BOOK BY HARVEY FIERSTEIN MUSIC & LYRICS BY JERRY HERMAN Georges is the owner of the La Cage Aux Folles nightclub, which features a drag show starring his partner and the love of his life, Albin. After twenty years of un-wedded bliss, the pair face the hardest challenge of their relationship, yet: meeting their son, Jean-Michel’s fiancé’s parents.
OCT 24-NOV 9, 2019
Tickets: $15 and up Out Front Theatre Company 999 Brady Avenue, Atlanta
www.OutFrontTheatre.com
THANK YOU! THANKS FOR A GREAT 2019 ATL PRIDE! WE’LL SEE YOU IN 2020!
CONTENTS
OCTOBER 16, 2019
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From the Editor
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Pride has come to an end, and you may feel a touch of the post-Pride blues because it is back to reality with what seems like a snap of the fingers! But there is so much you can take with you from Pride. All of the celebration, the feeling bolder and more beautiful, and taking part in that unique euphoria that a Pride festival fills you with, should be yours to keep and to hold inside of you, so you can be an LGBTQ+ individual with no f**ks to give! That feeling of inclusivity and the spirit of open-mindedness is something that you carry with you like a rainbow that has been ignited inside of you. If you were at the park or one of the many events and parties throughout the city, chances are that you saw people that represented just about every letter of the LGBTQ+ acronym. Some groups may look pretty much like you, while you may never have encountered others before. But if you imagine that the same rainbow shines in all of us, that moves us just a little bit closer to each other no matter how different we may be. We all celebrated Pride together, and that is something to be proud of.
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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.
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The three-day food, craft beer, cocktail, and wine festival is all about showcasing Atlanta’s diverse food scene – so get into the Taste of Atlanta!
Atlanta’s Must-Do Food Festival WHAT Taste of Atlanta 2019 Food Festival WHEN October 18-20, 2019 WHERE Historic Fourth Ward Park Day and weekend passes at tasteofatlanta.com
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It is the perfect recovery undertaking after a busy Pride weekend. Taste of Atlanta at the Historic Fourth Ward Park attracts food lovers from all over Atlanta and beyond with its luxurious offerings from the hottest local restaurants, bars, and breweries. Experience sample-size tastings of their menus, delicious drinks, live cooking classes, bartending competitions, and much more. The weekend kicks off with a party Friday night and continues with the VIP and main festival tasting experiences and a Saturday night concert and party with some of the best food trucks the city has to offer. Taste of Atlanta is truly the best way to indulge in and experience the plethora of Atlanta’s bustling and vibrant restaurant scene.
For more information and passes, visit tasteofatlanta.com.
More to Love Beyond By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
This year, the message and volunteer work of More To Love is going international. At the end of October, Chad Wick and a group of volunteers will travel to Thailand to work on a community project. Peach talked to Chad about the upcoming trip and its message of loving beyond. Tell us a little about More To Love? More To Love (MTL) has adapted over the years as it’s grown to what it is today. MTL has developed four foundation pillars as to what we stand for and promote: Love Yourself, Love Your Neighbor, Love Your Community, and Love Beyond. We like to think of it as an overflowing effect - love, first and foremost, starts with yourself. This love naturally flows over to those that are closest to you (your neighbors); from there, this love continues to flow into your community, and then to the world with no boundaries. We believe in inclusion. We believe in giving back. You specialize in creating events that combine gay nightlife with raising funds for charity – tell about some of the events you have created? We have started on this platform, yes, but we also participate in Community Care Days (where we spend a day giving back to a charity in many ways), as well as local and global humanitarian trips. But yes, we do have one main event each year; we like to consider this event an “immersive experience,” and by that, I mean, our desire is that each attendee is entertained in many facets throughout the night by all the senses. We try to go above and beyond in theme, lights, sets, characters, performers, etc. Everything to support our foundational pillars, and we do it all for charity. There are some fun things in the works for this next year’s event, so stay tuned. Last year, the funds raised benefited a local organization, but this year you are going international – what is the project you are raising money for this year? This year we took on a heavy challenge. We really wanted to address and promote MTL’s last foundational pillar, “Love Beyond.” So, we are taking a team to do humanitarian work to the Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand next month. We are teaming up with a local organization called “The Mirror Foundation” who is already there doing great work. We understand that this has been something new to the Atlanta Community, and we thank you all for all your love and 10 | 10.16.19
support along this journey. Who is going with you to Thailand? More To Love and this Humanitarian Trip was and will always be inclusive. We promoted it for many months online. We had many interested, and the team that is currently going are the ones that could make it happen. With this being the first year, we are only taking a limited number; however, we encourage and desire anyone who wants to participate in our future outreach efforts, whether it be locally or internationally, to please stay connected and let us know. We love new faces! You leave at the end of October – in what ways can our readers support your trip last minute? First, we can always use financial support. We have been crowdfunding via Plumfund (Plumfund.com, project name More To Love). This money will go directly towards this project. Second, continue to send us positive vibes and words of encouragement. We have a solid team with big hearts who just want to see and do good in the world. Lastly, come check us out. When we return, we will be throwing a “thank you” party to showcase the work that was completed and lives that were touched there. Our way of saying, thank you to all those that supported us along the way and to show exactly what your time and finances went towards.
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What is in the pipeline for More To Love? As for now, we plan on doing a global outreach every other year with talking plans of Tanzania, Africa, in 2021. This next year we do plan on taking a US-based humanitarian trip with more details to come soon. We will still have our Community Care Days (CCD) and our Main Event in March, which will all go to support local, Atlanta-based charities. Anything you’d like to add? We are always looking for volunteers to help with various events throughout the year. We are also always looking for organizations and charities to support throughout the year. Contact us via email at moretoloveatl@gmail. com.
