January July14, 23,2021 2020 July 16, 2020
Ru Gurl
Get to Know Atlanta’s LaLa Ri
Got Blues (and Blondes) To Brighten Winter Looks 10 Things LGBTQ ATL Can Do About Racism Let’s Cure Matchmaking & Not ‘Single & Looking’
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COLOR Story
BUSTING NORMS and breaking barriers are part and parcel for
LGBTQ Atlanta. This week’s Q ATLus keeps it going with a look at individual expressions in bold and beautiful color.
The radiant figure on our cover is coloring the world and becoming
more well-known by the week. Meet local RuPaul queen LaLa Ri in our interview. Speaking of Black beauty, 10 Things lists an action plan that every LGBTQ person of every race can do every day to end racism.
You could help the long, dark winter pass with hair looks featuring pops of personality. Ever worn blue hair or green highlights to the grocery store? It’ll change your life, and you can see it in action in Q Trends.
We know, we know. You count on Q for more. We got you. Q News
finds a fight to ban conversion therapy in Georgia, Q Advice finds you
single and looking, and Q Events lists options to take your mind off all of the above.
But you’re insatiable. Find a cacophony of colorful content every day
on our social feeds and at theQatl.com, and write mike@theQatl.com with your ideas for future coverage.
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 8
JANUARY 14, 2021
HAIR DO YOU
Dyeing to Brighten Winter
COVER
14
18
Fa LaLa
LaLa Ri Starts Her Engine
8
11
10 Q THINGS
NEWS
Ending Racism One Act at a Time
Georgia’s Conversion Therapy Battle
Good Fight
Teen Angst
10 Q Things.....................8
Q ADVICE
Q News..........................11
Matchmaking
Q Trends.........................18 Q Events........................24 Q Map............................26 Q Advice........................28 6 theQatl.com
These Setups are Embarrassing
28
Q
10 THINGS
10 Things You Can Do What everyone of every race can do every day to actively end racism
Educate Yourself
Listen
Challenge Racism
Don’t diminish others’ experiences by comparing your own hardships or struggles. Ears open, mouth shut, mind on healing.
Remember It’s Not About You
Don’t express your own lack of racism when the topic comes up. It’s not extraordinary; it’s mandatory.
Postcards and Letters 8 theQatl.com
Other people are not your encyclopedia. People of color or of other backgrounds than you aren’t here to further your understanding. Find appropriate times and ask permission to “interview” people. You’re not “respecting” that old uncle by avoiding or ignoring him. If necessary, learn how to engage without escalating.
Privilege Check
What does it mean to be white? What allowances, opportunities and assumptions do you get automatically that you may not have previously recognized?
To FIGHT Further Visibility
With intention, include diverse peoples in your work, your play, your discussions, your acknowledgements, your spaces.
Be Yourself Well, unless that self is racist. Find opportunities to further the cause that fit your personality and interests. Incorporate it into the life you already lead.
No Medal for You Don’t expect congratulations or rewards for doing the right thing. It’s not other people’s job to approve or certify your edification.
RACISM Witness Out Loud
If you hear racist remarks or see discrimination in action, speak up. Let everyone else know you heard and are not OK with it, and learn to do so in productive, defusing ways.
When Talking, Ask Questions
If engaged on the topic of racism, ask open ended questions. Admit you might not know everything. Repeat what you’ve heard, and ask if you’re getting it right.
theQatl.com 9
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NEWS
Q
Big
BATTLE
LGBTQ advocates fight to ban conversion therapy in Georgia
By Matt Hennie LGBTQ ADVOCATES ARE RENEWING A push to make Georgia first in the South to ban conversion therapy. They hope to add the state to the list of 20 that already outlaw the controversial practice. The effort comes despite a recent federal court ruling throwing out conversion therapy bans in two Florida cities. The November ruling from a three-judge panel of the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The LGBTQ lawmaker who introduced a bill curtailing conversion therapy in Georgia in 2019 said there is bipartisan support for the legislation. “I absolutely plan on reintroducing the bill,” said state Rep. Matthew Wilson, a Democrat from Brookhaven. “Despite the 11th Circuit’s opinion, our bipartisan efforts will continue.” Wilson introduced the Youth Mental Health Protection Act in 2019. It proposed banning Alexa Bryant, Georgia professional counselors in the state from providing Equality Development & treatment to change sexual orientation or gender Communications Coordinator
identity for anyone under the age of 18. Lawmakers vetted the bill during the first-ever hearing on conversion therapy, but the measure stalled. “We have not changed the language of our bill. It is going to be the same language as it was last time. And that language has been endorsed by every professional medical association in the state as well as the American Medical Association,” Wilson said. “The science on this issue is unanimous that these practices are harmful to LGBTQ youth,” he added.
