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Goliath Media Inc. 1874 Piedmont Ave., Suite 370-C Atlanta, GA 30324 404.418.8901 Management William Duffee-Braun
David Thompson
CO-PUBLISHER
CO-PUBLISHER
Mike Fleming
Joe Ragsdale
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
ART DIRECTOR Sales
Russ Youngblood
Joel Peifer
SENIOR SALES REPRESENTATIVE
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
Jim Brams
Steve Tyrrell
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
Contributors
Contributors Co-publisher William Duffee-Braun has been on Atlanta’s gay media scene for seven years. He enjoys exploring our great city with friends and family, and spending time with his dog Missy. He is also Sales & Development Director of David Atlanta magazine. Editor Mike Fleming has covered Atlanta’s gay community for 15 years. He lives for wordplay, cross-fit, fashion, mid-century design, and his best friend HRH Truvy True the DogGirl. Don’t mess with his heroes, Albert Einstein, William S. Burroughs or Dolly Parton. Columnist Deven Green is an award-winning comedian. Her work includes the “Welcome to My Home” parodies, the satirical Betty Bowers – America’s Best Christian, OCCmakeup ads, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and her live music shows in brothels across America. Writer Mikkel Hildebrandt and his husband live in Atlanta and hail from Denmark. Besides lifestyle and grooming product reviews for publications across the globe, he also handles marketing and communications at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. Photographer Russ Youngblood is from Hiawassee, Georgia. His life in Atlanta includes 19 years in gay media. His favorite thing about photography is the opportunity it gives him to meet people from every gay subculture. He is also Senior Sales Representative for Goliath.
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Deven Green Mikkel Hildebrandt
Shannon Jenkins Jason O’Neal
Distribution
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Building strong futures. One loan at a time. More than 140 years of strength and stability mean a lot when you’re choosing a trusted source for financial support. That’s why so many families in our community look to BB&T for their personal loans. Whether you’re looking to make a major purchase, improve your home, pay for college, or consolidate your debt, a local BB&T lender is here to help, sharing knowledge so you can move forward with confidence. BBT.com /Lending
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JUNE / JULY 2016 • V2 I5
Contents
Easy Essentials. Summer style stays simple, taking you through your gay day and into the night with a few key pieces you’ll reach for all season, as well as some special items to help you make a statement while staying on trend.
Numbers Game. Stonewall gets all the love, so we take the opportunity to look at other gay rights facts and figures. It keeps Pride in perspective of all that came before and since that momentous riot.
Cut Above. Your look isn’t complete without a perfect top. From sophisticated to sassy, these versatile summer hair trends take your style to a level beyond your granddaddy’s same-old high-and-tight.
Do the Que. Friends love spending time outside at your place, so why not wow them while you’re at it? Here’s how to pour fabulous over your barbecue to create an event they’ll talk about all year.
Grow Up. Gay men are notorious for the Peter Pan syndrome. Here’s why it matters more than you realize, and how to turn it around to become a better adult who still helps your inner child thrive.
Editor’s Note Something about summer in the South begs for a big ol’ ‘Easy’ button. Barbecues and pool parties set the scene for all of gay Atlanta to breath in a huge sigh and exhale our worries. Even our style is more laid back. It’s like the shorts come out, the haircuts get cropped, and everybody’s attitude shifts. It’s time to pour a cool pitcher of something awesome, and hit the pool or patio. The Goliath guys are so on board. That’s why we devote our June/July issue to all of the above, with twists to make it that much more fabulous. Elevate your barbecue game with our tips and tricks, and pack your cute new pool bag with essentials that make you the one to watch. We even include fresh twists on your summer haircut.
As Stonewall Month rolls in, we use some of our time in the sun to appreciate how far gay rights have come. Since the New York riots get all the love this time of year, we offer facts, figures and other milestones to put the 1969 uprising in context. Of course, it’s not all poolside reflection this summer. We’re hard at work in the real world, too, snapping pics for our Appearances pages. Revisit the HRC Dinner, GLAAD’s Spring Patio Party, and Thriving Children for Lost-n-Found. Smile pretty for our photographers at summer events, and drop me a line with your Goliath thoughts and ideas. I’ll be soaking up the season and hatching plans for future issues.
