Q Magazine Atlanta| November 22, 2018

Get Into Good Trouble on THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

inform | inspire

November 22, 2018

Saturnalia kicks off holidays with both sides of your party persona

The True Stories Behind LGBTQ NAME CHANGES A Legacy is Building for ATLANTA’S QUEER WOMEN Atlanta’s Open & Pouring EARLIER, BOOZIER BRUNCH

+

The Q Q Shots Queer Agenda Q News

The Weekly Print Publication of Project Q Atlanta

Don’t you wish it was

thicker?

Your hair, that is.

You don’t have to wish it.

Do it.

Dr. Daniel Lee Air Force Veteran 20+ Years of Surgical Experience ARTAS Robotic Hair Restoration Expert Call to schedule your complimentary consultation and begin your journey to a fuller head of hair.

404.256.4247 or visit

AtlantaHairSurgeon.com for more information 5555 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd, Suite 106 Atlanta, GA 30342

EDITOR’S NOTE Q 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

Call Me By

MY NAME

From first to last to entire communities, what we call ourselves matters NAMING CONVENTIONS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TRICKY. Ask your friendly neighborhood software engineer or office manager or marketing professional how important naming things — programs, files, consumer products, slogans — can be to the perception of those who use them, and how the wrong one can cause headaches, confusion and frustration. Hint: it’s a lot.

Now make it the name of a human being. Now make that person queer and misidentified or with a morphing identity. This issue of Q takes on the name game with just the start of a conversation in which all of us can participate. Beyond people’s preferred pronouns, what we call ourselves and others becomes about personal identity, about political statements and/or even about fitting in with those around us and in our own skin.

ART DIRECTOR JOHN NAIL JOHN@THEQATL.COM PROJECT Q ATLANTA PATRICK SAUNDERS EDITOR PSAUNDERS@THEQATL.COM CONTRIBUTORS IAN ABER LAURA BACCUS GABRIELLE CLAIBORNE BUCK COOKE CHARLES E. DAVIS JON DEAN BRAD GIBSON JAMES L. HICKS TAMEEKA L. HUNTER MARK S. KING HEATHER MALONEY ERIC PAULK KYLE ROSE JAMES PARKER SHEFFIELD VINCE SHIFFLETT ALEXANDRA TYLER VAVA VROOM NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA SALES@RIVENDELLMEDIA.COM 212-242-6863 LOCAL ADVERTISING SALES@THEQATL.COM 404-949-7071

Consider a local gay couple I know who both changed their last name to “Love” when they got EDITOR & PUBLISHER married. What about a trans man who honored his father with his new name even though that father shunned his transition? Every LGBTQ name change has a story, and Q Thoughts hears some of them in a conversation with Atlanta residents.

MIKE FLEMING

To supplement the conversation, 10 Queer Things recalls icons who changed the world — but did so under a name not given them at birth. Chances are you know the contributions of people like George Jorgensen, Rolihlahla Mandela, Farrookh Bulsara or Caryn Johnson even though you’ve never heard those monikers. Their examples remind us as well as most that a rose by any other name just doesn’t smell as sweet.

In Q Voices, VaVa Vroom, president of Dykes on Bikes Atlanta, joins our magazine’s contributors column with a look at queer women forging their own legacies in Atlanta. It may not surprise you that VaVa was not the name her mother gave her, though it fits the person she became like a glove.

Q Community says goodbye to a name you should remember with an obituary of a queer Atlanta pioneer gone too soon, and Q News names the changes in local LGBTQ life since our last issue. The name of the game in The Q advice column this week is “harsh truths.”

This week’s Q Events cover story names a dozen hosts with the most. The first big gay holiday party of the season, Naughty or Nice, hits town next week from the Saturnalia crew, and their backers read like a who’s who of the Atlanta nightlife and party scene.

