voice
georgia VOL.10 • ISSUE 19
TheGeorgiaVoice.com
PO Box 77401 • Atlanta, GA 30357 P: 404-815-6941; F: 404-963-6365
EDITORIAL
Editor: Patrick Colson-Price pcolson-price@thegavoice.com Editorial Contributors: Conswella Bennett, Cliff Bostock, Camryn Burke, Melissa Carter, Dallas Duncan, Aidan Ivory Edwards, Jim Farmer, O’Brian Gunn, Ryan Lee, Rose Pelham, Berlin Sylvestre, Jessica Vue, Dionne Walker
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Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com
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Digital Content Senior Staffer: Katie Burkholder kburkholder@thegavoice.com
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Principal/Publisher: Tim Boyd tboyd@thegavoice.com
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Sales Executive: Dixon Taylor dtaylor@thegavoice.com Sales Executive: Jim Brams jbrams@thegavoice.com Business Advisor: Lynn Pasqualetti Financial Firm of Record: HLM Financial Group National Advertising: Rivendell Media, 908-232-2021 sales@rivendellmedia.com
FINE PRINT
All material in Georgia Voice is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of Georgia Voice. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons. We also do not accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Unsolicited editorial material is accepted by Georgia Voice, but we do not take responsibility for its return. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject, or edit any submission. Guidelines for freelance contributors are available upon request. A single copy of Georgia Voice is available from authorized distribution points. Multiple copies are available from Georgia Voice office only. Call for rates. If you are unable to reach a convenient free distribution point, you may receive a 26-issue mailed subscription for $60 per year. Checks or credit card orders can be sent to Tim Boyd, tboyd@thegavoice.com Postmaster: Send address changes to Georgia Voice, PO Box 77401, Atlanta, GA 30357. Georgia Voice is published every other Friday by The Georgia Voice, LLC. Individual subscriptions are $60 per year for 26 issues. Postage paid at Atlanta, GA, and additional mailing offices. The editorial positions of Georgia Voice are expressed in editorials and in editor’s notes. Other opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Georgia Voice and its staff. To submit a letter or commentary: Letters should be fewer than 400 words and commentary, for web or print, should be fewer than 750 words. Submissions may be edited for content and length, and must include a name, address, and phone number for verification. Email submissions to editor@thegavoice.com or mail to the address above.
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4 Editorial November 22, 2019
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
EDITORIAL
My Obsession with Christmas Music
Two Supreme Court Justices Meet with Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group President Brian Brown Michael Stevens Uyechi: “Wow ... Seems unethical to me …”
Patrick Colson-Price I’m sure many people reading this will relate to my obsession with Christmas music. If I could (which I can), I’d play it all year long, but “Let It Snow” just wouldn’t sound right during the peak of summer in Atlanta. Why do I long for Christmas music every day of the year? You know, that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when the temperature drops below 50 degrees and the leaves begin to fall to the ground, and you start seeing holiday commercials urging you to buy the newest car or phone. Honestly, the holidays have gotten so jumbled up. It takes me back to my childhood when Christmas music wasn’t as accessible as it is today. I’d wait all year long for the day after Thanksgiving when the radio waves would sing the tunes of winter. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” would take me away into a dancing fit as my mini Christmas tree would light up my room in different colors. It was truly one of the most magical memories of my childhood. I even remember placing my boom box CD-player by my bedside on Christmas Eve as I lay in bed waiting for Santa to come visit our home. On repeat was Kenny G’s “Miracles” holiday album. What felt like an eternity later, I’d wake up and run into the living room to see the bounty that Santa had left me and my sisters. Nothing can erase the feelings the holiday season gave us as kids. I think it’s what keeps our holiday spirit alive and well all of these years later. Think about it … we as adults don’t believe in Santa Claus anymore (bless your heart if you still do) which makes the holiday seem a little less magical in a way. You know, the excitement you get from believing that Santa would come down the chimney and gift you with the must-have
Department of Health and Human Services Sues PrEP Manufacturer Gilead for Patent Infringement Gregory Cox: “Our government funds all this research yet reaps no benefits from the sales of the drugs produce! Absolutely absurd.”
Adam Steinke: “This is what corruption looks like.”
toys of the season while riding around the world in a sleigh pulled by magical reindeer!
Delta Will Add Gay Sex Scenes Back into In-flight Films ‘Rocketman’ and ‘Booksmart’ Dawn Gibson: “Delta takes up a huge space in Pride parades. We shouldn’t forget this happened.”
From the Christmas lights to Christmas music, it all takes us back to our time as children, a time that seemed less chaotic and more joyful. The biggest dilemma we had was making sure we circled all of the toys we wanted in the handfuls of catalogs, so Santa would know what we wanted. In the background, Bing Crosby and Mannheim Steamroller would set the mood for a successful wish list creation all before we started back on our weekly homework assignments.
Peter Ent: “But we should also remember they rectified the situation (after being called out, but still).”
To this day, I get crazy looks when I roll up to a stoplight with my windows down as I blare Christmas music from my car speakers! Yes, I know it’s July or September, but in moments of despair or when I feel like I’m longing for something to believe in, I revert back to my childhood when believing in something magical seemed so easy, even though there was no proof in what we know doesn’t exist today.
Jacob Pharr: “Well he did campaign to make America great again … Back to the days when it was great to blatantly discriminate against another.”