Speaking of your look, our cover spread takes you through a whole gay day. From day to dinner to dancing, we have you covered in breezy trends and next-level shopping suggestions.
Cheers to your summer!
As long as we’re chilling, summer is a great opportunity for reflection – on the year so far, how it fits into the story of our lives, and where we go from here. In our feature piece, take an introspective look at the Peter Pan Syndrome and ways more gay men are learning to overcome it.
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
8 JUNE / JULY 2016 • V2 I5
Mike Fleming Mike@GoliathAtlanta.com
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GOLIATHATLANTA.COM 11
Serving Our Community since 2010
G EVENTS
Agenda
G O LIATH
CHRIS Kids
Russ Youngblood
Must Attend Events
Atlanta Pride Stonewall Month
Cyndi Lauper
White Party
When the local Pride festival moved to October, we got a full month of nods to the June 1969 Stonewall Riots anniversary. The biggest events include Out on Film screening Upstairs Inferno on June 8, East Point Possums (photo) on June 11, Evening for Equality on June 18, and Southern Fried Queer Pride June 24-26. Visit atlantapride.org.
She’s So Unusual put her on the map, but Cyndi Lauper stays in gay hearts with a lifetime of LGBT advocacy, a Tony-winning Kinky Boots score, a catalogue of heartfelt hits, and a brand new album. Let your “True Colors” come shining through on June 5 at Symphony Hall. Visit cyndilauper.com.
It’s not the circuit party that draws you to Florida. It’s the CHRIS Kids fundraiser that keeps you in Atlanta, where your gay love and dollars help underprivileged kids. White attire and the gorgeous Mason-Murer Fine Art set the scene while you cocktail, munch, bid in a silent auction and dance. Check out chriskids.org.
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PALS Says Thanks
Atlanta Bear Fest
Hors D’oeuvres, a silent auction, a roomful of gay pet lovers, and a cash bar. You don’t have to tell us twice. The beloved Pets Are Loving Support shows its appreciation for longtime partners on June 5 at Park Tavern, then turns out a lively PALS Beach Blanket Bingo at Jungle on June 8. More info at palsatlanta.org.
It’s big and hairy, and you’re going to love it. Burly boys and the men who love them come out for this annual summer romp at Courtyard Atlanta Executive Park. Pool days, special activities, bar nights, meals and more await under this year’s “South Pacific Survivor” theme July 1-4.
Your Wedding Experience Gay Atlanta sets the date with fabulous event planner David Tutera and The Bachelor’s hunky Josh Murray for their standard-bearing expo. ‘Your Wedding Experience’ features everything for grooms-to-be and the vendors they need to know. Get in on all the extras on June 12 at Georgia World Congress Center. Visit yourweddingexperience.com.
The Wizard of Oz Joining Hearts The signature event from one of gay Atlanta’s most beloved charities hits the Piedmont Park pool on July 16. The 29th annual event fights HIV/AIDS in Atlanta with DJ beats, scores of men, and tons of fun in the sun. VIP and General Admission tickets are on sale at joininghearts.org, and the event inspires our guide to Pool Party Style in this issue.
Andrew Lloyd Webber puts his West End spin on the classic movie about a climber who murders her predecessor for a pair of fabulous shoes, then conspires with three outsiders to hatch a plot to kill again. Click your heels together for the Fox Theater run of the touring production June 21-26. foxtheatre.org
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G COMMUNITY
GOLIATH
8
By the Numbers
Beyond Stonewall
The number of queer uprisings in the U.S. before the Stonewall Riots “sparked the gay rights movement” in 1969.
Compiled by Mike Fleming
A look back at other gay rights milestones, with a few fun Atlanta facts, by the numbers
1970 Atlanta Pride: To commemorate the anniversary of Stonewall, activists handed out fliers in Piedmont Park in 1970. A year later, the first gay rights march occurred down Peachtree Street.
1924 The Society for Human Rights was founded in Chicago, the first known gay organization in the U.S.
20 years From 1953 to 1973, the American Psychological Association officially classified homosexuality as a mental illness to be cured.