As always, we name this week’s best events in the Queer Agenda calendar, Q Shots shows off the best photos from last week, and you can call me by my name any time via mike@theQatl.com. theQatl.com

5

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!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2 NOVEMBER 22,2018

10 QUEER THINGS Name Game

COVER

22 10

Two Face

Saturnalia’s Naughty or Nice Party

COMMUNITY

13

27 In Deep

Dance Free

Bucking pioneer and mentor dies THOUGHTS

16

Changed for Good

33 Otherness

ATL queers choose aff irming new names

FEATURES Q Voices

8

Q News

13

Q Shots

27

Queer Agenda The Q

24 38

38

36 Jungle Love theQatl.com

7

Q

VOICES

WOMEN’S

Work

Meet women building a queer female legacy in Atlanta A LEGACY IS NOT SIMPLY A THING WE RECEIVE. IT is something we build.

Regardless of our orientations, interests, identities, familial configurations, spheres of influence, or ages, everything we do reverberates generationally.

Legacies are how we live our lives. They impact the things that matter. They’re our contribution to the next generation.

to find themselves while learning to move their bodies.

Through events like “Her HRC: Burlesque Through the Ages!” they celebrate Atlanta’s LGBTQ women to build a greater sense of community while teaching the importance of engaging in the LGBTQ civil rights movement.

Ursula Undress Ursula’s musical theater and dance background, and advocacy for body, sex and age positivity has made her a staple in the Atlanta burlesque scene. Known for her fearlessness of womanly sexuality, she sends her burlesque message to the world through storytelling and sensual movement.

She produces shows under Glittering Moon Productions. She heads, choreographs group numbers and creates graphics for The Candybox Revue. She is Co-Owner, Co-Creative Director and Instructor of Atlanta School of Burlesque, which is part of Metropolitan Studios. Ursula is a dedicated spiritual leader under training with The Wild Woman Project and leads full moon circles at Metropolitan Studios.

Talloolah Love The Queen of the Subtle Tease, Talloolah is a burlesque performer, emcee and producer. She is Co-Owner and Studio Manager of Atlanta School of Burlesque and performs with The V A V A Dykes on Bikes®, Atlanta - VaVa Vroom, President Candybox Revue. She started the #IamBurV R O O M When I took Dykes on Bikes over, we were a lesque movement, which showcases performers bunch of bikers who showed up for Pride in the of all body types, abilities, ethnicities and experiences; and she morning, blasted through the parade and were home by mid-afproduces DragonCon burlesque and Candybox Underground. ternoon. Always a crowd favorite, we didn’t have to try hard.

Talloolah speaks at conventions, leads panels and shows skillBut what if we put some elbow grease into it? Well, we have. We’ve sets and how-to’s nationwide. Her classes and workshops make evolved. DOB is open to “any woman, any bike.” Dykes, bisexuthis form of expression accessible to enthusiasts and blossomals, queers, femmes, pansexuals, trans, poly, kinky and straight. We ing performers: sensual yoga, workshops, and beginning and empower a community of diversity through relationships, rides, Pride intermediate choreography. events and education. And, of course, to recruit more women to ride.

Roula Roulette The Femme Mafia - The Donna, Founder Co-Owner of Metropolitan Studios and The Atlanta School The Femme Mafia is a grassroots organization dedicated to of Burlesque, Roula is known for performances that embody creating visibility and safety for femme-identified people within body positivity, sex positivity, self-love and sexual exploration.

LGBTQ communities across the country. In 2005, founder RaRoula is a troupe member, Production Manager, Sponsorship chael Zoreena-Sheffield, aka the Donna, invited a small group Coordinator and all-around cat herder with The Candybox of femme friends to dinner, and the Femme Mafia was born.

Revue, as well as a community organizer and activist in the The Femme Mafia exploded, and where Femmes were once Atlanta arts scene. She pours her heart and soul into the harassed and invisible in Atlanta’s LGBTQ bars, they are now Atlanta burlesque scene and works with individuals of all recognized as powerful community builders. The Donna was backgrounds and body types, preaching the gospel of selfhonored as a Local Female Hero by readers of Southern Voice in acceptance and love.

2007, and has been featured in Curve magazine, The Advocate, and We honor the legacy of the queer women, feminists, and artists who the book Femmes of Power. rebelled, organized and created before us by joining together and Meet women who are legacy building in Atlanta, creating an epicenter of the queer women’s community and feminist women’s arts movements.

