11/18/22, Vol. 13 Issue 17

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.

Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:

 dofetilide

 rifampin

 any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider if you:

 Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.

 Have any other health problems.

 Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.

 Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed 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, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.



BIKTARVY and other medicines may a ect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.



POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:

 Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.

 Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.



Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.

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, lightcolored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.



The most common side e ects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side e ects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY.

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

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5

If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

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IN DEFENSE OF MY FAVORITE LOVE LANGUAGE

I’m not going to give you the typical spiel about the “reason for the season.” Yes, the holidays should be — and for many, are — a time for giving, selflessness, and family. But you and I both know that in the American understanding, Christmas (the only winter holiday I have any experience with and therefore authority to speak about) has become almost entirely divorced from any meaning outside of capitalism.

I recognize the irony of me saying that in an issue that is, by my own hand, dedicated to gift giving. However, I point out the ties between Christmas and capitalism not in an effort to urge you to reject the gift-giving aspect of the holiday — rather, to embrace it. This holiday offers us an opportunity to be more mindful and meaningful in our giftgiving, to remember and uphold the impact of the oft most misunderstood love language.

Of all the love languages, gift giving (and receiving) is my favorite. Whereas the others (physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation, and acts of service) I see as basic everyday relationship maintenance, gift giving is like the cherry on top, an act of love that goes above and beyond to make someone feel special, to give them a physical reminder of that specialness. This may be because, at my core, I just love things.

I understand the urge upon reading that to label me as materialistic. And, despite being a staunch anticapitalist, I would agree; there are quite a lot of earth placements in my astrological chart, after all. However, I think the operative word in the sentence “I love

BY PEXELS.COM / RODNAE PRODUCTIONS

things” is “love.” I cherish the things that I own. I hate unnecessary clutter, and I hate to my core owning things that are cheap or ugly or unnecessary. YouTuber Kristen Leo has a great video that completely changed my attitudes toward my own admiration for things, called “Materialism (is actually kinda great)” that I urge you to watch to truly understand what I mean. When I find something that is beautiful, something that makes my life feel a little more beautiful, that makes me incredibly joyful.

This is especially true when those beautiful things are gifted to me. I have been lucky enough to have been given many thoughtful gifts in my life. Every year for my birthday, my best friend gets me my favorite seasonal ice cream, Jeni’s Cream Puff. It’s $12 a pint but so good it’s worth double that. One of

my good friends recently gifted me a paint chip with a bell hooks quote written on it — something they clearly pulled from the huge collection of miscellaneous things hanging from their bedroom wall — because they knew how much hooks’ work means to me. My ex-partner drew me a beautifully done portrait of my cat. We have not spoken in years, yet that portrait still hangs on my wall, lauded as one of my most prized possessions.

I’ve also received meaningless gifts, obviously given simply to fulfill the expectation of gift-giving endemic to the season. I’m by no means resentful of the people who have given me these gifts; it truly is the thought that counts. But their presence in my life is gift enough, and I’d just rather be given nothing than receive something I wouldn’t choose to own myself.

My point is that, yes, the holidays and Christmas in particular are mostly just about gifts, but that’s okay — rather, it’s okay if we take the time to honor the love of gift giving. In this issue, we’ve curated items that we want you to love; items that are unique, well-made, long-lasting, genuinely good gifts. As you flip through the issue (and the next, where you’ll be able to find kitchen, food, and drink gifts), I encourage you to buy something only if you see it and immediately think of someone you love. Don’t buy something because it’s expensive and impressive or because you have no better ideas or because it’s pretty cool, I guess. I want you to buy it with love in your heart. Because that’s all gift-giving is: a declaration of understanding; of recognition that the recipient has a birthright to beauty and enjoyment; of love.

I know I said I wasn’t going to say it, but that’s the reason for the season.

Katie Burkholder

PHOTO

Staff reports

Read these stories and more online at thegavoice.com

Georgia Midterms 2022: Kemp Reelected, Senate Race Goes to Runoff, Republicans Win Big

Following this year’s midterm election, incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has won reelection, and the race for U.S. Senate is going to a runoff.

Kemp has officially been declared the winner of the gubernatorial election with 53.4 percent of the vote, approximately 300,000 more votes than Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams. Abrams conceded the race late Tuesday night before The Associated Press called the race Wednesday morning.

“Our state has experienced one soul-crushing crisis after another over the past few years,” she said. “But even during these trying times, the fighting spirit of Georgia has prevailed. We’ve seen what’s possible when we stand up for our neighbors and protect each other. We’ve made sacrifices, we’ve pitched in, we’ve seen each other’s fights as our own, and we’ve done things that we never thought we could. It is in the spirit of that endurance and that persistence that I decided, again, to run for Governor.”

“While I may not have crossed the finish line, that does not mean we will ever stop running for a better Georgia,” Abrams concluded. “We will never stop running for the truths that we know to be true, for the people we know need to see us, for the ones who don’t know they deserve to stand, let alone run. And tonight, we must be honest; even though my fight, our fight, for the Governor’s mansion might have come up short, I’m pretty tall.”

The race for U.S. Senate, another closely watched race, is going to a runoff. Democrat Raphael Warnock lead against Republican Herschel Walker with 49.4 percent of the vote, but he failed to surpass the necessary 50 percent threshold. The runoff election will be December 6, with early voting starting November 14.

Among the races for Georgia’s 14 U.S. House seats, five were won by Democrats and nine were won by Republicans, including anti-

LGBTQ Marjorie Taylor Greene, who won reelection in Georgia’s 14th District.

According to the New York Times, Republicans won every other major election: Brad Raffensperger won reelection for Secretary of State, John King won reelection for Insurance Commissioner, Richard Woods won reelection for School Superintendent, Burt Jones won Lieutenant Governor, Chris Carr won reelection for Attorney General, Tyler Harper won Agriculture Commissioner, and Bruce Thompson won Labor Commissioner.

Transgender Candidates Score Historic Wins, Suffer Consequential Losses in Midterms

The midterm election takeaway for transgender and nonbinary Americans and their families is a mixed bag of optimism and dread; all dependent on locale, leadership and the balance of power which is at this moment still undetermined.

Los Angeles Blade contributor, author and thought leader Brynn Tannehill, who describes her perspective as “somewhat contrarian,” tweeted that she sees the next two years leading up to the 2024 presidential election as “highly unpredictable, chaotic, illogical and radical,” and advises her followers to “buckle up.”

While Republicans and the mainstream media have egg on their face for predicting a “red wave” on Tuesday, the wave they apparently didn’t see coming was a rainbow of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and nonbinary winners.

As the Los Angeles Blade reported, Democrat Tina Kotek narrowly defeated her Republican opponent in Oregon to become one of the nation’s first out lesbian governors. She follows Democrat Maura Healey of Massachusetts, who received nearly twice as many votes as her GOP competitor.

