The Georgia Voice - 12/6/13, Vol. 4 Issue 20

Atlanta mourns Beloved chef, activist Ria Pell dies at 45. Page 19

The foodie files Gourmet blogger Broderick Smylie . Page 26

Mixologist, PhD Tiffanie Barriere shares her secret formulas. Page 27

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Let’s talk about your long-term investment planning needs. Because when people talk, great things happen. To find one of our ADPA-certified Financial Advisors in your area, visit wellsfargoadvisors.com/adpa today.

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PO Box 77401 | Atlanta, GA 30357 404-815-6941 | www.thegavoice.com

EDITORIAL

Editor: David Aaron Moore dmoore@thegavoice.com

IN THIS ISSUE

COVER STORY

8 | Dining: Is Tenth & Piedmont the new gay food corridor?

NEWS

11 | World AIDS Day: What POZ Georgians can expect from the ACA 19 | City mourns death of ‘Atlanta’s Gay Mayor’ Ria Pell

FEATURED STORY

Deputy Editor: Dyana Bagby dbagby@thegavoice.com

BUSINESS

Publisher: Tim Boyd tboyd@thegavoice.com

Managing Partner: Christina Cash ccash@thegavoice.com

National Advertising: Rivendell Media, 908-232-2021 sales@rivendellmedia.com

FINE PRINT

All material in the Georgia Voice is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the 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 the 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 the Georgia Voice is available from authorized distribution points. Multiple copies are available from the 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 the Georgia Voice, PO Box 77401, Atlanta, GA 30357. The 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 the 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 the 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.

Join us online: facebook.com/thegavoice twitter.com/thegavoice

OUTSPOKEN FRIENDS & FOES IN THEIR OWN WORDS “While studying my Torah portion and comparing and contrasting marriage — past and present — I found it would be irresponsible to exclude the topic of gay marriage.

I am a very very strong supporter of equal rights and the freedom of men and women to marry whomever they love.”

— Thirteen-year-old Duncan McAlpine Sennett of Portland during his d’var Torah reading portion of his bar mitzvah, noting that “traditional marriage” as seen in the story of Jacob included forced marriages, polygamy and marital inscest between first cousins.

36 | Editor’s Note: Aseason for freinds and family 37 | That’s What She Said: How far I have come

“I told God, if he’s going to save me from death from this, and he doesn’t send me a boyfriend, I’m going to call a party foul.”

— Portland resident Tom Comstock who survived a near decapitation when his car was rear-ended by a lumber-carrying vehicle, rocketing large planks of wood through the back window and into the windshield.

“Massachusetts and California have passed laws relating to calling a student . . .the gender he thinks he is, or she is. I just want to emphasize, not in this district. Not until the plumbing’s changed. There would have to be castration in order to pass something like that around here.”

—Delta County, Col., School Board member, Katherine Svenson

MARRIAGE VS. ONE VARIETY OF By the NUMBERS GAy "TRADITIONAL" MARRIAGE Photo via YouTube screen

Business Advisor: Lynn Pasqualetti Financial Firm of Record: HLM Financial Group

COLUMNISTS 11 | OBAMACARE AND HIV/AIDS

Sales Manager: Marshall Graham mgraham@thegavoice.com Sales Executive: Anne Clarke The Clarke Agency aclarke@thegavoice.com

25 | Dining Out on Christmas Day 26 | Food Blogger Broderick Smylie gives you the dish 27 | Mixologist Tiffanie Barriere spills her secrets to a perfect cocktail 29 | AGLCC celebrates with second annual ‘Out in the Kitchen’

Photos via Facebook

CONTRIBUTORS

Melissa Carter, Jim Farmer, Shannon Hames, Steve Warren, Ryan Lee

SPECIAL DINING AND DRINK COVERAGE

Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

Art Director: Mike Ritter mritter@thegavoice.com

Photo via YouTube screen capture

THE GEORGIA VOICE

Number of states that allow gays to marry

16

Number of states that allow first cousins to marry* *Source: Wikipedia

22

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12.06.13

GAY LAWYER TO RUN FOR JASON CARTER’S SENATE SEAT

Decatur lawyer Kyle Williams is running for the state Senate seat currently held by Jason Carter.

Carter announced weeks ago he is running for governor against Republican Nathan Deal.

Williams, who is openly gay and partnered to Larry Kosten, ran unsuccessfully for the Decatur City Commission Post 2 seat in 2009.

State Senate District 42 includes portions of DeKalb County including Decatur, Avondale Estates and Atlanta. A Democrat, Williams is a former board chair of Georgia Equality Foundation. He is currently sending out invites to people to “like” his Facebook page announcing his run as a Democrat for the state Senate seat.

From the bio on Williams’ website: “Kyle is a founding partner of and an attorney with the law firm of Williams Teusink, LLC. “[He] represents individual property owners, nonprofits, neighborhoods, homeowner and condominium associations, real estate builders and developers, real estate Kyle Williams (Publicity photo) agents and brokers, real estate appraisers, and other real estate professionals.

“Kyle has represented clients in numerous jury, bench, and arbitration trials throughout Georgia as well as before state agencies and local governments on permitting, code enforcement, zoning, and ad valorem property tax appeals.

“Kyle frequently writes and teaches about land use, zoning and real estate matters at seminars and continuing education classes.”

POZ MAGAZINE’S ‘POZ 100’ INCLUDES FOUR GEORGIANS

POZ magazine, a national publication focusing on the needs and lives of people living with HIV/AIDS recently announced the fourth annual POZ 100. For the first time, the list is made up completely of people living with the virus and includes individuals of all ages, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations from across the United States and Puerto Rico. Among them are four Georgia residents.

From the POZ website: Positive since 2004, Ed Doolittle has volunteered his time and talent with several HIV/AIDS service organizations over the years. He currently serves as the develop-

NEWS

NEWSIN BRIEF

From left: Jeremy Hobbs, Freda Jones, Ed Doolittle and Daniel Driffin. (Driffin photo courtesy CDC; others via Facebook)

ment officer and website administrator for AID Atlanta.Ed has served the community by delivering meals and has helped raise funds for HIV housing through his office. He has also worked with various organizations to provide toys and school supplies for children who are living with and affected by HIV/ AIDS.Ed is a firm believer in harm reduction for HIV prevention, and he’s a big supporter of education and testing efforts.

Daniel Driffin has made an impact by helping lead and shape critical conversations about the lives of black gay men—especially those younger than 30. In 2009, he was selected as a recipient of the CRIBB Fellowship from NAESM (National AIDS Education & Services for Minorities). Daniel focuses on HIV prevention, and he has helped shape the HIV research agenda through his work as a project manger on the Think Twice: An MSM Serosorting Project with the Center for Health, Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) at the University of Connecticut. Positive since 2008, he serves as Project Manger at the Center for Health, Intervention and Prevention in Atlanta.

Positive since 2003, Jeremy Hobbs created the Chattahoochee Valley Better Way Foundation during a time when few people in the South were willing to talk openly about their status. Its mission is to help provide and pave a better way of life for those who are affected by or living with HIV and to increase community and client awareness through quality education, support and training.

Jeremy was awarded the key to the city of Columbus, Georgia, by the mayor for his service to the city and his HIV/AIDS work. He is a member of many organizations, including the National Prevention Information Network and the West Georgia Ryan White Consortium. Jeremy recently created an anti-stigma program called Rise Above HIV,

which offers support, love and understanding for those living with the virus.

When Freda Jones was diagnosed with HIV in 2002, she knew it was time to take a stand. The following year she began working at Aniz Inc, which focuses on women and children affected by HIV/AIDS. Freda became certified as a pre/post test counselor and facilitated several programs such as Reaching Out to Sisters with HIV/AIDS and VOICES. In 2007, she became the first female PEER 2 PEER Adherence Counselor at AIDS Survival Project. Freda was featured in a faith-based HIV education video “HIV/AIDS: Have We Forgotten?”, which was nominated for a Telly Award in 2009, and she recently participated in the nationwide “Greater Than AIDS” campaign. She is currently chair of the African American Outreach Initiative and works for AbsoluteCARE Medical Center in Atlanta.

SARAH KATE ELLIS TAPPED AS CEO AND PRESIDENT OF GLAAD

The National Board of Directors of GLAAD recently announced the election of Sarah Kate Ellis as the organization’s new CEO and president following a nationwide search.

From a press release: “GLAAD’s unparalleled history in shifting American beliefs on LGBT families paved the way for our recent legal victories and will be instrumental in inspiring more and more Americans to stand with LGBT people and our families,” said Steve Warren, National Co-Chair of GLAAD’s Board of Directors. “We are excited to welcome Sarah Kate at a time when our community needs more of GLAAD’s work in the media to share the stories that create real change.”

Sarah Kate Ellis is an award-winning media executive, outspoken advocate for LGBT equality … she has earned seven MIN

www.theGAVoice.com Awards for marketing innovation, two President’s Awards, and MIN’s Sales Executive Team of the Year award in 2012.

As co-chair of OUT at Time Inc., she led programming to spotlight the diversity of the LGBT community and educated the organization’s straight allies on a wide range of LGBT issues.

In 2011, Ellis co-authored a memoir with her wife, Kristen Ellis-Henderson, titled “Times Two, Two Women in Love and the Happy Family They Made,” released by Simon & Schuster. The autobiography chronicled their simultaneous pregnancies and road to motherhood. They were also profiled in a special New York Times Style section devoted to marriage equality on the day it became legal in New York State and were the subjects of The Huffington Post’s three-part documentary web series titled “Here Come The Brides.”

“Sarah Kate is a new kind of leader, one that will take the LGBT movement into the next decade and beyond,” said Jenny Boylan, National Co-Chair of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Search Committee.

“Her history as a brilliant, articulate, and proudly out media executive makes her an ideal fit to lead GLAAD. When she and her wife appeared on the cover of Time, she became a living symbol of the fight for marriage equality and her selection as GLAAD’s new leader is a clear sign of where the LGBT movement is going next: toward equality for all LGBT Americans in the workplace, in the family, and in local communities.”

