chorus to the song to myself. “Ooh you’re like the sun/ chasing all of the rain away/ When you come around/ you bring brighter days,” I sang with involuntary optimism pumping in my chest. “You’re the perfect one/ for me and you forever will be/ and I will love you so/ for always.” This earworm was skewing my serotonin levels the following Monday when my boss approached my desk and asked about my guest at the party. “Oh, that’s my friend, Karim,” I said, turning my head to notice that our office manager had floated toward my desk, also hoping for exciting news. “Uh huh, Karim,” my boss said playfully. “And a friend, that’s it?” “That’s it,” I said, my words weighted with their disappointment. “C’mon, Ryan,” my boss teased. “We gotta find someone to make an honest man out of you, especially now that you’re a family man.” I’m used to folks encouraging me to find love; one of my closest friend’s boyfriend devotes much of the time we spend in clubs to spotting potential partners and asking, “How about that guy? What about him? Is he your type?” While I sometimes feel like www.thegeorgiavoice.com
“I remain open to establishing a solid, loving companionship with a man that doesn’t match most love songs, but I currently enjoy being single enough to resist Atlantic Starr being stuck in my head, matchmaking friends and co-workers, and the onset of cuffing season, when folks find someone to share body heat with during the colder months.” I’m being initiated into an arranged marriage, I know folks are cheering for me to find Mr. Right for the right reasons. I trust that my friends and co-workers adore me, and believe I deserve to be adored by someone in a special way. I believe they think I am “worth” a relationship. However, I don’t feel like I am squandering any of my “worth” via extended, committed singledom, and I don’t see how my quality of life improves by submitting to a romantic structure of which I am suspicious. I remain open to establishing a solid, loving companionship with a man that doesn’t match most love songs, but I currently enjoy being single enough to resist Atlantic Starr being stuck in my head, matchmaking friends and co-workers, and the onset of cuffing season, when folks find someone to share body heat with during the colder months. Part of the distance between my emotions and the music I like might be attributable to a continuing sleight that LGBT people endure in love music: how we must tweak pronouns and imagine a freedom of affection to make popular songs reflect our hearts. While the romantic ballads of the ‘70s forever will be the muzak playing on loop in my head, there’s always been something that made me think these songs weren’t written for me. Ryan Lee is an Atlanta writer. October 14, 2016 Columnists 39
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