Metropolitan Studios and Atlanta School of Burlesque Being sure of yourself begins with knowing your history, knowing your body, knowing yourself. The Atlanta School of Burlesque isn’t just teaching glamorous dances. They are creating a community of open minded, artistic creatives who strive 8

theQatl.com

building on that legacy through passion, feminism, and solidarity.

Be brave. Live loudly.

VaVa Vroom is president of Dykes on Bikes®, Atlanta. Visit facebook.com/groups/dykesonbikesatlanta/

Come in to see why everyone’s talking about the

GOOD EATS

To advertise, contact us at sales@theqatl.com or 404-949-7071

Our Steaks Are Special Everyday!

10 oz. Sirloin w/2 sides kitchen hours

Mon - Sat 4 - 10 pm sunday brunch

1492 Piedmont Ave • Atlanta 404.343 .6514

Noon - 3 pm

sunday dinner

4 - 8 pm

DAILY SPECIALS DINE IN ONLY

MONDAY

Ice Cold $2 Tecate / $5 Menu

TUESDAY BOOZEDAY

$3 Tacos & $3 Beer Specials

Midtown Promenade

931 Monroe Dr NE • Atlanta, GA 30308

404-607-9967

WEDNESDAY

W.T.F. Buckets of Beer and Trivia

THIRSTY THURSDAY $5 well drinks, $7 Bleeding Frog & $6 Tropical Ritas

FRI • SAT • SUN

Weekend Warrior Texas Fajitas & Pitcher for Two $39 theQatl.com

9

Q

10 QUEER THINGS

A Rose By Any Other

NAME

It’s always sweeter when your name matches your vision of yourself

By Mike Fleming

THIS WEEK’S Q THOUGHTS FEATURE ON QUEER NAME changes got us to thinking of high-profile people with self-chosen monikers.

Some made the transition in the public eye, others before we ever knew their work. Some did it for personal identity, others for politics. Some to separate themselves, others to fit in.

Whether queer or not, there’s a story behind each of these famous name changes, and all of them made definite statements.

Caitlyn Jenner

BRUCE JENNER

Can you imagine any of these icons going by any other name now?

m Muham

ad Ali

Y, JR. A L C S U I CASS 10

theQatl.com

Vin Diesel MARK X X SINCLAIR XXX

Snoop Dogg

CALVIN BROADUS, JR.

Christine

GEORGE

r Fre dd i e Me

cur y

ULSARA B H K O R FAR

Jorgensen

JORGENS

EN, JR.

Whoopi Goldberg CARYN JOHNSON

Martin Luther King, Jr. MICHAEL KING, JR.

Chaz Bono

CHASTITY BONO

Nelson M

ROLIHLA

andela

HLA MA

NDELA theQatl.com

11

theQatl.com

Fresh content served daily

COMMUNITY Q

Anthony ‘Big Tony’ Davis (second from right) pictured with (from left) Jordan Finnegan, Jamal Sims and Jim Farmer

Gone

TOO SOON

Atlanta bucking legend, gay mentor Anthony Davis dies

By Patrick Saunders

ANTHONY “BIG TONY” DAVIS, WHO MENTORED countless young black gay men in Atlanta and across the country in the Southern dance style called bucking, died on Nov. 11 at age 46.

Davis (main photo, second from right) was the star of When The Beat Drops, a documentary about bucking that was the opening night selection for this year’s Out on Film festival.

“All of us here at Out On Film were very fond of Anthony,” said Jim Farmer, executive director of Out on Film (far right).

“He was an amazing role model and mentor to so many kids over the years and he literally gave them a home to dance.

“When the Beat Drops showed the world his legacy, and I hope one day all that he did will be recognized and fully appreciated,” he added.

Davis — an Atlanta native — was in Chattanooga, Tenn., for a bucking competition when he died, according to his cousin Keely Reidy. She told Project Q Atlanta that he began having labored breathing and collapsed at the hotel, so an ambulance was called.

