June 3, 2021
Future is
NOW Long-Awaited Club Opens at Underground
REINVENTING JUNE AS PRIDE HISTORY MONTH COKE, DELTA & UPS FUND ANTI-LGBTQ LAWMAKERS WHAT PEOPLE REALLY HEAR WHEN YOU SAY ‘I’M BUSY’
High SIGNS IF YOU NEED A SIGNAL that things are looking up and looking forward, look no further than this issue of our weekly guide to what’s good and gay in Atlanta.
After a years-long wait that included a pandemic-level delay, Future Atlanta opens this week. In the Q Cover story, we tour Atlanta’s newest gay dance club and talk to the owners about their challenges, lineups and plans going forward. Another sign of advancement is on your calendar. It’s already Stonewall Month, so the time is now for annual special events and longform ruminations on the LGBTQ movement. Q Voices proffers thoughts on making the month more meaningful, and Q Events lays out this week’s options for your to-do list. Also in this issue, our cameras caught smiles at recent parties in Q Shots, we offer Q Advice for people who use “busy” as an excuse, and Q News looks at you, Coke, Delta and Atlanta Braves. Soak it all in, Atlanta, and enjoy the dawning of the postpandemic age. Until next week, find us on your social feeds or write mike@theQatl.com.
RICHARD CHERSKOV PUBLISHER & SALES RICHARD@THEQATL.COM 404-917-9678 JOHN NAIL ART DIRECTOR JOHN@THEQATL.COM
MIKE FLEMING EDITOR MIKE@THEQATL.COM RIVENDELL MEDIA NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES@RIVENDELLMEDIA.COM 212-242-6863 theQatl.com 5
INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 4 ISSUE 28
JUNE 3, 2021
DAYPLANNER
The Week’s Best LGBTQ Events
COVER
13
19
Future Now
Downtown Gay Club Opens
10
21
NEWS
Q SHOTS
Coke, Delta & Anti-Trans Lawmakers
Photos from Heretic and District
Brand Awareness
Dance Beats
10 Q Things................. 8
Q ADVICE
Q News...................... 10
Harried & Hurried
Q Events.................... 19 Q Shots...................... 21 Q Map........................ 24 Q Advice.................... 29 6 theQatl.com
You’re Just Not That Busy
29
Q
VOICES
Real
HISTORY
BLACK HISTORY MONTH. WOMEN’S HISTORY Month. Pride Month. You see the difference? Pride is about visibility. Being seen and being heard. Being acknowledged. Being safe. Being out and being proud. Displaying our diversity, our beauty, our presence.
Alongside African American civil rights and women’s suffrage and liberation, our own movement is the real history of America. The unique character of this country was achieved through marginalized and oppressed groups seeking recognition, empowerment and equality. The shift of political power from white male property owners to everyone else, down to every last trans person of color brave enough to be themselves, that’s the true center of the American bildungsroman. Democratic reforms and political activism — sometimes moderate, sometimes radical — are how things got better. We live in a country where queers were once unheard-of, or if they were heard of, they were better off dead.
It should also be about history and education. How did we get here? What was queer life like before Stonewall? What was the context of the riots of the 1960s and the queer rights movement around them? What happened in the following decades? Who was Anita Bryant? Who was Harry Hay?
SCOTT KING
What is poststructuralism and how did it contribute to queer theory and our progress on pronouns? Imagine the puzzled looks from non-queer people on these topics. Sadly, it’s not only straight people who are ignorant or misinformed about even the most basic plot points of gay liberation. There is a huge gap in our knowledge about the queer rights movement and the lives of queer people before the 1970s.
THE WHOLE STORY Should we be discussing the the sexual and gender identities of historical figures like Abraham Lincoln in public education? Should we tell the kids what Eleanor Roosevelt was really up to while her husband was off saving the world and flirting with his cousins? That would all be fine. I’m always down for good gossip. But what’s more important is teaching young people the real history of the LGBTQ civil rights movement. 8 theQatl.com
A half-century later, we were political candidates winning presidential primary caucuses.