Healey, Kotek and a dozen others were among the 678 LGBTQ candidates on the November 8 ballot — an increase of 18 percent over the 2020 general election, when 574 candidates ran for office, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a political action committee that supports LGBTQ candidates. At least 340 out LGBTQ candidates won their elections this time around, surpassing the previous record of 336 candidates set in 2020.

Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride (D), the first trans woman elected state senator in the U.S., following Virginia state Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas)’s 2017 election as the first out trans state legislator in the country, was among those re-elected, as the Washington Blade reported. Roem was re-elected in 2021.

New Hampshire voters elected James Roesener on Tuesday, making him the first trans man ever elected to a state legislature in the U.S. That’s according to the Victory Fund.

Democrat Zooey Zephyr is Montana’s first out trans state lawmaker, one of two LGBTQ candidates supported by the Victory Fund that voters elected in a landslide on Tuesday.

After a long count, SJ Howell was also elected after easily defeating their Republican opponent. Howell will be Montana’s first out nonbinary state representative.

Minnesota voters elected their first trans state lawmaker: Democrat Leigh Finke, who won in a huge landslide. She defeated Republican Trace Johnson by an 81-18 percent margin. The first-time candidate is a native of the Twin Cities and a filmmaker for the American Civil Liberties Union. She told reporters fighting for her trans neighbors will be a priority.

Democrat Raphael Warnock OFFICIAL PHOTO

MORE THAN 400 LGBTQ CANDIDATES WON ON ELECTION DAY

Blade Staff Reports

At the time of writing, at least 436 openly LGBTQ candidates won their elections, surpassing the previous record of 336 set in 2020.

Victory Fund President Annise Parker issued the following statement: “This Rainbow Wave was fueled by a record number of LGBTQ candidates who defied the odds by running — and winning — in the face of extraordinary anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and attacks. Bigots underestimated our power and determination as they’ve done throughout history. While this election has given us much to be optimistic about, such as a historic number of victorious trans and nonbinary candidates, we still have a long way to go before we achieve equitable representation in government. LGBTQ people have never been fully represented in government and until that day, we will not stop organizing, we will not stop fighting and we will not stop running for office. Because when we run, we win.”

KEY TRENDS

• Of the 714 openly LGBTQ candidates who appeared on Tuesday’s ballot, 436 won — a 61 percent win rate.

• Of the 250 openly LGBTQ women who appeared on Tuesday’s ballot, 160 won — a 64 percent win rate.

• Of the 353 openly LGBTQ men who appeared on Tuesday’s ballot, 221 won races — a 63 percent win rate.

• Of the 37 openly transgender candidates who appeared on Tuesday’s ballot, 18 won their races — a 49 percent win rate.

• Of the 24 openly nonbinary candidates who appeared on Tuesday’s ballot, 13 won their races — a 54 percent win rate.

KEY WINS

• Tina Kotek and Maura Healey — the nation’s first lesbian governors.

• Erick Russell — the first Black openly LGBTQ person ever elected in the state of Connecticut.

• James Roesener — the first trans man

elected to a state legislature in U.S. history.

• Leigh Finke — the first trans person ever elected to the Minnesota state legislature.

• Zooey Zephyr and SJ Howell — the first trans person and first nonbinary person elected to the Montana state legislature.

• Jennie Armstrong and Andrew Gray — the first openly LGBTQ people ever elected to the Alaska state legislature. Louisiana and Mississippi are now the only U.S. states to have never elected an openly LGBTQ state lawmaker.

To reach equitable representation, the U.S. must elect more than 35,000 more openly LGBTQ people to office, according to the LGBTQ Victory Institute.

Story courtesy of the Washington Blade via the National LGBTQ Media Association. The National LGBTQ Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: nationallgbtmediaassociation.com

Washington

Erick Russell is the first Black openly LGBTQ person ever elected in the state of Connecticut. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERICK RUSSELL FOR STATE TREASURER

HIV EVENTS COME TO ATLANTA

Every year on December 1, the world commemorates World AIDS Day. People around the world unite in support for people affected by HIV and to remember those we have lost to the illness.

It also serves as an opportunity to educate on the current state of HIV and support organizations fighting against HIV every day. There are two events coming to Atlanta that will allow people to do just that.

On Friday, December 2, Positive Impact Health Centers hosts its annual fundraising event, Party with Impact. This year’s event will be a comedy show featuring Sam Jay held at Variety Playhouse.

A stand-up comic and Emmy-nominated writer, Jay made history as the first Black lesbian writer on Saturday Night Live. She can currently be seen on HBO’s “Pause with Sam Jay,” a weekly late-night series on which she serves as host and executive producer. She will also be seen in the upcoming Peacock series, “Bust Down.”

“World AIDS Day is December 1, so it’s a good time in the year to honor people that we’ve lost to the epidemic and bring awareness to HIV and the services that are still needed in Atlanta,” Olivia Chelko, the Vice President of Development and Communications for Positive Impact, told Georgia Voice. “What’s so great about having a lesbian comic for the show is that lesbians were so critical at the beginning of the [AIDS] epidemic. They were the women that were fighting for gay men and helping them with their HIV disease progression, some of the wonderful heroes in Atlanta organizing blood drives.”

Comedian, writer, and “essential gay” Ian Aber will open the show. Aber was a national Finalist in NBC’s “Stand Up for Diversity” and has opened for Margaret Cho, Jo Firestone, and Fortune Feimster. He also

hosts the new “Str8 Ppl: A Minor Look at the Majority” podcast.

Money raised from Party with Impact will fund community services like HIV services, testing prevention, and PrEP services. It will also fund expansion of Positive Impact; it will be opening a new youth clinic, dental clinic, and nutrition center in partnership with Open Hand to provide patients with nutritious meals to take home with them.

“The biggest thing around World AIDS Day is bringing awareness that HIV is still an issue,” Chelko said. “Georgia has some of the highest new infection rates, especially in several metro Atlanta counties. We’re combating that. We currently have over 5,000 people in clinical care, but we have a goal to get to 15,000 in the next few years. That obviously comes with new programming and marketing to populations of people that need us and growing in new areas in the state that don’t have HIV services.

We’re excited about new programming and expansion and growth. There’s close to 20,000 people out of care in Atlanta that know they are HIV positive that aren’t seeing a medical provider. We want to make sure that we can reach and provide those services to anybody that needs us.”

Tickets for Party with Impact are on sale now at variety-playhouse.com, starting at just $25. Doors open at 7pm and the show begins at 8. If you cannot attend the event, you can support Positive Impact’s work by donating via its website, positiveimpacthealthcenters.org, to help reach its year-end goal of raising $30,000. You can also apply to volunteer or join its AIDS Walk or AIDS Vaccine 200 teams.