So as you assemble your Christmas trees, hang up your holiday decorations, and put on your favorite Christmas tunes and movies, keep in mind the childhood that created your love for the holidays! Don’t let today’s societal greed distract you from that once magical feeling you had as you opened up a gift from a rosy red-cheeked character that you thought would live on forever in your dreams!
Trump Admin to Allow Adoption Agencies to Refuse Placement in LGBTQ Homes Ron E. Roberts: “Anyone who’d rather a child remain in a loveless state-run facility instead of a loving home of a same-sex couple needs to have their morality checked and updated.”
Melissa Hargett: “Then how about the LGBTQ community not have to pay taxes?!” Georgia Lawmakers Drafting Bill to Criminalize Trans-Related Medical Treatment for Minors Kevin Thomas: “Sad that Georgia lawmakers would think suicide is a better option. Too many trans and gay youth take their own lives. This is not very pro life folks.” Lynn Pasqualetti: “Come on Georgia – stop this insanity. We are better than this.” TheGeorgiaVoice.com
NEWS
World AIDS Day Remembrance Honoring Those Lost While Educating the Future Katie Burkholder On Dec. 1, we remember the almost 39 million people we have lost to AIDS and turn our thoughts onto those still living with HIV – an estimated 37,000 in Atlanta alone. This year’s 31st annual World AIDS Day provides us with the opportunity to bring our attention to ending this epidemic, community by community, by creating awareness, cultivating education, and bringing people together. “World AIDS Day is really an opportunity to create education and awareness,” Imara Canady, the National Director of Communications and Community Engagement at AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest non-profit public health organization focused on HIV/ AIDS, told Georgia Voice. “Because of the tremendous advances in medicine, we now know that people are living fruitful, longer lives with HIV. The challenge around that is that now many folks aren’t aware that HIV is still in epidemical stages – particularly among black and brown folks and the Hispanic and Latinx communities – and disproportionately impacting our young people.” It’s this education, Canady says, that will battle the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS – one of the major roadblocks preventing the complete eradication of HIV/AIDS. “We need to be clear that first we’ve got to address the issue of stigma and judgment, particularly in communities across the South,” he said. “What we find is that if we’re not talking about HIV/AIDS – not just statistics but prevention mechanisms, selflove, and making wise, empowering, healthy decisions – in places with communities that we know are at high risk of contracting HIV, then there’s a real disconnect. We have to normalize the conversation, not just around TheGeorgiaVoice.com
Imara Canady PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK
HIV and AIDS, but about sexual health and wellness and sexual behavior. The ironic part of this all is that we all came into existence by virtue of a sexual act, but in many spaces throughout the South it’s very taboo to talk about sex. We need more judgmentfree spaces, like in our faith institutions, neighborhoods, or homes.” AID Atlanta, an affiliate of AHF, works daily to create these kinds of safe spaces, especially among faith institutions. “We often give the faith community a bad rep, but there really are faith leaders trying their best to address the epidemic within their institution,” Canady said. One such religious institution is Covenant Presbyterian Church, who is hosting a World AIDS Day vigil on Dec. 1 from 2-5pm to commemorate and honor those we’ve lost by unveiling a panel of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Living in a time of modernity and technology, AHF recognizes the power of utilizing social media and online influencers to spread the word. “We’re at a critical turning point in our civilization, particularly with social media and all of this technology, to really address the issue of HIV/AIDS in a different and new way,” Canady said. “One of the things we’ve found impactful is the immense use of social media and the immense use of social innovators – those critical influencers that are meeting young people and core audiences in spaces that are not necessarily four walls.” Social media activity isn’t the only way AHF will be honoring the day: they will also be hosting a concert event. “We know the arts is one of the most non-threatening and safest ways to create education and awareness,” Canady told Georgia Voice. “So, you’ll see that incorporated in the
“We need to be clear that first we’ve got to address the issue of stigma and judgment, particularly in communities across the South. What we find is that if we’re not talking about HIV/AIDS – not just statistics but prevention mechanisms, self-love, and making wise, empowering, healthy decisions – in places with communities that we know are at high risk of contracting HIV, then there’s a real disconnect.”
work we do around World AIDS Day.” The concert, which will be held on Dec. 5 from 6-9pm at Center Stage, will be a free event featuring performances from Deborah Cox, Raheem DeVaughn, and K Camp that will honor “our community ambassadors – those unsung voices that may not be at the forefront, may not be names people know in the space, but have been tremendously impactful and influential.” “World AIDS Day offers the opportunity to really take a moment to honor those that were in the early fight and continue to be in the fight,” Canady continued, “while at the same time creating opportunities for education and empowerment.” You can reserve your free tickets for AHF’s World AIDS Day concert and find more events across the country at AHF.org/wad. November 22, 2019 News 5
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 effects, including: } Worsening of Hepatitis B (HBV) infection. 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.
ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults. 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 affect 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.
Get HIV support by downloading a free app at
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POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, 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. 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, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. } The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%). These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088. 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.
BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, DAILY CHARGE, the DAILY CHARGE Logo, KEEP LOVING, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: December 2018 © 2019 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0103 02/19
KEEP LOVING.
Because HIV doesn’t change who you are. BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.
Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you. To learn more, visit BIKTARVY.com.
Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.
