Q mag v1i8 | January 11, 2018

Vivid Queer

COLOR STORY

inform | inspire

January 11, 2018

He’s So Not

YOUR DADDY

Winter

PRIDE LGBTQ for MLK in ATL

Not Having It From

TRANS CHASERS Say His Name:

TYRON GARNER

+

Q Voices The Q Q Shots

EDITOR’S NOTE Q PUBLISHERS INITIAL MEDIA, LLC MIKE FLEMING PUBLISHER & EDITOR MIKE@QMAGATLANTA.COM MATT HENNIE PUBLISHER & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MATT@QMAGATLANTA.COM RICHARD CHERSKOV PUBLISHER & GENERAL MANAGER RICHARD@QMAGATLANTA.COM ADVERTISING SALES RUSS YOUNGBLOOD SENIOR SALES REPRESENTATIVE RUSS@QMAGATLANTA.COM ART DIRECTOR JOHN NAIL JOHN@QMAGATLANTA.COM CONTRIBUTORS IAN ABER LAURA BACCUS BUCK C. COOKE BRAD GIBSON SUNNI JOHNSON JAMES HICKS HEATHER MALONEY ERIC PAULK JAMES SHEFFIELD BO SHELL DUSTIN SHRADER DISCLAMER 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.”

Color STORY From POC recognition, to parties for MLK, and popping vivid hues for winter, we’re all about color

SEEING, HEARING, ACKNOWLEDGING AND CELEBRATING every aspect of Atlanta’s queer community isn’t just our mission at Q magazine. In fact, we see it as crucial to the larger LGBTQ movement. You’ve already seen that in our inaugural 2017 issues, and we want you to know that it’s how we’ll go forward into 2018.

That commitment to all facets of our vibrant readership is therefore part and parcel in this, our first weekly edition of the New Year.

There’s no better way to start 2018 than with the local native son that put Atlanta on the civil rights map. To celebrate the national holiday named for Martin Luther King Jr., Q gathers the scoop from multiple queer party promoters and event planners who come together with a mix of reverence and revelry this weekend.

But seeing color in the bleak midwinter isn’t always as easy as just opening your eyes. As in other areas of our life, sometimes you have to pop it. When you’re MIKE FLEMING bundled up to your eyeballs in layers, let your hair EDITOR & PUBLISHER provide the interest in trends toward shockingly vivid, totally unnatural, and completely fabulous colors. This week’s photo essay investigates various ways to rock the looks, and at the end we offer suggestions on a few of the LGBTQ-run hair places we love.

To make sure you color your life with a rich downtime to-do list, we also have an expanded Queer Agenda calendar for the week, as well as Q shots from our roving cameras. See who we caught partying over New Year’s Weekend and beyond.

To keep your beautiful mind just as vibrant, Q News, Q Voices and 10 Queer Things are on tap to inform, inspire, enlighten and entertain you. In the news, the state’s latest hate crimes bill is winding its way through the legislature. In Voices, a name you might not know that should be on every queer’s lips, plus what happens when entire groups of people are fetishized.

Our 10 Things roundup tackles several myths and facts in the ongoing struggle against HIV. Some of these updates on historical facts and medical figures may surprise you.

As always, The Q advice column wraps with the colorful questions and even more colorful answers from our Life Judge. This week, it’s ill-informed friends and boyfriends with daddy issues.

Reach publisher and editor Mike Fleming at mike@qmagatlanta.com.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 1 ISSUE 8

JANUARY 11, 2018

HAIR RAISING

Vivid colors brighten your winter

16 COVER STORY

22

Winter Pride

10 THINGS

Oh Really

13 10

31 Total Wussy

What you don’t know can help you

NEWS

Good Council

14

Doraville swears in trans and gay reps

33 Bears on Ice

FEATURES Q Voices

8

Agenda 18

4

Q Shots

31

The Q

38

38

35 Happy New Queer

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 in 2017!

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

and your messages are the proof!

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

6

VOICES Q

We Must Remember

TYRON GARNER

The unsung hero quashing sodomy laws, and how the movement is paved over the backs of our most beautiful misfits THIS IS WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT Southern black boys: We often exhibit a quiet strength. Many of us have had to exhibit this quiet strength in order to survive. We are forced to defend our dignity on a daily basis.

