YOU MATTER AND SO DOES YOUR HEALTH
That’s why starting and staying on HIV-1 treatment is so important.
What is DESCOVY ?
What are the other possible side effects of DESCOVY?
DESCOVY is a prescription medicine that is used together with other HIV-1 medicines to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years and older. DESCOVY is not for use to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. DESCOVY combines 2 medicines into 1 pill taken once a day. Because DESCOVY by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1, it must be used together with other HIV-1 medicines.
Serious side effects of DESCOVY may also include:
®
DESCOVY does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. To control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses, you must keep taking DESCOVY. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to reduce the risk of passing 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.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about DESCOVY? DESCOVY may cause serious side effects: •
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Buildup 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 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.
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Changes in body fat, which can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicines. Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking DESCOVY. Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking DESCOVY if you develop new or worse kidney problems. Bone problems, such as bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.
The most common side effect of DESCOVY is nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away. What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking DESCOVY? •
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Serious liver problems. The liver may become large and fatty. Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turning yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; lightcolored bowel movements (stools); loss of appetite; nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area.
All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection. All the medicines you take, including prescription and overthe-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other medicines may affect how DESCOVY works. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe to take DESCOVY with all of your other medicines. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if DESCOVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking DESCOVY.
You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking DESCOVY for a long time. In some cases, lactic acidosis and serious liver problems have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions.
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Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. DESCOVY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking DESCOVY, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking DESCOVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
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If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.
Please see Important Facts about DESCOVY, including important warnings, on the following page.
Ask your healthcare provider if an HIV-1 treatment that contains DESCOVY® is right for you.
IMPORTANT FACTS (des-KOH-vee)
This is only a brief summary of important information about DESCOVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.
MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DESCOVY
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF DESCOVY
DESCOVY may cause serious side effects, including:
DESCOVY can cause serious side effects, including:
• Buildup of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: feeling very weak or tired, unusual 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.
• Those in the “Most Important Information About DESCOVY” section. • Changes in body fat. • Changes in your immune system. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. • Bone problems.
• Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; loss of appetite; light-colored bowel movements (stools); nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area. • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. DESCOVY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking DESCOVY. Do not stop taking DESCOVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.
You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking DESCOVY or a similar medicine for a long time.
ABOUT DESCOVY • DESCOVY is a prescription medicine that is used together with other HIV-1 medicines to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older. DESCOVY is not for use to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • DESCOVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others.
The most common side effect of DESCOVY is nausea.
These are not all the possible side effects of DESCOVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking DESCOVY. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with DESCOVY.
BEFORE TAKING DESCOVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. • Have any other medical condition. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-thecounter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with DESCOVY.
GET MORE INFORMATION HOW TO TAKE DESCOVY • DESCOVY is a one pill, once a day HIV-1 medicine that is taken with other HIV-1 medicines. • Take DESCOVY with or without food.
• This is only a brief summary of important information about DESCOVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. • Go to DESCOVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit DESCOVY.com for program information.
DESCOVY, the DESCOVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. DVYC0019 11/16
GEORGIANEWS
South Georgia trans teen making mark at University of Georgia Mars Hallman talks living in coed dorm, election to Lambda Alliance board
transition, and in the future plans to either live off campus or in a dorm that is separated by gender on a room-by-room basis instead of separated by hall. Hallman adds that UGA faculty have been “very respectful” of his situation, including referring to him by his chosen name of Mars instead of by his legal name, which he was assigned at birth along with his gender. “I’m in a foreign language class where second person pronouns are genders, and my teacher will end conversation in oral exams and correct students who use the feminine for me and tell them, ‘No, Mars is the masculine you,’” he explains. “So far all of my teachers have been very proactive in making it a safe space for me.”
By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com When Mars Hallman fought to get a GayStraight Alliance started at his high school in Nashville, Georgia last year, he hadn’t yet come out as transgender or gender nonconforming, fearing that it would hurt the chances of the club’s creation. Shortly after the club was approved, he came out as nonbinary. It made him realize that that was the last time he would compromise when it came to his sexual orientation and gender identity. “I maintained the label of lesbian to try to make the transition of adding a GSA to my community easier for myself and for other people around me,” Hallman said in an interview with Georgia Voice last winter, “and I realized that I don’t have to sacrifice myself to wait around for other people to catch up to me.” He’s taken that lesson to the University of Georgia, where he’s now a 17-year-old freshman international affairs and Arabic studies major. And he’s made a quick jump into a leadership role by being elected director of education for Lambda Alliance, the school’s LGBT student organization. Adjustment on multiple levels Hallman’s transition from high school to college was an adjustment on multiple levels, namely moving to a school seven times the size, and a city over 20 times the size, of his small South Georgia town. “Oh gosh, it feels like a huge city,” Hallman told Georgia Voice by phone from Athens last week. But there was also the transition on the LGBT front. Hallman lives in a coed dorm but on a female hall. “So that’s not fun,” he says. “But the RAs (resident assistants) have done everything they can to make it more comfortable for everyone.” He says he gets invited to go to events in the male halls, and his RA hosted a transgenwww.thegeorgiavoice.com
Mars Hallman, a 17-year-old freshman international affairs and Arabic studies major, lives in a dorm on a female hall but says the resident assistants have helped make it comfortable for everyone. (File photo)
“I’m in a foreign language class where second person pronouns are genders, and my teacher will end conversation in oral exams and correct students who use the feminine for me and tell them, ‘No, Mars is the masculine you.’ So far all of my teachers have been very proactive in making it a safe space for me.” —Mars Hallman on how the University of Georgia faculty have treated him as a transgender student der and gender nonconforming 101 panel so that his hallmates can learn how to address people respectfully within a shared space. “I think they’ve been adjusting very well,” Hallman says. “I’ve actually noticed them starting to change their language to be
more inclusive. They don’t call us ‘the ladies of 5-North’ anymore. Sometimes they’ll just call us ‘the kids’ or they’ll call us ‘5-N’ but they’ve dropped the ‘ladies’ part.” He doesn’t feel entirely safe living in an all-male dorm or hall at this point in his
‘He’s lived it, he’s done it’ Hallman has been frequenting the school’s LGBT Resource Center and attending Lambda Alliance events since arriving on campus, and quickly turned that into being elected to the organization’s board last month. And he plans on continuing a history of making positive change for his fellow LGBT students by pushing to get more faculty safe space training-certified. “Mars has a lot of good to offer,” says Rashad Small, senior coordinator at the LGBT Resource Center and faculty adviser for Lambda Alliance. “I think his experience coming from a smaller town in Georgia and facing adversity there when it comes to the Gay-Straight Alliance, he has a lot to offer to other student leaders who are older or younger. He’s lived it, he’s done it. He’s been able to provide a lot of good, real world experience to the students that are here with just the passion he has, the drive he has, and just the potential he has here.” Beyond college, Hallman wants to pursue a career as a foreign service officer in the U.S. State Department, where he would continue to feed his passion for public service. But when we spoke last week, he was more focused on what was coming up the following day—his first performance in a drag show. “Never in my life, living in Nashville, did I think I’d have an opportunity to perform gender. And now I’m in a safe enough space where I can say, ‘Oh bye Mom, I’ve gotta go to the drag show,’” he says laughing. December 9, 2016 News 5
GEORGIANEWS
Positive Impact Health Centers celebrates 25 years of service Details
AIDS service organization holding anniversary party at Center for Civil and Human Rights
Party With Impact Dec. 11, 2016 from 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 pm The Center for Civil and Human Rights 100 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd. NW Atlanta, GA 30313 positiveimpact-atl.givezooks.com/ events/party-with-impact-25-years
By MATT SCHAFER Anniversaries can be bittersweet moments for AIDS service organizations like Positive Impact Health Centers. With the celebration of their decades of service comes memories of those lost to the virus, and the realization that after 25 years their services are still needed, and will likely be needed for years to come. On December 11, Positive Impact Health Centers will celebrate its silver anniversary with a celebration at The Center for Civil and Human Rights. It will be a night to remember the past while discussing the future of an organization that provides medical, mental health and testing services to thousands in the Atlanta metro area. “We’re trying to get as many people who have supported us over the past 25 years; past employees, volunteers, donors, people who have used our services,” said Positive Impact Health Centers’ Olivia Chelko-Long, vice president of development and communications. “It’s a time to get together and share stories and the future of Positive Impact Health Centers.” The current organization represents a 2013 merger between two organizations: Positive Impact and AID Gwinnett. AID Gwinnett was primarily a medical organization and Positive Impact provided mental health services. “Both agencies were experts in different areas, and we tried to make both areas more consistent. So we brought medical care to the Midtown office and mental health to Duluth,” Chelko-Long said. Together, they provide medical care to 1,000 individuals with approximately thirty new patients a year, provide free testing to 7,500 people, and see 6,000 visits a year to their mental health groups. But, in the early days of the epidemic, both groups started out as resource-bare, nascent organizations trying to serve an unforeseen need. ‘I stopped going to funerals’ Jeff Irwin is currently the CLEAR Coordinator which focuses on risk reduction for individ-
there was no medication,” Irwin said. “Even with AZT it didn’t help a lot of people and it was toxic, and we probably hurt a lot of people with AZT. “I stopped going (to funerals) because it was becoming overwhelming. There would be months where there would be four or five funerals.”
Members of Positive Impact Health Centers’ staff, including CLEAR Coordinator Jeff Irwin (left, in blue). (Courtesy photo)
“What I remembered the most is these people who would throw their children out of the home, and then a year after that person died they would come back and become these incredible advocates and caring for people with HIV.” —Positive Impact Health Centers CLEAR Coordinator Jeff Irwin on the early days of the AIDS crisis. uals, but he started with AID Gwinnett in 1990. “I was just a counselor then, I was doing groups. That was a very part-time, grassroots sort of thing.” Irwin worked full time with the Grady HIV and AIDS program as a mental health counselor and started running support groups on Tuesday and Thursday nights. “The group was actually started by Beth Raizes; she was a nurse and realized that they were seeing a lot of men with AIDS and started doing support groups, and it grew so big she couldn’t manage it,” Irwin said. “Back in those days it was very informal. The group would often be men who had progressed to AIDS…. It would often be that friends, parents, people who had lost someone to AIDS come in and support the other people.” Not only did an AIDS diagnosis mean facing one’s mortality, it also could also cost friends and family.
“There was a lot of fear, there was an incredible amount of stigma and fear. I remember people throwing children out of the home,” Irwin said. “What I remembered the most is these people who would throw their children out of the home, and then a year after that person died they would come back and become these incredible advocates and caring for people with HIV.” Life expectancy in the early years of AIDS was often measured in months. The current cocktail of drugs that have turned HIV into a chronic condition hadn’t been developed, and first line treatment, azidothymidine (AZT), – iconically referenced in Jonathan Larson’s 1996 landmark musical “Rent” – was far from perfect. “We didn’t see people older than 30 years old. You might see 18, 19, 20-year-olds for a few months and then they’d be gone because
A life worth loving As medicine and medical treatments have changed lives, the length of lifetimes has changed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average lifespan of someone diagnosed with HIV who adheres to medication regimen is 51 years, compared to just 32 years without medication. While Positive Impact Health Centers still focuses on caring for those already HIV-positive, they also provide testing with an emphasis on early detection and treatment. Their most public role is testing, and this year 857 of their 7,500 HIV tests came in Piedmont Park during Pride in October. If someone’s test is positive, it serves as an entry point into Positive Impact Health Centers’ service network. “After the second positive test (often on the same day) we immediately link them with services,” Irwin said. “We link with social workers, support staff and potentially with a prescription that same day.” According to the CDC, numerous studies have shown that early intervention extends life and limits the potential spread of the virus. When it comes the future, Positive Impact Health Centers plans on growing its services and reaching out to more people, but like most HIV organizations they’d love to close their doors one day. “We would love to go out of business, we would love for there to be a cure, for there to be a vaccine,” Chelko-Long said. “We would love to not be needed right now.”