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Fall for Fiction By Gregg Shapiro ADULT READERS Making its paperback debut in time for the autumn weather, Rebecca Makkai’s acclaimed third novel The Great Believers (Penguin, 2018/2019), a National Book Award finalist and a New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2018, more than lives up to the hype in the way that it stunningly tells the story of a group of gay friends in Chicago and the impact that AIDS has on them during the 1980s and beyond. A few years before Rebecca Makkai wrote her loving portrait of the gay community, another straight female novelist, Ann Patchett, created the unforgettable AIDS novel The Magician’s Assistant. Patchett’s new novel, The Dutch House (Harper, 2019), set on the outskirts of Philadelphia, follows devoted siblings, Danny and Maeve, “helpless captives” of their “migratory patterns,” from childhood through adulthood, over the course of a series of devastating events. One of the most talk-about books of the fall Juliet Takes a Breath (Dial, 2019) by Gabby Rivera is the no-holds-barred story of “Puerto Rican baby dyke” Juliet who leaves the Bronx behind and reinvents herself in Portland, Oregon while doing an internship with feminist author Harlowe. Set against the backdrop of early 2010s Occupy Movement, Caleb Crain’s second novel Overthrow (Viking, 2019) is as exhilarating as you might imagine, as grad student Matthew falls for activist Leif and finds himself being swept up in the current of the times. Moving back and forth in time, from 1816 where Mary Shelley is writing her novel “about a scientist who creates a new life-form” to present-day Brexit Britain where transgender doctor Ry Shelley has fallen for professor Victor Stein, a leading expert on AI, lauded lesbian novelist Jeanette Winterson returns with her 11th novel Frankissstein (Grove Press, 2019) Longlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize, The Man Who Saw Everything (Bloomsbury, 2019) by Deborah Levy takes us back to 1988 where narcissistic, young, bisexual historian Saul Adler’s life is forever changed when he is hit by a car while he is waiting to recreate the iconic Beatles’ Abbey Road photo. The first new Henry Rios mystery novel in 20 years, Carved in Bone (Persigo Press, 2019) by award-winning gay writer Michael Nava, is set in mid-1980s San Francisco and revolves around Rios’ investigation of the death of a man named Bill Ryan. A debut novel praised by Rebecca Makkai and Garth Greenwell, In West Mills (Bloomsbury) by gay writer De’Shawn Charles Winslow, is set in a North Carolina African-American community, from the early 1940s to the late 1980s, focusing on the friendship between Azalea “Knot” Centre and Otis Lee. Don’t be put off by the premise – high school student Conrad’s relationship with his teacher Sammy – because The History of Living Forever (FSG, 2019) by Jake 12 | 10.16.19
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Wolff is so much more than that; a quest to create the elixir of life so Conrad can save the lives of his selfdestructive father, as well as his husband, following a brain cancer diagnosis. When it was first published in 2008, Otherhood (Bloomsbury, 2008/2019) by William Sutcliffe, was known as Whatever Makes You Happy, the story of three British mothers who feel forgotten and neglected by their sons on Mother’s Day. Newly retitled as and reissued in a paperback edition to coincide with the Netflix movie of the same name starring Patricia Arquette, Angela Bassett, Felicity Huffman, and Jake Lacey (as Huffman’s gay son), which is now set in New York.
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Readers who enjoy being scared out of their wits and dug Jac Jemc’s approach to the genre with her haunting novel The Grip of It, are sure to find themselves shaken (in a good way) by her latest, False Bingo: Stories (MCDxFSG Originals, 2019). It’s safe to say you’ve never read a story quite like “Get Back.” Falling: Stories (University of Wisconsin Press, 2019) is the second short story collection from Lammy and Ferro-Grumley Award-winning writer Trebor Healey. The ten stories feature characters who have lost their way, “figuratively and literally,” and must “confront the profound displacement of modern life.” Queer writer Elizabeth (Eat, Pray, Love) Gilbert explores female friendships and sexuality, and more, in City of Girls (Riverhead, 2019) over the course of 70 years, from Vassar to Manhattan, in narrator Vivian’s distinctive voice. The book is said to have been written following the death of Gilbert’s girlfriend, Rayya Elias. Jami Attenberg, author of The Middlesteins and Saint Mazie, to name a couple, tells the emotionally brutal and fearless tale of a family coming apart at the seams in All This Could Be Yours (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019), her best novel yet. YOUNG ADULT READERS “There once was a boy who heard the Whispers,” and so begins the new Y/A novel The Whispers (Putnam, 2019) by gay writer Greg Howard, in which 11-yearold Riley asks the mythical wood creatures known as the Whispers to help with the safe return of his missing mother. The Midwinter Witch (Graphix/Scholastic) is the third and final book in The Witch Boy graphic novel series by Molly Ostertag. Powered by the “one, consistent message” that “magic has no gender,” the book is set at the time of the Midwinter Festival where Aster and Ariel confront a sinister force that “threatens everything the young witches have fought for.” Fifty years after a tornado devastated Mercer, a small Illinois town, three teenage friends, including gay Joshua, must work together following the touching down of another tornado in the exact same place in We Speak in Storms (Philomel, 2019) by Natalie Lund. 14 | 10.16.19
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Pride is fun and fabulous, but the extra alcohol, less sleep, and poor nutrition leave its mark – especially on your skin! Luckily, your skin is designed to get right back into shape – and particularly, if you follow these simple tips.
Post-Party Skin Revival By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Post-Alcohol Skin
Tired-Looking Skin
Neglected Skin
Even though a drink is the last thing on your mind, your skin may need one! Alcohol dehydrates the skin, and that needs to be replenished. It is best done from within by drinking lots of water and replenishing your vitamins, but a little extra moisture on the surface in the form of a moisturizer or face mask will help a lot as well.
You danced into the night and got up the next day to be in the parade, so you didn’t get much sleep all weekend – and that shows on your skin. The best thing you can do is, of course, to get some sleep, but your skin will also benefit from moisturizing treatments that perk up the skin. This mini facial in a bottle contains O2 and feels like a bubbly tonic on your skin. Signs of fatigue will show first around the eyes, so make sure you take extra care of the eye area as well with a moisturizing eye cream or gel.
Your days and nights were packed with social activities and events, and you stumbled home and straight to bed. Chances are that you haven’t been keeping up with your usual skin regimen, so your skin needs a little help to bounce back. Make sure you cleanse it properly and give it some targeted care like a serum besides your usual moisturizer.
Simple Water Boost Hydrating Gel Cream, $11 Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Mask, $35
Bliss Triple Oxygen SelfActivating Facial With O2 Molecules, $22 Vichy Minéral 89 Eyes Hyaluronic Acid Eye Gel, $24
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Mario Badescu Almond & Honey Face Scrub, $15 Dr. Andrew Weil For Origins™ Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Advanced Face Serum, $76
Catching Your Gym Groove Pride is over, and even though you are tired way into the following week(s!), it’s time to get back in the gym. Start on the lighter side to get your motivation back, and let your body get back into the groove by focusing on these three areas.
By Mikkel Hyldebrandt Photo courtesy of ES Collection Photography: Tarek del Moreno Model: David Novoa
Light and Lengthy Cardio
Bodyweight Strength
Stretching
This is not the time to run that half-marathon because your body is fatigued and probably dehydrated. Light cardio on a treadmill, stationary bike, or Stairmaster is ideal for getting the blood flowing and your pulse up. You will sweat out the toxins, and even after 15-20 minutes, you will feel refreshed. If you have it in you, do a more extended cardio session to really et your body going and the sweat flowing – don’t forget to drink plenty of water.
There’s no need to bench press your max or focus on adding muscle mass right after Pride – save that for when you feel well-rested. Bodyweight exercises are ideal as a substitute for lifting weights because even though you challenge the muscles, you won’t overexert yourself by pulling too much weight. If you’re feeling up to it, you can add extra repetitions to feel that burn. Good examples of bodyweight exercises are pushups, squats, lunges, planks, and dips.
Sore and tight muscles from late nights on the dancefloor can be remedied with a good stretching session at the gym or home. There are hundreds of variations of stretches, and if you know a little yoga, you can easily incorporate a few of those moves as well. Focus on stretching out your legs and back first, and then move on to arms and legs, but make sure you feel you have stretched your whole body.
