November 4, 2021
Pull Up Sweatpants Season in Queer Atlanta
Buzzing ‘Bout Buzz & His ABetterBuzz Brand History Tour Reveals GayTL’s Prolific Past One-Man Show From Hollywood to Atlanta
In the NOW
PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE collide in the moment in this issue of Q ATLus.
If we’re not pedaling through LGBTQ history on a new Atlanta bicycle tour, we’re flashing back through decades of a local legend. If we’re not
revisiting recent party photos, we’re looking ahead to a new era with a gay business owner.
It’s a lot, so it helps sometimes to refocus on the now and express gratitude.
That’s why in addition to all of the above community features, 10 Q Things
stops and smells the gray sweatpants. Um, our cover feature takes a moment to appreciate a few of our favorite things about November.
To keep you in the moment, or not too far from it, Q Events lists a really great selection for your must-do list this week. As always, our weekly
features also include juicy tidbits in Q Advice, two pages of Q Shots pics,
a self-guided Q Map and the promise of the freshest news and information every day at theQatl.com.
Share your thoughts with us via Instagram, Facebook or Twitter messages, or hit our inbox info@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
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 47 NOVEMBER 4, 2021
BUZZ BIZ
Gay Graphic Tee Co. Gets Physical
COVER
8
18
Sweatpant Season
These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things
11
14
COMMUNITY
STAGE
Pedaling through LGBTQ ATL History
His Hollywood – Atlanta Journey
Bike Tour
10 Q Things....................8
Life & Times
Q ADVICE
Q Community...............11
Cagey
Q Business.....................18
Is He Trapped in This Marriage?
Q Stage..........................14 Q Events.......................21 Q Shots.........................23 Q Advice.......................29 6 theQatl.com
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30 years
DID YO U KNOW ?
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Q
10 THINGS
Cuddling
It’s
Gray Sweatpants
A few Favorite things about Hats
November
Scarves The Leaves
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Beach Body Rebuffed
COOL
Boots
Firesides
TV is Back Sweata Weatha
theQatl.com 9
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COMMUNITY
Q
History on WHEELS
Take the new bike tour of queer Atlanta history
nightlife, politics, public health and more.
By Patrick Saunders
The tour is the brainchild of BTA owner Robyn Elliott and Charlie Paine, chair of Historic Atlanta’s LGBTQ History Preservation Committee.
CRITICAL MOMENTS, PEOPLE AND PLACES in LGBTQ Atlanta history are under a new spotlight. A three-hour, eight-mile excursion from Bicycle Tours of Atlanta showcases pivotal points in the story of LGBTQ Atlanta activism,
“This information can sometimes really be heavy for people,” Paine told Project Q Atlanta. “This provides the information in a format that is enjoyable, that allows you to explore the city in a positive Antonio Brown way. It’s really fun.” theQatl.com 11
Q
NEWS BIKE TOUR continued FATEFUL MEETING The idea for an LGBTQ Atlanta bike tour first came to Elliott in June 2015 while taking part in the popular monthly bike ride Critical Mass. That month’s ride happened to fall on the day that the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. “We made our way through the celebration at the intersection of 10th and Piedmont,” she said. “I was hit by the magnitude of what had happened. I don’t remember ever seeing that much joy before. The idea of a tour came to mind because I knew there was so much I didn’t know.” It wasn’t until Elliott met Paine at a mutual friend’s house in 2019 that she met the right person to champion the project. “His love for history, passion for preservation and personal experience would be the right mix to curate the content for this tour,” she said. The pair began meeting the following year to talk about the history and discuss potential routes. The tour finally launched in September.
