Peach Magazine v5-08 - Ready, Set, SPRING!

Ready, Set

Spring Leslie Jordan Online

A Viral Star Is Reborn

Legend Continued

ES Collection’s Steamy Spring

Mitzi P.’s Inspired Thots Spring Preparedness

C

ontents

media & printing

MAR 03, 2021 V5-08

PEACH MEDIA 6050 Dawson Blvd, Ste O Norcross, GA 30093 MANAGING PARTNER & OPERATIONS Brian Sawyer brian@peachatl.com

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SALES | EVENTS & BRAND AMBASSADOR Josh King Josh@peachatl.com EDITORIAL Mikkel Hyldebrandt Editorial Director mikkel@peachatl.com Brian Sawyer Graphics

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SALES | DISTRIBUTION Andrea Dwyer andrea@peachatl.com

From the Editor As Spring steadily moves closer, it is time to start your Spring prep!

I offer you my favorite things that will boost my Spring readiness game, and we list ten good things that will have you sprint into Spring. And this week’s cover and fashion by ES Collection is a gentle reminder that warmer days are indeed coming.

Chris Azzopardi spoke to the delightful internet sensation Leslie Jordan about what he has in store for the rest of this year, and Mitzi Pennington offers her advice on how to prepare for Spring – so be prepared for that! We also have a new installment of Ask the Lesbo and lots of other content in this issue. Enjoy!

CONTRIBUTORS Marci Alt Chris Azzopardi Mirza Muftic Tyler Wynn NATIONAL AD REP Rivendell Media 908.232.2021

COVER ES Collection from the Legend collection

Mikkel Hyldebrandt

Editorial Director | IG @hyldebrandt

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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.

Spring Prep

By Mikkel Hyldebrandt

The signs of Spring are starting to pop up here and there, and it’s time to ready yourself for a new season. For me, I’m hopeful that the combination of warmer weather and the vaccine rollout will make a few more inperson (but masked and still socially distanced) outings possible. And for those, I think I’m going to need these things!

Lemony Fresh

Mikkel Hyldebrandt is the editor of Peach ATL. Follow him on Instagram @hyldebrandt

This limited-edition collection smells so wonderful and is an easy way to give you a refreshing self-care moment.

The Body Shop Lemon Purifying Hair & Body Wash, $15

MY FAVORITE THINGS

All Painted Up Ride Your Disco Stick Although I’m not a huge proponent for eye creams, I do love this refreshing stick treatment for those days where you just need a little help.

Seriously, painting a few nails – especially if it’s this gorgeously matte, deep black shade – makes me feel dressed up, although I might still be wearing joggers..

Chanel Boy de Chanel Black, $28

Disco Undereye Treatment, $32

Take a Hike My mental health walks have been a necessary part of my (almost) every day for over a year now – and I want to discover even more hiking trails in Georgia this Spring.

Columbia Men’s Facet™ 45 OutDry™ Shoe, $150

Skin Smoother The layers are coming off, so start getting yourself ready to reveal more skin. I recently discovered this exfoliating towel that smoothes even tough to reach spots.

Sutera Japanese Exfoliating Towel, $40

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Spring Spritz New season, new fragrance. It is such an amazing way to set the mood for the warmer and brighter days ahead! And this one even smells like Spring and Summer too.

Tom Ford Bitter Peach, $350

www.peachatl.com

Spring Preparedness The sound of birds chirping outside my window means two things: some birds are about to die, and of course, Spring is in the air. That wonderfully transformative time of year that lets us know ‘now is the time to start that diet and exercise regime I’ve been meaning to do all year’. I like to spend my Spring months in my Bel Air home, relaxing by the pool and occasionally reading letters asking for advice on all sorts of topics. One topic that’s been springing up recently is how to get ready for Spring season while a pandemic is still ongoing. I took a stroll through my neighborhood to ask my varied friends for advice.

Follow Mitzi @itsmitzip My next-door neighbor and award-winning news anchor, Leslie Englishmahn, says the biggest issue with Spring is the weather.

Most places tend to see a rise in thunderstorms that time of year, so it’s good to be prepared for them. Leslie suggests if the bad weather starts making you feel gloomy, get a festive raincoat and speaker, and dance in your front yard to “It’s Raining Men”. “There’s nothing greater than living out a song while listening to it! One time I listened to Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body” while touching my body. It was wild,” Leslie overshares.