6 News December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
GEORGIANEWS
Openly gay mayoral candidate running in South Fulton Rafer Johnson seeks to be first mayor of newly chartered city, first openly LGBT mayor in Georgia
“We’re walking in with a surplus of $17 million and have lots of undeveloped land. We’re right next to the airport and have rail running right through our city. We’re set up for success. It’s about having the right leadership to take us to the next level.”
By KALEB CAUSEY One of the first things you notice when you talk to Rafer Johnson is that he loves South Fulton and he wants everyone to know it. “I’ve lived here since 2001. I built my first house here,” he said. “For me, it’s about having pride in our city. I want our kids and our residents to say they’re proud to be from South Fulton, not that they live near Atlanta or College Park.” Johnson, who is openly gay, is running to be the inaugural mayor in the newly chartered city of South Fulton after losing a bid last year for the Georgia House of Representatives. He’s worked for more than 30 years in business, served as chair of Fulton County’s Housing Authority during the Hurricane Katrina disaster and was chair of South Fulton NOW, the coalition dedicated to establishing South Fulton as a city. Johnson said he has no shame in his sexuality and it has helped equip him to serve in this role. He has marched in the Atlanta Pride parade and is married to Kelly Johnson, who serves on the board of directors for Georgia Equality. “We’ve faced a lot of adversity as gay people,” he said. “I know what it feels like to have challenges, uphill battles and have people count you out. I’m sure there’s going to be bumps in the road, and I’m not going to be easily shaken. We’re a new city and there’s people questioning if we can even do this.” If elected, Johnson would be the only openly gay mayor in Georgia, and though being gay is a part of his life, he doesn’t want it to define him. “I’m a candidate who happens to be gay, I’m not the gay candidate,” he said. ‘We’re set up for success’ South Fulton was chartered last month with 59 percent of citizens in the area approving the charter. The latest census reports approximately 87,000 people live in the city, but Johnson said the number is around 125,000 now due to rapid growth in the area.
The election for South Fulton’s first mayor takes place March 21 and their term starts on May 1. (File photo)
“We’re walking in with a surplus of $17 million and have lots of undeveloped land. We’re right next to the airport and have rail running right through our city. We’re set up for success. It’s about having the right leadership to take us to the next level.” —South Fulton mayoral candidate Rafer Johnson All cities face challenges when electing new officials and South Fulton is no different. Though they’re in a great starting place, he said. “We’ve been operating on our own as unincorporated South Fulton and have our own budget,” he said. “So we don’t have to start from scratch, but we do have new people. We have a two-year transition period ahead of us, but we have to take our time. That’s why I wanted to step up. I want to make sure that we apply the surplus that
Georgia projects for us, up to $17 million. We want to take our time and make sure we spend our money right.” With the surplus, a growing population and a passion for his city, Johnson said there’s a wealth of opportunity. “It’s about vision for the future,” he said. “I believe that the first mayor and city council have to be ones that are visionary, energetic and accessible to the people. We’re not facing challenges that other cities face. We don’t have those.
Election will be held next March Some of the bigger concerns facing South Fulton are taxes and establishing their own police and fire protections. The city has been under the umbrella of Fulton County’s police and fire departments. “We’ve had good people in our area,” he said. “But out of the seven people making decisions, only one lives in our area. The difference is now, we’d have total control. All of the officials would be coming from our district. They’re people who live here, eat here, shop here and send their kids to school here.” As for taxes, Johnson frequently repeats a phrase that best sums up his stance: hold the line. “I’ll definitely hold the line on that,” he said. “I don’t want to see our taxes raised unless it’s related to our property values going up. There’s no need to raise our taxes at this point at all. I want to develop more businesses in the community, so we can supplement what we have already.” The election will be held March 21 and the new administration will take over May 1. Until then, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has said he will establish a five-person commission to help establish the city. Johnson touts his accessibility as something he’s incredibly proud of and something he expects in whoever is elected mayor. He’s established a voter hotline for citizens in the area to call to have direct access to him. “I’m inviting residents to call with their hopes, dreams, concerns, fears and questions,” he said. “Anything they want to know, I’ll be there.” Johnson pointed to his experience and love for the city as why he’s the best candidate. “I want people to know that I come to the table with lots of experience and I come from the community,” he said. “I’ve been here since 2001 and I’m going to be here. Someone asked me the other day, ‘How do we know you’re going to be here?’ And I joked, ‘I just put in a sprinkler system.’”
8 News December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
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NEWSBRIEFS Georgia House Speaker: Punt ‘religious freedom’ issue to Congress Georgia House Speaker David Ralston says that the state should avoid another fight over the “religious freedom” issue and let Congress take on the issue. The comments came in a Dec. 2 appearance on GPB’s “Political Rewind,” where Ralston addressed the likelihood of taking on the issue for a fourth straight year when the next legislative session begins in January. “I think it is a federal issue, so I’m very content to let them deal with it. I don’t hear much discussion about it,” Ralston said. “There was a lot of concern in the period of time right after the veto, but I think as people have kind of stepped back and taken a look at it, I think they realize that it’s a little more complex and has dimensions that you might not expect when you flash up the words ‘religious freedom’ or ‘religious liberty.’ Because, you know, we all believe in that…. “So I think it would be healthy for the Congress to have a debate, and let’s see what they do….” Ralston also pointed to the example of Republican North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who lost reelection last month mainly due to his support for the anti-LGBT law House Bill 2, which restricted use of public bathrooms by transgender people and ended the power of local governments to enact LGBT protections. “Look at North Carolina…I don’t think many Republicans in North Carolina lost on general Election Day. I think he was the only one,” Ralston said. “Governor McCrory certainly became Exhibit A on this issue. They’ve had a lot of fallout from their decision to adopt a similar measure up there. Frankly, it would be irresponsible of us to ignore that.” State Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus), a vocal backer of “religious freedom” legislation, disagreed with Ralston, telling 11Alive that he considers it “a priority” in the next session. “I certainly intend to prosecute the case for this vigorously in this legislative session,” McKoon said. “And if we don’t get anything done in 2017, my goal is that any candidate for governor of this state, I hope one of the first questions people...ask them is, what’s your position on religious freedom?” The anti-LGBT House Bill 757 passed both chambers of the Georgia Legislature www.thegeorgiavoice.com
Georgia House Speaker David Ralston says the Legislature should avoid the “religious freedom” issue in the next session and let Congress handle it instead. (Photo via Facebook)
earlier this year but Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed it. 15 Atlanta companies get perfect scores on LGBT equality index The Human Rights Campaign released their annual Corporate Equality Index on Dec. 5, and of the 29 Georgia companies evaluated by HRC, 15 notched perfect scores, 16 earned 90 percent and above, and 17 earned 80 percent and above. The 15 companies with perfect 100s were: n Delta Air Lines Inc. n Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta n First Data Corp. n SunTrust Banks Inc. n NCR Corp. n Southern Co. n Coca-Cola Co., The n InterContinental Hotels Group Americas n Alston & Bird LLP n Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP n King & Spalding LLP n Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP n Troutman Sanders LLP n United Parcel Service Inc. n Home Depot Inc., The There were 9 companies that scored 40 or below, including: n EarthLink Inc.
Mohawk Industries Inc. Chamberlin Edmonds & Associates Inc. n HD Supply n Asbury Automotive Group n PulteGroup Inc. n Agco n Genuine Parts Co. n ARRIS Group n n
Genuine Parts Co. and ARRIS Group were the only two companies to get a zero. Nationally, a record 517 businesses earned a top score of 100 percent and the coveted distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.” HRC President Chad Griffin issued a statement in reaction to the scores, saying, “Even in the face of relentless attempts to undermine equality, America’s leading companies and law firms remain steadfast and committed to supporting and defending the rights and dignity of LGBTQ people. The unprecedented expansion of inclusive workplaces across the country and around the globe not only reflects our progress, it helps drive it. As we enter a new chapter in our fight for equality, support from the business community will be more critical than ever to protect our historic advancements over the last decade and to continue to push equality forward for workers, customers, and families around the world.” December 9, 2016 News 11
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“I’ve never really talked about this, but my parents are divorced. My mother left my father for a woman. And both of my two brothers are gay.” —Singer and actress Mandy Moore (“This Is Us”). (Byrdie, Nov. 29)
—Republican North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory conceding the election after losing a recount fight. McCrory was largely done in by his support for the anti-LGBT law HB2. (NBC News, Dec. 6)
“I think it would help them understand women. It’s such a vulnerable position to be in, and it’s such a passive position to be in. And there’s such an invasion, in a way, that even if it’s consensual, it’s just very personal. And I think there’s a psyche that happens because of it that makes you understand and appreciate what women go through their whole life, because it’s not just sexual, it’s a complete setup of the way the world works, that one sex has the ability to literally—and is expected to and is wanted to—but also there’s an invasion. And I think that that’s something most men do not understand at all.” —Fashion designer, film director and screenwriter Tom Ford on why he thinks all straight men should try bottoming at least once. (GQ, Dec. 5) December 9, 2016 Outspoken 15
IN THE MARGINS By Ashleigh Atwell
Raise hell in 2017 Ashleigh Atwell is a queer lesbian writer and organizer born and raised in Atlanta, GA.
“LGBTQ folks are a resilient people. We come from strong stock. We have survived decades of persecution and scored several victories. While I have been critical of the community, I can’t help but admire that when it comes down to it, we get stuff done.” It’s the most wonderful time of the year, y’all. Christmas is breathing down our necks, everything is covered in glitter and people are arguing about Starbucks cups. This is also a season of reflection as we prepare to enter a new year. This is the time when writers are supposed to write insightful articles that are supposed to inspire our readers to carpe diem in 2017. Last year, I summoned my inner Iyanla Vanzant and wrote one on this very page. There’s supposed to be some inspiring nugget of some sort but I want to be real with y’all: 2016 was a shit show. Prince and several other icons died, the Pulse shooting happened and now we’re stuck with Donald Trump as president. At the time of this writing, Trump’s victory is less than a month old but there has been an uptick in hate crimes. White supremacists are being normalized as the so-called dapper alt-right while Black Lives Matter is still being written off as thugs. We can’t even hope for Trump to lose his position because then we would be stuck with Mike Pence and that’s an even scarier prospect. I want to be hopeful and desire the same for you, my dear readers, but we’re living in scary times. Still, I think we can get through it if we have a fighting spirit. Yes, the election was a huge blow to us but we don’t have to take anything lying down. LGBTQ folks are a resilient people. We come from strong stock. We have survived decades of persecution and scored several victories. While I have been critical of the com16 Outspoken December 9, 2016
munity, I can’t help but admire that when it comes down to it, we get stuff done. I refuse to let the election of that little orange troll rain on my parade. If we’re stuck with him for four years, we need to give him and the Republican-infested Congress hell. If they try to pass some cockamamie law, we need to raise hell until they back off. Every time they turn around, we need to be all over them. I know there are people that have suggested that we “wait and see” what he will do but the proof is in the pudding. I can’t afford to ‘wait and see.’ This world has seen many atrocities because people who had the ability to act decided to remain passive. Despite what the right wing would like for us to believe, we have just as much stake in this country as they do. I was born here, I pay taxes and I voted in this freak show of an election. It was the blood, sweat and tears of my ancestors that made this country great, not those imbeciles running around in those tacky baseball caps. If I see this country headed in the wrong direction, I have the right to speak out against it. The Constitution guarantees my free speech and right to protest and I plan to use it. This is my home despite the racist, homophobic, transphobic, classist and otherwise despicable behavior that occurs on its soil. As James Baldwin eloquently stated, “I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” Happy Holidays, family. We will make magic happen in 2017.