“He had died by the time they got to the hospital,” Reidy said. Doctors said it was a heart attack.

When The Beat Drops producer Jordan Finnegan (photo, far left) recalled Davis’s “indefatigable spirit.”

“We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of our Anthony ‘Big Tony’ Davis friend Anthony Davis, and exceptionally grateful to have been entrusted with the opportunity to tell his story in When The Beat Drops,” he said. “[Director] Jamal Sims, our fellow producers at World Of Wonder and I will miss Tony’s indefatigable spirit and irrepressible smile greatly and eternally,” Finnegan added.

Sims (second from left) said that Davis was a natural leader and a man of integrity who set an example with his life that others should follow.

“He made you feel like family. He was a light,” Sims said.

“Anthony’s legacy, in my opinion, would be to follow your passion, even if you have to make sacrifices,” he said. “In the end, it will be worth it.”

A memorial service was held on Nov. 17 at Gus Thornhill’s Funeral Home in East Point. The family accepted visitors during a viewing the previous day.

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

13

Q

NEWS IN BRIEF

LGBTQ activists arrested during election protest at Georgia Capitol

Cheers! Atlanta approves earlier start to boozy brunch

By Patrick Saunders

GEORGIA VOTERS AGREED ON AT LEAST ONE

STATE SEN. NIKEMA

thing on Election Day: They want their Sunday

mimosas before 12:30 p.m., thank you very much.

Williams and several

LGBTQ activists were

Voters in every metro Atlanta community that had

among 15 people arrest-

the chance said “yes” to moving up Sunday alcohol

ed during a demonstra-

sales at restaurants from 12:30 p.m. to 11 a.m.

tion at the State Capitol on Nov. 13.

About 65 percent of Forsyth and Gwinnett County voters approved the measure, as did about 70

The protest inside the Gold Dome, which

sometimes numbered up to 100 people, urged the

Photo courtesy Kate Shapiro

Mary Hooks (being arrested)

Georgia Secretary of State’s office to count all votes in the state’s hotly contested gubernatorial election. State troopers and Cap-

itol police arrested the protesters, who were taken to the Fulton

County Jail and booked on a misdemeanor charge of disrupting a General Assembly session.

Mary Hooks, the lesbian co-director of Southerners On New

Ground (SONG), was leading a crowd in a call-and-response in the Capitol rotunda when police detained her.

“Our lives are on the line. Elections are important,” Hooks (photo) said before being handcuffed and arrested.

Kate Shapiro, SONG’s membership director, said the demonstra-

percent in Cobb and DeKalb and a whopping 75 percent of City of Atlanta residents. Local

governments will establish their own dates for when earlier sales start.

The possibility of moving the hours up had

LGTBQ restaurant owners excited as Election Day neared, citing increased revenue and reducing the 12:30 p.m. rush.

Legislation to allow the ballot referendums has

been floating around for years. The “brunch bill” finally passed in this year’s legislative session. It

wasn’t until 2011 when lawmakers gave voters the chance to approve retail sales of alcohol on Sundays. That also overwhelmingly passed.

tion was organized by SONG, Black Lives Matter Atlanta, New Georgia Project and Migente Support Committee.

“We called it for this very simple demand that the government do its job and count every vote, which should not be a demand — it should just be a basic expectation of elections and government,” Shapiro told Project Q Atlanta.

HIV/AIDS activist Devin Barrington Ward and transgender former journalist Ari Willis were also among those arrested.

Williams, an LGBTQ ally elected to her Atlanta district in 2016,

was booked for disrupting a General Assembly session and obstruction, and released on $6,000 bond. Hooks, Ward and Willis were charged with a misdemeanor and released on $3,000 bond.

according tothe AJC: Acworth, Alpharetta, Austell, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, College Park, Duluth, Hapeville, Kennesaw, Marietta, Milton, Peachtree Corners, Powder

LGBTQ state Reps. Park Cannon and Renitta Shannon were

Springs, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Smyrna, South

tion but were not among those arrested.

