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The Premiere Party supports CHRIS 180’s programs providing housing, training and advocacy to enable LGBTQ+ youth to live safely and go to school in environments with supportive adults, equal access, and validating, high quality counseling and other services.

GENERAL ADMISSION

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VIP TICKETS

$100 Lisa Galm & Cindy Simpson

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CONTENTS AUGUST 28, 2019

V3-34 PEACH ATL MEDIA, LLC 925b Peachtree St. NE #168 Atlanta, GA 30309

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EDITORIAL

Mikkel Hyldebrandt Editorial Director mikkel@peachatl.com

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From the Editor

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It seems like Pride Month just ended, and now it’s time to initiate our own Atlanta Pride season, which starts with the biggest black LGBTQ pride in the country, Atlanta Black Pride. Add to that, Dragon Con in Downtown and a slew of Labor Day weekend parties, and we are in for a pretty epic weekend of celebration.

We spoke to Amber Moore and Terence Stewart who have both been intricately involved in creating this year’s extensive program for Atlanta Black Pride. Under the hashtag #ReclaimingATLBlackPride, they focus not only on celebrating but also on educating and empowering the black LGBTQ community in Atlanta. Read their extensive Q&A on pages 18-20, and check out some of their new initiatives and events on page 8.

Jamie Kirk delves into that question on page 32 that comes around every year at the time for Atlanta Black Pride: why a separate Pride for the black LGBTQ community? And in case you need a little touchup on your black history, we have listed a few good-toknow facts on page 46.

That and so much more in this issue of Peach.

HAPPY PRIDE! Mikkel Hyldebrandt Editorial Director IG @hyldebrandt ONLINE

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The content of Peach ATL Media is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice. The opinions expressed by any writer, advertiser, or other person appearing in the Peach ATL Media are not necessarily those of this publication, its management or staff. The information and materials appearing in the magazine are not guaranteed or warranted as to accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness, or suitability of the information and materials found or offered for a particular purpose. It shall be your responsibility to ensure that any products, services, or information available through Peach ATL Media meets your specific requirements. Peach ATL Media is not responsible for claims made by advertisers, content of information, changes, events, and schedules. The magazine contains information and material which is owned by or licensed to Peach ATL Media, including but not limited to articles, advertisements, design, layout, graphics, and logos. No part or portion of Peach ATL Media may be reproduced in any way without the prior written consent of the publisher.

Unauthorized use of Peach ATL Media may give rise to claims for damages and or criminal offenses. Your use of the information or materials in Peach ATL Media is strictly at your own risk.

6 | 08.28.19

Wednesday, August 28 The Mayor’s Inaugural Atlanta Black Pride Reception @ City Hall Thursday, August 29 SinHERgize @ 55 & Park Hosted by WeDemBoiz Ent. Friday, August 30

EMPOWERED BY ATLANTA BLACK PRIDE

Atlanta Black Pride & Marquette Block Party with Fulton County Dept. of Health @ Marquette Club Welcome to Atlanta Black Pride Kickoff @MIXX Atlanta Hosted By RT Parties ATL Chella @Midtown Collective Hosted By Angel X SpeakFIRE, A Night of Erotic Poetry @ GA Tech Hotel (800 Spring Street 30308) Saturday, August 31 NoH8 Campaign Photoshoot @ GA Tech Hotel (800 Spring Street 30308) TransExcellence Gala hosted by Trans Gentlemen (Location: TBD) Respect the Legacy Fashion Show @GA Tech Hotel (800 Spring Street 30308) Sunday, September 1 Atlanta Black Pride Celebration/LGBT Greeks In The Park @ Candler Park The official host hotel is the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference where you can experience the following programming - check atlantablackpride.org for scheduling: • Daily Marketplace with vendors • Empowering My Sisters, A Lunch & Learn (Aid Atlanta, New Georgia Project & Atlanta Pride Committee) • Xclusive Lifestyle Launch and Mentoring Workshop (DJ eXeL & Boss Britt)

The massive celebration of diversity involves not only the black LGBTQ community, but all its friends, allies, family, and supporters. Through seminars, workshops, festivals, and, of course, epic parties throughout the day and night, it is no wonder that Atlanta Black Pride attracts tens of thousands of participants.

Photo: LaRue Caillet Model: Juston Dubose, Allure Models Styling & Makeup: Nat Brown Clothing: Boy Next Door Menswear 8 | 08.28.19

• Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Dating in the LGBTQ Community (Yo Gurl Alex & Boss Lady Ink of GURLTALK) • Black, Gay & Greek Creating Safe Space for QPOC (Kappa Theta Episilon Sorority, Inc) • Cannabis 101 - Health, Investing and Laws (Elementa & Atlanta Cannabis Bistro) • Sexual Fluidity - A Bisexual & Pansexual Perspective (Meak Productions & Relationship Tea w/ P&P)

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behavior and often lonely rebellion” of who lived and loved in the time before Stonewall, offering viewers perspective on the ways in which the community evolved. Some interview subjects use the familiar story of “feeling like the only one” and hiding who they were while living in small towns and rural settings, denying their feelings or risk getting caught.

