Q mag v1i32| July 5, 2018

Q inform | inspire

July 5, 2018

Crack Open Our Q ueer SUMMER READING LIST

LGBTQ s pose for body painter Roberto Hernandez

LIVING ART LGBTQ Issues In DOG SEES GOD Reclaim You From CONTROL FREAKS When Love is Like PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY

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Q Shots The Queer Agenda Q News

The Weekly Print Publication of Project Q Atlanta

Q

EDITOR’S NOTE

Welcome DISTRACTION Q ueer Atlanta paints itself into a cool summer oasis

IT’S ALREADY A HOTTER SUMMER than usual, and as a native Texan who thought I gave up such scorching indecencies by moving here, I’m not having it. Fortunately, there’s plenty in the LGBTQ-ATL this week to keep us properly distracted from Dante’s Humidity Inferno.

Queer artist Roberto Hernandez, who is well known for murals all over town, is grabbing our attention for his detailed body paintings. In this week’s Art photo essay and cover story, we hear Hernandez’s inspiring personal story and see the amazing results of his hours-each work on beautiful local bodies.

Also keeping our attention off the sweat-slinging are perfect summer reads in a decidedly literary version of 10 Queer Things, and the summer season at Out Front Theatre Company. The former brings some fantastic fiction, non-fiction and picture books that you’ll love curling up with, and the latter finds the compelling play “Dog Sees God” with Atlanta’s LGBTQ thespians in Stage. Both will keep your mind on things more pleasant than the weather.

MIKE FLEMING EDITOR & PUBLISHER

No matter the season or the heat index, love is always in Atlanta’s queer air, and we are always including its many splendored twists and turns in one form or another. This week, local writer Vince Shifflett compares your situation to peanut butter and jelly in Q Voices, and The Q advice column offers some tips for those of us who tend to live our significant other’s life without as much regard to our own: When you always do what they want with no reciprocation, it’s time to talk.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an issue of Q without the Q Shots galleries from recent events, or the Queer Agenda calendar for upcoming ones. Both are chock-full for your consumption as summer sizzles ever onward.

Check it all out, shoot me a note with your feedback and ideas, pick us up every week for more queer goodness, and check in on our sister site Project Q Atlanta at theQatl.com for fresh content daily.

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Q MAGAZINE THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION OF PROJECT Q ATLANTA PUBLISHERS INITIAL MEDIA, LLC MIKE FLEMING PUBLISHER & EDITOR MIKE@THEQATL.COM MATT HENNIE PUBLISHER & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MATT@THEQATL.COM RICHARD CHERSKOV PUBLISHER & GENERAL MANAGER RICHARD@THEQATL.COM ADVERTISING SALES RUSS YOUNGBLOOD SENIOR SALES REPRESENTATIVE RUSS@THEQATL.COM ART DIRECTOR JOHN NAIL JOHN@THEQATL.COM PROJECT Q ATLANTA PATRICK SAUNDERS EDITOR PSAUNDERS@THEQATL.COM CONTRIBUTORS LAURA BACCUS GABRIELLE CLAIBORNE JON DEAN BRAD GIBSON JAMES L. HICKS TAMEEKA L. HUNTER SUNNI JOHNSON ERIC PAULK VINCE SHIFFLETT DUSTIN SHRADER ALEXANDRA TYLER

DISCLAIMER The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors do not necessarily reflect opinions, beliefs or official policies of Q Magazine or its publisher Initial Media, except where individual publishers’ names specifically appear. Appearance of photos, credits, or names in this publication neither implies or explicitly states the sexual orientation or gender identity of its subject.

Q Magazine and the author of each article published on this web site owns his or her own words, except where explicitly credited otherwise. Articles herein may not be freely redistributed unless all of the following conditions are met. 1. The re-distributor is a non-commercial entity. 2. The redistributed article is not be sold for a profit, or included in any media or publication sold for a profit, without the express written consent of the author and this publication. 3. The article runs in full and unabridged. 4. The article runs prominently crediting both the author’s name and “courtesy Q Magazine.”