Creepoftheweek Anti-LGBT billionaire Betsy DeVos tapped to head Department of Education By D’ANNE WITKOWSKI Donald Trump has tapped Betsy DeVos, super mega zillionaire and major hater of public schools, to head the Department of Education. The DeVos family, which basically owns the GOP in Michigan, has been kicking public education in the groin for years in the Great Lakes State, pushing for public education dollars to be funneled into religious, charter and for-profit schools instead. But why do so many right-wing conservatives hate public school so much? Because public school is the perfect mix of right-wing triggers like government (always incompetent!) taxes (always bad!), unions (always thugs!), thinking (always dangerous!), and the separation of church and state (not a thing!). Not to mention the fact that the federal gov’ment wants to protect LGBTQ kids. Now, DeVos is not such a big fan of LGBTQ folks. In 2004, Betsy and her husband Dick were major players in the successful effort to get an anti-gay marriage amendment into Michigan’s constitution. They donated $200,000 to the effort.
The DeVos family has given lots of money to rabidly anti-gay groups like the National Organization for Marriage, Focus on the Family, Betsy DeVos Heritage Foundation and the Family Research Council, of which Betsy’s father is a founding member. The reason why the “public” part of education is so crucial is that it is supposed to be free for all children. Dismantling the public school system would mean leaving the most vulnerable to fend for themselves. And LGBTQ students are in that category. DeVos claims she wants all kids to have a good education. Unfortunately, what she’s unleashed in Michigan is absolutely not accomplishing that. But hey, maybe DeVos won’t totally strangle public schools and squash all efforts to make life easier and education better for LGBTQ students. Unfortunately, the signs are bad at this point.
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WORK
IT!
Gay-owned home décor shop Found Co. opens in Decatur College roommates capitalize on Details Co. an idea 25 years in the making Found 335 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. By DIONNE N. WALKER Step into the stylish store at 335 W Ponce de Leon Ave. in Decatur, and you’re immediately ushered into a playground for the senses. Scents of Siberian fir waft gently through the air from high-end candles and diffusers tucked in nooks and crannies around the 1,400 sq. ft., industrial space. Eye-catching crystal geodes glint from floating shelves along the periphery while on a central, rustic wood banquet table, vintage-style magnifying glasses and cloches full of exotic plants beckon shoppers. Jazz music accompanies the cozy environment, made complete by a rear sitting area that is part display and part invitation to stay a while. If you’re not careful, you might forget that you’re in a store at all – and that’s just fine with Jason Shadix, co-owner of Found Co. Decatur, an avant-garde home store Shadix and Alan McArthur hope will transform the way people shop for and decorate their homes. Described as a reservoir for “collected objects and [an] apothecary for home and body,” the organic-themed shop full of distinct items is designed to get people to slow down, take in the sights and hopefully take home an item that brings natural, outdoor-inspired beauty indoors. “We’re not really a store that you’re just going to run in and run out,” said Shadix, who loves to see customers linger among the shelves full of minerals and vintage finds. “It’s really meant to be an experience.” That experience includes hand-curated and locally produced items chosen to complement items you already have in your home. Indeed, the store is best described as an eclectic pastiche of items, with an earthy theme. Think lots of glass, wood, minerals and amazing plants. The selection is purposely mixed old and new, sleek and homey, practical and whimsical. “There’s a kind of a movement called wa-
Decatur, GA 30030 678-515-3109 www.FoundCoDecatur.com
bi-sabi – appreciating the intersections in things,” Shadix said, referencing the popular Japanese aesthetic focused on embracing simple, authentic beauty. “We try to embrace that.” Shoppers discover more through ‘organized chaos’ It’s a boldly unique concept for a store, yet in the nearly four months since their opening along a busy retail strip in downtown Decatur, it’s proven a hit. “We basically filled the store with things we like,” Shadix said, adding that he and McArthur’s finds have been chosen less for commercial appeal and more to inspire. “People are buying our orchids, they’re buying our minerals, they’re buying the things we’re bringing in.” Some of that is no doubt due to home decorating trends. One need only look at a few design magazines or websites to learn that “organic glamour” – artisanal finds, botanical themes and natural materials - is one of the hottest emerging trends among interior designers and shoppers alike. But Shadix, who lives with his husband in Atlanta, believes his own design touch plays a role too. “I like to create little vignettes,” said Shadix, who pulls heavily from the tailored aesthetic in his own Grant Park bungalow. Found is arranged to look less like a store and more a like a botanical-themed den, with marble cutting boards and baskets, brass candlesticks and rustic fleur-de-lis finials scattered about waiting to be, well, found. “It’s not like things are set up on a shelf like little soldiers,” said Shadix, who thinks the more “organized chaos” approach encourages shoppers to discover more. “That’s our uniqueness, kind of the way we merchandise.”
Found Co. owners Jason Shadix (l) and Alan McArthur (r) in front of the Decatur business. (Courtesy photo)
A business 25 years in the making The store that hopes to transform the way people decorate their homes in Decatur was actually born in Athens, when Shadix and MacArthur were roomies at the University of Georgia 25 years ago. Back then, they were budding students who fantasized about owning an artsy coffee shop full of books, cards and lamps. Shadix said they dreamed of calling it Eclectic Electric. Then came graduation and life, taking McArthur to Tucson and Shadix on to a successful career in special events planning. McArthur would eventually return to Athens to open a spa, and not long after, the men revived their college fantasy of owning a cool boutique. “Over the years it changed and morphed,” Shadix said. “We always kept the conversation going.” Last year, the pair decided to get serious and finally pull the trigger on the idea that had been so many years in the making.
“Both of us were finally in a place at the same time to do it,” said McArthur, who had recently sold his business and found that Shadix also had more time in his schedule to commit to the effort. “We had the money and we started looking around and we found a place.” They instantly knew Decatur was the perfect spot and lucked up on a storefront in a residential building with lots of foot traffic. Since then, the pair has been settling into the space, trying to figure out the best way to advertise their unique wares and helping customers navigate through the eclectic selection. A recent Sunday afternoon found Shadix in the rear of the store putting finishing touches on fragrant, handmade holiday wreaths. The rain had cut down on shoppers along the strip, but that didn’t discourage Shadix from feeling their audience is on the rise. “We have to build it, and they will show up,” he said. “People are finding us - no pun intended.”
18 Community December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
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Eat, Drink & Be Merry Holiday cocktail cheer with
Tiffanie Barriere Popular Atlanta mixologist shares recipes, bartender commandments By PATRICK SAUNDERS psaunders@thegavoice.com When Atlanta’s citizens need to get filled in on how to make a good cocktail, one of the main voices they turn to is mixologist Tiffanie Barriere’s. The Houston native has previously overseen and operated the award-winning beverage program at One Flew South since the restaurant’s opening in 2008 at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Her work led to One Flew South being named “Best Airport Bar in the World” by Tales of the Cocktail in 2014. Barriere is an active member of Atlanta’s cocktail scene and is known by her nickname “The Drinking Coach.” She serves on the boards of the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival and the United States Bartender’s Guild, is a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, and has frequently judged cocktail challenges around Atlanta and the Southeast—including last winter’s Atlanta stop of the Key West Cocktail Classic. She is currently focused on developing her skills as a tequila aficionado with Avion Tequila, which was named World’s Best Tasting Tequila at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Barriere took time out from her schedule to put a holiday spin on her vast cocktail knowledge.
Santa’s Morning n n n n
2 oz. Vodka (your choice) 1 oz. Mint simple syrup** 1 half/squeeze of fresh lemon juice Topped with sparkling apple cider
Combine all EXCEPT cider into a shaker and shake cold. In a tall glass, pour shaken ingredients over fresh ice and top with sparkling cider. Garnish with fresh mint and wink at the
THE 10 BARTENDER COMMANDMENTS 1. Thou shall not lie! To your house guests that is! ALWAYS start the party on time. 2. Ice Ice Baby… Keep plenty of ice! When you think you have enough grab two to three backup bags of ice and put in the freezer or an ice bin. Ice makes a cocktail! Not just booze. 3. Keep juice around. Orange, cranberry, grapefruit, pineapple or your favorite flavor juice allows choices throughout the evening. And be careful of sodas—sometimes they go flat fast. 4. Keep your garnish game fresh! Fruit baskets are a must. Keep a basket of citrus, including six lemons, six limes and a few oranges to allow guests a choice to squeeze how they please. Herbs are just as lovely. Rosemary,thyme, basil and even jalapeños look good in a glass. 5. Plastic cups are cool and fun. They save on cleanup and you can write names on them with a sharpie if needed. Keep it interesting, fun and logical for cleanup! 6. Only shake cocktails if there is juice or sugar involved. Sugar and juice have to be shaken in a cocktail in order to gain a balance in flavors. If it’s all liquor i.e. a martini or a manhattan, be sure to build in a glass with lots of ice and STIR IT UP. 7. Shake with shakers. Support your habit and buy the right tools to get that professional taste. Spoons, jiggers, wine keys and stir spoons are a great look and proper. Also, punch bowls work great for large parties. 8. Room temp isn’t the best for fortified wine with botanicals a.k.a. vermouth. Keep all vermouth in the fridge. 9. Consider smaller bottles of tonic and and soda so that the carbonation can stay sharp. Large bottles tend to become flat the more they’re opened. 10. Keep plenty of water around for hydration. A balance of water to cocktails makes the night full of cheer not fear!
one next to you! **To make mint simple: n n n
1 cup of sugar 2 cups of water Handful of mint
Bring all to a boil until you smell mint. Allow cooling and store in glass container. Shelf life 2 weeks.
Atlanta mixologist Tiffanie Barriere served as a judge at the Atlanta stop of Stoli Vodka’s Key West Cocktail Classic last winter. (Courtesy photo)
Fiesta de December n n n n
2 oz. Avion Reposado Tequila 1 oz. thyme/ cinnamon agave ** 1 oz. POM juice Squeeze of half lime
Combine all ingredients in your favorite shaker, add ice and shake to your favorite holiday song. Pour over fresh ice into a rocks glass and garnish with thyme sprig or even a few pomegranate seeds. Toast to the holiday and shimmy! **To make thyme/cinnamon agave: n 1 cup of agave n 2 cups of water n 4-6 thyme sprigs / 6 dashes of cinnamon Bring all to a simmer (NOT BOIL) Allow cooling and store in glass container. Shelf life 2 weeks in fridge.
20 Eat, Drink & Be Merry December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
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Eat, Drink & Be Merry
Twisted Soul
reopens in West Midtown Deborah VanTrece’s Southern soul food with a spin wows old fans and newcomers alike By DALLAS DUNCAN At Chef Deborah VanTrece’s first restaurant in East Atlanta, there was a salad called the Twisted Soul. Nearly two decades and two restaurants later, the concept inspired VanTrece’s latest culinary creation. Her third restaurant, Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours, opened for business Dec. 3. “She’s just always enjoyed preparing foods that make people feel good,” said Lorraine Lane, VanTrece’s wife and bar and beverage director for Twisted Soul. “There’s nothing really simple about Deborah’s food, but it’s definitely good.” The recipes on VanTrece’s menu combine the comfort foods Southerners crave with flavors inspired from her global travels. There’s flash-fried chicken wings with coconut gravy, sweet tea baby back ribs, duck confit with sweet potato dumplings and peach cobbler parfait. For the less carnivorous, Twisted Soul offers a pasta bowl of spaghetti squash and charred tomatoes. And of course, the restaurant’s namesake is on the salad menu – yellow tomatoes, green beans, sprouts and pecan-crusted goat cheese are some of the key ingredients. Neighbors counted down days to reopening Mia Pertilla and Taylor Woody, who work at Tu La 2 Nail Salon & Company nearby, first tried Twisted Soul when VanTrece cooked up a menu for the salon. “It was delicious so we were like, ‘Okay, we can’t wait.’ We’ve been counting down the days,” Pertilla said. And the hours, Woody added. The day of the opening, both women tried to come early to beat the crowd, but found the doors didn’t open until 5 p.m.