“Before Stonewall” zeroes in on the 1920s and 1930s, a period in which the populations in cities such as San Francisco, New Orleans and New York were increasing. It was there that a homosexual underground, a “twilight world of gay people”, began to take root. Gay parties, clubs and bars flourished. Famous faces including Tennessee Williams, Langston Hughes, Ethel Waters, Margaret Anderson, Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter and Natalie Barney were part of the scene.

50andYears Counting

By Gregg Shapiro Photo: First Run Features, Shutterstock

Just because June and all of the Stonewall 50 commemorations have come and gone doesn’t mean that you have to stop celebrating or feeling proud to be a part of the LGBTQ community.

However, the Great Depression and World War II also had impacts, both negative and positive.

Radical social changes were taking place in the booming metro areas and port cities of postwar America. The civil rights movement was beginning. But the McCarthy era and social pressures were setbacks. Regardless, the 1950s saw the founding of the Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis, the birth of publications such as “Mattachine Review”, “One” and “The Ladder”.

The persistence of bar raids and arrests followed by the publication in newspapers of the names of those arrested in the raids had a devastating effect. But strides were being including the precedent-setting 1956 “Howl” trial involving Allen Ginsberg’s book. Gay people found safe haven in Greenwich Village and at the Black Cat bar in San Francisco. Groundwork was being laid.

The examples set by the Black Power Movement, the hippies and anti-war protesters of the 1960s set the stage for the Stonewall Riots and gay liberation.

Schiller and Rosenberg wisely utilized an array of interview subjects including familiar folks such as artist/writer Richard Bruce Nugent, Mattachine Society and Radical Fairies co-founder Harry Hay, psychologist Dr. Evelyn Hooker, poet Allen Ginsberg, bookstore owner and activist Craig Rodwell, publisher Barbara Grier, activist Barbara Gittings, bar owner and activist Marge Summit, activist Frank Kameny, writer and historian Martin Duberman, poet Audre Lorde, writer and singer Lisa Ben, author Ann Bannon, and activist Ivy Bottini.

The Stonewall riots, which began on June 28, 1969 at the Greenwich Village gay bar Stonewall Inn, are considered historically significant in terms of the birth of the gay liberation movement.

With the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots still on the minds of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as our straight allies (and several corporate entities), it’s a great time to take a look at the newly restored 1984 doc “Before Stonewall”(First Run Features), recently rereleased on DVD, which provides a visual history lesson about queer life One particularly fascinating revelation is that at the time the doc was being made in the early pre-1969.

1980s, the Stonewall Inn was actually a restaurant Director Greta Schiller and co-director Robert known as Bagel. Watching “Before Stonewall” is a Rosenberg created an essential historical fitting coda to all of the celebrations. document with their film. Opening with news footage of the “routine” police raids gay bar patrons had to endure pre-Stonewall and featuring narration by lesbian writer Rita Mae Brown, “Before Stonewall” focuses “on the unconventional Peach Rating: 3.5 Peaches – A good, almost ripe peach 10 | 08.28.19

Labor Day Weekend Lineup The long Labor Day weekend once again lines up a full weekend of parties for your enjoyment! Here are some of the events that we will be checking out.

Friday, August 30 ONYX Atlanta Black Pride Bar Night with DJ Ron Pullman 10pm-3am (no cover), The Atlanta Eagle Heretic Country Labor Day Friday 10pm-3am, The Heretic

Saturday, August 31 Georgia Game Day 5 pm - ?, The Hideaway Bear Invasion with DJ Eric James 10pm – 3am, The Heretic Bear Bust Party 10pm-3am, The Atlanta Eagle Spectrum: The Rainbow Flag Party 2019 with DJ Neon the GlowGoBear 10 pm – 2 am, Hyatt Regency Atlanta

Sunday, September 1

Labor Day Sunday with DJ Alexander 10pm-3am, The Heretic Xion with Ed Wood 3-7 am, BJ Roosters 12 | 08.28.19

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No Doubting the Power of Viola Davis Viola Davis taps my hand when she really means what she says. Each time the actress reaches over to make contact, the big bar in the big skyscraper in big Chicago where we are sitting diminishes.

She has a way of making any space feel intimate.

The first black actor to win an Oscar, Emmy and a Tony for acting, Davis is seated diagonally from me at a larger-than-we-need table more suited for a family’s Thanksgiving gathering than a conversation between two people. She is striking in a baby-blue pantsuit and a gorgeous, billowing afro, owning the space she occupies much like the way she owns the screen, having granted vulnerability and humanity to some of TV, theater and film’s most unforgettable women for three decades.

Her knack for investigating the deepest human depths of her characters is best illustrated in a single scene, as a loving, anguished mother in 2008’s Doubt, her indelible breakthrough. Later, she starred as Aibileen Clark in The Help (she 14 | 08.28.19

By Chris Azzopardi Photos: 20th Century Fox from motion picture “Widows”

previously played another maid in gay director Todd Haynes’ 2002 film Far From Heaven), and in Suicide Squad and Fences, which won her an Oscar. And as criminal defense attorney Annalise Keating on ABC’s hit drama How to Get Away with Murder, she is a mighty force.

Davis’s signature resilience once again pervades tenacious crime-boss Veronica Rawlins in 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen’s socially charged action-thriller Widows, notably featuring a lead cast mostly comprised of actresses of color.

After spending the early years of her career not recognizing her power even though we did, Davis, 53, does now, she tells me. The obvious question: “Do gay men feel compelled to bow down to you?”