“While our community has made great strides in recent years, our movement has an important and critical journey ahead,” said Sarah Kate Ellis. “Together with our dedicated staff, I will push for a culture where everyone in the LGBT community is fully welcomed and respected by our neighbors. I look forward to leading GLAAD and creating a world where LGBT people and our families have the freedom to joyously-- and openly-- live a life they love.”

Ellis will begin her role in January 2014.

She will be based in GLAAD’s New York City office.

Sarah Kate Ellis (GLAAD photo)

www.theGAVoice.com

12.06.13

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COVER STORY

www.theGAVoice.com

The corner of food & fabulous New Midtown eateries reflect the evolving tastes of gay Atlanta

by RYAN LEE

The intersection that has long nourished the spirit of LGBT Atlanta is now feeding the Midtown gayborhood a different kind of flavor. The corner of 10th and Piedmont – formerly home to the iconic gay Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse, and still the most staked-out spot during every Gay Pride parade – is now the namesake for one of the upscale restaurants that is transforming the scene of Atlanta’s most prominent LGBT neighborhood.

“When planning 10th & Piedmont, we really gave it our all,” says Gilbert Yeremian, owner of 10th & Piedmont, which celebrates its one-year anniversary next month. “We took the great history of the previous space and built upon it, remaining true to the community while always focused on being inclusive of everyone. “[We are] proud to be serving a community which embraces diversity like no other area in Atlanta does,” Yeremian says. “We want you to be proud of your neighborhood’s restaurants and bars, enjoy it as often as you like and bring your out of town guests with pride.”

Along with new restaurants like ‘We took the great history of the previTen Atlanta and Henry’s – as well as ous space and built upon it, remaining Midtown standards like The Flying Biscuit and Zocalo – Yeremian betrue to the community while always lieves that 10th & Piedmont is helpfocused on being inclusive of everyone.’ ing create an entertainment strip that is as tasty as other hot spots — Gilbert Yeremian, owner across the city, like Crescent Avenue 10th & Piedmont or Virginia-Highland.

“It is a great pleasure to see that our corner is becoming one of the certain standard,” Carter says. “We can all comquality and fun destinations in town much like pete, but compete friendly. Everyone tries to supVirginia-Highland,” he says. “We have invested port each other.” in the corner since 2000 knowing how rich and diverse the neighborhood is.”

The newest addition to the 10th Street runMax Evans was among the LGBT Midtown way is Henry’s, which opened in June on the residents who feared that the closing of Outcorner of 10th and Juniper streets and also conwrite in early 2012 would further erode the siders itself part of the eatery/nightlife symbioneighborhood’s queer identity, which pre-dates sis taking place in the heart of gay Atlanta. the condos, skyscrapers and high-end retailers “We feel like in this little area, we all want that now define Midtown. to support each other,” says Henry’s manager “I moved to Midtown specifically because Lucas Carter, who is gay. “Before we were here, it was considered a haven for gay people, and there was a Thai restaurant that never could be nothing seemed to capture that more than Outsuccessful, and now we’ve put something there write,” says Evans, a 26-year-old who moved where we’re trying to raise the bar, and that’s from Snellville, Ga., to Midtown two years ago. put some fire under some of the other restauBut instead of turning into a gay ghost town, rants.

Evans says she believes the corner of 10th & “I think it’s great that we can all be held to a

Gay Atlanta grows up

Above, 10th & Piedmont sits on the southwest corner of its namesake intersection, in the space formerly occuppied by a gay Atlanta institution, Outwrite Bookstore. Inset, a featured item from the menu, Goat Cheese Crispies.

(Photo coutesy 10th & Piedmont)

Piedmont has matured alongside Atlanta’s gay population.

“It’s still bustling, it’s still at the center of everything, and it still feels pretty gay,” she says with a thankful laugh. “I guess it just feels more grown-up.”

The three new restaurants near the corner of 10th and Piedmont have certainly refined the aesthetic of Atlanta’s gayborhood, blending cosmopolitan chic into what was a somewhat homey intersection. Ten Atlanta, 10th & Piedmont and Henry’s all have fabulous interiors that infuse the strip with the mood of fine-dining, in some cases, unintentionally.

“Everybody says it looks really nice in here, but we want people to feel comfortable coming in just after working out, getting something to eat,” Carter says of Henry’s. “We’re trying not to be pretentious by any means.

“We’re bar food, but we’re chef-driven bar food,” Carter adds. “It’s good old home-cooked sandwiches and burgers, but we cook our pork overnight, and that’s after we braise it for three days. We want to attract people with a quality product, and not take for granted that since we’re in a great location, we’ll do good no matter what.”

The great location has aided Henry’s in becoming a part of the new nightlife experience created by the culinary renaissance along 10th Street in the last year.

“I really don’t think the area is losing its gay touch, or style, I think it’s building it,” Carter says. “For a while, it was just Blake’s in terms of the one venue that’s really a club, but now I feel like everything is building the neighborhood where you can jump around.”

The tapas menu at 10th & Piedmont is also billed as chef-driven, but that hasn’t made the venue too high-brow for a drop-in cocktail throughout an evening of clubbing.

“Folks are hopping from one restaurant to the other with great convenience, safety and fun,” Yeremian says. “We think our role is to provide lively environments for our guests to enjoy during lunch, brunch, dinner and late night. We love observing that the 10th & Piedmont corner is becoming livelier every day.”

Yeremian, who is heterosexual and also owns the gay-popular restaurants Hobnob and Gilbert’s (which is transforming into G’s gastropub restaurant this weekend), says that he feels it is important for 10th & Piedmont to continue

COVER STORY

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a

to support the people and places that make Midtown one of Atlanta’s most vibrant neighborhoods.

“We have sponsored Pride Atlanta and the Piedmont Park Conservancy, both organizations important to those who live and work nearby,” Yeremian says. “We serve a true rainbow from all walks of life.”

The ‘Mixed’ Mantra The three youngest restaurants along 10th Street share more than upscale décor. They’ve steered away from the camp and novelty that is often the hallmark of a “gay restaurant,” featuring few Bingo, karaoke or trivia nights.

“We’re trying to decide where we stand on [theme nights],” Carter says. “Sometimes it’s fun to go to restaurants when it’s loud and a themenight is going on, but some nights you just want to go to dinner. It sucks to go somewhere when you’re expecting one thing, and it turns out to be something totally different, so those are the things we’re figuring out.”

Henry’s, Ten Atlanta and 10th & Piedmont would all also rate about a four on Kinsey’s sixpoint scale of sexuality: each having strong LGBT tendencies among its staff and clientele, while committed to not turning into an exclusively gay venue.

Above, Ten is another relative newcomer to Atlanta’s gayest intersection, sitting on the southwest corner of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue, diagonally across from veteran Midtown favorite FLying Biscuit (below). (Food photos via Facebook)

“Our gay clientele have always preferred a mixed crowd, and we have just that,” Yeremian says. “Today, 10th & Piedmont attracts a vibrant mixed crowd. For example, our Friday happy hour attracts the young professionals, single females and gay folks from the neighboring business buildings.

“Our flagship concept, Gilbert’s, has been supported by the LGBT community from day one,” Yeremian adds. “Our concepts are truly neighborhood joints, and our clientele for the last 14 years has been the Midtown neighborhood.”

Some of the offerings intended to draw LGBT crowds to 10th & Piedmont have been the Paparazzi parties for gay men and the Flashback Showgirls drag show every Sunday evening.

The balancing act between mainstream eatery and gay hot spot is probably best embodied in the motto for Ten Atlanta: Upscale Restaurant by Day/Atlanta’s Hottest Bar After Ten. “This is actually my first time eating here, it’s just been a bar for me most of the time,” Mark Wilson says after finishing a recent Saturday brunch with friends at Ten Atlanta.

“If I lived in Midtown, I might eat here more regularly, but I’ve only come when I’m going out,” says Wilson, who works and lives outside the perimeter. “I think it’s a good addition to the nightlife. It’s nice to be able to park in Midtown and have options throughout the night.”

Ten Atlanta, which like Henry’s is LGBTLeft, the patio at Henry’s Midtown affords a view of Midtown skyscrapers. Inset, Henry’s Grilled salmon served with lemon caper sauce and sautéed seasonal vegetables. (Photos via Facebook)

‘We feel like in this little area, we all want to support each other’ — Lucas Carter, manager of Henry’s

owned, has experimented with drag shows, but has established itself as a weekend nightlife contender with DJs and dance parties Thursday through Sunday (as well as requisite gay dates like Halloween, Thanksgiving Eve and post-Toy Party).

A block away from gay Ground Zero, Henry’s is contemplating adding a DJ to its weekly offering, but for now is comfortable in the subtlety of its gay identity.

“We’re in between two hotels, but we definitely get most of our customers from the neighborhood, and this a predominantly gay area,” Carter says. “We definitely build off of that. That’s our clientele, but we definitely want everyone to feel welcome.

“We’re a sports bar as well, but we don’t want that to be overwhelming,” he adds. “We don’t want jerseys hanging down or Miller Lite signs flashing in your face.”

12.06.13

GA VOICE | 9

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NEWS

Affordable Care Act still a maze for POZ people in Ga.

12.06.13

GA VOICE | 11

Navigators available on federal website to aid search for healthcare

By PATRICK SAUNDERS After the disastrous rollout of the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration has met their Nov. 30 deadline to fix the “vast majority” of issues that have plagued the site since its Oct. 1 introduction.

And with that, area organizations are ramping up efforts to inform those in the LBGT community, and specifically those living with HIV, about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act and how to obtain them.

More than anything, officials at several organizations want people to know about the new rules concerning preexisting conditions. Previously, those with HIV or other serious health issues were often turned down or charged exorbitant rates when applying for health insurance. In perhaps the most significant aspect of the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies may no longer deny coverage for preexisting conditions.