“I’m just very excited that she has her space and her dream realized. Every chef I’ve ever met, we want our own spot, be it a food truck, a walk-up or a restaurant. For her to have her own space, to me, is huge.” —Chef Jennifer Booker on the reopening of Deborah VanTrece’s Twisted Soul Pertilla had the fried chicken dish with collard greens and sweet potatoes. “It’s like all the traditional soul food, but it has the twist on it. The collard greens are in a roll … I think the sweet potatoes were like a chutney,” she said. “It’s classic food, but it’s different.” William and Nicole Rhodes, who live around the corner from Twisted Soul, also praised the fried chicken. “It was really good,” William Rhodes said. “One of the hallmarks for me, if it’s prepared really well, is if you can have a breast or any white meat and it’s still moist. I found all of the chicken to be very moist and really tender.” The two had their eye on the restaurant for weeks, patiently waiting until it opened. “We wanted to support local businesses and absolutely wanted to come and try it out,” Nicole Rhodes said. “I got the ox tail and it was great. The ox was extremely tender, which is also a good sign. Extremely flavorful; well-seasoned. The pappardelle [pasta] was a nice pairing with it, actually. It was cooked really well.” She even got seconds – not of the ox tail, but an entire second dish. The server brought out a piping hot bowl of gumbo, garnished with a snow crab leg, once her entrée was finished. VanTrece’s wife handles cocktail menu VanTrece spent most of opening night in the kitchen, her signature cat-eye glasses keeping an eye on the back-of-house staff. It was evident her 20 years in the culinary
Deborah VanTrece’s Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours celebrated opening night on Dec. 3. The fried chicken with collard greens and sweet potatoes is a favorite. (Courtesy photos)
industry paid off with this “third time’s a charm” eatery. Her first restaurant in Atlanta was Edible Art Café, followed by the original Twisted Soul in Decatur. “Decatur, it was a good opportunity for us, but she wanted to branch out and have her own creative freedoms,” Lane said. The business partnership ended last December, but it wasn’t long before preparations kicked off for Twisted Soul No. 2. The new restaurant, which seamlessly blends vibrant vegetables and flowers reminiscent of Georgia’s 12-month growing season with rustic, darker elements of wood paneling and cast iron décor, has an open atmosphere where the bar takes center stage. That’s Lane’s domain, where her hand-infused mason jars of moonshine hold a place of honor on the shelves. Lane became VanTrece’s right-hand woman in the restaurant industry after the two met on an online dating site. Though Lane claims the culinary world is all her wife’s, she said VanTrece challenged her to be more of what she was capable of. That’s how she wound up expanding her bartending experience into
full-on menu pairings and drink development for Twisted Soul. The moonshine selection is Lane’s signature. “We use American Born Moonshine, White Lightning, then I infuse it with various flavors. This summer we played around with a ginger-infused moonshine. We have one called the ‘ginger moon.’ That’s our newest one,” she said. She offers a moonshine flight of four flavors: lemon-basil, spicy watermelon, pineapple and ginger. Lane is also proud of Twisted Soul’s signature cocktail offerings – though she wouldn’t give out any trade secrets, she advises new diners to try the New Old Fashioned, which has “just a hint of sherry.” Family, friends and Atlanta restaurant elite came out to celebrate with Lane and VanTrece on the rainy Saturday night. Chef Jennifer Booker, Atlanta-based cookbook author and owner of Your Resident Gourmet, was among the crowd. VanTrece came to Savannah to support Booker’s participation in a cooking event called Black Hand in the Pot, so Booker wanted to return the favor by coming out for the restaurant grand opening. “I’m just very excited that she has her space and her dream realized,” Booker said. “Every chef I’ve ever met, we want our own spot, be it a food truck, a walk-up or a restaurant. For her to have her own space, to me, is huge.”
22 Eat, Drink & Be Merry December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
Eat, Drink & Be Merry
Virginia Willis
shares recipe, top holiday entertaining tips Lesbian Atlanta celebrity chef also working on new cookbook By DALLAS DUNCAN Ask Chef Virginia Willis what she does in her spare time, and her first response will likely be a chuckle. The lesbian Atlanta-based cookbook author, celebrity chef, and Southern Living columnist jokes that her home is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. But 99 percent of the time, Willis is in a kitchen of some sort, whether it’s her own, cooking up lamb for a get-together or that of a fellow Southern culinary artiste. It’s been that way most of her life. “There’s pictures of me making biscuits at three years old with my grandmother,” Willis said. “I took cake decorating classes in junior high and I would make cakes for the neighborhood moms for their kids. When I was 12 years old, I was selling birthday cakes.” A few years later, Willis was an apprentice on Nathalie Dupree’s television cooking show. Dupree convinced Willis to attend culinary school. She attended two, L’Academie de Cuisine and Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne, in addition to completing a degree in history from the University of Georgia. History and two French culinary schools may seem an odd combination for a Southern chef, but it all comes together in Willis’ latest book, set for release in spring 2018. “Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South” will take history buffs and aspiring home cooks alike on a journey from the heavily Vietnamese-inspired cuisine in Houston, Texas, to the barbecue sauce-less scampi-like “barbecue shrimp” dishes of the Italian culture in New Orleans, Louisiana, onto Georgia’s own White Oak Pastures, where owner Will Harris took his family farm and reinvented ways to raise livestock.
CHEF VIRGINIA WILLIS’ HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING TIPS 1. Spread the Love: The main thing is to remember it’s supposed to be about being together, not stressing about what foods are being served. One good tip is to “spread the love” — don’t try to do everything yourself. Be organized however and if you ask friends and relatives to bring dishes, then be specific. When I host our big holiday gathering, I generally plan on providing the main dish and ask for friends and family to bring side dishes, bread, salad, or dessert. It’s important to be specific so you don’t wind up with four dishes of the same thing. 2. Balanced Menus: Believe me, I know (especially after being in charge of her TV kitchens) it’s really easy to want to go full Martha Stewart and make everything from scratch and the happy holidays can quickly become a stressful daze. Create party menus that are a blend of store-bought, carry-out, and homemade. There are tons of great food artisans in the Atlanta area, let them help set your table. 3. Raise the Bar: Instead of having a full bar at a party, consider making one signature cocktail in batches so that all you have to do is make a pitcher or two then pour it over ice. Or, it can be something as simple as apple cider and prosecco garnished with pomegranate seeds. Then, perhaps offer one white and one red wine. Definitely make sure to also have festive non-alcoholic beverages, as well. You want your guests to have a good time yet not over-indulge.
“It will have traditional as well as more non-traditional Southern foods,” Willis said. “I’ve been trying to educate people about what real Southern cooking is and how the South is this really big place. I mean, we take up a quarter of the country. There’s a lot of Southern cuisine.”
Chef Virginia Willis is currently working on her next book, “Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South.” (Photo courtesy Ten Speed Press)
Spinach Parmesan-Stuffed Beef Tenderloin The truth is that the tenderloin actually doesn’t have a lot of flavor. That’s why you most often see it wrapped in bacon or served with a horseradish cream sauce. In this stunning dish appropriate for a holiday feast, I’ve stuffed it with a savory combination of spinach and Parmesan, which really bumps up the flavor. 1 (31/2-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper n 6 garlic cloves, very finely chopped or mashed into a paste with salt n 1 cup cooked spinach (thawed if frozen), squeezed dry and chopped n 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese n 2 tablespoons pure olive oil n n
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Using a sharp knife, butterfly the tenderloin by cutting it open lengthwise, taking care not to cut all the way through and leaving a spine so you can open the tenderloin like a book. (Or ask your butcher to do it.) Season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Rub the garlic paste on the inside of the tenderloin. Spread the spinach over the inside surface to cover. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Reform the tenderloin and tie every three inches with kitchen twine to hold in the filling. Heat the oil in a large roasting pan and sear the meat on all sides over high heat. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat and stuffing reads 120 to 125 degrees for medium-rare meat (the internal temperature of the meat will continue to rise about 10 degrees outside of the oven), about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove to a carving board, preferably with
a moat, and tent to keep warm. If serving hot, let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. If serving at a buffet, cool for at least 30 minutes, then carve and serve within 2 hours. Or cool completely, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and refrigerate for up to 2 days before carving and serving at room temperature. Garlic Paste To prepare garlic paste, place the broad side of an unpeeled clove of garlic on a clean work surface. Give it a whack with the side of a chef’s knife. Remove the outside papery skin, and using the knife, trim the tough basal plane at the top of the clove. Halve the clove lengthwise and remove the green shoot, if present, as it is bitter. Coarsely chop the garlic, then sprinkle it with coarse salt. (The salt acts as an abrasive and helps chop the garlic.) Then, using the flat side of the chef’s knife like a palette knife, press firmly on the garlic, crushing a little at a time. Repeat until the garlic is a smooth paste. Reprinted with permission from Lighten Up, Y’all by Virginia Willis © 2015. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Photography © 2015 by Angie Mosier. For more information please visit www.virginiawillis.com
24 Eat, Drink & Be Merry December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
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Eat, Drink & Be Merry
Radial Café
opening second location Local LGBT favorite restaurant “It just feels like it’s been a natural progression.” adds College Park spot, —Radial Café owner Frank Bragg on continues eco-conscious mission opening up a second location in College Park By DIONNE N. WALKER In winter 2010, Frank Bragg was living large. He’d parlayed his years of corporate restaurant experience into a tony position with Metrotainment Cafes, owners of such local gay restaurant hubs as Einstein’s and Cowtippers. It’s safe to say he was riding a huge wave. Then, out of the blue, the wave crashed: Metrotainment downsized. “Pretty much the entire executive team lost their job in one day,” Bragg said matter-of-factly, recalling that after the initial shock, he realized he had been presented with an amazing opportunity to pursue a personal dream. Fast-forward to 2016. Bragg is a runaway success as the owner of Candler Park’s popular eco-conscious Radial Café. In the six years since that fateful day, Bragg has nearly tripled sales for the little restaurant with the big community mission and is preparing to open a second location in College Park in the spring. For Bragg, when one career wave crashed, he simply found a new one to ride. “It was really just about the best thing that happened to me,” he said on a recent Sunday afternoon, the sounds of a busy dining room bustling around him. Nearby, a table full of millennials laughed loudly. Near the bar, a smiling waitress dished up a tall sandwich and savory greens to a singleton working on his laptop. Scattered throughout the urban-chic space sat regulars, each stopping to share a greeting with the accidental restaurateur. It’s exactly the type of environment Bragg wants and what he thinks play a huge role in Radial’s success.