But do not make the mistake of perceiving our softness as weakness.

Our softness is strategy. We may be delicate, but we are not fragile. This is how I imagine Tyron Garner. He may have been sweet, but he was strong.

to live in his truth moved me to do the same. However, I found Tyron Garner’s near invisibility in the LGBTQ Rights Movement disheartening.

He did not have the perfect narrative that a movement poster child should have. He had prior arrests and was unemployed when arrested. Yet he had the immense courage to put his life, already in shambles, on the national stage. In many ways, he was abandoned by the movement he helped strengthen. The path to assimilation is often paved over the backs of our most beautiful misfits.

Tyron paid a price for not having the perfect narrative.

He was alternately painted as troubled, or paraded around, tokenized, exploited and milked, but he would not see the fruits of of his labor. We never thanked him. Compare his life and legacy with someone like Edith Windsor, the SCOTUS marriage plaintiff who was heralded for her contributions.

When Tyron died in 2006, his body remained in a morgue for over a month. Finally, the state cremated him, and the ashes were sent to the family in a plastic bag. He received no major tributes. There was no memorial service, though he had paved the way for so many of us to be free.

His name may not be familiar to some, Tyron would state after his case that: “I but his case probably is: Lawrence v. don’t really want to be a hero, but I want Texas. Two gay men were arrested in a ERIC to tell other gay people, ‘Be who you are, private home in Houston in 1998 and PA U L K and don’t be afraid.’” jailed after a complaint to police that “a black male was going crazy in the apartment and he was It’s a message that black gay boys need to hear so they armed with a gun.” see themselves as part of the movement: Be who you No gun was found, but police entered and found John Lawrence and Tyron Garner engaging in consensual sex.

They were convicted of violating the Texas “Homosexual Conduct” law, making them sex offenders. The case, and the 2003 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down remaining sodomy laws in 14 states, paved the way for victories like marriage equality. Today, we all benefit from Tyron’s courage.

I first heard about Tyron Garner in a law class. Since Lawrence v. Texas was a seminal case in LGBTQ history, I wanted to know more about the people behind it.

A Google search populated images of Tyron. His pecan-tan skin and easy smile reminded me of other black, Southern, gay men I knew.

His contribution to history inspired me, and his ability

are; don’t be afraid. We have such diverse stories, and it’s imperative that black LGBTQ voices and narratives are better woven into queer-movement history.

Like Tyrone, we must find a place for our personal advocacy. It is up to us to tell our own stories.

LGBTQ rights have never been a white party. Black folks have always been involved, and much of the movement has been built on the backs of black folks like Tyron Garner. We must remember his name.

I often wonder how different Tyron’s life would have been if we told him that we loved him. We will never know the answer to that question. Tyron, we love you.

Eric Paulk lives in Atlanta’s Historic Westside. He is a former Tyron Garner Fellow at Lambda Legal.

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Q

VOICES

Let’s Get (or Don’t Get)

Physical

Atlanta woman navigates ‘trans chasers’ who fetishize her, and shares how to avoid being one of them PEOPLE HAVE FETISHES. MORE

importantly, people are allowed to have fetishes. It’s nothing unusual to deviate from the sexual norms and seek pleasure in unique and creative ways. Fellow human beings, however, should not qualify as a fetish.

getting more interested in trans instead,” or comments about how we’re “more sexual” than cis women.

But it can be flattering to hear from so many men and women about how beautiful and amazing you are, right? Well, only until you snap back into the cold reality of all the wrong reasons they’re trying to woo you.

It’s shallow and empty, reeking of desperation.

If you have an expectation about what someone is like without meeting them, you’re probably wrong. People typically know that, yet it seems as though people make exceptions for certain populations, especially if they want something out of it.

So how can someone be interested in someone who’s trans without being referred to as a chaser? What about when someone prefers transgender over cisgender partners? What are some of the understandable reasons for having such a preference?

For one, being transgender or gender non-conforming yourself can make it justifiable, at least to an extent. There will still be those who take it too far and reduce others to mere fetishes, but overall, there’s a sense of shared experience there. There can be a disconnect of understanding with cisgender people.

