Peach Magazine V4-43 - Making an Impact

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Exc Ex xcl clusive in Pe Peach LGBT BTQ+ Q+ Georgians

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noV 18, 2020

V4-43

PEACH MEDIA 6050 Dawson Blvd, Ste O Norcross, GA 30093

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MANAGING PARTNER Brian Sawyer brian@peachatl.com

OPERATIONS Jeff Anderson Sales and Development Director jeff@peachatl.com

EDITORIAL Mikkel Hyldebrandt

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Editorial Director mikkel@peachatl.com Brian Sawyer Graphics

from the editor

Who do you look up to as a role model, mentor, or even a hero?

If you’re like me, you don’t have to look far because our community is virtually brimming with people who are dedicated to making a difference and impact on others.

This year, we have teamed up with OUT Georgia, whose 2020 LGBTQ+ Business Summit & Community Honors is happening right now. The summit – a three-day program of workshops, keynote speakers, and much more – will culminate with the community honors ceremony where business leaders and trailblazers from our very own community will be named.

As a Peach exclusive, we bring you the list of the 100 Most Influential LGBTQ+ Georgians in this issue and don’t forget to visit peachatl. com for the full, extended list of all of the people.

SALES | DISTRIBUTION Andrea Dwyer andrea@peachatl.com

CONTRIBUTORS Chris Azzopardi Jack Barry Vince Shifflett

NATIONAL AD REP Rivendell Media | 908.232.2021

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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.

a

happi way to watch

Free lgBtQ+ content

VECTOR

A brand-new streaming app and website serving the LGBTQ+ community has just launched with the purpose of filling the void this underrepresented group has in the current media marketplace.

Happi TV offers a wide variety of films and TV geared towards queer audiences, with special emphasis on products made by their own members of the community. “Even though the main streamers have LGBTQ+ sections, none of them are particularly invested in making this content a priority. We believe audiences will benefit from having a go-to destination in which they’ll find both entertainment, representation and a sense of belonging” said Daniel Bort, founder of Happi TV. Happi TV will be available in all the major app platforms in North America.

It will follow an advertising video on demand (AVOD) model, offering free content to viewers that prefer to watch ads over a monthly subscription.

It will also offer a linear channel option made available through digital streaming platforms in the territory.

Download Happi TV to your phone or streaming device today!

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HAPPY PRIDE

ATLANTA!

THE FUTURE IS

“WE” + Q T

LGIB S NES S IT BUM M SU

© 2020 · All Rights Reserved · OUT Georgia Business Alliance

JOIN US For an exciting three-day virtual event bringing Georgia’s LGBTQ+ and allied business community together to learn, support, and celebrate with each other.

November 17-19, 2020 Register today: outgeorgia.org/summit

Red flags are warning signs. Signs to proceed with caution or perhaps not proceed at all. A red flag is our intuition (inner guidance), making us aware of a potential issue. Red flags can be subtle, so it’s important to be consciously aware. In other words, pay attention. Whether the red flags are subtle or undeniable, we must be aware of the signals that something just doesn’t feel right.

For me, red implies stop as in a red traffic light or stop sign. Red seems to be a universal sign for stop. The turn off button on many of my devices, such as my TV remote, computer, and radio in my car, is red.

How many times have I ignored the red stop sign or red traffic light while driving?

And I have the dings on my car to prove it. It is the same in my personal life. How many times have I ignored the red flags and ended up with mental and physical dings?

The Universe (spirit, inner GPS, intuition) is constantly guiding us on this journey and throwing up red flags to stop us when there is danger ahead. The issue has been my tendency to be a little hard-headed at times and just go my own way despite the 10 | follow us @ peachatlmag

red flag warning.

How many times have you continued dating someone when there were clearly red flags? How long have you stayed in relationships when the red flag (stop sign) was right in front of your face? That red flag can definitely signal danger ahead and warrants our attention.

I once met this man with who I was sure I was in love with. After only six months, we moved in together. The red flags started popping up immediately and regularly popped up throughout the next two and a half years. Yes, I stayed that long. That is the hardhead part of me I talked about earlier. It is easy to tell oneself, “the red flag will go away,” or “he/she will change.”

I am learning that the red flag is there for a reason, and I need to pay attention to it.

I have also come to realize that the mere fact that you are trying to change someone or they are trying to change you is indeed a red flag in and of itself.

I love what Maya Angelo said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” Believe them the first time. www.peachatl.com

• • • • • • •

Stop to think Stop to evaluate Stop to consider Stop to take a closer look at the situation Stop to meditate and pray Stop and have a conversation Have the courage to walk away if necessary

DO RED FLAGS MEAN THE RELATIONSHIP IS OVER? Not necessarily, but it could be if the red flags are ignored as opposed to being addressed. The red flag definitely means it is time to stop and evaluate the situation.

I believe there are times when the red flags can be turned green for go if they are addressed appropriately. To ignore them and pretend everything is okay is not a healthy solution.

The Universe will always have your back if you allow it to. Listen to it. No special powers needed to be able to see the flags.

Just awareness. We all have that intuition.

Staying aware allows you to see and feel the red flags. Trust that feeling.

What are some of the red flags you’ve ignored? What were the consequences?

What lessons did you learn that helped you in future relationships? I look forward to your response and feedback.

Vince is an author, registered nurse, and blogger living in Atlanta. He routinely writes on matters affecting our physical, mental, and spiritual health as well as topics related to relationships. You can follow him on his website at vinceshifflett.com as well as on Facebook and Instagram.