“We have great people,” he said. “They genuinely like to take care of people.” 2,700 sq. ft. College Park location will seat 130 diners The second café is slated to open at 3725 Main Street, in College Park, just a few miles from the East Point home he shares with his husband of 26 years. The 2,700 sq. ft. historic storefront features a 1917 Coca-Cola mural, along with room for up to 130 diners, including a 15-person bar. Formerly home to two white tablecloth restaurants, the space will be revamped to feature the “industrial farmhouse” look that’s become Radial’s signature, including hardwood floors, exposed wooden beams and rustic décor. “The second owner basically walked in the door and adopted the décor from the first restaurant, so it really has not had a facelift or any kind of refresh since 1998,” Bragg said. “So I’m really looking forward to going in and giving it a new look.” The new location may be miles away from the original, but it will feature the same things that have made Radial Café unique – from a menu full of tasty delights like Zinfandel-braised short ribs to a deep commitment to sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. Eco-conscious, LGBT-friendly efforts draw praise Radial’s theme is “Small Carbon Footprint, Big Local Flavor,” and they live up to it in ways big and small. There are the obvious things: The restaurant features multiple types of garbage bins near the door, and composts up to 70 percent of its waste – things like uneaten food and paper that will eventually find their way back to the café in
The College Park location of Radial Café will be 2,700 sq. ft. and will have room for up to 130 diners, says owner Frank Bragg (pictured). (Courtesy photo)
the form of fresh ingredients. “All that stuff gets composted and goes back to Georgia farmers,” he said. “So it’s kind of like a nice circle where we send them fertilizer for plants and then they grow them.” Then there are the little touches, such as low-flow faucets, sensor lights throughout the building and even efforts to minimize deliveries to keep trucks off the road and cut pollution. The eco-conscious efforts earned the restaurant a three-star award from the Green Restaurant Association in 2011, and Bragg said he thinks they also help explain why the café has found popularity with new audiences, like millennials. “They want to know that their dollars are going to something that’s going to make a difference, as opposed to just padding the owner’s pockets,” he said. More seasoned consumers like Dave Hayward like what the restaurant stands for too. Hayward, who works to preserve Georgia’s LGBT history, has been coming by for the
grits and good vibes since before Bragg took ownership from another popular LGBT entrepreneur, Philip Palmer. “I just try to spend my money anywhere I can benefit other LGBT people,” he said. “I think Frank is very community-spirited.” Indeed, Bragg’s extracurricular activities have included work with the LGBT chamber of commerce, gay homeless youth and even the local gay men’s chorus. Radial’s expansion was a few years in the making and follows a few failed property deals. It was frustrating, but worth the wait for the food enthusiast who said he’s been preparing for this role since he was a little boy taking orders at his grandparent’s West Virginia drive-in. Bragg buzzed around the dining room recently, sporting a stylish leather apron and a smile. Owning a restaurant is super hard work – Bragg is no stranger to 80-hour weeks – but he wouldn’t have it any other way. “It just feels like it’s been a natural progression,” he said.
26 Eat, Drink & Be Merry December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
Eat, Drink & Be Merry
Open Hand
continues to serve Atlanta community nearly 30 years in Prepared meals organization’s mission has evolved from just serving clients with HIV/AIDS By DALLAS DUNCAN The prepared meals organization Open Hand may be known for feeding open mouths of the hungry for 30 years, but perhaps it should be more known for the huge open hearts of its volunteers, staff and founder. “It’s shocking to learn how many people go to bed hungry,” founder Michael Edwards-Pruitt said. “More than getting a meal, they got a visit. They got somebody that would come in and sit down with them for a while. Maybe have a cup of coffee or a cup of tea. That also added something, because they knew there were people out there who cared about whether they were alive or dead.” What began as an organization to feed Atlantans with AIDS who could not cook for themselves expanded into a group that prepares healthy meals for individuals with dietary concerns, health issues and even busy folks who don’t have time to shop for quality food. “Today’s Open Hand, we have just built on top of all the great leadership that Michael and all the other volunteers brought,” Executive Director Matt Pieper said. “We’ve taken it to a new level by making sure that the meals are medically tailored. Our meals meet or exceed nutritional standards set by the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association and the U.S. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. We have many, many different types of menus that are customized to address the specific health needs of adults and youth.” From 14 clients to 5,400 meals per day The organization prepares about 5,400 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
“I’m 68 years old now. Maybe in three years, I won’t be able to take care of myself, and it might be that Open Hand will have to take care of me. I don’t know, but it certainly is a possibility. And something out there like that is truly amazing.”
Open Hand client Craig Gustafson with Elton John, a surprise volunteer. (Photo by Kyle Hess); Just one of the nutritious dishes prepared by Open Hand. (Photo by Tony Clark)
meals sold to the paying public. “People order online. There’s a variety of meal plans. They can choose to get breakfast and dinner,” Pieper said. “It’s really convenient for busy professionals who don’t have time to shop or don’t have time to cook, or their doctor has told them they need to lose some weight.”
—Open Hand founder Michael Edwards-Pruitt meals per day in its Armour Yards kitchen, which are delivered to clients in 18 counties around the city. It’s a far cry from the original 14 clients Edwards-Pruitt started with in 1988. “I heard about Project Open Hand in San Francisco, which provided meals to people with AIDS at no charge. Home-cooked, delicious, beautifully prepared meals. I thought, ‘I’ve got a hotel and restaurant background and I know how to cook. Why can’t this happen in Atlanta?’” Edwards-Pruitt said. The Atlanta version launched out of his kitchen. Soon it became clear the group needed a bigger space. He approached St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church and was granted permission to use the kitchen on one condition: Open Hand would also need to prepare meals for the homeless served by the Episcopal church’s community. “I immediately said yes, of course, so that took us to 32 people,” Edwards-Pruitt said. “Word of mouth went around the community and I talked with a lot of community leaders. We formed a board. Open Hand began to grow. It grew faster than we ever thought.” Emphasis on portion control, health ingredients By empowering people with good nutrition and nutrition education, Open Hand staff believes clients will be able to better
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Open Hand 404-872-6947 www.projectopenhand.org address their chronic illnesses. Each client receives their meals free of charge, an aspect central to Open Hand’s operating model. “It’s all freshly prepared. We put the emphasis on portion control and healthy ingredients and quality ingredients,” Pieper said. “The variety is unlike any you’ve seen in a community-based setting. If the food doesn’t taste good, people won’t eat it, and if they won’t eat it, they miss the opportunity to get healthy.” For example, Open Hand volunteers make their own tomato sauce rather than using canned, which can be high in sodium. “For people dealing with high blood pressure, that’s a real issue,” Pieper said. “We don’t use grade C chicken or grade C beef like you would typically find in a community setting. We don’t promote fad diets; our slogan is ‘ditch the diet.’ And not just to view food as a means to cure hunger or food insecurity, but really to view food as a medical intervention.” The cost of providing daily free, healthy, high-quality dishes is partly balanced by Good Measure Meals. These are prepared
A visit from a familiar face Even world-renowned music artist Sir Elton John volunteers with Open Hand. He delivered both the millionth and 25 millionth meals for the organization. “They said that a celebrity would be available to deliver the meal to me. My imagination went wild,” Craig Gustafson said in a video Open Hand filmed to commemorate the milestone delivery. “At my door showed up Elton John. What an honor. He’s been fighting this cause for 40 years and this guy’s just beyond a celebrity. He’s an icon to us. “ Pieper and his team are exploring several different paths for Open Hand’s next step. They want to take a closer look at shipping meals to community centers in rural areas as well as partner with hospital systems and health clinics to provide direct access to their medically tailored meals. Edwards-Pruitt is proud of how the group fulfills his original dream of being “there for everyone.” “I’m 68 years old now. Maybe in three years, I won’t be able to take care of myself, and it might be that Open Hand will have to take care of me,” Edwards-Pruitt said. “I don’t know, but it certainly is a possibility. And something out there like that is truly amazing.”
December 9, 2016 Eat, Drink & Be Merry 27
What is TRUVADA for PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis)?
TRUVADA is a prescription medicine that can be used for PrEP to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection when used together with safer sex practices. This use is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This includes HIV-negative men who have sex with men and who are at high risk of getting infected with HIV-1 through sex, and male-female sex partners when one partner has HIV-1 infection and the other does not. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV-1. 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.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA for PrEP?
Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: uYou must be HIV-negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not
already have HIV-1 infection. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-negative. uMany HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: uYou must continue using safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. uYou must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. uTo further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: • Know your HIV-1 status and the HIV-1 status of your partners. • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months or when your healthcare provider tells you. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV-1 to infect you. • Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior. • Have fewer sex partners. • Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. uIf you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. TRUVADA can cause serious side effects: uToo much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, nausea, vomiting, stomach-area pain, cold or blue hands and feet, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or fast or abnormal heartbeats. uSerious liver problems. Your liver may become large and tender, and you may develop fat in your liver. Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach-area pain.
uYou may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you
are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking TRUVADA 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. uWorsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you also have HBV and take TRUVADA, your hepatitis may become worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider. If your healthcare provider tells you to stop taking TRUVADA, they will need to watch you closely for several months to monitor your health. TRUVADA is not approved for the treatment of HBV.
Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP? Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you also take lamivudine (Epivir-HBV) or adefovir (HEPSERA).
What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include: uKidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA for PrEP. uBone problems, including bone pain or bones getting soft or thin, may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones. uChanges in body fat, which can happen in people taking TRUVADA or medicines like TRUVADA. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TRUVADA for PrEP? uAll your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or
have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection.
uIf you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA can
harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Pregnancy Registry: A pregnancy registry collects information about your health and the health of your baby. There is a pregnancy registry for women who take medicines to prevent HIV-1 during pregnancy. For more information about the registry and how it works, talk to your healthcare provider. uIf you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. The medicines in TRUVADA can pass to your baby in breast milk. If you become HIV-1 positive, HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk. uAll the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. uIf you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA for PrEP, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose. These medicines include ledipasvir with sofosbuvir (HARVONI). You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following page.
Have you heard about
TRUVADA for PrEP ? TM
The once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when used with safer sex practices. • TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex. • You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA. Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you.
visit start.truvada.com
IMPORTANT FACTS (tru-VAH-dah)
This is only a brief summary of important information about taking TRUVADA for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.
MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUVADA FOR PrEP
Before starting TRUVADA for PrEP to help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: • You must be HIV-1 negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1 infection. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative. • Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include flu-like symptoms, tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP.
TRUVADA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About TRUVADA for PrEP" section. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. • Bone problems. • Changes in body fat. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP include stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. These are not all the possible side effects of TRUVADA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP.
While taking TRUVADA for PrEP to help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: • You must continue using safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. • You must stay HIV-1 negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • Tell your healthcare provider if you have a flu-like illness while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. • If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. • See the “How to Further Reduce Your Risk” section for more information. TRUVADA may cause serious side effects, including: • Buildup of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, nausea, vomiting, stomach-area pain, cold or blue hands and feet, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or fast or abnormal heartbeats. • Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach-area pain. • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you have HBV and take TRUVADA, your hepatitis may become worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months. You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking TRUVADA for a long time.
BEFORE TAKING TRUVADA FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. • Have any other medical conditions. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you become HIV-1 positive because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with TRUVADA for PrEP.
HOW TO TAKE TRUVADA FOR PrEP • Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1. • Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • You must practice safer sex by using condoms and you must stay HIV-1 negative.
HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP (PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS) TRUVADA is a prescription medicine used with safer sex practices for PrEP to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection in adults at high risk: • HIV-1 negative men who have sex with men and who are at high risk of getting infected with HIV-1 through sex. • Male-female sex partners when one partner has HIV-1 infection and the other does not. To help determine your risk, talk openly with your doctor about your sexual health. Do NOT take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. • Take lamivudine (Epivir-HBV) or adefovir (HEPSERA).
TRUVADA, the TRUVADA Logo, TRUVADA FOR PREP, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and HEPSERA are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: April 2016 © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. TVDC0067 10/16
• Know your HIV-1 status and the HIV-1 status of your partners. • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months or when your healthcare provider tells you. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV-1 to infect you. • Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior. • Have fewer sex partners. • Do not share needles or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them.
GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more, including how to prevent HIV-1 infection. • Go to start.truvada.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit start.truvada.com for program information.
Holiday Gifts & Ideas
Smart Kitchen Bulldog Cocktail Shaker $55.96 Williams-Sonoma
Mix up your cocktail routine with our clever canine shaker. It whips up perfectly chilled cocktails thanks to a durable stainless-steel construction and an ultra-tight seal. A great gift for a dog-loving mixologist, the tag on the collar can be monogrammed with a single initial.
iCoffee RCB100 12-Cup Coffee Maker with Steam Brew Technology $86.49 amazon.com
iCoffee SpinBrewTM Technology single serve brewers use jets to spin, steam and stir your favorite coffee inside every K-Cup, OneCup, RealCup capsule plus all private label K-compatible cups, creating a mini French Press-like effect that unlocks the flavor and provides coffee lovers with great taste.