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Call 404-949-7071 or e-mail sales@theQatl.com to advertise in Q Magazine and Project Q Atlanta. theQatl.com

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Writers!

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Q magazine and Project Q seek to expand our pool of contributors Reporting, commentary, event pics, portraits and photo essays. Help us express Atlanta’s diverse LGBTQ perspectives on a one-time or recurring basis.

Samples to mike@theQatl.com

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 1 ISSUE 32

JULY 5, 2018

10 QUEER THINGS Beach Reads

COVER

18 10

Human Canvas Roberto Hernandez’s art comes to life

NEWS

13

29 Ball’s Deep

Chickfil-gay Georgia Log Cabin Republicans eat more chicken STAGE

16

Queer Dogma

31 Tea Time

Snoopy’s dead, and CB is in crisis

FEATURES Q Voices

8

Queer Agenda

17

Q Shots

28

The Q

38

38

36 Sun’s Out theQatl.com

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Q

Q VOICES

Peanut Butter

& JELLY

Spending quality time stuck together while expressing your individual flavor

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY GO TOGETHER. OH how yummy. They are a perfect combination, but each one is perfect alone also.

Peanut butter is not only good with jelly. It can be quite delicious in combination with other ingredients, and the same is true for jelly. Each one is its own individual ingredient, and when combined together or with other ingredients, that flavor is only enhanced.

Relationships are a lot like peanut butter and jelly. You by yourself are also a tasty, desirable ingredient, and so is your significant other.

We are each a unique, delicious ingredient first, and when we’re combined with the right person, our individual lives can be enhanced and fully supported. If we fail to realize our compatibility with other things and other people outside that combination, we set ourselves up for trouble: codependency, frustration, resentment and disappointment. We can even lose our faithfulness to ourselves.

• What are you passionate about?

• What is your purpose?

• What do you enjoy?

We are each a unique, delicious ingredient, and when combined, our individual flavors can be enhanced, but don’t get so meshed with Mr. Peanut Butter or Ms. Jelly that you forget who you are as an individual.

Your individual interests may be completely different from your mate’s passion, purpose, and what they enjoy. That’s the beauty in a relationship. Each can learn and grow from the other through the sharing of individual experiences.

V I N C E S H I F F LET T

Don’t get so meshed with Mr. Peanut Butter or Ms. Jelly that you forget who you are as an individual.

You were a unique individual before you met your significant other, and the same is true for them. So many times, when lives are merged, there is a tendency to lose that individualism.

We can forget about the other things we love. We forget about our individual passions. We forget about our friends, and merge together like peanut butter and jelly with another. theQatl.com

Maintaining your own individualism is essential for a healthy relationship. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

There are many ingredients that I merge well with that enhance my life. Spending time with those ingredients is important. Making an effort to keep up with them helps me maintain wholeness, as well as the simple act of spending time alone. For me, that is part of faithfulness to myself.

Be faithful to them and to yourself. Faithfulness sounds old-fashioned, I know. But fidelity can be the foundation of so many valuable things in life, as long as it’s agreed on both sides, and as long as it includes being faithful to yourself and your own individual core beliefs.

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The merging together with another is awesome, but we must not lose ourselves in the process.

The role of a partner is to love, respect and support their significant other in their passions and the things they enjoy, to allow them time to be with their friends, pursue their passions, and participate in things that bring them individual joy.

When we are stuck too closely to our mate like peanut butter and jelly, it can feel confining. There is freedom in allowing the other person to be who they are, and you who you are, with no expectations that you must always be together doing the exact same things.

Be who you are. Do what makes you happy. When you are happy, it makes for a happier relationship. Spend quality time stuck together like peanut butter and jelly, but also make sure you spend time doing you.

Otherwise that delicious sandwich will become sticky, stale and not taste so good after a while.