Some people tell me that while weather is an issue, their biggest problem with Spring is allergies.

To help work out a solution to this problem, I asked my down-the-street neighbor and life coach in-training, Beff Jezos, what he suggests people do. Beff, who has collected enough wisdom in his twenty-three years of life to write a self-help book, says a good tonic will cure anything. By ‘tonic’ he is, of course, referring to a cocktail and not traditional medicine. Beff bartended until he discovered he is destined to tell people how to live their lives, and while bartending he invented his famous Zyrtonic.

It’s a wild drink that will help you fight off allergy season while getting you hammered as well. To make the drink, simply mix 1-part gin to 2-parts tonic water and one Zyrtec pill. Combining antihistamines with alcohol gives you a bigger buzz, and you get that fresh Big Pharma taste!

Aside from bad weather and allergies, the biggest problem by far would have to be love. Spring is notoriously known as having ‘love in the air’. And with a pandemic, it becomes tricky for people to find love. Luckily, my across-the-street neighbor and owner of a failed business space, Melanie Montuck, has decided to turn that failed space into a socially responsible dating bar! Called Ronapocalypse, this trendy hot spot features a full liquor bar, a bouncer wearing a full body of armor (helmet included), and so many Plexiglas dividers you’d think you’re in a carnival fun house. The dividers serve to protect people inside while also giving them a fun challenge of navigating that bar without running into Plexiglas. For the more adventurous dater, the dividers come with a concealed slot located just below the belt, and the Plexiglas can tint for privacy.

If you find yourself not sure if you’re prepared enough for Spring, fear not! I hope my Bel Air neighbors helped you solve some of the bigger issues we have to look forward to this Spring, and if they haven’t, at least you learned a fun cocktail recipe you should never try.

Yours in preparing for Spring,

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.

A Viral Star Is Reborn

By Chris Azzopardi Photos courtesy of Leslie Jordan and Fox

“Where should I be looking? There? Or there?” to a Katy Perry song that is “so lit,” while another finds him curious about Lizzo’s definition of “her His face smothering the camera as he wonders juice.” Internet virality might be new for Jordan, where his eyes should be, Leslie Jordan is settling but, at least in the LGBTQ+ community, he’s into our video interview like it could be a comic always been a star. routine about somebody trying to use Zoom for the first time. Puckered together in a kind Jordan’s three-decade career has, most of duck-face pout are his elastic lips. A delicate iconically, seen the 65-year-old actor in the smile curls into formation.

Emmy-winning role of Beverley Leslie, a rival Then Jordan scoots so low that only his forehead of Megan Mullally’s Karen Walker, in “Will & is visible. More duck face. A big eyes-squished Grace.” But his career in TV and film goes back grin. A peculiar sound that may or may not be a to the ’80s, in guest appearances in a variety fart. And finally, a tickled laugh when I tell him I of major shows: “Murphy Brown,” “Star Trek: recognize that he’s in the same room that made Voyager,” “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” “Reba” and him a viral sensation.

“Caroline in the City.” More recently, Jordan starred in several seasons of Ryan Murphy’s “It’s the only room I’ve got!” he chuckles, noting “American Horror Story,” and this year he stars that he’s on video from his bedroom in West alongside Mayim Bialik and fellow out actor Hollywood. “I’ve got everything set up. And Cheyenne Jackson in the Fox sitcom “Call Me there’s my bed!”

Kat.” Sure enough, that is his bed. Throughout the pandemic as he’s documented his quarantine experiences, that same bed has been seen all over his Instagram feed. There, as a COVID respite, Jordan has delivered lighthearted frivolity and cheeky humor to those he calls his “fellow hunker-downers,” in, of course, his signature Southern drawl. In one clip, he listens 12 | follow us @ peachatlmag

When a friend told him, he had gone viral while Jordan was quarantining with his mom in Tennessee in mid-March of last year, Jordan told that friend that, no, he was fine. He didn’t have coronavirus. But the kind of “viral” his friend was referring to was related to Instagram, where he has gone from just thousands of followers to, currently, around 5.6 million. He’s been called www.peachatl.com

the “Quarantine Comedian” and “Social Media Mister Rogers.” To all his new fans and even those who know him from “Will & Grace” and in other bit parts, though, he’s most thrilled to be known now as simply Leslie Jordan.