By Vince Shifflett

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU BECOME AWARE OF A RED FLAG

Ignoring the Red Flags

Ignoring red flags in my life has certainly caused my share of hurt and pain. The flip side to that is, they have also taught me great lessons. Unfortunately, I did not always learn the lesson the first time around, so I ran the stop sign again and again. I have been guilty of ignoring the same red flag over and over. At times, I guess that’s necessary until we learn the lesson that the red flag is there to teach us.

ex pe c Ac lu h si v e

The 100 Most Influential LGBTQ+ Georgians

Last night (11.17.2020), the list of the 100 Most Influential LGBTQ+ Georgians was announced during OUT Georgia’s virtual 2020 LGBTQ+ Business Summit & Community Honors. As OUT Georgia’s official media partner for the three-day, we are thrilled to bring you the comprehensive list of LGBTQ+ Georgians who shape the community we live, work, and play in. We thank each and every one of them for their invaluable contributions, activism, and accomplishments.

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Mary Anne Adams Founder and Executive Director Zami NOBLA Taylor Alnxdr Co-founder and Executive Director Southern Fried Queer Pride

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Bishop OC Allen Senior Pastor and Founder, The Vision Church Atlanta Bishop OC Allen Senior Pastor and Founder, The Vision Church Atlanta Oliver Clyde Allen, III is a religious trailblazer, author, human rights advocate, an international and community leader and entrepreneur.

Bishop Allen was born on January 24th, 1973 in Los Angeles, California. He studied at Morgan State University, Morehouse College, and Harvard University-Harvard Extension School where he majored in Philosophy and Religion. He is married to his life-partner, Mr. Rashad Burgess of Chicago, Illinois. Rashad Burgess is currently the Community Liaison for Gilead Sciences, Inc. and was formerly the branch Chief of the Capacity Building Branch at the CDC’s division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.

They are the proud fathers of 2 beautiful children, Joshua and Caylee.

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Kia Barnes Kia Comedy Kia Comedy Derek Baugh Co-founder & CEO Ubuntu Simone Bell Everton Blair School Board Member Gwinnett County Board of Education Petrina Bloodworth & Emma Foulkes Bloodworth & Foulkes Gerald Bostock

Simone Bell Community Organizer

Bell made national history in 2009, when she was elected to represent Georgia’s 58th House District, making her the first out, black lesbian to serve in a U.S. state legislature.

After holding the position until 2015, she then served as Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Director until 2018, as Chief External Affairs Officer for Planned Parenthood in 2019, and as one of President-elect’s two senior advisers in Georgia.

Mickey Bradford National Organizer Transgender Law Center (TLC)

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Barret Broussard President Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia

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Malik Brown Director of LGBTQ Affairs City of Atlanta

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Brian Sawyer Owner & Managing Partner Peach ATL Media

Barret Broussard President Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia D. Barret Broussard is the President of Stonewall Bar Association (SBA), and he has been a member of the SBA since he was a first-year law student in 2010. He joined the Board of Directors in 2016, and previously served as Co-Chair of the Law Student Outreach Committee and as Vice President/ President-Elect.

As President, Barret oversees and coordinates the activities for all of SBA’s committees, as well as manages the relationships between the SBA and other similar organizations, both in Georgia and throughout the United States. Barret also serves on the Atlanta Leadership Council for Lambda Legal, and he is a member of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2018.

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Percy Brown Communications Strategist Lambda Legal

Malik Brown Director of LGBTQ Affairs City of Atlanta

Park Cannon Georgia House of Representatives District 58 Nury Lizeth Castro Assistant Director of Community Engagement and Service Georgia Gwinnett College Angie Celeste Snow Founder, Organizer Tybee Equality Fest DeeDee Chamblee Founder, Executive Director La Gender, Inc. Dusty Church Board Co-chair First City Pride Center Gabrielle Claiborne Co-Founder and CEO Transformation Journeys Worldwide

Malik Brown is an LGBTQ advocate, a firstgeneration American, a lifelong Atlantan and a familiar face in Democratic politics.

Appointed as the City of Atlanta’s Director of LGBTQ Affairs by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Brown is the first full-time official in the City of Atlanta to focus on better connecting the LGBTQ community with Atlanta City Hall. A member of the Human Rights Campaign’s National Board of Governors, and the Democratic National Committee’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, Brown brings a unique culmination of political experience, LGBTQ advocacy and HIV/AIDS education and prevention to his work.

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Tony Conway Owner Legendary Events David Cowan American Sign Language Interpreter State of Georgia Brian Sawyer Owner & Managing Partner Peach ATL Media Brian was born and raised in Asheville, NC. His background is in accounting, business management, computer programming and database management. In 2000, he started his own tech company after serving as CFO of the Town of Black Mountain and CIO of Asheville Savings Bank. In 2006, he expanded his business to the Atlanta market where he added Restaurateur and Publisher/Owner of Peach, Goliath and Fenuxe magazines to his resume.

Lisa Cunningham Influencer, Motivational Speaker Lucretia Doyle CEO/Founder Patricia Ann Doyle Foundation (PAD) Richard Eldredge Founder and Editor-in-Chief Eldredge ATL Jorge Estevez Journalist and News Anchor WSBTV Miko Evans Founder & Producer/CEO Meak Productions, Inc.

Park Cannon Georgia House of Representatives District 58 Park Cannon is running to remain the youngest member of the Georgia House of Representatives. She is excited to represent Midtown, Downtown, and Southwest Atlanta.

At the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Representative Cannon said “We need to trust black women!” and will continue to stand up for LGBTQ and minority visibility in the South.

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Connor Fair

TQ+ LGINBESS S IT BUM M SU

Jim Farmer Festival Director / Executive Director Out on Film Jamie Fergerson Executive Director Atlanta Pride Committee

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Glen Paul Freedman CFO/COO Fair Fight Action

Angie Celeste Snow Founder, Organizer Tybee Equality Fest Tybee Equality Fest was created to provide a safe, diverse, inclusive event on our beautiful Tybee Island. Founded by Angie Celeste, Tybee Equality Fest continues to differentiate itself from other festivals by promoting proequality businesses all year, creating personal interactions and life-long friendships. One of our goals is for people to know that the southern hospitality of this region extends to ALL.

