September 16, 2021
Dream It
Prepping and Stepping Up for Pride 2021
ATL Brand Wants You To Be Your Own Pride Gay Couple Loved This Bar So Much, They Bought It Your ‘Black Friends’ & That White Noise
Pride PREP EVERY LAST ONE OF US will probably take a different route to
celebrating Pride 2021, and that’s OK. With love in their hearts and
safety on their minds, a growing collection of organizers are stepping into the “official” void so that you can do Pride Weekend your way next month.
With several big burgeoning Pride plans as our cover story, this issue of Q ATLus also meets LGBTQ Atlantans living their truth and
making their dreams come true. Meet KT Deuthschler, Sean Bishop and Reggie Stotts as well as their new business ventures.
You know what else is full of Pride besides Oct. 8-10? You are, silly. We caught you smiling in our Q Shots pages, making plans in Q Events, and rolling your eyes at each other in Q Advice.
Keep turning pages with your Prideful self, and hit us up on social
media or our website for fresh content every day. You can also write mike@theQatl.com.
MIKE FLEMING EDITOR & PUBLISHER MIKE@THEQATL.COM GRAPHIC DESIGN DECATUR ATLANTA PRINTING JOHN NAIL, DESIGNER DECATURATLANTAPRINTING.COM
LOCAL ADVERTISING INFO@PROJECTQATLANTA.COM RIVENDELL MEDIA NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES@RIVENDELLMEDIA.COM 212-242-6863 theQatl.com 5
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
VO LU M E 4 I S S U E 4 0 S E P T E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 2 1
TO DO LIST
Atlanta’s Best LGBTQ Weekly events
COVER
14
19
Pride Spirit
You are Go for Pride Weekend
8
11
COMMUNITY
BUSINESS
Cool Shirts & Hats Let You Do You
Liked It So Much, They Bought It
All You
Q Community.............. 8 Q Business.................. 11 Q Events.................... 19 Q Shots...................... 21 Q Map........................ 24 Q Advice.................... 29 6 theQatl.com
Grill Guys
Q ADVICE
Mighty White So Woke You Stopped Listening
29
W W W . O U T O N F I L M . O R G
Q
COMMUNITY
OG The local apparel line inviting you to ‘Be Your Own’ By Mike Fleming
KT Deutschler
YOUR PERSONAL PRIDE IS NEVER CANCELED. As LGBTQ people across Atlanta set their own Pride schedules without a festival or parade this year, it’s on each of us to show out loud and proud. Good thing there is Be Your Own Apparel, the online merch by 33-year-old native Atlantan KT Deutschler. Her clothing line is exactly what the season calls for. Deutschler’s journey to the clothing market started with a path to her true self. “Throughout my younger years, there was no shortage of people telling me who I should be and what I should do to conform to societal expectations,” Deutschler told Project Q. “I eventually found peace with myself and gained the confidence to start living my truth.”
PHOTO COURTESY BE YOUR OWN APPAREL.
Someone outed Deutschler as a lesbian in high school, and she rolled with it. She went on to become a lawyer in Corporate America. Through it all, her struggle for approval continued, she said.
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“The LGBTQ+ community has come a long way since I came out,” she said. “But unfortunately, we still have progress to make. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, there will always be people in the world that think you are not worthy of happiness.” In the long run, the sum of those experiences made her realize she wanted to celebrate not only LGBTQ identities but all people who feel ostracized for their uniqueness, she said. “Knowing that this struggle was not unique to me,
Pride or even the LGBT community, I decided to create a brand that celebrates peoples’ differences.”
This time, it’s personal While the Be Your Own message applies to everyone, people who struggle with the opinions of others at the expense of their own hold a special place in the apparel founder’s heart. “I spent far too many years of my life worried about what other people thought of me,” Deutschler said. “I worked tirelessly to gain the approval of others, only to find an empty achievement when I received it.” As associate general counsel for a fintech company, Deutschler said she owes the apparel company to her BYO cohorts. Her friend Erin, also a queer woman in Corporate America, helped create the logos and designs. Deutschler’s wife of two years plays an important part, too. “Hannah has been CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer),” Deutschler said. “She has always been there to support my vision and encourage my pursuit of my passions.” In short, Be Your Own Apparel comes from the heart. It is also distinctly a product of Atlanta and its LGBTQ community, Deutschler said. “Before coming out, I struggled a lot with what my life would look like and where I would fit into society,” she shared. “I thought my idea of success was unattainable and I would have to forever hide
my true self and conform to the mainstream definition of beauty.” “I first experienced complete acceptance among the Atlanta LGBTQ+ community – more of a family,” she continued. “With the community’s love and support, I was able to build my confidence and find myself. After years of self-discovery, I learned the value of embracing my uniquities and living authentically.”