FORECAST Those movements and changes are what actually makes America great. That’s the part of us that sets an example to the rest of the world. Not wars, assassinations and half a condescending page in a history book. That’s just distraction from the military-industrial complex with a poisonous hard-on. If we educate the public about queer history and the LGBTQ civil rights movement, we will no longer need to explain why Pride exists. Imagine the leaders we might elect once everyone knows what it took to get us here. Imagine the respect younger queer people might have for the generations that preceded them. Imagine if school children across the country could quote Harvey Milk and James Baldwin as readily as Martin Luther King Jr. and Neil Armstrong. What a wonderful world it would be. Teach queer history. Scott King lives and writes in Atlanta.
Photo from the film Kiki.
Q
NEWS
Et tu,
DELTA? COKE?
Meet the revered Georgia brands funding hateful lawmakers By Patrick Saunders
SEVERAL LARGE GEORGIA CORPORATIONS, law firms and a pro sports team donated cash to high-profile and outspoken anti-transgender lawmakers in the state legislature in recent years. A Project Q Atlanta review of donations made since 2018 to Reps. Ginny Ehrhart and Rick Jasperse and Philip Singleton, along with Sen. Marty Harbin, showed donations from the Atlanta Braves, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, Gas South, Georgia Power, Scofflaw Brewing, Troutman Pepper (formerly Troutman Sanders) and UPS. Among other anti-LGBTQ measures over the years, Harbin, Jasperse and Singleton introduced legislation banning trans athletes from participating in sports in 2021. Ehrhart sponsored a 2021 bill to imprison doctors who provide gender-affirming care to trans youth. All four lawmakers are Republicans. The donations are “troubling,” according to Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff Graham. “Will they be joining the corporate movement to review political donations going forward and institute prohibitions on donations to individuals who promote the bias against and lies about transgender individuals, families and communities that these lawmakers champion and promote?” he asked. Graham also questioned what the businesses are doing to protect trans people across the state. “Did they use their influence with these lawmak10 theQatl.com
ers to express their opposition to the anti-trans legislation these lawmakers championed?” he said. “Have they signed the Georgia Prospers or Georgia Unites Against Discrimination business pledge? Do they have policies that treat their transgender employees and customers equitably?” The donations belie the high scores some of the businesses received on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. The annual ranking rates companies on their nondiscrimination policies, equitable benefits for LGBTQ employees and their families, support for an inclusive culture, and corporate responsibility. Coca-Cola and Troutman Pepper notched perfect scores on the index for the past five years. UPS scored a 100 on the index for the past four years. Delta scored an 85 on the index for the past three years after notching a perfect score in 2018. For this story, Project Q reviewed donations made to lawmakers since 2018. The Georgia Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission makes the information publicly available.
NEWS EHRHART RAKES IN GEORGIA’S CORPORATE DOLLARS
Before this year’s bill that would imprison doctors who treat trans teens, Ehrhart, from Marietta, developed a lengthy anti-LGBTQ track record since taking office in 2019. She compared transgender people to moose, vowed to revive a push for anti-LGBTQ “religious freedom” legislation, spoke out against a bill that would ban conversion therapy for minors and targeted doctors with a “trans panic” bill in 2020. Since 2018, Georgia-based corporations and law firms donating to Ehrhart include Delta ($300 in 2018), UPS ($500 in 2018), Troutman Pepper ($250 in 2018, $250 in 2020), the Aaron’s Company ($500 in 2018) and Gas South ($500 in 2018, $500 in January).
Q
Georgia Political Action Committee in 2019 and another $750 in 2020. In 2018, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce donated $500 and another $250 in 2020. Coca-Cola donated $250 to state Sen. Marty Harbin in 2018. Harbin, from Tyrone, is a longtime supporter of anti-LGBTQ legislation. He introduced Senate Bill 266 this year, which bans trans girls from women’s sports teams and defines gender as a person’s biological sex at birth. Coca-Cola also donated $3,500 to the sponsors of an anti-trans bill in North Carolina, according to Popular Information. A spokesperson for Coca-Cola did not address Project Q’s questions about its donations to Harbin and Jasperse.