Charlie Frew President and CEO Jerusalem House, Inc.

Dusty Church Board Co-chair First City Pride Center

Matthew Garrett National Board of Directors Human Rights Campaign Joseph Geierman Mayor City of Doraville Jeff Graham Executive Director Georgia Equality

LGBTQ Activist, Dusty Church serves as Board Co-Chair of First City Pride Center, with a mission as an inclusive advocacy, social, and service organization actively working to meet the needs for safety, empowerment, education, and wellbeing of Greater Savannah’s LGBTQIA+ community.

Zahara Green Co-Founder & Executive Director TRANScending Barriers Chanel Haley Gender Policy Manager Georgia Equality *Dave Hayward Touching Up Our Roots

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Gabrielle Claiborne Co-Founder and CEO Transformation Journeys Worldwide Gabrielle Claiborne is Co-founder and CEO of Transformation Journeys Worldwide, an inclusion training and consulting firm with a transgender focus. She travels extensively, helping cutting-edge organizations position themselves to attract and retain the best talent, foster collaborative working environments, thus maximizing innovation and directly impacting the bottom line by creating fully trans-inclusive cultures. Some of her clients include Home Depot, Sun Life Financial, Royal Bank of Canada, Comcast, Mercedes Benz, UPS, Kaiser Permanente, Cox Media, WarnerMedia, New York City Pride, the Atlanta Hawks, Georgia Tech and the Centers for Disease Control, among others.

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Monica Helms Dr. David Holland Assistant Professor / Chief of Medical and Preventative Services Emory University School of Medicine, Fulton County R. Darlene Hudson Co-Founder Bayard Rustin/ Audre Lorde Breakfast Pat Hussain Co-Founder Southerners on New Ground (Song) Steven Igarashi-Ball Miss Terra Cotta Sugarbaker Drag Queen Story Hour Atlanta Justine Ingram Public Health Educator Fulton County Board of Health

Rev. Kim Jackson Georgia State Senator Georgia District 41

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Lisa Cunningham Influencer, Motivational Speaker Lisa is a native of Atlanta and has become an advocate and influencer in the LGBTQ community. In 2018 she was appointed by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to the CIty of Atlanta’s LGBTQ Advisory Board. This appointment affords Lisa the opportunity to speak to a wide net of audiences from corporate to non-profit. Diversity and inclusion are passion points for her and she uses her vast experiences growing up in the city of Atlanta combined with her fact based knowledge of the issues of the LGBTQ community to deliver talks that unify and inspire.

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Dana Johnson Chief Operating Officer, Executive Director Cobb Chamber, Select Cobb

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Bill Kaelin Founder of Bill Kaelin Marketing

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Matt Keith SVP, Business Strategy and Initiatives Executive Bank of America

Richard Eldredge Founder and Editor-in-Chief Eldredge ATL Richard L. Eldredge has been chronicling Atlanta since 1990. Since 2010, he has been a contributing editor at Atlanta magazine and has assisted with the award-winning 54-year-old city magazine’s daily digital expansion. Twenty-five years ago, he began his Atlanta writing career with bylines in Atlanta magazine. From 1993 to 2009, he contributed to the AJC’s popular Peach Buzz column, serving as head writer from 1996 to 2009 and producing over 4,000 editions of the column. Between column deadlines, he also wrote reported for the newspaper’s Living, Metro, Travel, Arts, Sports and Food sections as well as the front page. In 2001, he edited “Celestine Sibley, Reporter,” a collection of his beloved AJC colleague’s best reporting for Hill Street Press in Athens.

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Dionne Kettl Co-Founder and Deputy Director TRANScending Barriers Atlanta

Jorge Estevez Journalist and News Anchor WSB-TV

Stephe Koontz City Council, Mayor Pro-Tem City of Doraville Kyle Lamont Democratic National Committee LGBT Advisory Board Scott-Walker Larry ThriveSS Rabbi Josh Lesser Congregation Bet Haverim Ivette LópezFreeman Latino LINQ Dr. Annise Mabry The Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation Dr. David Malebranche Morehouse Helathcare Reese McCraine City of Atlanta

Jorge Estevez started on the air with WSBTV in early 2020, officially making him the first openly LGBTQ anchor and second Latinx anchor in the station’s 72-year history. The son of Cuban immigrants, with a Puerto Rican background he is from West New York, New Jersey, where he graduated from Rutgers University with a dual degree in journalism and communication.

With more than 20 years of experience as a journalist, He is excited to tell the stories that impact the people of North Georgia. While he has been a journalist since the late ’90s when he began his career in New York City, Estevez is eager to work alongside another set of seasoned professionals who make up one of the best stations in the country.

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Tracee McDaniel Juxtaposed Center for Transformation Miko Evans Founder & Producer/CEO Meak Productions, Inc. Founder & CEO of the World’s First LGBT EXCLUSIVE Talent Agency and Full-Service Production Company (Meak Productions, Inc)

Jaye Meggs Trans Gentlemen of Excellence, Inc James Mintz Augusta Pride Kenyatta Mitchell Paramount Consulting Group/ Georgia Equality Sandy Mollett Equal Footing LLC, True Diversity Rev. Dr. Joshua M. Noblitt Saint Mark United Methodist Church Sam Park State Representative

Jim Farmer Festival Director / Executive Director Out on Film Jim Farmer has served as the festival director of Out On Film since 2008. He has also served on several juries since 2010, including the head of the jury for the 2016 Atlanta Film Festival. Under his leadership Out On Film was named a Grand Marshal in the 2017 Atlanta Pride parade and received the Beacon Award for Community Engagement from the ArtsATL Luminary Awards. Farmer won the 2015 Guardian Angel Award from the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) Award and in 2019 took home the award for Businessman of the Year. An Atlanta-based arts writer, he is a member of five regional and national critics organizations.