Woodstock.

among those who spoke at a press conference after the demonstra-

14

Here’s a list of other cities who passed the referendum,

theQatl.com

Fulton, Stone Mountain, Tucker, Union City and

theQatl.com

15

Q

THOUGHTS

Pho

yJ to b am

What’s in a es

L.

Hi

cks

LGBTQ Georgians reveal the sometimes moving, never boring path to choosing a new name

By Patrick Saunders

S

ome want to honor their family heritage. Others look to online gaming profiles or their favorite prime time soap opera. Many don’t want to make too big of a

change at all.

For transgender people, choosing a new name can often be a

profound experience. It’s what people call you. It’s the title under which all perceptions of you are listed — by you and by others.

16

theQatl.com

Mars Hallman was 15 when he decided to change his name.

He had come out as non-binary and no longer identified with the name given to him at birth.

“I’ve always loved looking at the night sky, and Mars is always the first thing I look for,” Hallman told Q. “It’s nice to see myself every time I look up at the stars.”

The Valdosta State University student now identifies as transgender.

CLOSE TO HOME Many transgender people prefer to pick some variation on the name given to them at birth.

“I started my social transition in May of 2006 and chose my new name Christian, which used to be Christine, that same year or early in 2007,” said Atlanta resident Christian Zsi-

s m l e H a c Moni

Lupa Brandt Vega Darling

a NAME? lavetz. “I wanted to still be Chris to partially honor my family and I liked being Chris. Very few people called me Christine except for a few bosses and the doctor’s office, so being Chris felt good to me as a gender-neutral name.”

tify so much as a Christian in a religious sense, but the choice of my name has actually been used against me by people from the far right who sought to slam my efforts in forming Pride School Atlanta, so go figure,” he said.

But Zsilavetz got at least one unexpected reaction from friends after changing his name.

Doraville City Councilmember Stephe Koontz also wanted a name close to her old one, and she found it from an unlikely source.

“A lot of my friends who knew me as Chris before wanted to call me Christian instead of Chris because it made it easier for them to remember the right pronouns moving forward, which I thought was very loving of them,” he said.

“I used the name I came up with for playing online games a long time ago,” she said. “It’s kind of a weird way of spelling Steph, but that was taken and Stephe wasn’t.”

Zsilavetz — who founded Pride School Atlanta, which closed in September — found another unexpected result from choosing the name he did, courtesy of anti-LGBTQ people.

“What are the amusing things to me is that I really don’t iden-

Tracee McDaniel changed her name in 1987 while working a summer job at a seafood restaurant in Myrtle Beach, S.C. “I chose my first name because it was similar to my birth name, and I chose my middle name Dominique after Diahann Carroll’s Dynasty character Dominique Deveraux,” she said. theQatl.com

17

Q

THOUGHTS, Continued Transgender activist Feroza Syed also wanted a similar name as her birth name, more so because of family pressures.

“I knew it would be hard for my family to call me something very different from my original name,” she said. “I also had only met one Feroza (which was the female version of my name) in my life, so I went with what was easy and unique.”

Christian Zsilavetz

“Since I didn’t think my family would honor my request to be called Shabana, or Saira, or any other names I had thought up, it was simple. Give them a variation of your current name that makes it easier for them. In retrospect, I really see how I was so much more concerned with their comfort than choosing something I was happy with,” she added.

Atlanta transgender activist Monica Helms had long decided on her new name by the time she changed it in 1997.

OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS AND MATH TIME For Lupa Brandt, choosing her new name was a numbers game — a numerology game to be exact.

“I actually came up with this name 15 years earlier when I was

She used a complex system that involved adding all the numbers in her birthdate and eventually came up with “her number.” She then used a numerology chart to do the rest.

truly female name. I changed my last name because the one I

“Using the chart, I made a long list of female names from reading, watching TV, etc. and added their results up,” said Brandt, the community outreach organizer for Transcending Barriers Atlanta. “Those that matched my number, I added to a list of names to choose from.”

crossdressing, so it was easy,” said Helms, who designed the

transgender flag used worldwide today. “For my first name, I didn’t like the female derivatives of ‘Robert’ and I wanted a

had was always mispronounced and I wanted something simple, but that started with the same letter.”