1st
Jack Baker and Michael McConnell were the first gay couple in the nation to be denied a marriage license – in 1971. They were married in 2015.
17 Years Gay Atlanta’s Michael Hardwick lost his appeal of Georgia’s sodomy law in U.S. Supreme Court in 1988. It was overturned in 2003. Hardwick died in 1991.
3.5%
The estimated percentage of LGBT people among U.S. adults, belying the “10 percent” tossed around anecdotally.
1978
49
Atlanta Pride moved to June 11 to coincide with Anita Bryant’s keynote at the Southern Baptist Convention at the Georgia World Congress Center.
YEARS YOUNG
Happy birthday to newsletter leaflet the Los Angeles Advocate. Renamed the Advocate in 1969, it remains the longest continuously running LGBT publication in the nation.
750,000 Estimated Americans who died with HIV/AIDS. Loss of so many gay men may have helped make gay issues a household discussion.
3/4
Americans, including opponents, who think legal gay marriages were “inevitable.”
5
The number of gay men making up the first meeting of the Mattachine Society in Los Angeles in 1950. Founder Harry Hay later also founded the Radical Faeries.
Sources: Advocate, Atlanta Pride, FactLV, New York Times, Statista.com, U.S. News & World Report, Williams Institute
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G GROOMING
Work That Body
G O LIATH
Dude, Do You Even Brotox? By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Trending on your face right now are medi-spa treatments for summer that go beyond ardent skin care
G
ay men want to look our best at any age. An increasing number of us are accepting a little help from non-invasive treatments that are a far cry from full-on surgery with a less intimidating requirement of just a little pinch or poke.
lower back and lower chest. The treatment works by freezing fat cells, which then crystallize and break down through your digestion process. CoolSculpting results aren’t instantaneous, but by the end of summer, you can see up to 25 percent fat reduction.
You want others to admire your great skin and youthful appearance, not your overdone or frozen face. Think of these summer-skin rejuvenations like tequila shots: Only the ones that are right for you, because after too many, you start looking nothing like yourself!
Lasers Beauty zap! A laser beam directed at your skin fractions into many smaller beams that burn microscopic holes. Your skin reacts by kicking into healing overdrive. The result looks more even and smooth, and even better, the effect improves over time because extra collagen is produced to protect the skin.
Botox Botox – jokingly called ‘brotox’ for men – is by far the most common treatment for guys this summer. The method is proven and effective. A few precise injections make your facial muscles release their hold on wrinkles. Be careful, because it’s easy and much too common to overdo it. Less really is more. Fillers Rethink what you thought you knew. Fillers are much more than a Kardashian pout. Most guys have no need for enhanced cheekbones or lips anyway, but fillers can plump sunken areas and smooth deep lines, like at the corners of the mouth or on your forehead. CoolSculpting It’s all the rage because it painlessly melts away unwanted fat from problem areas like abdomen,
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Ultherapy A lift without going under the knife, Ultrasound stimulates deep skin layers to produce collagen that reactivates the springs in your skin’s mattress. It’s great for jowls and chin, and can be used on droopy eyelids or neck skin. Now, while ultrasound sounds nice and relaxing, it’s fairly painful, so ask for painkillers before you start. IPL Intense Pulsed Light is perfect for someone with pigmentation spots or visible capillaries. The light catches the dark spots and burst blood vessels to diminish their appearance. Each pulse feels like a quick, moderately painful pinch in the skin followed by heat, but the results are instantaneous.
DIY Beauty Mask IlluMask is an at-home treatment that uses red and blue light to reduce redness and inflammation. Yes, you will look a little like Iron Man, but that’s kinda cool actually, right? The company is currently revamping its site so you can buy the lit up mask online, but you may also get lucky in Walgreens or Target. illumask.com.
HAIR DEFINES YOU
the
rt of Hair Replacement
G GROOMING
Looking Sharp
G O LIATH
Your Summer Cut By Mike Fleming
Y
Top off your style with hot hair trends, from fresh takes on classics to the latest looks
our crowning glory goes everywhere your gay agenda takes you. You need a versatile look that takes you from conference room, to backrooms to locker rooms, all while showing off your personal summer style.