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By Chris Azzopardi Photos: Russ Harrington
Trisha Yearwood has never cared what the country community thought of her LGBTQ allyship, so why start now? The country music icon, who has lent her robust and emotionally resonant mezzo-soprano to hit songs like “She’s in Love With the Boy,” “How Do I Live,” “Walkaway Joe” and “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl),” sang at a Nashville gay bar two years after Ellen DeGeneres’s sexuality destroyed her sitcom and not long before the Dixie Chicks got Dixie Chick’d. So imagine country music and the associated conservative values of 1999, when Yearwood performed for gay clubgoers at The Connection during the height of her crossover success, showing her true colors by headlining an event to raise money for her cancer-stricken gay friend. Yearwood was already a major star, having soared to music stardom when “She’s in Love With the Boy,” the lead single from her 1991 self-titled debut album, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. In 2012, Billboard named Yearwood and her husband Garth Brooks the “Most Powerful Celebrity Couple in Music,” based on their combined album sales. (At the time, the couple, who’ve been married since 2005, edged out Beyoncé and Jay-Z.) With Every Girl, the 55-year-old, three-time Grammy winner and host of her own Food Network show, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, returns with her first studio album of new material in 12 years and a corresponding nationwide tour. In a recent conversation, Yearwood spoke about getting a kick out of why some lesbians are relating to her new single, marrying Garth because he’s open-minded, how her concerts are a “safe place” for LGBTQ fans, and the Nashville closet. Let’s start with the album’s lead single “Every Girl in This Town,” which I’ve renamed “Every Gay in This Town.” I hope you don’t mind. (Laughs.) That works for me!
In Her Best Light
You sing “We keep kissin’ boys, trying to figure it out” and, I mean, story of my life. Know any single gay cowboys who are handsome, employed and emotionally available? (Laughs.) It’s funny that you say that because we did it live the other night and one of my guys who works with me – he’s my social media guy – is gay, and I saw him in the crowd and he loves the song so much and I sang that right to him. He was just laughing. And then I had a couple of girls who came up to me when we did an album signing recently, and a girl introduced me to her wife and said, “That song speaks to me. It’s like you keep kissing boys trying to figure it out. I finally figured it out.” (Laughs.) It was pretty great. The song works for everyone! Is it true you were the first major country artist to play a gay venue in Nashville? I’m not sure if it’s true or not, but it was a benefit for a friend of mine who’s a hairdresser who had cancer. And he’s a friend of mine, gay
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or straight. So it’s like, I’m there. I didn’t even give it a thought. I’m sure there were people who thought it was great, and I’m sure there were people who thought it wasn’t great and I don’t care. What kind of reaction did you get from the country music community and fans for performing at a gay bar? I don’t know. I feel strangely lucky, I guess. People don’t tend to, especially during that time, tell you things to your face. You know, we’re still that way. We talk about each other behind our backs, but nobody’s gonna come up to you and say, “Hey, I think what you did was wrong,” because what do they think I’m gonna say? They know they’re wrong for even thinking that. Somewhere deep down they know they’re wrong. But I didn’t get any flak. I’m sure there were people who, again, talked about me behind my back, but it was the right thing to do. Was your appearance at The Connection your first time at a gay club? No. (Laughs.) Oh? Tell me more. (Laughs.) Another hairdresser friend of mine asked me to come to his birthday party and I went. I can’t remember the name of the place here at the time. It was on 8th Avenue. I think it’s gone. I’m sure everything’s gone now since I’m old. (Laughs.) But it was the first time I saw a drag queen impersonating me singing “She’s in Love With the Boy,” and I was like, “I’ve made it now. I’m famous now. That’s happened.” And you tipped her $5. I did! You know that story! And I did because why wouldn’t you? So she made a good Trisha? She did, she did! You know, I can look like a pretty good drag queen myself. Wait, you’ve done drag? I do drag well. Yes, I do a good Trisha Yearwood impersonation. It helps that you are her, so I feel like you have a slight advantage. What was the LGBTQ community like where you grew up in Georgia? Nonexistent. Well, probably there, but I was born in ’64, so during my teenager years, the ’70s, early ’80s, like most kids in the South, I didn’t really have an encounter with anyone who was openly gay until I was in college. I know there were gay people in my hometown, but it was just one of those things that people didn’t talk about. I’m so lucky to be in an industry that’s really open. I was raised by a family who never made me feel like I shouldn’t be an open person, so I’m lucky in that way too. The other day we were just talking about how hard it must be to live a life where you can’t really be yourself. So I like where we are. I know it’s still not easy in certain circles, but I like where we are and where we’re going. We preach “love one another” and that’s
what we’re supposed to do. Do you think today’s country music community is more open to the LGBTQ community? I think the community here as a whole has always been very open. It’s the public community, you know? So coming out and being an openly gay artist is happening, but it’s still not probably easy, but because there are more people who have come out, it’s gonna be easier. But this community as a whole, as far as the town and the industry that works here, it seems very open. Nashville seems very open and progressive. But I still think the artists probably have a difficult time. But now that there are people who have come out and said they’re openly gay, somebody’s gotta start that and pave the way, and so they have the hardest time. It’s kind of the best kept secret in Nashville that when people come out as gay, no one’s surprised. (Laughs.) Are there still closeted country stars that you know of? I don’t know for sure. I’m sure there are. In 1993, Garth released “We Shall Be Free,” which stirred controversy with the line, “When we’re free to love anyone we choose.” I remember how big of a deal that was. Yeah. I live in a house that is about tolerance and love. I wouldn’t be married to a guy who didn’t feel that way, and he’s been public about that too. Like you said, it’s in that song. You just speak your truth. Country artist Chely Wright acknowledged that you were one of very few country stars to offer your support when she came out in 2010. What kind of support did you offer her? I think it’s one thing to say, “Oh, I’m fine with that,” and another thing to show up and be a friend. And she had a benefit party every year. I had gone the year before, and that year was the year right after the (coming out) announcement that she had that party. I just went. It was kind of like going to the benefit for the hairdresser: I didn’t think about it. She’s my friend, I’ve been before, she asked me to go and I’m going. And so I don’t ever set out to make some sort of strong statement. I’m just friends with who I’m friends with, and if somebody wants to comment about that, that’s fine. Why do you think more country artists weren’t showing their support for the LGBTQ community like you were early on in your career? I don’t want to give myself this positive, like, “Oh my gosh, you’re so amazing because you did that” because I don’t really look at it that way at all. I think if I was making a statement, it’s just that you should be there for your friends. And that’s not just a gay or straight statement; that’s a “just how I was raised” statement. Are you inspired by artists like Brandi Carlile, who is infiltrating the country arena as an out lesbian? I’m inspired by her as a person in music. For me, it’s really about the music. I was on a label with a diverse bunch of artists, and I don’t know how k.d. lang made it work in the late ’80s, early ’90s, because she had enormous success. But I 22 | 10.16.19
tend to just look at it like when I heard Brandi for the first time – and actually her voice reminds me a little bit of k.d.’s – my first thought wasn’t “she’s gay”; it was, “I like her voice.” Maybe that’s why I am the way I am, because it’s just not my first thought. We all want to be accepted for who we are inside and what we do. Even if people like our music, what I do in my personal life is 100 percent secondary. You courted a wildly passionate lesbian following at the beginning of your career. Why do you think lesbians gravitated toward you? I have no idea! I really don’t know what it is. It’s also, you know, you guys. Maybe because I do “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in concert. (Laughs.)