Ehrhart also received $4,400 from the Georgia Association of Realtors since 2018, $1,250 from the AT&T Georgia Political Action Committee in 2018 and $500 from the Atlanta Braves in 2018. The Braves, though not included in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, host a popular Pride Night every year. Delta and UPS did not respond to Project Q’s questions about the donations.
COKE, DELTA, UPS STEER CASH TOWARD JASPERSE
Jasperse, from Jasper, pushed back on adding LGBTQ protections to a student scholarship bill in 2017 and voted against a historic LGBTQ-inclusive hate crimes bill in 2020. He introduced House Bill 372 this year, which would ban trans athletes in schools from competing on teams congruent with their gender identity. Since 2018, the Georgia-based corporations and law firms donating to Ehrhart include Coca-Cola ($750 in 2018, $500 in 2020), Delta ($500 in 2018), UPS ($250 in 2018, $250 in 2019), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia ($1,000 in 2018), Troutman Pepper ($500 in 2018, $2,000 in 2020) and Georgia Power ($250 in 2018, $300 in 2020). Jasperse also received $1,000 from the AT&T
“We suspended all political contributions in January, and that pause continues,” communications director Ann Moore said. In its review, Project Q also found donations to Singleton from Scofflaw Brewery in Northwest Atlanta. Singleton introduced House Bill 276 this year, which bans trans women from competing in female sports at public and private schools and colleges. Scofflaw Brewing Company did not respond to Project Q’s multiple requests for comment about its political donations. The four anti-trans bills proposed by Ehrhart, Harbin, Jasperse and Singleton did not pass during the 2021 legislative session. The bills will return in 2022. For more details and the full story, visit theQatl.com. theQatl.com 11
COVER
Q
Hoosh Mishu and Keith Young (l-r) open Future in Underground Atlanta on June 4.
Foreseeable
FUTURE Sneak a peek into Atlanta’s new gay nightclub and cabaret By Patrick Saunders
AFTER A PANDEMIC DELAY, A PAIR of gay Atlanta nightlife veterans are finally ready to open the doors of a two-story, 14,000-square-foot dance club, cabaret and restaurant in downtown Atlanta.
PHOTO BY PATRICK SAUNDERS
theQatl.com 13
FUTURE continued Future Atlanta opens June 4 on the corner of Lower Alabama Street and Pryor Street in Underground Atlanta. The opening-weekend schedule is packed with acclaimed DJs, afterhours events and drag shows that the owners hope become signatures of the multi-level venue. Keith Young looks forward to showing LGBTQ Atlanta what he and co-owner Hoosh Mishu started working on more than two years ago. Their efforts were waylaid by the coronavirus pandemic. “The anticipation that we’ve had probably doesn’t compare to what everyone else feels with having something new to do,” Young told Q. Opening night features the Fantasy Girls Cabaret and DJ Ed Wood, followed by DJ Cindel for Xion Afterhours, which is the event Young hosted for years at other venues before Future. On Saturday, it’s Fantasy Girls again early, followed by DJ Joe Gauthreaux. Xion afterhours features DJ Nina Flowers. The blowout weekend wraps up with Shameless Sundays hosted by Kyra Mora, featuring DJ Kevin Durard. You guessed it: Xion then takes over into the wee hours of Monday with DJ Karlitos.