‘IT PROVIDES PERSPECTIVE’
Stops on the Atlanta Queer History Tour include the former Atlanta Eagle site, the King Center, bars that gave drag legend RuPaul his start, the first funeral home to accept victims of HIV/ AIDS, early LGBTQ-friendly churches and lesser-known venues. The site that resonates most so far is at 811 Ponce de Leon Place, Paine said. It’s the former home of Michael Hardwick, the gay Atlanta man whose 1982 arrest for sodomy would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. “When you start seeing how an officer of the Atlanta Police Department charged Hardwick with sodomy in his own home and it went to the Supreme Court and they upheld the sodomy law in 1986, it’s kind of baffling, especially for the 12 theQatl.com
younger LGBTQ generations that don’t remember this,” Paine said. The Supreme Court overturned that ruling in 2003. Hardwick died of complications from AIDS in 1991. “I believe the tour will be meaningful in different ways to different people,” Elliott said. “For some, it will be inspiring to learn who the pioneers were, who was shaking things up and who was paving the way for queer Atlantans to have a voice and place in our city.” “For those of us who are interested in learning more about the culture and gaining a better understanding of the challenges that faced — and continue to face — our friends and loved ones in the LBGTQ+ community, it provides perspective,” she added. Another option for LGBTQ history buffs is a burgeoning tour by Touching Up Our Roots. The project offers self-guided audio tours through downtown, Little Five Points and the Ponce de Leon Avenue corridor. The maps and audio tours are free and available at tuorqueeratlanta. org. Touching Up Our Roots is also working on a route covering the Monroe Drive and Cheshire Bridge Road corridor. Visit biketoursatl.com. Bikes, helmets, snacks and bottled water are provided for the $65 fee. The next LGBTQ history tour dates are Nov. 6, 13 and 26.
ANNOUNCING THE INAUGURAL
BENEFITTING THE CLIENT EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FUND New for Fall 2021 is an afterwork evening event using cutting edge technolo-gy on a traditional outdoor fun time. AID Atlanta is hosting a New for Fall 2021 is an afterwork evening event using cutting edge technoloroaring 2021 ‘putt-putt’ golf tournament at Puttshack in Atlanta. gy on a traditional outdoor fun time. AID Atlanta is hosting a roaring 2021
‘putis t-p‘in uttdoors’ ’ golf ,to urn9-hole ament aand t Pu18-hole ttshack ihole n Atloptions, anta. The entire event has N e w f o r F a l l 2 0 2 1 i s a n a f t e r w o r k e v e n i n g e v e n t u s ing Mini cutting edge tech delicious food, cold and plentiful drinks, and adult beverages. The entire event is ‘in doors’, has 9-hole and 18-hole hole options, delicious g y o n a t r a d i t i o n a l o u t d o o r f u n t i m e . A I D A t l a n t a i s h o sting a roaring 2 in aNovem-ber fGolfing ood, cold nd plentiful isdrcomfortable, inks, and aduand lt beuses veragthe es.latest Mini in Gotechnology lfing in Novem‘ p u t t p u t t ’ g o l f t o u r n a m e n t a t P u t t s h a c k i n lainnntae.rs. tobetrack r is cthe omfwinners. ortable, and uses the latest in technology to track thA e tw
•THE TOURNAMENT HOST IS PUTTSHACK AT THE INTERLOCK The entire TehveeTnotuirsna‘im n ednot oHross’t, h leckhole options, deli isaPsu9 tt-shho aclek aatnTdhe18 In-theo rlo food, cold anNOVEMBER d plentiful 11 drFROM inks, a6:00 nd aPM dultTO be8:30 veraPM ges. Mini Golfing in No •THURSDAY, ber is coTmhfuorrstdaabyl,eN, oavnedmbuesre1s 1thfreom lat6e:s0t0inPMtetcoh8n:o3l0ogPyMto track the winn •TEAMS OF FOUR PLAYERS TAKE THE COURSE AND PLAY Teams of four players take the course and play •18-HOLES FOR 1e8T-hoouOR lern s af9-HOLES omr e$n2t6H 0ooFOR o Th$260 srt9i-sh$180 Pluetstsfohra$c1k8a0t The Interlock •THIS IS A FAMILY-FRIENDLY ThursdTahyi,sNisoavEVENT efammbiley-rfr1ie1ndflryoemve6n:t00 PM to 8:30 PM guests under 21 welcome in the venue until 8:00 PM •GUESTS UNDER 21 WELCOME IN THE VENUE UNTIL 8:00 PM Teams of four players take the course and play Have questions? Need More Information? esaifdoartl$a2 9r -4h0o4le-8s7f0o-r7$71 Contaquestions? ct: jon1 .s8 an-h toosl@ t6a0 .oro groInformation? 68 30 Have Need nMore
This is a family-friendly event
Contact: jon.santos@aidatlanta.org guests under 21 welcome in thor e v404-870-7763 enue until 8:00 PM
REGISTER Have questioONLINE ns? Need MoAT re Information? C o n t a c t : j o n . s a n t o s @ a i d a t l a n t a . o r g or 404-870-7763 WWW.AIDATLANTA.ORG/MINIGOLF
Q
STAGE
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Show TIME!