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Matt Parkey AID Atlanta, UPS

+ BTQ

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Eric Paulk Georgia Equality Dr. Emile Pinera Kaiser Permanente

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Kurtis Purtee City of Savannah Nathan Regan Invest Atlanta Jamie Fergerson Executive Director Atlanta Pride Committee The executive director of Atlanta Pride, Jamie Green-Ferguson has been committed to the inclusiveness of Atlanta for years.

Green-Ferguson joined the organization first as a volunteer, then eventually joining its board of directors. Now overseeing its events throughout the year, including Atlanta Pride, the largest Pride festival in the Southeast.

Dr. David Reznik Grady Health System Kirk Rich Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta Ryan Roche Emory University Ryan Roemerman National Center for Civil and Human Rights, LGBTQ Institute Angelica Ross TransTech Social Enterprises Jonathan Russell Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory University

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Michael Shutt Southern Regional Director Lambda Legal Holiday Simmons Campaign for Southern Equity

Jeff Graham Executive Director Georgia Equality Jeff is the executive director of Georgia Equality, an organization that works to advance fairness, safety and opportunity for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities throughout Georgia. Jeff began advocating on LGBT and AIDS related issues as a college student in the mid-1980s and has continued his advocacy on these issues since that time. He has been involved in a wide variety or grassroots and legislative advocacy campaigns and has served as either an executive director or board member to a number of local and national organizations working on issues related to gay and transgender rights, access to healthcare, community empowerment and HIV/AIDS.

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Gee and Juan Smalls Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar and Gentlemen’s Ball

Zahara Green Co-Founder & Executive Director TRANScending Barriers Zahara Green is the Founder and Executive Director of TRANScending Barriers Atlanta, a trans-led, trans-issue focused non-profit organization whose mission is to empower the transgender and gender non-conforming community in Georgia through community organizing with leadership building, advocacy, and direct services so that lives can be changed and a community uplifted. Zahara is a board director and board treasurer of Black & Pink Inc, a prison abolitionist organization supporting LGBTQ and HIVpositive prisoners. Green is a formerly incarcerated trans women of color who spent five years incarcerated with most of her time in solitary confinement.

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Fred Smith Emory University School of Law, Atlanta Leadership Circle, Lambda Legal Matt Hennie Publisher Project Q Rickie Smith In the Life Atlanta Sybastian Smith Black Trans Advocacy Coalition Rebecca Stapel-Wax SOJOURN GSD

Dave Hayward Touching Up Our Roots Since 1970 Dave Hayward has advocated for LGBTQ rights. Co-founding Washington, D.C.’s Gay Liberation Front when he was a student at George Washington University, Hayward migrated to Atlanta to become one of the core collective that produced Atlanta’s 1972 Pride March. “The city too busy to hate” finally granted Pride a permit to march in the streets and not on the sidewalks, when they conceded we are indeed a minority.

Since 1972 Hayward has assisted every Atlanta Pride, and served as a Grand Marshal for the 2016 Atlanta Pride.

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Charles Stephens Counter Narrative Project Pamela Stewart Coca-Cola, GLAAD, COA LGBTQ Advisory Board

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Peter Stinner HIV tester, educator and activist Dr. Annise Mabry The Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation The mission of the Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation is to develop and implement creative community based strategies that provide the framework for economic opportunity and development.

The Foundation operates the Southwest GA Community Policing Resource Center and Tiers Free Academy. The SW GA Community Policing Resource Center provides support to rural police departments with implementing community policing initiatives. Tiers Free Academy operates an alternative diploma program for sex trafficking survivors, homeless LGBTQ youth, and high school dropouts.

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Feroza Syed Transgender Activist

Ryan Roche Emory University

Hillary Thomas AARP Georgia, Rustin Lorde Breakfast Cale Robert Hall Co-Founder and CEO Creative Approach Brian Tolleson Lexicon Strategies

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Alex Wan Former Atlanta City Council Member, District 6: Executive Director, Horizons Atlanta Craig Washington Southern Unity Movement/ Bayard Rustin/Audre Lorde Breakfast Jon Dean Wussy Mag Toni-Michelle Williams SNaPCo

Alex Wan Former Atlanta City Council Member, District 6: Executive Director, Horizons Atlanta

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Bishop-Elect Sonya E. Williams Real Inspiration Ministries (RIM)

Ryan Roemerman National Center for Civil and Human Rights, LGBTQ Institute Ryan Roemerman serves as Executive Director of the LGBTQ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, where he heads the work of connecting academics and advocates to advance LGBTQ equity through research and education focused on the American South.

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Matthew Wilson Georgia House of Representatives Cathy Woolard Atlanta City Council, Atlanta BeltLine Lil Nas X Tim Boyd Publisher and Managing Partner Georgia Voice Paul Conroy Founder & Artistic Director Out Front Theatre Company

Lil Nas X Singer Songwriter

Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), known as Lil Nas X (/n z/ NAHZ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his country rap single “Old Town Road”, which first achieved viral popularity on the microplatform app TikTok in early 2019 before climbing music charts internationally and becoming diamond certified by November of that same year.

Nas X came out as gay while “Old Town Road” was atop the Hot 100, becoming the only artist to do so while having a number-one record.

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Colder and Bolder!

Words by Jack Barry Photos by Tarek del Moreno

Addicted underwear celebrates Winter with eye-popping new prints. If ever there was a time to get bold with your underwear, it’s while under stay-at-home orders.