Bart Stevens. He’s a great, big, beautiful muscle boy. He’s huge. We’re just friends. We’ve always just been friends. But he’s huge. Besides lifting weights and running and everything, he loves to clean. And also iron! He irons everything in the house. It’s so funny to see him — he’ll put that ironing board up and iron my sheets.

What is he wearing during all this? I mean, if anything.

He just wears his gym clothes. I make him put on a little French maid costume — no, ha!

I had a conversation with my housemate recently about being aging gays and how I look Congratulations, first of all, on surviving and to you as inspiration because you are 65 and in thriving in a pandemic. your prime, I would say. And so people telling me that, for gay people who get older, there’s Give me a good pandemic — I just flourish! Ha! nothing left for us after a certain age, you have I don’t know why that is or how that happened, completely turned that upside down. but I think people were looking for just some laughter. I started that Instagram — I was in Oh, that’s so kind to say. Because I remember my Tennessee with my mom, and I didn’t have a lot 50s were tough. As you get older, you walk down to do. So, I just started being funny. I had three the street and people don’t even look at you. It’s rules that I realized I had and didn’t know I had: weird the way we treat people that are older, and nothing about religion, nothing about politics, especially in West Hollywood, where everybody and no products. I’m kind of wanting to rethink wants to be young and beautiful. that “no products” part. Ha! I think we’re past that as a gay community. I You could really be making some bank right hope. You know, I think that also had a lot to do now. with the bar scene, which has been curtailed. But even before that, back in my day — I got here Ha! I’d be set for life! (to California) in ’82 — all you had were the bars; you’d go to the bars. That’s just where you went to I mean, all the free swag! see other gay people and meet other gay people.

Now I think, “My gosh, we have everything. We Well, I get that. That comes in the mail. It’s weird. have choirs. And we have gay camping. We have It scares me. ’Cause they have my home address. gay this, we have gay that.” There’s a lot of ways, I don’t know how. But things come every day. plus the internet, where you can meet people.

What’s the coolest thing you got recently?

I got these shoes that you tap. You tap and roller skates come out. I don’t know where I’ll wear them.

I see you’re back in your place after the meltdown you had the other day in your car, which you sat in until the cleaning lady was done. I’m glad to see you’re back in a comfortable place. Are you OK?

My generation, we went through so much.

I remember I walked up to these young kids holding hands in Kitchen 24 (in West Hollywood) and I just said, “You have no idea what we went through so you guys could...” — and then all of a sudden it hit me: Oh my god, I don’t want to be that, like your granddad who would say, “You kids have no idea what we went through!” I thought, “Oh my god! It’s the same thing!” They were like, “Yeah, uh-huh, go on, Pop-Pop.”

Does it feel like right now is kind of a new I am! I don’t know if I said cleaning lady; it’s not beginning for you? Or just the beginning in a lot even a cleaning lady. I have a friend that started of ways? working for me a long, long time ago named As you said, I’m 65. I have achieved everything I came to Hollywood to achieve. I’ve done Broadway, I’ve done film, I’ve done a lot of television. And I have this series now on the air (“Call Me Kat”) and it looks like it’s pulling some numbers. It may stay around for a little while, which is a wonderful thing to know as an actor.

I have a job!

People think that you’re rich, you’ve said.

And I’m not. Listen, she works hard for the money!

I think what it feels like is that I have achieved everything. And also, I’m more comfortable with myself. I’m perfectly comfortable. I got sober

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22 years ago. I had a little drinking problem, and I might’ve done a tiny bit of crystal meth. I got clean and sober and realized that I was just riddled with internal homophobia.

(I was) 42 years old and here I was the life of the party, this and that, but all of a sudden I’m faced with that. And my journey into my sobriety, which has been the last 22 years, has also been a real good journey into my queerdom. It was a lot of therapy. You go to your meetings, and then I had to go to a recovery program because I had too many meetings. I was going to so many meetings, I thought, “I’m addicted to meetings!”

Ha! No, I’m teasing.

I don’t know that you’ll really learn anything because I want to make sure that it wasn’t — you know, in “My Trip Down the Pink Carpet,” I covered everything. (For this), what I decided to do was to take all my best dinner party stories.

So I’ve got 12 stories that are just fun, just things that have happened to me, lessons that I have learned. A little bit but not much about me, just life in general.

My favorite of all of them is when I got to throw the first pitch out for the Washington Nationals, having never thrown a baseball in my life. And it’s the craziest story, and it involved Pulse nightclub.

Because it was part of my one-man show, I got to tell it to Mrs. Obama. She was in the audience.