Gay Atlanta’s own Mitchell Anderson debuts one-man show By Patrick Saunders
EMMY-NOMINATED ACTOR AND ATLANTA restauranteur Mitchell Anderson reflects on his life and unique career in the one-man cabaret-style show “You Better Call Your Mother,” opening Nov. 4 at Synchronicity Theater. The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and Anderson’s 60th birthday this year sparked the idea for the show. He told Project Q Atlanta that writing it was “super therapeutic.” “There’s a way to look at your past and create the story of your past and really learn from it, learn how the relationships that guided you, that pushed you forward, really made your life,” Anderson said. And it’s been quite an interesting life. Anderson owns the popular Midtown eateries MetroFresh and continues a decades-long career in Hollywood. He came out as gay to friends and family in the 1980s while trying to make it as a leading man in Los Angeles. “That central conflict of my mid-20s was incredibly challenging,” Anderson said. TV fans know Anderson best for playing Richard Carpenter in “The Karen Carpenter Story,” a doctor alongside Neil Patrick Harris on “Doogie Howser, M.D.” and the gay violin teacher Ross Werkman on “Party of Five.” In 1996, Anderson came out publicly at the GLAAD Awards. The immediate aftermath brought the titular line of the new stage show — “You Better Call Your Mother.” “As a result, I was able to gain the respect of my parents and I think some of my peers and find a love and a partnership that’s lasted 25 years with
Richie [Arpino, the Atlanta salon owner and photographer],” he said.
With the MetroFresh eateries thriving, a late-career resurgence including a role on the Emmy Award-winning Amazon Prime series “After Forever.” Anderson also picked up an acting Emmy nomination in the process. He is scheduled to film the third season next spring.
