July 15, 2021
Together
ATLast The Return of Joining Hearts
Take Your Shot in a JH Drinking Game Saying No (or Maybe) to Pool Party Sex Advances Two More LGBTQ Candidates Run for Atlanta City Council
Boys
WEEKEND
IF IT APPEARS THERE ARE MORE muscle gays on the streets this weekend, that’s because there are. A three-day, multi-venue list of DJs, dance parties and drag guests in July mean one thing: Joining Hearts. Of course, that means a dedicated issue of Q ATLus to go with it. Atlanta’s biggest gay charity pool party returns to the Greystone at Piedmont Park on Saturday. With it come scores of dancing queens and fundraising fairies from around the country.
We celebrate with an expanded edition of Q Events and our signature Joining Hearts Drinking Game. We also find the worst pool party lush in Atlanta in Q Advice. When the last bit of JH confetti is swept and the final speedo hits the washer, there’s still a thriving LGBTQ Atlanta to cover. We’re here with Q Community on local HIV grants, Q News on more LGBTQ City Council candidates, and Q Shots from July Fourth. What else? Plenty. The Q Tips you didn’t know went missing from last week’s wedding issue, and still more fresh content for your noggin every day at theQatl.com. Dive in.
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 34
J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 2 1
TAKE A SHOT
Q’s foolproof JH Drinking Game
20 8
COVER
Splashdown
Joining Hearts Takes Over
11
23
COMMUNITY
Q SHOTS
$200K to Battle HIV in Atlanta
Hideaway Shows the Love
Fight Funds
10 Q Things................. 8 Q News...................... 14 Q Tips........................ 19 Q Events.................... 20 Q Shots...................... 23 Q Map........................ 26 Q Advice.................... 29 6 theQatl.com
Cheers!
Q ADVICE
Party Pooper
His Epic Gay Pool Party Fail
29
LET’S STOP HIV TOGETHER
HIV prevention our way. HIV doesn’t have to stand in the way of a healthy sexual relationship. PrEP is a daily pill that can help prevent HIV.
FIND A PrEP PROVIDER NEAR YOU
Q Joining Hearts 10 THINGS
DRINKING GAME
Take a shot each time you encounter these sure bets at the July 17 Together ATLast party
Speedo Queens
Trunk Gays
Daddies
Bandanas Tank Tops
Trunk Gays 8 theQatl.com
Group Looks Hunk Sandwiches
Creative Accessories
Smiles Joining Hearts pool is Saturday, July 17 at the Greystone in Piedmont Park. Visit joininghearts.org. See the Queer Agenda in this issue for more information on satellite parties all weekend.
Tattoos theQatl.com 9
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COMMUNITY
Q
O.C. Allen
War CHESTS
PHOTO COURTESY VISION COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Two Atlanta nonprofits get $100,000 each to combat HIV
many, many years,” he told Project Q Atlanta. “And that is to be a part of ending the HIV epidemic. That is our focus and our goal.”
By Patrick Saunders
Allen said the grant will help the foundation take its work “to the next level.” The agency provides HIV testing, education and prevention awareness throughout the city. The money will also help expand its Prevention from the Pulpit Initiative, which aims to reduce the disproportionate HIV rate among Black gay and bisexual people in the South.
TWO ATLANTA HIV AGENCIES WILL USE new $100,000 grants to combat the disease through the pulpit and prevention efforts. Vision Community Foundation and Counter Narrative Project, both based in Atlanta, were among 29 organizations in 12 Southern states to receive $2.9 million in grants from pharmaceutical giant Gilead. The funding is for the company’s COMPASS Initiative, which fights HIV across the South. Bishop O.C. Allen, Vision’s founder and CEO, said he was “humbled and excited” to receive the award. “I was also reinvigorated and really motivated to continue to do the work we’ve been doing for
“We train clergy and pastors throughout the South on HIV 101, on prevention and intervention tools, and how to address this particularly through a faith-based perspective,” Allen said. “Our faith leaders need to be educated so that they can send the right messages and begin to address sexuality and theology and spirituality in ways that impact how people handle their health,” he added. theQatl.com 11
HIV GRANTS continued The foundation is the non-profit arm of the Vision Church of Atlanta, the Grant Park church Allen founded in 2005.
‘Inspiring organizations’ Charles Stephens, Counter Narrative Project’s founder and executive director, said he “could not be happier” about receiving the Gilead funding.