That’s not to say that someone can’t have dating preferences. While it might be a bit shallow to only be attracted to someone with blonde hair, it’s not inherently discriminatory unFor cisgender people who prefer transless you go out of your way to spread gender people for dates or hookups, it disdain for those who don’t have comes down to what you understand about H E AT H E R blonde hair. But if you’re obsessive yourself and what you understand about the MALONEY over blonde hair to the point where one you’re attracted to. If you would date the only reason you’re even interested a woman regardless of what she was assigned at birth, in someone is their hair, then there’s a problem. then that’s a good sign that it’s probably healthy. If you’ve had good experiences with trans folks in the past In my own experience in both dating and hookup and feel as if you can connect with them better, then apps, I’ve come across more people with “a thing for trans girls” than I would have ever liked. Some of them that can be a good sign as well. The latter still might raise suspicions, but it can be the most innocent form of knew what a chaser was and some of them didn’t, but attraction. in both cases, they have denied that they are one.

While the concept of a “chaser” might seem simple at first – someone who fetishizes, in this case, transgender people and seeks to sleep with them on the sole basis of them being trans – it can often be far more complicated than just that.

Some chasers have no self-awareness and have done zero evaluation of themselves and their attraction to trans girls. Both are chasers. For the record, we loathe hearing lines like, “I’m tired of women’s bullshit, so I’m 8

If you truly are attracted to transgender people with justifiable reasons, your affections probably won’t cause a problem for your transgender paramour, but know this: There are hundreds of thousands of others who aren’t as well-meaning, and they leave lasting paranoia for those they’ve hurt.

Heather Maloney is a writer, editor, and creative thinker from Atlanta with a vested interest in gender and sexuality.

Read her columns at theqatl.com.

Q

Writers!

Photographers!

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@qmagatlanta.com

Q

10

10 QUEER THINGS

10 Things You Didn’t Know About

By Mike Fleming

Facing down updates, facts and myths as we enter Year 37 in the struggle against HIV/AIDS ‘Patient Zero’ is a myth.

Poz people aren’t as infectious as they think.

You may have heard that a Canadian flight attendant single-handedly brought HIV to North America. “And the Band Played On” author Randy Shilts and his editor later admitted that they fabricated the story to better sell his 1987 book.

Despite increasing evidence that transmitting the virus with an undetectable viral load is unlikely, studies show that men with HIV who are in treatment overestimate how infectious they are.

Non-HIV-related deaths are more likely if you’re poz.

Most transmissions are between regular partners.

Life expectancy for people with HIV has risen dramatically, but poz people are twice as likely to die if they smoke or drink in excess, as much as three times if they contract additional diseases or infections.

Some 68 percent of new HIV transmissions in gay men occur within relationships or between regular sex partners.

That jumps to 79 percent for guys aged 16-24.

Hepatitis C is a bigger threat.

It’s not a matter of “never using condoms.” More gay men “sometimes” break the ban, especially under the influence or when having sex with someone special.

You’re statistically more likely to contract sexually transmitted Hepatitis C than HIV, and Hep C is the biggest killer among all infectious diseases in the U.S.

A cure is coming.

There is one person officially “cured” of HIV, and several are in what French scientists call “HIV remission.” A final cure may be years away, but doctors finally believe that they are hot on the trail of the culprit.

PrEP is not helping enough.

Awareness of Truvada as a preventative is high and rising.

Actual widespread use of it is not. A long-acting injectable version may be available by 2020, but financial access for most at-risk people is still questionable.

Gay and bi men are using condoms less.

HIV rates are dropping, unless you’re gay.

The overall diagnosis rate in the U.S. has dropped 19 percent in a decade. Among gay men, new infections are just now “leveling off,” but not dropping.

‘Superinfection’ isn’t a thing.

It’s possible to contract more than one strain of HIV, but studies show that “superinfection” doesn’t affect the disease progression in the body.

Sources: Poz Magazine, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the Advocate 11

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Q NEWS Q

Inclusionary

Tactics Republican lawmaker introduces LGBTQ-inclusive hate crimes bill for Georgia

By Matt Hennie STATE REP. MEAGAN HANSON (R- BROOKHAVEN) introduced an LGBT-inclusive hate crimes bill in an attempt to pass a measure that has failed repeatedly to gain traction in past years. She and some LGBT activists hope this year might be different.