Tickets going fast Anderson started writing “You Better Call Your Mother” in January. Rewrites, refinements and rehearsals followed. He brought on theater veterans Courtenay Collins as director and Bill Newberry as music director. “Both Bill and Courtenay when they read the script totally got it, understood it and got super excited about it,” Anderson said. “For someone like me who is stepping up there and putting myself on the line, it was nice to have that amazing support.” The show features a series of monologues that touch on different parts of his life. “At the end of each monologue is a song that comes out of the emotion of the monologue,” Anderson said. Theatergoers can expect pop songs, standards and Broadway showtunes throughout. “Stuff that I just love and wanted to sing,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll make people laugh and make people cry and really relate to their own lives.” Tickets for “You Better Call Your Mother” are going fast. Opening night on Nov. 4 and the Nov. 6 show are already sold out. Tickets are still available for the Nov. 5 and 7 shows. Anderson will do talkbacks with the audience after the Nov. 5 and 6 shows. “ You Better Call Your Mother” plays Nov. 4-7 at Synchronicity Theater. Visit the theater online for tickets and COVID-19 protocols. MetroFresh also offers specially priced meals at both locations prior to the evening performances and before or after the Nov. 7 matinee. theQatl.com 15
Q
BUSINESS
Better
BUZZ
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Gay Atlanta apparel retailer ABETTERBUZZ debuts first physical store By Patrick Saunders POPULAR GAY-OWNED ONLINE STORE ABETTERBUZZ Brand Goods reached a milestone this month with the opening of its first brick-and-mortar store. ABETTERBUZZ was one of three businesses that the Decatur Downtown Development Authority chose to be a part of its retail incubator program. The apparel store opened on Oct. 15 alongside Dope Coffee Company and Royal Thanaka Natural Skincare at 431 West Ponce de Leon Avenue. ABETTERBUZZ will be able to test its concepts in the space for six months, according to founder and creative director Buzz Busbee. One of the businesses will then take over the lease permanently. “This is probably the best way possible for us to figure out what shape ABETTERBUZZ wants to take in the future without having to invest too much into it, especially still being very much in the middle of COVID,” Busbee told Project Q Atlanta. ABETTERBUZZ launched online in 2016 with a selection of t-shirts, tank tops, headwear and other accessories. The designs — from the various bear insignias to slogans proclaiming “GayTL,” “Don’t Be A Dick,” “The Queers,” “Bless Your Heart” and “Welcome to Beautiful Blue Georgia” — became familiar mainstays around Atlanta. Beyond the new physical store, ABETTERBUZZ stays busy on the pop-up shop scene. They also sponsor benefit and celebration events. Some of the line can be found locally at Brushstrokes, Home Grown and The Beehive.
‘I kind of pinch myself’ Busbee was a corporate art director for Starbucks and used that experience doing branding for the coffee giant to put together the Decatur location of ABETTERBUZZ.
“So we were able to get the space to fit to tell our story the way we wanted to and display our products the way we wanted to,” he said. “We’re super proud of the way it looks.” Plans for the store include hosting events over the next six months to draw more people in. ABETTERBUZZ’s growth over the last five years was more than Busbee expected. “We just started it as an experiment,” he said. “I still had my full-time job when it started and was doing this on the side. As the years have gone by, it’s demanded more attention as we’ve been able to grow.” He’s proud of keeping the business’s brand integrity intact over the years and to continue raising money for worthy causes. “I kind of pinch myself throughout this process and am just pleasantly surprised that we’re growing this the way we want to grow it and are super grateful for all the support,” Busbee said. “We think it’s our responsibility to push that forward to other places that need it as well.” ABETTERBUZZ Brand Goods is open at 431 West Ponce de Leon Avenue in Decatur from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, plus 12 noon – 5 p.m. on Sunday. Visit abetterbuzzbrandgoods.com. theQatl.com 19
Q Events
The Best LGBTQ Things to Do in Atlanta This Week THURSDAY, NOV. 4 You Better Call Your Mother
Mitchell Anderson’s collection of monologues and songs about his extraordinary journey takes the stage @ Synchronicity Theater, evening performances through Saturday with a Sunday matinee on Nov. 7. Read our preview in this issue. synchrotheatre.com
FRIDAY, NOV. 5
Calavera It wouldn’t be Fuego if it wasn’t extra hot. The Fuego party crew returns with a Day of the Dead costume circuit party featuring DJ Alan Capetillo @ Heretic, 10 p.m. hereticatlanta.com
SATURDAY, NOV. 6
Randy A state of heightened libido inspires the latest tea dance series from Mike Woodside and Alan Collins. DJ Roland Belmares foments the action @ Heretic, 3 p.m. hereticatlanta.com Charis Anniversary Has a lot happened since 1974? Oh yeah. Is the uninterrupted literary oasis of Atlanta’s lesbian bookstore one of them? Yup. Can you get book discounts and cake to celebrate 47 years? Also yes @ Charis Books & More, all day. charisbooksandmore.com
Emerald City
420 queen Laganja Estranja lights up the first of two Wussy events and smokes you like you need to be smoked @ My Sister’s Room, 10 p.m. mysistersroom.com
SUNDAY, NOV. 7 Bottoms Up!