2/20/19 2:54 PM
NEWS
Atlanta Pride Committee In Limbo? Non-profit Sets the Record Straight After Leaked Documents, Members Resign
Executive Director of Atlanta Pride, Jamie Fergerson
Patrick Colson-Price
One of those people Fergerson mentions was Cox. “Unfortunately, I tried very hard with him to work with him, and at the end of the day, he wasn’t interested in working with me. The proof is that he left,” she said. “I think that his own words are that he wanted to get rid of me. He has publicly said that.”
Atlanta Pride is doing damage control after leaked documents were sent to media outlets, according to Executive Director, Jamie Fergerson. The non-profit has hired an outside PR firm after the leak and after APC’s chair, Sean Cox, resigned just three days before the 2019 pride festivities.
Cox sent a letter via email to the board when he resigned stating the non-profit was facing “significant financial issues, staff management issues, contract issues” and sponsor complaints. Fergerson again refers back to the organization’s annual audits regarding those claims of financial issues.
“It is very disappointing to see that someone in the organization violated their fiduciary duty to APC,” said attorney Patti Richards in a statement regarding the leaked information. Richards was hired by APC to do a governance review. During her role starting in July, she was present for only one board meeting where she took notes. Those notes are what Fergerson says was leaked to media outlets, not any official reports stated otherwise.
In documents provided by Fergerson, Georgia Voice found a nearly 80 percent increase in total organization income since 2015, in addition to a 123 percent increase in corporate sponsorships since 2015. Since 2012, the organization has increased sponsors from 35 to 83, and small business partners from 10 to 40. In total, a nearly 35 percent increase in one year.
“The articles released contain information illegally obtained and leaked from numerous privileged and confidential communications of the APC Executive Committee and the Board of Directors beginning near the end of July,” Richards said. Fergerson met with Georgia Voice stating the email sent to media outlets was just a summary from a July meeting, not a “recommendation” from Richards on what the organization should do as far as changes to the board. “The documents relate to the Board of Directors’ desire to improve its governance practices to benefit APC as a whole,” said Richards in a statement regarding the leaked documents. “The information was taken out of context and was reworded to suit the reporter’s desired interpretations.” Fergerson and other board members have yet to see the documents even after multiple requests to media outlets that obtained the leaked information. According to those 8 News November 22, 2019
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK
“Our growth far outpaces the LGBTQ sector and the non-LGBTQ sector,” said Fergerson. “Just since 2015, we’ve had an almost 400% increase in community giving.” media outlets, the attorney “suggested the organization undergo an audit, overhaul a ‘clearly dysfunctional’ board of directors and replace Fergerson. Fergerson responded saying the organization has annual audits that they post for the public on their website. She also stated that there were varying views on how the organization should be governed and which direction needed to be taken regarding the organization’s growth. “There was a lot of disagreement on the board. I don’t think that’s a secret at this point,” said Fergerson. “Some of the things that are in that specific memo are not correct. For instance, there’s a vote in that memo that keeps getting referenced in Project Q. They keep saying there was a 7-6 vote to retain me. That’s not correct.” Fergerson states in an email on Oct. 31
regarding a closed meeting Cox called, directing the Board Liaison for the membership and the ED not to attend. In that meeting, a motion to approve staff reorganization under Cox was voted on, failing to pass. Following that vote, a motion to terminate Fergerson failed with one yes vote, eight no votes, and three abstentions.
The board will vote this month to determine the total amount for giving back in the 2019-2020 year. This year, Fergerson and board members are targeting $100,000 in community reinvestment grants.
“I can tell you that at no point in any of her communications that I’ve seen did Richards recommend that anyone be separated from the organization, including me,” said Fergerson. She says because of looming disagreements on the board and in the organization, Richards suggested there might need to be changes made to how the non-profit was operated.
“For me, I think it’s the most important thing that we do,” said Board Chair Trisha Clymore. “Last year did some great things like helping disadvantaged people get high school diplomas, transporting people for HIV treatment, and some fun stuff like giving to Voices of Note to help people come together and build people up. Last year we gave $10,000 to the Rush Center. That allowed us to touch dozens of organizations through a single grant.”
“I think with any public figure, you’d find people who don’t like them,” said Fergerson. “I’m not immune to that. We’ve had people leave, we have people who don’t like me.”