“It’s probably the biggest single thing that will benefit those living with HIV and AIDS in Georgia,” said Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff Graham. “This completely opens up the market for people living with HIV.” Graham also cites the new marketplace’s lower cost options in general, specifically for those who have insurance benefits through COBRA. A search of the federal website will allow them to find a plan at a lower cost without sacrificing benefits, he said.

On Dec. 2, the 25th anniversary of World AIDS Day, President Barack Obama said nobody should be denied coverage due to any preexisting condition such as being HIV positive.

“And thanks to the Affordable Care Act, millions of insured Americans will be able to get tested free of charge. Americans who were uninsured will now be able to have access to affordable health care coverage, and beginning in January, no American will be again denied health insurance because of their HIV status,” Obama said.

GA. GROUPS ANALYZING PLANS BEST FOR LOCAL HIV CLIENTS

Dr. Gwen Davies, clinical director at Positive Impact, cites the success of the similar health insurance initiative that’s been in place in Massachusetts since 2006. “What you want is for people with HIV to have access to care, access to medication, and that’s exactly what they’ve seen happen in Mas-

President BarackObama praised the Affordable Care Act for ensuring those who are HIV positive will be able to get health insurance. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

DETAILS WWW.THEHEALTHINITIATIVE.ORG Atlanta Healthcare Town Hall Sponsored by The Health Initiative and Georgia Equality Wed., Dec. 11, 6:30-8 p.m.

Phillip Rush Center 1530 DeKalb Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307

sachusetts,” she said.

The website issues have delayed access to organizations looking to analyze plans for consumers.

“The issue is being able to tell people what plans are available,” Davies said. “Some of them have better coverage for medications than others, as far as those living with HIV.” The Health Initiative, in collaboration with The Rush Center and Georgia Equality, had hoped to have the analysis of the various health care options available for the community by early to mid-November. But due to Healthcare.gov’s technical glitches, a final analysis is expected in early December.

“There are five different insurance companies offering 68 different kinds of plans,” said Graham. “We’ll be analyzing the plans and looking at the formularies to see what kind of medication is covered.”

Armed with that information, they will

best be able to help those living with HIV decide on the plan that’s right for them.

To aid in the effort, The Health Initiative hired a navigator that will supply free support for consumers as they check eligibility requirements, choose plans and complete enrollment forms. However, people are advised to wait until the data analysis is done before contacting The Health Initiative for assistance and to set up an appointment.

Navigators are also available through the federal healthcare site as well.

Positive Impact will be offering more patient education for those living with HIV now that the website is running more smoothly.

Two staff members are also being trained as navigators. And, the organization will soon be able to offer their services to those with private insurance and Medicare. Previously, Positive Impact only accepted Medicaid.

“Our goal is twofold. One, it’s to make sure people we are already seeing can continue their care and keep their provider,” Davies said. “And two, we want to make sure that people are able to access it at any level of income.”

Complicating matters, however, was Gov. Nathan Deal’s refusal of federal funds to expand Medicaid in Georgia for lower in-

come individuals.

“That’s a huge problem,” said Davies. “An enormous number of our clients, maybe 70 percent of them, would have been covered by that Medicaid expansion.”

Graham calls it “probably the greatest challenge that people living with HIV statewide will face” adding that the majority of those living with HIV have incomes low enough to qualify for the expanded Medicaid offer.

The Ryan White Program offers help to those with HIV who don’t have the financial means for sufficient care, but Davies fears those funds could be at risk.

“We never know how much money will be in the Ryan White system year-to-year,” she said. “This year and next, it’s not such a problem for people with HIV, but it likely will be reduced after that because the assumption under the Affordable Care Act was that people with low incomes would be covered under the Medicaid expansion.”

“So if they need specialty care outside of the Ryan White funds, they will basically be indigent.”

The issue is expected to be used against Deal in next year’s gubernatorial election, in which the final result could have a major impact on healthcare options for lower income individuals, especially those living with HIV, for years to come.

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Atlanta mourns loss of ‘gay mayor’ Ria Pell More than 1,000 attend funeral for chef, activist

By DYANA BAGBY The news of Ria Pell’s death spread like wildfire via Facebook on the evening of Nov. 24. The chef and owner of Ria’s Bluebird in Grant Park had died that afternoon of an undiscovered enlarged heart while cooking at home, according to friends and family.

A loving tribute and family obituary in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution described Pell, 45, as the city’s “gay mayor.” The AJC obituary also stated, “though neither technically L, G, B or T, Ria’s queer butch love created space all around the country for people to be their true selves.”

Her family includes her wife, Kiki Carr, and her partner, Karen Portaleo.

Ben Cheeves, a co-owner of gay bar Mary’s in East Atlanta, came to know Pell around 2005.

“We both kind of came up in the punk scene,” he said. “We were going to shows in Little Five Points and East Atlanta. Ria Pell (File photo) We were like punk rock kids and became queer later. We bonded through music and queer politics.”

Pell started working in the restaurant business and worked for such renowned chefs as Anne Quatrano at the Floataway Cafe, a highlight of her career she told GA Voice last year.

In 2000, she opened Ria’s Bluebird in an abandoned liquor store on Memorial Drive across the street from Oakland Cemetery. Her success then led to numerous other businesses opening in that part of Grant Park, revitalizing a once decrepit strip of the city.

In 2009, Pell tried her hand with a new restaurant, Sauced, on Edgewood Avenue. She sold the business in 2012 after winning $10,000 on the Food Network’s popular reality cooking show “Chopped,” saying at the time she planned to dedicate more time to Ria’s Bluebird.

Pell was voted Best Chef in 2011 and 2013 by the readers of GA Voice and Ria’s Bluebird won Best Breakfast in 2011.

She was also a founder of Mondo Homo in 2006 along with Carr, Cheeves and several others. Mondo Homo was an alternative queer art and music festival that celebrated the otherness of Atlanta and the South’s LGBTQ scenes and politics. It staged itself away from the “assimilationist” attitude of the marriage equality movement, for example, and instead focused its energy on issues such as immigration rights and social justice for the poor while also throwing concerts with queer hip hop artists, flamboyant rockers and sexually titillating performance art.

The fest was discontinued last year.

Pell performed as DJ Hawg Tied for several years at the popular “Log Jam” parties at Mary’s that was especially created to cater to trans people, Cheeves said.

On Nov. 30, more than 1,000 people attended Pell’s funeral at Westview Cemetery. A procession of classic cars, hot rods, motorcycles, trucks and contemporary cars that began at Ria’s Bluebird on Cherokee Avenue and trailed nearly all the way to the Atlanta Zoo

fell in line with other vehicles on Memorial Drive to drive to the cemetery on the crisp, clear morning.

A party was held later that day at Ria’s Bluebird, and at night people released sky lanterns to commemorate Ria’s life. The party included a fireworks show that could be heard all the way to Decatur, according to friends posting on Facebook.

A Facebook page dedicated to Pell, named Remembering Ria, was created shortly after her

death and more than 5,000 people have “liked” it already. The page has become a place where people are sharing memories, stories, photos and videos of their friend.

People can make donations to the Pell family to help pay for expenses at www.riasmemorialfund.mydagsite.com.

Another memorial party and fundraiser is planned for Pell on Friday, Dec. 13, at the Variety Playhouse. Check back at www.thegavoice. com for details as they become available.

The

one

for me

Patient model. Pill shown is not actual size.

What is COMPLERA? COMPLERA® is a prescription HIV medicine that is used as a complete regimen to treat HIV-1 in adults who have never taken HIV medicines before and who have an amount of HIV in their blood (this is called “viral load”) that is no more than 100,000 copies/mL. COMPLERA contains 3 medicines – rilpivirine, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. It is not known if COMPLERA is safe and effective in children under the age of 18 years.

COMPLERA® does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses you must keep taking COMPLERA. Avoid doing things that can spread HIV-1 to others: always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids; never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them, do not share personal items that may contain bodily fluids. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information you should know about COMPLERA? COMPLERA® can cause serious side effects: • Build-up of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include feeling very weak or tired, unusual (not normal) muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold, especially in your arms and legs, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

• Serious liver problems. The liver may become large (hepatomegaly) and fatty (steatosis). Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice), dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored bowel movements (stools), loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach pain.

• You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking COMPLERA for a long time.

In some cases, these serious conditions have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions.

• Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you also have HBV and stop taking COMPLERA, your hepatitis may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking COMPLERA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health. COMPLERA is not approved for the treatment of HBV.

Who should not take COMPLERA? Do not take COMPLERA if you have ever taken other anti-HIV medicines.

COMPLERA may change the effect of other medicines and may cause serious side effects. Your healthcare provider may change your other medicines or change their doses.

Do not take COMPLERA if you also take these medicines: • anti-seizure medicines: carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Tegretol-XR, Teril, Epitol); oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenobarbital (Luminal), phenytoin (Dilantin, Dilantin-125, Phenytek) • anti-tuberculosis medicines: rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifater, Rifamate, Rimactane, Rifadin) and rifapentine (Priftin) • proton pump inhibitors for stomach or intestinal problems: esomeprazole (Nexium, Vimovo), lansoprazole (Prevacid), dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), omeprazole (Prilosec), pantoprazole sodium (Protonix), rabeprazole (Aciphex) • more than 1 dose of the steroid medicine dexamethasone or dexamethasone sodium phosphate • St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) If you are taking COMPLERA you should not take other HIV medicines or other medicines containing tenofovir (Viread, Truvada, Stribild or Atripla); other medicines containing emtricitabine or lamivudine (Emtriva, Combivir, Epivir, Epivir-HBV, Epzicom, Trizivir, Atripla, Stribild or Truvada); rilpivirine (Edurant) or adefovir (Hepsera).