That can’t hurt. (Laughs.) Maybe it’s inclusion. The questions you’re asking me are not questions I obviously get asked in a typical interview and I haven’t ever thought about it in that way, but just your questions make me feel like maybe people realize it’s a safe place. You’re not gonna be judged. Covering Melissa Etheridge’s “You Can Sleep While I Drive” in 1995 might have had something to do with building your lesbian following. You must’ve forgotten all about that. I did forget about that. I love that song so much. The other song of hers that I just love is “Bring Me Some Water.” I think that was the first thing I heard (of hers). I remember hearing that on the radio going, “Oh my god, who is that?” Just powerful. As for your gay male fans: How many times have they expressed their gratitude to you for the “Walkaway Joe” video and the fact that without it we may not have been able to experience a 23-year-old Matthew McConaughey in a field without his shirt? Because thank you for that. Well, you’re welcome. (Laughs.) Yes, I’m totally responsible for his career and he just never calls, he never writes. I finally got a chance to thank him. When I did that video, the b-roll was shot in Austin, Texas; I wasn’t even there. He was an aspiring actor who just came in for casting. People still don’t realize it. They’ll see the video on YouTube and be like, “Oh my god, that looks like Matthew McConaughey, but he looks 12!” And I’m like, “It is him!” You got him when he was a baby. Total baby. Every Girl is your first solo studio album in 12 years. Why not release more music more regularly? I will, I will. I think what happened was I was on an almost-four-year tour with my husband and that was a lot of dates. When I wasn’t touring, I was filming the cooking show and I do a lot of other things, but music is what feeds my soul. I didn’t really intend for that much time to pass, and I think if I’d made a record during that time it might have been frantic and just thrown together because there was so much going on. So in 2018, when the tour had ended in December the year before, I knew I had time and
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that’s when I sat down and made both albums, the Let’s Be Frank album and the country album. I really was able to just concentrate on that, which made it fun because I could really just pour myself into really digging and finding those songs. And the result of this album – I don’t know if I’ve been happier with an album. The song choices and really getting to spend time with them and just listen and listen and listen and not settle has been good. The luxury of making this album (was) almost in the way I made the first album, where you just listen to songs and nobody is really paying attention because you’ve slipped under the radar and you have all the time in the world, and once an album takes off then it’s hard to find that time. So I felt that I had that luxury last year of just really focusing on the music, which was really a gift. You recently acknowledged that you’re a big Lizzo fan. When’s the Trisha-Lizzo duet happening? I would really have to up my game to sing with Lizzo, but I would totally be up for it. When I went to see her, we were doing the cooking show, and what I do in the mornings when I’m sitting in the makeup chair for 90 minutes is, I’m listening to stuff that pumps me up for the day. Usually it’s Bruno Mars or Beyoncé. I had it on the Bruno Mars channel and (Lizzo’s) “Juice” came on and I’m a huge Prince fan and I was like, “I love this girl, who is this?” She’d been around for five years, but this was right before things started to really jump for her and she happened to be playing a small club here in Nashville. So I went and stood in the crowd with 200 people, mostly a bunch of white girls and a bunch of gay boys, and just loved it. I only knew that one song; now I know them all, so I can’t wait to go see her again. But it was so cool. And what I loved about her was just – she’s a movement. For everybody. She is an icon for all of us in that she’s about accepting yourself and loving yourself the way you are. And that’s a message that is universal. That’s a message I need to hear for myself.
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What about incorporating a “Good as Hell” or “Juice” cover into your upcoming tour setlist? I try to stick to things I know I can do well. I could really screw that up! I think a Trisha Yearwood rap is what the world might need right now. I don’t think so! I’m gonna disagree with you on that one. (Laughs.) Let’s talk food. Is there a dish your queer friends request when they come over for dinner? I’m good with anything low carb. (Laughs.) No, there’s no specific dish. I’m the person whose house you come to when you want comfort food, so if you’re going to boot camp and you wanna take a day off, that’s when you come to my house. (Laughs.) You don’t come to my house for low carb. Your cheat day? Come to my house. Wendy Williams went on your show and said your set had the best lighting. Just how magical is this Trisha’s Southern Kitchen lighting? When we started doing a cooking show, the lighting was about the food. I was like, “I understand that, but I have this whole other career and I really wanna look pretty, OK? Can we light the host a little bit?” (Laughs.) So I kind of pushed the barrier a little bit because I really did want it to be pretty. I’m like, “I want this to be beautiful so that it’s a thing in my world.” So are you feeling pretty on set? Yeah. If I could take a guy with a key light everywhere I go, I’d take him to the grocery store. -As editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBTQ wire service, Chris Azzopardi has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.
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Joseph is originally from Baton Rouge, but now he lives in Atlanta, where he works as a Director of Rehabilitation. His background is in physical therapy, and he is currently finishing up a master’s in public health because he wants to pursue a career in community health. Joseph likes to go to the gym, travel, and adventurous activities like water rafting, and because he is a Southern Gentleman at heart, he also loves to cook and bake, preferably Creole dishes. Other than that, he is a doggie dad to a mini dachshund, and his favorite holiday is coming up soon – Christmas!
Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow Renée Zellweger is not the first actress to portray Judy Garland. She is, however, the second to portray Garland in the later period of her life and career. The first was Judy Davis, in the madefor-TV movie “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows”. Davis was rewarded handily with a Golden Globe and an Emmy, among other awards. Zellweger, who already has an Oscar (for “Cold Mountain”), will no doubt be nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe, and stands a very good chance of winning, for her career-reviving performance in the feature film “Judy” (LD Entertainment). It is Zellweger’s Garland that is the one and only reason to see the movie, a loose adaptation of Peter Quilter’s play “End of the Rainbow”. The Judy Garland of the late 1960s is a bloody mess. With a few failed marriages, a grown daughter out on her and two more adolescents still at home, she is plagued by financial disaster and a reputation for unreliability driven by her addiction to pills and alcohol. Through flashbacks to her time under studio head and control freak Louis B. Mayer, who cherished her voice but obsessively drugged her to keep her thin and perky, we come to understand what became a lifelong addiction issue. Basically homeless, with children Lorna and Joey in tow, and performing for $150 in cash when she can get gigs, Judy is forced to leave her son and daughter with contentious ex-husband Sid (Rufus Sewell) in order to get work. In other words, she has to leave her children in L.A. so she can go to London to perform at the Talk of the Town and make enough money so she can be with her children again. Before leaving for London she meets young (and hot) entrepreneurial musician Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock), who unexpectedly sweeps Judy off her feet. 36 | 10.16.19
By Gregg Shapiro Photo: Twentieth Century Fox, LD Entertainment In London, she meets with Talk of the Town owner Bernard Delfont (Michael Gambon), who is semi-aware of the gamble he has taken booking Garland. She is left in the care of Rosalyn (Jessie Buckley) who, after an unsuccessful rehearsal, still manages to get Garland dressed, made-up and onstage for her show. Pre-show jitters aside, Judy slays! But this, unfortunately, sets up a kind of pattern. One of the highlights in her life, and in the movie, is when Judy meets a gay couple (played by Andy Nyman and Daniel Cerqueira) at the stage door. The pair, who have had their own share of hardships, form a bond with the troubled diva. Sadly, Garland’s luck continues on a downward trajectory. Mickey shows up in London, full of business propositions and ideas. Judy has a proposition of her own – marriage to Mickey! The marriage hits the skids as Mickey’s business concepts fail. Sid also appears in London to talk to Judy about taking custody of Lorna and Joey. But it’s a TV interviewer, asking personal questions, that sends her over the edge, resulting in a drunken Judy taking the stage with disastrous consequences. Arriving in theaters as it does during the 50th anniversary of Garland’s untimely passing, “Judy” is a long overdue big screen homage to one of the most important performers of the 20th century. Even 20 years into the 21st century, her impact can still be felt. It’s to Zellweger’s credit as an actress and singer that Garland finally gets the tribute she deserved.