The board will announce a grand total for community reinvestment on Dec. 14, and decide who will be benefitting from their organization’s efforts in giving back. TheGeorgiaVoice.com
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11/18/19 5:07 PM
NEWS
Georgia’s First Openly Gay Mayor Elected in Canton Katie Burkholder Newly Elected Canton Mayor, Bill Grant
On Nov. 5, a rainbow wave took over not only the country, but Georgia as well. Nationally, at least 144 openly LGBTQ candidates won their local elections, many of whom were endorsed by Victory Fund, an organization working to build LGBTQ political power by getting LGBTQ politicians elected. Elected candidates of those endorsed include Georgia local Andy Yeoman, who won a seat on the Doraville City Council representing District 1.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Yeoman was also one of the five candidates endorsed by Georgia Equality to win their elections, along with John Ernst for mayor of Brookhaven, Madeleine Simmons for Brookhaven City Council District 3, Keisha Gibson-Carter for Savannah City Council At-Large Post 1, and Linda Wilder-Bryan for Savannah City Council District 3. Georgia Equality endorsed these candidates based on their perceived ability to advance LGBTQ policies. One other local LGBTQ politician took home the win Tuesday – without endorsements from Victory Fund or Georgia Equality. Bill Grant, an out gay man from Canton, Georgia, won his race, becoming the mayor of what he calls “the coolest small town in America” – and the first openly gay man to be elected mayor in the state of Georgia. Grant previously served as Canton City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem from 2014 to 2019 and has been happily married to his husband Jeff since 2017. While Canton’s municipal elections are nonpartisan, Grant was challenged by a “self-labelled ‘Conservative choice, strong family man,’” he told Georgia Voice in an email. His opponent, Dwight Pullen, had backing from the Cherokee County Republican Party and Presidents Team, Trump’s reelection organization. “[Pullen’s campaign] went door-to-door and made personal calls to every registered Republican in the city to tell them to save Canton from the liberal gay male and protect the future for their children,” Grant 10 News November 22, 2019
“Throughout the campaign, I met several LGBTQ teenagers, and many adults, who told me that they felt hopeful for the future of Canton for the very first time. They never imagined they would ever see a gay man elected mayor in their lifetime.” said. “I stuck to my record of achievement here in Canton and a very positive message of inclusion.” His message worked; despite Pullen’s tactics, Grant took home the victory in a landslide with about 75 percent of the votes: 1,939 of the more than 2,600 votes cast. With his new position as mayor, Grant hopes to continue the conversation around diversity and inclusion in his hometown of 23 years. “The citizens of Canton are truly warm, welcoming, and open minded,” he told Georgia Voice. “Throughout the campaign, I met several LGBTQ teenagers, and many
adults, who told me that they felt hopeful for the future of Canton for the very first time. They never imagined they would ever see a gay man elected mayor in their lifetime.” But Grant emphasized that he’s more than his sexuality – and the voters knew that, too. “I did not run as a gay man or with a gay agenda,” he said. “I ran as a dedicated public servant who has worked hard to move Canton forward, and I have a vision for making our city even better in the future. None of that has anything to do with my sexuality, and that is where my opponent got it wrong. I hope my tenure as mayor will continue to show others that sexuality should not even be part of the
conversation when it comes to candidates or their qualifications for public service.” As for the future of Canton, Grant has big plans he hopes to enact once he’s sworn in on Jan. 2. “[M]y goal is to create a citywide Master Plan [that] will provide a road map for guiding development, improving our infrastructure, recalculating our zoning ordinances, and making the necessary calculated trade-offs to ensure quality-over-quantity growth,” he said. “Other than that, it’s pretty simple: we are going to see Canton become the Coolest Small Town in America, and I believe we are well on our way.” TheGeorgiaVoice.com
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CELEBRITY CLOSE-UP!
Celebrity Briefs (Holiday Edition!) We’re feeling #thankful this holiday season – and so are your favorite LGBTQ celebs! Read up on what they’re feeling grateful for year-round.
“I am ELATED to make history as the first trans actor to secure two series regular roles, leaping from [Pose to AHS1984]. Thank you Ryan Murphy for the gift of playing Candy and creating my newest role on American Horror Story! I’m so grateful and excited to join the [American Horror Story] family!” – Angelica Ross on making history (Instagram)
“If I hadn’t gone through what I did then I wouldn’t have become the person I am now. So in a way, I’m grateful for those years of sex and drugs, although I despise looking back on them. But if I hadn’t have gone through them, I wouldn’t be sitting here having the great life I have now. I would have never met David. I would never have had children.” – Elton John on his past (GQ Hype magazine)
“Feeling so much love and support … Just want to say thank you all so much, especially my Queer Eye family and countless other friends and family for reaching out today. Not only to the people who I have known, but everyone else who has showered me with grace. It truly means the world.” – Jonathan Van Ness after coming out as HIV-positive (Instagram)
“It means so much to me [to be accepted as a country artist] … I feel really embraced by that community right now, and for that, I am unspeakably grateful, especially as an LGBTQ artist.” – Brandi Carlile on the support she’s received as an LGBTQ country singer (Popculture.com)
12 Celebrity Closeup November 22, 2019
“I am so grateful to Bradley [Cooper] for this opportunity, and for singing this beautiful song [Shallow] with me. [We] are floored by this win. Just a couple of kids that love making music, and we got to do it for this breathtaking film. We love our fans so much! Thank you for believing in us.” – Lady Gaga on Grammy wins for song “Shallow” from A Star is Born (Instagram)
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The national debut of a major traveling exhibition Andy Warhol loved the West. His bold prints, films, photos and collections showcase his lifelong fascination. Explore this rare view of the most recognized artist of the 20th century – only at the Booth.