In addition, tell your healthcare provider if you are taking the following medications because they may interfere with how COMPLERA works and may cause side effects: • certain antacid medicines containing aluminum, magnesium hydroxide, or calcium carbonate (examples: Rolaids, TUMS). These medicines must be taken at least 2 hours before or 4 hours after COMPLERA. • medicines to block stomach acid including cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), nizatidine (Axid), or ranitidine HCL (Zantac). These medicines must be taken at least 12 hours before or 4 hours after COMPLERA. • any of these medicines: clarithromycin (Biaxin); erythromycin (E-Mycin, Eryc, Ery-Tab, PCE, Pediazole, Ilosone), fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral) methadone (Dolophine); posaconazole (Noxafil), telithromycin (Ketek) or voriconazole (Vfend).

• medicines that are eliminated by the kidneys like acyclovir (Zovirax), cidofovir (Vistide), ganciclovir (Cytovene IV, Vitrasert), valacyclovir (Valtrex) and valganciclovir (Valcyte).

COMPLERA.

A complete HIV treatment in only 1 pill a day.

COMPLERA is for adults who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before and have no more than 100,000 copies/mL of virus in their blood.

Ask your healthcare provider if it’s the one for you.

These are not all the medicines that may cause problems if you take COMPLERA. Tell your healthcare provider about all prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements you are taking or plan to take.

The most common side effects reported with COMPLERA are trouble sleeping (insomnia), abnormal dreams, headache, dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, rash, tiredness, and depression. Some side effects also reported include vomiting, stomach pain or discomfort, skin discoloration (small spots or freckles) and pain.

Before taking COMPLERA, tell your healthcare provider if you: liver problems, including hepatitis B or C virus infection, or have abnormal liver tests • Have kidney problems • Have ever had a mental health problem • Have bone problems • Are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if COMPLERA can harm your unborn child • Are breastfeeding: Women with HIV should not breastfeed because they can pass HIV through their milk to the baby. Also, COMPLERA may pass through breast milk and could cause harm to the baby

This is not a complete list of side effects. Tell your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you notice any side effects while taking COMPLERA, and call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects.

• Have

COMPLERA can cause additional serious side effects: • New or worsening kidney problems, including kidney failure. If you have had kidney problems, or take other medicines that may cause kidney problems, your healthcare provider may need to do regular blood tests.

• Depression or mood changes. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms: feeling sad or hopeless, feeling anxious or restless, have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself.

• Changes in liver enzymes: People who have had hepatitis B or C, or who have had changes in their liver function tests in the past may have an increased risk for liver problems while taking COMPLERA. Some people without prior liver disease may also be at risk. Your healthcare provider may need to check your liver enzymes before and during treatment with COMPLERA. • Bone problems can happen in some people who take COMPLERA. Bone problems include bone pain, softening or thinning (which may lead to fractures). Your healthcare provider may need to do additional tests to check your bones.

• Changes in body fat can happen in people taking HIV medicine.

• Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider if you start having new symptoms after starting COMPLERA.

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

Additional Information about taking COMPLERA:

• Always take COMPLERA exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it.

• Take COMPLERA with food. Taking COMPLERA with food is important to help get the

right amount of medicine in your body. (A protein drink does not replace food. If your healthcare provider stops COMPLERA, make certain you understand how to take your new medicine and whether you need to take your new medicine with a meal.)

Stay under the care of your healthcare provider during treatment with COMPLERA and see your healthcare provider regularly.

Please see Brief Summary of full Prescribing Information with important warnings on the following pages.

Learn more at www.COMPLERA.com

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Not home for the holidays?

Plenty of Christmas Day food fare to choose from in metro Atlanta

by DYANA BAGBY Don’t have plans to go to a friend’s house or visit family out of town for Christmas Day? Prefer to keep your kitchen clean and enjoy the cooking of local chefs in some of the city’s gayest and gayfriendly restaurants? Then take a look at some of the places planning to be open on the week of Christmas, where you can enjoy a feast fit for everyone in your family – biological, chosen or both. And be sure to make reservations, y’all.

COWTIPPERS 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

1600 Piedmont Ave. 404-874-3751 www.cowtippersatlanta.com A gay favorite all year, steakhouse Cowtippers is open Christmas Day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

A special holiday menu is in the works, but you can also still enjoy everything from Armadillo Eggs to barbecue pork to Chuckwagon Baby Back Ribs, as well as any of their renowned burgers or steaks. Don’t forget the cocktails, too.

EINSTEIN’S 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

1077 Juniper St. www.einsteinsatlanta.com 404-876-7925 Also another gay favorite whatever the season, Einstein’s in Midtown is a popular place for LGBT people to gather to celebrate all year.

This year the restaurant is open regular hours on Christmas Day so diners can enjoy Sweet Tea Fried Chicken or North Georgia Trout as well as holiday specials. And, yes, enjoy spirits from the full bar as well, to keep you warm regardless of the temperature outside.

JOE’S ON JUNIPER Noon to midnight 1049 Juniper St. www.joesonjuniper.com Known for its patio and beer busts and rowdy good times, Joe’s on Juniper doesn’t shut down on Christmas Day for its loyal fans and will be serving up its signature bar food and other favorites from noon to midnight. Chow down on some wings or select from the Sausage Fest menu to celebrate the holiday, it doesn’t matter.

There’s also plenty of beer to choose from and, if you’re lucky, you might find a present to take home with you to keep celebrating the holiday (and burn off any extra calories) at the bar, wellknown for its cruisy atmosphere. Ho, ho, ho!

PARKERS ON PONCE 5 – 10 p.m.

116 Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur www.parkersonponce.com 404-924-2230

Einstein’s in Midtown will be offering up a full menu and holiday treats for those looking for a place to eat on Christmas Day. (Publicity photo)

The Decatur gay fave will close on Christmas Day but is open regular hours on Christmas Eve for those wanting to begin the celebration early.

Opened in 2007 by brothers John-Thomas and Christopher Scott to fill the void of a needed steakhouse in Decatur, Parkers on Ponce plays host to many LGBT events and organizations in its support of the community. Dishes include Flash Fried Calamari with White Bean Salad and Sweet Onion Aioli, New York Strip Steaks ranging in sizes from 10 to 14-ounces with any available with a lobster tail if you request; and Naturally Raised Roasted Chicken and Risotto with Wild Mushrooms. For dessert, choose from chocolate-bacon “paté” or a pecan pie sundae.

‘Tis the season to splurge.

G’S (formerly Gilbert’s Cafe & Bar) 4:30 p.m. – 2 a.m.

219 10th St. www.gsmidtown.com Gilbert’s Cafe & Bar begins its new chapter as G’s, a new American gastropub, on Saturday, Dec. 7, and plans right now are for it to be open regular hours on Christmas Day. In a recent press release the owners spoke about the eatery’s latest developments: “We are so proud to be a part of such a wonderful community,” said Gilbert Yeremyan, who opened the original Gilbert’s 14 years ago with his brother, Sean.“While we have always made changes over the years to improve Gilbert’s, we made the decision to start something completely new and reopen as G’s.

We adapted to bring the experience our guests’ demand with new food and drinks to enjoy a fun, dynamic energy that is G’s. The change represents a renaissance of sorts with new talents, new ideas and new tastes for our guests to enjoy.”

TEN 8 p.m. – 3 a.m.

990 Piedmont Ave. www.tenatlanta.com/ After you’ve spent the day with family and need to get out of the house, TEN offers its full bar (but no food) to patrons on Christmas Day. An option if you need it.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Gay food blogger gives ‘Savory Exposure’ to ATL Broderick Smylie offers up handy tips for those seeking fine meals

MORE INFO

By DYANA BAGBY

SMYLIE: It can get a bit crowded, but Holeman & Finch is a great place to go with a large group and try a number of different dishes and cocktails. I love The Shed at Glenwood, from Chef Todd Richards in the kitchen to the ownership — Cindy and Todd — I always feel at home there. The food is excellent and doesn’t break the bank. I love Octane Coffee — they’ve given me a new appreciation for coffee and they have an excellent beer and spirit program. I can get a good Manhattan and Negroni there in a pretty chill environment. I haven’t been to one of their beer dinners yet, but I’ve heard raves about them.

Broderick Smylie, 36, has lived in Atlanta for 11 years, residing throughtout the metro area from Norcross to Conyers to Decatur to Midtown. He’s always enjoyed food and has a special fondness for Asian and Mexican restaurants on Buford Highway and in Duluth — and, he says, don’t knock OTP dining until you’ve tried it.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Smylie moved to Atlanta to escape the snow and cold winters.

“It gets colder here than I first envisioned,” he says.

Smylie said he began writing his own food blog several years ago after following other food blogs he admired — Tami Hardeman’s “Running with Tweezers,” Hardy Wallace of “Dirty South Wine” and Matt from the former blog “Rowdy Food.”

“They’ve become my good friends and I was eating out at different restaurants in the city and documenting it. I had no idea that it would become as popular as it has,” he says.

“Savory Exposure” has definitely received its

Savory Exposure www.savoryexposure.com on Twitter: @savoryexposure

Broderick Smylie’s food blog ‘Savory Exposure’ is a fave for foodies to read. (Courtesy photo)

own great exposure — Smylie’s been named by Creative Loafing readers as “Best Foodie Tweeter” two years in a row; he was profiled in the November issue of the national publication Upscale Magazine; tapped as one of five noteworthy Atlanta food personalities in Creative Loafing; and featured on Atlanta Eats TV, to name a few. And, as an accomplished photographer, Smylie takes beautiful food porn photos for his website as well as on Instagram for his Twitter feed.

GAVO: What three spots do you try to take all of your out of town guests to?

Do you have a favorite food/dish?

There’s a seafood dish that my mother makes with salmon, onions and Jamaican spices that I love. I really need to learn how to make it myself.

What gay-owned restaurant or restaurants do you think every Atlantan needs to eat at before they die?

• Miller Union — I love recommending this

restaurant over on the Westside. They have a great bar program and Steven Satterfield does a great job with his constantly evolving seasonal menu. There would be riots if the farm egg in celery cream dish departed from the menu.

