June 10, 2021
To The
STREETS Stonewall Month Events in Atlanta
10 QUEER QUOTES INSPIRE YOUR PRIDE MAN-BOY LEAVES BEHIND FAN & GOLD BOOTY SHORTS BEST LGBTQ PHOTOS FROM MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
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So PROUD THE CHEST PUFFS A BIT to see Atlanta rising to the occasion of another Stonewall Month. After the year our city and the world has had, we deserve it. This week’s magazine is all about the celebration. You know who else deserves it? All the gaybies and queer-questioning youth, all the closeted and fearful queers, and yes all the haters who just can’t stand change or justice, who watch us fly our authentic flags. The cover story lays out more than a dozen Stonewall special events this month. From there, 10 Q Things takes us down memory lane with 10 quotes from LGBTQ luminaries through the years. Speaking of years passing and flying freak flags, one Atlanta gay man thinks it’s time to hang up his booty shorts. Is he right? See what Q Advice says. With all this reminiscing, you need some stuff in the here and now. We got you. Q Shots smiles pretty at the Big Peach softball tournament, and Q Events lay out all your options for this week. Q Map gets you around town, and another gay candidate is out to change the landscape in Metro Atlanta. Be sure to follow us on social media, and feel free to write in any time at 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 29
JUNE 10, 2021
POTABLE & NOTABLE
History’s Quotable Queers
COVER
14
8
Pride Month
June’s Stonewall Event Stack
12
21
NEWS
Q SHOTS
Out to Change All-Straight, White Council
Photos from Big Peach & Bear BBQ
Gotta Have It
10 Q Things................. 8 Q News...................... 12 Q Events.................... 19 Q Shots...................... 21 Q Map........................ 24 Q Advice.................... 29 6 theQatl.com
Memorial Memories
Q ADVICE
Old Bussy Hanging Up The Freak Flag
29
Q
10 THINGS
Christine Jorgensen
“Everyone is both sexes in varying degrees. I am more of a woman than a man.”
Q ueer QUOTES Ivan E. Coyote
“I am a rare species, not a stereotype.”
By Mike Fleming IT HELPS TO STEP BACK AND VIEW A movement over time. These words of wisdom by, for and about LGBTQIA people place us in context of our history this Stonewall Month and urge us forward as individuals and as a community to forge the next chapter.
Rita Mae Brown
“The only queer people are those who don’t love anybody.”
Gloria Steinem
“There is much similarity among the challenges of transgender people and all women — from health care to harassment to discrimination in the workplace. The movements should be equally aligned.” 8 theQatl.com
Gertrude Stein
“They were regular in being gay, they learned little things that are things in being gay, they learned many little things that are things in being gay, they were gay every day, they were regular, they were gay, they were gay the same length of time every day, they were gay, they were quite regularly gay.” With this passage from “Miss Furr and Miss Skeene,” Stein is credited for popularizing the use of “gay” for “homosexual.”
Harvey Milk
“It takes no compromise to give people their rights...it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.”
Boy George
“The struggle isn’t just about being straight or gay or transgender. It’s a human struggle. Photo from the filmreally Kiki. been my kind of starting That’s always point: If you’re out there and you’re odd, come over to my house.”
Gore Vidal
“The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.”
Bayard Rustin
Tennessee Williams “What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it’s curved like a road through mountains.”
— A Streetcar Named Desire
“The barometer for judging the character of people, in regard to human rights, is now those who consider themselves gay, homosexual, lesbian. The judgment as to whether you can trust the future, the social advancement — depending on the people — will be judged on where they come out on that question.” theQatl.com 9
Instagram.com/theQatl
Q Applying NEWS
THEORY
Scientist wants to be Tucker’s first LGBTQ city councilmember By Patrick Saunders
build a convention center here, and we can’t just have a convention center for white people.” Barnes also wants to revive a push for an LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance in Tucker. Twelve cities in Georgia have such measures, most in metro Atlanta, with 11 of them passing in just the past three years. Several LGBTQ appointees to Tucker boards and commissions wrote a draft of an ordinance and presented it to the city council in 2019. It stalled amid complaints that Mayor Frank Auman and some members of council intentionally held it up.
AN EMORY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH scientist wants to make history twice by being the first Black and first LGBTQ member of the Tucker City Council. Imani Barnes makes her first run for public office as Councilmember Matt Robbins rounds the bend in his final term in the District 2, Seat 1 spot. The election is in November. “I want to represent the single parents, the Blacks, the LGBTQ and I want to represent the diversity of Tucker, all in one person,” Barnes told Project Q Atlanta. Barnes owns a team development business called I Can Become Anything that works with teens on communication and life skills. That’s on top of work toward her PhD in public health at Emory. She first became interested in local politics after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis police custody last year. “It just really made me look at what my city was doing for the current events that were going on at the time,” she said. Barnes found it “mind boggling” upon realizing that the entire Tucker council was white. The city is 37 percent Black, 12 percent Hispanic and six percent Asian, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The DeKalb County city incorporated in 2015 and elected its first mayor and city council in 2016.