Through December 31
Booth Western Art Museum BoothMuseum.org | Cartersville, GA
38 Holiday Gifts November 22, 2019
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40 Holiday Gifts November 22, 2019
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42 Holiday Gifts November 22, 2019
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ACTING OUT
Atlanta Theater Brings in Big Talker “Conceal and Carry” Jim Farmer
“Conceal and Carry” SCREENGRAB PHOTO
Out of Hand Theater is used to tackling material that deals with social issues and gets people talking, but their current show is doing that with an exclamation point. “Conceal and Carry” deals with an extremely topical issue – gun violence in America. Lee Osorio stars in the one-man piece, serving as its narrator and voicing a few other characters, relating a story about a writer who is riding in a car with a father whose son has been killed in a school shooting. The said character slowly realizes that, as he sits in the passenger seat, the father is headed towards a confrontation with the gun manufacturer. The show also deals with the narrator’s relationship with guns and the history of the NRA. The one-hour play, written by Sean Christopher Lewis and making its world premiere, is being performed in living rooms around the city and is always followed by a conversation. Originally set to end this week, the play has been extended to February. Out of Hand is known for hosting home shows every year and with 41 homes already hosting performances of “Conceal and Carry,” it’s the highest-selling show in the company’s history. It’s a perfect fit for the company. “It’s our mission to spark conversations to build a better world,” Osorio says. The company has been working with Moms Demand Action to facilitate the conversations afterward. “People arrive early to grab snacks or dinner, and after the show have been willing to talk about their experiences with guns. Because we are in the South, almost everyone has some kind of experience.” Osorio likes the play’s balance and refusal to take sides. “It’s not a polemic,” he says. “It’s 44 Columnist November 22, 2019
not preachy or taking a firm stance on guns. It asks tough questions about why we have the addiction to guns that we have in this community and what the root of that is, as well as fear and toxic masculinity and racism. We get down to the bare bones of it, but Sean doesn’t do in its way that puts people’s guard up. It’s a safe entrée into the conversation.” The actor, who is gay, has been performing steadily for several seasons now in Atlanta. He won a Suzi Award last year for his work in Shakespeare Tavern’s “The Life and Death of Richard II” and has also been seen in, among others, Actor’s Express’ “Significant Other” and Serenbe Playhouse’s “Cabaret,” which he calls one of his favorite theatrical experiences. Osorio, who works at Out of Hand as the communications manager and an artistic associate, read “Conceal and Carry” over the summer and was immediately excited about the project.
Though there is no LGBTQ content in the piece, Osorio does feel that LGBTQ audiences can be particularly affected by gun violence. “I think that all marginalized communities are susceptible to gun violence and not just in the way we normally think of it in terms of being attacked or threatened with a gun,” he says. “There’s also suicide. That is the biggest way gun violence is intersectional the LGBTQIA+ individuals. ” He points to a recent story about a 16-year-old boy Tennessee who was outed as bisexual on social media, had access to a gun and eventually took his own life.
SHOWING TIMES “Conceal and Carry” Various homes via Out Of Hand Theater Nov. 23 and 24 and other dates through February
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with
The Atlanta Opera Chorus December 9 & 10 at 7:30 pm Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse
Featuring
&
of Atlanta 2019 Georgia Voice Best n: People-Musicia
Robert Ray
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EATING MY WORDS
Discovering the Middle East Inside Ponce City Market Cliff Bostock
Botiwalla
PHOTOS BY CLIFF BOSTOCK
For multiple reasons, I’m not a huge fan of food halls. I don’t enjoy the suffocating crowds, power-walking in search of often mediocre food that passes itself off as fashionable just because it exists where it exists. There are exceptions. While I always dread going to Ponce City Market – a gigantic, loudly echoing venue with parking from hell – a recent meal at Botiwalla made it worth the effort. Botiwalla isn’t new. Chef/owner Meherwan Irani opened it in 2016 after his restaurants in Asheville and Decatur, both named Chai Pani, became huge hits. The deal at Chai Pani is crazy-good Indian street food whose flavors have all the historic ethnic diversity of the Indian subcontinent. Botiwalla, which also has a location in Alpharetta, specifically vends the cuisine of the Iranis, Persian refugees who fled persecution in Iran soon after Queen Victoria set herself up as Empress of India in the late 1800s. The immigration movement persisted into the early 1900s. Thus, Irani cuisine combines classic Indian and Persian tastes and style, and, interestingly, incorporates influences from the ruling Brits, who loved the food at teatime. That’s a very abbreviated history. The important thing is that Botwalli’s food is absolutely delicious – rich and moderately spicy with all the right ingredients to keep your sensitive mouth from overwhelm. I have to beg you to try the lamb sliders.
You have to order snacks, especially puri – classic, paper-thin, crispy little orbs made with flour They’re cracked open and filled with a mixture of ingredients the menu accurately describes as “mindblasting.” There are potatoes, onions, cilantro, chickpea noodles, sweet yogurt, and tamarind chutney – a flavor and texture for every taste bud. You might also try the salted smashed fingerling potatoes, crispy and creamy, spiked with lime, cilantro, and chaat masala, the Indian concoction of various tastes that Americans know best when it comes to Indian food. Botwalli’s interior is fun. You order at a counter but there are plenty of tables. A huge tile wall announces that this is a “high class restaurant.” There’s a big pink pillar labeled with “rules of the café.” It’s a long list of forbidden behaviors, including flirting with the cashier, heavy petting, and sleeping in the toilet. The only thing missing is the Alpharetta location’s tile portrait of a muscular rooster flexing his biceps while proclaiming that “Botiwalla makes you strong.”
Lamb burgers have been my fave since I was a kid, but they didn’t start appearing in restaurants until relatively recently and they are inevitably overwhelmed with Greek and Middle Eastern spices. Botiwalla offers two charcoal-grilled sliders, cut nearly as square and thin as Krystals! They are vibrant with ginger, chilies, mint, cilantro, and cumin, topped with a crisp slightly sweet slaw. All
of that is stuffed into buttered buns. Other grilled dishes are rolled into cushiony, thick, warm, and buttered naan bread. The popular chicken tikka is marinated in: yogurt, lime juice, chili paste, and various North Indian spices. It’s rolled up with slaw and chutney. There are vegetarian options, including naan rolled around grilled veggies, one of them with paneer, the tasty Indian cheese.