The season offers new precision spins on Midtown’s gay Undercut, as well as expansions on the equally ubiquitous High-andTight. Whether you’re hair is curly, straight, thick or thinning, one of these summer styles is adaptable to top you just right.
Pomp & Fade Gay guys have been rocking the Classic Undercut for a few years. This version takes “Long on Top” to new heights. If you have the hair for it, flaunt it. As much volume as you can handle tops the closely shorn fade and taper you’re used to. Learn to work a blow dryer and matte pomade when you have the time, or let it swoop and flop as the occasion calls.
Buzzed Skin Fade Great for guys with less to work with on top, but just as gorgeously butch on any man, this warm-weather look is a direct reaction to last year’s man buns and topknots. Bring it down to the skin around the sides and back, and try increasingly shorter clipper guards on top until you find your perfect length. Bolder iterations go Mohawk or Mussed on top.
Side Hard Part Move over, Mad Men. Your television reign has ended, but your influence continues to take a new life of its own. These days, the timeless side-part often comes a little longer and sometimes even layered on either side of a shaved-in “hard part.” Rock it wet at the pool, slicked at the gala, or dry and pushed back at work.
Managed Mane As an antithesis to fades, here comes longer hair, but it’s still under control, off your face and neck for summer. Manage it with a dryer, stiff product and maybe an underneath shave to be bigger on top and tighter on the sides. Keep it on a tight leash at work and go full Jon Snow on weekends.
Man Braids Just as the gay culture dial reaches full manbun, runways and sidewalks are both seeing braids now. It may require a creative-industry workplace, but more adventurous men are doing rows, French braids and ponies. You can even add extensions to achieve the look.
Details Another adventurous summer trend expands on the hard part and fade. Limited only by your lifestyle and your stylist’s imagination, cut-ins can be simple lines or intricate flourishes. The commitment is relatively short, so if your boss can’t handle it, get one right before vacation and cut it back when you get home.
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G HOSTING
G O LIATH
Entertaining with Style
A Better Barbecue By Mike Fleming
Anyone can fire up a grill and put out squirt-bottle condiments. Here’s how to up your outdoor party game
W
e don’t have to tell you that champagne and white tablecloths aren’t required to make a party fabulous. Here are our sure-fire tips to turn your backyard barbecue into something special, for a bangin’ Fourth of July or any time summer’s outdoor party fever hits. Frozen Fruit Replace cocktail ice with frozen berries from the bag, or really earn your gay card by dropping a berry or two in each cube of your ice trays before freezing. Toppings Station Squirt-bottle condiments are so basic. Set up a wide assortment of mustards, cheeses, pickles, crumbled bacon, guacamole, fresh jalapeno slices, barbecue sauces and salsas.
Tea Time Add hibiscus simple syrup to a pitcher of sweet tea for a great color and subtle floral note that leaves them just this side of jealous of your genius. Nice Buns The difference between traditional buns and brioche is nominal in price, but long on fabulous. Elevated Sides Corn on the cob and asparagus are awesome on the grill. Kick them up with infused butters like parmesan and chili powder, or basil and garlic.
Burger Bounty Go beyond ground beef with shrimp, lamb, tuna and salmon patties that the gays will rave about long after you call them an Uber.
Beverage Bucket Serve your bottles – yes red and white, it’s too hot for convention – in a bucket of ice with a couple of non-alcoholic options. Your boys will appreciate a great display that’s easy to access and manage. Later, add single-serving jars of ice cream and let everyone serve themselves.
Cue Cards Got mad grill skill? Show it off with place cards on the staging table for rare, medium and done meats, as well as ID cards for condiments and side dishes.
Grilled Pizza Put chilled dough on the grill, flip it, add toppings and let them heat. Put pizza in rotation with your meats and hotdogs on the Fourth, and they’ll still be praising you at Christmas.