Vince Shifflett lives and loves in Atlanta. What’s your experience? Is your relationship combo meal coming up tasty or stale?

Let him hear from you at vinceshifflett.com

Q

10 QUEER THINGS Sodom Road Exit

By Amber Dawn Supernatural thriller set amid lesbian desire in a haunted ‘90s beach town.

Speak No Evil

By Uzodinma Iweala An African teenage boy comes to America and grapples with coming out.

They Both Die At The End

By Adam Silvera Yes, it’s dark, but this is a worthy tale of two boys, both marked for their last day alive, who find love and the best bucket list ever.

QUEER LIBRARY

New books to edif y and inspire, becau se reading through summer is fundam ental Compiled by Mik e Fleming

Sources: Mashable, NewNow Next, Now Toronto, Buzzfeed

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Less

By Andrew Sean Greer Pulitzer-winning satire about an American trying to get his life together while traveling to Paris for his ex’s wedding.

Little Fish

By Casey Plett A melancholy transgender woman uncovers that her devoutly religious grandfather might have also been trans.

Who Is Vera Kelly?

By Rosalie Knecht A lesbian DJ is recruited as a CIA spy on 1960s radicals and ultimately comes to question her politics and her identity.

Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl

By Andrea Lawlor A queer-theory student who happens to be a shapeshifter explores gender, identity and relationships.

Tomorrow Will Be Different

By Sarah McBride A compelling memoir from this real-life political pioneer, the subtitle “Love, Loss and the Fight for Trans Equality” says it all.

The House of Impossible Beauties

By Joseph Cassara A diverse group of characters tries to find their way in the New York ballroom scene of the 1980s and ‘90s.

Q ueer British Art

By Clare Barlow Imagery and research focusing on works before gay sex was decriminalized. Artists include Ethel Sands, Francis Bacon and David Hockney. theQatl.com

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NEWS Q

Gay GOP: ‘EAT MOR CHIKIN’ Georgia Log Cabin defends Chick-fil-A, leader declares ‘war over’ for LGBTQ Equality

By Patrick Saunders THE GEORGIA LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS SAID THE “liberal bullying” of Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A must end, and the group’s leader said that LGBTQ equality in the U.S. has largely been accomplished.

The comments from the organization and its president, Jamie Ensley, came in the wake of criticism of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who tweeted about eating at the chain in Los Angeles on June 9. Critics pounced on the tweet, especially since it came during Pride Month, and Dorsey apologized.

ine Waters calling on supporters to publicly confront members of the Trump administration.

“Chick-fil-A has only been kind and welcoming to the LGBTQ community even when protestors attacked their restaurants,” Ensley said. “Most Republicans including myself are outraged by the hypocrisy, intolerance and bullying by the liberal far left and enough is enough.”

When asked about Cathy’s opposition to gay marriage, Ensley said the Supreme Court has decided the issue and “it’s time to move on.”

As to the company funding anti-LGBTQ groups, he pointed to other parties that may do the same.

Chick-fil-A – one of the largest fast-food chains by sales in the U.S. – came under fire in 2011 when IRS filings showed their charitable foundation pumped millions into anti-LGBTQ groups. Company CEO Dan Cathy’s vocal opposition to gay marriage followed. The company later scaled back most of its funding to such groups, but a report last year showed that such donations continue, including a $200,000 gift to Jamie Ensley courtesy Log Cabin Republicans an anti-LGBTQ youth home in Georgia.

In the latest flap, some LGBTQ activists warned against eating at Chick-fil-A, “if you really love LGBTQ people.”

On June 24, Georgia LCR and Ensley stepped into the fray with a post on the group’s Facebook page “The Georgia Log Cabin Republicans SUPPORT Atlanta based Chick-fil-A and demands an end to liberal bullying. Chick-fil-A has always been welcoming and has never refused service to the LGBT community,” the post said.

A day later, Ensley defended his comments in an interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution and went a step further, adding that “the war is over” in the fight for LGBTQ equality.