I ask, moments into the candid conversation that awaits us, which has Davis reflecting on how she learned to love the LGBTQ community and why she feels her best role was as a man. Smiling, she lights up and leans back. “You know what, yeah, they do.”

These badass women doing badass things in a world where sometimes these women are told that they can’t do them...

Absolutely.

How do you explain the connection between these strong women you play and the LGBTQ community?

Because I think the LGBTQ community feels like they’re on the periphery. They feel like they’re not seen, they feel like they’re not worthy, they feel like they’re not valued. And there’s no answer to that, other than the fact that you’re not heterosexual. Really, that’s it. That’s what I think, and I certainly feel the same way, as someone who has been marginalized my entire life. Listen, when I think about myself, I am everything within me. I’ve had boyfriends, people think I’m cute (laughs). I’m funny! I’m telling you, I’m all of those things. And I cannot stand labels. I cannot stand them.

Did you have something to do with Annalise’s sexual fluidity, then?

I had everything to do with that. And so did (creator) Pete Nowak; I can’t leave him out. I really have to give him credit for that too. But yeah, absolutely. And also, I Am Jazz: I was watching that one night. I love that show. But I was watching that one night and (trans TV star and model Jazz Jennings) was playing in the closet with one of her friends who was a trans teenager, and it was just great. They were talking about who they see themselves with in the future, and they were like, “Whoever, you know. I’m open. I’m open to a boy, I’m open to a girl.” And they started talking about just the attributes of the people they wanted to be with.

That transformed me more than anything. I thought, “That is the greatest thing in the world,” and I thought that that was a great idea for Annalise because Annalise is so damaged, so traumatized that what if she just said, “I’m just open to love”? God, think about what we can explore there.

Are you inspired by this generation of young people who identify as sexually fluid?

Totally, with everything. My generation – I always say, “The black and Hispanic people liked disco and the white people liked rock ’n’ roll.” That was my generation. And there was no language for homosexuality – only fear.

Growing up in Rhode Island, what was your introduction to the LGBTQ community?

Hmm... probably through… that’s a difficult question. I’m gonna say this: My friend… shit.

This is menopause, ’cause I was just talking about him. Slim! My friend Slim! And I’ll say him, even though it’s more than just him, because I just did have a lot of gay friends. I’m a theater geek! But my introduction into, especially the gay and the trans community, was Slim. And the reason why I say that is because it challenged even my idea of sexuality, because we were just friends, and he had a girlfriend, and then he announced to me that he was gay, and then it went from that

to him borrowing my clothes, my dresses. I was like, “Oh, OK! You can borrow my dresses!” So he would take my dresses, and then it went from that to him dropping out of school – and of course we still continued our friendship. And then it went from that to him wearing my makeup. I just remember going with it, of course, because I loved him. It was my first introduction into a different level of sexuality that no one talked about. He had a group of young men that lived with him who were all trans and he called them his “sons and daughters.” Some were gay, some were trans, some were transvestite, and it was my first introduction into the fluidity of sexuality.

You said this was going to be a difficult question for you to answer, but it wasn’t.

It wasn’t difficult, I know. I guess not.

Was reconciling your Christian upbringing with your acceptance of homosexuality a challenge for you?

I guess it was a little – it was. But I loved him.

I have to say I loved him, so I felt it was on me to shift my thinking and it was up to me to understand him. I will say I went with it, but it was my first introduction to understanding it. When I was on Facebook, I did have my Facebook friend Nika (Lomazzo, a trans woman and activist) and she really schooled me. So every day I would go to her site and she would school me and I said, “I’ve been to school; I’m just gonna learn.” She’s a trans woman, so I was schooled (with) just certain language.

The first time you kiss a same-sex love interest played by Famke Janssen – did your mother ever see that episode of How to Get Away with Murder even though you didn’t want her to?

Yep! You said that you weren’t gonna show it to her.

I didn’t show it to her! She saw it on her own!

And? She was good with it – because my niece is gay and at 9, 10 years old she told her mom, my sister: “Mom, I like girls,” and my sister said, “OK. Well, are you OK?” She said, “I think I’m fine.” She was like, “OK, well I’m good too.” And that was their conversation.

You starred in one of the most notable queer films ever made: Todd Haynes’ Far From Heaven. How do you reflect on your role in that film?

The maid? I liked that movie. I loved that movie.

And the role?

I mean, the role was a maid. I’m done with the maids. But that was in the beginning of my career. I wasn’t really awoke then – not as awoken as I am.

You recently admitted to having issues with The Help.

Yeah, I did.

Looking back on The Help and Far From Heaven, what has that taught you about the importance of representation for the black and LGBTQ community?

I guess, I already knew it then, too, but I never thought that I had any power. I was just happy to have a job. But I think it’s important to be seen, it’s important to see your own images on the screen – and in a way that is honest.

The reason I became an actor, and it’s absolutely the reason why I became an actor: I’m a total nerd, and I fell in love with Arthur Miller. He said he wrote to make people feel less alone, and that’s why I do what I do. Seriously, that’s why I do what I do. I seriously do. And so I feel responsible for any image I put out there that makes people feel alone, that makes people feel not seen, that doesn’t show fully who they are – their anger, their pain, their joy, their sexuality.

That’s your job as an artist, so yeah, that’s where I’m at right now.