It took transgender Atlanta resident Vega Darling a long time to choose his name, having never felt at home in the name his parents gave him. Like Mars Hallman, he looked skyward.

“I chose a first name that reflects my Irish heritage. I chose

The process took over a year.

a middle name to honor my mother — it is the male version

Kitty Killington didn’t have to look as far when choosing her first name after coming out as transgender. Her wife called her Kitty as a nickname.

second middle name — the name that I use in daily life — to

“I ended up deciding on it because it meant that when I do have my documents done, I can make my name Katherine and I’ll be Kitty for short,” she said. “My best friend’s name is Kathryn and she’s been my friend for almost 20 years, and my grandmother and little sister are both named Catherine. So, it feels a bit like an homage to the people I love.”

18

MOVING FORWARD

of my mother’s first and middle names,” he said. “I chose a

reflect my values. The name I chose is the name of the brightest star in Lyra — the musical constellation.”

Most of Darling’s family is adopted, and his mother changed

her name after divorcing, so changing the last name wasn’t as big of a deal as it would have been otherwise. But choosing and embracing a new name was.

“Picking a wholly new name with intention allowed me to

Tougher was picking a middle name. But it was freeing in a way.

embrace letting go of the past, letting go of the hurt being

“For the record, my middle name is Stellaluna, and I stole it from a children’s book about a bat. It took me like a year to decide, mostly because I know that nobody ever really sees your middle name and I could do anything I wanted with it.

Too many options [laughs],” she said.

society and family placed on me as a woman and move for-

theQatl.com

mocked over my last name, letting go of the expectations that ward into my life as a man,” Darling said.

Visit theQatl.com for the legal and logistical web folks encounter to change a name in Georgia.

GET NOTICED! Atlanta’s best LGBTQ weekly is standing out from the crowd, and so can you!

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

ALWAYS A PARTY BU T NEVER A COVER!

Presents

FRIDAYS @ 11 P.M. Hosted by Shavonna B. Brooks Raquel Lord

Featuring Tristan Panucci Dupree Niesha Dupree

And New Cast Member

Chavon Scott

1492 Piedmont Ave NE • Atlanta, GA 30309 • 404-343-651

Don’t fo

rget

Enjoy Karaoke @ 10 p.m.

Oh, sh*t!

Come home to

for

Thanksgiving Dinner For our wonderful customers and friends we will be serving an Appreciation Thanksgiving Dinner starting at 4 p.m.

4 • KITCHEN HOURS: Mon-Sat 4 -10 p.m. • Sunday: 3-10 p.m.

Q

EVENTS

Holigay K Meet the hosts of the Santa-vs-Krampus dance party you never knew you needed but so did

By Mike Fleming

O

ne of the biggest upswings of 2018 in queer Atlanta has to be the advent of the Saturnalia series of dance parties.

What was once just a great idea to bring together several facets of revelers into one space to benefit Pets Are Loving Support has become a best bet for a reliably fun time for a good cause.

A party and benefit in September built on an inaugural success in April, so expectations are high for the group’s next event, the Naughty or Nice holiday party on Dec. 1 at Heretic.

“The feedback has been incredibly positive,” organizers Marc Hammer and Kevin Phillips tell Q. “We almost doubled our attendance from the first event to the second event, and donations from the two parties combined have helped us raise over $2,500 for PALS. We’re looking forward to adding to that total for the next event.”

To do that, Saturnalia calls on its namesake roots, the ancient Roman winter festival of revelry that is one of the precursors to Christmas. The Naughty or Nice theme calls on both sides of

Nick Smith

Andrew Haratine

Jeff Paramore 22

theQatl.com

Caesar Morillo and Nathan Scott

Mike Woodside

your party persona and sees which one wins out. The good news is, there’s no wrong answer.

“The term ‘Saturnalia’ became slang for any large and crazy party,” they said. “The idea and decor for this event is Santa vs. Krampus, so costumes can be interpreted from there on whether you are on Santa’s list or Krampus’ list,” the organizers say.

