12/04/20, Vol. 11 Issue 18

voice

georgia VOL.11 • ISSUE 18

ABOUT THE COVER: Cover photo by Shutterstock / Nomad_Soul

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

PO Box 77401 • Atlanta, GA 30357 P: 404-815-6941; F: 404-963-6365

BUSINESS

Principal/Publisher: Tim Boyd tboyd@thegavoice.com

EDITORIAL

Deputy Editor: Katie Burkholder

EDITORIAL

LGBTQ Georgians Will Make or Break the Next Four Years Katie Burkholder

kburkholder@thegavoice.com

Editorial Contributors: Conswella Bennett, Melissa Carter, Jim Farmer, Maria Helena Dolan, Buck Jones, Bill Kaelin, Ryan Lee, Peter Markham, Rose Pelham

PRODUCTION

Art Director: Rob Boeger rboeger@thegavoice.com

SALES

Sales Executive: Dixon Taylor dtaylor@thegavoice.com

Sales Executive: Jim Brams jbrams@thegavoice.com

Business Advisor: Lynn Pasqualetti Financial Firm of Record: HLM Financial Group National Advertising: Rivendell Media 908-232-2021 sales@rivendellmedia.com

Publisher Emeritus: Chris Cash

FINE PRINT

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4 Editorial December 4, 2020

The voting power of LGBTQ Americans is significant, and LGBTQ Georgians have another chance to use this power to enact serious, long-lasting change.

In an analysis of LGBTQ voters in key swing states, LGBTQ Nation found that Donald Trump may have won reelection if LGBTQ voters in Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin hadn’t cast their votes for Joe Biden.

Without the levels of LGBTQ voter turnout seen in the general election, LGBTQ Nation found that Georgia never would’ve flipped blue; among non-LGBTQ voters, 2,334,801 voted for Biden and 2,438,721 voted for Trump, leaving Trump to win the state. However, with an additional 140,340 LGBTQ voters voting for Biden and 24,136 for Trump, Biden took Georgia with a total of 2,475,141 votes against Trump’s 2,462,857.

The same is true of the other three swing states; LGBTQ voters in each state tipped the total votes in favor of Biden. Without these votes, Trump would’ve won an additional 57 electoral votes represented by these states and, thus, the election, with 289 total electoral votes against Biden’s 249.

These statistics reveal the sheer power of LGBTQ voters. While the LGBTQ community represents a small fraction of total registered voters, their disproportionate Democratic support coupled with the closeness of the recent election makes a huge difference.

LGBTQ voter mobility won Biden the presidential election, but LGBTQ Georgians have another opportunity to use their turnout to change the course of the next four years.

The upcoming runoffs for Georgia’s two Senate seats present a major opportunity for national LGBTQ equality. While this

election represents a chance to unseat Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loffler — the former of whose votes have earned him a 100 percent rating from anti-LGBTQ groups Family Research Council Action and Family Policy Alliance and the latter of whom has introduced anti-transgender legislation and been endorsed by the Family Policy Alliance — it also represents an opportunity to give Democrats an effective majority in both Houses of Congress.

What does all this mean? It means that LGBTQ Georgians, whose vote helped win Biden the presidency, will again have to mobilize to ensure legislation like the Equality Act, which will provide protection from discrimination for all LGBTQ Americans, is actually enacted. This election isn’t just a matter of securing positive representation for Georgia. We as LGBTQ Georgians now have a responsibility to the rest of the country, and in particular to our LGBTQ siblings across the nation.

Electing Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to the U.S. Senate won’t give the Senate a Democratic majority like the one in the House of Representatives. However, it will equate to a 50–50 split: with Ossoff and Warnock representing Georgia, there would officially be 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats in the Senate. Therefore, when votes on legislation result in a tie, it will be up to Vice President Kamala Harris to cast the deciding votes — giving Democrats a slim majority.

I got the opportunity to discuss the importance of the election with Ossoff, and he assured me that the stakes of this runoff have never been higher.

Biden’s presidential win is huge, but control of the Senate will make or break how his legislative agenda, cabinet selections and judicial appointments play out. If Perdue and Loeffler win in January, resulting in a 52–48 GOP majority, significant legislative promises Biden has made to LGBTQ Americans, like passing the Equality Act in his first 100 days, could be seriously impeded upon.

“With the stakes so high, we just need everybody to get out there and vote again,” Ossoff told Georgia Voice. “We’ve got to get back out to the polls and get everybody we know and everybody they know back out to the polls.”

Come January 5, let’s use our voting power to change the course of the next four years and officially put this country on the path toward LGBTQ equality.

If you are not registered to vote, you must register by December 7 to ensure your participation in the runoffs. Early in-person voting begins December 14. You can request your absentee ballot now at ballotrequest. sos.ga.gov.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

NEWS BRIEFS Staff Reports

Trans Woman Ashley Diamond Sues Georgia Department of Corrections Ashley Diamond, a Black transgender woman represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center, has sued the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) for the second time for its failure to protect her from sexual assault and provide her with adequate healthcare while incarcerated.

In February 2015, Diamond filed a lawsuit challenging the abusive conditions facing incarcerated transgender people in Georgia prisons, which led to a historic settlement agreement and rebuke of GDC from the federal court and the U.S. Department of Justice. But despite the policy changes her lawsuit created, Diamond was met with similar unconstitutional conditions when she re-entered GDC custody in 2019.

The newest lawsuit, filed Monday (November 23), argues that the GDC failed to protect Diamond from sexual assault and knowingly put her in danger, in violation of the Eighth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause to the U.S. Constitution, by denying her protection from sexual assault the GDC affords others simply because she is transgender.

As a result of a technical parole violation, Diamond, who was released on parole in August 2015, re-entered GDC custody in October 2019 and has once again been housed in men’s prisons where she has been sexually assaulted more than 14 times in the past year by other incarcerated people and GDC staff. According to the complaint filed, she also has been subjected to relentless sexual harassment and denied necessary treatment for her gender dysphoria.

“Being a woman in a men’s prison is a nightmare,” said Diamond. “I’ve been stripped of my identity. I never feel safe.

Never. I experience sexual harassment on a daily basis, and the fear of sexual assault is always a looming thought. I’m bringing this lawsuit to bring about change on behalf of a community that deserves the inherent dignity to simply exist.”

The lawsuit also alleges that GDC continues 6 News Briefs December 4, 2020

Screenshot photo

Ashley Diamond sued the GDC for its failure to protect her from sexual assault and provide her with adequate healthcare while incarcerated.

to provide unconstitutionally inadequate medical care to incarcerated transgender people. While Diamond’s first lawsuit reversed GDC’s policy refusing to provide hormones to transgender people, inconsistent access to hormones are all GDC now provides to a few transgender people – a far cry from the minimum standard of care required.