I sit here (now) so comfortable with myself, with Michelle Obama came to see me! I got to tell that who I am and what I am. And that’s a wonderful story. It’s in the book. It ends the book. place to be. So everything from here on out is just gravy. It really is just living life one day at a Will any tea be spilled? time and having a really good time.

Well, I don’t think so. Certainly not about And you can say that now because you have anybody else. I made sure. I don’t like that, when finally met Dolly Parton. people talk ugly about other people. That’s my New Year’s resolution: to be really, really sweet That’s it. Now all I ask myself is, “What would and nice and not ever talk ugly. I’m gonna try Dolly do?” She’s a sterling human being. Oh my to stop cussing. I don’t know how I’m gonna do gosh. that. Ha! I cuss — not a lot, but I just don’t want to cuss at all.

What was the first thing that you said to Dolly when you met her last year?

What’s gonna be the hardest cuss word for you to give up?

I was in Nashville recording. I have a gospel album coming out that I’m not gonna talk a Probably the “f” word. I say that a lot. Ha! Also, whole lot about because everybody’s not set. shit. I use that so much: “Well shiiiit, how y’all But anyway, we were recording and she was at a doin’?” That’s not really a bad word. I guess it is. studio near us and she said, “Drop by.” I just felt I’ll say, “Well, shoot!” like I’d known her forever.

Or: “Well, crap!”

What can you say about the song that you have in the works?

I read the other day … you’re not going to believe this: You know where “crap” came from? The It’s an old, old, old hymn. It’s one that she said to toilet was invented by Mr. Crapper. It’s a true me, “I sang that in church growing up, I sang that story! Thomas Crapper. And that’s how it started. hymn over and over and over again.” When I hear The crapper to sit, to take a crap. It was his name! her singing this song with me, I’ll wet my pants. He invented the first flushing toilet or somethin’.

How did the gospel album come about?

My friend Travis Howard and his producing partner in Nashville, Danny Myrick, we would record Sunday hymns and just put them on the internet, just the two of us, and it was so popular on Instagram and people said, “You should do an album.” I thought, “Well, I’m not a singer, really.

I’ve got the kind of voice that’s good for a hymn, but I’m not a singer.” The response was just unbelievable (from) people who said, “I’ll be on that album with you.”

What’s your earliest memory of singing?

Church, of course. We’d sing, “Who’s come to Sunday school? Leslie, Leslie! Who’s come to With “Call Me Kat,” there’s an episode where Sunday school? Le-e-e-slie!” the cake shop is misperceived as homophobic.

Because of that, you gay it up, of course, with You also have a book called “How Y’all Doing?” flags and rainbow balloons, and there’s even a coming out in April. What are we going to learn cat named Neil “Catrick” Harris. That seems like about you from the book that we don’t already a pretty gay day on set. know?

Ha! The show is so gay friendly. It’s a job in which

I really look forward to coming to work. I love the people, I love the writing. Darlene Hunt, our writer, is just hilarious. She’s from Louisville, Kentucky, so I’m kind of the real Southern voice.

I’m the one who really puts out, “Hey, hey, hey, we’re in Louisville.”

And so she loves writing for me. She loves to write me monologues, and they came to me the other day and she said, “Are you having trouble memorizing these?” I said, “Yes! I’m having big trouble!” “Would you like cue cards?” I said, “Well, no, it hadn’t reached that yet.”

Do you have any tricks for memorizing your lines?

director that told me, “You’re such a character actor already, and if you could lose your Southern accent… .” And I tried, and I couldn’t. The day that I decided, “Well, this is just a marketable package here” was the day that I started working. But I worried more, I think, because of my internal homophobia about my gay accent. I would listen to myself and think, “Oh, girl, you’ve gotta calm down a little bit.”

I don’t think that I ever lost a job (because of it). I was on “Star Trek” and they hired a linguist to teach me how to say the words and she got so exasperated she said, “Mr. Jordan, ‘feather’ doesn’t have four syllables!” I don’t think I’ll ever be like Robert De Niro or Meryl Streep. I’ll never just disappear into a role. I just do what I do and various forms of it and it’s worked thus far, and kept me afloat.

Someone told me a long time ago that if you do it right before you fall asleep — if you read those lines right when you’re just about to fall asleep — you’ll remember them. And I said, “Bull hockey!

That ain’t workin’ at all!”

I think next for you is a pony farm.