Registration for the Symposium for People Living with HIV is now open. Hosted February 24 through 25 by Carl Bean Men’s Health and Wellness Center in conjunction

with the Fulton County Department of HIV Elimination, the symposium will focus on promoting positive health outcomes, healthy lifestyles, emphasizing linkage to care, and ending the HIV epidemic. This year’s theme is “My Wellness … Bold, Unapologetic, and Authentic!”

Registration is free for people living with HIV. Attendees can expect workshops centered around achieving beneficial outcomes while living with HIV. The event is expected to attract over 200 people living with HIV, AIDS service and community-based organizations, health care providers, LGBTQ allies, pharmaceutical representatives, and other HIV/AIDS professionals.

The Symposium for People Living with HIV will be held at the Loudermilk Convention Center in downtown Atlanta. To register, visit menshealthcenter.org/about-the-symposium/ registration.

Katie Burkholder

This year’s Positive Impact Health Centers annual fundraising event will feature a comedy show with Sam Jay held at Variety Playhouse. PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

MOMENTS OF HIV/AIDS ACTIVISM THROUGH HISTORY

AIDS activism started in the early ‘80s and grew with the epidemic, quickly spanning the globe with acts of civil disobedience to call attention to government inaction and lives lost. There have been countless examples of HIV/AIDS activism over the past four decades and it continues strong today.

July 1982: The Gay Men’s Health Crisis is officially founded

The group manifested after a community meeting of 80 gay men gathered in activist Larry Kramer’s New York City apartment to discuss “gay cancer” and raise money for research. Founders included Nathan Fain, Larry Kramer, Larry Mass, Paul Popham, Paul Rapoport, and Edmund White, according to the GMHC website. GMHC volunteer Rodger McFarlane turned the answering machine in his home into the world’s first AIDS hotline. Over 100 calls were received on the first night. The organization went on to help fund litigation of the first AIDS discrimination suit and publish educational pamphlets on safe sex. GMHC is still active today.

July 27, 1982: Gay activists suggest the term ‘AIDS’

By this time, the public was aware of a mysterious illness often seen in gay men and drug users. Some researchers referred to the illness as gay-related immune deficiency or GRID, according to Time Magazine. Gay activists met with experts from the CDC in Washington, DC, and suggested the term “acquired immunodeficiency syndrome” or AIDS.

August 8, 1985: Ryan White sues school after facing discrimination

Indiana teenager Ryan White and his family filed a lawsuit attempting to get White admitted back into middle school after he was barred months prior for having AIDS. On February 21, 1986, the 14-year-old finally returned to school after being certified fit by the local health officer and the Education

Department Appeals Board. On his first day back, approximately 121 of 300 kids stayed home and parents even petitioned to have him barred again. A few months later, White began classes at Hamilton Heights High School in Arcadia, where only two of 615 students stayed home, according to United Press International. White passed away at 18 in 1990, leaving a legacy of activism. Years prior, a federal judge dismissed a case the Whites filed against Baxter Travenol Laboratories, the pharmaceutical company that supplied White with an AIDScontaminated clotting agent called Hemofil.

October 11, 1987: AIDS Quilt displayed on National Mall

Activists displayed the AIDS Memorial Quilt for the first time on the National Mall in Washington D.C. during the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The quilt was conceived by activist Cleve Jones in 1985 while planning a remembrance march for gay San Francisco

Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone, who were both assassinated in 1978. Jones learned that over 1,000 people had died of AIDS in San Francisco alone and asked fellow marchers to write the names of loved ones lost to AIDS on placards that were then taped to the walls of the San Francisco Federal Building, according to aidsmemorial.org. This patchwork quilt-like image inspired the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which was used in demonstrations across the country, growing over decades until it returned to San Francisco in November 2019, to be housed permanently at the National AIDS Memorial.

October 11, 1988: ACT UP activists shut down FDA Headquarters

Around 1,000 to 1,500 activists with AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power and ACT NOW shut down the Food and Drug Administration headquarters with signs showing bloody hands and banners including the group’s now iconic slogan, “silence=death.” Activists demanded

the acceleration of drug trial processes, to stop giving placebos in trials, to include people of color, queer people, poor people, and other marginalized communities in research trials, to have Medicaid and private insurance fund experimental drug therapies, and that the FDA support AIDS activists and community researchers. AIDS activist Douglas Crimp explained the success of the civil disobedience campaign in a 2011 article with the Atlantic.

“One year after SEIZE CONTROL OF THE FDA, ACT UP’s idea, now called Parallel Track, was accepted by the NIH and FDA and went into effect for ddI (dideoxyinosine), the first antiviral AIDS drug to become available since AZT,” Crimp wrote.

ACT UP was founded by LGBTQ activists in New York City in 1987 in direct response to government inaction on the AIDS epidemic. It quickly became an international organization, known for staging nonviolent radical protests and ‘die-ins’ across the globe. The group remains active today.

December 10, 1998: Treatment Action Campaign is founded

HIV-positive activist Zackie Achmat founded Treatment Action Campaign, a South African activist organization focused on helping people access antiretroviral drugs, which are used to control and treat HIV. The organization spent its first decade largely fighting the misinformation of AIDS denialism, which suggested HIV isn’t linked to AIDS and that treatment drugs are more dangerous than effective. In the two decades since its founding, TAC sued the government and won, held civil disobedience campaigns, addressed xenophobic and gender-based violence, leaked pharmaceutical documents, launched fundraisers, fought unjust convictions, led marches of thousands, and held educational workshops, among dozens of other things. With a history of intersectional activism and Marxist leanings, the group has radically changed South African politics and continues to do so today. To learn more about TAC, visit tac.org.za/our-history/.

Luke Gardner

The AIDS Memorial Quilt of the Names Project Foundation is displayed on the National Mall in 1987.

PHOTO BY NAMES PROJECT FOUNDATION

OUT GEORGIA HONORS LGBTQ COMMUNITY WITH UPCOMING EVENT

Katie Burkholder

People and organizations who are boldly leading the way for Georgia’s LGBTQ community will be honored at OUT Georgia’s Community Honors Celebration on Friday, December 9.

Held at Atlanta City Hall, the event will spotlight the incredible LGBTQ business, non-profit, and ally community in Georgia. The night begins with a cocktail reception at 6pm before the awards program at 7:30pm.

This year’s awards and finalists are as follows:

Business Leader of the Year: Raphael Bostic, Scott Mitchell, Betsy Robinson, Pamela Stewart, and Ja’Mel Ashely Ware.

Community Leader of the Year: Paul Conroy, Craig Hardesty, Candance Hardnett, Jerry

Gonzalez, and Charles Stephens.

