David Magazine V7-i05 | Change Making

Photos by: Russ Bowen-Youngblood

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

2023 TRIBUTES, VOLUME 1

Research & Presentation Sponsored by Miko Evans for Meak Productions, Inc.

FRANKIE KNUCKLES

Francis Warren Knuckles, Jr., AKA Frankie Knuckles (January 18, 1955 - March 31, 2014), was a beloved DJ, record producer, and innovative remixer who played an essential role in developing and popularizing house music in the 1980s and 1990s. He made history as the first House Music DJ to win the Grammy Award for Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical in 1997, and he was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

Known as the “Godfather of House Music,” Knuckles was born in the New York City borough of the Bronx. While still a student, Knuckles began working as a DJ, playing soul, disco, and R&B at two of the most important early discos, The Continental Baths and The Gallery, where he worked with his childhood friend and fellow DJ, Larry Levan. He went on to study textile design at the State University of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.

In the late 1970s, Knuckles moved from New York City to Chicago, where Robert Williams launched what became known as the Warehouse, a legendary gay club staple. When the club opened in 1977, Knuckles was invited to play regularly, which enabled him to hone his skills and style. The style evolved into a mixture of disco classics, unusual indie-label soul, the occasional rock track, European synth-disco, and all manner of rarities, which would all eventually become blended under Frankie Knuckles’ skillful remixing into house music, deriving its name from a shortened version of the Warehouse.

Knuckles was so popular that the Warehouse from 1977 to 1982 had to cancel its members-only policy and began welcoming a straighter and whiter audience. Knuckles continued at the Warehouse until November of 1982 when he started his own club in Chicago, The Power Plant. Knuckles’ sets typically featured his extended edits of a wide selection of tracks from disco to post-punk, R&B to synth-heavy Eurodisco. What he created every night laid the groundwork for electronic dance music and culture and mapped its future.

s Madison Hinton (born October 22, 1977), also known as Maddie, is an American reality television personality, actress, and LGBT activist. With the reality show The Ts Madison Experience, she became the first black trans woman to star in, and executive produce her own reality series. She has appeared in films such as Zola and Bros. She has been a member of the regular judging panel on RuPaul’s Drag Race since the show’s fifteenth season, following several previous appearances as a guest judge.

Madison rose to fame in 2013 after going viral following the release of a Vine clip titled “New Weave 22 Inches”. The video features her exposing her nude body. Madison was starring in adult films and running a successful production company during this time. On the LGBTQ&A podcast, Madison said she started doing sex work after being fired from multiple jobs for being trans. “I was hell-bent on me not being broke anymore in life. Me not having to worry about where I’m going to live, how I’m going to pay my bills because I came from that time of me having to really worry. And this was a place of security for me.”

After becoming a viral sensation, Madison signed a recording and media contract with Pink Money Records in 2014 and released her first single “Feeling My Fish” shortly after. In 2016, Madison released her debut album, The New Supreme,[6] and appeared with Ellis Miah and RuPaul on the song “Drop.” In 2021, she collaborated with Todrick Hall on the song “DICK THIS BIG.”

With World of Wonder, she starred in two web series, Wait a Minute and Lemme Pick You Up. In 2015, she released her memoir, A Light Through the Shade: An Autobiography of a Queen.

Madison has had roles in the movie Zola, and the upcoming romantic comedy, The Perfect Find, on Netflix. Janicza Bravo, the director of Zola, told The New York Times that she discovered Madison through her viral Vine video, watching it “maybe 20 times in a row...I became kind of obsessed with her.”

Madison appeared in Bros, “the first gay romantic comedy from a major studio.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie has a “historic all-LGBTQ principal cast.”

DWIGHT ALLEN O’NEAL

Dwight Allen O’Neal, born on January 9, 1984, is an influencer, LGBTQ activist, multimedia director, producer, and personality. He has created and produced television/ film projects for Bravo TV, MTV, and Here TV. Dwight added best-selling author to his list of accomplishments when he wrote Shoulda! Coulda! Woulda! in 2020, and again in the Fall of 2021, when writing his sophomore novel Collar Confessions, which was also adapted into a scripted television series for Here TV.

Born the youngest of three children in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Dwight O’Neal, a cowboy, and his mother, Christell O’Neal, who works in the medical field, Dwight attended John L. McClellan Magnet High School, where he graduated with honors in 2002. O’Neal was active as the vice president of the student council, the treasurer of the Future Business Leaders of America, president of the drama club debate team, and a participant in the Boys State and Student Congress. Following high school, O’Neal enrolled at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where he studied musical theater.