For this new generation of fans you have who’ve That’s it. I’m not looking yet. I want a four-stall discovered you on Instagram, what is something barn. Probably somewhere near Nashville. That about your career you would like them to know? to me would just be heaven. I’m riding already.

I go out to the L.A. Equestrian Center. I’m doing My first job ever was (the ’80s TV series) “The pretty good! I fell off the other day. Everybody Fall Guy” with Lee Majors and I played a killer. I freaked out. It was not the horse’s fault. The did six episodes. “Murphy Brown” came around watering truck went by and Jeb was just as steady about that time. What interests me (about) my as could be — just freaked — and he ducked Instagram, which has just jumped to about 5.6 sideways. I landed on my feet but everybody million, is how many people discovered me there said, “You be careful!” that didn’t know me. I think: “I’ve been around forever! Foreveeeer I’ve been doing this!”

We gotta protect you at all costs.

But I like the fact that I mistakenly thought Wrap me in bubble wrap! that people would know me from my roles. So they would think, “Oh, Beverley Leslie on ‘Will & Grace’ and, you know, (my line) ‘Well, well, well. Karen Walker.’” But my new fans know me as me. I think that’s kind of nice that people are responding to me, not some character that I play.

Some actors end up regretting a role they played that became the only thing they were known for.

Like Tanya Roberts who just died. I thought, “My god, bless her heart. To go to your grave with Sheena: Queen of the (Jungle).” Ha! And she did other things, but you’re exactly right: You’re remembered for whatever that was. I can’t think of anything I’m ashamed of, or something I wish I hadn’t done.

What do you want to be remembered for?

I want to be remembered like a Dolly Parton — that nobody had a bad word (about). “He was a nice guy.” And the fact that I’m fairly talented in this and that, that’s OK. But I just want people to know he was good. He was a nice guy. He was a good guy. I think that’s most important. And that I was raised right. I want to say to these kids now: “Who raised you? Who raised you!”

As editor of Q Syndicate, the LGBTQ wire service, Chris Azzopardi has interviewed a multitude of Was your Southern accent and what you’ve superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah called your “gay voice” always embraced like it Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared is now? in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

I got to Hollywood and there was a casting

The Legend Continues

ES Collection Celebrates 15 Years with Steamy Spring Collection

By Tyler Wynn

ES Collection celebrates its 15-year anniversary with the unveiling of its Legend collection.

The range varies from shiny party wear to exquisite perfect-fitting casual and underwear featuring sophisticated designs and sexy patterns. Additionally, the line premieres ES Collection’s new ECOwave fabric with threads recycled from plastic residues found in the Mediterranean.

Production is done in one factory, eliminating unnecessary emissions from travel and digital prints are made by solar energy, incorporating a ´dry´ print that allows for a 100% reduction of water use.

Photographer Alain Bearinz and models Gael Jacob, King Vincene, Jess Vill and Aqua God shot the campaign for Legend in the exotic Saint-Cyprien-Plage region of France.

The entire collection is available now at ESCollectionUSA.com.

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By Marci Alt

Because we all need a wise, Lesbian BFF!

also look at yourself here: are you truly in love with her, and is this the person you want to be with? I believe, if this is the woman for life, you would go anywhere with her. Maybe it’s time to search inside for your answers. I truly hope you both figure out what is best as the child is the most important.

Sometimes you just need the advice of a seasoned queer woman in your life! Fabulous readers, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for your support and your questions. During the past few months of answering your questions, I’ve really enjoyed becoming the Ann Landers to our readers. Keep the questions coming! As always, I may not have the right answers to your questions; however, I do have answers. I also want to thank Peach for allowing me the forum to do so!

Dear Lesbo My partner hates taking our dog out to use the bathroom! He would rather put puppy pads down than take our Basenji out to use the bathroom. I hate the puppy pad thing, and I don’t want to have a smell of a dog pound in our home. I am getting to the point of kicking them both out of my home.

Dear Lesbo I desperately need some help. My girlfriend of Please help. two years just was informed that her company Dysfunctional Dog Dad is transferring her to the company’s Corporate Headquarters in Denver, Colorado. We have been Dear Dysfunctional living together for about six months, and my four- YUCK YUCK! YUCK! Puppy Pads are for puppies, year-old daughter is very attached to her. I have not adult dogs. You should let the Deadbeat Doggie lived in Atlanta for over 20 years, and all my Dad know that dogs need to be walked and have family and friends are here. As much as I love my fresh air. I would say goodbye to the Deadbeat and girlfriend, I really don’t see myself moving away keep the dog for yourself (just saying)! from my family and friends. How do I tell her?