HIGH PRIORITY
Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, said the 11th Circuit’s decision hasn’t changed his organization’s priority for the 2021 legislative session. “We feel that, frankly, this is a bill that addresses some of the issues that the 11th Circuit put forward, and we would hope that the Georgia Legislature would see it that way,” Graham said. Graham said he wants lawmakers to hold a hearing on the legislation, as they did in 2019, to allow supporters of the conversion therapy ban “to present our case.” theQatl.com 11
CONVERSION THERAPY continued “This is a practice that has been discredited by the medical profession very broadly. The state of Georgia should follow the 20 or 21 other states that have already outlawed this practice through its regulatory powers to do that,” he said. Introducing the bill in 2019 was part of a multiyear strategy that stalled in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers return for the start of a new two-year session on Jan. 11, so bills must be refiled and start the legislative process again. Wilson is gunning for a vote on the issue this time around. “I am hopeful that we’ll have public bipartisan support this year when the bill is reintroduced. We are going to really push to get the bill through the committee and to the House floor,” Wilson said.
tion. Judge Beverly Martin dissented and cited “a mountain of rigorous evidence” that conversion therapy is harmful. In December, Boca Raton and Palm Beach County asked for the full 11th Circuit to rehear the case. The conservative court often rules against LGBTQ equality issues, including in the case of Gerald Bostock. The Clayton County man fired for being gay lost in the 11th Circuit ruled against Bostock twice before the U.S. Supreme Court sided with him in a landmark decision for LGBTQ equality in 2020.
State Rep. Matthew Wilson (D-Brookhaven)
When lawmakers vetted Wilson’s legislation during a 2019 hearing from a subcommittee of the House Regulated Industries committee, at least one lawmaker criticized the bill.
Grant, with a lengthy anti-LGBTQ record, was a Georgia Supreme Court justice before Donald Trump appointed her to the 11th Circuit in 2018. U.S. Sen. David Perdue voted for her when the Senate approved her nomination with a 52-44 vote. Lambda Legal condemned the 11th Circuit’s decision striking down the conversion therapy bans.
“Laws prohibiting this dangerous Rep. Ginny Ehrhart, a historically Georgia Equality Executive practice have withstood legal chalanti-trans Republican from Powder lenges in numerous courts,” Kevin Director Jeff Graham Springs, repeatedly questioned why Jennings, Lambda’s CEO, said in a gender identity was included in the legislation. prepared statement. “[The] decision is a marked She said sexual orientation and gender identity departure from precedent and an incredibly dan“are diametrically different conditions with diagerous decision for our youth.” metrically different treatments.” Wilson also criticized the decision. He called the At the time of the last bill, Mayor Keisha Lance 11th Circuit’s decision “an outlier.” Bottoms and Atlanta City Council called on the state to end conversion therapy and the “persecution and suffering” it brings to LGBTQ Georgians.
‘I AM ALARMED BY THE 11TH CIRCUIT OPINION’
In November, a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court struck down conversion therapy bans put in place in Boca Raton and Palm Beach County, Florida. Judges Britt Grant and Barbara Lagoa ruled that the bans restricted free speech and were nothing more than content discrimina12 theQatl.com
“I am alarmed by the 11th Circuit opinion. It’s been brought through the federal courts at least five different times. And this is the only court that has held it to be unconstitutional,” he said. “The 11th Circuit is really far afield from not only where the science is on this issue, but also where the law is and where other circuit courts and the Supreme Court are on this issue. But by no means is it going to stop us from pushing forward,” Wilson added.
Q
COVER
“The city has always been supportive of me, and I’m forever grateful!”
Photo by Keilan Scott Photos Q ATLus cover photo by David Martinez
14 theQatl.com
Who’s That
GIRL?