Next Gen Leader of the Year: Antwan and Jeremy Aiken, Liliana Bakhtiari, DeMarcus Beckham, Bentley Hudgins, and ToniMichelle Williams

Non-profit of the Year: Counter Narrative Project, First City Pride Center, Out Front Theatre Company, Out On Film, and Thrive SS.

Corporate Ally of the Year: Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Company, Dell Technologies, Discover DeKalb, and Georgia Power Company.

Small Business of the Year: APG Emerging Tech, Automation Intelligence, Balmori Balmori Home Fragrance, The Bohemian Den, and Tier4 Group.

New Business of the Year: All Gas No

Breaks Logistics, LoGo Goods, MODIV Group, Namaste Casting + Tchotchkes, and Transparent Life Conversations.

Member of the Year: Miko Evans, Felicia “BG” McCoy, Matt Mitchell, Dr. Elijah Nicholas, and Vanessa Wagner.

OUT Georgia will also unveil the first-ever non-profit grant awards of the OUT Georgia Impact Fund, powered by United Way of Greater Atlanta.

Tickets to the event are $150 and include an assigned seat at a main floor table, cocktail reception, dinner stations from JenChan’s and Occasional Occasions by Carlton, dessert, open bar, and entertainment from Ella/Saurus/Rex, Dotte Com, Michael Robinson, the MetroGnomes Big Band, and GeeXella. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.

Stocking STUFFERS

A. ATL buttons

They’re cheap and come in 20 different designs. These buttons are a favorite for tourists and locals. $2, The Merchant; 99 Krog St. NE; themerchantatl.com

B. Dancing Bears Uncle Sam Needlepoint Belt

You know you want one! Available in different styles, these hand-stitched Italian belts are comfortable, colorful and all the fashion rage. $175, Miller Brothers

C. Pantherella Cashmere Socks

Available for all genders, these beautiful, oh-socomfy socks are both stylish and will keep your feet warm during the winter months. Various prices , Miller Brothers

D. Great Gays Out of the Closet Mug

When the mug is empty, it shows fourteen closed closet doors. But pour in a hot beverage and 14 of the world’s most famous gays proudly emerge. $19.99, Rhen’s Nest Toy Shop at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE; rhensnesttoyshop.com

E. Elton John Ornament

What can make a Christmas tree more fabulous than THE most fabulous gay icon? Complete with feathers, glitter, and rhinestones, this Elton John ornament is utter perfection. $20.50, The Merchant

F. You Gotta Know Atlanta – Sports Trivia Game

Featuring more than 500 questions, to the sports obsessed to a more casual fun, this fun game covers all area sports, professional and college, and is packaged in a 7x5x3” metal tin. $24.99, Eco Denizen

G. Vacuum Wine Stopper Metallic Ombre

Available in 12 different colors, these trendy little ombre wine stoppers look great at the bar while conveniently allowing you to save wine for later. $8, Eco Denizen

Jim Farmer

tech genius

A.

Clicbot Educational Robot Kit

ClicBot adds more fun to family time. You’ll find it hard not to be charmed by this robot’s contagious personality and unique modular design. ClicBot is a delightfully engaging robot friend that can get you and your loved ones hooked on discovering fun ways to play! $499.99, Keyirobot.com

B. Rocketbook Wave Smart Notebook - Dotted Grid

Eco-Friendly Notebook with 1 Pilot Frixion Pen Included

No more wasting paper. This environmentally friendly 80-page dotted grid notebook can be reused by simply microwaving it. Blast your handwritten notes to popular cloud services like Google drive, Dropbox, Evernote, box, OneNote, Slack, iCloud, email, and more using the free Rocketbook application for iOS and Android. $27, Amazon.com

C.

MetaFly Upgrade Kit by BionicBird

High-Tech Electronic Biomimetic and Radio-Controlled Insect Drone with additional accesories for indoor and outdoor use. $144.90, Amazon.com

D. MODIRNATION Modern Unique Levitating Lamp with Floating Light Bulb and Built-in Qi Wireless Charger

This Levitating Light Bulb Lamp captures the imagination by combining a vintage style Edison Light-bulb and magnetic levitation to allow a free floating effect, providing you with ample lighting and serious style. $88.99, Amazon.com

E. KODAK Inflatable Outdoor Projector Screen

14.5 Feet blow-up screen for movies, TV, sports games, and more. Includes air pump, storage carry case, stakes, and repair patches. $159.99, Amazon.com

F. Focal Bathys Wireless noise-cancelling headphones

Bathys wireless headphones incorporate Bluetooth® 5.1 and Active Noise Cancellation technologies. With two noise cancellation modes — a “Silent” mode optimised for travel with high ambient noise, and a “Soft” mode that promotes concentration — this technology offers perfect sound insulation. A “Transparency” mode is also available to connect the user with sounds from the surrounding environment if necessary. $799, Headphones.com

G. Therabody Smart Goggles

A smart wearable that helps ease facial tension and headaches during the day and helps you relax and sleep at night. Whether you stare at a screen all day, suffer from headaches and migraines, or struggle to fall asleep, Therabody SmartGoggles keep you moving throughout your day and help you rest at night. $199, Bestbuy.com

Rob Boeger & Wayne Carvalho

Fashion for all

A. M2240 Circus Top

Serve ‘80s golden extravagance with this metallic party top. This gift makes for the perfect New Year’s Eve fit — especially with the matching shorts or briefs! $89.99, Boy Next Door Menswear; 1447 Piedmont Ave. NE; boynextdoormenswear.com

B. MSS34 Cheeky Brief Velvet

This elegant and rich purple velvet brief from Manstore makes the perfect gift for that special someone. $54.99, Boy Next Door Menswear

C. Shagalicious Harness

This fluffy and cozy faux fur harness from Rick Majors is perfect for a circuit party or a cuddle puddle — and in seven different colors, you can get one for all your friends (or lovers). $48, Boy Next Door Menswear

D. Uhura Dress

Can you say GLAM? This sequined cocktail dress trimmed with black feathers is the perfect over-the-top gift for your most dramatic and fabulous loved one. $598, Trina Turk at Phipps Plaza; 3500 Peachtree Rd NE; trinaturk.com

E. TRIPP NYC Super Rocker Skirt

With all-over grommets, rings, and a thick matching belt, this cotton skirt is the perfect gift for someone who lives on the edgier side. $88, The Junkman’s Daughter; 464 Moreland Ave. NE; thejunkmansdaughter.com

F. Logan Dress

The Logan Dress from Souk Bohemian, a Black-, woman-, and queer-owned Atlanta-based brand, is a fresh take on the shirt dress with a touch of utility dressing. It’s sleek, simple, and classic — a must-have in any wardrobe. $100, Souk Bohemian at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE; soukbohemian.com

G. The Empower Vegan Leather Tux Blazer

With its tailored fit, deep pockets, and the perfect amount of stretch, The Empower Tux Blazer looks good on anyone and everyone. $198, Wildfang; wildfang.com