Desperately Displaced Dear Displaced I can truly empathize with your situation. I truly wouldn’t want to relocate away from my friends and family either; however, there may be some considerations to think about. Have y’all discussed with her employer the possibility of flex work where she could work from home and use Zoom or Teams to be with her team? She can also request that she stay in Atlanta, and they have her go to Colorado once a month. If your partner is a key employee, most companies will allow this. Displaced, you may

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Marci Alt is a household name within the Atlanta LGBTQ+ community – she created the The Gay Community Yellow Pages and runs the popular Gayborhood online platform.

Being part of the community does not give her the experience alone to answer the questions on this page, but many years owning and running several successful businesses and being the parent of two amazing children certainly quantifies her knowledge, that she so generously shares with you in this column.

Do you have a question to Ask the Lesbo? Please email your questions to marci@peachatl.com.

www.peachatl.com

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| 21

VALENTINE'S THROWBACK @ BLAKE'S Photos by Snow

NEW FACES @ FRIENDS ON PONCE Photos by Snow

CARSON COWAN REALTOR® c. 404.998.9944 / o. 404.874.0300 / carson@carsoncowan.com / CarsonCowanRealEstate

Atlanta Fine Homes, LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated.

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CO SO M O ING N !

LET’S CHAT with Marci

and Ginger A podcast and chat show

by Atlantalegendaries Marci Alt and Ginger Nichols

FEELING THE LOVE @ WOOFS ATLANTA Photos by Snow

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Bennett is the founding Chief Sound Editor and host of the popular podcast, The Gayly Dose. Known as the sound guy, Bennett is as tuned into The Gayly Dose listeners as he is in his everyday life. A self-proclaimed Renaissance Man, he’s gay and keeps up with his multitude of likes including radio broadcasting, musical theatre, studying diversity and inclusion practices, event management, cooking, and interior design. In The Gayly Dose studio, he’s the technical ‘go-to’ for the show and when out with his friends, he’s also that ‘go-to’ for welcoming all, making the connections, and keeping it real.

Zack Bennett Schnyder

IG @GaylyBennett IG @theGaylyDosePod

Meet Our Newest Peach As the newest addition to the Peach Sales Team, you’ll be seeing a lot more of Josh!

We’re here to showcase your business and services, so give Josh a call!

PRINT ADVERTISING • DIGITAL PROMOTION EVENT MARKETING • PRINT SOLUTIONS Josh King josh@peachatl.com (404) 814-3014 – ext. 702

PEACH MEDIA & PRINTING

March 3 - 10

We believe in safety first, so this lineup features mainly virtual events or in-person events with limited capacity that enforce CDC guidelines.

Please keep yourself updated on an event’s status as it may change last-minute.

Sound Table Pop Up at the High Join the March installment of HIGH Frequency Friday, a night of art and music curated by the Sound Table’s Karl Injex. Dance your way through the Museum as you visit exhibitions, including Pioneers, Influencers, and Rising Voices: Women in the Collection. Tickets at high.org.

Friday, March 5, 6 - 9 pm High Museum of Art The Pink Unicorn The award-winning solo theatre piece tells the story of a Christian widow living in a conservative Texas town, whose life is thrown into turmoil when her teenage daughter announces she is “genderqueer.” The digital performance is available for 72 hours after online purchase via Eventbrite.

March 5 - 7 Digital performance Women’s History Community Run Join the Atlanta Front Runners as they partner with Queer Women’s Network (@qwnatl) to celebrate Women’s History Month! All levels of walking, jogging, and running welcome.

Social distancing is still in effect; masks required at the beginning of the run.

Saturday, March 6, 9 – 10 am John Howell Park Virtual Hunger Walk Run 2021 While we won’t be together in person, we can be together in spirit to end hunger in greater Atlanta and north Georgia. Join the virtual event by registering at hungerwalkrun.org - every registration helps provide 100 meals to the 1 in 7 Georgians struggling with hunger.

Sunday, March 6, 12 pm Virtual event (hungerwalkrun.org)

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MIDTOWN 1

Monroe Dr. NE

14

Amsterdam Ave.