Have you considered the importance of you not just portraying a lesbian but a lesbian of color, a demographic so rarely portrayed on screen, and the impact that could have on the LGBTQ community?

I’ve been offered, I played: God’s Heart with Julie Kavner. We were lesbians. I played a lesbian in King Lear. It was a workshop production (at the Public Theater in New York) and actually the guy who directed it was one of the people who put together Paris Is Burning and he set King Lear in one of the gay (ball-culture) “houses” of the ’90s.

And I didn’t do it, because the director told me at the last minute I probably should’ve done it, but he wanted me to compete in those gay house shows. You have to be a man pretending to be a woman or a woman pretending to be a man and the more real you are, that’s a whole competition.

It’s about being as real as you can be. To me, that was the best role I’d ever done, by the way. Bar none. TV, film. It was the best role.

Why was your role in King Lear so special to you?

Because I had to play a lesbian who was pretending to be a man and I went home – I am telling you, I said, “I am gonna hit this” (bangs fist against palm). So I felt like I really transformed into a man. I thought it was totally believable!

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And Nicole Ari Parker was my girlfriend! Every time we see each other, I’m like, (excitedly waves her arms) “Hey!” I feel like gay men must come up to you all the time and quote Annalise’s iconic line, “Why is your penis on a dead girl’s phone?” Is that line still following you around?

I mean, I don’t know what it is about that line – maybe just ’cause it was so unexpected! So I keep quoting or thinking about Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, because I feel like gay men like that movie too. I love that movie. And there’s a lot of reasons why. I think it’s Judy Garland too, you know?

Right, a gay icon.

Yeah. You understand why. But also, this is my thing: She keeps talking about going home and wanting to go home, and then in the end the Good Witch tells her (she) had the power to go home all along. I know, even as a black woman, that feeling. I have the power within to be the change I wanna see, to have the life I wanna have; it’s already in me.

People strip us of our worth and the potency of our worth and the potency of our power so much. I see it because... listen, I’m socialized on steroids (laughs). The number of people I meet every day who interview me, who I have to meet at parties and social gatherings, because I’m an actor – one of the things I’ve noticed, ’cause I love looking at different reporters who come in and imagining who they are, who they love, and I love it. And there have been (people) who come in from the LGBTQ community – and now there’s more trans men, trans women reporters, and it’s a “coming out” and stepping into who you are.

You gotta love it.

-As editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBTQ wire service, Chris Azzopardi has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com and on Twitter (@chrisazzopardi).

Serving the

NEW

Under new leadership and with a renewed focus, this year’s Atlanta Black Pride celebration is shaping up to be very different. Peach spoke to Amber Moore, Co-Chair of Atlanta Black Pride, Inc. and Board Member of In The Life Atlanta, Inc., and Terence Stewart, Chairperson of Atlanta Black Pride, about the new direction and all the new initiatives.

In the Spring, you launched a marketing campaign under the hashtag #ReclaimingATLBlackPride – how is this year’s Pride shaping up under the new leadership?

Amber: It has been quite a bit of work due to re-introduce to the community to who Atlanta Black Pride is; correcting the mismanaging and leadership with corporate/community sponsorships; dealing with the legal aspect with those

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that were using the brand of Atlanta Black Pride. We also established new bridges with community partners and new corporate partnerships​.

Terence: Things under the new leadership are shaping up. It is a process, the cleanup and reorganization is going to take some time to complete. While previous leaders were asleep at the wheel, we are not. We keep a pulse on the community.

Every year, the same question emerges, so let’s get it out of the way, so the people in the back hear it too: ​Some still voice the opinion that there should be only one, diverse Pride in Atlanta. What do you have to say about that?

Amber: NO! Atlanta Pride Committee is our celebration of being LGBTQ+.

Atlanta Black Pride is about

educating, empowering, and celebrating.

As African-American and People of Color, we have different needs to some of the same issues due to not having the resources accessible or lack of knowledge to the resources. So we, Atlanta Black Pride, create the platforms to come together to talk and share knowledge/resources among each other.

This is necessary to what Atlanta Black Pride was founded on. This year, unlike others, Atlanta Black Pride and Atlanta Pride Committee have partnered on a Stonewall Interfaith service event that we will do again. Atlanta Pride Committee is one of the sponsors of a workshop called “Empowering My Sisters” a Lunch & Learn hosted during Atlanta Black Pride weekend. Lastly, we are working on some events during the week of Atlanta Pride, where we will partner with them on as well.

Terence: Aw, that same ole question why two prides and why don’t we combined to become more diverse.

Let’s be honest, most major cities (i.e., Austin, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, etc.) have two Prides, not just Atlanta.

The need for Atlanta Black Pride was born out of necessity, at the time we did not and was not invited to have a seat at the Atlanta Pride’s table. Over the last five years that has changed, we often collaborate on several initiatives throughout the year.

What are some of the new initiatives you have taken to improve this Atlanta Black Pride?

Terence: The way we do business has changed; if it is not in writing and signed by the Chair and Co-Chair, it does not happen. We are more community-focused and driven than ever before. You see us out in the community doing the work. Folks use to say that Atlanta Black Pride only showed up in July and August; not anymore. Our 20/20 Roadmap has a 20 | 08.28.19

lot of different programming and events that the community will love.