Laganja Estranja rolls out of bed and packs your brunch bowl with her second ATL show of the weekend @ City Winery, 11:30 a.m. wussymag.com
TUESDAY, NOV. 9
PALS Dolly Parton Bingo Fluff up your hair and push up your boobs. Pets Are Loving Support’s drag bingo does Dolly this month @ Lips, 7:30 p.m. palsatlanta.org
Intentional Impact Learn how to create equity for Trans and Gender-nonconforming employees with this online seminar sponsored by the LGBTQ Institute @ Facebook Live, 12 noon. linktr.ee/LGBTQinstitute
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10 Garrison Starr The lesbian powerhouse voice that brings all the girlies to the yard headlines @ Eddie’s Red Clay Music Foundry, 7:30 p.m. eddieowenpresents.com
Find the full weekend calendar of LGBTQ events each Thursday at theQatl.com theQatl.com 21
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SUNDAY BRUNCH AT LIPS
Q SHOTS
Roy Mead
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
PHOTOS BY RUSS BOWEN-YOUNGBLOOD
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WUSSY SHALLOWEEN AT MY SISTER’S ROOM
Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com
Q SHOTS
PHOTOS BY LAURA BACCUS
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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
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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
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7. Flex 76 4th St NW
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Glen Iris Dr. NE
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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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3. Midtown Moon 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
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Q Advice
I Want OUT!
Whether it’s an abusive relationship or a mean bully, here are some steps for freeing yourself
Q
My hus-bear of less than two years wants a divorce. He blames me, and I acknowledge mistakes on my part. Still, I feel that he played a role and that we only need counseling. He says he didn’t know everything about me when we got married. I admit that we rushed into it. I can be overly sensitive, take too long to make decisions, and afraid of conflict. He hates that. I cry when I’m upset. He hates that more. I get his concerns, but even things beyond my control become triggers for him to lash out. He is insensitive at best, mean at worst, and never willing to look at his own actions or shortcomings. Still, to me marriage is forever. How can I get him to work it out? Dear PTSD: What you’re describing is abuse. Even if he never lifts a finger against you, he’s doing psychological damage. Your husband has you convinced that your natural reactions are faults, and you blame yourself for inherent aspects of your personality. That’s not good. You’re right that he plays a role in your marital issues, because he’s a partner in the relationship too, not a bystander. He exacerbates any problems with inappropriate attacks. That said, don’t focus on him. There’s been enough of that. Focus on what you can do. Your instinct for counseling is a good one, though maybe with a tweak. It sounds
like he may be uncooperative and unwilling. Go to counseling anyway, even if it’s alone. Read your letter above out loud when you get there. It contains all a professional needs to start helping you. I like where your head is about divorce in general. Too many couples rush to start and end relationships. But “marriage is forever” can’t mean “stuck no matter what.” In this case. His desire for divorce may be exactly you need.
Q
It seems everyone is offended by everything these days. How do I handle someone who is actually being an offensive bully without making a scene? Dear Hurt: First, make sure that you’re not being overly sensitive to what may just be someone else’s opinion. You’ve heard opinions are like assholes: Everyone has one, and only a few people, if any, actually want to see it. Sometimes showing yours just leaves two assholes out for all to see. Think about drawing the line if someone is disparaging others based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or physical condition, among others. Consider that the offender might be uninformed. Ask, “Do you know how that sounds?” If they clearly do and continue, go ahead and make a scene. If you do, calculate it for their ability to hear it and your own safety from the fallout. The Q is for entertainment, not counseling. Send burning Qs to mike@theQatl.com. ILLUSTRATION BY BRAD GIBSON
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