Georgia LCR has 150 dues-paying members, according to Ensley, who has served as chair of the Log Cabin National Board and as campaign treasurer for Atlanta mayoral candidate Mary Norwood.

‘IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON’ Ensley elaborated on his comments in an interview with Project Q Atlanta. He said he was motivated to proclaim the group’s support for Chick-fil-A after the Dorsey controversy, but also in the wake of White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders being turned away from a Virginia restaurant and U.S. Rep Max-

“Chick-fil-A is a privately held company and not publicly traded, but there are large stockholders or hedge fund managers who own huge blocks of stocks in major corporations who also made donations to Christian charities that may be perceived as anti-gay as well,” he said. “In addition, In-N-Out Burger is also a privately-held Christian company, but the biased liberal left continues to unfairly attack a company because it’s located in the South.

“The Georgia Log Cabin Republicans are proud to be the first LGBTQ organization to support a buycott of Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A,” he added.

Ensley is correct in that In-N-Out Burger’s owners are Christian, and the business is known to print Bible verses on its packaging. However, they have not publicly stated their views on gay marriage and the company’s charitable arm has not been found to donate to anti-LGBTQ causes.

But what of the “war is over” comment, considering the continued rash of violence against transgender people, the lack of legal protections for LGBTQ people, the battles transgender people face to get their names changed, and LGBTQ people continuing to be fired for their sexual orientation or gender identity?

“Mission accomplished on the war for LGBTQ equality in America with only a few battles remaining for full equality,” Ensley said.

“The keystones of our movement have been laid, with employment and housing equality being one of the few major battles left. In 2018, a majority of major Fortune 500 corporations and mid-sized companies have sexual orientation and gender identity employment policies in place. A majority of LGBTQ Americans can live their lives normally in America mostly without discrimination.”

Ensley added that LGBTQ people in the U.S. should focus on helping LGBTQ people internationally and not on “who will bake a gay wedding cake.”

Visit Project Q Atlanta at theQatl.com every day for fresh LGBTQ news. theQatl.com

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Q

NEWS BRIEFS

Georgia Democrats vow to fight ‘religious freedom’ bills

“Religious freedom” bills came up again during an answer from DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR STATEWIDE OFFICE Bailey on how he could support denounced anti-LGBTQ “religious freedom” bills and outthe state’s LGBTQ community lined plans to protect LGBTQ Georgians during an LGBTQ in his role as attorney general. business summit on June 22. About 150 people attended Rise The former Fulton County of the Rainbow Economy, an annual LGBT business summit Assistant District Attorney hosted by the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. explained how the position of Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee for governor, also attorney general in Georgia is a addressed the crowd.

Photo by Matt Hennie more independent and powCharlie Bailey Moderator Jason Rae, affiliate relations director for the Naerful one than in other states. tional Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, opened the And he has a plan if a “religious freedom” bill becomes law and panel by asking the candidates if they would support a stateis later challenged in court. wide LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination law and whether they opposed anti-LGBTQ “religious freedom” bills. Secretary “The great thing about this position and me is that I’ll just of State nominee John Barrow, Attorney General nominee refuse to defend it,” Bailey said. “And not only will I refuse Charlie Bailey, Insurance Commissioner nominee Janice to defend it, I’ll instruct my assistant attorneys general to file Laws and Labor Commissioner nominee Richard Keatley all amicus briefs on behalf of the plaintiffs that are challenging answered yes to both questions. the constitutionality of the legislation.”

It was a notable moment for Barrow, who during a 2014 bid for Abrams later singled Bailey out during a post-event photo-op, reelection to Congress refused to co-sponsor the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The five-time Congressman also voted saying he would be “an extraordinary attorney general who can sue the Trump administration every Thursday.” The former House to uphold the Defense of Marriage Act, leading him to often Minority Leader also talked about medical marijuana, homelessscore on par with his Republican counterparts in Georgia on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard. He lost that election in 2014. ness, voter registration, prison reform and Medicaid expansion.