• 10th & Piedmont— When the DOMA decision was made [the Supreme Court struck down a major portion of DOMA in June] and the resulting rally was held, there was no doubt that I wanted to head to the epicenter where I was happy to get a perfectly made Manhattan and some craft beer while joining in the revelry.

• Joystick Gamebar — This bar is a lot of fun and these guys are masters at social media, even before they opened their doors. Their recent expansion has made an Old Fourth Ward gem a great place to hang out with craft beer and handcrafted cocktails.

• Amsterdam — Although there’s a craft beer revolution going on, some bars have been slow to make the transition. The folks that run the beer program here get it, run amazing specials, and occasionally have special kegs on offer by great breweries like Dogfish Head.

• Ria’s Bluebird – I couldn’t have a list without mentioning Ria’s Bluebird. Ria was beloved inside and out of the LGBT community, and she’ll be missed. She was a pioneer on that strip near Oakland Cemetery and it is a very different place now than when she opened. She’ll be missed.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘Strong and sassy’ behind the bar Lesbian mixologist Tiffanie Barriere keeps them flying at Atlanta’s One Flew South

by DYANA BAGBY Tiffanie Barriere was just a “bartender with wild ass ideas” when she started taking the profession seriously. She’s since become a wellknown mixologist in Atlanta, receiving press in local and national publications while heading up bar duties at One Flew South (since 2008) at the world’s busiest airport. One Flew South is also considered one of the world’s best airport bars, according to Forbes Travel Guide.

Barriere is also openly gay. She hails from Louisiana and has a passion for classic cocktails but isn’t afraid to try something new and experimenting with the Creole tastes of her home.

She’s known as the “Drinking Coach” (follow her on Twitter at @drinkingcoach) and follows a philosophy similar to the farm-to-table movement: the farm-to-bar philosophy of bringing fresh seasonal ingredients to complement the drinks she pours. She answered a few questions, including what’s her favorite drink, and also made a toast to her close friend, Ria Pell, a powerhouse in Atlanta’s food and beverage world who died Nov. 24.

GAVO: What’s the difference between a bartender and a mixologist?

BARRIERE: Great question. Folks identify this question so differently. They are not too far apart honestly. A mixologist to me is one that understands the capabilities and logic behind spirits and allowing it to work. A bartender “tends” the bar. One that can showcase service, know how to balance a cocktail, keep it clean and respect the craft.

Tiffanie Barriere can mix a drink to comfort any weary traveler at One Flew South located at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. (Courtesy photo)

equal parts of cognac, vermouth, and rye. There is a kiss of Benedictine and a few drops of bitters. Sounds complicated, however these three brown spirits combined feel so comfortable inside. That’s what I want to feel when I drink a cocktail, comfortable. It’s a sassy, strong cocktail from the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans and its volume and smoothness remind me of what I’d like to be when I grow up — strong and sassy!

Did you ever create a drink that was actually pretty horrible?

Plenty! Crafting a cocktail is trial and error.

Just because you like it doesn’t mean everyone does. It can be a challenge. I’ve tried to make cocktails with just about everything. Note to self: avacados are horrible in a cocktail.

What’s the best cocktail you’ve created on your own?

Ummm. I’ve done a cocktail I adore called What’s your favorite cocktail?

Rosy Cheeks. It had fresh rosemary and fresh My favorite cocktail is a Vieux Carre’. It’s blueberries incorporated with a small amount a beautiful cocktail and a little boozy, too. It’s of apricot liquor. I then doused it with Four Roses Single Barrel and stirred it cold. I chose to garnish it VIEUX CARRE ROSY CHEEKS with a red rose petal. It was (My Ria Pell dedication) outstanding to me! It lived 1 oz Adet Cognac 2 oz Four Roses Single Barrel on my cocktail menu at One 1 oz Bulleit Rye Flew South for four months 6 blueberries 1 oz Dolin Sweet Vermouth and it won third place in the Pinch of rosemary needles Four Roses cocktail competi2 dashes of Angostura Bitters tion.

1/4 oz Marie Brizard apricot liquor 2 dashes of Peychauds Bitters Ria Pell would always 3 dashes of Peychauds Bitters 1 Bar Spoon of Benedictine make me blush and bring Combine blueberries, rosemary, my spirits high. This cocktail Combine all in a mixer. Stir cold. and bitters to bottom of a mixer allows a connection with (Please don’t shake). Pour into and muddle until you smell the a rocks glass over fresh ice then sweets and classic single rosemary essence. Combine Four add the bar spoon of Benedicbourbon to flow smoothly, Roses and ice.

Stir cold.

Double tine. Garnish with a lemon twist. and that’s what me and my strain.

Garnish with a rose petal It may seem difficult, however bestie had. Rosy Cheeks is all and let the blushing begin. it’s worth every drop. for Ria Pell.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

12.06.13

GA VOICE | 29

AGLCC hosts 2nd annual ‘Out in the Kitchen’ Atlanta is so many things: the largest per capita LGBT population in the country. It was chosen by Southern Living as one of the top 10 tastiest southern towns, and, it’s a major center for business and commerce.

Combine all those ingredients into the mix, and it’s no surprise that the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce’s second annual Out in the Kitchen food tasting party is back for another season.

You’ll get an opportunity to experience some of the best of the best for all you gay foodies out there when Out in the Kitchen returns Dec. 12.

The festivities kick off at 6 p.m. and continue until 8 p.m. on the 27th floor Altitude room at the W Atlanta-Midtown hotel, located at 188 14th St.NE. Both the AGLCC and the W Atlanta-Midtown are particularly excited about the upcoming event.

“Last year’s Out In the Kitchen was a huge success, and we are thrilled to bring the event back this year,” said AGLCC President Suzanne Baugh in a press release. “Atlanta is home to some truly amazing chefs, and we are thrilled to showcase some of our best LGBT and [allied] chefs at our event. Guests are in for a delicious evening of fun.”

The culinary-focused holiday event will feature bites and tastings from Atlanta’s premier LGBT/Allied chefs, set in a social holiday party setting. Both members of AGLCC and non members are invited to take part in the gala affair.

“W Atlanta-Midtown is thrilled to be the host for this year’s event,” Spice Market Executive Sous Chef Chef Shean Suter,” was quoted in the same release. “We are a huge supporter of the AGLCC, and it’s an honor for me personally to come together with such esteemed chefs to support such an important cause.”

In addition to Suter, guests will enjoy tastings from the following chefs: Patric Bell-Good Bell-Good hails from The Barrelhouse, located in Midtown Atlanta. Highlights of their menu include Beet Hummus, Pumpkin Pancakes and a blackened angus burger known as “The Bobby Dodd.”

Frank Bragg Bragg is the man at Radial Café, located on Dekalb Avenue on the edge of Inman Park. Their

Linda Harrell Harrell is the chef at Cibo E Beve, located in Sandy Springs. An Italian focused restaurant, the eatery relies heavily on locally grown goods and

offers such experiences as skewered and grilled oversized figs, stuffed with gorgonzola and wrapped with prosciutto; and shrimp portofino, with bacon, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and port wine cream sauce over spaghetti.

Chris Flores At Ratio Bakeshop in Decatur, Chef Flores is satisfying your sweet tooth with yummy treats like a Chocolate Stout Cake with butterscotch buttercream, a carrot cardamom cake and peanut butter white chocolate chunk cookies.

DETAILS AGLCC’s Out in the Kitchen Dec. 12, 6-8 p.m.

Altitude Room at the W Atlanta-Midtown 188 14th St. NE, Atlanta, GA $20 for Chamber members, $30 for non-members www.atlantagaychamber.org/events/special-events.

With culinary talent like this, Out in the Kitchen is one event you don’t want to miss.

GA Voice staff

Terrific Thursdays December 5 • 12 • 19

great, glittering, giftastic!

Just miles east of Atlanta

seasonal shopportunities It’s time to get gifty!

p at Get th e in si dVeisscitoo ors C ente r ou r frie n dly 113 Clairemont Ave.

C LO A L

AP

Janine Falvo Falvo is the driving food force behind Briza, also located in Midtown. Known for its fresh, locally sourced ingredients, Briza’s menu boasts such delectables as Abercrombie Benedict, comprised of fried green tomatoes, ham hock and jalapeno hollandaise; and a smoked salmon sandwich, which includes hard boiled eggs, arugula, roasted tomatoes and chive aioli.

popular menu includes a Cuban Chicken Wrap with Mojo-marinated chicken, which comes with black beans, plantain salsa, orange-mojito glaze wrapped in a garlic-herb tortilla; and Lamb Penne, a roasted lamb shoulder, which comes with whole wheat pasta, pancetta, tomato, rosemary and pecorino-romano.

PR

D

Food tasting event brings premier LGBT chefs to W Midtown

E OV

Enjoy special in-store events, discounts and delicacies during Terrific Thursdays at Café Vivid Boutique, New Orleans Snoball Café, and Trinity Mercantile & Design – just a few of the 40 participating shops, stops, and restaurants around the city of Decatur.

visitdecaturgeorgia.com

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12.06.13

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THEATER BY JIM FARMER

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Charles Busch brings cabaret ‘tour de force’ to Actor’s Express

BOO

Performer/playwright takes reins as director His plays — “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom,” “Psycho Beach Party” and “Die, Mommie, Die!” — have been performed in Atlanta frequently over the years but Charles Busch himself has never been to the city. The playwright/ performer makes his Atlanta debut Dec. 6 at Actor’s Express.

It’s part of a mini-tour the writer/performer is doing, which includes New Orleans (“My ‘tour de force’ is two cities,” Busch quips). It’s a cabaret style gig that he came up with a few years ago when he was asked to perform on a gay cruise. He sings and tells stories from his decades in the business, such as an encounter with one of the Andrews sisters. Joining him on piano is openly gay Tom Judson, who also accompanied Varla Jean Merman when she appeared at the Express last year.

Creatively, this has been a new adventure for Busch. “I’ve been doing acts for decades and I’ve worked closely with directors,” he says. “And for this — it’s me, I’m the director.