“We sued Georgia prisons on Ashley’s behalf before and, unfortunately, we’re having to sue again to end the abhorrent treatment of transgender people, particularly transgender women of color, in Georgia’s prisons,” said Beth Littrell, senior attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center. “Five years after changing its policies in response to our first lawsuit, GDC tragically continues to flout its legal obligations to protect transgender people in its custody. The assaults and threats that Ashley continues to face on a daily basis are based on the fact that she is a woman in a men’s prison – it’s intolerable and inexcusable.”

Diamond filed her case on the heels of the Transgender Day of Remembrance/ Resilience and Trans Week of Awareness to place it in the larger context of the work society must do to guarantee a world where trans people can thrive and to recognize the crucial work towards justice and safety being done by trans organizers themselves.

“My hope is that the future is brighter for people like me,” Diamond said. “I hope this lawsuit forever changes the way transgender people in Georgia are treated. This fight is not just my fight, it’s our fight.”

GLAAD Poll Reveals LGBTQ Support of Trump in Election Lower than Previously Reported While an exit poll published in the New York

Times (NYT) suggested that Donald Trump doubled his LGBTQ support from 2016, a new poll from GLAAD suggests otherwise.

According to the NYT poll conducted by Edison Research, 28 percent of LGBTQ voters voted for Trump, compared to 61 percent who voted for Joe Biden. A poll published on Friday (November 20) from GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, however, found that only 14 percent of LGBTQ voters cast their vote for the Republican incumbent, compared to 81 percent who voted for Biden.

The discrepancy can be blamed on differences in sample sizes. Edison’s findings were based on a sample of 250 LGBTQ respondents, with a +/-7 margin of error. By comparison, GLAAD’s survey was based on 800 respondents, 93 percent of whom voted, with a +/-3.5 margin of error.

“GLAAD’s poll confirms the impact of the LGBTQ vote as a deciding difference in the 2020 election, especially first-time LGBTQ voters who led a powerful surge of support for the pro-equality ticket,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “LGBTQ voters also revealed the devastating challenges they’re facing in the COVID-19 crisis and as healthcare is debated in the out-of-control pandemic, as well as the demand for racial justice, issues that led the way for the entire LGBTQ community. These issues reflect the compassion and intelligence of LGBTQ people, and the importance of intersectionality to the LGBTQ community and to America as a whole - that with a diversity of differences in age, race, gender and economic status, we can and will unite as a powerful voting bloc for change - and achieve it.”

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

NEWS

COVID-19 and the World’s LGBTQ Community Peter Markham We’ve all seen the devastating consequences COVID-19 has had on the lives of those who are disabled, of certain ethnic groups, or have underlying health problems.

What the pandemic has also managed to do is worsen the social and economic inequalities which already existed in communities. A report conducted by the United Nations found that LGBTQ people are a group of people who’ve become casualties of these shifts in societies around the world.

LGBTQ people are more likely to work or have worked in industries particularly affected by the pandemic, according to the UN report. Key employers of LGBTQ people, such as those in the grooming, retail, health and restaurant sectors, are some of those who have been hit hardest.

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK / VERA NEWSIB

The travel industry, long seen as an attractive, if stereotypical, place to work by some gay men, has been decimated. This has meant large numbers of people are being laid off in areas of the global economy which once seemed indestructible.

The UN report also uncovered evidence that some governments are using the pandemic as a way to bring about regressive legislation.

This includes legislation that increases penalties for HIV exposure, nondisclosure and transmission, which escalates the stigma those living with HIV have to confront.

When there is no longer a monthly paycheck coming in, the result can be that people are having to either move into unhealthy communal living spaces or go back to live in the homes of hostile families and communities.

LGBTQ people are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS. Charities such as Frontline AIDS have raised concerns that restrictions related to COVID-19 have caused extra obstacles for people to gain access to the treatment they need to stay well.

All lockdowns make excellent breeding grounds for isolation, anxiety and conflict with homophobic, biphobic and transphobic relatives. This all raises the danger of violence, especially for older people and youths.

A global survey on LGBTQ behavior on social media and dating sites concluded that more than a fifth of those taking HIV antivirals claimed their access to medication had been restricted or made more complex because of the pandemic. Worryingly, seven percent of those surveyed admitted that they either had or were at real risk of soon running out of their meds.

LGBTQ people are being demonized because they are “singled out, blamed, abused, incarcerated and stigmatized as vectors of disease during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the report concludes. Remarks made by political and religious leaders who put the blame for the pandemic on the very being of LGBTQ people have been cited in the United States and at least 12 European countries.

8 News December 4, 2020

In Hungary, a legal proposal designed to prevent trans people from changing their gender is now being challenged. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, waiting times were already lengthy for gender-affirming care.

These periods are being further stretched

and in some cases care is being stopped altogether with this kind of treatment now being viewed as “nonessential.”

Gender-based quarantines were also often found to be fraught with problems, especially in contexts “in which gender-diverse people do not have access to legal recognition,” the report said. The result has been a rise in abuse and mistreatment.

As it grapples with the effect on the economy, the United Kingdom’s government declared it was going to cut the funding of projects aimed at reducing the bullying of LGBTQ+ children in English schools. This is despite an acknowledgement that LGBTQ pupils are more likely to be bullied than others.

The vulnerability of LGBTQ people can be magnified when they also happen to be asylum seekers or refugees seeking indefinite leave to remain in the UK, for example.

Having already fled danger, they can find themselves at further risk of abuse and exploitation from immigration officers and human traffickers throughout their journeys.

Overcrowding in immigration centers can cause increased patterns of violence and

discrimination related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

According to evidence presented by the LGBTQ Foundation, those in the LGBTQ community are more likely to have poor mental health. This may manifest as self-harm, substance abuse, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts, as well as depression and anxiety.

LGBTQ people, the foundation says, also smoke more and are more prone to alcohol and drug misuse. These kinds of problems could be exacerbated by a fall in face-to-face support and disruption of regular routines.

The UN is calling on states around the world to acknowledge and embrace diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity and take steps to deconstruct stigma and use evidence-based approaches alongside LGBTQ organizations to respond to the pandemic.