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Better Chips Replace traditional potato chips with baked zucchini, squash and carrot slices in a bowl with ranch. Instant fabulous upgrade. Up the Pretty Factor You can’t overdo the table. Look like you gave it the old gay try, even though it’s way easy, by bringing indoor décor out. Fabric napkins, placemats and candles are easy, and splurge on the good disposable plates. Add cut flowers and boom! Game Time Early arrivals and the post-lunch slump are problems solved with a collection of no-skills lawn games like Frisbee, badminton and croquet. Bug-free Rather than plastic wrapping everything and spoiling your Martha moment, put individual-portion side dishes in lidded jars. Set one at each place, or pass them out if you’re not. Fans A collection of inexpensive hand-fans help beat the heat, odds are they will create their own gay activity in no time. Light It Up Holiday lights strung across the patio, around trees and across banisters serve as sparklers when the sun goes down. Source: The Kitchen, Outdoorsman, Fab
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GOLIATHATLANTA.COM  21
G FASHION
G O LIATH
What to Wear
Pool Party Style By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Looking your best at summer pool parties takes your natural finesse, a little knowhow and few key pieces
W
ith an endless roster of private and public pool parties vying for your attention in gay Atlanta all summer, including but certainly not limited to the behemoth signature Joining Hearts event in July, your look needs to be as versatile as your profile.
Mixing and matching these selections will help you look your best at event after event as the summer wears on. Plus they work together to take you seamlessly from cool at the pool to dining, drinks and dancing through hot summer nights. Swim Short Why not combine cute swimwear with a pair of cute shorts? This pair even has a liner so you won’t have to worry about underwear or going commando as you go from pool to apres sun. Vuori Kore Short Navy Grey Stripe, $68 Statement Top Have some fun while showing a little skin by adding graphics and colors to elevate the standard tank top. Summer Nights Tank by Into the AM, $35 Laid in Style Bring your own seating and never worry again if all deck chairs are taken. The Laybag fills by ‘swooshing’ it through the air, and if there isn’t room poolside, it can double as the coolest flotation device. Perfect for the park as well. Laybag, from $89 Denim Shirt The perfect balance of casual and classy thrown over your tank top, your look is instantly ready for happy hour. Button it up, and you can even go to a nicer restaurant. J. Crew Slim Selvedge Utility Shirt, $98 Base Layer If you’re going to lounge atop a towel for hours, make it a nice one that’s also a statement piece. For summer style, a good beach towel is so worth the investment. Lacoste Large Beach Towel, $42 Shade for Days Sunglasses not only protect your eyes, they complete the look. This year, the trend is still classic but with frames that are clear or uni-color instead of tortoise or shell. Warby Parker Haskell Sunglasses, $95 Up Your Shoe Game Flip-flops are great by the water, but not exactly fit for a night out. Up your shoe game with a pair of cool slip-ons. Super comfortable, easy to wear, and looking great. Seavees Baja Slip On Mojace, $88 Totes Cool It seems no matter what you do, you end up hauling half of your possessions to the pool. Carry it all in style in this roomy bag, which doubles as a backpack or tote. Lacoste Canvas Backpack, $195
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“I fought for my country. Now I’m bringing the fight to my HIV.” Reggie - Atlanta, GA Living with HIV since 1985.
As a military guy, I know how to follow orders. So when my doctor told me to start and stay in treatment, I listened. Now my treatment regimen is part of my life. That means I take my pills, I keep my medical appointments, I stay connected to support groups and I keep up with the latest education. Treatment works for me, and now I show other veterans who are HIV-positive how it can work for them.
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G FEATURE
GOLIATH
BY MIKE FLEMING
Peter Pan GROWS UP Gay men can turn never growing up into an art form. Neverland? There’s a Betterland.