PHOTO BY SHONDRIA SHONTAE
Imani Barnes
There is a large LGBTQ population in Tucker, according to Barnes. “The laws need to change with the people,” Barnes said. “You want to protect and you want to make people feel comfortable about living in your city. And you want people to stay here.” “I don’t want to have to move to Doraville or Brookhaven because I’ll feel safer there. I want to stay here,” she added. Barnes also wants to make housing more affordable in Tucker. “It’s expensive to live here,” she said. “I’m a single mother, I’m in school, I work full-time, and I have to support my one child. I know how hard it is to afford life in Tucker.”
Barnes said it is “imperative” that other races are represented on council.
“My whole focal point is taking a community stand on issues. a community approach, getting feedback from the community and bringing it into the council,” she added.
“We need to represent the others,” she said. “I feel like it’s time. Tucker is growing, they’re trying to
Qualifying for the election is in August and the election is in Nov. 2.
12 theQatl.com
Q
COMMUNITY
Peach Party, June 10-14
With
PRIDE
LGBTQ Atlanta stacks June with Stonewall Month events By Mike Fleming
THE TIME THAT MOST PEOPLE SET ASIDE for Pride has grown in recent years. What was once a weekend in June grew to a busy week of events, then to a full month. Though its official Pride celebration isn’t until October, Atlanta wholeheartedly takes part in Stonewall Month. This year, many organizers are working to make up for the Pride virtual insanity of 2020. Last month, we told you about some Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Pride plans, but the schedule just keeps getting bigger. From venerable galas and traditional parties, to festivals and arts rosters, we gathered the best of an ever-growing list of special events that celebrate being LGBTQ in June. 14 theQatl.com
Atlanta Pride Run & Walk, June 20
ALL MONTH
Out Front Streaming Festival All 2020-2021 Virtual Plays Downloadable through June outfronttheatre.com
JUNE 10
Roxxxy Andrews X Midtown, 10 p.m. facebook.com/xmidtownx
JUNE 10 – JUNE 14
Peach Party DJ Dance Parties Each Night and Day Future, Heretic, Masquerade peachpartyatlanta.com
Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, June 18-19
JUNE 15
Atlanta Braves Pride Night Coca-Cola Roxy and Truist Park, 7:20 p.m. Read our preview. mlb.com/braves
JUNE 17
Evening for Equality Still virtual, but fabulous, 7 p.m. georgiaequality.org
Southern Fried Queer Pride Festival, June 24-27
JUNE 18 – JUNE 19
JUNE 24 – JUNE 27
Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus “Yaaas Broadway” Concert Virtual, 8 p.m. both nights voicesofnote.org
Southern Fried Queer Pride Festival Various locations southernfriedqueerpride.com
JUNE 20
JUNE 24
Atlanta Pride Run & Walk Piedmont Park, 8 a.m. frontrunnersatlanta.org
JUNE 23 – JUNE 24
Out Georgia Business Summit With Angelica Ross and State Rep. Sam Park Virtual and in-person events, all day both days. outgeorgia.org
Beyto Film Screening with Out on Film, Swiss Consulate & Wussy Plaza Drive-In, 8:30 p.m. outonfilm.org
JUNE 25
Atlanta Pride Out Night Georgia Aquarium, 7 p.m. georgiaaquarium.org
Hotlanta Softball 40th Anniversary, June 26
JUNE 26
Hotlanta Softball 40th Anniversary Loews Atlanta Hotel, 6 p.m. hslsoftball.org Drag Queen Story Time Featuring Brent Star Posman Books, 3 p.m. posmanbooks.com
JUNE 27
Atlanta United Pride Match Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 3:30 p.m. atlutd.com If you have a Stonewall Month special event to consider listing, please email details to mike@theQatl.com. theQatl.com 15
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18 theQatl.com
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Q Events
The Best LGBTQ Things to Do in Atlanta This Week
SATURDAY, JUNE 12 Out Front Festival
Atlanta’s LGBTQ
playhouse makes all of
its productions from the
pandemic year available
again for streaming. See the
ones you missed or catch your favorites again.