“It’s shocking that Georgia doesn’t have this [hate crimes legislation] on the books,” Hanson told Reporter Newspapers.

The first-term lawmaker formally unveiled the legislation during a press conference January 3 at the State Capitol. Lawmakers opened their annual session on January 8.

Hanson told Reporter Newspapers that her bill will include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.

The proposed law would add enhanced punishments for crimes committed against protected classes of people based on race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, mental disability and physical disability, Hanson said. Those are the same classes protected under the federal hate crimes law passed in 2010, she said. The final bill is still being tweaked, she said, and complete details are not yet available.

During her press conference, Hanson was joined by Rep. Wendell Willard, the powerful GOP chair of the House Judiciary Commitee,and GBI Director Vernon Keenan. Her legislation is also supported by the Anti-Defamation League and the Coalition for a Hate-Free Georgia. Coalition members include LGBT organizations Georgia Equality, SOJOURN, and Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia; as well as the NAACP and several faith groups.

Rep. Keisha Waites, an LGBT lawmaker who resigned her seat last year, introduced a hate crimes measure during the 2017 legislative session. House Bill 492 would increase penalties for crimes committed against someone, “because of such individual’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.”

Rep. Meagan Hanson

The legislation, like similar efforts in past years, did not gain traction in a Republican-controlled Gold Dome.

But this year could be different, Jeff Graham, Georgia Equality’s executive director, told the Georgia Voice.

“We have found from our colleagues at the Anti-Defamation League that there is Republican interest in a hate crimes bill,” Graham said. “Hate crimes bills have been introduced every year since the state Supreme Court declared the earlier version unconstitutional, but there’s not been enough interest from a Republican in either chamber to advance a bill forward. 2018 may be a little different for that.”

Graham told the paper that the legislation would help police departments across the state accurately report hate crimes.

Georgia is one of five states without a hate crime law.

In 2004, the Georgia Supreme Court dumped the state’s hate crime law. The measure called for enhanced prison sentences for crimes sparked by “bias or prejudice.” The court tossed out the law, calling it “unconstitutionally vague” because it did not include specific categories, such as sexual orientation. Lawmakers stripped out the categories before passing the measure in 2000.

Former Sen. Vincent Fort, who sponsored the original legislation, later tried and failed to pass another hate crime measure in 2007.

Fort joined with Sen. Nan Orrock and then-Sen. Kasim Reed to propose the bill on the 10th anniversary of the Otherside bombing. The Midtown gay bar was bombed by Olympic bomber Eric Robert Rudolph on February 21, 1997.

In 2016, Hanson came under fire during her campaign when transphobic tweets she made years earlier were discovered.

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Q

IN BRIEF

Doraville swears in

PODCAST

two LGBT

City Council members

By Matt Hennie Joseph Geierman and Stephe Koontz helped Doraville make history on January 4, giving the City Council two LGBT members for the first time and swearing in the only openly transgender elected official in Georgia.

The pair won election to the seven-person City Council in November. On Thursday, Municipal Court Judge Scott Carter administered the oath of office to Geierman, Koontz and returning Council member Robert Patrick during a brief ceremony at Doraville City Hall (photo).

Geierman, a gay longtime resident and civic activist in the DeKalb County city, won the District 2 post with a campaign platform focused on attracting more residents and businesses while also improving the city’s zoning and permitting processes.

“The best thing about Stephe and I being elected is the fact that me being gay and her being trans weren’t really campaign issues through this whole thing,” Geierman said. “While there may have been people who voted for or against us on those particular issues, I think really much broader issues were the reasons that we won our respective races.”

Koontz, who won the District 3 race by six votes, is a transgender retiree and former business owner and church administrator.

Photo by Matt Hennie

Stephe Koontz and Joseph Geierman

Her campaign also focused on growing the city’s population and businesses, improving code enforcement and improving the city’s permitting process.

“I’m excited that the city that I chose to live in is diverse enough and respects diversity enough to have elected me and that they didn’t hold being transgender against me during the election,” she said. “This is a sign that even though we see the rhetoric from the right wing that LGBT people are evil and shouldn’t have any rights, that there’s enough people in the world that would vote for a transgender person to represent them. That’s a really powerful thing.”