Those countries which have a legal framework to protect minority groups and which embrace equality must ensure that the specific requirements of the LGBTQ people are not swept aside. The needs of the LGBTQ community must be fully understood and acted upon, not least to set an example to the rest of the world.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

LET’S CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS TOGETHER! NOW BOOKING FOR HOLIDAY DINING

BRING VARUNI HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

WWW.VARUNI.US • 404-709-2690

FEATURE

Restaurant Guide: Updates During COVID Grindhouse Killer Burgers: grindhouseburgers.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

5 Church: 5church-atlanta.com Dine in, carry out, delivery 57th Fighter Group: the57restaurant.com Dine in, carry out

Guac y Margys: guacymargys.com Dine in, carry out, delivery Gusto!: whatsyourgusto.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

10th & Piedmont: 10thandpiedmont.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Havana Sandwich Shop: havanaatlanta.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Aria: aria-atl.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Henry’s Midtown Tavern: henrysatl.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Atlanta Fish Market: buckheadrestaurants.com.restaurant/ atlanta-fish-market Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Highland Tap: nightcapfoodandspirits. com/highlandtapmain.html Dine in, carry out, delivery

Bangkok Thai: bangokthaiatl.com Carry out, delivery Bantam and Biddy: bantamandbiddy.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Home Grown: homegrownga.com Dine in, carry out

BeetleCat: beetlecatatl.com Dine in, carry out

Chops Lobster Bar: buckheadrestaurants.com/restaurants/ chops-lobster-bar-atl Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Bhojanic: bhojanic.com Carry out, delivery

Colonnade: colonnadeatlanta.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Bistro Niko: bukcheadrestaurants.com/ restaurant/bistro-niko Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Cooks & Soldiers: cooksandsoldiers.square.site Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Bones: bonesrestaurant.com Dine in

Corner Café: buckheadrestaurants.com/ restaurant/corner-cafe Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Busy Bee Café thebusybeecafe.com Carry out, delivery Buttermilk Kitchen buttermilkkitchen.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery Café Intermezzo: cafeintermezzo.com Dine in, carry out, delivery Campangolo: campagnoloatl.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

10 Feature December 4, 2020

Crazy Cuban: crazycuban.com Dine in, carry out, delivery Ecco: ecco-atlanta.com Dine in, carry out

El Super Pan: elsuperpan.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Houston’s: houstons.com Dine in, curbside pickup

Empire State South: empirestatesouth.com Dine in, carry out

Joe’s on Juniper: joesonjuniper.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Escobar Restaurant & Tapas: escobaratlanta.com Dine in, carry out, delivery F&B Buckhead: fandbatlanta.com Dine in, carry out F.R.O.G.S.: frogsmidtown.com Dine in, carry out Fox Bros.: foxbrosbbq.com Dine in, curbside pickup

El Azteca: Dine in, carry out, delivery

The General Muir: thegeneralmuir.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

El Bandido Mex Mex: elbandidogrill.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Grand China: grandchinaatl.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

KR SteakBar: krsteakbar.com Dine in, curbside pickup Krog Street Market: krogstreetmarket.com Dine in, carry out Kyma: buckheadrestaurants.com/ restaurant/kyma Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery La Hacienda: lahamidtown.com Dine in, carry out, delivery Lazy Betty: lazybettyatl.com Dine in, curbside pickup Lazy Llama Cantina: lazyllamacantina.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

CONTINUES ON PAGE 11 TheGeorgiaVoice.com

FEATURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 Little Rey: littlerey.com Dine in, carry out, delivery Maggiano’s: maggianos.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery Marcel: marcelatl.com Dine in, curbside pickup Manuel’s Tavern: manuelstavern.com Dine in, curbside pickup Marlow’s Tavern: marlowstavern.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery Mary Mac’s: marymacs.com Dine in, carry out, delivery Mediterranean Grill: mediterraneangrill.com Dine in, curbside pickup Mellow Mushroom: mellowmushroom.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

Miller Union: millerunion.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

papisgrill.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Taqueria del Sol: taqueriadelsol.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Momonoki: momonokiatl.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Roaster’s Rotisserie: roastersfresh.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Ted’s Montana Grill: tedsmontanagrill.com Dine in, curbside pickup

Murphy’s: murphysatlanta.com Curbside pickup

Sotto Sotto: sottosottoatl.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

TWO Urban Licks: twourbanlicks.com Dine in, curbside pickup

Nakato: nakatorestaurant.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Souper Jenny: souperjennyatl.com Carry out

The Varsity: thevarsity.com Drive-through

Nino’s: ninosatlanta.com Dine in, curbside pickup

South City Kitchen: southcitykitchen.com Dine in, curbside pickup

Varuni Napoli: varuni.us Dine in, carry out, delivery

Noni’s: nonisdeli.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

STK Steakhouse: stksteakhouse.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Waffle House: wafflehouse.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

OK Café: okcafe.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Tabla: tablaatlanta.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Wagaya: wagaya.us Dine in, carry out, delivery

The Pig and the Pearl: thepigandthepearl.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Taco Mac: tacomac.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Wahoo! Grill: wahoogrilldecatur.com Dine in, curbside pickup, delivery

Taverna Plaka: tavernaplakaatlanta.com Dine in, carry out, delivery

Willy’s: willys.com Dine in, carry out

Papi’s Cuban and Caribbean Grill:

December 4, 2020 Feature 11

FEATURE

Choosing the Choice Cuts

and Caribbean Grill A Mediterranean favorite! Succulent shrimp slowly simmered in garlic, butter and Spanish seasoning. Served over white or yellow rice with tostones and salad. 216 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, 404-607-1525, papisgrill.com

Yum! Georgia Voice staff shares their all-time favorite eats from around the city

Jim Brams, Sales Executive: Enchiladas Verdes, La Hacienda Two chicken enchiladas covered with salsa verde, topped with lettuce, sour cream and shredded cheese, served with rice and beans.

900 Monroe Drive NE, 404-941-7890, lahamidtown.com/

Black Bean Soup, Papi’s Cuban and Caribbean Grill A filling blend of black beans, malanga, garlic, cilantro, and Papi’s Secret Seasoning.

Greek Lemon Chicken, Taverna Plaka Half chicken served with roasted red potatoes and fresh cut green beans.

2196 Cheshire Bridge Rd., 404-636-2284, tavernaplakaatlanta.com Chicken Fried Chicken, The Colonnade Battered boneless chicken breast served with peppered gravy with two sides. 1879 Cheshire Bridge Road NE, 404-874-5642 Prime Rib, Highland Tap Slow roasted prime rib with one side.