Last year, there were several organizers of parties and events – is there one official program this year?

Terence: I want to put to bed this thought that no one OWNS Atlanta Black Pride, well that just not true, Atlanta Black Pride and Atlanta Black Gay Pride are both owned and operated by Atlanta Black Pride, Inc. We are grateful to all our sponsors, community partners, and to the Atlanta LGBTQ+ community for our 23 years. Every year we get party promoters local and from all over the US coming to Atlanta and claiming to be Atlanta Black Pride - they are not.

While we have partnered with several promoters this year, the majority have no affiliation with Atlanta Black Pride.

Official Atlanta Black Pride Events and Partners have the new logo display on their advertisement. As far as those who are not a part of the lineup and are using the name Atlanta Black Pride, they have received cease and desist notices. Those who choose to continue after being notified will receive a notice to appear either before or after Pride in Fulton County Superior Court. The game is over!

Amber: ​YES! We have partnered with the best Promoter in Atlanta this year. They bought into the nightlife program where they were issued the right to use the Atlanta Black Pride logo to brand their events and to have our support. With them being under the Atlanta Black Pride brand, they even benefit from the sponsorships that we get. This program is a win-win opportunity.

Check out a good portion of the events on page 8, and find the full lineup at atlantablackpride.org, plus check for updates on their Facebook page.

Concert + Dance Party

October 5th, 2019 The Tabernacle with Martha Wash –

“It’s Raining Men”

152 Luckie St NW Atlanta, GA 30303

Doors open – 8 p.m.

Show begins – 9 p.m.

Tickets: PositiveImpactHealthCenters.org

BENEFITS

and Taylor Dayne –

“Tell It to My Heart”

PALS BINGO @ LIPS PHOTOS: GLENN PHILLIPS

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Join us for an evening of recognition and celebration

Save the Date

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Learn more at: TheAGLCC.com

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FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING Yoga & Live Music, Car & Motorcyle Show - Lambda Car Club Comedy Showcase, AIDS Memorial Quilt, Sobriety Meetup Bi + Pan March, Drag Queen Storytime, Burlesque Show, Trans March, Dyke March Shooting Stars Cabaret, Queer Your Gender Dance Party, Outworlders Gaymer Space 19th Annual Atlanta Pride Brunch, Gray Pride, Family Fun Zone SWEET TEA: A Queer Variety Show, Starlight Cabaret

ATLANTA PRIDE CELEBRATION OCT. 11-13, 2019 | ATLANTA PRIDE.ORG

Marques is from Montgomery, Alabama, and he has been living in Atlanta for about three years now. He loves staying fit and working out at the gym, and he also enjoys taking walks in the park while listening to music and people-watching. You can also find Marques attending art shows or in art galleries, and when he goes out, he likes to dance like nobody’s watching.

He can occasionally suffers from a self-described ‘resting bitch face,’ so people mistakenly assume he is not friendly - but nothing is farther from the truth, so come up and say hey!

@ us_simply_livin

Marques Shepheard

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365 Days Later, Same S**t

By Jamie Kirk

Well here we are an entire year later and the narrative, the thoughts, the feelings, the pros, the cons, and the debate, is still ever-present surrounding “Why do THEY need to have a separate Black Gay Pride ?”

When it is all said and done, we just want to know that we matter to someone. That you did the right things, you loved your neighbor, you encouraged someone along the way, you were able to make a difference. We need to make sure that the way we are living our lives, out loud or not, is respectful to Again, for fear of writing the same article, with the not just ourselves but to all we touch. same theme as last year, I wanted to take a look at how much things have not changed. Additionally, We cannot allow others to kill our need for I am going to refrain from using terms like always, loving others, being respectful of others, being never, all or nobody. Although, I truly believe that responsible for others, being kind and goodin general, our attitude and approach to the topic hearted towards others, loving people that may of what an individual or a group of people or a not think like we do, love like we do, look like we religion, or a gender or a race, should take the do or even are born in the same country as we time, energy and effort to acknowledge and show are. At the end of the day, our boss, the president, gratitude and thanks, has not changed (much). our parents, our spouse should not discourage us from following what we know to be true.

The biggest issue with topics like Gay Black Pride, #metoo, Mexican Independence Day, World Pride We have to allow people space to acknowledge Day, Yom Kippur, Christmas, Memorial Day, et what is important to them. Just because your cetera, is that for the most part no one is twisting neighbor may acknowledge Black Gay Pride and your arm to participate or show interest. You do not has people over on their deck, does not mean you have to go to Atlanta Black Pride, you don’t have can’t take a dessert over and mingle. There is no to put up a tree, you don’t have to do anything need to get all deep and philosophical about “why that aligns you with those that feel the need to do you and your friends have a separate day from take a moment and acknowledge what they want the regular Pride Day”? Why does that matter for to acknowledge. you to simply support them. It is not about the day, and not about the events, it is about the need If you notice, I am deliberating staying away from to do it for some and the need for others to simply the word “celebrate”. The definition of celebrate support that. Being mad or questioning “why” is acknowledge (a significant or happy day or event) there is a need to do it, is unnecessary. However, with a social gathering or enjoyable activity. Yes, as long as you are questioning the “why”, take for most of the above events I mentioned there a minute and ask yourself “why you care? what is a parade (and drinking), and having people impact does it have on you?” over and parties, etc... But celebrating Pride or Black Gay Pride is so much more than that. It is Yes, I think that there should be a Black Gay about acknowledging the struggle, recognizing Pride, just like I believe there should be a Latin the accomplishments and even meditating on the Gay Pride, a Lesbian Gay Pride, a Top’s ONLY strength of others that «came before you».