Get to know RuPaul’s Drag Race queen LaLa Ri By Mike Fleming AS A 13TH CROP OF QUEENS GOES FOR broke on RuPaul’s Drag Race, yet again Atlanta boasts not one, but two talented contestants in the mix.
One of them is the young, energetic live performance phenom LaLa Ri, aka gay Atlanta native LaRico Potts. The full-time drag queen started drag only three years ago, so making the show made her “overjoyed, ecstatic and nervous,” she said. “RuPaul is a pure goddess that I believe honestly knows everything,” LaLa told us about meeting the legend. “I could sit and listen to him all day, because he has so much knowledge and wisdom.” The 30-year-old local expressed equal appreciation for other Atlanta-bred queens with long careers. That goes for her fellow Season 13 contestant, a multiple-title holder and glamour goddess with decades of experience in drag pageants. “I am very happy to be representing my city with another Atlanta queen, Tamisha Iman,” LaLa said. “Two ATL girls in one season— go off!”
Bey & Bawdy
succeed in this industry,” she said. “All of the talent shows we have here are great ways for new queens to learn the ropes and become polished.” Q photographers have caught LaLa in recent years as a performer in the Other Show, the Icon party series and Queerly Beloved Revue at My Sister’s Room, to name just a few. An exceptional dancer with moves and energy to spare, LaLa cites Beyonce as an inspiration, both in performance style and work ethic. True to that aesthetic, LaLa can bring down the house if given the chance, she said. “LaLa Ri is a showstopping showgirl,” she said. “She is known for high-energy performances. She is sexy, but classy with a little ratchet side. She is the one serving you ‘bawdy!’”
Atlanta Rules LaLa and Tamisha joined a long list of Atlanta queens on Drag Race. Nina Bonina Brown made a mark on Season 9. Atlanta native and Savannah living Dax Exclamationpoint took an early exit in episode 2 of Season 8. They followed Violet Chachki, who of course won Season 7. Trinity K. Bonet had an emotional journey all the way to the ninth episode of Season 6, which was then a record for Atlanta queens.
LaLa also credited her predecessors with bolstering her career, and for turning Atlanta into a breeding ground for both drag and Drag Race.
There was also Nicole Paige Brooks (who left on Season 2, episode 2), Sonique (Season 2, episode 4), Phoenix (Season 3, episode 2) and Mariah Paris Balenciaga (Season 3, episode 6).
“I love the fact that the icons in this city that came before me don’t mind giving you the tips to
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 13 airs Saturdays on VH1, 8 p.m. theQatl.com 15
Q
TRENDS
Winter BLUES 18 theQatl.com
COLOR BLOCK Fashionable queers let their hair put much-needed color into the bleak midwinter By Mike Fleming
Atlanta Eagle Owner Richard Ramey
theQatl.com 19
COLOR TRENDS continued
20 theQatl.com
BLONDE Ambitions theQatl.com 21
Q Events COLOR TRENDS continued
Pretty in PINK
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GREEN Lighted 22 theQatl.com
Q Events FRIDAY, JAN. 15 Black Ice Another Code Red Party, but this time wear black. The Ru finalist from Season 1 who parlayed her fame into circuit spinning, DJ Nina Flowers takes the controls @ Heretic, 10 p.m. hereticatlanta.com
24 theQatl.com
The Best LGBTQ Things to Do in Atlanta This Week THURSDAY, JAN. 14 2021 Vision Board Party Southern Fried Queer Pride rallies the troops online to envision, build and manifest its 2021 lineup @ Zoom, 7 p.m. southernfriedqueerpride.com
Pop! DJ Nova does the music and video party gays and gals need @ Blake’s 9 p.m. blakesontheparkatlanta.com Time for Kenny Brian Pinkney celebrates his newest kids’ picture book with Charis as hosts @ Crowdcast, 3:30 p.m. charisbooksandmore.com
SUNDAY, JAN. 17
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, JAN. 15 Fem Friday The backyard and patio are open for women who love women who love open-air parties, with two socially distanced and masked levels indoors @ My Sister’s Room, Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m. – 3 a.m. mysistersroom.com
SATURDAY, JAN. 16
Dreamland DJs Sam Gee and Joe Pacheco take you where you want to go. Fill ‘er up in this Andrew Christian event @ Heretic, 10 p.m. hereticatlanta.com Sunday Funday Gather on the refreshed patio and re-branded corner hotspot for food and drinks @ X Midtown (formerly Ten Atlanta), 4 p.m. - 12 midnight. facebook.com/xmidtownx