Addicted is the sister line from ES Collection, the popular men’s athletic wear company. Since 2009, the brand has been dedicated to the design, manufacturing and sale of men’s underwear, swimwear, and sportswear. Their latest collection of undies, available now at AddictedUSA.com, are playful and bright. They are sure to bring a little chic to the bleek long days of winter under quarantine.

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@BLAKES ON THE PARK Photos by Snow

FUN TIMES @MIDTOWN MOON Photos by Snow

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Free HIV testing at our Decatur Center: 523 Church St, Decatur, GA 30030 Make your appointment:

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Omar is originally from Mexico and has lived in Atlanta for 16 years. He works as a technician for a company that fixes and restores lottery machines.

His hobbies include playing tennis, going to the gym, and he is a great cumbia dancer! He loves spending time with his one-year-old German Shepard, Brutus, and once it is allowed, Omar looks forward to traveling all over the world again.

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Screen Queens A Celebration of Diversity in All Its Forms

By Chris Azzopardi

Paris Is Burning

queer slang; a new sit-down with Livingston, Sol Pendavis, Freddie Pendavis and filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris; and over an hour of neverbefore-seen footage. “Now more than ever, the call for realness, that reverberating standard of ball excellence, is required,” writes Black LGBTQ activist and filmmaker Michelle Parkerson in an essay in the 38-page liner notes of the Criterion release, which also includes a 1991 review by the late, Black gay poet and activist Essex Hemphill.

In 2020, the film’s urgency can be heard loud and clear: our greatest act of defiance, it reminds us, is living authentically, for the whole world to see.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire In Paris Is Burning, a strut is a defiant act, an exertion of suppressed power. In the mid-to-late 1980s, when the landmark documentary was filmed, these moves couldn’t be showcased just anywhere. Today the same is true, as the call to end violence against trans people and to confront transphobia persists.

Given the number of trans people killed since the doc was released (and the surge of trans murders currently making headlines), that call seems, still, to fall on deaf ears. And so white, queer, non-trans director Jennie Livingston’s 1990 film remains fiercely important, as much a time capsule as a reflection on how much progress has been made (and has yet to be made), its haunting relevance resonating yet again during our modern LGBTQ and Black Lives Matter movements. At the time of its release, Livingston’s doc illuminated issues of transphobia, racism, AIDS and poverty through intimate, everyday depictions of legendary voguers, drag queens and trans women, including Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey and Venus Xtravaganza, as they found both refuge from the oppressive outside world and a unifying sense of community within the drag-ball scene. Paris Is Burning introduced shade and voguing; it was the doc that opened the door for TV’s groundbreaking trans-centric show Pose and Netflix’s new doc on trans depiction in media, Disclosure, which acknowledges the classic doc’s historical significance while also critiquing it for being exploitative of a seriously marginalized community. The Criterion Collection’s digital restoration of the film features an episode of The Joan Rivers Show from 1991, with Livingston and ball community members, who teach Rivers

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Forbidden love flourishes in the quietest of corners, outside of view, beyond the patriarchal pressures of conformant. So it goes in writer-director Céline Sciamma’s achingly beautiful, queer-feminist love story Portrait of a Lady on Fire, where fire, often in a literal sense (there is lots of actual fire), burns fiercely and freely between two women, one an enamored painter, the other her reluctant subject. Sciamma sets her story in the late 18th century, during the dawn of the Romantic era. A young painter, Marianne, played by French actress Noémie Merlant, arrives on a remote island off the coast of France to paint Heloise, played by French actress Adèle Haenel. The portrait is to be her wedding portrait, but Heloise doesn’t want to marry the man she is about to wed, so she refuses to pose. As Marianne’s relationship with Heloise blossoms, it’s clear she will have a better chance

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at capturing Heloise than the previous portrait artist, who left without accomplishing the task of painting Heloise. But Marianne is different, patient. She draws Heloise from memory in secret until she establishes her trust; she speaks to her in a way no one likely ever has, her attraction expressed fervidly through sometimes nothing more than small, stolen moments when she fixes her enraptured eyes on Heloise. Aesthetically, the film is a ravishing work of art all its own, a kind of visual poetry that cinematographer Claire Mathon captures to breathtaking effect. In stunning 4K, Criterion emphasizes the sumptuous beauty rendered in each scene. Beyond the film itself, the Blu-ray includes a new conversation with Sciamma and film critic Dana Stevens, new interviews with Haenel and Merlant, and an interview with Mathon.

The Prince of Tides

Barbra Streisand has garnered far less attention for her work behind the camera than in front of it, even though she was instrumental in dismantling

All About My Mother

In the 1999 Spanish drama All About My Mother, the celebrated gay film visionary Pedro Almodóvar’s reverence for women movingly permeates every vibrant frame of his loving ode to sisterhood. Selfassembled family units are, of course, a dynamic that is an oft-necessary way of life for members of the LGBTQ community, which All About My Mother honors through the character of Agrado (played

by Spanish actress Antonia San Juan), an early figure of transgender representation, and the way in which Almodóvar matter-of-factly folds her into a blended family of characteristically diverse women. Those women include Sister Rosa (Penélope Cruz), an HIV-positive nun; Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), an iconic actress; and the film’s grief-stricken protagonist, Manuela (Cecilia Roth), whose determination to stay connected to her teenage son after his sudden death leads her to discover the magic of chosen family and the healing bonds those relationships engender. In a 1999 written tribute republished in Criterion’s digital restoration of the film, Almodóvar reflects on whimsical distortions of truth for the screen, and a perspective his mother shared with him as a child that became the impetus for All About My Mother, one that is hard to argue with: “how reality needs fiction in order to be complete, more pleasant, more livable.” Elsewhere, Criterion’s Blu-ray release includes a 52-minute documentary from 2012 on the making of the film, a TV program featuring Almodóvar and his mother, and a postscreening Q&A from 2019.

the status quo of male-dominated directors. And so her film The Prince of Tides rightfully deserves Criterion treatment, with all the bells and whistles presented here, including a stunning 4K transfer and lots of Babs. She is featured in several interviews, and provides a thoughtful audio commentary, recorded in 1991 and updated in 2019. There’s audition and rehearsal footage, behind-the-scenes footage and an alternate ending that features a song that Streisand wrote for the film called “Places That Belong to You,” cut from the movie so as not to distract from the film’s central character study.