‘Nice hat!’ Be Your Own products – hats, t-shirts, tanks, raglans and more — are quite intentionally unisex and non-binary. “Whether you are femme or butch, gay or straight, male or female, queer or not, our products are for you,” Deutschler said. Encouraging people to “Define Yourself ” and “Be Your Own Original,” the product line sells itself, but there are some standouts. “The most popular product is our Be Your Own Original Scoop Tee in black,” Deutschler said. “My personal favorite product is the BYO Snapback, you can literally rock it with anything.” “Every time I wear Be Your Own, which is pretty much every day, I recall the struggles that I overcame and celebrate the community that stands with me,” she added. Deutshcler hopes to pass on that confidence to her customers and anyone who sees them wearing her gear. “My advice for anyone struggling to be their authentic self is, be your own,” Deutschler said. “Each person must live their truth and do what makes them happy. Being your own will not always be easy, but it will be worth it.” Visit BeYourOwnApparel.com, and follow on Instagram and Facebook. theQatl.com 9
BUSINESS
Q
Cheers!
Gay Atlanta couple takes over longtime Atlantic Station eatery By Patrick Saunders LONGTIME ATLANTIC GRILL PATRONS Sean Bishop and Reggie Stotts loved the restaurant so much, they bought it. Now the couple is in the process of making renovations that will bring the Atlantic Station eatery up to date without losing its neighborhood pub charm. “We’re committed to this place for 10 years, so I want to make sure we set it up for success,” Bishop told Project Q Atlanta.
Sean Bishop and Reggie Stotts
theQatl.com 11
ATLANTIC GRILL continued The couple have lived in Atlantic Station since
mantra that Atlantic Station had always talked
it opened in 2005. They quickly took a liking
about in the beginning. I could walk to work and
to the Atlantic Grill, which is one of only two of the development’s original restaurants still in operation. “This is the anomaly in Atlantic Station. It’s not corporate owned, it’s not a chain,” Bishop said. “There are regulars that have been coming for 10 or 11 years. It has that Cheers vibe.” The clientele is a diverse
enjoy doing what I do.” Bishop is now the full-time general manager at the restaurant. “I’m drinking from the firehose,” he said. “But business has been great actually.” His biggest obstacle is staffing. The employee shortage caused the restaurant to close Mondays and Tuesdays and close
mix of various ages, races
at 8 p.m. on week-
and sexual orientations.
days and 10 p.m. on
“We’ve got one guy in
weekends. But longtime
here Mr. Earl who’s
staffers have stuck
91 years old,” the new
around to make it work.
owner said. “He’s up
“I had a good core
here three days a week.
group of employees
He takes MARTA
that had been making
from the southside of Atlanta and takes the shuttle over.” Bishop got laid off last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic after a career in corporate marketing. Like many others, it gave him a chance to reassess what he wanted to do with the rest of his career. “I was leaning towards not getting myself laid off again,” he said. “I wanted to control my destiny from here on out.”
NEW LOOK, NEW MENU ON THE WAY An Atlantic Grill manager told Bishop and Stotts in January that the restaurant’s longtime owner was selling. They met with him the following
this place go for five, 10-plus years,” Bishop said. “I never would have considered buying it if I didn’t know the people I’d be managing and the staff I’d be inheriting.” Bishop hopes to start opening on Tuesdays after Labor Day. He already repainted and installed new TVs and a new sound system, and those aren’t the only changes in store. The restaurant plans to close in January to renovate the bathrooms and install new kitchen and bar equipment, seating, floors, lighting, patio and patio furniture. Bishop also wants to update the menu and then change it quarterly
month and closed on the sale in May.
after that.
“He had been running a very successful operation,”
“I’m loving it,” Bishop said. “I love being in here,
Bishop said. “And I could fulfill the live-work-play
and I love what I do.”