Cliff Bostock is a longtime Atlanta restaurant critic and former psychotherapist turned life coach; cliffbostock@gmail.com.
MORE INFO Botiwalla Inside Ponce City Market 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. 470 225-8963 Botiwalla.com
46 Columnist November 22, 2019 TheGeorgiaVoice.com
BEST BETS Our Guide to the Best LGBTQ Events in Atlanta for November 22-December 5 Friday, Nov. 22
Topher Payne’s “Swell Party” continues at Onstage Atlanta tonight. It’s 1932, and 20-year-old orphaned tobacco heir Smith Reynolds has returned from New York to his family’s Winston-Salem estate with a surprise souvenir: a wife. The new Mrs. Reynolds is notorious Broadway star Libby Holman – a dozen years older than Smith. She arrives with a trunk load of gin and an acting coach who is quite possibly insane. Smith’s guardian, Kate Reynolds, attempts to manage the scandal- giving Libby a crash course in Southern decorum. A party is thrown to introduce the newlyweds to society, but it’s flat-out ruined when the groom turns up dead. The guests are gathered to reconstruct the evening’s events for a beleaguered County Solicitor, but they fail spectacularly, which shouldn’t be a surprise. 8pm, through Nov. 24 Can you believe it?! Mary’s is 21. Come throw down with DJ Headmaster who’ll spinning a Flashback Dance Party with all the Mary’s hits you know and love. 10pm – 3am Every Friday at midnight, it’s time to slip on those fishnets and make-up for the greatest live troupe in the city, Lips Down on Dixie, Inc., for a righteous party in front of the big screen for “The Rocky Horror Show.” Midnight Plaza Theatre
Saturday, Nov. 23
Tis the season for warm weather gear and beer. ABetterBuzz is headed back to Woofs Atlanta for a Holiday Pop Up and Beer Bus. This year, ABB is raising money for Action Cycling Atlanta. Enjoy the beer bust, a 50/50 raffle, photos by Just Toby and new fall and winter designs. 4 – 9pm Jujubee from RuPaul’s Drag Race is the guest headliner for LMAO, a hilarious night of comedy queens featuring comedic drag performances from some of your favorite local performers such as Brigitte Bidet, Phoenix, Iv Fischer, Miss He, Mo’Dest Volgare and Molly Rimswell. 10pm – 3am My Sister’s Room Join DJ Moose on the dancefloor with
EVENT SPOTLIGHT Saturday, Nov. 23
Allen Collins Productions is proud to present Dan Slater for a night of high-intensity dancing! Get tickets on event Facebook page. 10pm – 3am. Heretic Atlanta (Photo via Facebook) reimagined dance hits of the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s all night long! 10pm – 3am Atlanta Eagle
Sunday, Nov. 24
DJ Aaron Aanenson makes his debut in Atlanta at Xion after hours. 3am – 7am BJ Roosters Check out free pool and rotating DJs at Bulldogs tonight.
Monday, Nov. 25
The new film “The Good Liar,” starring Helen Mirren, Ian Mckellen and Russell Tovey and directed by Bill Condon.
Continues in metro area theaters today “Should feminists clone?” “What do neurons think about?” “How can we learn from bacterial writing?” These and other provocative questions have long preoccupied neuroscientist, molecular biologist, and intrepid feminist theorist Deboleena Roy, who takes seriously the capabilities of lab “objects”– bacteria and other human, nonhuman, organic, and inorganic actants – in order to understand processes of becoming. In her book “Molecular Feminisms,” Roy – who will be reading and signing books – investigates science as feminism at the lab bench, engaging in an interdisciplinary conversation between molecular biology,
Deleuzian philosophies, posthumanism, and postcolonial and decolonial studies. This event is sponsored by Agnes Scott College Departments of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Philosophy, and Neuroscience. 6 – 7:30pm Luchsinger Lounge, Alston Student Center building at Agnes Scott College
Tuesday, Nov. 26
A holiday favorite is back. The Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Garden Lights, Holiday Nights returns this year with new features and crowd favorites – including new music and motion.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 49
48 Best Bets November 22, 2019 TheGeorgiaVoice.com
BEST BETS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 48 Experience the Skylights Lounge in the Skyline Garden, several largerthan-life plant giants from Imaginary Worlds: Alice’s Wonderland display, and displays like the Ice Goddess and Tunnel of Light. Running through Jan 11
Wednesday, Nov. 27
Join My Sister’s Room for its Thanksgiving Eve/23rd Annual Karaoke Bash, hosted by Thad Steven with no cover. 9pm Expecting a quiet Thanksgiving eve? Not in Atlanta! Thanksgiving eve at Heretic has been a Gay Atlanta tradition for over two decades. This year, DJ Eric James will serve up a platter of hearty beats to leave you feeling full even before the Thanksgiving feast begins! Gobble gobble! 10pm – 3am Heretic Atlanta DJ Mister Richard is taking you on an adventure through the decades! Dance to a different decade each hour, from 2010s to disco ’70s! 10pm – 3am Atlanta Eagle
Thursday, Nov. 28
The gay-themed “Pain and Glory” tells of a series of reencounters experienced by Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), a film director in his physical decline. From Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar, the film is an autobiographical telling of two love stories determined by time and fate. Various showtimes Landmark Midtown Art Cinema and The Springs Cinema and Taphouse
Friday, Nov. 29
The Black Friday R&B MegaFest visits State Farm Arena tonight, with the likes of Chaka Khan, Stephanie Mills, Tony Toni Tone and more. 6pm Cirque du Soleil’s latest, “Volta,” continues its near-capacity run with funthrilled shows. 4:30 and 8pm, through Jan. 5 Atlantic Station
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EVENT SPOTLIGHT Saturday, Nov. 30