O’Neal began working in New York as a model and actor, and appeared in many fashion shows, ad campaigns for Hitch and YJ Stinger Power Drink, and in music videos for various rising artists, including Young Gunz, Cassidy, and Jamie Foxx. He created and founded Off the Clock Productions, which produced the legendary series, “Christopher Street” and “CockTALES The Series.” Off The Clock also delivered the Off-Broadway play, “5 Seconds to Air.” In addition to being a featured actor in “Christopher Street” and “CockTALES The Series,” he was a principal character in “Melody Set Me Free” in 2009.

At the beginning of 2023, Dwight was inducted into the Annual Hall of Fame of Meak Productions Inc. in honor of his 10th anniversary of being associated with the Agency since 2009.

Dwight is also this issues’ cover model & Black History feature. SEE THE FULL BIO AT DAVIDATLANTA.COM

Oh Boy, It’s Lauderdale’s Pride of the Americas

If you’re longing for an infusion of Pride, Fort Lauderdale kicks off the year with its rebranded Pride festival, Pride of the Americas, in February!

Visit Lauderdale presents the inaugural Pride of the Americas on Saturday, February 11. It is moving to the heart of Fort Lauderdale Beach at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park, 80 Las Olas Circle, just off Las Olas Blvd.

The Pride of the Americas Parade, presented by Midland Family & CAN Community Health, will step off at NOON and flow directly into the new Pride festival site. The festival gates will open at 1 pm, and the celebration will conclude at 9 pm with a full concert by international recording artist Boy George at approximately 7:30 pm.

“Even though we’ve consolidated the schedule, the Pride of the Americas experience will still be amazing. The festival will continue to include a VIP experience, TransPride, internationally acclaimed DJs, and up to 70 vendors,” says Miik Martorell, president of Pride Fort Lauderdale, a local producer of Pride of the Americas. “And, of course, we have the legendary Boy George and big surprises planned as we celebrate Pride right here in the gateway to the Americas.”

The international event is expected to attract guests from North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean. It will kick off on Friday, February 10, with Pride on the Drive presented by Visit Lauderdale, in association with Midland Family & CAN Community Health, Gilead, and AHF, an outdoor event with two stages taking over the Shoppes of Wilton Manors parking lot.

All of Lauderdale’s well-known bars and clubs will welcome visitors with open arms, including LeBoy, Gym Sportsbar, the Eagle, Rosie’s, and more. The Hunter’s Nightclub Stage will feature

acclaimed international club DJ/Producers Thunderpuss (Chris Cox and Barry Harris) and is produced in association with Wilton Manors Business Association and Hunter’s Nightclub. The Alibi Stage is a Pride Fete Takeover featuring Caribbean music and entertainment produced with Wilton Manors Entertainment Group. So, there is plenty of fun awaiting you at the Pride of the Americas, February 10-12.

The Pride of the Americas Parade is free and open to the public. Festival general admission tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the gate. Pride on the Drive tickets are free when you register on our website. There are a limited number of tickets available for the VIP experience.

For a full schedule and tickets, go to pridefortlauderdale.org.

Frontrunners Membership Drive @Woofs

Photos by: Russ Bowen-Youngblood

Mr. Man Counts Down Last Year’s Top 10 Nude Scenes

By Troy Lefferson, edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt

10. Elias Kacavas and Henry Eikenberry in Euphoria

9. Álex García, Iván Pellicer, Álvaro Rico in Holy Family

8. Leo Woodall, Tom Hollander in The White Lotus

7. Emil von Schönfels in Grand Jeté

6. Daryl McCormack in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

5. Evan Peters in Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

4. Joel Kim Booster, Conrad Ricamora, Zane Phillips in Fire Island

3. Theo James in The Time Traveler’s Wife

2. Josh O’Connor in Mothering Sunday

1. Harry Styles in My Policeman

No man in your life? No problem! With so many shows and series to binge on, there are plenty of hunky eye candy to feast your eyes on. Luckily, Mr. Man – the most extensive online library of online celeb nudity – has compiled a list of 2022’s best nude scenes!

Hollywood took viewers to some surprisingly new-d places this year, venturing deep into the explicit in some of the year’s top pictures. Among the most talked about was HBO’s The White Lotus Its second season featured multiple sex scenes with British newcomer Leo Woodall, including a steamy role in the hay with his character’s gal pal Haley Lu Richardson. However, the scene that rattled the country for weeks was the one between Woodall and the man who plays his uncle in the series, Tom Hollander. It appears at #8 on the year’s Top Ten.

Theo James starred in White Lotus, and he, too, had memorable nude scenes in the series, but it is his fullfrontal scenes in The Time Traveler’s Wife that lands James on Mr. Man’s Top Ten Nude list. Playing a time traveling Chicago librarian who can only time travel while naked, James strips down an incredible eighteen times throughout the season, including an unforgettable head over heels tumble down a staircase in the buff. It is another scene in the same episode, where James crashes on the floor and exposes every inch of his chiseled body, that is the third top nude scene of the year.