1026 North Highland Avenue NE, 404-875-3673, nightcapfoodandspirits.com/ highlandtapmain.html Tim Boyd, Managing Partner/Publisher: Grilled Street Corn, Agave Sweet yellow corn on the cob chargrilled and topped with spicy roasted garlic butter, citrus crema & queso fresco. 242 Boulevard SE, 404-588-0006, agaverestaurant.com Lime & Garlic Marinated Flatiron Steak, Agave Grilled and sliced served with an ancho chile steak sauce & topped with peppers and onions accompanies with chile grilled creamed corn and a flour tortilla. Beef and Pork Meatballs, Campagnolo San marzano tomato sauce, creamy polenta, pecorino romano, and oregano. 980 Piedmont Ave NE, 404-343-2446, campagnoloatl.com Lasagna Matta, Campagnolo Fresh pasta, beef and pork bolognese, béchamel, mozzarella, and parmesan.

12 Feature December 4, 2020

Guava and Cream Cheese Empanada, Papi’s Cuban and Caribbean Grill A savory pastry turnover filled guava and cheese and fried with Guava drizzle.

Photos via Facebook

Clockwise from top left: Enchiladas Verdes from La Hacienda, Hawker’s Basil Fried Rice, the delicious Lasagna Matta from Campagnolo, and the tasty Lobster Fried Rice from Poor Calvins.

Bone-in Dry Aged Prime Kansas City Strip, Parker’s on Ponce Dry aged 28 to 35 days for tenderness and robust flavor. 116 E Ponce de Leon Ave, 404-924-2230, parkersonponce.com Blue Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates, Parker’s on Ponce Pine Street Market bacon, balsamic glaze, and fried mint.

Katie Burkholder, Deputy Editor: Basil Fried Rice, Hawker’s An herbal take on a classic favorite.

Eggs, onions, fresh basil and soy sauce.

661 Auburn Ave. NE Unit 180, 470-809-1586, eathawkers.com Roti Canai, Hawker’s Malaysian flatbread dipped in curry.

Chicken and Waffle Taco, Velvet Taco Crisp chicken tenders, peppered bacon, peppercorn gravy, green apple slaw, maple syrup, red chile aioli, chives, and a waffle tortilla. 77 West Paces Ferry Rd NW Suite

35A, 470-400-3900, velvettaco.olo.com East Pole Coffee Ice Cream, Butter and Cream Coffee ice cream made with East Pole Coffee Co. Traffic coffee beans. Rich and bold with the perfect amount of cream.

661 Auburn Ave. NE Suite 130, 404-709-2173, beltline.butterandcream.com Sophia Pizza, Antico Bufala, cipollini onions, roasted mushrooms, and white truffle oil.

1093 Hemphill Ave NW, 404-724-2333, littleitalia.com Russ Youngblood, Sales Associate: Shrimp Fajita, Las Margaritas Served with Latin rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, salad, pico de gallo, grilled onions, bell peppers, and grilled tortillas.

1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE, 404-873-4464, lasmargaritasmidtown.com Camarones al Ajillo, Papi’s Cuban

Chicken and Waffles, LIPS Atlanta A crispy fried chicken breast served over waffles with a cognac and peach maple syrup. Served as part of the Dragalicious Gospel Brunch. 3011 Buford Hwy NE, 404-315-7711, lipsatl.com Rob Boeger, Art Director: Southern Marinated Fried Chicken, Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours Marinated fried chicken served with 3 cheese macaroni, collard green roll, and garnished with a sweet potato apple chutney 1133 Huff Rd NW #D, 404-350-5500, twistedsoulcookhouseandpours.com Carnitas de Puerco, Superica 2X cooked heritage pork belly, tomatillo salsa with Mexican butter, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and house made flour tortillas. Served with Charro beans. 99 Krog Street, 678-791-1310, superica.com/krog-street Bucatini alla Bolognese, a mano Pork and beef ragu, ricotta over gluten-free fettuccini. 587 Ralph McGill Blvd. NE, 404-549-7727, amanoatl.com Lobster Fried Rice, Poor Calvins Fried rice with eggs, diced greens, and tempura lobster tail. 510 Piedmont Ave NE, 404-254-4051, poorcalvins.com TheGeorgiaVoice.com

FEATURE

Casseroles Offers Delicious Take-out Meals to Atlanta Families Conswella Bennett

the early days of learning what her customers wanted and needed. Casseroles eventually became a one-stop shop for those who want to pick up dinner for their families, food for parents who gave birth and people dealing with sickness, holidays, and potlucks.

Besides the main casserole dishes, they also offer fixings for salads, breads, and desserts.

Customers can choose from a frozen casserole to cook later or one from the cooler that they can warm up for dinner.

For almost ten years, Betsy McKay has been cooking and preparing comfort food in her take-out restaurant Casseroles.

McKay was no stranger to the restaurant industry — it was her career for most of her adult life — but she took a break from it and worked as a wine importer for three years after getting burned out and growing tired of long working hours. However, it didn’t take long for McKay to miss her time in restaurants.

Unlike many restaurants and businesses that were forced to close or have suffered from loss of business due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McKay said they still have a regular stream of customers who bought casseroles for their families.

She didn’t want the long grueling hours, so returning to her first career would have to wait. However, the wait wouldn’t be too long. In an interview with Georgia Voice, McKay recalled that the budding idea of owning her own restaurant came to her after visiting her mother.

Safety and cleanliness have always been a top priority for McKay and her small staff.

They were already operating according to the CDC guidelines with the exception of wearing masks. Now, they wear masks, take temperatures and practice social distancing.

They also offer curbside pickup and delivery to some locations.

After her mother had knee surgery, someone brought her a casserole. That casserole, a delicious oven-baked meal, got McKay thinking. She began to research and found that there were no take-out restaurants selling casseroles in Atlanta. “It was a great opportunity to get back into the food industry but not have the hassles of a typical restaurant,” McKay said.

Thus, Casseroles was born. Casseroles is a takeout shop with a professional restaurant-trained staff that prepares not only traditional singledish meals but also cuisines from around the world with a Hispanic, French or Asian flair.

According to McKay, the goal was simple: provide appetizing Southern comfort food. They offer a core menu of casseroles to choose from, but to keep it fun and exciting they also offer specials of the day.

The specials of the day are made from fresh seasonal ingredients. Casseroles also prepares all their dishes with fresh ingredients and 14 Feature December 4, 2020

Courtesy photo

Betsy McKay (second from left), owner of Casseroles, is shown with some of the kitchen staff.

makes all their own sauces and chicken and vegetable stocks. They also use herbs and spices to keep sodium content low without compromising the flavor of their casseroles.