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AFTER THE PRIDE
follow Mitzi @itsmitzip
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve survived Atlanta Gay Pride 2019. I say chances because I have a good friend who’s a medium that publishes my articles in the Here-After Weekly Gazette. One thing that I hear a lot of people mention after a weekend of priding around is how tired, dry-mouthed and void of nutrients they are. I personally have a membership to a very select, underground spa that injects stem cells into my veins, completely rejuvenating me within minutes. It’s not a budgetfriendly option, so I decided to reach out to some good friends to help find ways you can give yourself some LIFE after your many near-deaths this Pride.
For the holistically-minded person, my dear friend, spiritual guide and multi-millionaire mogul, Shakta Matcha-Chai, sells an all-natural remedy, (accompanied with its own series of best-selling books). It is sure to cleanse your body, mind and soul. She calls it Potion Z. Loosely named after the last letter in the alphabet, this serum is taken under the tongue and massaged for five minutes by violently shaking your head. It is intended to seep into your bloodstream, purifying you. But has been known to cause nausea and vomiting from all the head-shaking. I’ve always been more of a Western medicine kind of woman myself. And have a very adventurous sexual appetite. If you’re like me and prefer animal-tested products, as-well-as having pretty questionable sex encounters, then visit my mysterious and estranged former lover, Emilio Earhart. He’s a doctor somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, and has found a cureall for the lustful, and hungover at heart. He developed this cure over many years of living in solitude in the Pacific Ocean, with his only social interactions happening on Atlanta Pride Weekend. The cure-all, called Oops I Did Him Again, can be taken orally or as a suppository! It gets rid of any sluggish energy from long hours of partying, and releases a special something-something to get rid of any and all STIs. The FDA cannot approve it at this time as its main test subject is an endangered whale. To get some yourself, you’ll have to either fly out to the Pacific Ocean, or wait for Emilio to come back to Atlanta Pride next year. If the first two options for aiding your post-Pride body don’t sound appealing, my good friend and gas station attendant has a great solution for the every-man. While on a routine hustle ’n’ grind, Jimmy Pickins, came across a wonder-drug that was about to be seized by the police. He jumped into action and stole it from the officer’s car. He calls the drug Super Adderall due to its more-powerful, but similar effects. He doesn’t know what all is mixed into it, but has been successful selling to many students at the local universities and the occasional meth head coming down from a high. I can personally attest that Super Adderall is a wonder drug that is sure to sweep the nation’s dive bars and back alleys! Every year pride gives us all the life we need, and quickly tries to drain it from us too. If you’re a party-animal like myself, you must visit my three friends and try their elixir-fixers. They’re sure to perk you right up!
Yours in self-medicating,
Mitzi Pennington is the self-proclaimed sex symbol and advice-giving-guru alter ego of Mirza Muftic. She came from humble roots of middle America and married into money shorly after dropping out of college. Her late husband’s fortune allows her to travel the world andhave a sense of enlightenment one normally gets from actually working for their money. Mirza has had none of those experiences in his life. On occasion, Mirza will perform as Mitzi around Atlanta. His other interests/day job include film editing, retouching, and stop-motion animation.
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The Morning After By Scott Sohn
Most of us have been there at least once in our lives. Monday morning rolls around and it’s time to get back to reality after a fun weekend with friends. As Pride has just come to a close, I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who may have overindulged over the past few days. Headache, nausea, low energy and brain fog are just a few of the potential “hangover” symptoms that must be reckoned with following a long weekend of non-stop shenanigans. Why though, is it that when we’re in the midst of all the celebration, we never seem to listen to the voice of reason in our heads? Well, the answer lies in the way in which our brains are designed to feel and to seek out pleasure. In the case of alcohol and other types of drugs, these substances release what are called endorphins - “pleasure hormones” - which bind to opiate receptors in our brains and give us that undeniable feeling of euphoria. Our brains and bodies love to feel pleasure, and as we begin to feel more pleasure our brains naturally crave more. Alcohol and other drugs cause the brains reward system to release the motivational chemical dopamine, which causes users to crave more and more. That’s why it’s very easy for people to get caught up in the fun and overconsume even when they know better. This isn’t meant to be a lecture on the dangers of excess consumption though. We’re all adults here, and we know you gotta pay to play. If you do plan to drink more than a couple drinks in a night or day, it’s best to do so after eating. When alcohol is consumed on an empty stomach, it quickly enters the bloodstream and can cause you to become intoxicated up to three times faster compared to someone who has eaten. Eating a meal prior to or during drinking slows the absorption rate and helps the body to handle the onslaught with better efficiency. Especially meals that are higher in fat will slow digestion and cause alcohol to enter the bloodstream at a much slower rate. The second thing to remember about alcohol is that it’s a diuretic and causes you to piss out up to four times as much liquid as you are consuming. I imagine that’s “one” of the reasons why the bathrooms are so crowded! The point is, drinking water throughout the night can help 40 | 10.16.19
you avoid becoming dehydrated and can stave off the dreaded day after headache. Remember my old saying “don’t be a de-hydro”? Another result of over-consumption is nutrient deficiency. The process of metabolizing alcohol depletes nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and zinc, leaving the body and mind feeling worn out and depressed. It’s not uncommon to feel lethargic and possibly a bit sad following a binge because alcohol disrupts the neurotransmitters in the brain that regulate mood and behavior. Those who drink on a regular basis are especially vulnerable to nutrient deficiencies and should try to maintain a healthy diet and may also want to consider a multivitamin supplement to help counteract the effects of nutrient depletion. Remember, alcohol is a poison to our body, and it requires a lot of energy and resources to detoxify it from the system. Fortunately, our bodies are unbelievably resilient and have the ability heal themselves despite the continuous assault they are under. Time is really the most important factor involved in any recovery process. All the available sports drinks, tinctures and hangover remedies can usually provide some benefit because they deliver electrolytes and vitamins that have been lost through excessive urination and the resulting dehydration. Water is always your friend but needs to be given special attention when you’re out celebrating your wonderful life. Time, water and nutritious foods are really the best remedies to bring your body back into balance. If you’re feeling up to it, a light jog, yoga, or any exercise that gets your blood flowing and your sweat dripping will hasten the detoxification process. We have all been blessed with this amazing body and the ability to feel emotions and pleasure that enrich our lives and connect us to one another. Be grateful for your innate healing powers and the fact that trillions of cells in your body are working tirelessly in consort for one cause: your survival. Be gentle with yourself and protect this awesome gift. Scott is a local Registered Dietitian Nutritionist specializing in men’s health and wellness programs. Learn more at sohnnutrition.com
The Pink Peach Guide to Fantasy Fest 2019 By Kevin Assam
Key West’s most popular festival celebrates its 40th year of creative masterpieces and whimsical debauchery. This year’s theme, “In Tune But Off Key,” ushers in a season full of musical jaunts and genre bending displays. Here are seven events you won’t want to miss.