HBO’s breakout hit Euphoria also managed to set the Twitterverse ablaze with multiple nude scenes. The one that makes the list features Elias Kacavas, playing a young, closeted Cal, who comes face to face with his best friendturned gay lover Henry Eikenberry in the boys’ locker room. Their gay romance is cut tragically short, but not before viewers are treated to a stunning full frontal shot of Eikenberry.

Producer Ryan Murphy appears on the year’s Top Ten for a second year in a row. He made last year’s list with Halston, his Netflix series about the rise and fall of the iconic couture designer. It depicted Ewan McGregor and Sullivan Jones engaging in much eye-popping intimacy. This year, Murphy enters the list at #5 with Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, starring Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer. It includes a steamy scene with Dahmer getting arrested and being subjected to a very revealing strip search. Fans of Evan Peters’ enjoyed seeing another side of him – his back side.

“Hollywood is boldly going where it has never gone before when it comes to male nudity and sex, and we are here for it,” says Jack Davis of Mr. Man, the world’s leading online library of every male nude scene in the history of film and television. “Many of the scenes we saw play out on screen this year simply would not have happened in previous years.”

That includes the top scene of the year that stars one of the biggest pop singers in the world right now, Harry Styles. Styles plays a closeted policeman who strikes up a romance with a gay museum curator (David Dawson) in the 1950s. Their passionate affair cumulates in a nearly pornographic gay sex scene that depicts both men nude while moaning and groaning with excitement.

“When a huge pop music star like Harry Styles is comfortable starring in a hardcore gay sex scene, that shows real progress in the world,” Mr. Davis continues. “We’re excited to see where Hollywood takes us next!”

Mr. Man’s Top 10 Nude Scenes of the year were chosen by Mr. Man’s editorial, production and marketing teams. All ten scenes are viewable in their entirety at MrMan.com.

Dining

BARS

BARS not on map

BARS

Photos by: Russ Bowen-Youngblood

BARS & CLUBS MIDTOWN

BLAKE’S ON THE PARK blakesontheparkatlanta.com

227 10th St NE

BULLDOGS

893 Peachtree St NE

FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR friendsonponce-atl. com

736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

MY SISTER’S ROOM mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE

X MIDTOWN fb.com/XMidtownX 990 Piedmont Ave NE

THE T modeltatlanta.com 465 Boulevard SE

CHESHIRE

HERETIC hereticatlanta.com

2069 Cheshire Bridge Road

BJ ROOSTERS bjroosters.com

2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE

A snapshot of Gay Atlanta’s favorite destinations. View their ads in DAVID & visit their websites for weekly event listings.

SNAPS

WESTSIDE MARQUETTE

868 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW

840ATL 840 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW

ANSLEY

ATLANTA EAGLE 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

FELIX’S 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

THE HIDEAWAY 1544 Piedmont Ave NE

MIXX mixxatlanta.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE

OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

WOOFS woofsatlanta.com 494 Plasters Ave NE

EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD

MARY’S marysatlanta.com

1287 Glenwood Ave SE

SISTER LOUISA’S CHURCH

sisterlouisaschurch.com

466 Edgewood Ave SE

DINING MIDTOWN

10TH & PIEDMONT SOMETHING NEW COMING SOON

991 Piedmont Ave NE

G’S gsmidtown.com

219 10th St NE

HENRY’S henrysatl.com

132 10th St NE

LA HACIENDA lahaciendamidtown. com

900 Monroe Dr NE

DEKALB

LIPS ATLANTA atldragshow.com

3011 Buford Hwy NE

RETAIL MIDTOWN BARKING LEATHER AFTER DARK barkingleather.com

1510 Piedmont Ave NE

CHESHIRE

SOUTHERN NIGHTS VIDEO

2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE

ANSLEY

BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR boynextdoormenswear.com

1447 Piedmont Ave NE

GCB & PLEASURES brushstrokesatlanta. com

1510-D Piedmont Ave. NE

FITNESS

MIDTOWN

URBAN BODY FITNESS

urbanbodyfitness.com

500 Amsterdam Ave N

CHESHIRE

GRAVITEE FITNESS graviteeatl.com

2201 Faulkner Rd NE

SPAS/BATHS ADULT

FLEX SPA flexspas.com

76 4th St NW

EMAIL info@D A vi DA t LA nt A .co M for fr EE BUSI n ESS LIS t I n G S t HE r E IS roo M for Y o U!