12 theQatl.com
Q
COVER NEWS
By Mike Fleming PRIDE IS SO CLOSE WE CAN JUST TASTE IT. After some disappointment about “official” events, now a plethora of people are ready to psyche you up for a big weekend of big plans. Stepping up are individuals, promoters and entertainers that LGBTQ Atlanta counts on all year. Naturally, the city’s most reliable gay and allied venues are also making sure they do more than their part. “Everyone was excited more so this year than the past years since Pride was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic,” said James Nelson, owner of X Midtown, who plans a packed schedule on the corner of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue on Oct. 7-12. “Everyone needs and deserves this social event.” That sentiment checks out with the bars down the 14 theQatl.com
road at Ansley, said Jay “Mother” Malloy at The Hideaway. “This year is so important to let the community know that Pride is alive and Pride is all around us,” Malloy told Q. “Saying ‘Pride is cancelled’ was a powerful message. It was in that moment that I said we need to do something to unite the community, but in a way that each person feels comfortable with.” To that end, Malloy aligned with his neighbors at Woofs, Midtown Moon, Felix’s, Oscar’s and more to create a safe and successful “Pride unity” with the slogan “Pride is All Around Us.” Safety was a keyword at Heretic, too, when the owners laid out Pride plans after the festival and parade went away for this year. The venue is among a collaborative of dance clubs for Pride and the rest of the year; all of them require vaccines or
Taste of
PRIDE Take a bite out of a packed Pride Weekend in Atlanta
the younger generations the struggles and the triumphs we’ve had within the LGBTQ community, particularly after the Stonewall riots.” Likewise, Malloy pointed to the significance of showing newly out people the strength and support of the community. Pride is about the legacy of queer culture, he said. “Our community has always been grassroots,” he said. “The celebration we seek is uniting us though our rich history of struggles, but also our success.”
BIG PLANS
Pride Weekend at X Midtown includes its annual packed outdoor party on Pride Sunday. The allday-and-night features circuit legend DJ Chris Cox and Grammy winning producer Dave Aude. Britney-look alike Rupaul alum Derrick Barry performs at X Midtown during the House of Legends show on Friday night. Saturday brings international mix master DJ Escape and RuGirl Kameron Michaels. For Pride at the Ansley bars, plans are percolating for some big fun. Look for tea dances, patio parties and amped up editions of favorite events at the participating venues. “We have the ability to do outdoor activities and indoor activities, so it’s going to be great,” Malloy said.
negative COVID tests for entry. “The community really needs a celebration right now,” Collins said. “We hope to help some folks blow off a little steam in as safe as an environment possible.”
PRIDE SPIRIT
Plans on tap for the big weekend include Out Night 2.0 at Georgia Aquarium on Oct. 7 and the annual gathering of hundreds in the Piedmont Park Meadow called Kween on the Green on Oct. 8. The “feeling” of Pride is alive and well in Atlanta, and it’s critical that every last L, G, B, T and Q keep it that way, Nelson said. “Pride is a symbol and a celebration of how far we have come,” he told us. “It allows older and younger generations to celebrate together while teaching
Heretic starts its weekend early with Country Pride on Thursday. DJ Dan Slater does Friday, and Brazilian stud Dani Brasil spins Saturday. The Perry Twins do the decks on Sunday night until 3 a.m. “We’ll be hosting two amazing events outdoors in addition to regular nighttime line up,” Collins said. Queen Butch Pride Tea is Saturday afternoon with Todd Terry, Ree de La Vega and William Francis. The Out & Proud Tea Dance on Sunday features a DILF underwear party and DJs James Anthony and Max Bruce. Of course, the future of Pride in Atlanta includes Pride at Future Atlanta. The city’s newest gay club hosts RuPride Cabarets with Kylie Sonique Love on Pride Friday and Kandy Muse on Pride Saturday. The club also plans to be a go-to for both primetime and afterhours dancing. Visit theQatl.com for more from these and other Pride planners and a growing list of October events in Atlanta. theQatl.com 15
theQatl.com 17
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18 theQatl.com
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Q Events
The Best LGBTQ Things to Do in Atlanta This Week THURSDAY, SEPT. 16 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, SEPT. 17
Hot Mess
The dance-pop party that only DJ Kimber and her gays can bring to a well-mixed crowd in East Atlanta @ The Basement, 10 p.m. basementatl.com
SATURDAY, SEPT. 18
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
The highly anticipated film adaptation of the most
fabulous West End musical starts streaming @ Prime Video, all month. primevideo.com F*ck It Friday
Drop in on a full day and night of anything goes. When the sun goes down, find DJ Mr. Richard
on deck @ Hideaway, 2 p.m. – 3 a.m. facebook.com/ atlantahideaway
The Eyes of Tammy Faye You will not recognize Jessica Chastain and Andrew
Garfield as they
transform into the
soaring, disgraced,
partially redeemed