1. Lost Boy Creations’ Goombay Bash 225 Petronia St | Oct 18th & 19th | 3PM The second annual Goombay Bash presented by local artist, Matt Atkinson, capitalizes on a year of continued awareness for this growing brand and art studio. Expect the casual, mostly local-attended event to morph into a panorama of live art, soulful musical performances, and beer straight out of the tub. This time around, the double day offerings will include national musical samplings of Key West’s Chris Toler, Seattle’s Sol and Miami’s Xperimento. Keep your eye on Lost Boy. It’s gaining traction. What to look for: Limited edition merchandise featuring the adorable top hat wearing surfboard aficionado mascot.
2. Zombie Bike Ride Fort East Martello | Oct 20th | 6PM Night walkers. Zombie disco divas. A terrifying albeit hilarious array of your favorite undead characters is on full display. Bicycles, trikes, kinetic creations, and even Amish carriages propel hundreds of masqueraders down US1 and into downtown Key West. It feels like a massive Halloween block party preparing to storm the land of those pushing Christmas a bit too early. What to look for: Elaborate kinetic sculptures peddled by zombie teams.
3. A Green Parrot Beatles Tribute 601 Whitehead St | The Green Parrot Oct 21st | 5.30PM, 9PM, 11PM This legendary bar hosts performers Chris Thomas, Tony Baltimore, Oren Polak, and Hiram Garzaro as they re-create a Fab Four Show with “THE BEATLE BAND, All You Need is Love.” You don’t have to be a Beatles aficionado – I’m certainly not – to appreciate that this musical bash will likely evolve into a sixties fashion show complete with delightfully terrible LennonMcCartney lookalikes. What to look for: Musician Tony Baltimore. A local gem who will regale you with fascinating tales and help you close the bar down.
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4. Kinky Carnival 301 Whitehead St | First Flight | Oct. 21st | 8PM Leather. Masks. Boots. Furry tails. Any and all fetish attire are welcome at one of Fantasy Fest’s last remaining truly kinky events. Subs, doms, and everyone in between gather for an electrifying exploration of fetish delights. Expect this one to be filled up early on. No public pictures, please. Not all of us are ready for our nosy colleagues to see us collared and walking on all fours. What to look for: Electrostimulation. Surprisingly, good business contacts. Brand new subs to do your bidding.
5. TuTu Tuesday 423 Caroline St | General Horseplay | Oct. 22nd | 7PM No tutu, no entry! The 11th annual event is back with a magical theme! Sprawled across four complexes – including a gentleman’s club– each interconnected venue provides a different DJ, crowd, and explosion of tulle. Last year, it was easily one of the city’s most exhilarating events. Will they be able to top last year? What to look for: The most whimsical costumes of the festival. Stripper poles.
6. Masquerade March Oldtown | Oct 25th | 5.30PM Make your way through the historical sites of Key West starting at Oldtown Cemetery. Often referred to as the Locals Parade, it carries all the pomp and costuming of the following day’s debauchery, just on foot. Grab free swag, drinks, and unsolicited advice along the way from decorated residences and businesses lining the course. It’s delicious mayhem that shows the island’s creativity at its finest. What to look for: People on stilts and tricycles with boom boxes. They signal the funnest groups and the easiest ways to cut through the crowds.
7. The Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade Whitehead St & Duval St | Oct. 26th | 7PM Crowds and viewing parties stretch from the Gulf to the Atlantic in this more casual but just as colorful version of Mardi Gras. The 40th anniversary’s theme “In Tune But Off Key” will empty Amazon warehouses across the country of shiny disco wear and terribly synthetic wigs. Grease your local or hotel connections to get you onto a spectacular float. Stay above the masses with all-inclusive balcony and patio parties across the strip at restaurants and bars. What to look for: Take note of the leads on the best floats. Float leaders are likely local creative juggernauts and know where to go.
E ATLANTA PRIDE PAGEANT @ THE HERETIC PHOTOS: SNOW
6-11 PM | Sun. December 15th Atlanta Event Center | 1150 Crescent Ave NE
Purchase tickets in advance at forthekid.org and bring an unwrapped toy valued at $20+ VIP tickets: $250(+Toy) General admission: $35 (+Toy)
October 16 – October 23
Cirque du Soleil: VOLTA
19th Annual L5P Halloween Festival & Parade
Cirque du Soleil hits Atlanta once again with their VOLTA show The Little 5 Points neighborhood invites you to visit the artist based on extreme sports. The game-show setup offers room for their market along Euclid Ave and experience the gruesome and ghoulish Halloween Parade at 4 pm. signature gravity-defying acts under the Big Top. T October 18 – December 8, 2019 Atlantic Station (the Big Top) STAFF PICK!