It’s really fun. Each place we go, we put stuff in and cut. It’s like painting a picture.”

Busch has long credited playwright/drag performer Charles Ludlam as an inspiration.

Much of his own performing has been in drag and it’s an art he’s crafted, perhaps best in the film version of “Die, Mommie, Die!” Fate has stepped in many times in his life, says Busch, who lives in New York.

“My life has been a series of miracles from the beginning. When things were looking bad, something happened.” The New York Times review of “Vampire Lesbians” in 1984 gave him instant cred and has allowed him to work as an writer/actor ever since.

Certainly winning a Special Jury Prize for acting at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival for the film version of “Mommie” was another magic moment.

His comedic “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife,” though, might be the highlight of his career. It opened on Broadway in 2000 and was nominated for a Best Play Tony — as well as Lead Actress for Linda Lavin and Featured Actress for Michele Lee — and ran for 777 performances. (It played locally at Horizon Theatre not long after).

Busch has learned to dream within reason — it never crossed his mind that he could have a play on Broadway but he enjoyed it tremendously.

“I never dreamed of winning an Oscar,” he admits. “I wanted something achievable, like being able to open a solo show. There’s nothing better than having a show on Broadway.”

Another recent success was his comedy

Charles Busch, performing in his ‘impossibly glamorous cabaret act,’ as he calls it on Facebook, comes to Atlanta for one night only on Friday, Dec. 6. (Publicity photo)

DETAILS Charles Busch featuring Tom Judson on piano Dec. 6 at 8 p.m.

Actor’s Express 887 W. Marietta St., Atlanta, GA 30318 www.actorsexpress.com

“The Divine Sister,” which got Busch some of the strongest reviews of his career when it opened in New York in 2010. The play has traveled to cities across the country.

“I did that for fun,” he says. “It’s fun to play a nun. I fell in love with films on TV about nuns.”

He loves both the writing process and getting to perform — and getting to intertwine the two. “I go through phases,” he says. “I love writing a play, four times a day getting into that world. That is when I am the happiest.

But performing is special.” When he gets the urge to do so, it’s an itch he loves to scratch.

Busch says he has never really been in the closet. “I am very lucky,” he says. “I grew up in New York to a liberal family. My life is the plot of ‘Auntie Mame.’ (He came to Manhattan with his aunt after his mother died.) I was never in the closet. One day I was a kid then I was a sexual being. I came to sexual life post Stonewall. It was a great gift. I have never censored myself. I knew I was going to be doing drag and I don’t care what people think.”

Next up — rehearsals begin Dec. 17 for his new “The Tribute Artist,” an off-Broadway comedy at New York’s Primary Stages, opening in January with Busch as the writer and one of the actors.

His stay in Atlanta will be just 24 hours, so there will be little time to see the city. He is a rabid “Gone With the Wind” fan, however, and hopes to see the Margaret Mitchell House and the Fox Theatre while in town.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

www.theGAVoice.com

BOOKS BY Terri Schlichenmeyer

12.06.13

GA VOICE | 31

A tale of two gentlemen farmers Book by long-time partners explores rewards of raising your own food

It’s 10 minutes before lunchtime and your stomach is smarter than you are. You want to finish the project in front of you, but your stomach has other ideas. It snarls and aches and reminds you that breakfast was hours ago. At that point, you know you might as well give in, no matter what kind of work is on your plate.

You won’t get anything done anyhow.

But where will that next meal come from?

In the new book “To Eat” by Joe Eckand and Wayne Winterrowd, you’ll read a tribute to gardening and to knowing what’s really on your plate.

In early 1970, Joe Eck and his partner, Wayne Winterrowd, moved from Boston to Pepperell, Mass., into a 211-year-old farmhouse surrounded by wooded land and a vegetable garden. They’d always wanted to be country gentlemen, and according to them both, they could not have been more lucky than to start in that house.

There, they learned and they ate. They discovered gardening tricks, and they ate. They delighted in experimenting with crops… and they ate. Eating, they say, has always been central.

DETAILS “To Eat: A Country Life”

by Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd Farrar, Straus and Giroux $25. 194 pages

After a glorious year in Copenhagen (where chickens happily scrabbled on parquet floors and gardening was sorely missed), the men moved on to Boston, and a Victory Garden near the Fenway. In 1974, they moved onto 28 acres of weeds and woods in South Vermont. They named their estate North Hill, and set about making gardens, arbors and meals.

They planted four different kinds of apple trees, each “near sticks” when put in the ground. Those trees yield snacks and — ultimately — pies and sauce. Their spinach crop was good, but not as good as they had in Pepperell; then again, spinach is tricky.

Beets were used for salads and sides; carrots were found wild and cultivated; roadside “weeds” became delicious meals; and while they once grew unusual kinds of potatoes, they gladly saw their favorites become national

staples. They raised pigs, beef and chickens; and delighted in Brussels sprouts in winter, rhubarb in spring, lettuce all summer long, and onions in the fall.

“No matter how excellent… the produce of your best local supermarket may be,” they write in the pages of the book, “there is something deeply rewarding to growing your own food…”

Partly a love letter to the earth, and partly a paean to good eating, “To Eat” is one of those delicious little books that, like a great meal, you’ll want to savor.

With the circumspection of veteran gardeners, New England authors Joe Eckand and the late Wayne Winterrowd share their observations about growing plants, livestock, and being together. I took great delight in their quietly humorous stories of being gentlemen farmers; if you’re a gardener, you’ll find solid tips in each quick-to-read chapter and if you’re a gourmand, you’ll drool at the recipes here, too.

At just under 200 pages, this book will last you through two or three quick lunches or meal-preps, and it may give you some new ideas. So grab “To Eat” and take a bite!

32 | GA VOICE

12.06.13

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

www.theGAVoice.com

Season’s songs: From snowballs to matzo balls

By GREGG SHAPIRO The reissue of the Cotillion Records compilation “Funky Christmas” (Real Gone Music) gets off to a fabulously funky start with “May Christmas Bring You Happiness” by a quintet called Luther. Led by the late Luther Vandross (shortly before his disco breakthroughs with Bionic Boogie, Change, and subsequently soaring solo career) both of his tracks (including the other Vandross original “At Christmas Time”) are the main

reasons to unwrap this disc. Margie Joseph’s “Christmas Gift” and “Feeling Like Christmas” are also pleasant.

Comprised of songs culled from Gladys Knight & The Pips’ Christmas discs “The Christmas Album” (1975) and “That Special Time of Year” (1982), “The Classic Christmas Album” (Columbia/Buddha/Legacy) makes the season bright. Knight and company’s renditions of “Do You Hear What I Hear,” Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” “It’s The Happiest Time of the Year”

and “That Special Time of Year” are standout. A pair of cuts featuring Johnny Mathis, including “When A Child Is Born” and “The Lord’s Prayer,” wraps everything up with a pretty bow.

Speaking of Johnny Mathis, the legendary (and out) vocalist has been releasing Christmas albums since 1958. His latest, “Sending You A Little Christmas” (Columbia) is a delightful addition. More than half of the seasonal selections are duets with a stellar array of guests including Billy Joel (“The Christmas Song”), Natalie Cole

(“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”), Gloria Estefan (“Mary’s Boy Child”) and Jim Brickman (the title tune, co-written by Brickman), to mention a few.

“A Mary Christmas” (Verve/Interscope/Matriarch) by Mary J. Blige could just as easily be included in the above category, but her bright “When You Wish A Star” duet with none other than Barbra Streisand earns her a special slot in this category. In fact, Blige should be commended for her choice of duet partners throughout the disc, including bi Brit Jessie J (on the popular “Do You Hear What I Hear?”), gospel goddesses The Clark Sisters (on “The First Noel”) and Marc Anthony (on the bilingual “Noche De Paz/Silent Night”). Blige’s “The Little Drummer Boy” is also spectacular and her reading of “My Favorite Things” indicates that she ought to consider doing an album of standards.

What self-respecting queer doesn’t have both of Barbra Streisand’s Christmas albums – 1967’s “A Christmas Album” and 2001’s “Christmas Memories” in their holiday music collection? So as not to make Streisand’s “The Classic Christmas Album” (Legacy/Columbia) completely superfluous, think of it as a good way to initiate the next gay generation in the joys of Barbra at the time of the winter solstice. The disc, featuring 16 selections, split almost evenly, between the two source albums, would also make a lovely gift for straight friends and family members.

Nice Jewish boy Joshua Bell fiddles with friends on “Musical Gifts” (Masterworks). Bell jingles the holiday songbook with Alison Krauss (“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”), Straight No Chaser (on the “Nutcracker Medley”), Kristin Chenoweth (“O Holy Night”), Renee Fleming (“I Want An Old-Fashioned Christmas”), Placido Domingo (“O Tennenbaum”), Branford Marsalis (“Amazing Grace”), fellow NJB Michael Feinstein (“The Secret of Christmas”) and Steven Isserlis and Sam Haywood (“Baal Shem, Simchat Torah”).

Released in time for Hanukkah, the double disc set “It’s A Scream How Levine Does The Rhumba” (The Idelsohn Society), subtitled “The Latin-Jewish Musical Story: 1940s-1980s,” tells the tale of “Jews falling in love with Latin music.” From resorts to Bar Mitzvah parties and weddings, from mambo to limbo to cha-cha, Jews and Latin music go way back. The 41 tracks compiled here feature both Latino and Jewish musicians, such as Xavier Cugat, Ruth Wallis, Perez Prado, Carole King, Tito Puente, The Barry Sisters, Celia Cruz, Mickey Katz, Willie Colon, Eydie Gorme, Eddie Palmieri, Abbe Lane, Ray Barretto, and of course, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, among others. The spicy collection is suitable for playing at any winter holiday gathering.