While your mind whirs on the possibilities, consider that legendary DJs Brett Oosterhaus and J Warren return to man the tables, and that the real winners of the night are the folks at PALS, which help critically ill people feed and care for their pets.

In addition to causes worth supporting and great ideas for parties, Saturnalia’s hosts are part of its formula. Hailing from varied corners of LGBTQ Atlanta life, their support is one of the keys to Saturnalia’s success.

“All of our hosts have been very actively involved with helping us promote the party,” Hammer and Phillips say. “All of them are not just hosts but friends and have taken an active role in getting the word out and getting people excited about our events. We certainly could not have done it without them and all of their input.”

With that in mind, here are a few of the men behind the men behind Saturnalia. Look for them to lead the charge during Naughty and Nice.

Patrick Varnes

Ken Hinkel and John Walker

Jarrod Michels

Billy Banderas

Keewan Williams

Matt Meehling and James Lewis

 ICKOFF

Saturnalia’s Naughty or Nice party takes place at Heretic on Dec. 1, 10 p.m. hereticatlanta.com, facebook.com/saturnaliaparty

theQatl.com

23

theQatl.com

24

Q

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

November 21 - November 28 WEDNESDAY, NOV. 21 Thanksgiving Eve

The tradition continues. You’re off work

tomorrow, and DJ Seth Breezy helms this rowdy Joining Hearts fundie @ Heretic, 10 p.m. hereticatlanta.com Underwear Party

Again, you’ve got all night this Wednesday, so bare as you dare @ Atlanta Eagle, 10 p.m.

Turkey Ball

DJ Tim Woodruff pumps the beats for holiday homos on 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue @ Ten Atlanta, 9 p.m.

THURSDAY, NOV. 22 Happy Thanksgiving

If you’re by yourself today, check in with your favorite queer gathering

spots and watering holes. Many are serving Thanksgiving dinner.

SATURDAY, NOV. 24 Indies First Day

After Black Friday but before Cyber Monday, give some shopping love to local independents, including LGBTQ retailers Charis Books

& More, Boy Next Door and GCB/Brushstrokes, to name a few. charisbooksandmore.com, brushstrokesatlanta.com, boynextdoormenswear.com Queeriety

The variety show you didn’t know you needed

but totally do @ Village Theatre, 11 p.m.

facebook.com/queeriety

SUNDAY, NOV. 25

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@theQatl.com

HRC Brunch

Tacos, beer and margaritas make turkey a thing

of the past to benefit Human Rights Campaign

Atlanta @ Guac y Margys, 12:30 p.m. hrcatlanta.org

TUESDAY, NOV. 27 Unapologetic

“A Black, Queer, Feminist Mandate for Radi-

cal Movements” Charlene A. Carruthers offers

a vision for social justice movements @ Charis

Books & More, 7 p.m. charisbooksandmore.com Find even more LGBTQ events in the Queer Agenda each Thursday at theQatl.com.

theQatl.com

25

ICON WITH RPDR’S YUHUA HAMASAKI AT DEEP END

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

Q SHOTS Q

PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD theQatl.com

27

28

theQatl.com

Q

Q SHOTS

SOUTHERN SOFTPAW LEAGUE FALL BALL BANQUET

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

30

theQatl.com

PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD

theQatl.com

31

THE OTHER SHOW AT MIDTOWN TAVERN

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

Q SHOTS Q

PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD theQatl.com

33

Q

Q SHOTS

NEW FACES ALL STARS AT FRIENDS ON PONCE

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

34

theQatl.com

PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD

News | Events | Culture | Photos | Podcast

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

Project Q Atlanta

Q

Q SHOTS

JUNGLE REUNION AT HERETIC

Full gallery on Project Q at theQatl.com

Don't Worry

36

theQatl.com

PHOTOS BY RUSS YOUNGBLOOD

THANKSGIVING DAY

NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 2, 2018

17th Annual Christmas Open House Our gift to you to thank you for a great year! Holiday appetizer buffet on Saturday evening at The Tavern. 30% discount on all rooms for the weekend. Annual Santa Bear and Sexy Elves Party at the Tavern. Bring a wrapped Christmas ornament for the for the ornament exchange. Happy Holidays to all our guests!