12th St. NE

NE ve . tA

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14th St. NE

7

9

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10th St. NE

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e. NE Piedmont Av

Juniper St . NE

Peachtree St. NE

3

Monr

Charle s Alle n Dr . N E

12 W. Peachtree St. NW

15

16

P o n ce D e Leo n Pl . N E

Spring St. NW

17

4th St. NE

8

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 Barking Leather

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

Cheshire

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

e. nt mo ed Pi

Piedmont Park

Retail

28 Heretic 29 Tokyo Valentino

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36

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Dining

26 Barking Leather 27 Southern Nights

41

38

BARS

24 Las Margaritas 25 Roxx

Av

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20 BJ Roosters 21 Sequel 22 Tripps

42 The Den

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33

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Manchester St. NE

Piedmont Rd. NE

22

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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

things to get you ready for a new season 1.

Resolutions check Did you do as you promised yourself you would do?

2.

Spring Clean!

It’s time to go deep (clean)

3.

Add SPF to your skincare The sun is out, so protect your skin

4.

Closet clean-out Is it time to replace your favorite WFH joggers?

5.

Get Outside Outdoors is perfect for safe, socially distanced meetups

6.

Car details Your car needs a Spring tune-up

7.

Plan a trip Just a little getaway that won’t compromise your health

8.

Foot care Get your feet ready because open footwear

9.

Make a change New hair, new habit, new job?

10. Switch up your workout Time for a change for better results

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Playmates and soul mates...

Atlanta:

678-528-2525

18+ MegaMates.com

We’re closer to Atlanta than you think!

Get the details on our website calendar.

Membership Required * Must be 21 to Enter

The River’s Edge is open and invites you to come enjoy a day or a stay camping in the country.

RV Sites Heated Cabins Tent Sites

706-213-8081 www.camptheriversedge.com

24-Hour Day Passes Available!

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

Nice of you to show up!

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

What do you mean?

Asking for a friend What’s everyone wearing to the one-year anniversary of the 14day lockdown to flatten the curve?

ByYou’re cutting offagain the sleeves late of all your t-shirts?

I am? So? This is your place of work!

Don’t forget to drink water and get some sunlight because you are basically a houseplant with more complicated emotions

Why are so obsessed with me?

My Netflix queue looks like I’m learning how to be a murderer

You better start respecting trans folx or your pronouns are going to be was/were My main problem with dating apps? I’m pitching a product I really don’t believe in

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Daddy Joke Alert

No Valentine this year? Go for a drive, your seatbelt will hold you

I could simmer down, but I like myself better all feisty and sh*t

www.peachatl.com

LEO (JUL. 23 - AUG. 22) You’ll try to make a good impression with a new acquaintance today, but your ego takes up a lot of space right now, so you may have him running in the other direction. Toning it down a bit could have you figuring out how to lure him back, and why it is you have so few friends.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEP. 22) The dating game can be played anywhere, even at work. And even while working from home. Fix your eyes on coworkers who may be looking at you – even if it is through a virtual meeting. Hopefully those colleagues will be guys who play for the same team. Otherwise, you may have some ‘splainin’ to do.

PISCES (FEB. 19 - MAR. 20)

LIBRA (SEP. 23 - OCT. 22)

You may have to rely on favors from friends in high places today. Being beholden to others is not a comfortable place for you, because there’s no telling what they’ll expect in return. So, keep your integrity intact, and don’t do anything that involves in-person events, lending money, or group texts.

Repeatedly striking out with men recently may have you feeling depressed. Cheer up mate, because it’s the dawning of a whole new day.

If you act like a desperate jerk, you’re only going to attract desperate jerks, so accentuate the positive and see what happens. Apply what worked for you in a recent work-related success, and they’ll be lining up once again.

ARIES (MAR. 21 - APR. 19)

SCORPIO (OCT. 23 - NOV. 21)

You’ll need to come up with unique ways to approach a hectic workday. Drinking plenty of coffee is one solution, as is exercising before heading to work. But your best tactic could be keeping a low profile, not having your video on in the Zoom meeting, and making sure you don’t take on too much responsibility for now.

Leave that for your coworkers to deal with.

The boss will be in a good mood today, an opportune time to sell him some of your ideas.

You’ll be amazed at how easy that will be, and he’ll give you the green light on all of them. But hopefully it wasn’t the Prozac speaking, and he remembers it tomorrow.