M
aybe it’s the gay obsession with youthful beauty that spills into our thinking and poisons some gay men against not just growing old, but growing up at all. Maybe it’s that so many of us can live free-and-single without being forced into adulthood by traditional rights of passage that set societal time limits. Whatever the reasons, being Gay Peter Pan can actually be enjoyable for a while – until it really, really isn’t. So many of us fought against rejection just for being who we are, in society and within our own families and communities. At some point, gay life swooped in like a hero and made us feel accepted. Then regardless of how age appropriate that gay life remains, we stay stuck out of fear. The Neverland fantasy is appealing on its surface. We don’t want to let that comfort go, even if it creates a life of self-sabotage trying to keep it up while fighting that old nagging feeling that we aren’t good enough. To compound the matter, gay men love a rebellious boy who can’t grow up. Young free spirits who are all play and no work are rewarded for that kind of behavior. They can extend the façade with varying degrees of success even into their 40s or longer, but when it catches up to them, the hard fall out of favor can be devastating.
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Everyone who’s ever dated or crushed on one of these guys knows: Peter Pan can be fun, but he can’t be The One. When adulthood is the enemy, it’s a losing battle. The elusive Neverland gets further, not closer, as the quest for it marches on. When the scared little gay boy is still trapped inside a 35, 45, 55, or 65-year-old body, the problem can reach critical mass if he doesn’t have the tools to fix it. Now the good news. There’s a more fulfilling, less tragic life that respects your inner child more than Peter Pan ever could. And gay men are primed to take advantage of it. Peter Pan Syndrome stems from a desire for someone to take care of you, but we can care for ourselves. When we do, we’re not just happier, but more desirable.
GOLIATHATLANTA.COM 27
Neverland? BETTER LAND Steps to putting your inner Peter Pan to rest. For good. Fashion Passions Nothing says, “I’m out of touch with my reality,” than clothes that don’t fit the man. Usually, clothes that made you look hot in your 20s make you look “not” later. Even if you can rock it, don’t be afraid to ask for the honest truth from someone outside your own circle of “you look fab (but not really).” Be Honest Scruffing, Grinding or Growling? There’s no place for a pic of you that’s 10 years old. Man up and post pics personally and professionally that say, ‘This is me!’ It’s liberating.
Yes, really. What’s sexier than confidence that comes when we buck up, man up and get it together? Other guys want the gay grownup you can actually be, not the one who pretends to be the young man you were, or never were.
More good news: It’s never too late, and an increasing number of gay men are figuring out how to make it happen. The ironic part is, the little gay kid inside them can come out and play because for the first time, he is truly protected.
Scary? Maybe. Growing pains suck at any age, but especially if it means “losing our youth.” Think of it this way: Youth is going away with or without our consent. Our best selves come when we embrace our experience, become reliable and responsible, and reap the rewards that come with it.
The following steps may be difficult at first, but they are doable. Plus, it’s for everyone else as well as for you: The world can never have too many fully realized gay men. Sources: Science Daily, Psychology Today, Your Tango
Are You A Peter Pan? Intense desire and need to be cared for by other people he considers “stronger.”
“Rebel,” contrarian, and always oppositional.
Inability to keep promises.
Lack of empathy, isolate socially, contrasted by a fear of being alone.
Inability to assume responsibilities and prefer others to take on tasks.
Low self esteem creates low tolerance to frustration.
Complaints and constant criticism.
Narcissistic.
Selfishness. It’s “all about you.”
Dissatisfied but do nothing to improve their situation. Overidealizes youth beyond reality.
Emotional dependency, co-dependency and sometimes financial dependence.
1-3 Every guy has issues, but you’re balancing better than most. 4-9 You have your moments, but you know where you’re headed. 10-12 Hey, Peter Pan. There’s hope for you yet.