H. Eketchi Universe Crescent Cropped Blazer

This and any of the one-of-a-kind handmade pieces from Atlantabased queer-owned Afrofuturist brand Eketchi Universe make for the perfect gift for your most fashion forward and Avant Garde friend. $75, Eketchi Universe; depop.com/eketchiuniverse

Katie Burkholder

Fashion for all

I. Lumberjack Meggings

These uber comfy “meggings” are made with — ahem — penises in mind. The removable soft crotch cup keeps the bulge at bay (if you want), and a higher back rise helps to avoid any “crackccidents.” With both an open pocket and zipper pocket, a shirt loop, and performance fabric, these are both practical and stylish. $88, Matador Meggings; matadormeggings.com

J. Everyday Jumpsuit

One jumpsuit to rule them all! This uber trendy and yet completely timeless piece is designed for all bodies, regardless of gender or size (with sizes from XXS to 6XL). It comes in eight colors, from basics like navy, brown, black, white, and olive to statement colors like lilac, chartreuse, and mustard. $220, Big Bud Press; bigbudpress.com

K. The Jo Shirt + Pant

Whether you buy ‘em separately or together, this cotton linen checkered set is sleek, modern, and fashion forward. $75 each, $150 for the set; Souk Bohemian at Ponce City Market

L. Insuluxe Overcoat

Designed with an oversized fit, this overcoat is crafted from signature Italian Insuluxe fabric, keeping you warm and cozy even on the chilliest days. $378, Madewell at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE; madewell.com

M. ‘70s Paisley Floral Silk Pajama Pants

Looking to splurge? Look no further than these oh-so decadent silk pants from gay designer Tom Ford. $890, Tom Ford at Phipps Plaza; 3500 Peachtree Rd. NE #1098; tomford.com

N

N. Barking Leather’s Bar Vest with Pockets

This simple sexy vest is a perfect gift for the leather daddy in your life. $149.99, Barking Leather; 1510 Piedmont Ave. NE; barkingleather.com.

PAW-LIDAY Gifts

A. Black Happy Dollydays Hoodie

Keep your pup warm and cozy this holiday season with a festive “Happy Dollydays” hoodie! This functional fashion piece will keep your best friend warm through any Winter Wonderland. This hoodie is available from x-small through large. $14.99, Doggy Parton; doggyparton.com

B. Prevue Pet King’s Manor

Treat your cat like the royalty they are with this King’s manor scratching post and day bed. Its plush material will make your furry friend feel absolutely fabulous. $119.99, Pet Supermarket; 2508 North Decatur Rd.; petsupermarket.com

C. Howlidays Christmas Doughnut Gift Box

Your dog can enjoy their holiday indulgences too with this adorable doughnut gift set made with dog friendly, restaurant quality ingredients by the folks at Taj Ma-Hound. $19.99, Taj Ma-Hound Bakery for Dogs; 707D East Lake Dr.; tajmahound.com

D. Custom Pet Crewneck

Know someone that thinks their pets are the cutest ever? Gift them their new favorite crew neck! This highly customizable closet staple allows you to add up to five pets and select between two color ways. $67, Wagged Tails; waggedtails.com

E. Kong Gingerbread Cat Bungalow

A festive bungalow for your sweetest feline friend! Your cat will love to play peekaboo with the window cutouts in this lightweight, foldable play space. $19.99, Pet Supermarket; 2508 North Decatur Rd.; petsupermarket.com

F. Menorah Dog Plushie

This plushie is just what any dog needs to celebrate Hanukkah their way. Made with double stitching, this toy should be sturdy enough to last for eight days of play. $18, Bitch New York; bitchnewyork.com

G. Kitty Catnip Coal

This stocking stuffer is purrfect for the naughty cats in your life. Each handstitched lump of coal is stuffed with organic catnip and is sure to keep your kitties entertained. $22, Miso Handmade; etsy.com

H. Gen7Pets Promenade Pet Stroller

Whether they’re a pooch or a kitty, give your fur baby a comfortable place to relax during outings. Designed with your pet’s safety in mind, the Promenade Pet Stroller features two interior safety tethers that can be attached to any leash or harness, rear-wheel brakes, front-wheel shock absorbers, and a hidden front steel bar that provides a safe enclosure. $215, The Pet Set; 976 Piedmont Ave. NE; thepetset.com

Sydney Norman

FOR THE Homebody

Stevens

A. Acanthus Planter in Natural

Based on William Morris’ Acanthus design, this Acanthus planter is a luxurious gift for any plant parent. Each planter is hand-carved out of sustainably sourced teak root. This eco-friendly gift is one-of-a-kind. $298.50, Verde Home; 999 Brady Ave NW; verdehomeinc.com

B. Nao Abstract Vase

Souk Bohemian, a queer- and black-owned business in Ponce City Market, offers beautiful pieces such as this handmade paper mache abstract vase. This grey, minimalist vase will go well with any decor. $75, Souk Bohemian at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE; soukbohemian.com

C. Alluring Christine Sibley Summer Relief

Kudzu Antiques + Modern offers unique antiques and upcycle projects, including this wall or garden art by Christine Sibley. Get lost in person or browse the endless artwork and furniture available at Kudzu Antiques + Modern online. $110, Kudzu Antiques + Modern; 2928 E Ponce de Leon Ave.; kudzuantiques.com

D. Open Weave Zigzag Hamper

West Elm offers home decor and furnishings, including this open-weave zigzag hamper, now on clearance. Each basket, handcrafted from renewable water hyacinth, will surely be appreciated this holiday season for laundry, storage, or decoration. $39.99, West Elm at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE; westelm.com

E. Vintage style Italian beverage cart

Bar carts are highly coveted, especially for apartment living. Westside Market offers a few bar carts and plenty of unique home furniture and decor, but this vintage-style Italian beverage cart is a the perfect small splurge. $325, Westside Market; 1530 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd. NW; westsidemarket.com

F. Cross Stool

Handmade and unique from Nadeau, these cross stools are sure to make a statement. Be sure to call for available stains and colors. $206, Nadeau Atlanta; 2359 Peachtree Rd. NE; furniturewithasoul.com

Adalei

GIFTS FOR YOUR (Inner) Child

A. Rainbow Quest!

There is no game quite like rainbow quest. This LGBTQ board game is designed to engage, educate, empower, and affirm the LGBTQ community. This isn’t just an LGBTQ trivia game; as players travel the board, they will draw cards with different tasks: draw a picture, communicate through charades, disclose something about yourself to other players, or have other plays predict how you’d respond to a hypothetical. Whether you’re a child or an adult, after playing you’ll know more about LGBTQ history, the other players, and maybe even yourself. $65, Rainbow Quest; rainbowquest.org