Long Road into Future It’s a world away from when Young and Mishu announced their plans for Future in 2018. They originally shot for an opening during New Year’s ’19-’20, then they moved it to April 2020. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic hit a few weeks before that, and everything came to a halt. “It just really wasn’t worth trying to open a giant nightclub-restaurant in the middle of COVID,” Young said. When asked how they got through it, Mishu jokingly said “Tylenol.” The building owner deferred rent, and that was a big help, Young added. “I was never that worried about it, because I knew we had a solid plan and a solid property, and we knew it was going to pass eventually,” he said. And yes, he did say “restaurant.” Future plans dinner service featuring “elevated bar food,” Young said. Eventually, they plan to expand hours to include lunchtime. A general manager and chef 14 theQatl.com
PHOTO BY PATRICK SAUNDERS
are on board, and the owners are actively looking for bartenders and barbacks. “It is tough right now to find people, but we’re working through it,” Young said. The opening of Future will create about 40 new jobs.
Fantasy Partnership Among the new hires, local legend Phoenix serves as entertainment director. Her renowned Fantasy Girls Cabaret returns in the Future cabaret room with two shows each on Fridays and Saturdays. Taejah Thomas hosts Fantasy Girls on Fridays, then Destiny Brooks hosts Saturdays. Regulars include Phoenix’s fellow “RuPaul” queens Lala Ri and Trinity Bonet, plus legends Shawnna Brooks and Raquel Hart. Cici Nicole and Extasy Grey are also in the drag mix.
Make dinner table reservations for Fantasy Girls and find more information at future-atlanta.com.
Future is also home to Young’s GA Boy Productions events. The dance floor opens right on time for the series’ 10th annual Peach Party, set for June 10-14.
CDC guidelines as they morph and change, the owners said.
Pride weekend in October with DJs Ed Wood, Isis
“The governor lifted a lot of restrictions, and we’re going to do what we can to make sure everybody’s safe,” Mishu said.
Fry, Alexander, Karlitos, Deanne and Jesus Montanez.
Opening a gay dance club downtown was “a big risk” that Young said will pay off.
LGBTQ Atlantans can also look forward to Atlanta Muretech, GSP, Tom Stephan, Twisted Dee, Martin Young and Mishu plan to rent out Future to
other promoters and bar owners to make sure DJ schedules don’t overlap.
“We don’t want to take all the business,” Mishu said.
Calculated Risks Future encourages its employees to get vaccinated against coronavirus, and the venue will abide by
“That’s kind of where we got the name Future,” he said. “The oldest part of the city is to me the future of nightlife. So I’m relieved and excited that things are moving. I think three or four years from now, you’re not going to recognize downtown.” Project Q got an exclusive tour of Future. Visit theQatl.com for a complete look at the space. theQatl.com 15
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Q Events
The Best LGBTQ Things to Do in Atlanta This Week THURSDAY, JUNE 3
DecadeDance DJ Mike Pope takes you from the ‘70s through the ‘10s with a time hop every hour @ Heretic, 10 p.m. hereticatlanta.com Heyday Join DJ Kimber and her boys for the ‘80s Dance Party for everyf-kin body @ The Basement, 10 p.m. basementatl.com
Brooker Sings Bublé The local gay talent belts out the songs of the international legend for one night only. Free admission @ X Midtown, 7 p.m. facebook. com/xmidtownx
TUESDAY, JUNE 8
FRIDAY, JUNE 4 – MONDAY, JUNE 7 Future Opening Weekend Start early and stay late at Atlanta’s new gay dance club and cabaret. Fantasy Girls shows on Fridays and Saturdays, Kyra’s Shameless on Sundays, and every night hot DJs (like Cindel, photo) during both primetime and afterhours @ Future Atlanta. Take a tour in this issue of Q ATLus. future-atlanta.com
SATURDAY, JUNE 5 Margarita Bust Front Runners Atlanta hosts your fill of the green icy stuff to raise money for this year’s Atlanta Pride Run & Walk. Drink up @ Zocalo, 3 p.m. frontrunnersatlanta.org