Their swearing also means the return of an LGBT City Council member in Doraville for the first time since 2013. Koontz is also the council’s first-ever transgender member and the only trans elected official in Georgia.

A large crowd of supporters was on hand for the swearing in, including state Rep. Park Cannon, one of four LGBTQ state lawmakers, trans Latina activist Estrella Sanchez and representatives from Georgia Equality.

Amazon could be deciding factor for ‘religious liberty’ bill Georgia lawmakers are again expected to entertain a bill backing so-called “religious liberty” to discriminate against LGBT Georgians, according to the Associated Press.

Contentious previous attempts have fallen flat in 2016 and 2017, while similar measures that did pass in other states saw backlash in their bottom line when big business sided against discrimination.

For 2018, there’s one big name that makes “religious liberty” laws a high-stakes game: Amazon. Outgoing Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed hinted during his final press conference that Atlanta is a favorite to become Amazon’s second headquarters, but an Emory professor told AP that any efforts to codify discrimination could kill the deal’s momentum.

Emory University professor Tom Smith points to North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” regulating transgender people’s 14

use of public restrooms.

An Associated Press analysis estimates that controversial measure could cost the state a minimum $4 billion over a decade.

“As far as businesses are concerned, perception is reality,” Smith tells the AP. “If businesses think that the state is turning towards a particular bent in terms of policies, then they’re likely to act even before they see what the final piece of legislation is.”

Podcast Q is where we talk to newsmakers, influencers, entrepreneurs, elected officials and activists so you know what's happening in LGBT Atlanta.

Q Every Wednesday.

Find us on iTunes, Google Play and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. theQatl.com

Q

Q T B

EVENTS

e h t ut

P

G L

K L

M L

T A

King Weekend means one thing to local queers of color: Winter Pride

By Mike Fleming

T

he annual Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend is just one of the annual celebrations that makes Atlanta the South’s gay go-to. Starting on Thursday, don’t stop ‘til you get enough all the way through Monday’s big LGBTQ breakfast, march and rally.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11 Strippers & Cocktails with Dagger Microtel Inn & Suites

1840 Corporate Blvd. NE wassupnatl.com

MLK 2018 Kickoff Halo, 11 p.m.

817 Peachtree St. NW atlblackpride.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 12 We Rock MLK Pre-Game Mixer Einstein’s, 7 p.m.

Celebrities, porn stars, DJs, go-go dancers, and more pack the town for the yearly commemoration and celebration of how far the movement has come and how far we have yet to go. Be ready for thousands people partying with purpose.

1077 Juniper St.

We start with an introduction to meet the major players. These party promoters know what’s up, and all have fun in store.

with Celebrity Choreographer

Rockstars Production ‘We Rock MLK’ Weekend From the guys who bring you non-stop Black Gay Pride action in the fall comes three days of fab that lets you party – what? – like a rock star of course. While venues are being finalized, secure your passes to Friday through Sunday fun. VIP options available for all events. rockstarsproduction.com.

WassupNATL ‘Freedom’ & ‘Freaknik 2018’ The party promoters at Wassup create an ultimate man’s-man getaway for guys. Five amazing nights, five supersized parties, and 5,000 same-gender loving men. Dagger, Jeremy Copeland, Sherrod, Yusaf Mack, Sidney Star and more appear as guests. wassupnatl.com ATL Mega Party The newest organizers on the list offer weekend passes, or get tickets individually to their five blowouts. A&E Ent LLC, Angel X, Dream Team and ALT Clubbing join forces for this year’s series Thursday through Sunday. Text MLK to 64600 or visit atlblackpride.com 16

in

rockstarsproduction.com Freedom Kickoff Jeremy Copeland

& Model Webster Sherrod Kompass

2520 Piedmont Road NE wassupnatl.com

Hotlanta Mega Party Museum Bar, 11 p.m.

181 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. SW rockstarsproduction.com MLK Mega Party Location TBA

Text MLK to 64600 atlblackpride.com

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13 We Rock Ultimate Day Party Havana, 5 p.m.