By Patrick Saunders

country in counties with 100,000 people or more, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. One out of every six Georgia residents living with HIV are unaware they are HIVpositive, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Fulton County District Health Director Kathleen Toomey said the tools are there to address the problem, but they haven’t effectively gotten the word out about them.

Fulton unveils new #STOPHIVATL campaign to fight high HIV rates

By Patrick Saunders IT WAS A PACKED HOUSE AT THE WESTSIDE Cultural Arts Center as the Fulton County Board of Health unveiled a new social marketing campaign to help end HIV in the county. The #STOPHIVATL campaign aims to raise awareness, eliminate stigma and provide information about medications like PrEP. Fulton has the second highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the 14

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“We have effective treatment, we have PrEP, we have effective prevention and yet … we still have individuals at risk for HIV infection who should be on treatment and yet don’t know they’re infected,” Toomey said. “They don’t know that there is effective treatment that can allow them not only to lead safe and happy lives, but prevent transmission.”

The campaign is part of an ongoing effort by the county, including a no-cost PrEP clinic, according to David Holland, chief clinical officer in the Communicable Disease Prevention Branch of the Fulton Board of Health.

“We’re also looking at offering mobile PrEP services on our mobile unit in the near future,” Holland said. “The status quo is not going to work. We have to do more, we have to do new things, we have to do innovative things.”

News | Events | Culture | Photos | Podcast

IN PRINT WEEKLY fresh content online daily Q Magazine theQatl.com

Project Q Atlanta

Q

STAGE

ALL

Lessons of Peanuts go full-tilt queer in Dog Sees God at Out Front Theatre

GROWN UP

By Mike Fleming

A

s part of its summer series of shows and events, Atlanta’s LGBTQ theater troupe presents a show ripe with modern issues like drug use, sexual abuse, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion, sexual relationships and queer identities.

And in a heady, touching move, the play sees its world through the eyes of beloved children’s characters in an unauthorized, but fully realized, parody.

Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead stages at Out Front Theatre in a limited run this weekend only, July 12 – 15.

The characters of Charles M. Schultz are thinly veiled, and the creator himself even gets a role – as an unseen “god” called Pen Pal who signs letters “CS” (Charles Schultz).

In Dog Sees God, the beloved dog of main character CB (Charlie Brown) dies from rabies contracted after killing “a little yellow bird,” and CB begins to question the existence of an afterlife. His best friend, a pothead named Van (Linus), is too burnt out to provide any coherent speculation, and his sister (Sally) has gone goth.

CB’s depressed and angry ex-girlfriend (Lucy) has recently been institutionalized, and his other friends — including versions of a now-germaphobe and homophobe Pig Pen, party girl Peppermint Patty who touts being pretty and popular but is neither, bisexual sidekick Marcy and anorexic Frieda – are too inebriated to give him any sort of solace.

A chance meeting with artistic outcast Beethoven (Shroeder), the target of the group’s bullying, offers CB peace of mind and sets in motion a friendship that will push teen angst to the very limits.

It sounds like a lot, and it is. The use of familiar characters from our earlier, simpler lives ultimately packs an emotional punch that is far more than a novelty device.

Here’s a little rundown of the characters to look out for as plotlines and issues careen toward an ending that’s haunting, but hopeful.

CB (Charlie Brown) is the main character in the play. He is intensely saddened over

the death of his dog, and is forced to question both his sexuality, and his social status when he unwittingly falls for his classmate Beethoven.

CB’s Sister (Sally) has gone goth, at least for a portion of the play. It is mentioned that, like her character basis, she changes her philosophy on life often. Her other personas during the course of the play are scripted as thug (called “gansta-bitch” in the script), and hippie.

Van (Linus), always the philosopher in childhood, is now a pothead with a worldview to match. He repeatedly attempts to pursue a sexual relationship with CB’s Sister.