Released in 1992, The Prince of Tides was Streisand’s second feature as a director, after her 1983 telling of Yentl. So emotionally invested in Pat Conroy’s novel of the same name years before its release, Streisand’s cinematic take on the story, which she also starred in and produced, scored seven Oscar nominations and traverses genre borders, from schmaltzy romance to family drama and, during the film’s most horrific reveal, a shocking thriller.

The film features the multi-hyphenate living legend as Dr. Susan Lowenstein, a psychiatrist who unearths one family’s buried trauma. She does so through regular meetings with Tom Wingo (Nick Nolte) after his sister, Savannah, attempts suicide. Of note: George Carlin as Eddie Detreville, Savannah’s trusted gay neighbor, and Streisand’s gay son Jason Gould, who plays her son in the film. Moving through, and past, trauma is the film’s crux, until it makes a full-on soap-opera leap and centers the soppy love-conquers-all romance between Streisand and Nolte, undermining the drama’s stronger, more complex themes. What’s admirable, though, is how, nearly three decades ago, Streisand shined a light on the potential danger of toxic masculinity and nurtured a project that encouraged men to embrace sensitivity and vulnerability.

Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the LGBTQ wire service.

His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

| 35

NOV 18 - 25

Due to the ongoing pandemic, please keep yourself updated on an event’s status as it may change last-minute. We believe in safety first, so this lineup features mainly virtual events or in-person events with limited capacity that enforce CDC guidelines.

2020 LGBTQ+ Business Summit & Community Honors Catch day 2 & day 3 of the summit of keynote speakers, premium learning sessions, peer-led workshops, a virtual expo, and much more! Sign up at outgeorgia.org/summit/.

November 18-19 Online at outgeorgia.org/summit

Addams Family Values at the Drive-In WUSSY returns to ring in the holidays with a special anti-Thanksgiving classic dark comedy, “Addams Family Values”! Safety First, so stay in your cars unless you need to use the Plaza restroom. Masks are required outside of vehicles.

Friday, November 20, 7:30 pm Plaza Atlanta Drive-In Miracle at the Fox Marquee Club Deck the halls safely at the Fox Marquee Club, presented by Lexus. Reclaim the holiday spirit with a one-of-a-kind popup bar experience with effective safety protocols, kitschy holiday décor, signature Christmas cocktails and food.

Tickets at foxtheatre.org/miracle.

November 20, 2020, through January 1, 2021 The Fox Marquee Club

Murder Mystery Dinner Show The engaging and unique murder mystery dinner theatre performances have been playing across the country since 2004. you’ll tackle a hilarious and challenging crime while you feast on a fantastic dinner—tickets at thedinnerdetective.com.

Saturday, November 21, 6 – 9 pm 6345 Powers Ferry Rd NW

O4W Artist Market The artist market is back for a November edition located behind Ammazza and Thumbs Up Diner on Edgewood Ave. Music by Chaka Khan Hacienda DJ’s, food and refreshments from Ammazza Pizza, and free cocktail tasting by Post Meridiam Spirits canned cocktails.

Sunday, November 22, 11 am – 6 pm Behind Ammazza & Thumbs Up Diner 36 | follow us @ peachatlmag

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MIDTOWN 1

Monroe Dr. NE

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12 W. Peachtree St. NW

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16

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17

4th St. NE

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13

Ponce De Leon Ave. NE

4

Ponce De Leon Ave. NE

BARS

Dining

2 Blake's 3 Bulldogs 4 Friends

227 10th St NE 893 Peachtree St NE 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

6 My Sister’s Room 7 Ten Atlanta

66 12th St NE 990 Piedmont Ave NE

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

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

clubs 13 Atlanta Eagle

306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

fitness

retail 8 BarkingLeather

9 10 11 12

306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

14 Urban Body Fitness 500 Amsterdam Ave NE

spa/bath 15 Flex Spa

76 4th St. NW

16 17 18 19

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

219 10th St NE 132 10th St NE 1049 Juniper St NE 900 Monroe Dr NE

billards/Darts drag dancers leather non-smoking area Patio

When the world throws you Let be your savedandgay.com

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ansley 21

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BARS 2043 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1086 Alco St NE 1931 Piedmont Cir NE

1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1824 Cheshire Bridge Rd

32 33 34 35 36

Midtown Moon Felix's The Hideaway Mixx Oscar's

1510 Piedmont Ave Suite A 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd 2069 Cheshire Bridge Rd 1739 Cheshire Bridge Rd

Fitness 2201 Faulkner Rd NE

Spa / bath 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

clubs

30 Gravitee Fitness

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28 Heretic 29 Tokyo Valentino

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26 Barking Leather 27 Southern Nights

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1600 Piedmont Ave NE 1425 Piedmont Ave NE

Retail 39 Boy Next Door 1447 Piedmont Ave NE 40 Brushstrokes/Pleasures 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