B. Lego Flower Bouquet

Part of Lego’s new botanical collection, this buildable bouquet is perfect for kids and adults alike! The collection also includes an orchid, bonsai tree, succulents, and a bird of paradise. $59.99, Lego; lego.com

C. Tarot for Kids

It’s never too early to tap your child into their inner witch! With Tarot for Kids, children 8 and up are invited to narrate their own stories and find their power. Along with a full set of cards and a tar ot guidebook, the set also includes resources to help kids set goals, build friendships, adjust an attitude, and listen to their own inner wisdom. Bonus: it’s sold by queer-owned seller Otherwild! $25, Otherwild; otherwild.com

D. eeBoo Liberty Rainbow 1000 Piece Puzzle

This playful puzzle celebrates difference, beauty, and freedom with whimsy and a masterful painting technique, beautifully illustrated by Naomi Devil. The business is woman-owned, and the puzzle is made of 90 percent recycled material and vegetable inks! $24.99, Rhen’s Nest Toy Shop at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce de Leon Ave NE; rhensnesttoyshop.com

E. Fabulous Fruit Peach

This super sweet and soft plush makes a perfect gift for the little Georgia peach in your life. $10, Posman Books at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce de Leon Ave NE; posmanbooks.com

F. Maya and Siona’s Succulents Sidewalk Chalk

These five chalk succulents grow in chalk pots and glitter soil –they’re almost too cute to use! Bonus: $2 from every sale goes to KidsGardening to create opportunities for kids to play, learn, and grow through gardening. $41.50, The Merchant; 99 Krog St NE; themerchantatl.com

G. Bingay!

This bingo game celebrates our brightest LGBTQ icons, from Marsha P. Johnson to Margaret Cho, Oscar Wilde to Billy Porter, Laverne Cox to Boy George. With eight double-sided randomized bingo cards and 48 tokens, each featuring a different LGBTQ hero, this game will keep you and your friends playing all night long. $29.95, Rhen’s Nest Toy Shop at Ponce City Market

Katie Burkholder

jewelry & accessories A B

A. Crucible Polished Turquoise Beaded Bracelet

For individuals who wish to feel tranquil, protected, and hopeful, this bracelet is for you. This turquoise bracelet is supposed to bring about good fortune and wisdom. $25, Boy Next Door Menswear; 1447 Piedmont Ave. NE; boynextdoormenswear.com

B. Star Dangle Hoops

You’ll definitely be the center of attention with these shining hoops. These cute earrings are a great statement piece that will show onlookers your star power! $198, Worthmore Jewelers, 500 L3 Amsterdam Ave.; worthmorejewelers.com

C. Leather Garrison Cap with Red Piping

If you want a cool new accessory to go with your best leather gear, this military style cap is stylish and coordinates well with whatever color you may be flagging. $89.99, Barking Leather; 1510 Piedmont Ave. NE; barkingleather.com

D. Gold Bead Swirl with Bezel End

These cute spiral jewelries will make you stand out in a crowd. Offered in two different sizes, and with the capability to choose the type of gold and gem found within the jewelry, you’re able to customize your own nose piercing. $115, Kolo Body Arts; 1144 Eulicid Ave.; kolopiercing.com

E. Haute Goat Beanie

Now that it’s getting cooler outside, show everyone that you’re the Greatest of All Time with this “G.O.A.T” beanie. $40, Goorin Bros at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE; goorin.com

F. Amber Woven Tote

This oversized tote from queer-owned Atlanta-based brand Souk Bohemian is casual and functional while showcasing artisanal weaving and natural materials. $100, Souk Bohemian at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE; soukbohemian.com

G. Glow Pup Collar

Constructed of our signature thick, sturdy dual-layer canvas, and real laser cut leather, these adjustable collars have builtin LED lights that glow neon through a “paw” pattern, so everyone knows who’s been a bad boy. $45, Boy Next Door Menswear

H. Raoul Sunglasses

These soft rounded acetate sunglasses from gay designer Tom Ford make the perfect gift for that special someone who’s just too cool to handle. $395, Tom Ford at Phipps Plaza; 3500 Peachtree Rd. NE; tomford.com

Syd Clark

Amazing & Affordable: GREAT GIFTS UNDER $50 A

A. Secret Message Candle: I’m Flaming Gay

Secret Message Candles by Celsius54 make a statement and build anticipation without saying a word! As the wax melts, a secret message slowly reveals itself at the bottom of the glass cup. $15, Celsius54; 54celsius.com

B. Happy Hanukkah Tea Gift Set

High-quality herbal, chai, and black teas are a good gift for any holiday. This assortment of loose-leaf teas is an elevated set to gift your favorite tea lover. Pair this set with a handpainted mug for a personal touch. $23.99, Vahdam India; vahdam.com

C. Scented Book Candle

Literary candles by Noble Objects, made of 100 percent soy wax and natural oils, are uniquely scented. Scents inspired by novels from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Toni Morrison’s Beloved, you can find the perfect book-inspired candle for your favorite bookworm. Starting at $36, Posman Books at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE; posmanbooks.com

D. Speckled Incense Burner

Elevate any smoke sesh or cleansing ritual with a speckled incense burner. Two-toned stoneware is sure to last, and the neutral cream and beige are sure to calm. $35, Souk Bohemian at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE; soukbohemian.com

E. Money Magnet Ritual Kit

Modern Mystic Shop in Ponce City Market sells crystals, sage, tarot, and more. Grab a ritual kit for loved ones looking to attract money, opportunity, or love. A budget-friendly bundle of candles, incense, and essential oil is sure to benefit the witch in your life. $29, Modern Mystic Shop at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE; modernmysticshop.com

F. Lete Vase

Matte black and handmade, Souk B ’h mian’s terracotta lete vase is a steal at just $30. The sleek design is perfectly understated, and you can dress it up or down. $30, Souk Bohemian at Ponce City Market

G. Weighted Blanket (12 lbs)

Underrated and understated, this grey weighted blanket is a comfort during cuffing season. Help your loved ones stay warm and cozy with this 12-poung weighted blanket from Target. $25; Target; target.com

HH. Skittle Water Bottle

Show your Pride all day long with this sleek, vibrant, and modern water bottle from Lund London. Holds 10oz. $30, The Merchant; 99 Krog St. NE; themerchantatl.com

Adalei Stevens

For the Bookworm

A. Nightcrawling (2022) by Leila Mottley

Plagued by a rent increase, seventeen-year-old Kiara turns to sex work to support herself and her older brother Marcus. Like many Black women in sex work, she experiences abuse at the hands of men and police. Mottley accurately captures teenage life and vernacular in her prose, with a friends-to-lovers arc and biting spirit throughout. $28, Charis Books and More; 184 S. Candler St.; charisbooksandmore.com

B. All This Could Be Different (2022) by Sarah Thankam Mathews

Sneha struggles under the weight of an unfulfilling corporate job required for her visa, finding comfort in sending her parents money back in India, hanging out with college friends, and the new depths of dating women, plunging into a whirlwind romance with Marina. Mathews cloaks a romance in millennial humor, critiques of capitalism, and sardonic existentialism. $27, Charis Books and More

C.