Charles Stephens
“The Counter Narrative Project is in excellent company among inspiring organizations across the region that are receiving support,” he said. The money will help the agency expand efforts to end HIV criminalization, increase PrEP access and address racial justice. “Since its founding, CNP has been committed to advancing a racial justice analysis in the HIV movement, one that examines how stigmatizing narratives have policy consequences,” Stephens said. “Our work seeks to shift narratives, to not only move hearts and minds, but to move the culture and influence policy.” The $2.9 million in grants for organizations fighting HIV in the South is “an incredible opportunity,” according to Stephens.
PHOTO BY JOHNNY RAY KORNEGAY III
“Our work seeks to shift narratives, to not only move hearts and minds, but to move the culture and influence policy.”
“We believe that the South, and particularly Georgia, can not only be an inspiration for the national HIV justice movement, but a model,” he said. “This support will help us get closer to this vision.”
Emory helps select grant recipients Gilead announced the awards in June. Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health was one of Gilead’s four coordinating centers that selected the 29 recipients of the COMPASS Initiative funding. Emory helped select 11 agencies, including Counter Narrative Project. The Gilead initiative has impacted thousands of lives across the South, according to Kia Colbert, director of the Rollins School’s COMPASS Program. 12 theQatl.com
— Charles Stephens “We are proud to kick off our 2021 grantee partnership to support organizations as they empower new leaders, reach members of their communities and improve their capacity to care for people living with or affected by HIV,” Colbert said in a press release. Vision Community Foundation was one of five grant recipients selected by the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. Wake Forest University School of Divinity and the Southern AIDS Coalition chose the other 13 groups. The coordinating centers will provide technical assistance, training and coaching for the organizations over the next 18 months.
Q
NEWS
‘REPRESENTATION
Matters’
Brandon Goldberg
Two more LGBTQ candidates launch campaigns for Atlanta City Council By Patrick Saunders A QUEER EDUCATOR AND A GAY attorney are making their first runs for public office, hoping to succeed a longtime incumbents on the Atlanta City Council. Teacher Kelly-Jeanne Lee wants to succeed Carla Smith in the District 1 seat. After years of Democratic Party activism, lawyer Brandon Goldberg takes aim at the Post 1 At-Large seat held by Michael Julian Bond. They are at least the sixth and seventh LGBTQ people running for the council this year. “Running for city council just seemed like a logical next step to serve our community and our 14 theQatl.com
Kelly-Jeanne Lee
families,” Lee told Project Q Atlanta. “When I’m thinking about any decision I’m making, I’m not just thinking about my family. I’m thinking about the hundreds of families I’ve served over the years in education and how I can best serve them,” she added. Lee, 40, is a Spanish teacher at Riverwood International Charter School in Sandy Springs. She lives with her wife and daughter in Lakewood Heights. She is on the board of the Lakewood Heights Neighborhood Organization and said she worked on projects for her local neighborhood planning unit. She wants to continue that civic activism on the council. Smith announced in May that she’s not running for a sixth term.
She launched her campaign in March with a focus on affordable housing, street-level infrastructure and small business support. “I think about protecting our legacy residents because they live in a community where they have relationships and are receiving services and it’s important that they continue to have access to that,” she said. “Our district isn’t affordable.”
CROWDED RACE Goldberg, 35, joined a growing field of challengers hoping to oust incumbent Bond from the Post 1 At-Large seat. Gay business consultant Jereme Sharpe is in the same race as well as two other candidates in addition to Bond. A resident of Midtown, Goldberg makes diversity a top priority of his campaign. “If you look at the runoff map from the 2017 mayoral race, you see our city is very divided,” he told Project Q Atlanta. “We need to bring people together who disagree and find solutions that are sustainable because they have buy-in.” Goldberg is an attorney with Kennesaw-based medical device company CryoLife. He formed campaign advisory committees on issues he wants to focus on: diversity, public safety, housing, COVID-19 economic recovery and transportation. Public safety is already center stage during the election cycle, as the city faces a surge in crime amid continuing calls to reform policing in the wake of racial reckoning protests last year. Goldberg said police officers should serve in the areas where they live so there’s a familiarity with the community. “We also need to make sure police are responding to issues that require a police response,” Goldberg said. “A zoning issue or mental health situation should not have a police response.” If elected, Lee and Goldberg would continue LGBTQ representation on the council. City
Council member Antonio Brown became the first Black LGBTQ member of the council in 2019, but he is running for mayor instead of seeking a full term in the District 3 post. Lee said the council needs LGBTQ people among its 16 members. “Representation matters,” she said. “Our city council should look as much like the community it represents as possible.” The council has never had more than two LGBTQ members at the same time, but that number could reach six after this year’s elections. Goldberg said it’s about time. “Having one [LGBTQ] representative on and off and having a lot of candidates that were not successful speaks to the fact that there’s still that barrier to get past in proper representation in government,” he said. “There’s just no substitute for having a vote or potentially multiple votes.”