Winter Pride MLK Weekend always heats up with LGBTQ reverence and revelry. Check out four days and nights of events around town, including trans diva Sidney Starr @ Microtel Inn on Saturday. wassupnatl.com, rockstarsproduction.com
Booze & Beats MSR does what they do with a few extras for Sunday funday. Knock back $3 mimosas while you enjoy DJs and brunch @ My Sister’s Room, all day. mysistersroom.com theQatl.com 25
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Bars
Restaurants North Ave. NW
North Ave. NW
Clubs Retail/Services
Not Shown
1. Amsterdam Cafe 502 Amsterdam Ave. NE
8. Flex 76 4th St NW
2. Blakes on the Park 227 10th St. NE
9. Henry’s Midtown Tavern 132 10th St NE
Mary’s 1287 Glenwood Ave SE
10. Joe’s on Juniper Ralph McGill Blvd. NE 1049 Juniper St NE
Sister Louisa’s 466 Edgewood Ave SE
4. Friends on Ponce 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE 5. My Sister’s Room 84 12th St
11. Zocalo Mexican Kitchen & Cantina 187 10th St NE Highland Ave. NE
6. X Midtown 990 Piedmont Ave. NE
12. Barking Leather After Dark 306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE (inside Eagle)
7. Atlanta Eagle 306 Ponce De Leon Ave NE
13. Urban Body Fitness 500 Amsterdam Ave NE
26 theQatl.com
Future (Opens July 3) 50 Lower Alabama St SW, Suite 180 Glen Iris Dr. NE
3. Bulldogs Bar 893 Peachtree St NE
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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
St. Charles Ave.
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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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theQatl.com 27
Q Advice
Single & LOOKING Advice for queer matchmakers and the terminally single
Q
I was already sick of straight friends and family trying to set me up on dates. Now my queer friends are in on it, pushing their work colleagues and random acquaintances on me.
your perfect pairing are somebody else’s freaks.
On the other hand, if you’re down for a blind date, ask the friend or family member a qualifying question: “Would you be flattered if I set him up with you?”
Q
I’ve been single for a long time. I want a significant other, but after two long-term relationships, I wonder if I’ve already had my allotted love for this lifetime.
Straight people think that “he’s gay too” is enough. But my fellow queers should know better, shouldn’t they?
The people who I find attractive don’t reciprocate, and the ones who do show interest don’t set off my sparks. Help!
They’re setting me up with crazies and freaks — sorry, but these people are actually crazy and freaky — who would never make a match for me.
Dear Looking:
How can I get everyone to stop? Dear Single: Setting people up on blind dates is annoying. It can even border on insulting, no matter if the well-meaning matchmaker is straight or LGBTQ. The good news is that your friends and family think you’re a great catch, and they’re trying to help. Keep that in mind when you sit them down and set them straight… so to speak. Firstly, decline the blind date. You’re not obligated to go, and it will help them see that their efforts are fruitless. Then lay out your case. Feel free to point out that you are capable and that they are nosy. Add that their choices have been borderline offensive. “Is this guy (“crazy person,” “weirdo,” etc.) really what you think of me?” Then all parties can go off and find their own flavor of crazy and weird. Because trust me, you and 28 theQatl.com
It’s difficult to be perpetually single when you want a relationship. But you’re not finished with coupling unless you decide to be. Of course, deciding to find The One won’t make it happen tomorrow, but being open to the possibility is a great way to start. Having former relationships means you know what you want, and what you don’t. You’re naturally pickier, and that’s OK. It also means you can survive being single, so stop playing it safe. Take chances. Show the real you. Say what you mean. Do what you love. Be on the lookout for similarly experienced people while pursuing your best self. They already share your interests in events, areas of interest and hobbies. In short, Mr. or Ms. Perfect Potential will cross your path while you’re living your life. Get out there, do you, keep your eyes open, and have faith. Q Advice is intended for entertainment, not professional counseling. Send your Qs to mike@theQatl.com. ILLUSTRATION BY BRAD GIBSON
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