and gay-loving PTL
televangelists @ area theatres and On Demand, out today. searchlightpictures.com
Race Against Time Gay activist and author Keith Boykin joins an online discussion of his book subtitled The Politics of a Darkening America with CNN contributor Ted Winn. Charis hosts @ Zoom, 4 p.m. charisbooksandmore.com LOBO Party It’s the first “Lights Out, Barks Out” puppy blackout for your furry and kink side. DJ Jake Maxwell brings the fun @ Heretic, 10:30 p.m. hereticatlanta.com
SUNDAY, SEPT. 19 Bottoms Up! RuPaul out-of-towner Aiden Zane joins two of the show’s Atlanta legends Trinity K. Bonet, Tamisha Iman and Nicole Paige Brooks for the September iteration of Wussy’s brunch cast @ City Winery, 11:30 a.m. wussymag.com Find the full weekend calendar of LGBTQ events each Thursday at theQatl.com theQatl.com 19
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MENAGERIE AT OUT FRONT THEATRE
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
Q SHOTS
PHOTOS BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD
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PHALLUS PALACE AT HERETIC
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
Q SHOTS
PHOTOS BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD
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Q SHOTS
PHOTOS BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD
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LILY WHITE MEMORIAL AT HERETIC
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
on tA ve .N E dm Pi e
4
9
11th St. NE
8
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Amsterdam Ave.
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14th St. NE
12th St. NE
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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
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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
Lin
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Dr.
1 Piedmont Ave. 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
3
5
4. Oscar’s 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
tA ve .N E on m ed
Dr. NE
Pi
5. Barking Leather 1510 Piedmont Ave NE 6. Boy Next Door 1447 Piedmont Ave NE
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
Morningside Dr. NE
Pied
r. N eD
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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
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Q Advice
White
NOISE
‘Reverse racism,’ ‘black friends’ and learning to listen
Q
I pride myself on promoting love and equality. No sooner than I espoused my views in a public forum on racism that mean-spirited comments calling me racist came from people who do not know me or my message of love. All because I’m white.
Prides Matter.” These are classic tell-tale signs of explaining yourself instead of accepting your complicity in a systemically racist society.
In my effort to bring everyone together, I railed on black guys who won’t date white guys. I questioned black-male only HIV services. I rejected the need for black-centric events like Black Gay Pride, saying “All Prides Matter.”
Black and brown voices are the only voices that matter on the topic, and therein lies the point. Even the messages from your African American friends who backed your diatribe fit the rulebook — they can say it, you can’t.
Those who responded negatively waited until I failed miserably, then they attacked. Isn’t that reverse racism?
We are all products and perpetuators of a racist system that tells white people they have a voice about decisions that black people make on race. Many white people try so hard to prove they’re not racist that they don’t listen to what makes them racist — yes, even if you think your heart’s in the right place.
I have since learned a lot about my mistakes. Could I have said it differently? Yes. But besides the negative responses, I have also received positive, supportive messages from my African American friends. My friends know who I am. I am a loving being. This one incident should not discount my history. I am not a racist. I don’t discriminate. Dear Still Talking: I hear you trying. The trouble is that you conjure textbook racist justifications in the process. For starters, the concept of “reverse racism” is itself racist. You cling to it even after the response you got for it the first time. White people aren’t oppressed, so “reverse racism” doesn’t exist and is an insult. Ask someone of color besides your friends. Read an article or book on the subject. It’s beyond cliché at this point to say “I have black friends” and “All
White people have had their say on race for centuries. They are used to having their voices heard on every issue that strikes their fancy. When public voices on racial oppression come from those who are oppressed, white narratives often shout over them. One of those is the “white savior” droning on about how “we should all just get along.” But rather than focusing on reactions, look inward. How can you truly atone for mistakes and get right not with other people, but with yourself? Getting past this with lessons in tow is the way to make sure you only have to go through this pain once. The Q is for entertainment, not counseling. Send burning Qs to mike@theQatl.com. ILLUSTRATION BY BRAD GIBSON
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