“Our city council should look as much like the community it represents as possible.” — Kelly-Jeanne Lee In addition to Lee and Goldberg, other LGBTQ candidates running for Atlanta City Council include project manager Larry Carter in District 4, community activist Liliana Bakhtiari in District 5, community organizer Devin Barrington-Ward in District 9, business consultant Jereme Sharpe for Post 1 At-Large, and Mike Russell, who is running for council president. Qualifying for the races is in August. The election is in November. Find more on these races and fresh local LGBTQ news every day at theQatl.com. theQatl.com 15
18 theQatl.com
TIPS
W
Q
The Big
A ‘wow’ wedding without the ‘whoa’ prices By Mike Fleming YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE MORE interested in you than your wedding, but some tricks of the trade can still blow guests’ minds without breaking the bank. Even if you don’t have a fat wallet, you still deserve to feel luxurious on the big day. Here are five ways to spark the imagination as it veers toward clothing, cake, music, drinks, flowers, invitations and, well, everything else you have to consider.
emony and cocktail hour as well as the reception. Again, ones that don’t specialize in weddings.
Eat cake Cut the cake — literally — by having a small display cake showing off your dream detailing. Then cheat with a separate (but same flavoring) sheet cake behind it to serve.
Get dressed Sample sales, trunk shows and even consignment shops can cut price tags on gowns and tuxes. Or be bolder: Wear whatever you want outside the traditional box.
Hair & Makeup
Music matters
Check out a nice salon at least once in advance for a style, cut or blowout. Head over there the next time, and don’t breathe a word about it being your wedding day.
Pass over the wedding singers and bands and hire musicians that don’t necessarily specialize in nuptials. They charge more for the privilege. If you’re set on the pros, consider one harp player over a string quartet. You can also hire a DJ for the cer-
Set aside what the wedding party wants and blow off an open bar. Serve wine, beer and one signature cocktail that fits your theme or colors. People will think it’s “personalized” instead of cheap.
Yes, the Q ATLus Wedding Issue was last week, but Q Tips can’t be tied down.
Here’s to us
theQatl.com 19
Q Events
FRIDAY, JULY 16 – SUNDAY, JULY 18
The Best LGBTQ Things to Do in Atlanta This Week THURSDAY, JULY 15
Kimora Blac The RuPaul’s Drag Race queen hits town to perform for Raquel’s birthday bash @ X Midtown, 10 p.m. facebook.com/xmidtownx Amen! Kneel down and pray, because it’s more drag than your spirit can take. House of Alxndr preaches it @ Sister Louisa’s Church, 10:30 p.m. sisterlouisaschurch.com 20 theQatl.com
Joining Hearts Weekend Saturday’s sold-out ‘Together ATLast’ Joining Hearts pool party drops queens in speedos @ Greystone at Piedmont Park, 6 p.m. That means DJs at satellite parties all weekend. DJ Arjun Reddy does official Joining Hearts Kickoff duties at Heretic on Friday, 10 p.m. DJ Jesus Montanez does Friday at Future, 10 p.m. before the Xion Afterparty with DJ Deanne, 3 a.m. After the main event on Saturday, it’s Splashdown with DJ Paulo and Phoenix @ Masquerade, 10 p.m., and JH Afterparty with Micky Friedmann @ Future, 3 a.m.
Sunday, buck up for Tea of Hearts with DJ GSP @ Greystone (yes, again), 2 p.m. Eddie Martinez spins a JH Finale @ Future, 7 p.m., followed by DJ Cindel spinning well into the new week, 12 a.m. joininghearts.org, hereticatlanta.com, future-atlanta.com
Spark Game Night
DJ Darlene finds you playing games with the
Jameson Wheel of Prizes and other surprises @ Hideaway, 8 p.m. facebook.com/atlantahideaway
FRIDAY, JULY 16 F**k It Friday
Drop in on a full day
and night of specials. Andrew opens, then
JayR and Eric bring
it home with a differ-
ent guest VJ every week.