Saturday, October 19, 12-6 pm (Parade at 4 pm) Little 5 Points
The G8yties ’80s Dance Party: Hell-No-Kween DJ Mike pope will be playing all your favorite ’80s dance songs, and some killer songs from ’80s Halloween slasher movies. It’s time to rise from the dead and dance until you scream Hell-no-Kween! Costumes welcome. Friday, October 18, 10 pm – 3:30 am The Heretic
Corn on the Macabre
Sofi Tukker
The cheesiest 80s horror set to 80s new wave/rock to The New York-based duo – best known for their song “Best celebrate the BOOSCARE SEASON! A perfect place to come Friend,” which was used for the unveiling of the iPhone X party before/after/during the L5P Halloween Parade. comes to Atlanta on a stop on their world tour. Saturday, October 19, 2-8 pm Mary’s
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Monday, October 21, 8 pm Terminal West
EAST ATLANTA STRUT @ EAV PHOTOS: ANDREA DWYER
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MIDTOWN 1
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BARS 20 21 22 23
BJ Roosters Sequel Tripps Woof's
BARS 2043 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1086 Alco St NE 1931 Piedmont Cir NE 2425 Piedmont Rd NE
Dining 24 Las Margaritas 25 Roxx
1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1824 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1510 Piedmont Ave Suite A 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd
clubs 28 Heretic 29 Tokyo Valentino
2069 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1739 Cheshire Bridge Rd
Fitness 30 Gravitee Fitness
2201 Faulkner Rd NE
Spa/bath 31 Manifest 4 U 42 The Den
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32 33 34 35 36
Midtown Moon Felix's The Hideaway Mixx Oscar's
2103 Faulkner Rd NE 2135 Liddell Drive NE
1492 Piedmont Ave NE 1510 Piedmont Ave NE 1544 Piedmont Ave NE 1492 Piedmont Ave NE 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
Dining 38 Eclectic Bistro
Retail 26 Barking Leather 27 Southern Nights
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14 Urban Body Fitness 500 Amsterdam Ave NE 15 Flex Spa
219 10th St NE 132 10th St NE 1049 Juniper St NE 900 Monroe Dr NE
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10 th & Piedmont Campagnolo Einstein's F.R.O.G.S
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66 12th St NE 990 Piedmont Ave NE
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6 My Sister’s Room 7 Ten Atlanta
Dining 502 Amsterdam Ave NE 227 10th St NE 893 Peachtree St NE 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE
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Amsterdam Blake's Bulldogs Friends
42 L
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Ponce De Leon Ave. NE
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Retail 39 Boy Next Door 1447 Piedmont Ave NE 40 Brushstrokes/Pleasures 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
Fitness 41 Equilibrium Fitness
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1529 Piedmont Ave, Suite L
1287 Glenwood Ave SE 466 Edgewood Ave SE 1400 Northside Dr NW 3011 Buford Hwy NE 465 Boulevard SE
A snapshot of Gay Atlanta’s favorite destinations. View their ads in Peach ATL & visit their websites for weekly event listings.
Bars & Clubs
EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD
Retail
MIDTOWN
MARY’S
MIDTOWN
amsterdamatlanta.com
1287 Glenwood Ave SE
AMSTERDAM
502 Amsterdam Ave. NE
ATLANTA EAGLE
marysatlanta.com
SISTER LOUISA’S CHURCH
BARKING LEATHER AFTER DARK barkingleather.com
306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE
sisterlouisaschurch.com
CHESHIRE
SWINGING RICHARDS
SOUTHERN NIGHTS VIDEO
1400 Northside Dr NW
ANSLEY
BULLDOGS
Dining
BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR
FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR
MIDTOWN
1447 Piedmont Ave NE
736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE
10thandpiedmont.com
atlantaeagle.com
306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE
BLAKE’S ON THE PARK
blakesontheparkatlanta.com 227 10th St NE
893 Peachtree St NE
friendsonponce-atl.com
MY SISTER’S ROOM mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE
TEN ATLANTA
tenatlanta.com
990 Piedmont Ave NE
THE T
modeltatlanta.com 465 Boulevard SE
CHESHIRE
466 Edgewood Ave SE
swingingrichards.com
10TH & PIEDMONT
991 Piedmont Ave NE
EINSTEIN’S
einsteinsatlanta.com 1077 Juniper St NE
219 10th St NE
HENRY’S
2069 Cheshire Bridge Road
132 10th St NE
hereticatlanta.com
henrysatl.com
BJ ROOSTERS
JOE’S ON JUNIPER
2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
1049 Juniper St NE
bjroosters.com
brushstrokesatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave. NE
BARKING LEATHER barkingleather.com
1510 Piedmont Ave Suite A
MIDTOWN
HERETIC
joesonjuniper.com
URBAN BODY FITNESS urbanbodyfitness.com
500 Amsterdam Ave NE
CHESHIRE GRAVITEE FITNESS 2201 Faulkner Rd NE
LA HACIENDA
Spas/Baths/Adult
TRIPPS
900 Monroe Dr NE
MIDTOWN
CHESHIRE
FLEX SPA
LAS MARGARITAS
76 4th St NW
1931 Piedmont Circle N
WOOFS
woofsatlanta.com
2425 Piedmont Road NE
lahaciendamidtown.com
lasmargaritasmidtown.com
ANSLEY
CHESHIRE
ROXX
MIDTOWN MOON
MANIFEST 4U
1824 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
FELIX’S
1510 Piedmont Ave NE
THE HIDEAWAY
DEKALB
LIPS ATLANTA
atldragshow.com
3011 Buford Hwy NE
David cell 205-206-5218 cylondk1@gmail.com Located in Atlanta on Ponce De Leon Ave NE
flexspas.com
1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
1492 Piedmont Ave NE
Massage Bodyworks by David $80 per hour 1st time $60 w/Peach ATL ad
graviteeatl.com
SEQUEL
1086 Alco St NE
CONTACT leonrri@hotmail.com
GCB & PLEASURES
Fitness
gsmidtown.com
BEACH FRONT BEAUTIFUL BEACH HOTEL & FOOD
boynextdoormenswear.com
931 Monroe Dr
G’S
TIMESHARE PLUS BONUS FOR SALE
2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
FROGS CANTINA
frogsmidtown.com
LUXURY LGBT ALMAR RESORT
manifest4u.org
2103 Faulkner Rd NE
THE DEN
thedenatlanta.com
Georgia Body Works.com Mobile Fitness and Massage “I come to you, so let’s get started!”
678-557-1780
Personal Training • Massage • Entertainment georgiabodyworks.com
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1544 Piedmont Ave NE
MIXX
mixxatlanta.com
1492 Piedmont Ave NE
OSCAR’S
oscarsatlanta.com
1510 Piedmont Ave NE
52 | 10.16.19
35 per week!
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Email jeff@peachatl.com for more information.
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10 TIPS TO RECOVERING AFTER PRIDE Party’s over and it’s time to treat your body right
Do some light exercise
WE ARE SEEKING Cut back on the alcohol
Get a caffeine fix
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Settle your stomach with an antacid
EMAIL YOUR RESUME TO
Jeff@peachatl.com
Atlanta: Atlanta:
678-528-2525 Replenish your vitamins
Drink vegetable juices
We’re closer to Atlanta than you think! Get the details on these and other great upcoming events on our website calendar. Membership Required * Must be 21 to Enter
… and probiotics
Halloween at The River’s Edge
Leather Weekend
October 18-20 Schedule some ‘me time’
Get some good sleep
54 | 10.16.19
18+ 18+ MegaMates.com MegaMates.com
October 25-27 Rehydrate with plenty of water
Text your Peach Pits to 540-30-PEACH, or e-mail mikkel@PeachATL.com
Me: I can’t decide what I want to be for Halloween!
Him: Pick anything and add ‘sexy’ to it
Pre-Halloween Reminder: No one likes your kids enough to give them drugs
Crossfit and croissant sounds about the same, so I will start out my day with an hour of croissant to stay healthy.
Me: How does that work?
Him: Go shirtless, wear a harness, and add simple accessories, and you can be anything – sexy wizard, sexy soldier, sexy comboy… Me: Yay! Then I only need an eye patch and I’m a sexy pirate!
ASKING FOR A FRIEND
Is it even possible to go to IKEA and only buy what you need?