Pride… I literally don’t give a care what people feel they need to do to feel special, appreciated, Specifically, when a group of people feel the need welcomed, and that they matter. to separate themselves, it is because they indeed feel separated. It makes perfect sense. When As the weekend approaches, simply recognize there is some sort of division in what people see that this weekend is about supporting those folks as not being included, they begin to do things that choose to acknowledge that their struggle is and take actions to be noticed. That can be a different and should be acknowledged as such. Be dedicated day, that can be a day off work, that present. Be supportive. Be encouraging and just can a day of volunteering, it doesn’t matter, but continue to be kind to those that have a struggle something that says, ‘recognize me, recognize my different from yours. contribution, recognize my sacrifice and recognize that I too matter.’

32 | 08.28.19

You deserve Personalized Care & Individual Attention – that’s what we deliver at Family Health Care of Atlanta • Participating in many clinical trials • Certiied HIV Specialist, American Academy of HIV Medicine • 20+ years experience in Family & HIV Care SPECIALIZING IN DERMATOLOGY, STD’S, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, UROLOGY, PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

The Popular Girls Who Killed Off the 80s

By Jeff Fuller

For Gen X gays, the groundbreaking, high-school comedy-satire Heathers (1988) has been a favorite.

This movie was our generation’s Mean Girls, but it was much darker and edgier. Set in a preppy high school set in suburban Ohio, the Heathers reign as the most popular girls. The Heathers are the beautiful and bitchy Heather Chandler, the leader of the group; Heather McNamara, a pretty, but witless follower; and the scheming and ambitious Heather Duke. The Heathers accept the artsy Veronica (played by Winona Ryder) into their group, but she quickly becomes disillusioned with the clique’s cruel treatment of their less popular classmates and secretly dreams of getting back at them in some way. She eventually meets JD (played by Christian Slater), a smooth talking, new kid in school with a sketchy past. JD fools Veronica into killing Heather Chandler by giving her a hangover drink, which, unknown to Veronica, is poisoned with drain cleaner, sending Heather crashing headfirst into a coffee table. Veronica is shocked, but JD convinces her to stage Heather’s death as a suicide, complete with a forged note and cleverly placed Cliff’s Notes for The Bell Jar. The madness continues as JD and Veronica kill two homophobic football-player bullies and arrange their deaths to look like a secret gay-love suicide pact.

Photos: IMBD, New World Pictures

successful in its time as a satire of 1980s coming of age movies, especially those by John Hughes.

While his movies also dealt with the high school caste system, popularity and alienation, they depicted an overly idealistic world. Heathers seem to mark the emergence of a more edgy, cynical generation, harkening the transition from the glam-rock 80s to the grunge/goth 90s.

At the same time, watching Heathers now, parts of it make me cringe. Several important topics, namely teen suicide, gun violence in school, and date rape aren’t addressed with any sensitivity. In one chilling scene, JD fires off a gun in a school cafeteria wearing a black trenchcoat, an image which would forever be molded into American consciousness with the Columbine shootings as well as the countless school shootings that followed in its wake. However, despite these problematic issues and themes, Heathers still has a cult following. The movie was made into a musical and a TV show; however, the TV show was cancelled in the wake of yet another mass shooting in America. Significantly, one of the major themes of Heathers is how the mass media depicts and fetishizes tragedy, seeking to draw in audiences hooked on daily outrage. Unfortunately, this theme rings even truer in 2019 than in 1989.

In this respect, Heathers may have been ahead of The one-liners in Heathers were just so--- very: its time.

“Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?”, “Grow Up Heather, bulimia is so 87,” “Fuck me gently with a chainsaw!” I think the movie resonated especially for gay people, not only because of the revenge scene acted out on the homophobic bullies, but for its witty, bitchy humor, outlandish plot, and because Veronica, the protagonist, feels alienated and disillusioned with the high-school pecking order. It is also the timeless tale of a person witnessing their darkest revenge fantasies become a reality and soon everything becomes more than they can control. I think it was also 34 | 08.28.19

The GEN X Files

August 28 – September 4

Free Screening of TransMilitary

Oh my! Day Party Throwback edition

Out On Film and the Decatur Book Festival present a free screening of “TransMilitary” that chronicles the lives of four individuals defending their country’s freedom while fighting for their own. The film will be followed by a panel discussion with community members.

Saturday, August 31, 7–9 pm Decatur Book Festival, Downtown Decatur

Pull out your 90’s hip-hop Tees, and get ready for the ultimate day party for the bears and chubs of color in our community and everyone who loves them. Giveaways, vendors, and raffles.

STAFF PICK!

Saturday, August 31, 4–7 pm Bulldogs Open NOH8 Photo Shoot Join the #NOH8Worldwide movement in Atlanta, and add your face to the fight for equal human rights.

Photos are $25-$40, come camera-ready wearing a white t-shirt and be ready to pose for equal rights.