Yerba Buena (2022) by Nina LaCour

Nina LaCour writes a story of queer love and grief. Sara is an elusive yet renowned bartender at Yerba Buena in L.A. Emilie arranges flowers for the bar and carries herself with mysticism. Each of them must discard their old patterns before they can choose to love each other. $20.95, Charis Books and More

D. Black Cake (2022) by Charmaine Wilkerson

In a saga about intergenerational trauma and grief, two siblings must come together to uncover their mother’s secret past. Benny and Byron’s search revolves around a black cake recipe, their mother’s only remembrance of a lost Caribbean family. Benny and Byron must contend with the black cake, as complex as their relationship to their mother, who all her life mourned an island-nation. $18, Charis Books and More

E. ¡Hola Papi!: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons (2022)

by John Paul Brammer

With a David-Sedaris-type of sarcasm, Brammer runs through the sexual exploits of his twenties. In this pseudo-memoir, he traces intergenerational trauma and his lack of social convention back to his upbringing in Oklahoma as a halfwhite, half-Latin kid. $17.99, Charis Books and More

F. Dolly Parton Songteller: My Life in Lyrics (2020) by Dolly Parton

This celebrity memoir is unlike any other, exploring the remarkable life and lyrics of Dolly Parton. As told in her own words, “Songteller” explores 175 songs that have defined her journey, bringing readers behind the lyrics. $50, The Merchant; 99 Krog St NE; themerchantatl.com

G. My Rainbow (2020) by DeShanna Neal and Trinity Neal

A dedicated mother puts love into action as she creates a rainbow-colored wig for her transgender daughter. What makes this children’s book so special is that it’s based on the reallife experience of motherdaughter duo Trinity and DeShanna Neal. $17.99, Rhen’s Nest Toy Shop at Ponce City Market; 675 Ponce de Leon Ave NE; rhensnesttoyshop.com.

Cynthia Salinas-Cappellano

DANIEL PASSARIELLO THE GAYLY DOSE

Giving A GUIDE FOR

Passariello, Co-Host Member, The Gayly Dose

The holiday season means different things to different people. Being a part of the LGBTQ community, I realize not everyone has the same relationship with the holiday season. Some of us have great memories of seasons past and some of us have traumatic memories we try to forget. No matter what the past has held, we cannot let those moments define us or our future. Every moment that passes is a blank canvas and presents a new moment ahead in which we can create a new history.

This year my wish for all of you is to make it a season of giving. And when I say giving, I truly mean giving. We need not expect anything from others, but instead should truly focus on giving to others. The pandemic challenged us to recreate our story. If I have learned anything this past couple of years, it is that we were challenged to define or redefine the following: what our work life looks like; what spending quality time looks like; and what being queer in our society looks like. We learned that tomorrow is never promised, but it certainly can be created. We truly are the creators of our tomorrow.

We all have so much life and so much talent, because we all have the gift of our own unique experiences. Those experiences are a gift to the world. They are what make each of us unique and magical. If each of us could believe how unique, magical, and talented we are, I’m just imagining how great the world could be. It doesn’t stop there. We must share it.

This season I ask each of you to share yourselves with others, give the gift of your time, the gift of yourself, and most of all, the gift of your love.

Daniel joins Season 3 as a co-host and is a new member of The Gayly Dose, an Atlantabased podcast that elicits vulnerable and honest dialogue about everyday and taboo topics that LGBTQ+ people aren’t having with each other ... but should. Purposefully candid and brutally honest, the cast speaks on a range of topics, including gender norms, monogamy, body issues, coming out, dating apps, lesbian breakups, and growing up gay in the church. Listen and watch the brand-new Season 3: You. Are. Valuable at thegaylydose.com @thegaylydosepod

Daniel Passariello, co-host member of The Gayly Dose COURTESY PHOTO

Daniel

FEB 10–MAR 5, 2023

Winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

From the creator of P-Valley comes a fierce new comedy about the risks and rewards of celebrating who you are.

Written & Directed by KATORI HALL

DEC 7–23

PRESENTED BY

NOV 12–DEC 24

One of Atlanta’s most treasured holiday traditions.

By CHARLES DICKENS

Adapted by DAVID H. BELL

Directed by LEORA MORRIS

Acclaimed musician Adam L. McKnight opens his heart and soul on a musical journey with uplifting original songs, R&B classics, and holiday favorites.

Starring ADAM L. MCKNIGHT

Directed by PATDRO HARRIS

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Buck Jones

Read the full column online at thegavoice.com.

One of my favorite giftgiving traditions began about a dozen years ago. In the spirit of Oprah’s “Favorite Things” event (“… everybody look under your seats!”), my friend Christina arrived for her annual Thanksgiving visit bearing gifts. It caught me off-guard, because we hadn’t discussed exchanging gifts.

“Oh, it’s nothing really, just a few of my favorite things I wanted to share with y’all,” she said.

They weren’t necessarily expensive, but they were unique and spot-on for what my husband

and I were all about. The first one she presented to both of us was a wonderful Michelle Obama tote bag. The other gifts were a package of spicy hot cashews that was perfect for my husband (“from a different grocer in Chinatown”) and a lovely scented candle.

What is important in any gift giving as an adult is that it is a mutual affair of the heart, something that not only you enjoy, but are certain that the recipient is going to enjoy as well. It doesn’t need to be expensive or showy, just something that makes one think of the other person.

Since that first “favorite things” exchange, we’ve continued our Thanksgiving Eve tradition. Typically, I buy my gifts for her and her husband while my husband and I are on vacation somewhere. Inevitably we’ll be out walking on our way to dinner

somewhere and come across something that makes me think of them.

This year, we were on vacation in Italy’s Cinque Terre and while we were strolling on our way to an early evening aperitivo, I saw a charming local boutique. The original art design focused on the sea, and specifically sardines (which happen to be Christina’s favorite lunch snack). So, we bought a couple of cute tea towels and sardine magnets.

When I went back to the States this past summer to visit family, I came with a suitcase full of gifts from Paris. I purposefully tried to get things that were locally made in France and that each person would enjoy. For my cousin’s teenage boys, I bought a couple of T-shirts from a vintage French clothing brand (Sports D’Epoque) evoking the logos

and designs from the early 20th century. For my other cousin’s tween daughters, I bought a mini purse that can act as a keychain (designed and made in France) and a stylish hair pullback thingy that girls wear (I have no idea what they’re called, sorry). Rounding out the gifts for the adults were local roasted coffee beans, some traditional French mariner striped sweaters, and “fun” themed socks.