Fred & Friends Escape! Color Changing Silicone Lid Lifters, Set of 2 $9.99 World Market
A great novelty gift, these octopus tentacle and crab claw lid lifters make it fun to prevent pots from boiling over. Plus, these silicone lifters change colors as the temperature rises.
www.thegeorgiavoice.com
Fred & Friends Wine Lives Charms, Set of 6 $10 Sur La Table
These charming felines make it easy to keep track of drinks at your next dinner or cocktail party. Adorable silicone charms securely grip most stemware. Set of six.
December 9, 2016 Holiday Gift Guide 31
Holiday Gifts & Ideas Star Wars™ Pop Mold $24.95 Williams-Sonoma
Zoku’s silicone molds make it easy to create cool, amazingly detailed ice pops shaped like legendary Star Wars characters. Just pour fresh juice, fruit purée or yogurt into the molds, insert the sticks and freeze overnight.
Molcajete
$49.95 Williams-Sonoma Our molcajete (mortar) and tejolete (pestle) are hand carved from a single piece of basalt rock, so every piece is unique. In addition to being a great prep tool, the molcajete makes an impressive serving dish for guacamole and other party favorites.
‘This Man Can Cook’ Apron by Twisted Wares $22.80 GCB
If you were looking to hide in the kitchen, this is not the apron for you! Perfect for any sex, it’s pretty much guaranteed to be sexy on anyone! Large Pocket for convenient storage. 100 percent heavy cotton twill. Measures 36 Long x 26 Wide.
Fred & Friends Mr. Tea Infuser Alphabet Cookie Stamp Set
$10.95 Sur La Table
Perfect for personalizing home-baked treats, each monogrammed stamp combines a sturdy wooden handle with a silicone disc – one for every letter of the alphabet.
Perfect for the tea lover! We are big fans of Fred products. Innovative and fun, each piece is one-of-a-kind. Molded from soft silicone rubber, this adorable infuser perches atop your cup to hold your tea. Comes artfully packaged in a colorful gift box. BPA-free.
$19.95 Williams-Sonoma
‘Evil Bitch’ Coffee Mug by Trixie & Milo $13 GCB
This fine ceramic mug is both dishwasher and microwave safe, and will hold 12 fluid oz. of the beverage of your choice.
32 Holiday Gift Guide December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
GCB A1510 Piedmont Ave. NE Atlanta, GA 30324 404-876-6567 brushstrokesatlanta.com
Fred & Friends Egg-A-Matic Chick Boiled Egg Mold $8.95 Sur La Table
Which came first? Confusing the issue further comes this whimsical egg mold shaped like an adorable chick. Simply pop a freshly boiled egg into the mold and let rest for a few minutes for an adorable chicken-shaped egg that adds a touch of playfulness to any meal.
SUR LA TABLE Phipps Plaza 3500 Peachtree Road #1035 Atlanta, GA 30326 404-973-3371 surlatable.com WILLIAMS-SONOMA Ponce City Market 675 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE Atlanta, GA 30308 404-810-7486 williams-sonoma.com Lenox Square 3393 Peachtree Road NE #4003 Atlanta, GA 30326 404-812-1703 williams-sonoma.com WORLD MARKET Buckhead 3330 Piedmont Road NE Suite 17 Atlanta, GA 30305 404-814-0801 worldmarket.com
Fred & Friends Good Measure Hangover Recipe Measuring Glass $10 Sur La Table
Printed with seven classic cocktail recipes, this 16-ounce glass will turn you into an exacting mixologist.
Peppermint Bark Paws $24.95 - $49.95 Williams-Sonoma
A whimsical new twist on our legendary Peppermint Bark, these playful paws inspire peppermint lovers to make tracks for the candy jar.
Fred & Friends Tapped Wine Aerator & Stopper
‘Drunk Monkey’ Steel Flask by Trixie & Milo $26 GCB
Drink with style... Custom art on a stainless steel hip flask. How cool is that?
$12.99 World Market
Just twist the tap of our fun faucet-inspired wine stopper and let it aerate as it pours! www.thegeorgiavoice.com
December 9, 2016 Holiday Gift Guide 33
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DNCE’s debut single “Cake by the Ocean” has been burning up the charts since being released last September. (Photo by Scott Schafer)
Having his ‘cake’ and eating it too DNCE lead singer Joe Jonas on ‘fun’ gay rumors, racy DMs from gay men and his ideal male onscreen lover By CHRIS AZZOPARDI Why is Joe Jonas talking about whips and leather? Apart from recalling his experience with both, the answer is simply because he can. www.thegeorgiavoice.com
Because the former baby-faced JoBro is all man now, from his 5 o’clock shadow to his steel physique, which he’s not been shy about showing off. While making the promotional rounds for his debut as lead singer of Los Angelesformed collective DNCE, the newly liberated 27-year-old hasn’t merely shifted away from the much-publicized “purity ring” of his youth, taking on a kinky array of topics including porn, boners and penis size – he’s erased its very existence.
Like younger brother Nick, middle sibling Joe wasn’t done destroying any traces of his Disney halo when he freewheeled through our recent talk. Read on as he chats about gay rumors, gay fans who send him pics of their privates and preferring an “older, mature” man play his hypothetical onscreen lover. It’s been surprising to hear you talk so salaciously while promoting this album. But then again, I keep forgetting you’re not 17 anymore.
(Laughs) A lot of people do! What about your current professional life differs from your career as a Jonas Brother? The biggest difference is the writing. I’m proud of the stuff I did with my brothers, but you grow up and go through a lot of different things, so you may be talking about something very innocent – a first kiss, taking somebody out for the first time – when CONTINUES ON PAGE 36 December 9, 2016 A&E 35
Details Power 96.1 Jingle Ball
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 you’re that age. But cut to when you’re 27, and you’re going through things that are a bit more mature, sexually or whatnot, and that’s what you’re gonna write about.
feat. DNCE Friday, Dec. 16, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. Philips Arena www.ticketmaster.com
Another change: Your body. What inspired the muscles? I wanted a change of pace and to put myself through a challenge. It’s easy to eat junk food and party every night on tour, so I put myself through a season where I challenged myself physically, and I really enjoyed it. There were days that were tough, but seeing your body slowly changing, you just want to keep on it. I had a trainer on tour with me – this amazing boxer Ava Knight – and she came out and busted my ass, and I was really enjoying it.
things like that. And I have a lot of gay friends as well, so that could probably point them in that direction. But again, the gay community is something that is close to my heart, so I don’t mind. Hey, if they wanna think I’m gay, it’s fun.
Has your beefier body gotten you more attention from gay men? I think so! Probably, yeah. I’m seeing it just through DMs. It’s quite funny. But I take it as a compliment. It’s cool. At the end of the day, for me, it goes back to the music, and DNCE has done a lot of cool concerts, like Pride shows. We have a lot of gay fans, and we love that they’re so supportive, so hey, if that makes them happy, it’s all good. What do gay men DM you? I bet you could take a wild guess. (Laughs) It’s all over the map, from selfies to you-know-what. It’s funny, too, because you can’t really tell what people are sending because everything now is blurred out,
and I like to read some of the DMs and hear stories. But, of course, sometimes there are crazy ones, and it’s just straight nudity. You have to just find something good in it – or laugh, depending on what it is. Why is it important for you and the band to perform at Pride events or, like you did recently, at a club like G-A-Y in London? In the world we live in now more than ever, it’s especially important that our music can take you out of that. I think, what is a better time than now for everyone coming together and being stronger together, whatever your thoughts are on the election? It can be a heartache for some. I think for DNCE we try to bring some joy to you and happiness and share the love, and that’s what it’s all about for us. If we can put a smile on your
PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
36 A&E December 9, 2016
face, that’s what’s important to us. And look, our gay fans are awesome and we want to give back in every way we can, so we’re putting on shows for them.
You’ve also dabbled in acting. If you ever followed in your brother Nick’s footsteps and played gay, who’s on your shortlist of male romantic interests? That’s a great question. I’d say for sure Daniel Craig. I think Matthew McConaughey is a hunk of a man. I’d have to go with George Clooney. Older, mature men.
There are several videos online of paparazzi chasing you down and asking if you’re gay. Why do people think you’re gay? I don’t know the real answer to it. I don’t have an issue with it. I think it’s a compliment. I have a lot of gay fans. It’s not like it bothers me. Some people handle it differently, but at the end of the day, I’m cool with it and think it’s kind of funny. You have to learn to laugh; people are gonna create a story out of anything. You know, it’s probably because I’m in touch with my feminine side. Look, I love fashion; I love to dress well. I love certain
What message do you hope to send to people who are reluctant to support LGBT issues? Look, we’re all human. Some of the best friends in my life are gay, and we don’t look at each other any differently, and it’s not like there’s any separation of who we are as people. Love is love. And if you have a problem with that, then you can just get out of this world – first trip to the moon, first trip to space – because I honestly feel like life’s too short to worry about dumb things like that. People are people, and I’m gonna help out in any way I can. And what better time than now?
Joe Jonas and DNCE are part of the Power 96.1 Jingle Ball lineup playing Philips Arena on Dec. 16. (Photo by Scott Schafer)
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ACTING OUT
By JIM FARMER
Gay Atlanta writer Topher Payne on new world premiere, returning favorite Besides an encore run of his “Let Nothing You Dismay” at Stage Door Players – surrounding the chaos that ensues when a couple has their first child and has to deal with two sets of families – and his new world premiere “Greetings Friend Your Kind Assistance is Required” at Georgia Ensemble Theatre in January, gay writer Topher Payne recently penned the Hallmark Channel hit “Broadcasting Christmas.” It’s been a rapid-paced period for someone who prides himself on being busy. Georgia Voice caught up with Payne recently as he was putting the finishing touches on “Greetings” and enjoying the warm reception to “Broadcasting Christmas.” Hello Topher! When did you and Stage Door Players decide to bring back “Let Nothing You Dismay?” Not everybody who wanted to see it last year got the chance to. It started selling out and towards the end of the run there was not a seat to be had. Have you made any tweaks to it? Yes. It is a tighter show and I have made some cuts, and put some new jokes in it. Those who saw it last year will get some surprises. The cast is the same – everyone came back this year. What do you think is the appeal? Speaking from my own perspective, I wanted to write a show that was about family the way I experience it. And where it is the mix of people you came from and those you picked up along the way. It turns out a lot of people related to that too. When Stage Door made the decision to bring it back, none of us knew that 2016 was going to be what 2016 turned out to be. And there’s something wonderful about this story that is about our differences and the fact that it’s all those different perspectives that make family work. Tell us about “Greetings Friend.” It’s about a retired schoolteacher who answers an email in her spam folder that comes from a mysterious foreign prince that is ask-
“Let Nothing You Dismay” plays through December 18 at Stage Door Players in Dunwoody. (Photo by R. Todd Fleeman)
ing for money. She knows you are not supposed to give money to people over the Internet so she decides to fly to his country and see if she can be helpful. It’s an action adventure featuring two women who are over 70. Tell us about working with frequent collaborator Shannon Eubanks. She is so damn smart. The extraordinary thing is that she has this amazing emotional sensitivity with a wicked sense of humor. We tend to find the same things funny. She has a great sensibility with new plays and we have a shorthand together now.
When did you know that you would be doing a Christmas show for Hallmark? I got the offer the day before “My Summer Prince” premiered and the network had seen the movie and were happy with what they had seen. They wanted to get me in the mix. The only caveat is that the shoot was in September and it was August 5. It was six weeks, from the day I signed until the day we were shooting. This one was fast, unusually so. There’s usually a bit more breathing room, but if we wanted to work with Melissa Joan Hart she had a very specific window of availability. Everything else in my life came to a stop at that time.