Much like glitter, the rainbow crosswalk in Midtown is here to stay indefinitely!
After this Pride, I already know what I’m going to be for Halloween – tired!
DADDY JOKE ALERT What do Italians eat on Halloween? Fettuccini Afraid-o
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Now that Pride is over, you can go back to being your old rainbow-less self.
PISCES (FEB. 19 - MAR. 20) Someone close to you may not be totally honest. This person could be avoiding telling the truth or hiding something from you in order to protect you. Trust your instincts, Pisces. If someone tells you something important that doesn’t ring true, check it out before accepting one person’s word. This isn’t a vicious deception - only a protective one. But shielding someone from the truth can sometimes backfire!
ARIES (MAR. 21 - APR. 19) Your fantasies could come true now, especially when it comes to relationships. This could be the moment you’ve always dreamed about, so get ready. The attractive, romantic person in the corner has been keeping an eye on you all night. Your blood is pumping faster than ever. Remind yourself that all dreams can come true.
LIBRA (SEP. 23 - OCT. 22)
TAURUS (APR. 20 - MAY 20)
You’re apt to be somewhat fickle when it comes to love and romance right now. The key for you now is freedom. The problem with this mindset is that it might be misinterpreted. Your partner may think you simply aren’t interested in him or her anymore. Remind your partner that it’s OK to love someone while also needing time and space to do things on your own.
While you normally like all of your romantic relationships to be extremely nurturing and comforting, you may find that this isn’t always possible. There’s a disconnect between you and a close partner right now that could be hard to rectify. Time is really the only thing that’s likely to resolve this sort of problem. Remember that all of your relationships can’t always go exactly according to plan.
SCORPIO (OCT. 23 - NOV. 21)
GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUN. 20)
You may be confused when it comes to matters of the heart. Perhaps you feel cheated when the object of your desire doesn’t give you complete attention at all times. The fundamental security of your being is your responsibility, not someone else’s. Find a way to incorporate your dreams into the dreams of others instead of always working toward goals at opposite sides of the spectrum.
A creative project that you’ve been working on may be coming to a climactic peak now. Discuss your progress with others and feel free to hold an informal critique in order to get honest feedback on your work. A piece of art should stir some sort of reaction inside another person. Consider ways in which you can challenge the people around you with your talent.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 - DEC. 21)
CANCER (JUN. 21 - JUL. 22)
Your fairytale imagination of how your romantic life should run is hooking you up with many different opportunities. Whether you realize it or not, the optimal situation you seek is within your grasp. Make sure that you aren’t trying to manipulate a certain person into becoming the person you want him or her to be. If you’re unhappy in your relationship, perhaps you need to find someone new.
Be aware that love is likely to wear some sort of disguise this week. There’s something fanciful about the way in which this new romance will manifest, so get ready. Don’t think that love always has to be planned and calculated. There is a strong sense of spontaneity associated with the delicious love interest of the day. Don’t dismiss those who don’t seem practical or levelheaded enough for you.
CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 19) Your dreams work out quite nicely in your head, but the problem now is how to turn them into some sort of real life scenario. Be careful of taking too intellectual of an approach. When it comes to relationships, things don’t normally happen logically or rationally. You’re going to have to leave a great deal up to chance, so just learn to deal with things as they come.
LEO (JUL. 23 - AUG. 22) Take your loved one out for a romantic dinner. Escort him or her on a magic-carpet ride to fantastic places that encourage a playful mood and carefree attitude. Consider having a bottle of wine at a playground. Decorate your house with candles and burn some incense. Create a mood that will calm the nerves and soothe the soul. Your sense of romance is right on target.
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18)
VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEP. 22)
Love and personal relationships are likely to take on a much dreamier and more romantic tone now. Your eyes are apt to sparkle as you speak or even think of the person you care about the most. The unmistakable glow that surrounds you is likely to attract others to your side even if you aren’t in the market for a romantic relationship right now.
When it comes to romantic relationships, you might find that you’re playing more of a game of hide-andgo-seek than a combined effort toward friendship, trust, and honesty. It could be that you’re purposely trying to hide in order to test the stamina of your opponent. You might want to take a new approach now, one that involves an effort toward connecting instead of distancing.
58 | 10.16.19
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.
My boyfriend and I are in a committed relationship, and that seems to be kind of an issue to others. In our group of friends, we are pretty much the only ones that have a strictly monogamous relationship, and we have no intention whatsoever to open it up. We are closed. But my friends keep talking to me about how great it is to be open and poly, and it’s just like they are expecting us to cave and eventually open up our relationship as well. When I tell them that we are indeed monogamous, I am almost treated as if I don’t know better, and they have this overbearing attitude. It annoys me because I feel secure in my monogamous relationship. How do I deal with this? Sincerely Not Even Monogamish Sincerely Not Even Monogamish For many couples who, at some point in their relationship, choose to open up their relationship or to be polyamorous, it often feels like it’s like a next step or development of the relationship. Which it is because you have to deal with a whole new set of emotions and in many ways, reconfigure the way your relationship works. But opening up a relationship is certainly not for everyone, and it is still far from the mainstream – even in gay culture – even though from where you’re standing, it may seem as if you are virtually the only couple that’s not open. But as you say, you and your boyfriend are in a committed, monogamous relationship, and it works for you. That message should be enough for your friends who all think they know better – because in your case, they don’t. You just have to keep repeating your message, and honestly, you can also kindly ask them to mind their own business when it comes to your relationship, and hopefully, their know-it-all attitude will cease. Otherwise, you’ll just have to make some new friends that are in monogamous relationships too!
Pride is over, and I had the best time. Maybe even a little bit too good of a time, because I indulged in everything, including a lot of sex (I think, I had sex with seven guys). Now, a few of my friends are mad at me for making out or having sex with some of the guys they were interested in, and on top of that, one of the guys I had sex with at a party has reached out to me to tell me that he was probably exposed to gonorrhea in the throat. So, I’m feeling great because it was the best Pride ever, but I also feel bad because I may have acted a little reckless, and now my health is possibly compromised. How do I deal with all of this? Sincerely Proud Pang Dear Proud Pang Pride offers you ample opportunity to party like the best, and sex is a big part of that. Many parties even encourage a certain ‘playful’ atmosphere where you may end up having sexual relations with quite a few people – just like you did! There is nothing wrong with indulging in all of that, as long as you are careful and respectful – and that’s where you seem to have erred. First off, get yourself to a doctor and have them perform a full STI panel on you. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and if you did catch something, you’d get treatment as fast as possible. Then there’s the situation with your friends, where you first need to apologize profusely for hurting their feelings, and then you need to discuss what boundaries they felt got broken and why. That way, you will set up some ground rules for the next time an extra good time rolls around, and hopefully, you’ll know exactly when to stop before you over-indulge.
NEED ANSWERS? REACH OUT TO US, AND YOU WILL GET THEM! SEND YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS TO OUR EDITOR AT MIKKEL@PEACHATL.COM.
60 | 10.16.19
THANK YOU! THANKS FOR A GREAT 2019 ATL PRIDE! WE’LL SEE YOU IN 2020!