As she prepares to celebrate ten years in March, McKay recalled with a chuckle that she never expected Casseroles to be as successful as it has become. In the beginning, McKay often

worked the front of the shop and in the kitchen prepping and cooking meals. It was while working in the front and listening to her customers that she implemented many of their suggestions and needs.

“The first couple of years the customers highjacked the ship, and I was running behind trying to keep up,” McKay remembered of

For customers who would like to come inside and pick out their casseroles and other side items, masks are required. Three people are allowed inside at a time, and workers disinfect after every customer. They ask customers who may be waiting outside to remain six feet apart and to remain six feet away from employees inside.

To learn more about Casseroles and their menu offerings, visit their website at casserolesatlanta.com or their Facebook page at Casseroles Atlanta. Casseroles is located at 1393 North Highland Avenue, behind the shops that face N. Highland (Highland Runners, Highland Diamonds). You can access the shop from N. Highland Avenue by a driveway found to the right of Sorrell Boutique.

TheGeorgiaVoice.com

FEATURE

Choosing Nutrition over Dieting When it comes to healthy eating, your best bet is a visit with a licensed nutritionist Conswella Bennett The countdown to healthy New Year’s resolution has begun, and it’s that time of year when we resolve to eat healthier and maybe even try to lose some weight.

While making the promise to eat healthier is easy enough, following through is often much more difficult. Instead of turning to Google to find tips to eating healthy, Lisa Jones, culinary nutrition educator (CNE) at Visionary Healing Center for Wellness, suggests investing in learning about how food and nutrition can be therapeutic and help with overall health.

According to Jones, making healthier eating choices and deciding to focus on your nutrition requires a total shift in mindset. After indulging in decadent holiday foods, many people decide to return to the gyms and to start some popular diet of the day in an effort to get in shape and attempt to be healthier.

In an interview with Georgia Voice, Jones suggests a “food and lifestyle change. Don’t default to cold and raw foods.” During January, a cold winter month when the resolutions are made, Jones said eating a diet of salads and/ or raw vegetables isn’t advised. “You end up feeling cold and your energy could be affected,” she added. She suggests eating warm foods like soups and stews instead.

When it comes to preparing your plate, Jones said vegetables should be the foundation, and animal products like chicken, fish, and steak should make up about half the plate.

Unlike most nutritionists who design meal plans, Jones said she and her husband, David, a licensed acupuncturist, work as a team to identify foods that are therapeutic to a person’s condition.

16 Feature December 4, 2020

Courtesy photos

David Jones, Dipl., M.S. LAc., a licensed acupuncturist, and his wife, Lisa Jones, Culinary Nutrition and Educator, work together as a team at Visionary Healing Center for Wellness.

“Unlike most nutritionists who design meal plans, Jones said she and her husband, David, a licensed acupuncturist, work as a team to identify foods that are therapeutic to a person’s condition.”

David performs the acupuncture, a form of Chinese medicine where thin needles are stuck into the body. After the procedure, he is able to diagnose different issues. He shares the diagnosis with Lisa, and from there she advises the client on food and nutrition best suited for their particular condition.

According to Jones, people can have pain in their bodies, like lower back pain, and not realize that it’s to do with something in their diet. She suggests paying attention to how you feel after eating certain foods, and while turning to the internet for nutrition tips can provide good information, she also suggests

coming and speaking to a nutritionist for a comprehensive wellness assessment.

Changing one’s diet, and learning and understanding the role food plays in the body and overall health, is a benefit of working with a nutritionist. They can help you understand the symptoms of low energy, fatigue, body pains, inflammation, mood swings, concentration problems, digestive issues and weight gain. “You want to work with someone who knows that food is our first line of defense against illness and understanding that food is a gateway of deep healing,” Jones added.

A nutritionist can help you learn which foods to eat for your unique needs. Eating right can help you get back to feeling your best, having more energy and feeling clear and strong.

At Visionary Healing Center for Wellness, initial half-hour consultations are free. Anyone interested in acupuncture and/or nutrition can learn more at visionaryhealing.org.

Visionary Healing Center for Wellness is located at 659 Auburn Avenue, Unit 130, Atlanta, GA 30312 and can be reached by phone at 678-820-8403.

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FEATURE

Mixology at Home with Rivulet Nothing makes the holidays merry and bright quite like the right cocktail. Bring the bar to your home with these deliciously boozy recipes, all made with Rivulet Artisan Pecan Liqueur. The nutty, caramel, and orange citrus flavors with vanilla cinnamon stick spice and butterscotch undertones make it the perfect base for the most jubilant libations and enticing treats this holiday season.

Rivulet Irish Creme 1.5 oz. Rivulet Artisan Pecan Liqueur 2 oz. Bailey’s Irish Creme Combine ingredients over ice in cocktail glass Mix well and garnish with chocolate shavings

The Rivulet Southern Manhattan • 2 oz. Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey • 1 oz. Rivulet Artisan Pecan Liqueur • Several dashes Orange Bitters Garnish with cherry and orange peel Delicious on the rocks or strained straight up

Rivulet Southern Eggnog 2 oz. Rivulet Artisan Pecan Liqueur Fill with eggnog Combine ingredients over ice in cocktail glass Garnish with nutmeg

Rivulet Chocolate Martini • 1.5 oz. Rivulet Artisan Pecan Liqueur • 1.5 oz. Vodka • 1.5 oz. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur Combine ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker Shake and strain into a cocoa-rimmed martini glass TheGeorgiaVoice.com

Rivulet Hot Apple Cider 2 oz. Rivulet Artisan Pecan Liqueur Fill with hot apple cider Garnish with a cinnamon stick

Culinary Delights From chocolate tortes and banana bread to pecan pie and glazed carrots, adding some Rivulet Artisan Pecan Liqueur to your favorite recipe won’t leave you disappointed!

Rivulet is a great addition to a bread pudding, creme brûlée, soufflé, cheesecake, and a host of other desserts.

December 4, 2020 Feature 17

18 Holiday Gifts December 4, 2020

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December 4, 2020 Restaurant Guide 19

YOUR VOICE

Beulah’s Day Buck Jones “Lee-beeze … ? Non, monsieur, nous l’avons pas,” is the standard response here in Paris as I go from one specialty store to another, asking if they had “Libby’s pumpkin mix” in a can.

This year marks our first Thanksgiving trying to make a traditional dinner since moving here in 2006. Actually, that’s not quite true; our first Parisian Thanksgiving, we hadn’t yet learned that reservations for Thanksgiving at the handful of American restaurants were necessary weeks in advance, so that first year we spent a full day buying ingredients and preparing various courses in our tiny Easy-Bake Oven-sized kitchen. Since then we have booked our table at Joe Allen restaurant at Les Halles. However, with COVID-19 restrictions in place, all restaurants are closed in France until January 2021. So, off we go in search of everything needed to recapture the scents and tastes of my favorite holiday of the year.