Details
‘Let Nothing You Dismay’ Through December 18 Stage Door Players 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road Dunwoody, GA 30338 www.stagedoorplayers.net ‘Greetings Friend Your Kind Assistance is Required’ January 5 – 22 Georgia Ensemble Theatre Roswell Cultural Arts Center 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA 30075 www.get.org
38 A&E December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
EATING MY WORDS By CLIFF BOSTOCK
Revisiting The Shed at Glenwood without the ex
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Every Wednesday night, from 2010 to 2013, my partner of the time and I visited The Shed at Glenwood (475 Bill Kennedy Way, 404-835-4363) for the restaurant’s $3 slider night. Chef Lance Gummere, with an imagination straight out of a Dr. Seuss book, produced a weekly menu of 12 or so everchanging burger oddities. Unfortunately, Gummere left and slider night was discontinued. I quit going to the Shed at all because, frankly, I didn’t want to revisit the site of a ritual I shared with my ex for so long. You know what I mean? I remember the night there I angrily asked him, “Can you name one thing you did to cause this relationship to disintegrate?” He could not. I looked up and realized everyone on the patio was staring at me. I looked at my plate and rapidly ate the fried chicken hearts I’d ordered as an appetizer. What a metaphor. Eating your fried, dry heart. But that was then. I finally revisited The Shed Friday night with friends and found that it remains one of the city’s most reliable spots. The kitchen is now run by Chef Justin Dixon, an Atlanta native who has worked at Pano’s & Paul’s, the Spence, and Local Three, among others. Dixon’s deal is fancied-up comfort food. Consider, for example, the lowly pork rind – a hunk of pork skin fried until shatteringly crisp. You see them around town a good bit lately, but nothing like Dixon’s over-sized beauties. They are warm and partly coated in a kind of mayo-egg cream spiked with green onions. Crunchy and creamy. Another surprising snack is Dixon’s take on deviled eggs. Take a bite and you’ll find yourself flooded with the flavor of steak tartare hidden below the creamed yolk. Winter’s here, sort of, and I couldn’t resist Dixon’s beef bourguignon – super-tender short ribs over tagliatelle with carrots, cipollini, and celery root. The flavor of red wine is intense, bursting from the meat and washing over the noodles. At $25 it’s the most expensive item on the menu but you deserve it. If you’re craving pork, try the bourbon-glazed pork shoulder, a bit sweet but served with a nearly fiery apple
The beef bourguignon at The Shed at Glenwood is super-tender and the flavor bursts from the meat and washes over the noodles. (Photo by Cliff Bostock)
kimchi and some coconut rice. Another winter-perfect dish is a skilletmade chicken pot pie. It’s made with a slippery mushroom veloute and roasted root vegetables, as well as chicken. This is not really a pie in the conventional sense. It’s basically a stew topped with a flying-saucer-shaped mound of puff pastry. Not feeling adventurous? Go for the gigantic burger made of house-ground, dry-aged beef covered with poblano cheese and bacon jam. It comes with fries of course. We tried three side plates and, overall, I didn’t think they were as good as our other choices. Charred cauliflower with romesco was tasty enough and served with the right al dente texture, but not even as impressive as the pretty ordinary mac and cheese. I could not resist ordering the pickled beets with marcona almonds, blue cheese and, um, chimichurri sauce. I could not imagine how vinegary beets and chimichurri could complement one another. As it happens, they really didn’t. The vinegar vastly overpowered the dollops of chimichurri. But, hey, it was cool to know they were there. There is much else to try here. In fact, there are $3 sliders available on Wednesdays again. Go. But leave your partner at home. Cliff Bostock is a former psychotherapist now specializing in life coaching. Contact him at 404-518-4415 or cliffbostock@gmail.com.
40 Columnists December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
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Emeli Sandé talks first album in five years, empathetic gay fans and meeting President Obama By CHRIS AZZOPARDI Hello, it’s… Emeli Sandé, this generation’s only performer able to rival Adele as a powerhouse, tear-jerking force of nature. The Scottish vocalist (born, funny enough, Adele Emily Sandé) is back for your pillow-sopping nights with her much-anticipated “Long Live the Angels,” a rumination on new versions of events, particularly the dissolving of a decade-long relationship that ended in divorce in 2014. Among the best albums of 2016, Sandé’s triumphant catharsis pushes through the pain with spirited, choir-lifted credos of faith and love-led empowerment. In this revealing interview with Sandé, the 29-year-old opened up about how her connection with gay fans has evolved, the song from her latest album that will resonate with LGBT fans, and meeting President Obama. It’s been nearly five years since you released your debut, “Our Version of Events.” Why the wait? I was just going through such a personal and spiritual growth. I mean, we spent so long promoting “Our Version of Events,” and it was amazing touring, but I found it almost impossible to get back to ground zero and write music. I needed a timeout. I also was going through stuff myself that I needed to understand before I could put it in music and feel steady enough to go out there and give it to other people. So, it was a combination of both. I feel like for two years I just needed that time to dedicate to making this music. CONTINUES ON PAGE 43 42 A&E December 9, 2016
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 42 Tell me how your connection with your gay fans has evolved since releasing your debut album. During every show, I can feel my gay fans out there, and there’s a real kind of depth and understanding. I remember I was doing a show at KOKO in London, and it was around the time everything was going so fast, and I got a couple of notes from fans. A gay couple wrote, “Are you okay? If you want to come hang out with us, you can come on holiday with us.” I just thought it was so nice that they recognized – I must’ve been exhausted at that point, and I think they could see that. I really appreciated that letter from them. And I just appreciated all the different stories. I just love that I can also empower them through the music. What kinds of stories do gay fans share with you? When I was in Washington, there was a guy – a big fan – and he was just saying how much he loved “Read All About It,” and “Our Version of Events” helped him through coming out. He was there with his mom, and it just felt so amazing. And, recently, I’ve had a few gay fans talking about how (that album)
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wanted to make a conscious effort to be that honest, because it was such deep emotions for me that I didn’t want them to be generic. I wanted to get straight to the point. So, it’s a lot deeper, a lot more grown up. This is me stepping into womanhood, like a crash course in life bottled in an album.
Emili Sandé recently released “Long Live the Angels,” her first album in five years. (Photo courtesy Capitol Records)
empowered them to express their love to one another, how everything I had written gave them those words as they were getting married. I love stories of love. It really keeps me going and encourages me to write songs about that. How would you compare “Our Version of Events” to this new album? This album is a lot more personal and specifically about things that I’ve experienced. I
Which song in particular do you think might resonate with your LGBT fans? I love “Babe.” “Babe” is the last song on the album, and I feel liberated when I sing that song. It’s all about letting love be love and letting go of any kind of fear. So, for the gay community and the rest of the community, I just feel like allowing yourself to love and feel and take care of someone and be good to someone else – I hope that one resonates. On the heels of World AIDS Day, tell me why it’s important to you to be a part of Elton John’s AIDS Foundation. It’s just so important to me, especially when you’re looking at Africa. My father is from Zambia, and you just see it’s affected the country and a lot of communities. If there’s more research and awareness about it, so much suffering wouldn’t have to happen. So, I’m really proud to be a part of Elton John’s foundation
and spread awareness about it. It’s so important because a lot of things are preventable, especially what’s happening in Africa. In 2013, you performed in front of President Obama and the First Lady. How many Xanax did you need to take beforehand? Just a couple of glasses of wine! (Laughs) I remember stepping into the White House with all the security you have to go through to get there and walking through the corridors, and we got a little tour before. And meeting them – they’re so tall. That was the big thing. I’m like, “Wow, you guys are superhuman.” They were talking about the music, and he was such a rock star. He was just so chilled out, and he made us feel relaxed and charged up. He had a chat with all the performers: “Okay, let’s put on a show!” He made us feel like we were a part of some football team. He’s a true leader. Does Obama have a favorite Emeli Sandé song? He just said, “I think my daughters know your music!” And I was like, “Wow. My music might be getting played in the White House!” (Laughs)
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Our Guide to the Best LGBT Events in Atlanta for December 9-22
EVEN FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9 – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10
OurSong, Atlanta’s gay and lesbian chorus, holds its holiday concert “Flashes of Light” this weekend. During this festive season, light is often the centerpiece of many of our experiences. From the soft glow of candlelight to the mysteries of stars shining in the night sky, light is a symbol of hope and harmony. OurSong will celebrate the holidays with beautiful music that embraces light as a guide for peace and tranquility in our world. From new interpretations of traditional carols to compositions by many of the great composers of the time, the music will illuminate the beauty that surrounds us. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., First Baptist Church of Decatur, 308 Clairemont Ave., Decatur, GA 30030. Tickets available for purchase at www.oursongatlanta.org.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9
Join SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW for the second annual “Spark A Change!” fundraiser and celebration. This community-centered event will feature delightful local bites, fantastic live music and performances, and a prize raffle. Organizers will also be honoring our community youth leaders for exemplifying our vision of a world where all people are empowered, valued, and able to make liberatory decisions about their communities, families, and lives with the Vanguard of Change Award. Purchase your ticket at www.sparkrj.org/change, 7 – 11 p.m., HodgePodge Coffeehouse & Gallery, Atlanta, GA 30312 Harold Leaver returns to Horizon
46 Best Bets December 9, 2016
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10
Join the Atlanta Ballet’s version of “The Nutcracker” and witness the magic unfold as young heroine Marya faces off in an epic battle with the Nutcracker against the Rat King before embarking on an astonishing journey to a world of dazzling delights. Today at 2:30 and 7 p.m., through December 24. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.foxtheatre.org (Publicity photo) Theatre’s gay-themed “The Santaland Diaries” tonight at 8 p.m. running through December 31, www.horizontheatre.com
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10
Twisted Soul is a benefit for the MISTER Center and the Leather Heart Foundation, 12 – 6 p.m., Jungle Atlanta, www.jungleatl.com
Braving the cold, area patrons will be participating in the Atlanta Santa Speedo Run, starting at 2 p.m. at Manuel’s Tavern, benefiting CHRIS 180. Go to www.atlantasantaspeedorun.org to register. Don’t miss the season’s best party, the Toy Party and Silent Auction, tonight from 6:30 – 11:30 p.m., Americasmart 3,
www.forthekid.org TEN Atlanta hosts the fourth annual Snow Ball, the official Toy Party after party, with beats by DJ Rob Reum, 990 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.facebook.com/TenAtlanta
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16
Star Wars: Rogue One sees resistance fighters embark on a daring mission to steal the Empire’s plans for the Death Star. Playing at area theaters. Check for showtimes. (Publicity photo)
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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11
Woofs has teamed up this year with Hotlanta Softball League to spread a little cheer in their “Jingle Ball” event. Get ready for an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest. All proceeds this year will go to Pride School Atlanta. In addition to a beer bust, charitable donations will be accepted as well as supplies such as canvases of any size, charcoal, oil pastels, chalk pastels, drawing mannequins, inkpens, watercolor paper, kneaded erasers, oil paints, acrylic paints, and drawing pencils. 4 -7 p.m., www.woofsatlanta.com Friends on Ponce’s 12th annual holiday benefit is tonight, benefiting Toys for Tots and the Atlanta Community Food Bank, with Regina Simms and special guests, 9 p.m., 736 Ponce De Leon Ave., www.friendsonponce-atl.com Party With Impact celebrates 25 years of Positive Impact Health Centers, which has provided client-centered care to
48 Best Bets December 9, 2016
the HIV community and worked tirelessly to prevent the transmission of HIV. Held at The Center for Civil and Human Rights, the event includes a VIP reception. All exhibits and galleries will be open for viewing. Food and drinks are provided by Wolfgang Puck. The keynote speaker will be Randy Gue, Curator of Modern Political and Historical Collections at Emory University’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. 7:30 p.m., 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. NW, Atlanta, GA 30313, www.facebook.com/ events/1146942035387375