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RNZ Photography

Event spotlight

SATURDAY, DEC. 7

Punlicity photo

The Atlanta Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are bringing Jockstrap Sister Twister to the Atlanta Eagle to be held on the first Saturday night of each month. $5 to enter and chances to win a $50 bar tab. Funds go to the support grants the Sisters give to community groups. 9-11 p.m., Atlanta Eagle, www.atlantaeagle.com

SUNDAY, DEC. 8

Publicity photo

The Israeli Consultate and Out on Film sponsor an encore screening of “Melting Away,” nominated for Best Actress by the Israeli Academy Awards. The film also won two Out on Film 2013 Jury Awards — Best Actress and Best Director. Tickets are $10 with the screening at noon. Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema. www.outonfilm.

SATURDAY, DEC. 14 Farm to Ear concert featuring Doria Roberts and Urban Cannibals. Farm to Ear is a bi-monthly event featuring local food and local music with a focus on food justice and support for food banks through can drives and monetary donations. The minimum fundraising goal for this show will provide 240 meals via the Atlanta Community Food bank. Red Light Cafe, 6:30 p.m., www.facebook.com/urbancannibals

BEST BETS 12.06.13-12.19.13

FRIDAY, DEC. 6

The annual Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia’s Winter Party is collecting kitchen items for CHRIS Kids. 7-10 p.m. at 868 Myrtle St. www.stonewallbar.org “Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker” opens at the Fox Theatre. Choreographed by John McFall, music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, live with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra. A holiday tradition that includes a fun-filled, magical adventure that continues to thrill audiences. Runs through Dec. 29. Various times and prices. www.foxtheatre.org The Winter Flame, an evening to support SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! will feature glass blowing, live performances, oral history as well as refreshments and more. General admission tickets on a sliding scale of $35-$100.

The event is from 8-11 p.m. at Studioplex, 659 Auburn Ave. http://thewinterflame.eventbrite. com/?aff=efbevent The Other Show — A FauxKing Extravaganza stars Celeste Holmes, Edie Cheezburger, Evah Destruction, Jaye Lish, Violet Chachki and Miami Royale. 21 and up to drink, $5 cover, show starts at 9:30 p.m. at Jungle. www.jungleatl.com

SATURDAY, DEC. 7

SEC Championship Charity Bust hosted

by LGBT bowling league Dixie Invitational Bowling Tournament. Money raised will go to charities. 4 p.m. at The Hideway. http://on.fb.me/HSAPuh

GA VOICE | 33

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two w ur online There are lusion in o c in r fo t n it your LGBT eve ars. Subm ice. d n le a c t n Vvo and pri ww.theGA or@ w to fo in t even to edit ail details -m e r o m co e.com. theGAVoic Brent Rence Corcoran/RNZ Photography

SUNDAY, DEC. 8 The 11th annual Toy Party and silent auction sponsored by For the Kid in All of Us featuring DJ Vicki Powell and DJ Sed. General admission is a new unwrapped toy valued at $20 or more plus a $5 cash donation. There is a VIP experience and also the Ultra Lounge. 5-9 p.m., America’s Mart Building 3. www.forthekid.org

SOMETHING GAY EVERY DAY! Bookmark www.thegavoice.com to get your daily dose of local LGBT events.

Savannah First City Network, Georgia’s oldest LGBT organization, is holding its December party at 202 W. Bolton St. in Savannah. Bring a non-perishable canned food to donate to Thomas Park Food Pantry. 7-10 p.m., www.firstcitynetwork.net/

Atlanta’s Every Womyn hosts its Taste of Christmas Charity Dinner and Show fundraiser for Lift Up Atlanta. The party includes savory and sweet treats from local restaurants and catering companies. There will also be music, entertainment and a silent auction. $12 for advance tickets, $18 at the door. 6-9 p.m. at UUCA - Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, www.eventbrite.com/event/8980530007

Ruby’s Redd Light District (the night of 1000 OMGs) includes free gift bags to the first 20 people to show up no later than 9 p.m. at Jungle. www.jungleatl.com

The Atlanta Bucks’ Miss Ruck-N-Maul: Down Under edition features hostess Ruby Redd and DJ Pat Scott. More contestants than ever are competing for the title. The Bucks are partnering with Lost -N- Found with a portion of the proceeds going to help homeless LGBT youth. 6:30 p.m. at Jungle. http://on.fb.me/17zDEXC

Dar Williams in concert at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., at Red Clay Theatre, www.eddieowenpresents.com

Southern Bears hold its holiday party from 7-9 p.m. at the Phillip Rush Center. http://on.fb.me/18F7x9n

12.06.13

Boys Toys, a toy drive for CHRIS Kids, with DJ Russ Rich. 10 p.m. at Jungle. www.jungleatl.com

SUNDAY, DEC. 8

Holiday Tea with DJ Joshuad. 7 p.m.-midnight at Jungle. www.jungleatl.com Holiday Party & Sing-Along hosted by the 414 Collective and the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition. Donation of $5 requested. 7-9p.m., First Existentialist Congregation, 470 Candler Park Dr.

MONDAY, DEC. 9

The weekly Stars of the Century drag show begins at 10:30 p.m. at Jungle Atlanta. www.jungleatl.com Every Monday is Juke Box Drag with Knomie Moore, 8-11 p.m. at Heretic. www.hereticatlanta.com

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11

The Health Initiative and Georgia Equality host the Atlanta Healthcare Town Hall meeting. The free forum will discuss how the Affordable Care Act impacts LGBT individuals, couples, youth and people living with chronic conditions such as HIV/AIDS. 6:30-8 p.m., Phillip Rush Center. www.thehealthinitiative.org Edward Austin Hall and Bill Campbell, coeditors of “Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond,” discuss multiculturalism, diversity and characters of color in genre fiction.

This is a Charis Circle from Margin to Center Literary Event. The suggested donation is $5.

7:30-9 p.m. at Charis Books and More. www.chariscircle.org

COntinued on page 34

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Georgia State University’s BlackOUT GSU chapter celebrates the 10th anniversary of BlackOUT with an ugly Christmas sweater party. 7 p.m., Urban Life Building, second floor. http://on.fb.me/1bdIEBw

Sing For Your Life Season 2 Live Auditions will include 15 singers/vocalists chosen from video submissions made in September. The singer with the most audience votes is automatically included in Season 2. SFYL debuted in 2012 and is a local singing competition formatted after national television shows of the same genre. Backed by live musicians and mentored by industry professionals, contestants receive performance coaching and style consultations in addition to media exposure. Tickets to the show are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. 18 and up welcome. Doors open at 8 p.m. at Jungle. www.SingforyourLifeATL.com

THURSDAY, DEC. 12

FRIDAY, DEC. 13

COntinued FROM PAGE 33 The annual Christmas carols sing-a-long at Blake’s on the Park features Dan Lax on keyboards. Complimentary food. 8 p.m. www.blakesontheparkatlanta.com/

The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce hosts the second annual “Out in the Kitchen” Holiday Affair featuring bites and tastings from Atlanta’s finest LGBT and allied chefs and restaurants (See story on page 29). Tickets are $20 for members, $30 for non-members.

6-8 p.m., W Atlanta-Midtown www.atlantagaychamber.org A holiday fundraiser for Open Hand, a non-profit organization that has provided meals to those with chronic illnesses including HIV/AIDS for 25 years, at Chow Bing. The restaurant will donate 20 percent of sales to Open Hand. 6-9 p.m., Chow Bing, 349 Decatur St. www.projectopenhand.org

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FRIDAY, DEC. 13

Paparazzi featuring the work of photographer Jon Dean. 10 p.m. at 10th & Piedmont. Dean’s work includes portraits of Atlanta drag queens including Lavonia Elberton.

(Photo by Jon Dean) http://on.fb.me/1gVdHKH

Traxx Girls presents the Showtime edition of Banjee Girl with exotic dancer Juice Box performing. www.mysistersroom.com Area 51 presents the Third Annual Visionary Arts Fair featuring artists Alex Grey and Allyson Grey. Live art, artists market, live music and performers are part of the fair that will also include the mystical sounds of Desert Dwellers, Chronicles of the Landsquid and SubSqwad w/Sugar Kayne. There will also be body painters, aerialists, fire spinners and flow artists. 7 p.m.- 4:20 a.m., Spring 4th Complex (QUAD, Center and Annex), 714-728 Spring St. NW. www.ticketalternative.com/Events/25465.aspx

Libby’s at the Express presents “Ho, Ho, Home for the Holidays and a Connie Sue Day Christmas!” It’s the annual celebration with Libby Whittemore who is joined this year

by Connie Sue Day, “the 31st Lady of Country Music.” Through Dec. 22. www.actors-express.com B.I.G. Productions presents Bear Invasion with DJ Doug Jackson and DJ Sean Mac. Doors open at 9 p.m. www.hereticatlanta.com

A memorial to the late Ria Pell of Ria’s Bluebird is planned at the Variety Playhouse with details still to be determined at press time.

SATURDAY, DEC. 14

The first annual Cynthia McKinney Coat and Blanket Drive for the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless. Politicians, hip hop artists, Freedom Fighters and everyday people will gather at Task Force for the Homeless to service families in need and the homeless. 10 a.m., 477 Peachtree St. www.homelesstaskforce.org

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GA VOICE | 35

Hotlanta Softball’s 2013 Jingle Ball includes $10 bottomless beer and specialty holiday cocktail and shots. Bring five cans of food and get a ticket for a raffle grab bag. Food proceeds go to Open Hand. Prizes for tackiest holiday attire. 3-8 p.m., The Hideaway, 1544 Piedmont Ave. www.hotlantasoftball.org

Opening night for gay Gay artist Aubrey Longley-Cook’s exhibition “Serving Face.” Runs through Jan. 14. “Serving Face” will showcase Aubrey Longley-Cook’s portraits of drag queens, paired with work created by his RuPaul Cross Stitch Animation Workshop – a collaboration of 35 artists. Opening night will be highlighted by performances from local drag queens Lavonia Elberton, Ellisorous Rex, Cayenne Rouge, Xee Xee Bow Dong, and Brigitte Bidet.