Virtual online downloads @ Out Front Theatre, all month. outfronththeatre.com
SUNDAY, JUNE 13 West End Artist Market
Wussy hosts booths while you enjoy the breweries, and this time, DJ Ree De La Vega does the
honors on the turntables @ Wild Heaven Beer, 12
THURSDAY, JUNE 10 – SUNDAY, JUNE 14
noon to 7 p.m. wussymag.com
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16 To Wong Fu
Peach Party
The cult classic screens
The Pride Month circuit party series returns for
as the return of Wussy’s
its 10th year, and this time the organizer has his
queer movie night. Drag
own club. That means in addition to Heretic and
hosts and a costume
Masquerade, you’ll find parties every day, night
contest are part of the
and morning @ Future, all weekend. peachpartyatlanta.com
wussymag.com
THURSDAY, JUNE 10
Pride Sports ATL
Roxxxy Andrews
The RuPaul’s Drag Race
queen brings her traveling show to Atlanta for her
gay fans @ X Midtown, 10
p.m. facebook.com/xmidtownx
FRIDAY, JUNE 11 Love, Victor
The 10-episode second season of the popular
show in the Love, Simon
franchise kicks off @ Hulu
today. hulu.com
fun @ Plaza Theatre, 8 p.m.
A year-round crew for
fun activities plays sand volleyball. Open play @ Piedmont Park, 7 p.m. pridesportsatlanta.com Telling Our Stories
The LGBTQ Institute of the National Center for Civil & Human Rights hosts two scholars
on the importance of research on queer issues in the South. Virtual event is free @ Zoom, 3 p.m. lgbtqinstitute.org
Find an expanded calendar of weekend events every Thursday at theQatl.com.
theQatl.com 19
20 theQatl.com
BIG PEACH SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
Q SHOTS
PHOTOS BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD
theQatl.com 21
MEMORIAL DAY T-DANCE AT HERETIC
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
Q SHOTS
PHOTOS BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD
theQatl.com 23
on tA ve .N E dm Pi e
4
9
11th St. NE
8
10th St. NE
Amsterdam Ave.
Dr. N E
Piedmont Park
14th St. NE
12th St. NE
12
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West Peachtree St. NE
E
75
t. N eS tre
85
ach Pe
Spring St. NW
Q Atlus Map
10 5
Virginia Ave. NE
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
r. NE roe D Mon
Charles Allen Dr. NE
11 6
St. Charles Ave.
Glen Iris Dr. NE
1. Blakes on the Park
NE
NE
Piedmont Park
Piedmont Ave.
Spring St. NW
7
2 Juniper St. NE
85
Peachtree St.
75
West Peachtree St. NE
8th St. NE
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10
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Alco S t. NE
Piedmont Ave. NE
3
NE
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d. N eR
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Bri
Key
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
nr Mo
3
5
Pied
4. Oscar’s 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
tA ve .N E on ed m
r. NE
Pi
5. Barking Leather 1510 Piedmont Ave NE 6. Boy Next Door 1447 Piedmont Ave NE
D Monroe
Piedmont Park
1. Felix’s on the Square 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
3. Midtown Moon 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
8
6
Ansley Park 2. The Hideaway 1544 Piedmont Ave NE
E
4
r. N
7
D oe
2 1
Morningside Dr. NE
mon t
Ave. NE
1. Sequel Bar 1086 Alco St. NE
Key
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 Manboys
& MIDLIFE
Q
I found myself at a big gay outdoor to-do that I usually look forward to. This year, it
fell flat. Not the event itself, but the same group of guys that were so fun in years past. Waiting for a restroom with my buddies, I caught a glimpse of us in a window. There we were, three 40-and-50-something men with one 30-something. I looked miserable, but the rest were yucking it up in crop tops and plastic sunglasses like it was a carnival instead of a line to the port-a-potties. I’m not sure exactly when I graduated from innuendo t-shirts, gold booty shorts and Mickey Mouse ears when I’m not at Disney World, but I did. These friends have been there for me and I for them, but I can’t shake that reflection in the window. I can’t help feeling that what I saw was what I have to show for the last 15 years. I want more. Dear Manboy: So many issues, so little time. Let’s unpack and try to put away one at a time. You may be experiencing a midlife crisis. Most people look up one day and ask, “Is this all there is?” Also on the table are blaming your buddies
for your feelings, as well as a defeatist attitude that keeps you from addressing your real concerns. First of all, getting older is certainly better than the alternative, and a slew of our queer brethren died before finding that out. Aging is a privilege, and as long as you’re alive, you are in a position to do something about your problems. Much has been written about the gay Peter Pan Syndrome — the Lost Boys who never grow up, and the corners of queer culture that support and encourage them. Even if your friends are among those who need to work on it, no one appointed you Olivia of the Special Victims Unit. In short, it’s not them. It’s you. Enjoy your sensible separates, and let them work their own issues in their own time. It sounds like your friends share a real, valuable history, not just happen to be there. If they weren’t worth it, you wouldn’t be worried about losing them. You can want more without throwing out the friends with the booty shorts. Growing apart might happen naturally, but without kicking good people to the curb over their silly choices. If you decide it’s necessary, put forth a plan to change. The right answers are the ones you feel good about, not the ones you regret while doing it. The Q is for entertainment, not counseling. Send burning Qs to mike@theQatl.com. ILLUSTRATION BY BRAD GIBSON
theQatl.com 29