20 Your Voice December 4, 2020

As a child, my Thanksgiving meant time with my Great Aunt Beulah; to me, it was Beulah’s Day. Our entire family came from all corners of the civilized world — or at least the four surrounding counties — and would brave the often-icy roads to spend all day and night together at Beulah’s. Just hearing her name, which is a Biblical Hebrew term for “the Lord’s Country,” transports me back to her huge dining room that miraculously sat over a dozen adults, with a spillover table for kids and others in the adjoining study. Around that table was a pastiche of similar names from another age: Tory, Boyd, Ival, Elaine, Elsie, Letha, Mildred, Nora, and Irene.

While every family has its own traditions, there is a shared universal Thanksgiving experience: the food. Maybe that’s why I love this time of year so much. The sweater weather makes it the perfect opportunity for a gay man to add on a few extra pounds without too much guilt.

It’s a good thing, because I lose any self-control when serving dish after serving dish of stuffing, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and cornbread muffins is passed around the table.

Looking back at old family photos of decades spent at Beulah’s, I realize how much times

have changed. Obviously, gone are all of those wonderful people with the beautiful and now never-used first names. But there’s a distinct mid-century, middle class aesthetic that has departed. The men all wore ties (and smoked, for the most part) and talked about their next fishing trips, and the women wore dresses and heeled shoes and gossiped about their respective social circles. The men congregated around the color television in the living room and watched football (okay, that hasn’t changed), while the women “busied themselves” in the kitchen. I remember as a kid being torn between which orbit I wanted to be part of, a conflict I suppose most queer kids probably also experienced, but there was enough joy and laughter beckoning from each room that I never felt out of place.

Above all else, it was a place and time for love.

I guess today’s world is far more complicated, and people are more sensitive, or perhaps we’re just less polite with each other. We carry bitterness about an argument we had years ago or can’t stand someone because of their politics or have never really let go of some other perceived personal injury. I’m no longer naïve enough to believe that this

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK / RAWPIXEL.COM

was true for everybody else, but for me, it truly was. Gathered around that table were multiple generations bound together, not just as a family, but also in love. For that I remain eternally grateful.

Fast forward to today, and I’m doing my best to keep that tradition alive as I make some green bean casserole (using my great-aunt Mid’s recipe, the one she would bring to the monthly Woman’s Missionary Auxiliary potluck each month), baked macaroni and gruyere cheese (this is France, after all), potatoes au gratin, and since there is no Libby’s to be found, a homemade pumpkin pie. We’re also making a pecan chocolate pie, just in case the pumpkin doesn’t turn out.

We’re eating all of this deliciousness on Aunt Beulah’s good china. When she passed, she had handwritten in her will that I was to get all of her china. I guess she knew, maybe even before I did, that this little blond kid who loved Thanksgiving so much was going to grow up someday, and maybe, just maybe, carry on her tradition in his own way. With love and joy and lots of laughter.

Happy Beulah’s Day, y’all.

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REELING IN THE YEARS

The Rainbow Railroad The 21st Century Underground Railroad for LGBTQ+ Refugees María Helena Dolan What can you do when your homeland and your people — family, neighbors, colleagues, religious and educational institutions, judiciary, police, and the feared and uncontrollable extrajudicial gangs — despise who and what you are? When you’ve been subjected to — or at any moment may face — severe torture, forcible removal from everyone and everything you hold dear … and even an unquick death?

We in the West are now hearing dreadful stories of our people being abducted and tortured, or tortured in their own homes, or subjected to the horrors of “corrective rape” (that’s when a gang of men rape a woman so that she will throw down that disgusting lesbian life, and assume the mantle of “model hetero life” afterwards).

Or those of us who “just” suffer a life of constant vigilance required in an existence replete with almost endless harassment and constant fear, and the accompanying accumulation of wounds, physical and otherwise?

We know our people must get out, but how?

Rainbow Railroad, or RR, provides an important possible escape route. Rainbow Railroad is a dynamic nonprofit entity, begun in 2006 by queer Canadians. Rainbow Railroad’s sole purpose? To rescue queer people from life-threatening homophobia in their home countries and move them to more life-affirming nations. Over 700 people have been relocated since the group’s inception.

Rainbow Railroad is modeled on the Underground Railroad of 19th century TheGeorgiaVoice.com

SCREENSHOT PHOTO

“Rainbow Railroad is currently running a campaign called #60in60, where they pledge to rescue 60 people in 60 days, beginning on the first of November. #60in60 believes that the LGBTQ+ community and supporters will raise the $600,000+ needed to get our people out from their life-threatening horrors and move them to countries where they can breathe.”

United States. Historians estimate that up to 100,000 individuals fled Southern slavery for the North. Unsurprisingly, Canada was the destination for many passengers then, as it is today. Visit RR’s website for more information: rainbowrailroad.org.

Rainbow Railroad has extracted people from countries such as Chechnya, Syria and Barbados, and settled people into places like Canada, England and Belgium. Because of the difficulties dealing with the United States in the Trump era, we are not an RR destination.

Hopefully, this will change under Biden.

one person to be extracted and placed. Then, the mundane costs associated with building a life kick in, like housing, food, job search, and papers.

Rainbow Railroad is currently running a campaign called #60in60, where they pledge to rescue 60 people in 60 days, beginning on the first of November. #60in60 believes that the LGBTQ+ community and supporters will raise the $600,000+ needed to get our people out from their life-threatening horrors and move them to countries where they can breathe.

A careful vetting process exists, and once someone is selected, a group of dedicated individuals works in almost spy-novel fashion to get them out. Among other things, this means paperwork for various national entrances, verified transportation methods, back-channel government assists, waystation safe houses, and and other methods not discussed due to necessary secrecy.

Unfortunately, over 1,300 people so far this year have applied to Rainbow Railroad for help. And we will undoubtedly see more people willing to leave everything and become refugees.

Understandably, it costs about $10,000 for

Myself? I’ve lived as openly queer for over

It’s true, we make LGBTQ history each day we live our lives, and Rainbow Railroad is history in the making.

40 years. As a result, I have been lucky. Lucky to be part of some amazing and important things. Today, I’m lucky to have this pulpit.

And I am phenomenally lucky I was not born in any country I’d need extraction from. So, I do one pure thing this holiday season: help rescue one of us from dangers and death.