Everyone loved them, or were very good at feigning delight, but for me the fun was in giving them.

Creating your own mini-holiday (for us it is Thanksgiving Eve) and developing traditions together, or celebrating a visit with surprise gifts, whatever the occasion, what is important is bringing your own individuality in sharing your own favorite things. Thank you, Oprah!

‘THE INSPECTION’ SHARES INTENSELY PERSONAL STORY OF BLACK GAY MAN IN

‘PLEASE BABY PLEASE’ EXPLORES COUPLE’S SEXUAL AWAKENING

Jim Farmer

For Elegance Bratton, the writer and director of the new film, “The Inspection,” his newest project is intensely personal. The story of a young gay Black man who decides to join the Marines is, he says, 100 percent autobiographical when it comes to the hopes, fears, and desires of the lead character — even if the situation he finds himself in is not — but the moments between him and his mother are directly ripped from Bratton’s own life. Bratton served in the Marines from 2005 to 2010.

Jeremy Pope plays Ellis, who is nearing the end of a really brutal five-year experience with homelessness.

“He is an out gay man, and he has found community with the Black, queer community, but ultimately he is at a point of no return,” Bratton said. “Many of his friends have met untimely deaths. Ellis is like any other gay Black man. One of out every two will be HIV positive in our lifetime. We are eight times more likely to commit suicide and be homeless. Those statistics are real life for him, and ultimately, he doesn’t want to be that statistic. He wants some dignity and honor.”

Ellis joins the Marines to win back the love of his religious mother (Gabrielle Union).

He blames himself for many of the odds that are stacked against him, but eventually, he learns how to respect and love himself.

While in service, Ellis meets drill instructor Rosales (Raul Castillo), who is an immigrant. Rosales can identify with Ellis in having to find a way to assimilate into culture.

“Rosales discovers he is a nurturer,” Bratton said. “These are two men who are learning the contours of male intimacy from two very different locations.”

The scenes between Ellis and his mother were quite intense for Bratton. His own mother was murdered a few days after the film was greenlit.

“I have to say I am grateful to Gabrielle for bringing my mother back to life,” he said. “She gave me a form of closure my mother did not have time to figure out how to give me.”

He cried between takes, because a conversation depicted in the film was the last one he ever had with his mother.

It was important for Bratton to cast an out gay man in the lead role, and Pope delivers one of the best performances of his career here.

Bratton, whose 2019 “Pier Kids” was a huge breakthrough documentary, wrote the first draft of “The Inspection” in 2017 and credits his husband (and the film’s producer) Chester Algernal Gordon, producer Effie

Brown and distributor A24 for helping him along the journey.

A night out for a couple changes their lives forever and awakens their sexual identity in the new film “Please Baby Please.” Directed by Amanda Kramer, it’s a stylish, highly theatrical film, now in cinemas and coming soon on VOD.

The characters of Suze (Andrea Riseborough) and Arthur (Harry Melling) are a youngish bohemian couple who have been married a while and are child free, living in New York.

“They are at a crossroads because they are realizing there is something odd going on in their marriage,” Kramer said. “It could potentially be a sexual awakening in Arthur or a gender awakening in Suze. They are feeling it at the same time and are attempting to get through the muck in an era where people were not thinking of that and just living their lives, suppressing everything. This is about the cracks in the façade of that.”

According to Kramer, the film is about coming to accept yourself and express

yourself in a way that you do not feel shame.

“The most important thing for both [Suze and Arthur] is to get past shame and explore what it could look like to follow certain desires,” she said. “They both represent for each other a lot of mutual understanding and a lot of gofind-what-you’re missing and let’s meet back here and discuss. They love each other.”

“Please Baby Please” mixes camp, melodrama, a queer sensibility, cameos (including Demi Moore) and even musical numbers.

“Everything you see in the movie is everything I love,” Kramer said. “It’s a love letter, an ode to films of a certain era, to photographers, to fetish, to a community I have always looked up to, to be honest, and a song in your heart.”

MORE INFO

“The Inspection” opens November 23 in Atlanta theaters

“Please Baby Please” is now playing at the Plaza Atlanta

RYAN LEE SOMETIMES ‘Y’

A MOMENTARY GLIMPSE OF SANITY

Ryan Lee

Had this gift guide been published a week earlier, recommendations might’ve included ammo, dried food rations, and other essentials to make sure your loved ones were prepared for the misery brought on by a red wave. While Americans remain a resentfully divided people, the midterm elections — most specifically, the widespread acceptance of the results — make societal collapse and/or disunion feel less imminent, if still inevitable.

From Christian nationalists running for governorships and U.S. Senate seats, to election-denying insurrectionists trying to seize the powers of secretary of state, it was a tough Tuesday for the craziest elements of conservatism. Not only were worst-case candidates resoundingly defeated, but there were enough of them on Republican slates that the party failed to achieve the political equivalent of a basketball layup or extra point in football.

More than half of all the LGBTQ candidates in elections across the country were victorious, with 436 queer people soon to be sworn into office. These include transgender state legislators and lesbian governors, and Jared Polis’s re-election to the top office in Colorado means there may be a new frontrunner in the race to be the first gay president.

Even more than Joe Biden’s election and Donald Trump’s defeat, the midterms feel like a balm on the rash of irrationality that has spread throughout our country for nearly a decade. The various assaults on sanity — Pizzagate;

QAnon; the candidacy, administration, and election-denial of Trump — have revealed that a segment of our population has given up on reality, and this election cycle was the most hopeful indicator that their psychosis is not as contagious as it appeared.

There are other momentary glimpses of sanity that alleviate the nausea brought on by our descent into a dystopia. The leaders of the Oath Keepers are on trial in D.C. because, despite how it has seemed, you cannot attempt to violently usurp democracy without being held accountable. Alex Jones is facing financial oblivion because, despite all indicators to the contrary, there are consequences for lying about people whose children have been killed.

And while it feels foolish to believe Trump will ever face anything close to accountability or consequences, the myriad of civil and criminal lawsuits against him and his country are progressing enough for me to suspend disbelief and fantasize about justice.

My overall optimism is tempered by knowing that half of Georgia voters are still pretending Herschel Walker is a suitable representative for them in the U.S. Senate. While it’s a relief that Georgians won’t shoulder the burden of Democrats retaining control of the Senate, re-electing Sen. Raphael Warnock is essential to avoid any regression toward insanity.

When temperatures first started cooling in Atlanta in September, I expected the chill to stick around a few days before we returned to stretches in the 80s and 90s. However, the past couple of months have been the most proper fall that I’ve experienced in decades, and it’s felt like the world is finally making sense again.