Fitness 41 Equilibrium Fitness

1529 Piedmont Ave, Suite L

NOT SHOWN

Mary's Sister Louisa’s Church Swinging Richards Lips Atlanta The T Woof's

1287 Glenwood Ave SE 466 Edgewood Ave SE 1400 Northside Dr NW 3011 Buford Hwy NE 465 Boulevard SE 494 Plasters Ave NE

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

BARS & CLUBS MIDTOWN ATLANTA EAGLE atlantaeagle.com 306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE BLAKE’S ON THE PARK blakesontheparkatlanta.com 227 10th St NE BULLDOGS 893 Peachtree St NE FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR friendsonponce-atl. com 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE MY SISTER’S ROOM mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE TEN ATLANTA tenatlanta.com 990 Piedmont Ave NE THE T modeltatlanta.com 465 Boulevard SE CHESHIRE HERETIC hereticatlanta.com 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road BJ ROOSTERS bjroosters.com 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE SEQUEL 1086 Alco St NE TRIPPS 1931 Piedmont Circle N

ANSLEY MIDTOWN MOON 1492 Piedmont Ave NE FELIX’S 1510 Piedmont Ave NE THE HIDEAWAY 1544 Piedmont Ave NE MIXX mixxatlanta.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE WOOFS woofsatlanta.com 494 Plasters Ave NE EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD MARY’S marysatlanta.com 1287 Glenwood Ave SE SISTER LOUISA’S CHURCH sisterlouisaschurch. com 466 Edgewood Ave SE SWINGING RICHARDS swingingrichards. com 1400 Northside Dr NW

DINING MIDTOWN 10TH & PIEDMONT 10thandpiedmont. com 991 Piedmont Ave NE EINSTEIN’S einsteinsatlanta. com 1077 Juniper St NE FROGS CANTINA frogsmidtown.com 931 Monroe Dr G’S gsmidtown.com 219 10th St NE

RETAIL MIDTOWN BARKING LEATHER AFTER DARK barkingleather.com 306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE CHESHIRE SOUTHERN NIGHTS VIDEO 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE ANSLEY BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR boynextdoormenswear.com 1447 Piedmont Ave NE

HENRY’S henrysatl.com 132 10th St NE

GCB & PLEASURES brushstrokesatlanta. com 1510 Piedmont Ave. NE

JOE’S ON JUNIPER joesonjuniper.com 1049 Juniper St NE

BARKING LEATHER barkingleather.com 1510 Piedmont Ave Suite A

LA HACIENDA lahaciendamidtown. com 900 Monroe Dr NE CHESHIRE LAS MARGARITAS lasmargaritasmidtown.com 1842 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE ROXX 1824 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE DEKALB LIPS ATLANTA atldragshow.com 3011 Buford Hwy NE

FITNESS MIDTOWN URBAN BODY FITNESS urbanbodyfitness.com 500 Amsterdam Ave N

CHESHIRE

GRAVITEE FITNESS graviteeatl.com 2201 Faulkner Rd NE

SPAS/BATHS ADULT FLEX SPA flexspas.com 76 4th St NW CHESHIRE THE DEN thedenatlanta.com 2135 Liddell Drive NE

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10

ways that you can impact your community

Being involved in your community takes less than you probably think. You can head a non-profit volunteer organization – but you don’t have to! There are so many other ways, through which you can impact and benefit your community.

1. Run or walk for a cause Be part of local 5K races that support organizations 2. Be a mentor Sharing your knowledge is priceless to others 3. Volunteer There are endless options for you to do volunteer work – just ask!

4. Donate Donations are always welcome and needed 5. Random acts of kindness Kindness spreads like rings in water

42 | follow us @ peachatlmag

6. Donate your surplus Cleaning out your closet, attic, or garage? Donate the items instead oof just throwing away 7. Leave a generous tip Working in the restaurant industry is hard and risky right now 8. Shop local Buy products, groceries, or services locally 9. Recycle A cleaner environment starts at home 10. VOTE! Make your voice heard, make your vote count

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Playmates and soul mates...

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Happy Fall Y’all!

The River’s Edge is open and invites you to come, relax and enjoy an escape to gay, country camping.

RV Sites, Cabins and Tent Sites Available!

706-213-8081 www.camptheriversedge.com

The Rivers Edge Campground, 2311 Pulliam Mill Road, Dewy Rose, GA 30634

What does the teapot light mean?

E-mail your Peach Pits to mikkel@PeachATL.com

I don’t understand

Apparently, it’s “rude” to ask parents of a kid on a leash if he was a rescue

ByAcutting the sleeves teapot off light came on in of my all car your t-shirts?

People who say they don’t have time for bullsh*t need to learn to manage their time better.

Like wake up an hour earlier!

How are you such a wizard with these things!

It’s not a teapot, it means it’s time for an oil change

I feel like a weight has been lifted but my scale tells me different story

My favorite gay bar right now is L.A. Fitness

Daddy Joke Alert At this point, the only way Trump will get to 270 is if he loses like 50-60 pounds

44 | follow us @ peachatlmag

I’d love to see you.

That is if any of us have any money, free time, or interest in leaving our homes.

Asking for a friend Can you get road rage just by walking behind someone?

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peachmediaprinting.com 6050 Dawson Blvd, Ste O, Norcross, GA 30093 Phone or Fax 404-814-3014 | Email quote@peachmediaprinting.com

| 45

ARIES (MAR. 21 - APR. 19) Things have been extremely hectic, and things aren’t slowing down for you, as you have a very dynamic week ahead of you. You may feel the need to put all your energy into a group project.

You will want to roll up your sleeves and get to work. You’re usually a meditative, pensive person, but now you’re looking for concrete results and actions. Who knows? This hard work might even help you relax a little.

TAURUS (APR. 20 - MAY 20) Have you ever thought of yourself as a CEO or any other kind of leader? This week is a great week to begin a project involving other people - with you in charge! The strong, assertive side of your personality will come out in your decision making and charisma. Go for it! After all, this is the first day of the rest of your life.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23 - NOV. 21)

GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUN. 20)

What happens when events are beyond your control and you’re powerless to do anything about them? Your sense of responsibility is probably the best catalyst, but you may have to admit that sometimes you can’t control everything, especially your family and friends.