You know what comes next: I’m asking everyone to consider donating. Even living on a fixed income, I burn to be part of this history-making. Hence, my donation; and my household is doing additional fundraising.

Please consider making a donation Rainbow Railroad’s #60in60 Campaign, no matter the size. The recent elections proved that any donation, no matter how small, can make a big difference.

Here is a chance to make history. Why would you not grab it?

Donate to Rainbow Railroad’s #60in60 campaign at rainbowrailroad.org/ takeaction.

December 4, 2020 Reeling in the Years 21

JIM FARMER ACTING OUT

A Bevy of New LGBTQ Films Are Available to Choose From Jim Farmer Between a lesbian holiday rom-com, an acclaimed import, a captivating documentary and an Oscar contender, there is plenty of queer programming on tap recently.

One of the most appealing LGBTQ films of the year is David Freyne’s “Dating Amber,” which was a big hit in Ireland and played a few U.S. film festivals before now being available for streaming. The film follows two high school friends — closeted gay teen Eddie (Fionn O’Shea) and lesbian Amber (Lola Petticrew) — as they begin “dating” to fit in and keep their classmates from harassing them. Director Freyne wrote the script, and it’s based somewhat on his own experience. “I grew up where the film is set in a military family in a military town,” he says. “I really struggled to come out myself and I had a friend who later came out as a lesbian and I later thought how easy it would have been had we faked it. That was the germ of the idea. Some of the embarrassing moments are true to life.”

Ireland during the 1990s, however, was very different. “In terms of being a kid I was very insecure and not any way well formed. In Ireland, homosexuality was only decriminalized in 1993 and the film is set in 1995. These kids grew up in a world where they weren’t just taboo but criminal. That and with how Catholic it was shaped who you were. It was a toxic, difficult environment, but with it there was some warmth and love I wanted to bring to the film.”

“Ammonite” stars Kate Winslet as Mary Anning, a fossil hunter who — in 1840s England — is asked to look after Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan), a young married woman dealing with melancholia. The two 22 Columnist December 4, 2020

Publicity photo

Fionn O’Shea and Lola Petticrew star in “Dating Amber” out now on Prime Video, Fandango, iTunes and more.

women are different in many ways, but an attraction forms. “Ammonite” suffers in comparison to “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” which tells the story of forbidden love more palpably, with stronger chemistry between its two leading ladies. Winslet and Ronan are both swell actresses, but their affair seems scripted. Winslet’s Anning doesn’t have much in the way of a character arc. She’s dour in the beginning of the movie and pretty much the same at the end. What’s missing is any sense of how the romance changes her life.

Ronan is better able to convey her character’s dilemma. “Ammonite” isn’t a bad movie, but it feels like it should be more than it is. It’s nowhere as effective as director Francis Lee’s classic, “God’s Own Country.”

The new lesbian romantic comedy “Happiest Season” — directed by Clea DuVall — was supposed to open in theaters this Christmas, but has moved to

Hulu. Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) are a lesbian couple who go home for the holidays to Harper’s parents.

Abby learns, though, that Harper is not out to her family, who don’t know that Abby is her girlfriend. Like “Ammonite,” this pales a bit in comparison to similar work. Two years ago, Jenna Laurenzo’s “Lez Bomb” told a similar story with much more humor and a better used supporting cast. Dan Levy is the supportive best friend and does his usual shtick, while Alison Brie is wasted as one of the sisters. Most troubling is that there’s little chemistry between Stewart and Davis, whose character makes some ill-advised choices. Scenes between Stewart and Aubrey Plaza (as Harper’s ex) have more energy.

What partially salvages the film is Stewart, who is quite likable and convincing dealing with a family from hell. “Happiest Season” is middle of the road entertainment, but it does have a big heart.

Finally, Tania Cypriano’s documentary “Born to Be” is available. In New York City, the Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery is a one-of-a-kind facility where transgender and gender nonconforming people can quality for health care. Dr. Jess Ting is a plastic surgeon at the center who deals with all sorts of patients. He’s so in demand, the wait list for him is two years. “Born to be” charts many of the patients at the center and Ting’s decision to go into this line of work and how it affects his life and career. It’s well done.

MORE INFO “Ammonite” is in theaters and Premium On Demand December 4 “Born to Be” is in virtual cinemas Dec. 4, including the Plaza Theatre “Dating Amber” is now available on Prime Video, Fandango, iTunes and more “Happiest Season” is now streaming on Hulu

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JIM FARMER ACTING OUT

All-star Cast Elevates Film Version of “The Prom” Jim Farmer

the Broadway stage.”

Ryan Murphy is known for being busy, but when he saw the musical “The Prom” on Broadway in January 2019, he knew he wanted to add it to his schedule by making a film version. It didn’t take long before he had a heavyweight cast in place to tell the story of a teenage girl who wants to take her girlfriend to her high school prom.

The film production was shut down earlier this year because of COVID-19, but Murphy was able to resume filming this summer and renewed his priority to get it in front of audiences before Christmas.

The cast had to go through something of a boot camp before filming began. “We trained as much as we could,” Murphy said. “There is usually not a lot of rehearsal when you’re doing film or television, but we built it in.”

If the story sounds familiar, it should be for Atlanta audiences. “The Prom” had its world premiere as a musical at the Alliance Theatre in 2016 before moving to Broadway in 2018 and being nominated for six Tony Awards.

With a screenplay by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin and music by Matthew Sklar (all adapted from their earlier stage work),”The Prom” stars Meryl Streep and James Corden as Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman, two actors who have just opened in a Broadway flop. With prompting by fellow performers Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman) and Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells), the four decide to take up a cause to enhance their likability. When they find out about Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman) — whose high school shut down the prom because she wanted to bring her girlfriend — they realize coming to her rescue will be a great public relations move to boost their careers.

Others in the cast include Ariana DeBose as Alyssa Greene, Emma’s secret girlfriend, Kerry Washington as Alyssa’s mother and the head of the PTA, and Keegan-Michael Key as the school’s principal. Murphy and the cast took part in a press conference a few weeks ago to discuss the new musical.

24 Columnist December 4, 2020

Publicity photo by Netflix

Meryl Streep and James Corden star in Ryan Murphy’s film version of the musical “The Prom,” out on Netflix on Dec. 11.

“The heroine is from Indiana, and I’m from Indiana and was not able to attend prom,” Murphy said of the film. “It became a very personal thing for me, and I thought [the show] had so much joy. It was about something [important], but it was just fun. I had dinner with the producer and told him I wanted to make it. I loved how this made me feel. It was very old fashioned.”