3112 Piedmont Road NE rockstarsproduction.com Mega Day Party Atlanta Eagle, 5 p.m.

306 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE atlblackpride.com Freaknik 2018 with Boxer & Model Yusaf Mack & Sidney Star Kompass 2520 Piedmont Road NE wassupnatl.com Mega Night Party Location TBA Text MLK to 64600 atlblackpride.com

Big Dicks & Fat Asses with Big Dick Contest Gentlemen’s Club, 12 midnight to 6 a.m.

2145 Piedmont Road NE wassupnatl.com

SUNDAY, JANUARY 14 We Rock Brunch, 12 noon Location TBA We Rock Finale, 10 p.m.

Opium, 960 Spring Street rockstarsproduction.com I AM King Kompass, 10 p.m.

2520 Piedmont Road NE wassupnatl.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 15 LGBT Bayard Rustin/Audre Lorde Breakfast Loudermilk Center, 10 a.m.

40 Courtland St. NE rustinlordeatl.com MLK Day March & Rally

Including a gay contingent from Breakfast Peachtree @ Baker Streets, 1:45 p.m. mlkmarchcommittee.com

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Q

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

January 11 - January 17

FRIDAY, JANUARY 12 Kristy Lee

One of the most powerful

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11

voices in the South calls to

‘Winter Pride’ MLK Weekend

mind long gone blues belters,

The annual slate of reverence

Southern soul shouters and

and revelry begins putting the

gospel divas. What’s left? Just you

LGBTQ-ATL into MLK. To-

during this intimate performance @

night’s events include a screening

Eddie’s Attic, 9 p.m. eddiesattic.com

of I Am Not Your Negro, the current

Oscar nominee that uses gay author

MAAP Mix & Mingle

rich archival footage. Panel discussion to

of Professionals gather for their first networking mixer of the year @

The LGBT business owners and leaders of Metro Atlanta Association

James Baldwin’s original words with

follow @ Georgia Public Broadcasting, 7 p.m. gpb.org HRC Gala Theme Party

Another year, another HRC Atlanta gala in the spring, and another pre-parties series leading up to the big night. Kick it off with af-

ter-work cocktails to reveal this year’s theme @ No Mas Cantina, 6:30 p.m. hrcatlanta.org

Ten Atlanta, 6 p.m. maapatl.org

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13 Advocacy Training

If you are ready to let your legislators hear from you, learn how with

Georgia Equality. The statewide lobby group needs volunteers to spread the LGBTQ word, and they’re here to get you there @ Rush Center, 1

When the Levee Breaks

p.m. georgiaequality.org

LGBTQ Atlanta’s own prolif-

David Bowie Night

ic photographer, archivist,

VJ Anthony takes his role as Atlan-

artist and gadabout Allie

ta’s 80s New Wave Dance Party

Royce Soble unveils

guru seriously. That means his

this solo exhibition of

Second-Saturday event’s Bowie

Rorschach-esque works

tribute will be on point. Dance

with an opening fete

and watch music videos on mul-

@ Callanwolde Fine

tiple screens. Even better, this VJ

Arts Center, 7 p.m.

takes requests @ Amsterdam, 10 p.m.

alliroycesoble.com

amsterdamatlanta.com

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13 Paula Poundstone

Standup comics come and go, but staying power is rare with the laughs at a whole other level. This quirky, cool, smart comedian brings The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human

Happiness to the Atlanta stage @ Buckhead Theatre, 7 p.m.

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 14 Armorettes 39th Anniversary

Many of Atlanta’s LGBTQ staples were birthed in the 80s, and as some of you

know too well, that was a long time ago.

Well, these bitches have been around

since the 70s, y’all. Come celebrate what

started as eye makeup and beards to cheer

a gay softball team and turned into a local

legend @ Burkhart’s, 7:30 p.m. burkharts.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 15 Maysa

Baby, this voice is going to slay you. Now just pepper it with

singer, songwriter and storyteller, and you will thank her for the privilege. It’s a perfect MLK

Day wrap party @ City Winery, 7 p.m. citywinery.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 Dine Out for Charis The non-profit arm of Atlanta’s oldest LGBTQ bookstore benefits from the proceeds of your meal as the organization hurtles toward five decades in the ATL. Eat up @ Chai Pani, 5:30 p.m. chariscircle.org

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17 But I’m a Cheerleader The Wussy fun continues with the alt-queer event series’ latest camp classic. Join the fun of this screening @ Plaza Theatre, 7 p.m.

wussymag.com

Rainbros Discussion As last year’s organizational newbie on the scene finds its footing, join their latest event series for a discussion of “How Can a Spiritual Life Benefit Me?” @ Creative Approach, 7 p.m. rainbros.us

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 Cliterati The monthly open mic night takes a swipe at many queers’ biggest resolution, but in that way that only Atlanta’s lesbian-feminist bookstore can provide. Natalie Graham reads and discusses Begin with a Failed Body. Charis, 7:30 p.m.