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Party Primer It’s not cute to talk about how messy you were at the club. Enjoy your cocktails, but send a different message to potential friends, boyfriends, partners, hook-ups, even current friends, by stepping into full management and ownership of your recreational activities. Reign It In Everyone is guilty of spontaneous splurges. Without freaking out and looking too far ahead, the hardest “grow-up” conversation you can have comes when you realize you have no money for the future. It’s never too late! For starters, one less Starbucks per week puts $240 in the bank. Sexy is as Sexy Does Retrain your sex drive to enjoy other forms of pleasure. It’s time to explore intimacy and let sex and orgasms be the icing on the cake. Give Yourself Break Life’s a pressure tank. Don’t add more stress trying to keep up with the gay Joneses and their killer bodies, fab houses, extravagant vacations and 2.5 kids. It may sound cheesy, but you’re beautiful and unique with a contribution to make. Don’t check out early because your heart couldn’t take it. Slow Time Funny enough, amidst all this bemoaning the passage of time, there is one tip that actually allows you to battle its rapid progression. Scientists studying how time passes faster as we get older found that having new experiences slow it down. So for kids, every experience is new. Adults have to make it happen. Go skydiving, learn a language, take a cooking class, join the neighborhood association. It’s the only way to make yourself younger, all while learning, growing and improving in the process. Adapted and expanded from the writings gay Life Coach Rick Clemons, author of ‘Frankly My Dear I’m Gay, A Late Bloomers Guide To Coming Out’
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PRESENTS
GEORGIA EQUALITY’S
12TH ANNUAL
EVENING FOR
EQUALITY JUNE18, 2016 Host Committee $350 Couple Host Commitee Individual $200 General Admission $100
TICKET INFO: GEORGIAEQUALITY.COM
WEDDING SHOW Presented by David Tutera
AMAZING PRIZES
FASHION SHOWS
DIY STATIONS
DESIGN GALLERIES
© Pixel Studio Productions
WORLD Sunday, June 12 |GEORGIA CONGRESS CENTER
Come to the #YWEshow & Plan Your Dream Wedding B U Y T I C K E T S N O W AT Yo u r We d d i n g E x p e r i e n c e . c o m
For Sponsorship & Exhibiting please contact us at: info@yourweddingexperience.com 651-757-4222
ON SALE NOW!
June 21-26 • FoxTheatre.org/Wizard 855-285-8499 GOLIATHATLANTA.COM 33
Workin’
Day & Night You know the line: Summertime and the living is easy. Well, so is your warm-weather wardrobe. You can up the ante on Atlanta’s gay go-to shorts and tank with a few easy essentials.
Your look doesn’t have to be complicated to be fantastic, and no gay who’s any gay wants to take a long time to get ready as the heat sets in. No worries. Check out our takes on day, date night and boys night, with a couple of soright-now must-haves that keep you on trend.
Gay by Day A hat, bag or shorter shorts turn your simple look into a statement.
Yeti Trucker Cap $20 yeticoolers.com
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Chubbies Shorts $50 - $60 chubbiesshorts.com
Bonobos Rockaway Tank $26 bonobos.com
Date Night He just wants to be with you, but impress him anyway. Upgrade your jeans with the right blazer, shirt and shoe.
Vince Melrose Linen Shirt $195 vince.com
JCrew Ludlow Blazer $109-$228 jcrew.com
Cole Haan Wing Bucks $149 colehaan.com
GOLIATHATLANTA.COM  35
Boys Night Cotton from head-to-toe makes you the one to watch. Throw on a light jacket for late-night breakfast, or add a statement piece.
Levi’s Wellthread Trucker Jacket $99 levis.com
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Vitaly Gold Sequoia Pendant $66 jackthreads.com
Diesel Krooley Denim $248 diesel.com
Saturday, July 16th, 2016 Piedmont Park Pool On Sale June 1st
Beats by
4:00 -10:30PM $95 Gen Admission $195 VIP $2500 Ultra VIP joininghearts.org
SATURDAY • JUNE 18, 2016 • 8 A.M. • PIEDMONT PARK R EG I STR ATIO N AT AC TIVE .CO M RACE ORGANIZED BY FRONT RUNNERS ATLANTA. PROCEEDS BENEFIT JOINING HEARTS. GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
SUPPORT THE BUSINESSES WHO SUPPORT YOU The AGLCC has been helping the LGBT community keep its dollars in the pockets of LGBT- and Ally-owned companies since the mid-1980’s. Our online Member Directory has everything you need to live your LGBTA life to the fullest—all while building the rainbow economy.