Cirque Dreams Holidaze brings its latest electrifying and reimagined live family holiday spectacular to the Fox Theatre with three unforgettable performances. 4 and 8pm, tomorrow at 2pm. (Photo via Facebook)
Saturday, Nov. 30
Furball returns to Atlanta with Dan De Leon spinning the hottest beats all night long! Get your jock, fetish-wear, and gear ready for a sexy night of dancing and mingling! Tickets available on event Facebook page. 10pm – 3am Heretic Atlanta
Sunday, Dec. 1
The Atlanta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. hosts a 2019 World AIDS Day Event – Red Ribbon Afternoon of Jazz 1 – 4pm Loudermilk Conference Center
Monday, Dec. 2
Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender and aspiring allies, providing a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources and activism around social issues. 6:30 – 8pm Charis Books and More The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBTQ children meets today. 7:30 – 9pm
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta
Tuesday, Dec. 3
Jam to your favorite music at Retro Video Jukebox tonight. 6 – 10pm Woofs Atlanta
Wednesday, Dec. 4
Enjoy two events in one – Warp Zone in the Pub and Boy’s Night Out! 9pm – 2am Heretic Atlanta
Thursday, Dec. 5
Join OUT Georgia Business Alliance (formerly AGLCC) us for the eighth annual Out In The Kitchen held at the W Atlanta-Midtown This delicious kickoff to the holiday season features Atlanta’s premier LGBTQ+ and ally chefs and their culinary inspirations. Eat, drink, be merry and celebrate the start of the holidays and the close of 2019 alongside your closest LGBTQ+ and ally community friends. Chefs will provide delightful tastings for our guests to enjoy, with colorful tunes and cash bars serving wonderful libations. 6 – 8pm
The riotous camp classic “Christmas with the Crawfords” is based on the actual Christmas Eve live radio broadcast from Joan Crawford’s Brentwood mansion in 1949. Filled with exaggerated silver screen icons, this mash-up musical parody is a loving homage to Hollywood’s “Golden Age” and features appearances of Tinsel Town divas such as Judy Garland, Carmen Miranda, Gloria Swanson, Hedda Hopper, Ethel Merman, and the Andrews Sisters. 8pm, through Dec. 21 Out Front Theatre Company
UPCOMING Friday, Dec. 6
Chart-topping, Grammy-nominated saxophonist Dave Koz returns to the road this holiday season with the 22nd annual Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour 2019. Koz and Friends will perform fresh renditions of timeless Christmas classics – as well as a Chanukah medley – and hits from their respective catalogues. 8pm Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
CONTINUES ON PAGE 50 November 22, 2019 Best Bets 49
BEST BETS
EVENT SPOTLIGHT Sunday, Dec. 8
Georgia native Jamie Barton, a mezzo-soprano who came out as bisexual, has played at opera houses around the world and visits Spivey Hall today, in concert with pianist Kathleen Kelly. 3pm (Official photo by Chris Christodoulou)
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49 DILF returns to Atlanta for the annual “Jingle My Balls Daddy” party hosted by Joe Whitaker. DJ Jesus Pelayo from Madrid, Spain will take you on a musical journey to get you into the holiday mood! Tickets available on event Facebook page. 10pm – 3am Heretic Atlanta
Saturday, Dec. 7
Watch the SEC Championship at Woofs Atlanta! 12 – 3pm Charis Books welcomes Dr. E. Patrick Johnson in conversation with Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall for a celebration of “Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women,” a narrative non-fiction companion to his instant classic oral history released earlier this year, “Black. Queer. Southern. Women – An Oral History.” 7:30 – 9pm B.I.G. Productions presents Bear Invasion with the one and only tribal bitch, DJ Paulo. 10pm – 3am Heretic Atlanta DJ Daniel Weaver prepares you for the
HOE-lidays with his illumination party! It’s the dance of the lights, so don’t miss it! 10pm – 3am Atlanta Eagle
Thursday, Dec. 12
Metro Atlanta Association of Professionals will celebrate the holidays tonight with the ultimate networking event of the year. The night kicks off on the rooftop terrace at the Alexan on 8th in Midtown. Bill Kaelin Marketing will provide holiday refreshments in the super cool speakeasy for you to enjoy while festively networking the night away. Admission is a new unwrapped toy and those who bring one will receive five raffle tickets to win a set of VIP passes to the Toy Party. 6 – 9pm Like a damaged St. Nick for the Christmas corrupted, John Waters – legendary filmmaker, raconteur and author of bestselling books – hitchhikes into town with a bag full of sticks and stones for the devoted and the damned, spreading Yuletide profanity and perverted piety with his critically acclaimed one-man show, “A John Waters Christmas.” 7pm Variety Playhouse
50 Best Bets November 22, 2019 TheGeorgiaVoice.com
THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID
There Once Was a Boy and a Stove Melissa Carter I’m not one to answer a phone call and rarely check my voicemail. Maybe it’s because I started my professional career as a telemarketer. Maybe it’s because I can’t see the person calling and it feels awkward, I’m not sure why I have such an aversion to the practice of phone calls. However, when my new neighbor called me on my way home from work the other day, I figured I’d better pick that one up. She asked me if I was on my way home, and I said I was. I honestly was headed to the grocery store but made sure to detour toward home as I gave that response. She explained that she had smelled a strong gas odor, and called the gas company as a precaution. The gas guy was currently there and found that the source of the gas was not coming from her townhome but from mine next door. She said he was willing to stay and check my place out if I was nearby. I said I’d be there in 10 minutes. I pulled to the front of my place and parked next to the gas truck. The man came out of his driver’s seat and took out what looked like an old-school brick cell phone with a very long antenna. It was a device that measured the gas levels and he followed me up my front stairs. “When you go in,” he said, “make sure you don’t turn on any lights.” Now I was concerned. It was bad enough that if I flipped a switch the spark could ignite the gas in the air, putting me and everyone around me in danger. He repeated the instruction as I opened the door, and I promised I wouldn’t touch anything. The smell was overwhelming and I felt bad for my dog, GiGi, who met me as I walked in. How long had she and my cats endured
this? Reading his instruments, the man walked around and asked if we could put the dog up and open all the doors and windows. I again did as instructed. He let me know he had already turned off the gas leading to my fireplace and asked if I had used the stove lately. I said it had been a week since I had, and we walked through the place checking the readings. This is the point where I need to inform new readers that yes, it had been a week since I used the stove. I hate to cook. However, I love to bake but that practice doesn’t happen as often, thus why my stove had been dormant for so long. Despite knowing I had not touched the stove in a while, his words made me second-guess myself and I decided to check it just in case. There, a dial flipped in the wrong direction. “I found it,” I said. Thankfully without judgment, he stayed for another 10 minutes or so as the levels became acceptable enough to turn the fireplace back on, and he let me know I’m not the first mother whose young child had played with the stove. He then explained where I could find child locks for the appliance, and I bought some online from my phone as soon as he left. One of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta, Melissa’s worked for B98.5 and Q100. Catch her daily on theProgressive Voices podcast “She Persisted.” Tweet her! @MelissaCarter
52 Columnist November 22, 2019 TheGeorgiaVoice.com
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The Battle of Chickfil-A might be the first culture clash where both sides consistently win. A decade of public relations warfare hasn’t halted the progress of either adversary toward its goals, and since the two began shading each other Chickfil-A has expanded to 47 states and same-sex marriage is in all 50. I served a few years in the queer boycott of Chick-fil-A, answering the call-to-arms in response to CEO Dan Cathy firing off gratuitous missives about the company opposing same-sex marriage in the summer of 2012. A year before the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings in the Prop 8 and Windsor cases and three years before Obergefell, things were already bleak on the southern front of the fight for marriage equality when we learned even deep-fried chicken sandwiches had declared against us. Many of my comrades had been fasting from Chick-fil-A for years, some for its showy religiosity but most since becoming aware of the owners’ charitable donations to anti-gay organizations such as Focus on the Family. Chick-fil-A revamped its philanthropic strategy and formally retreated from the public discussion of social issues within months of Cathy’s comments, and soon Cathy was no longer the public face of the family-run chain – unilateral concessions that were dismissed as cosmetic changes. I ended my boycott with a Victory-Day lemonade the afternoon the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015, and I know there are many who consider my service inadequate and incomplete. Chick-fil-A has shown us who it is, and the worst I’ve seen are obnoxious Christians who are learning their economic survival depends on their cultural maturation.
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They’ve gone from funding the National Organization for Marriage to supporting the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and some LGBTQ hardliners allow no distinction
between a student activity group and a terrorist organization. Activists inflate Chickfil-A’s original sin by suggesting its dollars were funneled through layers of domestic and international intermediaries to support genocidal causes like the “Kill the Gays” bill in Uganda, using logic that would convict anyone who puts gasoline in his or her car of financing Al-Qaeda. As the modern brand most synonymous with bigotry, Chick-fil-A has unseated Cracker Barrel, which once included homophobia and racial prejudice in its employee handbook and guest-relations training. The country eatery that used to fire queer workers and segregate black patrons seems to have undergone whatever atonement is necessary for it to not be totally, out-of-the-question blasphemous for someone to recommend it for brunch. Chick-fil-A’s latest update to its charitable giving was met with skepticism and the battle-cry of, “Too Little! Too Late!” Some folks will never forgive Cracker Barrel or Chick-fil-A, and I encourage them to continue affirming their dignity and will by not patronizing those who have disrespected and underestimated them. That does not make traitors to their kind of those who can dip an eight-count into polynesian sauce without feeling existentially threatened or resentful. By outright dismissing or ignoring all capitulations businesses, or people, make as they catch up to our understanding of ourselves, LGBTQ folks can be seen as the ones looking for a food fight.
54 Columnist November 22, 2019 TheGeorgiaVoice.com
SAINT MARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
@STMARKUMCATL