Saturday, August 31, 2–4 pm Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center

Rainbow Days At Six Flags

Happy Birthday Beyonce Trivia Night

This is not only a fun day at Six Flags but also the private closing pool party of the Pride celebrations and a special tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Go to sixflags.com/overgeorgia to purchase tickets.

Celebrating the icon with a trivia night all about Queen Bey! A pre-sale ticket gets you two tacos and one Casamigos Margarita. Tickets are limited, so go to Eventbrite to reserve your spot.

Monday, September 2, 10:30 am – 8:30 pm Six Flags Over Georgia

Wednesday, September 4, 7–9 pm Guac y Margys

38 | 08.28.19

NEW FACES @ FRIENDS PHOTOS: KEITH BAILEY

40 | 08.28.19

THE HIDEAWAY WELCOMES DRAGON CON & BLACK PRIDE $4 SMIRNOFF COCKTAILS ALL WEEKEND

MIDTOWN 1

Monroe Dr. NE

14

Amsterdam Ave.

NE ve . tA

Piedmont Park

on

11

dm

6 12th St. NE

18

Pi e

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14th St. NE

7

9

2

10th St. NE

10

. NE

19

oe Dr

e. NE Piedmont Av

Juniper St . NE

Peachtree St. NE

3

Monr

Charle s Alle n Dr . N E

12 W. Peachtree St. NW

15

16

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5

Dining 502 Amsterdam Ave NE 227 10th St NE 893 Peachtree St NE 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE 699 Ponce De Leon Ave NE 66 12th St NE 990 Piedmont Ave NE

9 10 11 12

10 th & Piedmont Campagnolo Einstein's F.R.O.G.S

clubs 13 Atlanta Eagle

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14 Urban Body Fitness 500 Amsterdam Ave NE

spa/bath 15 Flex Spa

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991 Piedmont Ave NE 980 Piedmont Ave NE 1077 Juniper St NE 931 Monroe Cir NE

fitness

retail 8 Barking Leather

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Ponce De Leon Ave. NE

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G’s Midtown Henry’s Joe's on Juniper La Hacienda

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billards/Darts drag dancers leather non-smoking area Patio

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r.

E

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nr

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ll D

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ul

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

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991 Piedmont Ave NE

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44 | 08.28.19

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LUXURY LGBT ALMAR RESORT TIMESHARE PLUS BONUS FOR SALE BEACH FRONT BEAUTIFUL BEACH HOTEL & FOOD CONTACT leonrri@hotmail.com

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TEN FACTS ABOUT BLACK GAY PRIDE

D.C. Pride is considered the first of the black LGBT prides

Today there are 25+ black gay pride celebrations across America

Black gay prides started because the community did not see themselves fairly represented during the ‘mainstream’ pride celebrations

Here and across the country

Atlanta Black Pride was started in 1996

Atlanta Black Pride started as a picnic and has grown to be the largest black pride in the country

Earlier this year, Atlanta Black Pride launched a campaign under the hashtag #ReclaimingATLBlackPride

Black Gay Prides give a voice to specific issues unique to the black LGBTQ community

The hashtag speaks to their goals to educate, empower, and celebrate the black LBGT community Official Atlanta Black Pride events are hosted

by In The Life Atlanta (ITLA)

Besides the official program, there is a multitude of parties as well

Photo: LaRue Caillet Model: Rashad Harrington, Allure Models Styling & Makeup: Nat Brown Clothing: Boy Next Door Menswear

46 | 08.28.19

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Text your Peach Pits to 540-30-PEACH, or e-mail mikkel@PeachATL.com

Adam4adam is a church group for boys, right?

Whatever you hear about me, believe it. I don’t have time to explain myself – and feel free to add a little too!

Asking for a friend Does eating chips qualify as a crunch?

Where do I apply for one of those Kim Kardashian jobs where someone just pays me for living?

How to tell you’re an adult: • You gain 30 lbs. overnight • You’d rather sleep than go out • Everything hurts • Comfort over style • You have a favorite spatula • Everything feels like a chore • College students look like children • You’re always annoyed AF

I do not burn bridges. I just loosen the bolts a little every day.

DAD JOKE ALERT When does a joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent

48 | 08.28.19

“Why tattoos? You wouldn’t put stickers on a nice car.” Ma’am, at best I’m a 2003 Corolla.

ATLANTA EAGLE

306 PONCE DE LEON AVE NE, ATLANTA, GA 30308

NO COVER

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18) It’s tough selling advanced ideas to prehistoric minds. That’s what you may face at work this week.

It may be time to start thinking about changing jobs or careers. Keep a job search on the down low, but be prepared to bolt faster than Elton John from paparazzi should the right offer come along.

PISCES (FEB. 19 - MAR. 20) Trying to work through the fog in your head will belike trying to figure out the relevance of Kim Kardashian. That’s right, a complete waste of time. Try your best to get through a trying day. After work, engage in the type of brainless activities that only the Internet can offer in such abundance.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEP. 22)

ARIES (MAR. 21 - APR. 19)

Problems with coworkers could reach a boiling point. It may be time for a mediator, someone other than your boss to help you work it out. Because escalating tensions will lead to a public catfight, and with the way you two have been sharpening those claws, it ain’t gonna be pretty.

Your moods will be ignitable this week. Couple that with a hectic day or two and spontaneous combustion is a very real possibility. Keep cool, diamond dog, because it’s embarrassing to lose it in public. Sure, it always makes you feel better, but it’s still embarrassing.