Dear DAVID

QI am 25 years old, and I quite honestly have a lot of anxiety when it comes to dating. With all the apps and the rampant hook-up culture in the gay community, it is so difficult to find out if a guy is just trying to hook up or if he wants to date and get to know you. Plus, many couples are opening up their relationship, which makes it even harder to figure out what they are into or not. I really want a deeper connection with someone, but I am both outraged and a nervous wreck at the same time–are there really no genuine guys left out there anymore? How do I break this negative way of thinking? And how do I ultimately find love?

ANo matter what, it is always difficult to put yourself out there. The first step for you (and for soooo many others in the dating pool) is to admit that you are indeed anxious about dating! Anxiety is normal and should honestly be expected, but the moment you let go of your judgment of having anxiety, you will also relax a little bit more–maybe in yourself or perhaps even on a date. Another thing you can assess is if the hook-up and dating apps are actually hurting or helping you. If you’ve had it with biased preferences and rudeness from strangers, then take a break–apps are not the only way to meet guys! If you do feel the need for an app in your life, stay clear of the sex apps and go for one catered more towards dating. Create a profile that is honest and realistic, which is the best basis for an online conversation either way.

Regardless of how you meet someone, start by communicating and get to know the person even before you meet up in person for a date. A good indicator is how good a communicator the other person is and how well, for instance, texts are responded to. Down the line, once the connection has been made, it is okay for you to voice your concerns and even fears. You don’t want to be needy but being open and honest about feelings and expectations will also create the basis for a deeper connection. Yes, dating can be time-consuming and even anxiety-inducing but if you put in the effort, it will eventually pay off.

Glitz! The Competition

@ Mary’s | February 2, 9 pm

12 drag competitors are going head to head in this weekly drag competition put on by the queer and quirky folks over at Mary’s in East Atlanta Village.

Back Room: Black Party

@ The Heretic | February 3, 10 pm

First Queen Butch party of the year serving you DJ Mike Servito (The Bunker NY) & Atlantas very own, Alexis Curshé (Deep South ATL). Recommended Attire: Black on black on black on black... on black!

High Frequency Friday

@ The High Museum | February 3, 6-10 pm

Set out on a musical journey with the city’s most popular DJs. Take in the Museum’s collection, create a piece of art, and participate in a docent-led tour. Tickets at high.org.

House Fridays

@ X Midtown| February 3, 11:30 pm – 3 am

Hit the dancefloor every Friday night at X Midtown, with resident DJ VAL VERRA. Spinning House Classics, Nu/Disco, and Pop Remixes.

UNDERGROUND Dance Party

@ Boggs Social | February 3, 8 pm

Anglophiles uniteat Boggs Social & Supply for the “UNDERGROUND” Britpop, UK Indie, Madchester, New Wave Dance Party!

Kai Lin Art presents Paper Boxes

@ Kai Lin Art | February 3-4

Kai Lin Art is pleased to announce our first exhibition for 2023, PAPER BOXES: a solo exhibition featuring ten new artworks from Asheville-based artist Kevin Palme.

20th Annual Oyster Crawfish Festival

@ Park Tavern | February 4, 2-11 pm

The Park Tavern Oyster Crawfish Festival Returns for the 20th year in a row! Tickets at bigtickets.com.

Party of The Krewes

@ The Hideaway | February 4, 3 pm

All day party into the night a rugby social, beer bust, and daytime drag.

The Talon Show

@ The Atlanta Eagle | February 6, 8 pm

New Comedy Variety Show at The Atlanta Eagle featuring Atlanta comedians, drag queens, and showstoppers.

Speed Dating

@ Woofs | February 7, 6 -10 pm

Come find the right person for right now, or forever! It’s a fun night of debauchery, games, and meeting cool new people. If you’re taking it too seriously, welp.

Moulin Rouge at the Plaza

@ Plaza Atlanta | February 8, 7 pm

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with your besties at this Wussy one-night special screening of Baz Luhrmann’s classic 2001 musical, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor.

A John Waters Christmas in February

@ Variety Playhouse | February 8, 8-11 pm

Go ahead! Knock over that tree! Stomp your presents! Manger Danger! A raging new critical theory that no PTA can ever stop. Scream! Scream again! It’s a John Waters Christmas for Chrissake! Get Your tickets now!

We all have those moments of ‘wait, did they just say that?’ Lucky for you, we compile the best of the best right here on this page. Want to join in on the b*tch session? Submit your own nuggets to info@davidatlanta.com.

What happens if someone slaps you at a high frequency? It Hertz.

I identify as a threat. My pronouns are try / me.

There’s really nothing worse than a Disney gay.

Why do pet pner feel the need to write the word ‘hooman’ on social media?

I don’t hate you. I’m just not necessarily excited about your existence.

Why is the cost of living so high? I’m not even having fun!

I really wish guys on the apps would stop saying “looking for a gym buddy”. Honey, please stop. You’re a bottom looking to get railed!

So January is over, and I’m honestly already over this year.