A Night at the Sweet Gum Head The legendary gay bar from the 1970s is central to a tale of “Drag, Drugs, Disco and Atlanta’s Gay Revolution” in Martin Padgett’s new book. He discusses the book and the era with former Outwrite owner Philip Rafshoon in a virtual event @ atlantahistorycenter.com, 7 p.m. PALS Drag Queen Bingo It’s post-pandy PALS, people! The venerable Bingo game takes on a 1980s theme for an in-person affair @ Lips, 7:30 p.m. palsatlanta.org
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9 Switch! Taylor Alxndr and the House of Alxndr host a queer dance party every Wednesday @ My Sister’s Room, 10 p.m. instagram.com/houseofalxndr Find an expanded calendar of weekend events every Thursday at theQatl.com. theQatl.com 19
20 theQatl.com
WÜF T-DANCE AT HERETIC
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
Q SHOTS
PHOTOS BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD
theQatl.com 21
22 theQatl.com
IDENTITY PARTY AT DISTRICT
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
Q SHOTS
PHOTOS BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD
theQatl.com 23
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Q Atlus Map
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1 9th St. NE
227 10th St. NE 2. Bulldogs Bar 893 Peachtree St NE 3. Friends on Ponce 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE 4. My Sister’s Room 84 12th St 5. X Midtown 990 Piedmont Ave. NE 6. Atlanta Eagle 306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE
24 theQatl.com
Bars
Restaurants North Ave. NW
North Ave. NW
Clubs Retail/Services
Not Shown
Future (open June 4) 50 Lower Alabama St SW, Suite 180
8. Henry’s Midtown Tavern 132 10th St NE
Mary’s 1287 Glenwood Ave SE
9. Joe’s onRalph Juniper McGill Blvd. NE 1049 Juniper St NE
Sister Louisa’s 466 Edgewood Ave SE
10. Zocalo Mexican Kitchen & Cantina 187 10th St NE Highland Ave. NE 11. Barking Leather After Dark 306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE (inside Eagle) 12. Urban Body Fitness 500 Amsterdam Ave NE
The T 465 Boulevard SE Swinging Richards 1400 Northside Dr NW Lips Drag Show Palace 3011 Buford Highway NE Lost ’n Found Youth Thift Store 2585 Chantilly Dr NE
Ponce De Leon Pl. NE
3
Key
Ponce De Leon Ave. NE
7. Flex 76 4th St NW
Ponce De Leon Pl. NE
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Charles Allen Dr. NE
11 6
St. Charles Ave.
Glen Iris Dr. NE
1. Blakes on the Park
NE
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Piedmont Park
Piedmont Ave.
Spring St. NW
7
2 Juniper St. NE
85
Peachtree St.
75
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8th St. NE
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Bars Restaurants Clubs Retail/Services
Cheshire Bridge Road 5. The Heretic 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
9. Gravity Fitness 2201 Faulkner Rd NE
2. Tripp’s Bar 1931 Piedmont Circle NE
6. Las Margaritas 1842 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
10. Southern Nights 2205 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
3. Woof’s Sports Bar 494 Plasters Ave NE
7. Roxx Tavern 1824 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
11. Tokyo Valentino (Cheshire Bridge) 1739 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
4. BJ Rooster’s 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
8. 2Qute Hair Salon 1927 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
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1. Felix’s on the Square 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
3. Midtown Moon 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
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Bars Restaurants Clubs Retail/Services
7. Brushstrokes 1510 Piedmont Ave NE 8. Equilibrium Fitness 1529 Piedmont Ave NE
theQatl.com 25
Q Atlus Map Directory The businesses on the preceding pages are integral parts of Atlanta’s LGBTQ landscape. Those listed in boxes are consistent Q partners and community allies. BARS, CLUBS & RESTAURANTS Atlanta Eagle 306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE BJ Roosters 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE Blakes on the Park 227 10th St. NE Bulldogs Bar 893 Peachtree St NE Felix’s on the Square 1510 Piedmont Ave NE Friends on Ponce 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE Future 50 Lower Alabama St SW, Suite 180 Henry’s Midtown Tavern 132 10th St NE The Heretic 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road NE The Hideaway 1544 Piedmont Ave NE Joe’s on Juniper 1049 Juniper St NE Las Margaritas 1842 Cheshire Bridge Road NE Lips Drag Show Palace 3011 Buford Highway NE Mama’s Cocina 1958 Piedmont Road NE Mary’s 1287 Glenwood Ave SE Midtown Moon 1510 Piedmont Ave NE My Sister’s Room 84 12th St Oscar’s 1510 Piedmont Ave NE Roxx Tavern 1824 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