LIBRA (SEP. 23 - OCT. 22)

TAURUS (APR. 20 - MAY 20)

Don’t obsess over relationships if you’re a single guy. Haven’t you ever heard that the grass is never greener yada, yada, yada? Enjoy being single while you can, and don’t be in such a hurry. The money you’ll save on years of couple’s therapy alone will make it all worth it.

Don’t be sad about another busted romance, as there’s always another one right around the corner.

Romance, that is. That, yes, will probably end up busted. It may seem like you’re stuck in a vortex, but this curious cycle must end some time. They can’t all be Mr. Wrong.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23 - NOV. 21)

GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUN. 20)

Don’t do anything butch or manly like tune up your car or work with power tools this week. The possibility of debilitating injury is only a hedge cutter away. Breaking a nail while fixing the plumbing in the bathroom could keep your out of macramé class for weeks.

Listen to the advice of friends this week, but don’t act on that alone. They only know so much about your personal situation, and only you know the rest.

See how your gut feels, since it rarely lies, and then act. Sometimes you just have to solve things yourself.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 - DEC. 21)

CANCER (JUN. 21 - JUL. 22)

This week will be fun, and you won’t believe how much you’ll get done! This will leave spare time for flirting with the UPS guy, gossiping with the gals in accounting or bidding online for a Burberry man purse. Why can’t work be this much fun all the time? Ponder this as you leave early.

Seek out the company of those who share your personality traits this week. This way everyone will agree with each other, and no one will be surprised by emotional outbursts or dark moods. But too many of you can get the water boiling, and that’s not going to be good for anybody.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 19)

LEO (JUL. 23 - AUG. 22)

Cancel dinner plans and postpone coffee dates for tonight. You’ll be gripped by a strong urge to be alone and there won’t be a man handsome or rich enough to keep you from that. Well, there may be one thing to lure you out, but you’re not willing to do the work required to find out.

You see fiery potential in a new guy in your life.

He smolders and simmers and you can see things getting quite hot. But remember that everything that glows eventually dims, and then you’re stuck with something lukewarm, tepid, and no longer of any use.

50 | 08.28.19

By Mikkel Hyldebrandt Trouble in the love department? With sex? Or just people in general? Send us your queries, questions, and problems, and you’ll get answers served straight up and with a little ice.

in a happy relationship of more than ten am involved with this guy, and things are going Ithe’myears, and I am beginning to think that we are Igreat – except I may have discovered something only monogamous couple that’s left out there. really dark about him. The other day, I was working It seems like everyone else are either open or polyamorous, and I’m thinking that maybe we are missing out? I feel completely happy and content, but are we becoming the anomaly? It seems even straight couples are non-monogamous now, so is it time we join the movement?

Sincerely Monoga-maybe?

Dear Monoga-maybe?

You say that you are in a happy and content relationship, so there is no reason for you to initiate anything new in your relationship, unless, of course, you want to. You are right, especially in the LGBTQ community, there seems to be happening a new reckoning of how relationship structures function. To be fair, being queer has never been equated to heteronormative culture where monogamy has been the cultural norm, but it has still predominantly been something that has been expected of couples whether they were gay or straight. Then again, being monogamous is a choice you make as a couple - just as being poly is a choice you make consensually as partners.

And more and more gay couples are choosing to open up their relationship to have sex or intimacy with others because it works for them. So, your observation is right, more people are loosening up the boundaries of intimate partnership, but it is their choice – so if you chose monogamy and it works fine for you, you don’t need to do a thing.

at his house on his laptop (with his permission), and you know how when you open the browser, it displays icons of previously visited sites? Well, I clicked on one of them, and it opened up to a porn site with some very young-looking guys – or maybe boys? The site looked professional, so perhaps it was just porn made to look like ‘barely legal,’ but what if it wasn’t? Anyway, I can’t really un-see it, and it just has me wondering and a little scared actually. What if he is secretly into this? I thought we were on the same page in terms of sex and fantasies, but this would be out of my league.

Do I talk to him about this? What do I do?

Sincerely Want to Un-See

Dear Want to Un-See The question of whether you should confront him or not is obvious: yes, you should. It is hard to see how you can continue this relationship without talking to him about this. Yes, it is one of those damned-if-you-do or damned-if-youdon’t situations, and you may not like his honest answer because it could lead to the end of the relationship. Of course, you should give your partner the benefit of the doubt, but don’t lose sight of that gut feeling you have about the whole thing already. Don’t second-guess yourself when he explains himself to you and perceive defensiveness as a red flag in this situation.

There is a huge difference between ‘barely legal’ and child pornography, but even if it is the first (and the actors involved are indeed 18 years or older), it still has you alerted. Creeped out even.

Hopefully, and in the best-case scenario, you were wrong about what you saw, but right after that comes him being just a “fantasy offender” meaning he has no intention and has never abused an underage person. And then there are, of course, the even darker alternatives to those scenarios. The question is, can you live with any of that? So talk to him, but stay on guard and be prepared for some severe consequences.

NEED ANSWERS?

52 | 08.28.19

REACH OUT TO US, AND YOU WILL GET THEM! SEND YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS TO OUR EDITOR AT MIKKEL@PEACHATL.COM.

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