Presented by Barbara Archer Gallery and Erikson Clock at Erickson Clock, 364 Nelson St., Atlanta, GA 30313. http://on.fb.me/18i4d46

SUNDAY, DEC. 15

The McDowell Fine Arts Center Community Artist Series Team at Saint Mark United Methodist Church, in cooperation with AID Atlanta, present “Go Light Your World!” a concert to benefit AID Atlanta. Come hear stirring traditional and contemporary holiday favorites. Suggested donation of $12. Seating is first come first serve, so arrive early! All proceeds will benefit AID Atlanta. 3 p.m. at Saint Mark United Methodist Church, www.aidatlanta.org Wish List is a fundraiser for Joining Hearts that also raises awareness for the organization’s beneficiaries. Entry to the event is either a gift purchased from the 2013 Wish List for Jerusalem House and/or a gift card for a young adult at AID Atlanta ($25 minimum value for either option). Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served and complimentary specialty cocktails will be poured by Joining Hearts bartenders. 6-9 p.m. www.joininghearts.org Create Love! For Women Who Love Women hosts an evening of mixing and mingling. There will be erotic spoken word and wine. 7-10 p.m., http://on.fb.me/17zH5NX

SATURDAY, DEC. 21 DJ Joe Gauthreaux throws down at the Heretic for its anniversary party and CHRIS Kids toy drive. $5 cover before 11 p.m., $10 after. www.hereticatlanta.

Publicity photo

The Feminist Women’s Health Center hosts a night for people to share why feminism is needed, by telling stories, reading poems or manifestas and more. Featured performers include Tawny Powell and Akua Taylor. $5 suggested donation to go to Charis Circle. 7-9:30 p.m., Charis Books & More. http://on.fb.me/1ay4SkT

She Speaks! Presents the Brown Sugar Vibe’s “Wake Me Up” edition. Hosted by Lakara Foster with DJ E spinning. $10 cover. 7 p.m. at Kat’s Cafe, 970 Piedmont Ave. www.katscafeatlanta.com

'tis the

MONDAY, DEC. 16

season to be

Tamales for Justice! A GALEO Holiday Social Fundraiser for the Latino Voter Defense Fund and the Gainesville Voting Rights Act litigation. $50 cover. 6:30-8:30 p.m., DelCampo Weber and Grayson LLC, Dunwoody Farm House, 5455 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd. https://galeo.ejoinme.org/Dec16

JOLLY

TUESDAY, DEC. 17

The National Leadership Summit on HIV/ AIDS is a project of AVAC: Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention in partnership with the National AIDS Education Service for Minorities (NAESM) and openly gay state Rep. Keisha Waites.

The summit is a platform for dialogue among government leaders, public health professionals, and community-based organizations regarding the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in urban communities and the socioeconomic issues fueling it. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Coverdell Legislative Office Building, www.avac.org

Eat, drink, be merry, meet great people and see gorgeous jewelry and watches for the holidays at Worthmore.

Midtown: Sat., Dec. 7 - our Annual Antique Jewelry Roadshow; meet reps from MeisterSinger Watch, Galatea Pearl Collections and Makur Designs Decatur: Sun., Dec 8 - The Roadshow continues, plus enjoy another chance to meet Massis from Makur.

Throughout the day in both stores, we'll be serving snacks and holiday drinks to celebrate the season, so please stop by and join the party!

Fine jewelry, watches and art...

SATURDAY, DEC. 21

Atlanta Freedom Bands presents “Holiday Spectacular!” The Master of Holiday Ceremonies will be WSB Radio’s Chris Chandler.

Tickets are $15, $10 for seniors and $5 for students. 8-10 p.m., North Decatur Presbyterian Church, www.atlantafreedombands.com

...again! Thanks!

Amsterdam Walk + 500 Amsterdam Ave. + Atlanta + 404/892-8294 Decatur Square + 117 East Court Square + Decatur + 404/370-3979 www.worthmorejewelers.com

36 | GA VOICE

12.06.13

EDITORIAL

www.theGAVoice.com

EDITOR's NOTE BY DAVID AARON MOORE

Family & friends

Enjoying the company of others doesn’t have to break the bank Christmas in the Moore family household was never a lavish affair — but it was still a time for sharing a lot of laughter and showing each other how much we cared.

In the early years when my parents were on a tight budget, my dad and I would often cut down a tree in the massive wooded area behind our house.

When it came time to find the perfect tree, I had usually picked out a few for consideration earlier in the year and was able to point my father in their direction without much effort.

Looking back on those tree-hunting excursions now, I still hear the dry winter leaves crunching underneath our feet and I can see a very personal ritual between father and son.

In the years to come that ritual would change. When my father began to make more money it was decided that it was inappropriate for us to chop down a tree. Now we would buy one from a Christmas tree lot at the nearby shopping center. Nevertheless, the activity was still seen as the responsibility of father and son – my mother and sisters never participated.

When it came to gift giving — my memory of those childhood years is a bit fuzzy, although a few things stand out.

Seemingly every year, from at least one of us, my father was always the grand recipient of an Old Spice gift set — aftershave, shaving cream and soap on a rope. I can smell it even now. I can only imagine how weary he must have grown of that scent — yet he still accepted it year after year with a silly grin and a muttered thank you.

How many years I’ll never recall, but on multiple occasions my father would regally

present my mother with the distinctive bathrobe and bedroom slipper set — only they usually weren’t exactly a set.

Perhaps my dad was color blind — I’ll never know — but I’ll never forget the look of sheer horror on my mother’s face the year she opened one of her packages to find a vibrant pink quilted nylon and polyester bathrobe with a pair of neon acid green fuzzy bedroom shoes. As soon as our eyes met we both knew what she was thinking — but her face quickly softened before she turned to my father with a big smile and a heartfelt thanks.

For my sisters, and later for their children, I was prone to buying things that I thought were totally cool. They didn’t always share that sentiment, however.

The costume jewelry ring with a massive golf ball-sized blue faux sapphire surrounded by an endless array of tiny diamonelles may have looked fabulous on Agnes Moorehead’s finger in an episode of “Bewitched,” but for my 17-year-old sister it didn’t mix so well with bell bottoms and miniskirts. It disappeared quickly, never to be seen again. I was dismayed as what I then perceived as a lack of taste on her part.

Years later — at the height of the ’80s new wave craze — I was determined to make my eldest sister’s daughter the coolest little girl in town. I promptly purchased a purple vinyl mini-skirt along with shoes and a blouse that looked fit for any member of The Go-Gos or The Bangles. My niece totally kicked it to the curb when her mother offered up an ultragirly red crushed velvet dress with a frilly lace collar.

This time I wasn’t outraged, but it did make me question the role genetics played in personal taste (or lack of).

These days I have created my own secular sort of way to celebrate the season, which usually involves Christmas Eve at my place and parts of Christmas Day spent visiting with friends around town.

That’s the beauty I’ve found in the entire holiday season: it really is about spending time with the people you care about. And you don’t have to spend a ton of hard-earned dough on gifts that might not be quite the right fit, just to enjoy being with each other.

COLUMNIST

www.theGAVoice.com

MELISSA CARTER

THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID How far I have come The U.S. Transplant Games, and how they have affected my life

Melissa Carter is currently one of the Morning Show hosts on B98.5. In addition, she is a writer for Huffington Post. She is recognized as one of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta and one of only a few in the country. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCarter

It’s a tough decision, since the choice I make will affect me for months to come. But as a kidney transplant recipient, I will have the support of a community of family and friends. I’m talking about choosing what sport to participate in during next year’s Transplant Games.

The U.S. Transplant Games is an Olympicstyle event that takes place every two years.

The athletes all have one thing in common — they, alone, are not the sum of their parts.

Rather, they are all organ transplant recipients. This event, unlike any other, shows in vivid color how organ donation changes and saves lives.

Day after day, people who were at one time, literally on their death beds, are now swimming, biking, dancing and running. All of us are truly and gloriously alive because of the grace and love and generosity of another. Next year’s Games will take place in July at Houston’s Rice University.

I have participated in the Games since receiving my kidney in 2002, and each time has been a unique experience.

Let’s start with tennis. I spent much of my childhood and my teenage years on the hard court. So, of course, I assumed my training would prove successful at the Transplant Games. It didn’t. I didn’t make it past the first round. When I lost to a liver transplant competitor who was four months pregnant, I decided to retire my racket and try another sport.

Next was track and field. Having never participated in this sport, I approached my training with intense focus. My girlfriend, Katie Jo, is a sports freak. So she took on the role of my coach. As I worked at a nearby school running drills, she would time me on the track.

Come race day, I couldn’t tell you where I was in the pack of eight, but I knew I wasn’t first in the 100 meter dash. All the runners were jumbled in a pack as we crossed the finish line. When the announcement came that I had come in third and had won the Bronze medal, Katie and I jumped and screamed like teens at a One Direction show.

Now let’s talk about swimming. In an attempt to continue challenging myself and changing sports for each of the Transplant Games, I traded in my cleats for a swim cap.

The 50 meter freestyle would be my race.

Once again, Katie Jo was my coach. I quickly realized, however, I didn’t have the stamina I needed, nor the style.

I hit the water hard only to resurface with my goggles choking my neck and my lungs gasping for air. I spent my first several strokes struggling with my plastic noose, finally ripping the goggles over my head and throwing them to the side of the pool. The awkward splashing about I displayed did not prove medal-worthy, and I vowed from that moment on to limit my pool time in public.

The Transplant Games are a reunion for me. I catch up with my cousin and kidney donor Pam, who joins me at every event. I get to hear my biggest cheerleader, Katie, albeit with a Georgia t-shirt on and a Dale Jr. hat.

And I am always reminded of how far I have come from the girl who struggled to climb a flight of stairs. I used to dream of a day when I could be active again, and my transplant made that dream come true.

So no matter what sport I jump into next summer, it is the simple act of pinning a number to my shirt that means the most. It’s a number that’s a testament to the success and beauty of organ donation.

12.06.13

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12.06.13

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