Pellman, also from the Midwest, came out in high school and also personally related to the story. She counts herself lucky for having such a high-profile project as her film debut.

“Being able to tell this story with this cast is literally a dream come true,” she said.

“Every day on set was the best day of my life, learning from these people who I have been

looking up to for so long.”

DeBose is familiar to Atlanta audiences, featured in the Alliance’s “Bring it On.” A Tony Award nominee for “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical,” she will be seen as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s version of “West Side Story” next year.

What she loves most about the musical and the subsequent film version is its representation of two young women in love.

She noticed many young girls, especially young girls of color, in the audience the times she saw the work on stage. “I know how important it is to see yourself on screen. [Seeing this play] was the first time I had seen anything like my experience on

Streep had not seen the musical before Murphy suggested she see it. “I noticed the leading lady did not do a lot of dancing,” she recalls. “I was very encouraged, but all hell broke loose when I got to Los Angeles and they laid out for me what it was. It was a lot of dancing. I got in shape. It was hard work but really really fun.”

Washington, who admits she enjoyed playing the almost-villainous Mrs. Greene, believes that culture and work such as this can educate and spark change. “There is talk about how as a culture we have to heal now. I told a friend, ‘I think for a lot of people where they sit in the dark and have transformative thoughts is in movie theaters or [the] living room.’ When we watch these stories, they inform us of who we are as a society. We get a chance to see these stories and see myself or see who I don’t want to be.

This is a very powerful story of acceptance and the power to create community where you need it.

MORE INFO “The Prom” debuts in area theaters and on Netflix Dec. 11

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MELISSA CARTER THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

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Age and Loyalty Melissa Carter Hiroo Onoda was an intelligence officer in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Stationed in the Philippines, he was ordered to do all he could to hamper enemy attack on the island, and under no circumstances was he to surrender or take his own life. Onoda took those orders to heart, refusing to surrender even after the war ended. He remained in hiding until 1974 when his former commanding officer, who had since become a bookseller, came to relieve him of duty. Onoda had remained loyal to his mission much longer than was necessary.

I was oddly reminded of this story by my elderly dog. GiGi is now around 14 years old and in failing health. A Golden/Terrier mix, GiGi has been a loyal companion since I adopted her a decade ago. Rejected by several families because of her epilepsy, I gave her the name Greta Garbo because she didn’t want to communicate and hid in the corner of the kitchen for days upon entering my home.

Over time, GiGi came out of her shell and allowed herself to accept the fact she was finally in a loving forever home. Despite her condition, she has been a healthy and happy dog, yet still she remains true to her name, since she hardly ever makes a noise.

In the past year or so, age has started to get the best of GiGi. Cataracts have nearly 26 Columnist December 4, 2020

blinded her, her hearing is failing and her hind legs are losing their strength. It doesn’t matter how old you get or how many animals you have in your lifetime, watching one of your pets slip into the final stage of life is never an easy thing to see. But it’s a part of the decision to be with an animal, and my task as caretaker to an elderly woman is in full swing.

The reason GiGi reminds me of that aforementioned soldier is because she still attempts to be a loyal companion, even though she’s past the point of being able to do it effectively. Unable to hear where I go, GiGi will be standing shakily at the front door waiting for my return when I actually went upstairs. Or I’ll have gone downstairs to do the laundry, and my girl is standing at attention facing my closet door in the upstairs bedroom.

And those stairs are not easy for her to navigate. There are slips and falls, and even though I reassure her she doesn’t have to join me everywhere I go, GiGi won’t hear of falling behind in her service. We’re now at the point where I have to lift her onto the couch or bed, and at times I have to carry her all the way up the stairs so we can stay together.

The toughest part will be when I have to make the decision to officially relieve GiGi of her duty. When Onoda finally gave up, he was nearly 30 years older but remained in his uniform. I imagine GiGi the same way.

Despite her charming desire to stay, she’ll be the old lady who needs to be told it’s time to lay down her sword and go home.

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RYAN LEE SOMETIMES ‘Y’

Redemption for the AIDS Generation Ryan Lee Nearly 40 years after our nation told gay men their recklessness was to blame for the illness and death ricocheting through their ranks — a mindset that continues to traumatize a good number of us while still influencing policy — many Americans have essentially barebacked their grandma with a used syringe. I can’t rebuke those who were unable to abstain from their traditional Thanksgiving during a plague, since avoiding family during the holidays is more of a specialty than a sacrifice for me.

The holiday season, along with the last 10 months that COVID-19 has dominated human life, can wash our perception of the gay and bisexual men and transgender women who suffered during the earliest and most devastating years of HIV/AIDS. Individuals smoke cigarettes, text while driving and mindlessly engage in behaviors they understand can cause deadly harm to themselves or others, but the coronavirus pandemic has been a global case study in how people manage or ignore risk and suppress or satisfy desire.

It has, in many ways, offered redemption for the AIDS generation, from exposing the lethality of incompetent government leadership, to showing how easy it can be to prioritize one’s happiness over health. It also adds context to the personal decisions being made in the 1980s and 1990s and shows that gay men were not choosing between sex and death any more than modern folks were debating grandpa’s life versus cranberry sauce.

It was not the turkey, sides or desserts that brought most families together for Thanksgiving, but rather a fellowship they cherish or a defiant merriness in gloomy times. Sex is the vehicle for HIV transmission, but it is powered by our natural yearning for intimacy, validation and a relief from gloomy TheGeorgiaVoice.com

times — factors that continue to account for our persistent transmission rates.

However short-sighted these social and sexual engagements may seem, many Americans deemed them worth the risk — and some may consider them worth the consequences.

A grandma on her deathbed in 14 days might find more comfort in the memory of holding her newborn descendant than in her outlook on what would’ve been the twilight of her life.

And, although it feels sacrilegious to ponder, I’ve been wondering about those who might not fit the stereotypical HIV/AIDS patient of the ’80s and ’90s, who had as much shame and regret in his mind as virus in his blood cells. It’s comforting, given the documented widespread suffering of that era, to imagine a rebellious contentment overtaking someone in his last breaths as his sex life or moments of intimacy flashed before his eyes.

That is not the type of narrative highlighted by history or recently celebrated on World AIDS Day, but based on how Americans have operated since spring, it feels like a testimony that has gone untold. As with HIV/AIDS, humanity will be rescued from our current epidemic not by will power and virtue, but instead by pharmaceuticals.

I do not mean to romanticize irresponsibility, but rather puncture the righteousness through which many straight people view queer sexual behavior and health. We’re all the wrong pandemic away from being a panel on quilt.

December 4, 2020 Columnist 27