This week you should think about letting things happen occasionally. Your life will be a lot less complicated.

The tension of the past couple of weeks does not seem to ease up, and there’s a lot of tension in the air this week. Perhaps you feel like no one is listening to you, and that people are draining your energy. You may act defensively and even occasionally become very angry. It’s possible that no one has seen in you in such a state before.

Don’t be afraid to express your anger. Repressed anger is like poison for your body and soul.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 - DEC. 21)

CANCER (JUN. 21 - JUL. 22)

Here, post-election and with no end to the pandemic in sight, you may have to put a stop to your activities for a little while. You may take a good, hard look at things and realize that the climate of trust you need in order to be productive and creative is missing at the moment. It’s a good time to get some order back into your relationships and remind others of their responsibilities to you.

Your qualities as a Cancer are needed right now, because you have an innate gift for healing and calming other people in crisis situations. If this isn’t what you do for a living, you should think about doing something with this natural talent.

The positions of the planets may be telling you to think about this in more concrete terms. If you’re interested in herbal therapy, for example, this could be the perfect time to learn more.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 19)

LEO (JUL. 23 - AUG. 22)

Recent events has you asking what you are after in life, Capricorn? Deep down, does the kind of work you do satisfy your most intimate desires?

The little problems you encounter in your professional life over the next week could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Take a look around to see if the work you do and the people in your life take your profoundly spiritual nature into account.

Your fluctuating moods over the past weeks have had their effect. You seem to be a specialist at relationships, and you’re very sensitive to the ups and downs in your own. But you may wonder if people love you less than they did before. This is rather an odd question, but another one may be hiding underneath. Do you really have to make such a big effort in order to be loved? Only you can answer that question.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18)

VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEP. 22)

You have been very active, and it’s possible that you’re trying to do too much. If look at the days you spend working, you may realize that too much of your energy goes to some very meager results. Consider taking some time off to take advantage of life. Why not plan a little getaway to reset and reconsider your life? Try and let things happen. You deserve time just for you!

You’re usually full of energy, but this week you may not feel so vivacious. There’s nothing to worry about. In fact, you may have the time to do some thinking about your personal life and what you expect to get out of your relationships. You might also want to think about how you intend to go about getting it! Perhaps some of your motivations have changed lately.

PISCES (FEB. 19 - MAR. 20)

LIBRA (SEP. 23 - OCT. 22)

It’s possible that you could be in conflict with people of the opposite sex today. You may feel as if they put obstacles in front of you and slow you down. But instead of getting into conflicts that could eventually escalate into full-blown confrontations, try and ask yourself what they think you’re doing wrong. Does your personality take into account both your masculine and feminine sides?

46 | follow us @ peachatlmag

You may have had a hard time lately reaching your objectives. Unfortunately for you, this week will be no different. You may begin to feel a bit dissatisfied with the way your life is going at the moment. You will ask yourself certain questions about your goals. Does your personal life live up to those goals? Can you express your wonderful creativity as much as you’d like?

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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 sister is a proud Republican, and in the last election, she was very clear that she wasn’t voting for Trump but was going to vote for Biden because of Trump’s record. After Biden’s apparent victory, I spoke to her on the phone, and she made some comment about her religious freedom, and I asked her about what she meant. She then admitted that she had actually voted for Trump because she supported his choice to appoint a new Supreme Court Judge because that would protect her religious freedom. I could hardly believe my own ears. I felt that she lied to me just to appease me and that her vote for Trump is directly against me. We go into an argument, which ended with her basically saying all the horrible talking points of the religious right, including her doubting gay marriage and trans people didn’t belong in the military. Oh, and she thinks the results are all a hoax and so on.

I let her know just how disappointed I was in her, and she got upset and told me I was just a damn sensitive liberal and that I was harassing her for supporting Trump. Right now, I don’t want to talk to her or see her. Is it okay for me not to have a relationship with a person because they are obviously hateful towards me? Even though that person is your sister?

Sincerely Religious Rant Dear Religious Rant Of course, you shouldn’t talk or interact with anyone who favors you being discriminated against.

You may actually feel significant relief after being angry and disappointed with your sister and giving her a good long timeout. But after cooling off, you may want to consider reaching out to her again – not because she is family, but because if you never speak to her again, you will never get a chance to influence her way of thinking. Yes, currently, she is actively supporting an administration and a President that is grasping at straws trying to stay in power, and with a record that shows they have been trying to make you a second-class citizen but continuing to share your perspective and experience might eventually soften her stance. And then there is that family thing. Yes, she is your sister, and cutting someone out of your life often tends to harbor a lot of anger and resentment that won’t go away without some resolve. A conflict like this also tends to spread like rings in water and could end up complicating the relationship with other family members like your parents or other siblings because they can’t take sides. So give it some time – perhaps a lot of time! – and see if you can push past your anger and see how you feel with or without your sister in your life.

When I ejaculate, I usually just dribble, but sometimes I shoot all over the place! How can I make that happen every time?

Sincerely Shoot Like a Porn Star Dear Shoot Like a Porn Star There aren’t any foolproof ways to make you shoot instead of a dribble. But there are a few things you can take into consideration. Kegel exercises are good because pelvic muscles are linked to the power of ejaculation, so do those along with healthy eating, exercise, and no smoking that are all related to sexual health and ultimately better and stronger ejaculations. But again, there are no surefire ways to ensure you shoot like a porn star. You should also consider adjusting or rounding out your expectations of sex so they are based more on reality and not on some unrealistic pornographic ideal.

NEED ANSWERS? SEND YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS TO MIKKEL@PEACHATL.COM