TAURUS (APR. 20 - MAY 20)

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 - DEC. 21)

You will be turtle-like today, slow moving and meticulous. Too bad the work from home day will start in overdrive and only get faster from there. You’ll have to ramp up as quickly as possible. You know what happens when the turtle tries to move into the fast lane.

Recent overspending online may have left your finances in a weakened and pitiful state. Tighten that belt strap today and get frugal. You may have to return some favors if you want people to help you out, and hopefully some of them won’t involve taking off your pants.

GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUN. 20)

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 19)

Curb your enthusiasm if a friend approaches you with an interesting business proposition today.

Look at his plans from all angles but remember that business can be like dating. You may find someone who looks attractive, but you’ll only wind up getting screwed, and not in a way you’d like.

The high energy with which you’ll greet the day will be countered by slow moving coworkers. You won’t have the patience for their sluggishness, and you’ll tell them so. It’s a new day and 2021 is looking up! This won’t make them work any faster and will cast you as the workplace pariah for the remainder of the day, if not the week.

CANCER (JUN. 21 - JUL. 22)

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18)

Difficulties will arise at work today, but you’ll handle them with the poise of a miracle worker.

It’ll be like you have a magic wand and those problems will instantly disappear. Now where was that wand when you needed it last week? Your effort will be noticed though, and a promotion may be in sight.

Despite your best laid plans, today will be one disaster after another. You won’t be able to figure out why that is, but don’t try to fight it. Go with the flow and you’ll get through this difficult day, but expect frustration and a headache that will feel like your brain is caught in a vice.

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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.

Before the pandemic started, I have had sex regularly with a friend and co-worker who is also married. Our relationship has always been very focused on the friends part, but we enjoy having sex with each other a lot. I feel bad knowing that he is married, but on the other hand, I sincerely appreciate the fact that he has helped me steer clear of hooking up with guys during a pandemic.

And here’s an additional twist: he recently invited me to their cabin in the mountains… with his husband! In fact, he told me that they wanted to ask me to the cabin so that we could have lots of sex together – and that it was his husband’s idea!

I’m tempted to go because the idea is such a wild turn-on, but won’t his husband know that I sleep with his husband just by seeing how comfortable we are with each other sexually? I want to go for the sex and not for the drama. What do I do?

Sincerely Trio Trouble

Dear Trio Trouble So you have had sex with this guy regularly for years, basically, and now his husband wants you to join them in a cabin for a wild sex weekend?

What part of all this does not shout out to you that the husband already knows about his partner’s relationship with you? It is pretty apparent that they talk openly and freely about sex and whom they want to sleep with, so why wouldn’t that apply to the sex you are having with one of them?

So for starters, ask your lover if his husband knows about you, and if he does, that’s just wonderful, and you can go and enjoy a sexy weekend in the mountains. If he doesn’t know about the extent of your relationship, you should sit down and talk through a few ground rules that, at best, would include disclosing the nature of your relationship.

That may include some drama, but at least it won’t be in a cabin in the mountains. Best of luck!

I am in the fortunate situation that I can work from home during this pandemic, and I am grateful, but there’s one catch: I jerk off a lot during the day.

That probably sounds great to many guys, but the problem is that when my boyfriend comes over (we don’t live together), I am not in the mood for sex because I already got off multiple times during the day. I have tried limiting it, but it is so easy to watch porn online and get off. I have also tried just edging, but at some point, I ejaculate by accident, and after edging for hours and hours, I don’t feel like having sex. My boyfriend has been okay with it so far, but he is starting to complain that we only have sex when we finally get together. How can I get better at not getting off all the time?

Sincerely Work Hard, Get Off Dear Work Hard, Get Off By the sound of it, you have no impulse control if you can’t refrain from getting off, so you can have sex with your boyfriend. Masturbation is encouraged and recommended as a coping mechanism during these trying times, but if it impedes on your actual sexual relationship, then it’s a problem. It seems almost adolescent that you just can’t stop masturbating, and you need to be an adult about it and try – and really try! – to focus on your work without watching porn and jerking off. Maybe you have forgotten how nice it is to have sex with an actual person, so your current default is the instant gratification of masturbation.

And you are lucky to have someone right now that you can be intimate with when so many are going through this on their own. Talk to your boyfriend about it, explain that you want to break this cycle so the two of you can have better (more!) sex. Maybe he can stop by in a lunch break before you rub one out, or you can have phone sex together. Just don’t keep on undermining your sex life by doing this singlehandedly (see what I did there?).

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