DECEMBER 21-25, 2018

Christmas Holiday Gathering Join our family for a memorable celebration. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

DECEMBER 28, 2018-JANUARY 1, 2019

NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION WEEKEND Food, party favors, and MEN! What a way to start 2018 and a New Year at Timberfell Lodge! Be safe…stay with us and walk back to your room! The Taven will be open on Saturday 12pm-5pm for pool, beer, snacks, and movies.

OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY!

An Oasis for Your Sexual Revolution • 17 SCREEN HI-DEF VIDEO ARCADE • HUGE SELECTION OF MALE ENHANCERS • OVER 10,000 DVDs FOR SALE & RENT • EXPANSIVE TOY & NOVELTY SECTION • FLESH TOYS, PULSATORS & LUBRICANTS 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd. • Atlanta, GA 30324 • 404-728-0701 • www.snvonline.com theQatl.com

37

Q

THEQ?!

Short and

...SWEET?

Harsh truths make for easy relationship and sex advice that’s still hard to hear

Q

I’m turned on by a hot girl eating food like it’s her last meal. Like, she just can’t get enough in her mouth at

one time. I watch her lips and tongue, and I imagine feeding her and controlling what she tastes and when.

Call me crazy, but is it

too much to hope that a woman might share my unusual, unique kink?

Q

I’m longtime HIV-positive, but I still can’t figure out

how to disclose without decreasing chances of getting

laid and increasing chances of the guy hating me.

Dear Wrong:

We are each responsible for our own risks and behaviors.

Your assumptions play a part of the stigma against you, so stop buying into it. Couch status conversations in the fun

activities you want to try on each other, as well as prevention methods you prefer.

Like any difficult talk, do it with authenticity and sensitivity, and let the guy decide for himself. Hint: If the guy would hate you for this, it wasn’t going to be a good lay anyway.

Q

The greatest person is interested in me, but they’re

lean and pretty. I only like big, hulking, hard-nosed

partners. This one’s otherwise perfect, but the pretty-skinnysmooth thing is a total turn-off. Help!

Dear Silly: Preferences and triggers are valid until they’re in the way. It

sounds like your narrowly defined hankerings are keeping you

from what you really want.

Help!

There are ways

Dear Crazy:

to broaden your

The good news is you’re

horizons. You might

actually not crazy. The bad

not learn to prefer

news might be you’re

chicken over your

all-beef diet, but a nice

not even that unique.

leg and thigh sometimes

Others are out there, so

can be fun.

spell out your desires for a hungry girl and see who bites.

Q

son forever to the friend zone,

My relationship was so good once!! The excitement is

open your mind to the possibil-

gone! How can I get it back!?!

Dear Lazy: Dial back the exclamation marks, turn down the volume,

and listen — to yourself and what you really want, as well as your significant other’s deepest desires. If there’s a chance to work it out and spice things up, it’s together.

38

Rather than relegating this per-

theQatl.com

ities. Meanwhile, watch porn with

decreasingly “hulking” actors, explore their charms, and see what comes up.

The Q is for entertainment purposes and not professional counseling.

Send your burning Qs to mike@theqatl.com.

ILLUSTRATION BY BRAD GIBSON

HAVE A FLAWLESS FALL Premier Aesthetic Service for Botox®, Kybella and Dermal Fillers at affordable prices

Quality Without Compromise by Expert Provider Specializing in Men Angela Herrington, FNP-C Board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with 7 years+ experience in Aesthetics, injecting neurotoxins and dermal fillers.

ALL FILLERS

$499

Until the End of November AtlantaMedicalAesthetics.com

770-653-5173

SALON LOFTS® 12th & Midtown 77 12th Street NE (at Crescent Ave.) Lofts 13 & 14 Atlanta Medical Aesthetics LLC Atlanta_Botox Actual before/after photos on our Website, Facebook & Instagram pages

BOTOX® $9/unit