Project Cosplay Birthed in the ballrooms of OutlantaCon in 2010, this queer event series takes on a “Really Bad Movies” theme this time. Dress up with Atlanta’s

LGBTQ sci-fi/fantasy gamers @ Joystick Gamebar, 9 p.m. outlantacon.org Rainbros Lunch Meetup

Atlanta’s gay male networking and social group gathers to gab @ Roxx, 12 noon. rainbros.us

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21

Q

LOOKS

Fashionable queers let their hair put much-needed color into the bleak midwinter

22

COLOR

Winter BLUES

BLOCK

By Mike Fleming

23

Q

LOOKS, Continued

Pretty in

PINK

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EVERY NIGHT IS A Party!

THE ROOSTER IS MAKING MORE ROOM IN THE HEN HOUSE!

BOYS OF BJ’S & LIVE DJ EVERY NIGHT STRONG DRINKS • DANCE FLOOR POOL TABLES • DARTS DINING MENU

2043 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324 | Open and Pouring Everyday at 4 PM

25

Q

26

LOOKS, Continued

GREEN Lighted

27

Q

LOOKS, Continued

BLONDE

Ambitions 28

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Q

LOOKS, Continued

Seeing

RED

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Not Your

DADDY’S BOY

When an older man treats you like a sub, or a ‘friend’ chokes on HIV stigma wreaking havoc, Life Judge helps spread the love

Finally, consider if you are subconsciously attracted to – and attracting – men who want to take care of you. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you know it’s happening and don’t let it override your own responsibilities and self worth.

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I’m dating a guy 22 years older than me. I am gainfully employed and independent, but he insists on paying for every meal and movie. At first, I thought he was being unnecessarily generous, but when I insisted on picking up a check, he all but patted me on the head and called me princess.

What he actually said was, “I get offended when you insist. Use your money to buy yourself things you want. I got this.” He might as well have stuffed a C-note in my crotch and told me to go buy myself something pretty.

I mean, it’s a terrible tragedy and all, but it’s not like he didn’t know how to prevent it.

Don’t I deserve friends who are smarter than that?

He might as well have stuffed a C-note in my crotch and told me to go buy myself something pretty.

I think he sees me as a subservient wife or mistress. Like this is 1952 and we’re playing house. Well, I am not the one. I do like the guy, but this has got to stop.

Dear Boy Toy: At any age, background, experience and plain old psychological issues can make it hard to let go of tired gender roles. And society is no help. Dating and mating rituals developed over centuries are trouble enough for straight people, much less two men trying to relate.

Try paying in advance. Buy movie tickets online and meet him at the door with his admission in hand. Pay the tab while he’s in the restroom and tell him it was your turn.

If that doesn’t work or you feel it’s too sensitive a subject, just communicate. Bring it up, not in the moment, but in a neutral setting with no pressure. Exchange ideas, and see if you can work it out.

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A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with HIV, and I couldn’t be angrier. I haven’t spoken to him since he told me, and I’m considering just letting the friendship die on the vine.

Dear Stigma: True friends love each other unconditionally, and they stick around, not bolt in tough times.

I assume you’re scared and not a jerk, and that’s understandable. Your buddy is going to be OK once he gets a handle on his situation, so the only “terrible tragedy” to worry about is leaving him stranded.

Whether you approve or not, there are reasons guys might stray from safer sex. Condoms can be cumbersome and distinctly not sexy. The heat of the moment, safe-sex fatigue or recreational substances might also influence decision-making. Maybe your friend is even depressed or feeling too unworthy to bother with safe sex.

You’re right about one thing, though: Be angry. At HIV, not at your friend.

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

Illustration by Brad Gibson

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