Matt (Pig-Pen) is a pathological germophobe whose dirtiness has been internalized — he’s sex-obsessed and homophobic, and terrorizes Beethoven mercilessly. He is also a football player, and is CB’s best friend.

Beethoven (Schroeder) became the school outcast prior to events in the play when it was revealed that he was sexually abused by his father. A bit of a recluse, Beethoven takes solace in playing the piano, but when he and CB become romantically involved, his world is turned upside down.

Tricia (Peppermint Patty), a party girl, who professes herself to be “pretty” and “popular.” Though never spoken outright in the play, the general consensus is that her last name is York.

Marcy (Marcie), a party girl and Tricia’s sidekick. She has a threesome with Tricia and Matt during the play.

Van’s Sister (Lucy) has been institutionalized for setting the Little Red-Haired Girl’s hair on fire.

Frieda is the only original character to have her name kept the same.

Although unseen, she is referred to numerous times as having an eating disorder; Tricia hates her and openly comments on her weight, while Van thinks that she’s actually too skinny.

Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead stages at Out Front Theatre July 12 – 15. outfronttheatre.com

Sourcing and Artwork: Dramatists Play Service 16

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Q

THE QUEER AGENDA The Best Queer Things To Do in Atlanta This Week

July 5 - July 11

THURSDAY, JULY 5 Amen

Fuck what you heard about drag shows @ Sister

ATLANTA’S FIRST URBAN WINERY, INTIMATE MUSIC VENUE, RESTAURANT & PRIVATE EVENT SPACE

Louisa’s Church of the Living Room, 10:30 p.m.

sisterlouisaschurch.com

Q Parker

FRIDAY, JULY 6 DILF: Strapped

DJ Tommy K beats it for this underwear/jock party @ Heretic, 10 p.m. hereticatlanta.com

SATURDAY, JULY 7 Red, Bright & Blu

Atlanta’s own DJ Neon the Glowgobear throws around his indepen-dance @ Atlanta Eagle, 10 p.m. atlantaeagle.com

TUESDAY, JULY 10 PALS Drag Queen Bingo: Luau

(of 112) & Friends

Blair Crimmins & the Hookers Books & Booze: ‘Meaty’ by Samantha Irby

jul 14

Are Loving Support gets the love @ Lips,

City Wine Explorer: Vive La France!

jul 18

Erasure

Still crazy after all

these years on the gay

Marcus Johnson w/ Kathy Kosins

jul 20

duo’s World Be Gone Tour @ Tabernacle,

8 p.m. tabernacleatl.com

Atlanta Dream Pride Night

The WNBA team goes for another win to benefit the annual Pride fest

@ Georgia Tech Pavilion, 6 p.m. atlantapride.org

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11 Retro Futura

Belinda Carlisle (photo), ABC, Modern

English and more throw it all the way back @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre, 7 p.m. chastainseries.com

Find even more events in the Queer Agenda each

Thursday at theQatl.com.

jul 17

– Presented by Posman Books

Throw on a tropical print and play bingo. Pets

7:30 p.m. palsatlanta.org

jul 13

Angie Stone (Early & Late Shows) Wasabassco Burlesque

jul 22

jul 27

Get tickets at CityWinery.com/Atlanta or Call 404-WINERY1 Become a VinoFile Member to Purchase Tickets 48 Hours Before the General Public

650 NORTH AVENUE NE, SUITE 201, ATLANTA, GA 30308 PONCE CITY MARKET CITYWINERY.COM | 404.WINERY1 theQatl.com

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ART

LIVING ART

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Atlanta artist Roberto Hernandez breathes new life into other people’s bodies

By Dustin Shrader

W

hen human bodies become canvases, art is elevated and becomes transcendent. That’s a transcendence of which local body painter Roberto Hernandez is a master.

But that’s not the queer artist’s only work. His touch can be seen across Atlanta, from murals stretching miles long to the innovative pieces brought to life on human models as seen in this week’s Q cover feature shot by contributing photographer James L. Hicks.