VISIT WWW.THEAGLCC.ORG TO LEARN MORE LGBT ADVOCACY THROUGH ECONOMICS
EVENTS | MEMBERSHIP | LGBT-FRIENDLY BUSINESS DIRECTORY GOLIATHATLANTA.COM 39
G Appearances
G O LIATH
RIGHTEOUS RUNWAY When is a fashion show more than just a runway? When it raises money to help the hundreds of homeless LGBT kids on any given night in Atlanta. Steve Hightower’s annual Thriving Children did just that on April 29 at Fox Theatre’s Egyptian Ballroom. The gala gathered its gays for a runway and hair show, as well as performances by members of Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus and RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Chad Michaels. The evening benefited the programs of gay Atlanta’s own Lost-N-Found Youth.
Photos by Russ Youngblood
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GOLIATHATLANTA.COM 41
G Appearances
G O LIATH
GAY GALA HRC Atlanta’s annual dinner on April 30 brought together a reported 1,200 tuxedoed and gowned supporters at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin rallied the crowd over gains made and work left to do on the road to full LGBT equality. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed offered remarks, while Georgia Equality and Q100’s The Bert Show received awards for their roles in local rights fights and culture wars.
Photos by Russ Youngblood
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G Appearances
G O LIATH
‘GLAAD’ TIDINGS The Atlanta chapter of media watchdog Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation gathered on May 15 at Henry’s for a spring patio party. The sixth annual event included dance music, raffle prizes and a silent auction to benefit the group’s ongoing mission to “amplify LGBT stories that build support for acceptance” in pop culture representations and news media. Visit glaad.org and facebook.com/glaadatlanta.
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GOLIATHATLANTA.COM 45
G CONTRIBUTOR
G O LIATH
WELL HELLO.
IT’S DEVEN GREEN DEVEN GREEN is an award-winning comedy performer. You know her from the “Welcome To My Home” parodies, as the satirical Betty Bowers – America’s Best Christian, OCCmakeup ads, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” World of Wonder, and performing her live music shows in brothels across America. DevenGreen.com Dear Deven: I’m a grown man and I can’t swim! “Soping in South Decatur” I’m sure you know how to negotiate a sauna. Dear Deven: I’m hosting a pool party. Guidelines? “Particular on Ponce” If you have great music, people will dance. If you have great food and drinks, people will devour them. If you have inflatable toys people will play with them. Dear Deven: The hubby and I thought it would be fun to drive across Georgia this summer. Any advice for not getting on each others nerves? “Tension in Tucker” Fly. Dear Deven: I have a small backyard and want to have a BBQ. How can I make this space work? “Cramming in Campbellton” Have indoor activities such as board games, decorating cupcakes, shaving ice and gossiping. To double your space, include your next-door neighbor! Dear Deven: I met a great guy. Amazing career, house, car, age appropriate, handsome, witty and charming. One catch: We are going to a summer retreat, and he’s into kink, which is unknown territory for me. What to do? “Perplexed on Piedmont ” It’s always a challenge to expand your “repertoire.” Have some mutually simple rules, which truly apply to all relationships: No nude photos or videos are to be taken. Be clear on specific boundaries you already know. If you are curious about something explore it one inch at a time. Stretch before you go. Dear Deven: I get cornered into long conversations at parties and can’t mingle. I don’t wish to be rude, but I also want to meet others. How do I get out of it? ”Rocky in Roswell” They are the ones being rude! A conversation has balance. If they don’t include you, then pardon yourself by going to the washroom and do not return to them. Dear Deven: A close couple adopted two young boys, so now when I go over it’s kiddie chaos. How can I spend time with my friends without being a human play station? ”Off kilter near Oglethorpe” I don’t have children, but I deal with childish men all the time such as yourself. Your friends are the most loving people in the world. It takes a special kind of people to share their life with adopted children. Your energy is impactful and kids can sense resentment, so until you change your attitude don’t go over there. “I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.” Dear Deven: Can I throw my own coming out party? ”Free in Fairburn” I insist! But, please be knowledgeable about your history as this was not an option that long ago. Truly, congratulations, I expect an invite. Dear Readers, this column is for entertainment purposes...mostly mine. I love each of you the best I can. Email me your questions: DevenGreen@gmail.com Photo: ReedDavisPhotography.com
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PS: Would you like me to read this to you? Go to GoliathAtlanta.com and listen!