Anything goes @ Hideaway,
2 p.m. – 3 a.m. facebook.com/atlantahideaway
SATURDAY, JULY 17
Blackout Party
They turn off the lights and take away the cover
charge. You do you with DJ Stan Jackson @ Heretic, 10 p.m. hereticatlanta.com
TUESDAY, JULY 20 Did That Just Happen?
Co-authors Stephanie Pinder-Amaker and Lauren Wadsworth talk about sustaining inclusive organi-
zations “beyond diversity” while exposing inclusivity landmines @ Crowdcast, 7:30 p.m. charisbooksandmore.com
Trivia Tuesday
Drop in on a full afternoon and evening of specials, and don’t forget Trivia Tuesdays with a
$50 bar tab prize
@ Hideaway, 9 p.m.
Happy Hour specials Fiona Zedde
The former Atlantan and heralded voice of Black
every weekday, 2 p.m. – 6
p.m. facebook.com/atlantahideaway
lesbian literature talks about her latest book, House
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21
Crowdcast, 3 p.m. charisbooksandmore.com
The LGBTQ dance party in the middle of the
of Agnes, during this virtual event. Charis hosts @ Let’s Eat!
Southern Fried Queer Pride hosts a community potluck picnic. Some food and drink, but please
bring more @ Candler Park, 2 p.m. southernfriedqueerpride.com
Switch!
week that you didn’t know you need but totally do. They switch up the performers and DJ every week @ My Sister’s Room, 10 p.m. mysistersroom.com
Find even more LGBTQ things to do over Stonewall weekend at theQatl.com.
theQatl.com 21
Instagram.com/theQatl
LOVE SATURDAY AT THE HIDEAWAY
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
Amsterdam Ave.
Dr. N E
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14th St. NE
12th St. NE
12
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Q Atlus Map
9
11th St. NE
8
10th St. NE
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 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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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
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4. Oscar’s 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
tA ve .N E on ed m
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5. Barking Leather 1510 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
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7
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Morningside Dr. NE
mon t
Ave. NE
1. Sequel Bar 1086 Alco St. NE
6. Boy Next Door 1447 Piedmont Ave 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 Flags on the
hot take was based on me not dropping everything and dropping my panties.
Declining sexual advances reveals a fragile ego
I really liked this guy. Should I give him time and try again?
PLAY
Q
I ran into a guy I’ve dated and slept with a few times at a pool party. He was feeling an extra helping of cocktails, and we were both enjoying him being a little more touchy-feely than usual. He made a few drunk comments about marrying me and how much he wanted us to get serious. I was sober, and it was awkward, but mostly it was kinda cute. I even expressed my own interest in moving things forward. At the end of the night, he wanted to go home together, and I declined.
It just wasn’t good timing. I’ve had issues in the past with mis-matched levels of alcohol, and his cocktails weren’t doing my attraction any favors. I didn’t say that, figuring he could go have fun and I’d see him again another time.
Apparently he fumed while ignoring my texts for days, then he went off. In his version, I sent mixed signals flirting without “sealing the deal.” He said he is “grown and doesn’t have time for games.” His
From my perspective, I acted interested and kept it light while he was messy drunk. I tried to tell him I liked him, but he kept circling back to three points — I didn’t go home with him, I wasn’t ready for him, and he was too mature for it.
Dear Red Flag: Time out! Huddle up. This man just showed you who he is. Take a good, long look. His drunk behavior is less an issue than his sober reactions later. Getting tipsy and handsy is nothing new. Unless he has an ongoing problem, drunk flirting is harmless. Still, the field is littered with flags on the play. Let’s pick up one at a time: • He left you questioning your behavior, your past experiences, your decisions, your communication choices. Don’t fall for it. It’s an internal diversion from his own shortcomings. • Anyone who continually reiterates how grown up they are, isn’t.
• His fragile ego took a blow after he made “all the right moves” and still didn’t get laid. Reminder: It is perfectly OK to decline sex for any reason or for no reason. • It’s not mixed signals to express attraction for someone and decide that sex is not on the table — for one night or forever.
• Demoting you from marriage material to curb trash in one swoop proves it was never about you. • Dating is not a contest to see who is more interested. For someone who doesn’t like games, he played this one for keeps.
• Someone who won’t talk to you until they decided where they stand, and who determines your motivations without your input, throws down the final flag. It says, “Run!” The Q is for entertainment, not counseling. Send burning Qs to mike@theQatl.com. ILLUSTRATION BY BRAD GIBSON
theQatl.com 29