Born in Acapulco, Mexico, Hernandez discovered his creative energy at an early age. At his elementary school teacher’s urging, he applied to and was granted a scholarship to La Casa de la Cultura (“The House of Culture”), a prestigious art institute in his home region. While honing his craft, he was instructed by traditional Mexican artists who mentored him in various mediums, techniques and art movements around the world.

Hernandez learned to see art as a religious experience – literally.

“I always knew I had this love and passion for art,” he tells Q. “Growing up Catholic, religious motives were a great inspiration for my early work. I had some of the best teachers, who had the utmost confidence in my ability. Art to me, is a spiritual fulfillment.”

Hernandez’s family immigrated stateside when he was 12 years old. He continued to develop and mold his passion for art throughout high school and ultimately earned a BFA from Georgia State University. However, he found himself struggling for years to pursue his dreams as an artist, even for a time becoming disheartened with his life’s passion.

Despite an inability to work in his chosen field due to his immigration status, as well as an as-yet-unfound commercial success, he finally found a way to produce art that brought the recognition he longed for.  Photos of body paintings by Roberto Hernandez on these pages by James L. Hicks, jhicksphotography.net. theQatl.com

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Jon us Tuesdays at

o f .

10 p.m

THE FUN CONTINUES ALL WEEK LONG! MONDAYS

Moonlight Bingo Hosted by Ginger Vitas & Trashetta Galore

8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4th

FRIDAYS

Fresh Fish Friday Drag 8-10 p.m.

Movie on the Patio Bar 7 p.m.

Moonlight Divas

Food & Drink Specials!

with Destiny Brooks & Shavonna B. Brooks

THURSDAYS

SATURDAYS

TNT Talent Night with Destiny Brooks 10 p.m.

11 p.m.

SUNDAYS

Gospel Brunch

Brunch from noon - 3 p.m.

ALL YOU CAN EAT PRIME RIB

$16.99

T-Dance Sunday Funday 3-7 p.m.

The Infamous

Divas of the Moonlight Cabaret with Shavonna B. Brooks

11 p.m.

9-11 p.m.

Kitchen Hours Mon - Sat 4-10 • Brunch Sunday 12-3, Kitchen Open until 10 p.m.

1492 Piedmont Ave NE • Atlanta, GA 30309 • 404-343-6514

ALWAYS A PARTY BUT NEVER A COVER!

Q

ART, Continued “My initial paintings weren’t selling,” Hernandez says. “Through a friend’s show, I was introduced to body painting by other artists. I was fascinated by the concept. I knew that it was for me. From there, it became my niche. I was able to market myself and set myself apart thanks to the demand for my body painting pieces.”

For pieces that are only temporary, body painting requires extensive time and intense concentration.

“One painting can take at least six hours if not more,” he says. “What I love about body painting is how precious each piece is, because unlike murals or other paintings, body pieces don’t last. They only persist to exist in a photograph once the paint washes away.”

After receiving DACA during the Obama administration, Hernandez was able to create his own art business. It allows him to be more accessible to opportunities and really establish a foothold as a professional artist.

“I have worked really hard to make a name for myself, yet I don’t want to just be known as a body painter,” he says.

“Through my company, I have been pursuing art direction and production and creating a welcoming network for other artists like me.”

With the support from Atlanta’s developing arts community, Hernandez instructs, works in theatrical and special effects make up, produces larger-than-life murals, designs costumes, art directs theatrical and film projects, and empowers other artists to pursue their dreams like he did.

Find Roberto Hernandez on Facebook and Instagram @RobertosArtwork.