26 theQatl.com
Sequel Bar 1086 Alco St. NE
Sister Louisa’s 466 Edgewood Ave SE Swinging Richards 1400 Northside Dr NW The T 465 Boulevard SE Tripp’s Bar 1931 Piedmont Circle NE Woof’s Sports Bar 494 Plasters Ave NE X Midtown 990 Piedmont Ave. NE Zocalo Mexican Kitchen & Cantina 187 10th St NE
RETAIL & SERVICES 2Qute Hair Salon 1927 Cheshire Bridge Road NE Barking Leather 1510 Piedmont Ave NE Barking Leather After Dark 306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE (inside Atlanta Eagle) Boy Next Door 1447 Piedmont Ave NE Brushstrokes 1510 Piedmont Ave NE Equilibrium Fitness 1529 Piedmont Ave NE Lost ’n Found Youth Thrift Store 2585 Chantilly Dr NE Urban Body Fitness 500 Amsterdam Ave NE
ADULT Flex 76 4th St NW Southern Nights 2205 Cheshire Bridge Road NE Starship Galaxy/Starship Novelties 2273 Cheshire Bridge Road NE Tokyo Valentino 1739 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
Q Advice
Busy,
BUSY
Constant hurry reads as overextended and self-important
Q
I am Type A. My fingers are in multiple pies, from LGBTQ non-profits to my own work and social calendars. I enjoy applying myself to everything, and organizing other people is kind of my superpower, even if they don’t always appreciate it. I’m proud of my accomplishments, but with such a tight schedule, things like dating can fall through the cracks. Even friendships seem to get caught in the wind and fly away before I have a chance to nail them down. Is that just the cost of being so busy? Someone recently told me that people actually hold my organized qualities against me. When they rolled their eyes behind my back, I thought they were just jealous of my ability to multi-task. Come to find out they think I’m obnoxious. I know I can’t handle it all sometimes, but there’s a lot to be done. No one else seems to care as much, yet here I am trying despite being busier than most people. Someone has to do it. Dear Control Freak: Take a deep breath. Now take another. And another. It’s going to be OK.
This column has run into the glorification of being busy before, but never quite like the burden you put on yourself. Maybe it would help to realized that, even if you got hit by the proverbial bus tomorrow, the world would spin and progress without you. For starters, no one is busier than anyone else. We all have the same 24 hours and pack them with our priorities. The things that get done are the most important to you. Maybe a person you think is ignoring your pet issues is caring for a terminally ill loved one. Perhaps someone you deem lazy faces trouble at home, work, school, or even within themselves. Bragging about your long to-do list minimizes their priorities, and that’s incorrect as well as annoying. Secondly, busy isn’t the same as productive. Busy is just the amount of time doing something; productive means there are results. You place too much value on a packed schedule over the work you purport to get done. People who glorify busyness find their self-worth through tasks and performance, but those things aren’t ultimately fulfilling, even when you are successful at finishing them. Speaking of important things falling through the cracks, other people is a big one. You ostracize them then you treat lost relationships as collateral damage. That’s worth some self-examination. The hardest part may be owning the reasons why you are scheduled to the teeth. Are you trying to block out shortcomings in other areas? To avoid hard questions? Avert being alone with your thoughts? Balance is better than busy. Find it and find a deeper and more rewarding life. The Q is for entertainment, not counseling. Send burning Qs to mike@theQatl.com. ILLUSTRATION BY BRAD GIBSON
theQatl.com 29