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12
Enjoy free pool and DJ Super Blue at Bulldogs, 893 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30309
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14
It’s that time of the year for precious pet photos. Bring your furry friends inside The Atrium to visit with Jolly Old St. Nick and snap a photo using your personal camera or mobile device, as part of Santa + Friends. 4 – 7 p.m., Colony
Square, 1197 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30361. The event repeats on December 21 as well with the same hours. B – 23! Pets Are Loving Support (PALS) presents Holiday Bingo tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Jungle Atlanta, www.jungleatl.com Come out for karaoke at Cockpit tonight, 485 Blvd. SE, Atlanta, GA 30312
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15
SAGE Atlanta’s social hour begins at 10 a.m., followed by a program/meeting at 11 a.m., Phillip Rush Center Annex, www.rushcenteratl.org MAAP (Metro Atlanta Association of Professionals) closes out its year by bringing its partners and the community together to celebrate the season. It will be an evening of networking and mingling with the largest raffle drawing of the year. Please bring a new unwrapped toy to donate to the Toy Party silent auction. 6 – 8 p.m., TEN Atlanta, 990 Piedmont
EVENT SPOTLIGHT WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14 ’80s alternative band The Jesus and Mary Chain is back and playing a 8 p.m. show at Heaven Stage at Masquerade, Kenny’s Alley @ Underground Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30303. (Publicity photo)
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16
Power 96.1 Jingle Ball presented by Capitol One stars Ariana Grande,
Meghan Trainor, The Chainsmokers, Fifth Harmony, DNCE, Alessia Cara, Daya and Lukas Graham, 7:30 p.m., Philips Arena, www.philipsarena.com (Publicity photo) Ave., Atlanta, GA 30309
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16
Topher Payne’s “Let Nothing You Dismay” returns to Stage Door Players, tonight at 8 p.m. and running through December 18, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, GA 30338, www.stagedoorplayers.net Nobody does picture books for adults quite like The Punany Poets. The lyrical lesbians of the world-renowned troupe have bound their passions in a new edition of “Punany: The Hip Hop Psalms - Secret of the Pearl!,” the fourth edition of their coffee table-styled poetry and picture book that put Punany on the tongues across the world when they first appeared on HBO’s “Real Sex.” Get a little taste of their provocative prose at this intimate read and release party in Atlanta. Dedicated to women who love women, readers will enjoy this special lesbian and female-focused anthology of erotic
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tales and slippery streams of consciousness written by Jessica Holter and guest poets, models and photographers. Come celebrate and take the autographed book home. Suggested donation is $15 which will go to support the work of the artists and the space of Charis Books, 7:30 – 9 p.m., www.charisbooksandmore.com Enjoy Disco Dance Party with DJ Moose tonight from 10 p.m. – 3 a.m., Atlanta Eagle, www.atlantaeagle.com
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17
Atlanta Freedom Band’s 2016 holiday concert celebrates the sense of happiness, joy, and wonder surrounding the season. “Jubilance! Songs of Joy and Celebration!” features some favorite seasonal tunes, some toe-tapping holiday hits, and a few other musical surprises, including a piece for the bassoon trio and concert band. A festive reception follows
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49 the concert. Tickets for this musical celebration of the holidays are $15 for general admission, $10 for seniors, and $5 for students. Free parking is available at the church (front and back) and the next door library and bank branch parking lots. 8 – 9:30 p.m., Druid Hills Presbyterian Church. 1026 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306 Rough Language presents Game of
Thrones, with music by Mia Laquan, Eva Kennedy, Chavis Flagg and DJ Knodat as well as a poetry slam and live body painting, 9:15 p.m. at Apache Café, www.apachecafe.info The Heretic has been serving this Atlanta community for 25 years now and still going strong! Come join DJ Mike Pope and DJ Tony Moran and the rest of the Heretic staff to mark this landmark night, 10 – 3 p.m., www.hereticatlanta.com
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18
The PFLAG support group for parents and families of LGBTQ children meets today from 2:30 – 4 p.m. at the Spiritual Living Center of Atlanta, 1730 Northeast Expressway NE, Atlanta, GA 30329
MONDAY, DECEMBER 19
Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender, and aspiring allies. Charis Books provides a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources and ac-
tivism around social issues. Whether silently or aloud, please come ready to consider your own gender in a transient world, 7 – 8:30 p.m., www.charisbooksandmore.com
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20
Grab a meal at the lesbian-owned Twisted Soul, which has just reopened in West Midtown, 1133 Huff Road, Atlanta, GA 30318, www.deborahvantrece.com
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21
The Dragettes put on a Holiday Spectacular drag show every Wednesday at Lips Atlanta, 3011 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30329, www.lipsatl.com
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22
With 1,098 wins and eight national championships, Tennessee Lady Volunteers coach Pat Summitt left a remarkable legacy of perseverance, leadership and passion for the game – but her victories on the court aren’t the only legacy she left in her wake. In “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” Maria M. Cornelius tells the story of the head coach’s last season through the eyes of those who knew her best, from players to support staff to Summitt’s closest friends and advisors. Cornelius will be reading from and signing the book, 5 – 7 p.m., Charis Books, www.charisbooksandmore.com
UPCOMING MONDAY, DECEMBER 26
Get ready for a special holiday tradition – the fifth Annual Beards, Bears, and Otters on Ice. All are welcome. Come skate or just hang out to celebrate the season with a fantastic group for a great cause. Entry fee is an unwrapped LEGO set between $15 and $20 to help out the “Little Bricks of Hope” program. When purchasing tickets, enter “BBO” in the promo code field for $5 off the regular ticket price. To purchase visit www.xorbia. com/e/therink/20161226/xt/?referral=xtbuy-tix, Park Tavern Ice Skating Rink, 500 10th St., Atlanta, GA 30309
TELL US ABOUT YOUR LGBT EVENT Submit your LGBT event for inclusion in our online and print calendars by emailing event info to editor@thegavoice.com 50 Best Bets December 9, 2016
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Surviving the holiday party season I used to be able to enjoy myself at Christmas parties and remain productive the following day, but no more. I learned at our recent office holiday soirée, after I stayed in bed until 4 p.m. the next day, that hangovers are an unfortunate part of my midlife. So I thought I would use my ridiculous experience to help you through the next month. First understand that typical hangover symptoms like nausea, headaches, sensitivity to light and sound are caused by changes in body chemistry from the toxic chemicals in alcohol. No one food item or drink can cure a hangover, but certain foods are better for recovery than others. Fluids and nutrients like fructose, vitamins, animo acids, and minerals can help lessen the body’s negative reaction to the chemicals in what you are drinking. Your first priority should be to drink water. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it pushes liquids out of the body. That headache is caused by the body drawing water from the brain during this dehydration. Sugary sports drinks can restore liquids, as can coconut water. Pedialyte may be made for dehydrated children, but it can also help adults in this kind of bind too. If you are up for it, some swear by pickle juice, which contains vinegar, salt, and water that can help rehydrate and replenish electrolyte and sodium levels. Foods to eat while feeling yucky include eggs. This breakfast staple is full of amino acids like cysteine and taurine that boost liver function. Bananas, dates, and leafy greens contain potassium that is often depleted by drinking, and chicken noodle soup can rebuild sodium and water levels. Another superfood to try is oatmeal, which has nutrients like B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and iron. It can also give you an instant energy boost by neutralizing acids in the body and raising blood sugar levels. Know there are things you have done in the past to help that hangover that you need to avoid. Drinking more alcohol will not
“I learned at our recent office holiday soirée, after I stayed in bed until 4 p.m. the next day, that hangovers are an unfortunate part of my midlife.” help you recover. The ‘hair of the dog” might take the edge off immediately but will further dehydrate your body and give you worse hangover symptoms later in the day. Orange juice isn’t a good idea either, since sour citrus can irritate an already sensitive stomach. Believe it or not, greasy foods are not the solution to making you feel better. Good news is if you have that burger before you drink, it can insulate your stomach and help slow down the alcohol absorption. However, it won’t do you any good after-the-fact. For those of you ambitious enough to work out after a night out, there are specific things you can do to help a hangover. Start with a 10-minute walk to get the blood flowing, followed by a body-weight squat with push-up, five sets of five. Follow that up with a cable curl superset with cable pushdown, five sets of five. At this point, you should have less of a headache and a small burst of energy. I wish you luck in the endurance event that is the holiday party season. May my pain be your gain. Source: Greatist.com, Men’s Fitness
Melissa Carter is one of the Morning Show hosts on B98.5. In addition, she is a writer for the Huffington Post. She is recognized as one of the first out radio personalities in Atlanta and one of the few in the country. Follow her on Twitter@MelissaCarter
52 Columnists December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
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arts.gatech.edu
One of the great cons of human history is how masculinity is associated with strength and toughness, when it is probably the most delicate character trait ever, constantly needing to be protected, defended and affirmed. Masculinity is vulnerable, needy and all of the other adjectives that men have cleverly projected onto femininity since Eve was plucked from Adam’s rib cage. The latest beneficiary of this enduring fraud is Donald Trump, whose presidential campaign was successful partly by folks being seduced by his supposed strength and toughness, a perception disproven hourly by the president-elect’s pouty Twitter feed. And since Trump – an elderly, pudgy, balding trust-fund manchild – is the antithesis of physical prowess, the “toughness” that so many people admired was his courage to say the racist thoughts they were too cowardly to whisper. However, this column is not about Adolf Trump (I just believe no opportunity to speak out against him and his enablers should be skipped, and that researchers will finally prove a link between micropenises and authoritarianism if Trump’s dick is donated to science whenever he dies). Rather, I was recently listening to a morning radio show that was fielding calls about a plot line in the new HBO series “Insecure,” where a male character reveals to his potential girlfriend that he previously had sexual encounters with other men. Not surprisingly, the radio callers, men and women, were nearly unanimous in voicing that such a history disqualified a man from future heterosexual relationships, and, more implicitly, manhood altogether. Masculinity dissolves faster than sugar water. Its most recognizable expression – male heterosexuality – is the only sexual orientation fragile enough to melt at first touch. If I were to have sex with a woman tonight, I would wake up no less gay in the morning; likewise, women do not lose their claim to being straight or lesbian if they have one or a dozen hook-ups with a partner that doesn’t correspond to their sexual orientation.
“If I were to have sex with a woman tonight, I would wake up no less gay in the morning; likewise, women do not lose their claim to being straight or lesbian if they have one or a dozen hook-ups with a partner that doesn’t correspond to their sexual orientation.” Straight men jeopardize their identity by simply appreciating handsomeness, and their heterosexuality cannot recover from the wrong type of physical contact with another man. There’s an evergreen paranoia that political correctness attempts to tame modern manhood, while the actual caging of masculinity – the sexual and emotional confines of the heterosexual male human experience – is reinforced by every demographic, including gay men. We are as unforgiving as the rest of society, quick to read any type of sexual experimentation by a straight man as a sign that he is a latent power bottom. My promiscuity did not begin when I found other gay men. I touched, sucked and grinded penises throughout elementary and high school, reciprocally, and the vast majority of my sexual playmates grew up to be heterosexual men. The pictures of their wives and children that they post on social media do not strike me as an elaborate scheme to remain closeted, and I have no urge to out them for living a lie. There are some who I wonder if (or wish) they continue to enjoy that type of bond with a man, but that still doesn’t make me doubt the sincerity of their heterosexuality. There are others who I hope are not haunted by memories that I count among the best of my life. That seems like a tough burden to carry to be accepted as a real man. Ryan Lee is an Atlanta writer.
54 Columnists December 9, 2016 www.thegeorgiavoice.com
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