Body paint by Roberto Hernandez Photos by James L. Hicks 22

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ART, Continued

Body paint by Roberto Hernandez Photos by James L. Hicks

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Q

ART, Continued

Body paint by Roberto Hernandez Photos by James L. Hicks

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Q

Q SHOTS

ATLANTA BRAVES LGBT NIGHT AT SUNTRUST PARK

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

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PHOTOS BY PATRICK SAUNDERS

UNITY BALL AT THE DEEP END

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

Q SHOTS Q

PHOTOS BY LAURA BACCUS theQatl.com

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Q SHOTS

SOUTHERN FRIED QUEER PRIDE FROLIC PICNIC

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

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PHOTOS BY LAURA BACCUS

SFQP SWEET TEA VARIETY SHOW

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

Q SHOTS Q

PHOTOS BY LAURA BACCUS theQatl.com

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RAINBOW ECONOMY BUSINESS SUMMIT WITH AGLCC

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

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PHOTOS BY MATT HENNIE theQatl.com

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Q

Q SHOTS

SUMMER KICKOFF AT HERETIC

PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD

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OP EN

The Club Where Men Do It! Open Thursday - Sunday at 9pm Special Theme Nights every Wednesday!

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LA TE

www.manifest4u.org 2103 Faulkner Rd SE Atlanta, GA 30324

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The reviews are in!

Wow. I just found Q, and it’s great!

Congratulations on the new magazine.

Atlanta didn’t even know Finally! A queer publication what it was missing!

for everybody, not just some.

A gay magazine I actually want to sit down and read!

I just wanted to tell you how much my husband and I love your new magazine…

omg I love your mag!

Q magazine is the best thing to happen to Atlanta!

I thought I knew what to expect in local rags, but Q is totally different. I need to pick up more often.

Q is informative and

energetic, something that was sorely You guys are like a missing in the ATL. breath of fresh air.

Thank you for bringing Q to Atlanta!

You guys should have done this years ago!

Atlanta needed this.

Readers love

Q

The Weekly Print Publication of Project Q Atlanta

and your messages are the proof!

Thank you for the support, and please continue reaching out!

Q

Q SHOTS

HRC ATLANTA MARGARITA BUST AT ZOCALO

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com 36

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PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD

Q

THEQ?!

Control

FREAKS

When you always do what they want with no reciprocation, it’s time to talk

Q

My husband of one year, whom I adore with every fiber of my being, controls my life.

Before we were married, it was little stuff. When I would make suggestions on anything, he’d shoot them down. I got used to it.

After a whirlwind courtship, including leaving my job, my belongings and my friends to move to his city, his control has evolved into his making every decision for both of us. He even approves (or more accurately, disapproves) each of my clothing choices.

He is everything I’ve ever wanted in a man. I never thought I’d find one like him who was as into me as I am into him, but I did, and it’s often perfect.

Still, I did upend my life.

Now he has announced that his dream is to live in yet another city, and that he’s already landed a job there. We move in a month. I’m not ready to unsettle yet again. Then again, my devotion to him is non-negotiable.

Dear Submissive: There’s a line between dominant personality and control freak. Your husband crossed 38

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it a long time ago. Control freaks are actually more about the “freak” than the “control,” and you already know where he stands on the continuum.

He’s been grooming you for this role, and you consciously or unconsciously agreed to go along with it as the noose tightened on your individuality. It’s a tough knot to loosen when it gets this far, as you already know, but not impossible.

On the surface, yours is like a classic dominant-submissive relationship. The Dom is in charge, and the Sub lets him call the shots. The difference is that Sirs and Boys have a predetermined agreement and adore their roles. Your relationship slowly morphed into something you would have never agreed to at the start.

You can either formalize your dom-sub interactions if you realize that’s what you wanted all along, or you can pull yourself up by the insecurities to change your situation. Either way, it’s crucial that you come to an understanding.

You probably can’t fix it before you move, but try to sort out what you really want before approaching your husband.

Q

We’re typical queers who eat out almost every meal, and every night is an argument about where to eat. None of us is ever down for the others’ suggestion, and everyone gets frustrated. Help!

Dear New Rule: Set a guideline that neither of you can say no to a suggestion without making one of your own, and you each get two suggestions. Now agree to be reasonable humans and — gasp — compromise.

The Q is for entertainment purposes and not professional counseling. Send your burning Qs to mike@theqatl.com.

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